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Tag Archives: Runaway
Doctor Who: Series 6: Episode 7 – A Good Man Goes to War
Before you read on: Spoilers sweetie.
The Guardian series blog, written by Dan Martin, has been my first port of call as soon as the credits roll after every episode of this series. The story arc is so layered and baffling, with the hints and in jokes so carefully hidden, that even after a second viewing it’s difficult to pick up on everything. Thankfully the Guardian blog has been there whenever I’ve really struggled to get my head together and form some thoughts of my own. And the comments section is the perfect breeding ground for theories about where things are going.
This week’s mid-series finale gets a rather bruising verdict on the Guardian website. Very rarely do I disagree with it but this week I definitely do. I see where they’re coming from. It’s certainly true that not a lot happened despite the build up and the scale. And the cleric characters on Demon’s Run, particularly the token gay couple, the thin/fat marines, are chucked into the mix briefly and rather pointlessly. It was undoubtedly disappointing that the Cybermen were waggled before us in the pre titles sequence and that the Doctor’s dark side, whilst brilliant, did not plumb any seriously shocking new depths. But I think Dan Martin is missing the point of A Good Man Goes to War.
In many ways it matters little that the standalone story element was lacking this week because this was an epic conclusion to the first seven episodes. Rather than a war, this was the climactic battle. After the weaknesses of the flesh based double bill, I actually thought the story was improved to a much greater level and it was a joy to get Moffat’s writing back. The Doctor’s dialogue was so much wittier, cleverer and funnier.
Indeed the most surprising thing about A Good Man Goes to War was just how funny it was. The variety of the humour on show really added to the cinematic and epic feel. Besides the usual comedy deriving from Smith’s performance, for example in the scene where he’s trying to work out how Melody came to have Time Lord DNA, there are laughs from the other characters Moffat brings in as the Doctor’s allies.
The Sontaran nurse was absolute genius and perfectly in keeping with what the Doctor would do. When he tells Colonel Runaway to keep his back straight so as not to damage his posture, I laughed, during my first and second viewing. However it was only on my second viewing that I noticed a filthy lesbian tongue joke between the mysterious Silurian detective and her female sidekick, after the Silurian asks “why do you ever put up with me?”. I can see an adult spin-off show, with the potential to be far better than Torchwood, for those two. There was also a jolly fat blue thing that we’ve seen before, who was a delightfully wise presence.
With all the grim seriousness and concentration required to keep up with the secrets and twists of the story arc, the laughs were absolutely essential to making A Good Man Goes to War enjoyable. After the endless tension that has been coiling and tightening over the preceding weeks, I thought that this seventh episode actually had merits of its own, by leaving the ongoing secrets for the dramatic and emotional final ten minutes. Even if it didn’t go as far as it could’ve done, this episode was a fascinating exploration of the Doctor’s character.
We get to see the theatrical, arrogant side of the Doctor as he pulls off his genius takeover of the base. Matt Smith is in his element here and the impact of his performance is all the greater because Moffat kept him off the screen during the beginning as the team assembled, using the TARDIS alone. Moffat has previously said he wanted to put the “who” back into Doctor Who, and he’s done that with his confused, overlapping timelines and references to off screen adventures. But in A Good Man Goes to War he asks the question more directly and the Doctor ponders his own legacy, just as he did at the end of the last series when the monster sealed within the Pandorica turned out to be him. River Song then delivers some home truths. This episode may have been light on story but all of the key characters are explored in greater depth than before.
To River then. Finally we know who she is! And at last we have substantial answers to big questions looming since the beginning of the series. I was genuinely more satisfied by the big reveal than I thought I would be. But at the same time I am left craving more. I want to see the next episode. Moffat has, predictably, left an awful lot of questions unanswered. With a title like “Let’s Kill Hitler” my mind is already in a whirlwind of excited anticipation about the next episode itself too, let alone the answering of more secrets.
People tend to focus on the big question of this series: the Doctor’s death. But I am still waiting for the unresolved events of The Big Bang at the end of Series 5 to be explained. Who manipulated the TARDIS? Who organised the coalition of baddies to imprison the Doctor? Surely they must have some sort of connection to this year’s big enemies? Why are the clerics anti-Doctor now after working with him against the Weeping Angels in the last series? Who is Madame Kovarian?
So many questions and so many throwaway lines I can’t dwell on, partly because it would be useless and dull for you if I asked questions forever and also because I am falling asleep. Stevie Wonder performed in 1814 London. Just remembered that. But we mustn’t tell him!
See you in the Autumn.
EDIT: Blimey forgot the Headless Monks completely. And not because they were bad. A good idea but underdeveloped. Worth it just for having new monsters and that wonderful moment when the Doctor disarms all the clerics.
Tagged 1814, 1888, 45 mins, 6, 6.40pm, 7, A, agenda, Alex, alien, Amy, appearances, arc, Arthur, Avatar, baby, base, battle, BBC, blog, blue, Bonneville, character, cinematic, cliff, climax, Colonel, comments, conclusion, Corden, cot, Cybermen, Dan Martin, Darvill, David, Davies, dealer, Demon's Run, detective, Doctor, dodgy, Dorian, drama, emotion, entertainment, episode, fat, film, filthy, finale, Flesh, Gaiman, Gattis, gay, Gillan, Gillen, ginger, Goes, good, Graham, guest, hanger, head, Headless, Headless monks, healer, hour, Hugh, I speak Baby, I speak everything, issue, James, Karen, Kingston, Kovarian, lesbian, lesbian joke, Let's Kill Hitler, London, Lord, Madame, man, Mark, Matt, Matthew, melody, mid-series, Moffat, Monks, movie, Neil, nurse, One, Opens, Pandorica, pirate, point, political, Pond, Red, River, Runaway, Russell, sailor, secrets, Series, Series 5, series arc, Silurian, Smith, Song, Sontaran, spin off, Spitfires, Steven, Stevie, story, struggle, swords, T, TARDIS, television, The BIg Bang, The Guardian, theories, thread, time, To, Toby, tongue joke, tv, twists, underground, Victorian, Walliams, war, warrior, Whithouse, Who, wonder
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Politicians have Snow Balls
It’s a cliché that you can’t rely on politicians for anything. But as I recently discussed with someone, clichés are clichés for a reason. Most people think that you can at least rely on MPs, particularly party leaders, to be dishonest and always on the lookout for an opportunity to score cheap points against their rivals and amass political capital. However Britain’s recent icy snap proved there are depths the media strategists will not dare sanction for their employers to sink to.
It really is a mystery why no one had the guts or guile to pounce on the targets laid bare by the blankets of white stuff. About a month ago I was reading an article in a hotel lobby in sporadically sunny Spain. Back home the country had already groaned to a moaning, bemused halt under the weight of the snow. This article was in The Times and I forget the identity of the writer, which is regrettably locked behind Murdoch’s News International Paywall. It made the very interesting point that neither leader of the two main parties had utilised a huge moment to deliver defining, resonant messages. The snow touched every single person in the country. It was a destructive but unifying force. The potential for delivering a knockout political blow was immense.
And yet our notoriously backstabbing, corrupt, two-faced politicians did nothing. Well nothing worthwhile. Of course there were the usual gripes about lack of planning and the inevitable shortage of grit. Labour had its half-hearted dig at the government, knowing full well it couldn’t overdo it because the previous administration had been responsible for much of the preparation. Most surprisingly of all, I remember the article in The Times highlighting, was David Cameron passing up his moment to finally win the public’s hearts over to the “Big Society”.
With all the complaints about councils failing to grit icy pavements and elderly neighbours slipping and sliding to serious injury, surely this was Dave’s moment to urge us all to lend a helping hand? This was the closest we were going to get to a modern day Blitz spirit. Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful change, waving to complete strangers, engaging in snowball fights; except those blocked in and cut off. Free those trapped in your area, band together and get by, show the true power that community still had. The Prime Minister said none of this and his chance to convey what his key policy might mean in reality was quickly gone.
It would have been an extraordinary moment for a Prime Minister under fire to show leadership and go on the offensive with a more optimistic message. The distraction from constant protests against cuts would have been welcome and may have lingered memorably in voters’ minds, but instead Cameron chose to wait it out till Christmas for his respite. Ultimately his characteristic caution probably held him back from any such message. It would have been open to ridicule. Evidence, his critics would say, that the Conservatives are leaving you to do it all alone, another excuse for incompetent governance, dressed up as positive ideology. Those criticisms of the “Big Society” might be true and are longstanding, but if Cameron genuinely believes in his policy then why did he have reservations about seizing his best opportunity yet of hammering its message through?
There seems to be an unwritten rule that a crisis caused by natural causes is off limits for use as political ammunition. Even so it is perhaps even more surprising in some ways that Ed Miliband didn’t capitalise on the snow. Miliband didn’t have a readymade policy to bolster like Cameron, but he needs to set his party on a new, distinctive course at some point. As a former Climate Change Secretary he could have pointed out the changing nature of Britain’s climate and the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather. He could have been extremely bold and announced that Climate Change would become a central, unifying theme of all Labour policy, especially now that it was proving directly damaging to the UK economy and its citizens everyday lives. However he needn’t have been so specific to achieve an effect, and with his policies still under review a vaguer, flexible approach would have been preferable. He could have simply called for greater provision to deal with such extreme conditions in future and indicated how Climate Change would be one of several of his key priorities, whether he meant it or not. This week Miliband demonstrated he could make decisions and announcements that were at once cynical and correct. Declaring he wished to see the banking bonus tax extended is sensible but he is only willing to commit to this policy ahead of so many others because it wins support. Why then did he not show similar political pragmatism with the snow?
Of course ideally Miliband would have used the snow as a platform, from which to launch a new sustainable set of policies which would see Britain cope better with such circumstances in future and begin an inspiring new assault on Climate Change. Sadly such genuinely motivational and good natured politics is so rare no one expects it. It is reassuring though that some areas, perhaps still considered by some to be acts of God, are still considered off limits for cheap, manipulative political point scoring.
Tagged act, agenda, Big, Britain, Cameron, change, chill, Clegg, cliche, Climate, Cold, Conservative, David, Dem, democracy, Ed, failure, former, god, grit, growth, Icy, inexplicable, jobs, Labour, Lib, management, media, Miliband, minister, missed, Network, Nick, of, Opportunities, organisation, PM, policy, Politics, poor, pr, preparation, Prime, Secretary, shadow, snap, Society, Spain, sporadic, strategy, sunny, supplies, sustainable, Tory, transport, UK, volunteering, weather, why?, work
Public vs Private? A Lib Dem Dilemma
All hospitals look and feel essentially the same. They are the same mass of endless corridors, stretching on and on, filled with nurses and clipboards and trolleys but still somehow feeling like big, empty tubes brimming with nothing but still, sterile, clinical air that gnaws and chews at the nerves and wellbeing of patients before spitting them out from some unidentifiable artery drenched in anxiety. They have the same mockingly soft carpet, the same peeling paint from the same cold metal chairs, the same trundling squeaks from the laundry cart or doom laden whines of consultant’s doors. They are littered with the same old people riddled with ailments, the same proud photos of ill people remarkably overcoming their unlucky genetic hand, the same criss-crossing, numberless signage with countless departments. They are staffed by the same kindly but ordinary people, who for whatever reason work in the service of other people’s health and are without fail exposed, despite the reassuring professionalism or caring compassion behind the smiles, by the thick scent of disinfectant hanging in the air as the messengers of pain, discomfort and humiliation.
This hospital though was rather more particular than others. The walls had been whitewashed in an attempt to impose the familiar order but the age of the building meant that the corridors were endless but twisting and unpredictable, the windows suddenly large, the carpet non-existent, pipes peppering the wall like the workings of a rusty cruise liner. The floor abruptly sloped at times and the rooms were inconsistent in size. The reception area was a modern pod inserted into the post-war whole, plastered with the usual abundance of signage but beyond this all was quiet, free of clutter and business. My chest x-ray took all of thirty seconds and was carried out by a single nurse, the only member of staff in the entire corridor, who had rehearsed her lines perfectly from years of service. There was no whiff of doom in the air, merely the cold tinge of the metal plate and a slight chill from the corridor as I put my shirt back on. The results would filter through the NHS bureaucracy to my GP in a week, she said.
A relatively comfortable routine test then, that despite a handful of distinctive features at this hospital, ought to be as simple and painless across the country. In the run-up to the election David Cameron was desperate to make his party the party of the NHS, an institution he and others clearly now see as a fundamentally British ideal, not simply a Labour one. Since coming to power Cameron and his government have reaffirmed their commitment to “ring-fence” NHS spending and protect it from the comprehensive spending reviews due to steamroll through the budgets of other departments in the autumn. Presumably this is because Cameron, and it would seem the entire political class, rightly believe that healthcare should meet the same standards nationally and be available to all for free and that to provide such a service is a key indicator of a modern, civilized nation. Despite Cameron’s championing of the “Big Society” when it comes to health he has adopted a position he has often dubbed as “big government”.
Cameron’s emphasis on the “Big Society” and the masses of waste that inevitably stem from the contrary “big government” spending approach, mean that a dangerous debate is emerging that is set to compromise efficiency and fairness in the race to slash the budget deficit. Cameron has wrongly insisted that spending must be conducted in either a reckless way involving “big government” control or a devolved, fair, effective “Big Society” way. The reality is that government has an enormous role to play, often with taxes and spending injections but also that it must occasionally extend freedom to the private sector for jobs it would do better. The NHS is easily the biggest strain on government spending and Cameron has sought to impose his “Big Society” rhetoric on it in a way by encouraging local control and a purge of absurd bureaucracy. This purge would aim to increase efficiency and effectiveness by doing away with ludicrous regulations that prohibit nurses from giving injections but allow them to carry out blood tests for example, as well as cutting wasteful spending. Any attempt at streamlining efficiency is always welcome but ultimately as hollow as the Conservatives’ promises of “efficiency savings” during the election to deal with the deficit. The problem goes much deeper. If Cameron was serious and sensible about tackling “big government” spending he would address NHS spending as it accounts for such a large chunk of the state’s expenditure. He would prioritise treatment for those truly ill and scale back other projects such as IVF and cosmetic surgery currently available via the NHS. He would ease the tax burden on private hospitals and encourage those who could afford private treatment to use it, whilst increasing taxes on anything that adds to the NHS workload, for example alcohol, tobacco, particularly harmful fats and additives in food. To take these sensible steps that would lead to a higher quality NHS for those ill and injured through no fault of their own, genuinely deserving of treatment, Cameron’s government would have to make unpopular choices and introduce tax rises and it is far simpler to be hailed as moral crusaders for preserving the inalienable right of free health care above all other areas that are trivial in comparison.
By writing a blank cheque to the NHS Cameron makes the axe fall harder elsewhere in Whitehall departments. This is foolish given that certain things only the government can do and others government ought to do more with. For example the MOD is set to face massive cuts which could be even more devastating if the Chancellor wins his ministerial battle with Liam Fox, the defence secretary, to ensure the Trident replacement is paid for out of the MOD budget, not the Treasury’s. “Defence of the realm” Cameron insisted this week, “should always remain any government’s first priority”. And yet somewhere Britain’s capabilities shall suffer irreversibly, be it through the loss of a fleet of helicopters destined to safely ferry troops tasked with an ambitious withdrawal target around Afghan provinces or through the loss of jets, or troops or aircraft carriers. A Strategic Defence Review might lead to a much needed rethink in the direction of defence strategy but it will also herald the scaling back of Britain’s global influence, it is simply a question of how much prestige we shall concede.
In my opinion defence is not the only area that can only effectively be administered by government being hit hard by the proposed cuts. The energy department’s budget is under threat and Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has already stressed that the bulk of his budget is consumed by the safe disposal of nuclear waste. Britain could be well placed to avoid the worse of energy crisis and turmoil in the future if proper investment is given to renewable sources, particularly wind as we have 40% of the potential wind energy in Europe within our territory. However the coalition government’s ideological spending decisions mean that their only efforts will be the “encouragement” of private investment in these industries, at a time where swift and direct action must be taken to kick start a long term, essential process of diversification and development. Private investment is in any case bound to be slow as we emerge from recession and the industries are yet to be regarded as ripe for profit. This is all ignoring the fact that a country surely ought to have a great deal of direct control over its energy production for reasons of security, independence and stability in the long term and yet we are happy to surrender the keys to our daily lives to vulnerable, private, foreign companies?
Staying with climate change a “big government” solution to transport emissions and efficiency would also be preferable, but unthinkable without a major redistribution of government spending. At the moment government expenditure helps maintain the railways and yet private companies control prices and provide largely unattractive services. Government control would allow a fresher, greener, cheaper and more widely used transport network and would inevitably have to be offset by tax rises on the motorist. All of this talk of nationalisation style policy and tax rises is far too left wing for the coalition government, but the Liberal Democrats called for such revolutionary transport policy in their manifesto, to invigorate the economy and lead the way on emissions cuts. Instead the Lib Dems are being sucked into an alliance of slashing not just in spending but in government influence. It might be liberal to rein in the police and even to make sure benefits are only paid to those genuinely in need, but it can also be liberal for government to make transport cheap and appealing to all, ensure a consistent, cheap energy supply and take direct charge of basic education in schools. This divide between big state and small state liberals has long been a feature of the Liberal Democrats and may continue to be an issue.
Several contributors to DemoCritic have warned that the Lib Dems must be careful in coalition and I have urged them and us, the voters, repeatedly on my blog to ensure the Conservatives do not have unlimited use of orange and yellow human shields in Parliament. When it comes to Cameron’s “Big Society” agenda Nick Clegg has promised that it upholds liberal values. But during the election he dismissed the slogan as a gimmick designed to disguise rushed, ideological deficit reduction that threatens not only the economy but the efficiency and fairness of our state. Clegg and those in his party must endeavour to ensure what’s good about the “Big Society” goes ahead and the Labour party and the electorate must continue to call for what Cameron labels “big government” solutions when they are right and suitable.
Tagged big government, Big Society, Cameron, Coalition, conflict, Conservative, critic, defence, Dem, demo, democracy, Democrtic, division, emissions, Energy, government, health, horrible, hospitals, investment, Labour, Liam, Lib, nationalisation, NHS, Politics, private, public, Review, spending, state, taxes, transport, Treasury, Trim, UK, voters, x-ray
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Inicio / Música / DVDs / LEVEL 42 – LIVE AT LONDON´S TOWN AND COUNTRY CLUB
SKU: 5018755256912 Categorías: Rebaja DVDs, Música, DVDs Etiqueta: POP
Recorded live at London’s Town and Country Club in March 1992 at the end of their Guaranteed Tour, Level 42 perform to a sell-out crowd. Lead vocalist and iconic bassist Mark King extols the virtue of pure musicianship in the band’s 80’s classics like Running in the Family, Hot Water and The Sun Goes Down. With a sound and string of hits that have come to optimise 80’s pop, this stunning live performance also includes the hits Children Say and Lessons in Love.
Formed in 1979, the band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the band’s hits. The band are also known for the combination of King’s lead vocals and keyboard player Mike Lindup’s falsetto backing vocals.
Their most successful single was Lessons in Love, which reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart, and #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, upon its release in 1986.
1. Hot Water
2. Her Big Day
3. The Sun Goes Down
4. Children Say
5. The Spirit is free
6. Leaving Me Now
7. Guaranteed
8. Heaven In My Hands
9. She Can’t Help Herself
10. If You Were Mine
11. To Be With You Again
12. Running In The Family
13. Lessons In Love
14. Something About You
15. Mr. Pink
16. The Chinese Way
LEVEL 42 – COLLECTED (2 LP)
LEVEL 42 – LEVEL BEST
$9.900 Leer más
LEVEL 42 – GUARANTEED
$12.900 Leer más
FITO PAEZ – TERCER MUNDO CON BONUS TRACK
BJORK – VULNICURA LIVE
MASSIVE ATTACK – HELIGO LAND + 100TH WINDOW 2CD
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Artificial Intelligence CTO Forum CTO Survey Spinverse News
This year the CTO Survey mapped which Radical technologies are the most interesting and in which areas Finland could have a competitive edge. The CTO’s were also asked which areas state and other research institutes should allocate their research and development investments.
The survey was conducted by innovation consulting company Spinverse together with Business Finland and Technology Industries of Finland. The theme was based on an extensive report, A hundred new opportunities for Finland 2018 – 2037, which introduced 100 radical technologies that may trigger systemic social changes. It was commissioned by the Committee of the Future of the Parliament of Finland and written by Risto Linturi and Osmo Kuusi.
More attractive investment environment needed
Spinverse has conducted annual CTO surveys since 2010. Some 70 Finnish Chief Technology Officers responded to the 2018 survey. Twenty of the largest R&D investors of the country were included among the respondents.
”The feedback predicts growth for next year for both product development investment and recruitment,” summarizes Spinverse Chairman of the board Pekka Koponen. “The responders’ companies represent nearly 90 percent of all research and development investments made in Finland.”
According to Statistics Finland, R&D investments in Finland in 2017 showed weak growth after six years of decline. The additional €100m annual funding for innovations by the Finnish government is a small step in the right direction.
However, the CEO of Technology Industries of Finland, Jaakko Hirvola, emphasizes that in proportion to GNP, incentives for R&D investment are still considerably smaller in Finland compared to other Nordic countries.
”In spite of these small glimmers of hope, all economic forecasts predict challenging times ahead. The only sensible way to tackle this is to make the investing environment more attractive and to raise public R&D&I investments to an entirely new level. Product development is now more important than ever as all companies are transforming into digital companies.”
"The next Finnish government must carry their responsibility for the competitiveness of our operating environment,” Hirvola emphasizes.
New technologies require new competence
Artificial intelligence in its various applications stood out as the most interesting area of new technology by all respondents, regardless of their business area. AI was followed by circular economy and new fractioning technologies, as well as the new battery and capacitor technologies, as areas of interest. The respondents also proposed other new technologies, such as intelligent production systems, automated and autonomous machines and lignin-based chemistry and materials.
”Most companies have understood that AI will have an impact on them in the near future, and they are preparing for that inevitability by focusing their competences in this area. Out of all the programs Business Finland provides, funding demand has been the highest for the AI Business program. That’s followed by bio economy and circular economy programs, which were also noted in the CTO Survey,” says Executive Director Teija Lahti-Nuuttila from Business Finland.
Discussion platform for technology influencers
The one hundred radical technologies, classified into ten technology areas, were delivered to the respondents in a gamified, easily approachable way using a digital innovating platform developed by Spinverse and Finnish start-up Viima.
“Going forward, the platform is meant to be a permanent and expanding forum for ideation and discussion for technology experts from different areas of business,” says Pekka Koponen.
Business Finland, director Teija Lahti-Nuuttila
teija.lahti-nuuttila@businessfinland.fi, tel. +358 50 5577873
Teknologiateollisuus CEO Jaakko Hirvola
jaakko.hirvola@teknologiateollisuus.fi, tel. +358 400 633 751
Spinverse Chairman Pekka Koponen
Pekka.koponen@spinverse.com, tel. +358 40 545 0008
Article in Tekniikka&Talous (in Finnish)
Press release in Business Finland website (in Finnish)
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Tags Woody Allen
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What's truth and What's Fiction in just Mercy
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News Times World
US, France & allies should not leave, must build ‘new Syria after war’ – Macron — RT World News
ISIL makes gains against Syrian army in Raqqa province | Syria News | Al Jazeera
It’s The End As We Know It
Clips Vs Magazines – Know The Difference
Donald Trump responds to news that North Korea will soon test ICBMs: ‘It wont happen’
Linda Summer In The News January 3, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter late Monday to publicly dismiss North Korea’s claims that they’re close to developing successful intercontinental ballistic missiles, making them one step closer to being a true nuclear threat to the United States.
“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S,” Trump wrote. “It won’t happen!”
North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen!
Trump’s comments came in response to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un claiming over the weekend that his country was on the brink of being able to test long-range ICBMs.
If North Korea is successful in developing ICBMs, they could potentially make good on their promise to send a nuclear warhead to the U.S. In recent years, the communist country has routinely conducted nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
In fact, over the last decade, North Korea has conducted a total of five nuclear tests. And in just 2016 alone, they completed nearly two dozen ballistic missile tests. They even launched a satellite early last year, causing many to fear it was a veiled test-run for ICBMs.
And because of the nation’s increasing hostility, many are calling on Trump to make North Korea a focus of his foreign policy strategy after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
But whether Trump will do that remains to be seen. He didn’t discuss North Korea much during both the primary and general elections, and hasn’t offered many indications about his policy regarding the communist stronghold since.
Trump’s top Cabinet nominees have also not signaled how they would react to a hostile North Korea. Though some suspect Trump’s hawkish nominee for secretary of defense, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, is likely to take a hard-line stance against the country.
It’s unclear what role China will play. Shortly following Trump winning the White House late last year, Trump broke American’s “One China” policy by communicating with Taiwan’s president, which the Chinese did not appreciate. Now, China will need to decide whether to play the role of ally to North Korea or East Asian mediator.
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News Times World Copyright © 2020.
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Press Release -- January 31st, 2011
Source: FairPoint Communications
Tags: Ethernet, Exchange, Expansion, Video
FAIRPOINT COMMUNICATIONS MEETS BROADBAND COMMITMENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Expansion Efforts Bring Broadband to More Than 60,000 Additional Households and Businesses
MANCHESTER, N.H. (January 31, 2011) – FairPoint Communications announced today it has met its goal to bring broadband to 85 percent of its customers in New Hampshire by the end of 2010.
This aggressive and unprecedented broadband expansion was financed solely by FairPoint and provides the infrastructure to allow more Granite Staters to capitalize on the increased availability. As part of the expansion, FairPoint has turned up more than 290 new high-speed Internet sites statewide making broadband available to more than 60,000 additional homes and businesses in New Hampshire.
Since April 2008, FairPoint has invested more than $135 million in the communications infrastructure and technology to bring broadband to northern New England, including building over 700 miles of new fiber across the region. FairPoint has invested more than $50 million in New Hampshire and has increased broadband availability from approximately 63 percent to the current 85 percent within its serving areas in the state.
“For over two years FairPoint has been working to increase broadband availability and improve our network in the Granite State,” said Teresa Rosenberger, New Hampshire state president. “We are very pleased to announce that we have met the target set by the regulatory agreement. Broadband access is fundamental to the state’s future economic growth and our employees have been working diligently to expand broadband availability across the state.”
FairPoint’s investment also resulted in a new network infrastructure called VantagePoint(SM). This fiber-based, high-capacity network delivers the critical bandwidth, data, and carrier Ethernet services that positions New Hampshire to compete in a technology-dependent world.
The new network’s dedicated bandwidth can support multiple users and bandwidth-intensive applications like video conferencing and e-learning. Additionally, VantagePoint delivers a robust and protected network with a full-range of communications services, which is essential to meeting the current and future demand for high-speed bandwidth in northern New England.
About FairPoint
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is a provider of communications services to communities across the country. Today, FairPoint owns and operates local exchange companies in 18 states offering advanced communications with a personal touch, including local and long distance voice, data, Internet, television and broadband services. FairPoint is traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FRP. Learn more at www.fairpoint.com.
Jill Healey Wurm
jill.wurm@fairpoint.com
Previous: Juniper Networks Earns Ethics Inside™ Certification from the Ethisphere Institute
Next: NTT America’s Michael Wheeler to Participate in Panel Discussion at ITExpo East
FAIRPOINT COMMUNICATIONS MEETS BROADBAND COMMITMENT IN MAINE
FAIRPOINT COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUES TO EXPAND BROADBAND REACH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
FAIRPOINT EXPANDS BROADBAND SERVICE TO MORE THAN 2,100 HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
FAIRPOINT EXPANDS BROADBAND SERVICE TO 26 NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITIES
FAIRPOINT COMMUNICATIONS PROMOTES RYAN TAYLOR TO KEY NEW HAMPSHIRE REGULATORY POST
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Dillon Collins
RocketRocketShip Return To Say Goodbye
By Dillon Collins
on Dillon Collins, Entertainment, Local, Music, News, Web Exclusives
Popular local pop rockers RocketRocketShip broke the hearts of their fan base in 2015 when they suddenly, and shockingly disbanded, with little in the way of a farewell tour and grand sendoff.
Three years later, the guys who performed alongside the likes of Marianas Trench are seeking to go out with a bang, and give the fans the final toast they deserve.
RocketRocketShip is set to reunite for one night only on April 6th at Valhalla Tavern in St. John’s in a performance title, fittingly, The Grand Finale. Joining the group will be two of the island’s finest, Carlyle and Adam Baxter.
The band will be performing a selection of fan favourites from their 2011 self-titled EP, and subsequent followups Your Best Kept Secret and Shake It Off.
Advanced tickets are set to go on sale here Friday March 9th at noon, and are $10.00 in advance, $15.00 at the door.
* I give permissions to the Newfoundland Herald to use my comment in future publications
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Havin’ A Laugh With Lisa Baker
Jim Furlong: His Greatest Victory
MusicNL Awards Winners Announced
Tim Baker Earns Songwriter of the Year Juno Nomination
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"Activism"
"Mississippi"
"Freedom Riders"
"Harris County"
American West 1
Social reform 1
San Mateo County 1
1964 Democratic National Convention 1
Cline, David P. 1
Delta Ministry 1
McNichols, Steven 1
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 1
National Student Federation of America 1
United States Student Association 1
University of California, Los Angeles 1
Steven McNichols Oral History Interview
McNichols, Steven, American, 1939 - 2013
Cline, David P. Ph. D., American, born 1969
University of California, Los Angeles, American, founded 1919
United States Student Association, American, founded 1947
National Student Federation of America, American, founded 1925
Freedom Riders, American, founded 1961
Delta Ministry, American, founded 1964
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964
1964 Democratic National Convention, American, founded 1964
Burlingame, San Mateo County, California, United States, North and Central America
Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
The oral history consists of eleven digital files: 2011.174.58.1a, 2011.174.58.1b, 2011.174.58.1c, 2011.174.58.1d, 2011.174.58.1e, 2011.174.58.1f, 2011.174.58.1g, 2011.174.58.1h, 2011.174.58.1i, 2011.174.58.1j, and 2011.174.58.1k.
Steven McNichols discussed his childhood in New York City, his mother's illnesses and attending the University of California, Los Angeles in 1958. He became involved in politics through the National Student Federation and National Student Association, and participated in the Freedom Rides, riding a train from Los Angeles, California, to Houston, Texas. He also discusses his work with the Delta Ministry, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and the 1964 Democratic Party convention.
2011.174.58.1a-k
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"Fraternal organizations"
"Church of God"
"Basketball"
"Africa, West"
"Mackins, Ayanna"
"Birthday parties"
Amateur films 1
Beaches 1
Cheerleading 1
Childbirth 1
Commencement ceremonies 1
Construction sites 1
Description and travel 1
Washington (D. C.) 1
Bonds, Antonia 1
Brittany Walters 1
Buffalo, Donita 1
Carla Brown 1
Davis, Donna 1
Evans, Dan 1
Evita Colon 1
Graham Family 1
Hill, Marrin 1
Hood, Tisha 1
Ifill, Adrena 1
Jordan, Pia 1
Kelly Family 1
Kittrell, Marco 1
Lathan, Zora 1
LeBouef, Clayton 1
Mangum, Lateef 1
McQueen, Nicolle 1
Great Migration Home Movie Study Collection
National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.)
WHUT Howard University Television
Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive (MARMIA)
Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of District of Columbia
2 sound recordings
The Great Migration is a unique, ongoing digitization service program that partners the National Museum of African American History and Culture with individuals and organizations across the United States to preserve their important analog audiovisual media. While major motion picture film and television historically lacked diverse representation, black history was instinctively being preserved in everyday home movies. Today, these personal narratives serve as an invaluable tool for understanding and re-framing black moving image history, and provide a much needed visualization of African American history and culture.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Supported by the Robert Frederick Smith Fund of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Collection is available online for open research.
The collection contains 39 digitized home movies, 41 digitized home videos, and 2 digitized audiotape recordings. However, as an ongoing project the scope of the collection will continue to increase over time. The scope will be updated as is appropriate.
The content of the collection consists predominantly of amateur recordings created by families to document their lives. This includes major life events, such as birthdays, as well as family vacations and holidays. Additionally, the collection includes footage produced by professionals for broadcast on television. This particular footage entered the collection through partnerships with other memory institutions.
41 video recordings
39 motion picture films
Amateur films
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Home Music Family values
Trachtenburgs slide to the top
by Elizabeth Bromstein
TrachtenbUrg Family SlideShow Players performing as part of Gobsmacked! in Harbourfront Centre's Brigantine Room (235 Queens Quay West), Saturday (August 16), 11 pm. Free. 416-973-4000. Rating: NNNNN
The first time I read about jason Trachtenburg, his wife, Tina, and their nine-year-old daughter, Rachel, last year, I just knew that the New York City-based Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players would be big. With a concept that has Tina operating a slide projector, showing images the family digs up at garage and estate sales, and Jason accompanying the flicking images with his own tunes and funny political commentary along with little Rachel on drums, how could they miss?
Fast-talking family patriarch Jason admits the sudden popularity of his family band with indie-rock hipsters was completely unexpected.
"For reason unbeknownst to me," he says from his Manhattan home, "our band is like the hottest thing. I can't figure it out for the life of me. I wish I'd known how to do this 15 years ago."
Before coming up with such brilliant ideas as writing a six-song rock mini-opera based on a found McDonald's corporate report impressively titled The OPNAD Contribution Study Committee Report, June 1977, Jason banged his head against the wall doing "three or more" open-mike nights a week.
He was doing that for the past 15 years. Then, suddenly, whammo - he's a fucking star. And all it took was a projector and some cast-off holiday snaps labelled Mountain Trip To Japan, 1959? Well, that's part of it.
"Nobody paid any attention until we added the slides. But, of course, there's also the Rachel factor. It's a combination of all the elements. If we only had one of those things, like just a slide show and no nine-year-old drummer, or vice versa, we wouldn't be getting anywhere."
He's absolutely right. Cute only goes so far. Rachel is awfully cute in an alt-rock Wednesday Addams sort of way. She never smiles in photos, and has cultivated a perfect bored look for the stage.
Rachel has new turtles named Flip and Rosie.
"Daddy! The turtle!" I hear her call out during the conversation. Evidently, one of her turtles - either Flip or Rosie - has its head caught under something, and Jason needs to put me on hold to sort out the emergency.
Crisis averted, he comes back on the line to tell me, "Rachel's a kick-ass musician. The only thing that could bring me more joy than watching her play music is her emotional well-being, and she is happy. She's a really happy kid."
She seems rather blasé about the whole rock-star thing, and I get the impression she'd rather play with her turtles than talk to me. Who can blame her? She explains that she doesn't practise that much. Their Manhattan apartment is too small for a drum kit.
"I play a lot of shows," she assures me. "When we're on tour we play a show a night, so that's pretty much like practice for me."
Rachel says she likes signing autographs for fans and will be going into fifth grade in September. She tells me she's been keeping herself busy lately playing bass for King Missile.
"John S. Hall saw me playing, and he thought I was pretty good, so he wanted me to play with him."
"Seeing her play with King Missile brings me so much fulfillment," Jason gushes. "Even more than when she plays with our band."
Rachel's full-on into the showbiz lifestyle. She's already had a number of small parts in musicals like Hair, West Side Story and Peter Pan, and she's ready for the next step.
"I've just done a movie," she says. "It was a... Daddy? What do you call that? An underground movie."
Rachel has her priorities straight.
"When I grow up I want to be famous with my mom and dad, but I also want to have a band with all my friends." elizzardbreath72@yahoo.com
music feature Critics' Picks
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Home News Miner inconvenience
Miner inconvenience
Mining firms are having a tough time burying memories of eco disasters
by Saul Chernos
Mining companies dig deep, but do they care about local concerns?
Can one of the most unfriendly activities humankind has ever inflicted on the planet possibly be done sustainably and respectfully?[rssbreak]
I wonder about this at the annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada earlier this month, where the agenda includes substantial talk about the environment, human rights and corporate social responsibility.
PDAC's gathering is no minor affair. More than 20,000 people from all walks of mining and business life descend on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for sessions on airborne mapping, ground-?penetrating radar and the prospects for nickel and gold. Most sessions are financial and technical in nature. Still, surface cracks are beginning to show.
Outside the convention, protesters carry placards bearing the photographs of mine opponents Mariano Abarca Roblero of Chiapas and Marcelo Rivera Moreno of El Salvador, both killed after raising alarms about eco and human rights abuses.
Inside, it's business as usual, but with a silver lining. Aboriginal participation is at an all-?time high. Alex Jacobs, an elder with the Ojibwe First Nation of Whitefish Lake near Sudbury, opens the convention, as he has for the past couple of years, with a smudging ceremony and blessing.
An entire day is devoted to aboriginal awareness training, facilitated by Robert Laboucane of Alberta-?based Ripple Effects. Laboucane, who is Métis, delivers a moving account of the legacy of residential schools, and the ongoing challenges of poverty, isolation and substance abuse.
Of course, the convention is run by and for the mining industry, not Survival International, so the proceedings have a business tinge. This is evident when Laboucane declares the traditional land-?based aboriginal way of life ended.
"It's being replaced by the need for industrialization," he says, explaining that remote communities are desperate for opportunities. He cautions attendees to consult respectfully and in good faith.
At Mining, People And The Environment, a seminar held in conjunction with PDAC, Ian Thomson of Vancouver-?based consultancy On Common Ground says water rights have proven central to many disputes.
"Acid mine drainage brings up the [need for] perpetual care, and from a community point of view perpetual care implies perpetual risk," Thomson says, acknowledging the industry's new access to conservation and remediation technologies.
However, the buzzword remains "consultation." Governments generally grant free-entry and subsurface rights to prospectors and mine developers regardless of who owns the land. The newly revamped Ontario Mining Act now requires exploration permits before entry, but activists say it's hard to tell yet exactly who will do the permitting.
The new act also calls for consultation with First Nations but doesn't require their consent. During one session, I ask if a community should have the right to say no.
"There are a number of examples where companies have walked away," replies John Groom of London-?based mining firm Anglo American. "However, there's an important discussion to be had around which group in the community is saying no. And to what extent does the state have a right to override the interests of a local community?"
Less than two years ago, members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation north of Thunder Bay were jailed and sued for opposing a platinum mine on their land. A lot has changed since then; the Ontario government recently bought out the company's claims.
In a session on local engagement, free and prior informed consent - meaning the right of refusal - finally lands on the agenda. Glenn Nolan, a VP of PDAC and chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation near Timmins, says locals should have the right to refuse.
"But," he continues, "what are we saying no to? Too many of our people are moving from traditional lands to large urban centres because there isn't anything back home."
Marilyn Baptiste, chief of the Xeni Gwet'in First Nation in BC, also attends this session and tells me her community intends to resist a gold and copper mine. "We know we can't go way back, but we also can't sacrifice what and who we are," she says.
Interwoven with the issue of free and prior informed consent is PDAC's opposition to Liberal MP John McKay's private member's bill. Bill C-300, supported by MiningWatch Canada, would withdraw federal financial and political support from mining, oil and gas firms violating human or enviro rights abroad.
Despite the fact that the bill stipulates no criminal sanctions, PDAC still warns that it would harm the mining sector. "It sends a message that our government lacks confidence in the integrity and performance of Canada's leading global industry," a statement reads. PDAC instead touts its e3 Plus "framework for responsible exploration," an industry-?driven, voluntary guideline.
Wandering the trade floor one last time, I can't avoid the sight of companies promoting projects in the Ring of Fire area northeast of Thunder Bay. If they're successful, there will be massive development in the James Bay Lowlands, wetlands along the periphery of the boreal, one of the world's last intact original forests. Mining there would pose tremendous risk to the ecosystem. But it would also create jobs.
My thoughts drift to Alex Jacobs and the sweet smell of sage that trailed through the air, driving away bad spirits as he wished delegates well. Nevertheless, the mining industry has its work cut out if it hopes to leave behind its wretched image.
news@nowtoronto.com
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Name Moran, Nancy A.
Location The University of Texas at Austin
Primary Field Evolutionary Biology
Secondary Field Genetics
Moran is a world leader in the study of the evolutionary aspects of plant-insect interactions. Her work on mutualistic, endosymbiotic associations has revolutionized our view of the nature of coevolutionary interactions and of the adaptation to host plants by insects.
My long-term interests are in the evolution of biological complexity, such as that apparent in complex life histories, in intimate interactions among species and in species-diversity of clades and communities. My focus is on symbiosis, particularly that between multicellular hosts and microbes. Symbioses are central in the evolution of complexity; have evolved many times and are critical to the lifestyles of many animals and plants and also to whole ecosystems, in which symbiotic organisms are key players. The primary reason that symbiosis research is suddenly active, after decades at the margins of mainstream biology, is that DNA technology and genomics give us enormous new ability to discover symbiont diversity, and more significantly, to reveal how microbial metabolic capabilities contribute to the functioning of hosts and biological communities. My ongoing projects, mostly collaborations with students and postdoctoral associates, include phylogenetic and genomic studies of previously unstudied insect symbioses, experiments on gene expression of symbionts within hosts, computational reconstruction of the content and arrangement of genes in bacterial ancestors, and experimental investigations of facultative symbioses that are heritable but more labile within host lineages.
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« Closer Look at Measure J Results, as LA County Issues Notice of Recount
1st Supervisorial District Candidate Filing Closes Today, Both Parties Consider Endorsement Tonight »
Costa Mesa Police Union Private Investigators Arrested for Tactics Used Targeting Righeimer/Mensinger
Posted by Scott Carpenter on December 11, 2014
The latest in the ongoing saga surrounding the Costa Mesa Police Union targeting Councilmembers Righeimer and Mensinger has resulted in the arrest and pending prosecution of the private investigators who conspired against the Councilmen. Today District Attorney Tony Rackauckas sent the following release announcing the criminal charges. Recent headlines have seen the union call Righeimer’s lawsuit against the firm “political” well now it appears their action were not only abusive but potentially criminal.
TWO PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS WORKING FOR POLICE UNION LAW FIRM ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST COSTA MESA COUNCILMEN AND AN ATTORNEY
SANTA ANA – Two private investigators working for a law firm retained by the Costa Mesa Police Officers’ Association (CMPOA) were arrested on charges of committing crimes against two Costa Mesa council members and a competitor attorney. Christopher Joseph Lanzillo, 45, Lake Arrowhead, and Scott Alan Impola, 46, Canyon Lake, are each charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime of unlawful use of electronic tracking device, one felony count of false imprisonment by deceit, and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime of falsely reporting crime to agency. If convicted, Lanzillo and Impola face a maximum sentence of four years and four months in jail, as well as revocation of their private investigators’ licenses. They are each being held on $25,000 bail and are scheduled to be arraigned at a later date.
At the time of the crimes, Lanzillo and Impola are accused of working as private investigators for the former Upland-based law firm of Lackie, Dammeier, McGill, and Ethir (LDME). CMPOA retained LDME to conduct “candidate research,” including surveillance on Costa Mesa city council members, in the months leading up to the November 2012 election.
On June 19, 2012, Lanzillo is accused of purchasing a GPS monitoring device using the alias of Robert Teller with Teller Investigations.
Councilman Stephen Mensinger
Between July 25, 2012, and Aug. 22, 2012, Lanzillo and Impola are accused of conspiring together to place a GPS tracking device on the vehicle of Costa Mesa City Councilman Stephen Mensinger without his knowledge or permission. Lanzillo and Impola are accused of using the GPS device to illegally track the location of Councilman Mensinger.
Councilman Jim Righeimer
On Aug. 22, 2012, Costa Mesa City Councilmen Jim Righeimer and Gary Monahan were at Councilman Monahan’s Skosh Monahan’s restaurant and bar in Costa Mesa. Impola is accused of conducting an operation searching for evidence to use against Councilman Monahan’s political career. Lanzillo is accused of arriving near the restaurant a short time later.
Impola and Lanzillo are accused of communicating with each other and LDME Managing Partner Dieter Dammeier by calling on their cell phones and through text messages. At approximately 5:45 p.m., Councilman Righeimer left the restaurant in his vehicle and drove home after he had consumed two non-alcoholic beverages.
Lanzillo is accused of calling 911 and falsely reporting that he observed a man stumble out of the location and into a vehicle that matched the description of Councilman Righeimer’s vehicle. Lanzillo is accused of falsely reporting that the vehicle was swerving on the road and that the driver may be under the influence of alcohol or disabled.
The Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) dispatched an officer to conduct an investigation. Councilman Righeimer was detained outside his home during this investigation for driving under the influence.
After administering a sobriety test and not observing any objective symptoms of intoxication, the officer determined that Councilman Righeimer was not under the influence and he was released. It was later determined that Councilman Righeimer did not stumble out of the bar and was not swerving when he drove.
Between June 21, 2012, and July 12, 2012, Lanzillo and Impola are accused of conspiring together to place a GPS tracking device on the vehicle of an attorney at a law firm that was a competitor to the LDME firm without the victim’s knowledge or permission. Lanzillo and Impola are accused of using the GPS device to illegally track the location information of the victim.
CMPD provided reports and information to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA). The OCDA conducted an extensive investigation into all matters surrounding this incident. The investigation is on-going.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Mestman of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.
This entry was posted on December 11, 2014 at 7:53 PM and is filed under Costa Mesa. Tagged: Jim Righeimer, Steve Mensinger. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Costa Mesa Police Union Private Investigators Arrested for Tactics Used Targeting Righeimer/Mensinger”
Daniel Sterling Lamb said
How does this relate to the ongoing labor negotiations? Seems like the police union has the most gain… Funny…
Scott Carpenter said
The answer to that is: it does not relate.
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BSE to facilitate 5 UTPs to appear in annual HSC exams
Edited By Odishatv Bureau Published By Odishatv Bureau On Feb 18, 2017 - 5:40 PM
Cuttack: The Board of Secondary Education (BSE) will facilitate five under trial prisoners (UTPs) to appear in the annual High School Certificate (HSC) examinations beginning from February 28.
This was informed by the Dr Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, Controller of Examinations, BSE today.
“This year, five UTPs will appear the annual High School Certificate examinations in Regular, Ex-Regular and Correspondence courses. They will appear in the Special Home in Angul for which we have made the Special Home as a sub-centre which will function under the Angul High School examination centre. The Board has appointed a deputy centre superintendent. Besides the Board has also sought special assistance from the authorities of the Special Home who have assured us to provide a vehicle to despatch question papers from Angul High School examination centre for the five UTPs.
Asked what advice he would give to the students for the examinations which is just 10 days away, Mohanty said the Board has been giving tips to the students in the print and electronic media. “My advice to the students is that they should keep their cool and never get panicked. Though they are putting on more efforts for the preparation for the examination, they should not neglect their daily chores which they should perform in time. Apart from their study, they should relax themselves by playing games and other outdoor activities,” he pointed out.
Talking about the preparation the Board has undertaken to ensure that the examinations would be incident free, Mohanty said emphasis is given on timely despatch of question papers to the examination centres and safe return of answer sheets to the nodal centres.
A total of 6,05,064 students will appear in the examinations in 2939 centres.
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boweeko ( boweeko) wrote in ohnotheydidnt,
boweeko
Busy Philipps Says She Was Almost Murdered in her Uber
.@Busyphilipps25 details "really scary" Uber experience: "I was almost murdered" https://t.co/r0R1u1OdaO pic.twitter.com/EHjY5k2zi7
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) April 9, 2017
-Busy Philipps and her husband got into an Uber Saturday night, but became alarmed when there was a mysterious passenger in the back seat of the car as well
-Philipps says she began yelling at the driver and the passenger, screaming "I will not be killed today!"
-Philipps told the driver that they were parents and the driver responded: "They’re parents, we shouldn’t kill them.’
Have you had a scary Uber/Lyft experience ontd?
Tags: actor / actress
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ri ( whitefox) wrote in ohnotheydidnt,
whitefox
Confirmed: Paul Walker Dead -- 'Fast and The Furious' Star Dies in Fiery Car Crash
Paul Walker -- best known for his role in "The Fast and the Furious" movies -- died Saturday afternoon after a single-car accident and explosion in Southern California ... TMZ has learned.
The accident happened in Santa Clarita -- north of Los Angeles -- and according to multiple sources connected to Paul ... the actor was in a Porsche when the driver somehow lost control and slammed into a post or a tree ... and then the car burst into flames.
We're told Paul and another person in the car were killed. Law enforcement is still on the scene, and we're told the L.A. County Coroner's Office is on the way.
At this point, it's unclear what caused the accident, or who was behind the wheel when it happened.
Paul was 40 years old.
Sources close to Paul tell us he was in Santa Clarita for a car show to support the Philippines typhoon relief effort, and had been taking friends out for rides in his new Porsche GT. The accident happened during one of those test spins.
A rep for the actor confirms Paul died today in the crash after leaving a charity event.
It's with a heavy heart that we must confirm Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident...MORE: http://t.co/9hDuJMH99M - #TeamPW
— Paul Walker (@RealPaulWalker) December 1, 2013
( picture of the accident sceneCollapse )
Tags: actor / actress, death
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m. ( neuers) wrote in ohnotheydidnt,
neuers
5 things to know about Tom Holland
Who is Tom Holland? 5 things to know about @Marvel's new #SpiderMan: http://t.co/7dEkrwucvN pic.twitter.com/mjzBsl6sft
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) June 23, 2015
1. He made his debut in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical as Michael, Billy’s best friend, before later moving into the main role.
@TomHolland1996 Go Billy!!!
— Jamie Bell (@1jamiebell) June 23, 2015
2. After finishing his run in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2010, Holland landed his first film role alongside Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible, about a family caught in Thailand during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
3. He stars alongside Thor in Ron Howard's upcoming movie.
4. He had to go through “a series of complex screen tests” to land the part. (lol okay)
Sources tell me it came down to Holland and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society). Both were asked to re- screen test.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) June 23, 2015
5. He can do his own stunts.
sources 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Tags: actor / actress, celebrity social media, chris hemsworth, jamie bell, marvel, spider-man
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Kate Winslet Dishes On Why She Never Dated Leonardo DiCaprio to Marie Claire: ‘He Always Saw Me As One Of The Boys’
October 3, 2014 13:56PM by Teresa Roca
by Teresa Roca
trending in
In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Kate Winslet explained why her friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio never turned into something more.
“I think the reason that friendship works is because there was never any romantic thing,” the actress told the magazine’s November issue. “It’s so disappointing for people to hear that, because in the soap opera of the Kate and Leo story we fell in love at first sight and had a million snogs, but actually we never did.”
PHOTOS: So Sexy Couples: The 5 Hottest Romances in Hollywood!
The actors starred in 1997’s Titanic and 2008’s Revolutionary Road. From their onscreen passion to their off-screen bond, the actors formed a close friendship. He even walked Winslet down the aisle at her 2012 wedding to Ned Rocknroll!
“He always saw me as one of the boys,” she continued. “I’ve never really been a girly-girl. We needed each other to lean on because we were very young and working all kinds of crazy bloody hours and it was a shock to the system.”
Womp.
But regardless of her interview, OK! is still thinking, never say never! Check out three reasons why we believe the duo is made for each other:
PHOTOS: Celeb Couples Who Dated Long After Working Together
Their Onscreen Chemistry. Sure, both films had a tragic ending, but their passion onscreen is undeniable:
They Always Speak So Highly Of Each Other. During Winslet’s 2009 Golden Globes Speech for her performance in Revolutionary Road, she said, “Leo, I’m so happy I can stand here and tell you how much I love you and how much I’ve loved your for thirteen years! I love you with all my heart, I really do.” The actor responded to this two-time costar with kisses from the audience.
During a 2013 interview, DiCaprio said of Winslet, “We laugh at the same things. She never lets me take myself seriously, even if I wanted to. We have a special magic.”
They Look Perfect Together. Seriously, look at this swoon-worthy photo:
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Natick Service Council to Host 6th Annual Telethon on Wednesday March 22nd
By Gabrielle Barandiaran | June 3, 2017 | 0
NATICK, MA: March 2017 On Wednesday, March 22nd from 6-9pm, Natick Service Council (NSC) is hosting its 6th Annual “Neighbors Helping Neighbors Telethon” which will be broadcast live on Natick Pegasus channels 3, 29 and 99. This year’s telethon will be hosted by Andy Meyer and Richard Gill and feature local community groups who will…
Natick Service Council Announces Program to Prevent Homelessness
NATICK, MA: April 2017 Natick Service Council (NSC) announced that it has received funding to support its new “Sustainable Homes” program designed to prevent homelessness in Natick. The program is designed to address an affordable housing crises faced by Natick residents and thereby prevent homelessness. Through intensive support, programming and advocacy, NSC’s case managers will…
Natick Service Council Announces $150,000 Capital Campaign for Food Pantry Expansion
NATICK, MA: April 2017 Natick Service Council (NSC) has raised $100,000 toward its capital campaign goal of $150,000 during the first phase of the campaign through grants and corporate funding. The second and public phase is slated to begin on April 17th and run until May 31st with a goal of raising $50,000. The purpose…
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Beware of rummaging colleagues, spies and foreign visitors: unique FBI document warns academia about China threat
As Canada grapples with Beijing’s meddling here, the American document seems almost a throwback to Cold War days
Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, arrives to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Wray said during the hearing that China is the biggest counterintelligence threat to the U.S.Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Look out for colleagues rummaging through others’ desks.
Beware spies who could exploit your divided national loyalties, greed or ego.
And monitor foreign visitors at all times, especially last-minute additions to tour groups.
These are among the tips outlined in an extraordinary manual drafted by the FBI for universities and other research facilities in the U.S., warning about the threat of economic and scientific espionage by China — and advising how to combat it.
As Canada grapples with how to counter Beijing’s meddling here, the American document — called China: The Risk to Academia — recommends a level of alertness that seems almost a throwback to Cold War days.
And it is aimed at a milieu — university and college campuses — where academic freedom and openness are sacrosanct, and government interference usually spurned. Those institutions have also, though, been welcoming tens of thousands of students and scholars from China in recent years.
“It is every university and institution’s responsibility to safeguard its information,” states the document, a copy of which was obtained by the National Post. “The Chinese government (poses) a particular threat to U.S. academia for a variety of reasons.”
In Canada, where 143,000 Chinese students are enrolled at colleges and universities, there’s little evidence of the same level of vigilance, or willingness to name China as a prime villain. The RCMP says it has produced no such document and has no country-specific enforcement programs, while universities report little in the way of warnings from security agencies.
The country’s spy agency does acknowledge an economic espionage problem, without mentioning any one country.
Chinese police officers stand guard outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing on December 10, 2018. GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images
Unidentified foreign powers are using “a range of traditional and non-traditional intelligence collection tradecraft” to try to acquire Canadian technology and expertise, which could result in lost jobs and competitiveness, said Tahera Mufti, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
“CSIS routinely engages with a variety of stakeholders, including in the private sector and universities, to advise them of potential threats,” she added.
Mufti pointed to a five-paragraph section on economic espionage in the service’s recent annual report, and a speech by director David Vigneault last year, warning business leaders about the threat in generic terms.
U.S. authorities, on the other hand, have made clear they consider improper siphoning of secrets and other advanced knowledge from research facilities by China specifically to be a major problem. FBI director Christopher Wray controversially pointed the finger last year at students and professors of Chinese background, suggesting a “whole of society” response to the threat is needed.
Several people have been charged in connection with such activity, though critics have accused the government of racial profiling and paranoia in the area.
As Freeland privately apologizes to ex-ambassador to China, Liberals quash investigation into alleged ‘muzzling’
Hong Kong’s violent protests are ‘creation of U.S.’ China says in response to Pompeo comments
Andrew Coyne: Want to help free the two Canadians in China? Stop talking about a deal
The Risk to Academia document takes some pains to acknowledge that immigrants and visiting students and scholars are integral to the U.S. research system, saying the “vast majority” of those from China are in the States for legitimate academic reasons.
But it lays out in detail the Chinese government’s tactics to vacuum up intellectual property — such as using some students and professors as “non-traditional collectors” — and suggests colleges and other research organizations should play a part in countering those tactics.
The document warns that “foreign adversaries” — its title singling out adversaries from China — could elicit information by “using flattery, assuming knowledge, asking leading questions … or feigning ignorance.”
Intelligence agents will look to exploit vulnerabilities, keying in on ideology or loyalty to a country other than the U.S.; greed or financial stress; ego or self-image and “anger, revenge or disaffection,” the FBI advises.
“They can spend years targeting an individual and developing a relationship that leads the student, professor or researcher — either wittingly or unwittingly — to provide information to the foreign adversary.”
The briefing suggests ways to detect “insider threats” — employees who as early as the job-application stage may have been directed by a foreign government to gain access to universities with sought-after research programs.
Warning signs could include someone who insists on working in private, volunteers herself for classified projects, “rummages through offices or desks of others,” has mysterious absences or displays “unexplained affluence,” the briefing says.
In its advice on how to prevent espionage, the FBI notes that campus visits by foreign researchers can be risky.
“Keep visitor groups together and monitor them at all times during the duration of their visit to areas containing sensitive technology, products or personal information,” the document says. “Foreign adversaries sometimes add individuals at the last minute in an attempt to steal your information.”
• Email: tblackwell@nationalpost.com | Twitter: TomblackwellNP
Names in the mix: a list of potential Conservative leadership contenders
Canada to evacuate citizens from flu-hit China region, warns against travel
Asymptomatic infection: Doctors treat 10-year-old boy ‘shedding virus without symptoms’
After outrage, Washington Post reverses suspension of reporter who highlighted Kobe Bryant's rape case
WatchBernie Sanders surge worries Democrats, but they fear stopping him would spark claims of a fix
Dylann Roof, who killed nine at South Carolina black church, appeals conviction, death sentence
Impeachment trial: McConnell fears he doesn't have enough votes to prevent Bolton testimony
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Vulnerabilités
Malware/Spyware
Domaines Blacklistés
News Treads
-=NWPC Switzerland=- [Hackers Group]
The Internet isolation law will save the Russian Federation from isolation from the World Wide Web - E Hacking News Hacker News and IT Security News
Nouvelles du front Roger Wilco 5 janvier 2020 Affichages : 89
In 2019, Russia took a number of measures to ensure the security of the information sphere, which in recent years has become the main means of foreign intelligence services to spread lies. First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov noted that Russia should ensure security in the cyber environment to exclude any possibility of using the global Network against the interests of the state.
"Now it is important not just to control, but to understand and prevent any attacks against the government. The upcoming year will be aimed at ensuring security in the field of IT technologies not only in Russia but also around the world," said the Senator.
He explained his point of view on the example of the law on the isolation of the Runet which[1] came into force on November 1, 2019.
Dzhabarov stressed that the document was adopted not to isolate Russia from the World Wide Web, but to protect the Runet from external threats and various technological disasters that could endanger the reliable functioning of Russian life support systems. In other words, to ensure the independence of the Internet in the country.
“If we feel that we are being blocked, we will take retaliatory measures. We have many rivals. First, of course, the NATO countries, because everything depends on security,” the politician concluded.
In addition, there was a bill introduced by members of the Federation Council to the State Duma. The document proposes to block users of e-mail services and messengers that distribute information prohibited by Russian law. Such activities pose a direct threat to society and the state. Vivid examples are social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which are the main sources of misinformation. The draft law is currently under consideration.
Earlier, the head of the National Values Protection Fund Alexander Malkevich said that Russia needs a cybersecurity strategy, and announced a forecast for the development of this sphere for 2020. He noted that the state has made a big step forward in countering cyber attacks, but there is still much to do. In his opinion, all the relevant structures should unite to repel any attacks on the cyber borders of the Russian Federation.
^ law on the isolation of the Runet which (www.ehackingnews.com)
Read more https://www.ehackingnews.com/2020/01/the-internet-isolation-law-will-save.html
Public Cloud Infrastructures suffering from Security Loopholes and Vulnerabilities, researchers say
15 novembre 2019By Roger Wilco
Indian Security Researcher Finds Starbucks API Key Exposed on GitHub - E Hacking News News
3 janvier 2020By Roger Wilco
New Hacking Group Deploying Backdoors and Ransomware in Windows via Word docs
Warning! Ireland's National Cyber Security Strategy; Fight Against Cyber-Crime - E Hacking News Security News
Email Server of Special Olympics of New York Hacked; Later Used To Launch a Phishing Campaign - E Hacking News News and IT Security News
The Russian Embassy in Washington sent a note of protest to the State Department
Pensée du jour :
Ce que l'homme fait ,
l'homme peut le défaire.
"No secure path in the world"
Spywares/Malwares
© 2020 NWPC-CH.ORG. All Rights Reserved. Design & Developed by Roger Wilco
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NYPD Rarely Enforces Speed Limit on Deadly Broadway in Upper Manhattan
Twelve pedestrians were killed by motorists in the 33rd and 34th Precincts from 2009 through 2011. Police in those precincts issued a total of 125 speeding summonses in 2011. Image: TSTC
In our Tuesday post on the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s latest “Most Dangerous Roads for Walking” report, we noted the concentration of pedestrian deaths on Broadway in Washington Heights, where pedestrian islands, protected bike lanes and other safety features are not present above 168th Street.
In addition to engineering, another factor in pedestrian fatalities and injuries is, of course, traffic law enforcement. In the 33rd and 34th Precincts, which cover Washington Heights and Inwood, very few motorists are penalized for reckless driving — even those who cause grievous injury.
Washington Heights is an entrance and exit point for the George Washington Bridge. And with two toll-free bridges connecting Manhattan to the Bronx, and, ergo, Westchester County, Inwood is plagued by cut-through traffic (a problem that could be exacerbated by toll hikes on the Henry Hudson Bridge). We wrote that speed enforcement in the 34th Precinct effectively stopped after the installation of Manhattan’s first “Slow Zone” last October, but there wasn’t much enforcement to speak of before then either.
In 2011, the most recent year covered by the Tri-State report, and the first year in which NYPD made traffic summons and crash data available to the public, the 34th Precinct issued just 17 speeding summonses, and 152 summonses for failure to yield to a pedestrian. To the south, the 33rd Precinct issued 108 summonses for speeding, and 80 summonses for failure to yield, for the entire year.
Four pedestrians were killed by motorists in the 33rd Precinct between 2009 and 2011, according to Tri-State. In the 34th Precinct, eight pedestrians died in traffic during that period. Injury numbers by precinct are not known, since NYPD did not begin releasing that data until the middle of 2011.
It isn’t as if these precincts aren’t enforcing any traffic laws. In 2011, the 33rd Precinct issued 1,652 summonses to motorists for using a cell phone, the most tickets issued that year for any violation. Officers also wrote 1,160 summonses for seat belt violations, and 301 for tinted windows.
The 34th Precinct issued more summonses for seat belts than any other infraction in 2011, with 1,235 tickets. They wrote 1,220 summonses for cell phone use, and 1,025 for tinted windows.
Both precincts saw a dramatic rise, percentage-wise, in speeding summonses the following year: from 17 in 2011 to 52 in 2012 in the 34th, and 108 to 154 in the 33rd.
For some perspective on the scope of the speeding problem in Upper Manhattan, there were 37,292 daily vehicle trips over the Broadway Bridge, which connects Inwood and Kingsbridge, in 2010. If 39 percent of those drivers were speeding — the figure calculated by Transportation Alternatives in a 2009 city-wide study — that’s around 5.3 million instances of motorists putting lives at risk with the tacit approval of Ray Kelly’s NYPD.
Filed Under: Inwood, NYPD, Street Safety, Traffic Enforcement, Washington Heights
Unlicensed Driver Kills Abrehet Hagos on Broadway in Washington Heights
By Brad Aaron | Nov 17, 2016
A woman allegedly driving without a valid license stuck and killed a man in Washington Heights last weekend.
34th Precinct Ceases Speed Enforcement After Inwood Slow Zone Goes In
By Brad Aaron | Jan 25, 2013
Here’s another example of how James Vacca and Jessica Lappin, if they’re serious about street safety, targeted the wrong agency for a public scolding yesterday. In September, DOT completed the installation of Manhattan’s first 20-mph “Slow Zone,” between Dyckman and W. 218th Streets west of Broadway, in Inwood. This Slow Zone was requested by my […]
34th Precinct Promises Action on Broadway and Dongan
By Brad Aaron | Sep 27, 2007
This spiffy new illuminated bus stop shelter replaces another destroyed by a motorist at Broadway and Dongan Place, near the border of Inwood and Washington Heights. The 34th Precinct says it will enact new enforcement measures to cut down on reckless driving along a crash-prone stretch of Broadway in Northern Manhattan. As promised, residents of […]
CB 12 Committee Endorses Ped Improvements at Chaotic Inwood Intersection
By Brad Aaron | Nov 7, 2013
Long-awaited improvements to a hazardous Broadway crossing in Inwood could be implemented next year, if Community Board 12 passes a resolution that cleared the board’s transportation committee this week. The committee and around 50 residents gathered Monday night to hear DOT’s proposals for the intersection of Broadway, Dyckman/200th Street and Riverside Drive [PDF], where pedestrians must […]
Inwoodites Want Changes at Deadly Broadway Intersection
Broadway at Dongan Place in Northern Manhattan. The bus shelter in the far background replaces another that was recently demolished when a vehicle left the road. Residents near the border of Inwood and Washington Heights have seen enough crashes on Broadway at Dongan Place, and are pressuring officials to do something about it. Last week, […]
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Ira M. Jacobson, MD
Specialties: Hepatology, Gastroenterology
I became fascinated with biology as a child, when my elementary school teacher showed me the teeming life in a drop of pond water through a microscope. My ambition to become a doctor arose from medicine’s ideal combination of science and helping others.
Much later, I decided to specialize in gastroenterology because of the diversity of conditions doctors manage in this field, and the scientific and technologic advances that characterized its dynamic growth early in my medical career. I was particularly fascinated with the liver because of the central role it plays in hundreds of the body’s vital processes.
I devote much of my clinical time caring for people who have liver disease, including viral hepatitis and other liver conditions. For patients who require liver transplantation, I work closely with our surgeons at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. I am also actively involved in the broader specialty of gastroenterology and gastrointestinal endoscopy, including upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy.
As the director of hepatology at NYU Langone Health, I aim to expand and enhance the clinical, research, and educational programs in liver disease and mentor the exceptional group of hepatologists here. It’s an honor to work with such a wonderful hepatology team and to provide patient care alongside world-class experts in medicine, surgery, pathology, radiology, oncology, and other specialties.
The primary source of gratification in my professional life is patient care. I enjoy meeting my patients and their families and hearing about their lives, and I pride myself on spending as much time with my patients as they need. While I focus on their specific conditions, I do so in the broad context of their overall health.
I place an emphasis on accessibility in my practice—my patients can contact me at any time through secure electronic communication. I also emphasize clear communication during office visits. We live in an era of “evidence-based medicine,” but existing medical evidence must sometimes be combined with clinical experience and judgment for the best approach to care. To do this, I provide individualized care and focus on each person and how he or she is unique.
For more than 30 years, I have participated in hundreds of clinical trials on antiviral therapy for viral hepatitis, including hepatitis B and C, and I have also led a number of them. These studies have remarkably improved our ability to treat people with these conditions, including the capacity to cure nearly all patients who have hepatitis C. I have authored and coauthored more than 250 scientific papers, chapters, and reviews on these and other topics. I continue to be involved in studies on viral hepatitis, and am also involved in studies examining treatments for other liver diseases, such as fatty liver disease and primary biliary cholangitis.
I am a fellow of several major organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the American College of Gastroenterology, and a member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Recently, I was honored to be elected to a fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom. I am a past president of the New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the New York Gastroenterological Association.
gallstone disease
autoimmune hepatitis
bile duct abnormalities
liver tumor
Hepatitis A, B & C, Pancreatitis in Adults
Professor, Department of Medicine
Director, Hepatology
American Board of Internal Medicine - Internal Medicine, 1982
Fellowship, Harvard Medical School, Gasteoenterology, 1984
Residency, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Internal Medicne, 1982
MD from Columbia University, 1979
Island Group Administration
NYU Gastroenterology Associates
240 East 38th Street, 23rd Floor
Hepatitis, Fatty liver disease, Priimary biliary choangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis
23rd Floor
A Phase 2b Multicenter Double-blind Randomized Study to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of Different Combinations Regimens Including JNJ-73763989 and JNJ-56136379 for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection
A Randomized Open-label Phase 1b Study to Evaluate Safety Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Signals of DUR-928 in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
A Multi-center Open-label Long-term Extension Study of ABI-H0731 + Nucleos(t)ide as Finite Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis B Patients
Long-Term Benefits of Sustained Virologic Response for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Chronic HCV Infection
Younossi, Zobair M; Stepanova, Maria; Racila, Andrei; Afendy, Arian; Lawitz, Eric J; Schwabe, Christian; Ruane, Peter J; Lalezari, Jay; Reddy, K Rajender; Jacobson, Ira M; Muir, Andrew J; Gaggar, Anuj; Myers, Robert P; Younossi, Issah; Nader, Fatema
Clinical gastroenterology & hepatology. 2020 Feb ; 18(2):468-476.e11
Efficacy of Glecaprevir and Pibrentasvir in Patients with Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Virus Infection with Treatment Failure after NS5A Inhibitor Plus Sofosbuvir Therapy
Lok, Anna S; Sulkowski, Mark S; Kort, Jens J; Willner, Ira; Reddy, K Rajender; Shiffman, Mitchell L; Hassan, Mohamed A; Pearlman, Brian L; Hinestrosa, Federico; Jacobson, Ira M; Morelli, Giuseppe; Peter, Joy A; Vainorius, Monika; Michael, Larry C; Fried, Michael W; Wang, Gary P; Lu, Wenjing; Larsen, Lois; Nelson, David R
Gastroenterology. 2019 Dec ; 157(6):1506-1517.e1
Patients With Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Experience Severe Impairment of Health-Related Quality of Life
Younossi, Zobair M; Stepanova, Maria; Lawitz, Eric J; Reddy, K Rajender; Wai-Sun Wong, Vincent; Mangia, Alessandra; Muir, Andrew J; Jacobson, Ira; Djedjos, C Stephen; Gaggar, Anuj; Myers, Robert P; Younossi, Issah; Nader, Fatema; Racila, Andrei
American journal of gastroenterology. 2019 Oct ; 114(10):1636-1641
Read All Publications (198)
Risks of Alcohol, Fatty Liver Disease & Metabolic Syndrome
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Silent Epidemic
Renowned Specialists Expand Liver Disease Programs
Renowned Specialists to Lead Liver Disease Programs
NYU Langone Health Names New Director of Hepatology
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Home Keywords arthur porritt
arthur porritt
Events In History
'Tom Watson' wins bronze for New Zealand
The character in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of fire (1981) was based on Arthur Porritt, who won a bronze medal for New Zealand in the 100 m at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Read more...
New Zealand has had a governor or (from 1917) a Governor-General since 1840. The work of these men and women has reflected the constitutional and political history of New Zealand in many ways.
Page 7 - PatriatedLate last century New Zealand governments patriated (indigenised) the
denis blundell
keith holyoake
Main image: Meeting the Queen on HMY Britannia
The Governor General meeting the Queen on board Britannia in 1970
Images and media for arthur Porritt
Sir Arthur Porritt
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Sure, Let’s Talk Jobs and Schools
By Terry Golway • 01/18/99 12:00am
News editor Rudy Giuliani has let it be known that newspaper readers
aren’t much interested in the stories being produced in City
Hall’s Room 9 sweatshop. “People don’t care about a lot of
stuff that you write about,” the Mayor told reporters by way of
celebrating the new year. “They care about, ‘Do I have a job, do
I have better opportunities, do my kids have a good education?
As a news break, this pretty much falls into the category of dog bites
man, but let us not begrudge the Mayor his interest in helping newspapers
overcome falling readership. Every lecture delivered to the press corps is,
presumably, one less lecture directed at those annoying people who persist
in being poor. If the Mayor is busy telling correspondents what sort of
news the public wants to read, even he, the multitasking, 24-7 chief of
chief executives, will have no time left for dispensing advice to the
unemployed, the unskilled and the left behind. Last time he was heard on
the subject of the poor and jobless, he was telling Dan Barry of The New
York Times that they ought to open up lemonade stands. Ah, would that
they could! But Mr. Giuliani’s tireless revenue-collectors no doubt
would move quickly to collect their share of the profits, and thus would
more small businesses be regulated and ticketed out of business.
Mr. Giuliani’s assertion that people care more about their economic
well-being and the education of their children than they do about various
mayoral eccentricities (using homeless people and the mentally ill as pawns
in a political game, etc.) is correct. People are more interested in
their jobs and their kids’ schools than they are in the
Mayor-as-celebrity. The question, however, is this: Would Mr. Giuliani
really rather see the press write about bread and butter instead of cotton
candy? If so, then what to do about Harvey Robins?
Every year at about this time, Mr. Robins sends various opinion-makers
and power brokers a document outlining his version of the state of the
city. This is hardly an act of presumption, for Mr. Robins served as
director of operations under Mayor David Dinkins and in various capacities
under Mayor Ed Koch. He knows and understands city government; he loves and
appreciates the city. And he happens to believe that all those frustrated
newspaper readers on whose behalf the Mayor lectured the press
corps–the ones who want to know about jobs and opportunities and
schools–aren’t faring so well under Mr. Giuliani’s vaunted
“If we are going to judge the city on how well the people who live
here are doing in terms of quality of services and how they are faring
economically, we’re failing miserably,” he said. His paper offers
a litany that newspaper readers worried about jobs, opportunities and
schools surely would find newsworthy: New York’s middle class (those
earning less than $40,000 a year) has lost $1,500 in real income over the
last 20 years; the city unemployment rate of 7.8 percent is well above the
country’s 4.6 percent; third-grade reading scores fell in 30 of the
city’s 33 school districts last year; some 17 percent of the
city’s teachers are not certified.
Mr. Robins cites 60 points which, he argues, demonstrate that the other
New York–the New York of the outer boroughs, of subway riders and
public school students and park users and library cardholders–has
suffered while the New York of Manhattan, of commuters and tourists, of Information Age opinionmakers
and Neo-Gilded Age lawyers and traders, has prospered. Those in the latter
categories, of course, have helped portray New York as America’s
comeback city. As Mr. Robins views it, the other New York has been
forgotten, underserved and overburdened. “We’re a city governed
for others–tourists and commuters–and not for people who live
here,” he said.
His solution? For a start: a 1 percent increase in the city’s top
earners; higher property taxes on one-, two- and three-family homes; a
higher minimum wage; an end to corporate welfare; productivity givebacks
from the city’s unions (ah, and you thought he was just another
soak-the-rich lefty!); an end to the not-for-profit status of private
hospitals; an increase (from 0.45 to 2 percent) in the commuter tax;
cutting back on overtime in some city agencies, and an assortment of other
revenue-enhancers.
What to do with the new revenues? Funnel them back to the people who
live in the city and use its facilities.
“What we’ve done recently is showcase Times Square and Wall
Street, but take a look at the unfurbished subways in the outer
boroughs,” Mr. Robins said. “What about the 200 underperforming
schools? What about the parks, other than Central Park?”
Perhaps this is the sort of stuff the Mayor thinks ought to be discussed
in the newspapers. After all, it’s about jobs, it’s about
opportunities, it’s about schools.
The man’s right–who cares about City Hall’s feuds,
anyway?
Filed Under: New York Times Company, Wise Guys, Times Square, Harvey Robins
SEE ALSO: It Is His Patriotic Duty to Cure a Nation of Swollen Livers
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You’re Back, Bob! Woodward’s Book Bisects Bushies
By Robert Sam Anson • 04/26/04 12:00am
Plan of Attack , by Bob Woodward. Simon and Schuster, 468 pages, $28.
Welcome back, Mr. Woodward.
Your friends were worried that maybe “Deep Throat” or Judy Belushi or Bill Casey’s widow kidnapped you in some parking garage, hauled you off to a secret lab in Langley and implanted a chip in your noggin that turned you into a stenographer for whoever was throwing the best Georgetown dinner parties. How else to account for what’s been churned out under your name the last decade or two? The Agenda , The Choice , Maestro , Shadow -those were icky enough. But making out Dubya to be George C. Marshall and George S. Patton rolled into one in Bush At War ?
That wasn’t the old Bob Woodward, co-bringer-down of Nixon; it must have been a suck-up doppelgänger.
Plan of Attack , thank goodness, proves our anxieties misplaced: The Bob Woodward who helped ensure that there’d be a Bill of Rights left for John Ashcroft to violate wasn’t body-snatched or imprisoned in Area 51 with the Roswell aliens. In that patient, grinding Midwestern way of his, he’s just been working a plan, lulling the High and Mighty to sleep, making them think he was a court eunuch, waiting for the moment when the nation truly needed him again. Now it’s arrived. And in the manner of Cincinnatus dropping his plow or Clark Kent finally finding a phone booth, the Bob Woodward of yore-the one Robert Redford played in All the President’s Men -has returned, and further invitations to the Bush White House are kaput.
How good is this book? Well, if discomfort caused is the measure of greatness achieved, forget about the Pulitzer-Mr. Woodward deserves a Nobel.
It’s been sweet Schadenfreude to watch all the squirming. There was Condi Rice trying to convince Fox News that Mr. Woodward’s got it wrong about Colin Powell and Dick Cheney loathing each other so thoroughly they no longer speak (they were “very friendly” whenever she lunched with them); and White House spokesman Scott McClellan declining comment on Mr. Woodward’s report that Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar promised Dubya he’d drop oil prices to grease the November election (“You can ask Prince Bandar,” advised Mr. McClellan by way of kiss-off); and Colin Powell-friend and primary source of the author through three books-denying most everything written by Mr. Woodward (with whom, the Secretary of State assured us, he’d only had a couple of phone chats anyway, and he only took those calls on White House orders-which he famously follows undeviatingly).
And Mr. Woodward? He’s been as unruffled as a Presbyterian deacon at a triple funeral whilst making his 60 Minutes – Larry King Live – Today Show rounds. Locked away in his safe is the source of his serenity: three and a half on-the-record hours of the President blabbing on tape.
George W. Bush, you might imagine, has been kicking anything within Residence Quarters reach ever since the A.P. scooped The Washington Post on the about-to-be-detonated literary W.M.D. According to Mr. Woodward, he didn’t just cooperate and command the whole of the executive branch to do the same-the book that became Plan of Attack was the President’s idea.
Truth is, Mr. Bush probably feels fine. The passages that have all of Manhattan and West L.A. a-snicker (not checking with Dad because “there is a Higher Father that I appeal to”; praying to “be as good a messenger of His will as possible” while going about freeing the world) will play swell out in the red states, and in big chunks of the blue ones, too. Moreover, if there’s one character in Plan of Attack who’s in command, who doesn’t suffer doubt, who asks tough questions, sniffs out phonies before their next sentence is out and won’t let nobody lead him around by the nose (except Dick Cheney), it’s George Walker Bush.
For Kerry voters, that’s as amazing as it is alarming. The good news, Senator, is that Mr. Woodward-a Nixon voter whose high-school valedictory was on the wisdom of Barry Goldwater’s The Conscience of a Conservative -delivers other stupefactions that Bob Shrum will want to take a close look at.
In the High Crimes and Misdemeanors category, there’s the $700 million swiped from fighting the war in Afghanistan in order to finance planning to fight one in Iraq that nobody knows about yet. Then there’s the lying about when the decision to go to war was actually made (January 2003, not March 2003); George Tenet assuring a skeptical President that the C.I.A.’s case for W.M.D. is a “slam-dunk”; the briefing of everybody (including Karl Rove, so he can reschedule fund-raiser dates) that the war is a go-which elicits a “whoopsie!” from Condi: We forgot to tell Colin.
But the best, maybe, is giving Prince Bandar an advance peek at the ultra-secret Iraq war plan-never mind that his helpful highness represents the home address of 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers.
Who does this? As with everything else involved in driving the U.S. to a current total of nearly 700 K.I.A.’s and counting, Mr. “powerful, steamroller force” himself, Richard Cheney. (Just coincidence, of course, that the Vice President has a more than passing interest in a commodity that Saudi Arabia possesses more of than anyplace else on earth. And, no, it’s not sand.)
Every good story requires a villain, and for Plan of Attack -the best yarn to come along since, well, Mr. Woodward’s first book-the author casts Mr. Cheney, who’s so well suited to the part you can almost hear the Dracula music every time he tiptoes into the narrative. There’s all kinds of evil-doing your reviewer could tip you to, but that would spoil the fright. So let’s leave it at a single malefaction: Marines are approaching Tikrit, American kids are dying, and God knows how many Iraqi mothers’ sons. And who do you suppose decides it’s the perfect occasion for a celebratory dinner party? Clue: He lives in the same house Al Gore used to.
Wife Lynne, no pansy herself, only has a walk-on, but it’s priceless. During a rushed swing through the Gulf States, Mr. Woodward writes, the Second Lady found herself lunching with the favorite wife of the Emir of Qatar. When do the children in Bahrain start school? asked Ms. Cheney, trying to make nice. Came the answer: This isn’t Bahrain.
As his tragic hero, Mr. Woodward has Colin Powell. The Secretary of State’s arguments about the lame-brainness of the impending enterprise can’t be listened to because a) they have to be solicited first; b) nobody bothers to (including the Commander in Chief); and c) Mr. Powell’s not one to push. Whether this is due to military schooling or fear of career blemishes, Mr. Woodward doesn’t say. The upshot, in any event, is that Mr. Powell-the sole veteran of combat in an armchair posse itching for it-is left without much to do, other than enlist Congress and the U.N. in backing a war he privately believes will be catastrophic.
Though he notes that many of the Secretary of State’s dire forebodings (friendly Arab regimes undermined; oil prices sent stratospheric; Iraq left up to its elbows in Shia vs. Sunni blood) have yet to come to pass, Mr. Woodward-a better friend to his source than vice versa-sympathizes, and allows Mr. Powell to roam through the chapters like Banquo’s ghost. We overhear him muttering about Donald Rumsfeld “wearing rubber gloves” so as to leave no fingerprints; about the “Gestapo” that is the Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans; about the “lunatic” notions of Paul Wolfowitz (who, to be fair, has them aplenty).
One wishes that Mr. Woodward had provided some background history. There’s a long, well-documented record (ignored by liberal admirers) of St. Colin being wrong. Remember the Bosnia intervention, perhaps the Clinton administration’s greatest foreign-policy success? Mr. Powell thought it idiotic. There’s also a parallel record of incidents when he had to choose between satisfying his masters or hewing to conviction: Each time he elected to lap-dog, with self-excusing paeans to duty. As Michael Steinberger points out in this month’s The American Prospect , whether the humiliation is North Korea, the Kyoto Protocol, the A.B.M. Treaty or the Middle East, resignation on principle is not in Colin Powell’s vocabulary.
Compare Mr. Powell’s behavior with General Tommy Franks’ first set-to with Donald Rumsfeld over the ways and means of conquering supposedly unconquerable Afghanistan. According to Mr. Woodward, the general said:
“Mr. Secretary, stop. This ain’t going to work. You can fire me. I’m either the commander or I’m not, and you’ve got to trust me or you don’t. And if you don’t, I need to go somewhere else. So tell me what it is, Mr. Secretary.”
Suffice it to say that a modus vivendi was reached soon thereafter.
Mr. Woodward’s liking for General Franks is evident, and the CENTCOM commander repays it with juicy quotes like this one, on hearing that Washington wants him to draw up a plan for war in Iraq, while he’s in the midst of fighting one in Afghanistan: “Goddam,” General Franks said, “what the fuck are they talking about?” (Not a bad subtitle.)
We hear a lot about and from General Franks in Plan of Attack , including point-by-point details of his endless, Rumsfeld-ordered revisions of the Iraq war plan, down to the exact number of slides he brings to each presentation. And every time he drags out the projector and the briefing books, you gasp, How did Woodward get this stuff? Who gave him what General So-and-So said about Iraq to the eavesdropping whizzes at the National Security Agency, an outfit so “black” the joke is that N.S.A. stands for “No Such Agency”?
The secret-ferreting doesn’t stop there. Mr. Woodward invites the reader along when an Arabic-speaking C.I.A. spook nicknamed “Tim” slips across the Turkish border into Iraq with a truck full of loot to recruit spies. “They were carrying tens of millions of dollars in U.S. $100 bills stored in black Pelican boxes, heavy cardboard boxes with hinges that are often sold in art stores,” Mr. Woodward recounts. “Tim had to sign for his share. In the end he had been advanced $32 million, and he would have to present vouchers to account for it all. Yellow, 3-by-3 Post-its signed by the paid agents would suffice, he hoped. When the others lost sight of Tim’s vehicle on the way in, they joked that he probably was heading for the Riviera. Tim had found that $1 million in $100 bills weighed 44 pounds and fit neatly into a day backpack.”
When Tim’s investment produces senior Iraqi military officers spilling big beans, Mr. Woodward reports the reaction of his handler thus:
“‘Holy shit!’ Saul muttered. “If it is 50 percent bullshit, we’ve still hit a goldmine.'”
How’s that for up close and personal?
Tim’s chief, the basketball-metaphoring Mr. Tenet, does not come off so well, for all the widely advertised reasons. Need more? Mr. Woodward reveals that Mr. Tenet now and again dropped by the White House mess for a jocular nosh with Karl Rove. What’s the Director of Central Intelligence doing courting the President’s top political operative? Mr. Woodward doesn’t say. A guess: keeping his job.
There’s a groaning board of such canapés served with Plan of Attack ‘s main course, several too delectable to miss.
A White House scene to savor: Nick Calio, head of the White House Congressional lobbying reporting to the President that the Senate is about to “vitiate” a filibuster holding up the vote on the Homeland Security bill. “‘Nicky, what the fuck are you talking about, vitiate?’ Bush asked.” And the Yale flunk-out Vice President? He didn’t know what it meant, either.
Another tasty morsel: what State Department director of policy planning Richard Haass tells Colin Powell after Time runs an apparently White House–sanctioned story that Mr. Powell is hopelessly out of the loop: “It sucks. The only thing that would have been worse would have been if it had showed you were in charge. Then you would have been totally fucked.”
Yet another: George Tenet’s sum-up of British intelligence’s assessment of the time required for Saddam to launch a C.B.W. strike: “they-can-attack-in-45-minutes shit.”
A final delicacy: George Bush’s reaction to the same information? He uses it in a speech.
Large incident and small, this is the craft of a journalist without peer-and for you old George readers, that comes from someone who was throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him just a few years ago.
To be sure, some will pick nits. They will say that Mr. Woodward’s abjuring of footnotes vitiates documentation-a quirk that has occasioned flak since “Deep Throat” went unnamed (a blank Mr. Woodward promises to fill in once the chain-smoking Deep is deceased). But, like Tommy Franks, either you trust him or you don’t, and the track record shouts that you should. Remember the pooh-poohing that greeted the Oval Office scene in The Final Days of Nixon kneeling in prayer with Kissinger? Remember the omelets on pusses when Dr. Kissinger later confirmed Mr. Woodward’s account? Besides, the sort of information Mr. Woodward unearths (i.e., the kind no one else gets) wouldn’t be available for shoveling if he ran around tattling.
Plan of Attack , like all its predecessors, demonstrates yet again why Mr. Woodward is in no danger of winning a style prize. Carl Bernstein was the man with the golden pen, and without him, Mr. Woodward’s prose is reminiscent of a 1940 Ford turning over on a frigid morning. A graduate of the Joe Friday “Just the facts, ma’am” school, Mr. Woodward is parsimonious as well-sometimes maddeningly so-with personal opinion. But that is part of the power of his work. He simply lays it out, unvarnished, and leaves it to you to decide what to make of it.
What to make of Plan of Attack ?
Let’s ask Condi Rice (who’ll be lucky to land an adjunct professorship at Pepperdine if Iraq continues to quagmire). Pausing from her Augean Stables duties on the talk shows this weekend, Ms. Rice had this to say about the latest writer to burden her with a manure fork:
“I haven’t read Bob’s book, which I’m sure is terrific. He’s a great journalist and I look forward to reading it …. I’m sure it will be fantastic.”
She’s got that right.
Robert Sam Anson reviews books regularly for The Observer.
Filed Under: Lifestyle, Media, The White House, Colin Powell, Bob Woodward
SEE ALSO: ‘Those Damned Stripes!’: Frocks for Mrs. Prufrock
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Of Newark and Somerset, and the Politics of New Jersey Violence
The arrival downtown of “The Mighty South Ward” led by the Mayor.
As one more season grinds down, so too collapses another summer of New Jersey gun play and murderous violence, the state’s long abiding islands of isolation arguably making it easier for people to dismiss the killing as disconnected or unrelated or – in some cases – unimportant. But in Newark, a very hoarse-sounding Mayor Ras Baraka yelled repeatedly into a microphone that his entire community continues to suffer a public health crisis, speaking those words over and over again, the brutal bifurcation of his home state obvious in the urgency of his words.
“If there were 100 kids in Millburn killed, people would think there was a public health crisis,” said the mayor. But not in Newark. He wants desperately to change that perception and he wants his constituents to assume control.
More to the point, he wants to change the reality.
As the mayor tries to concentrate his city on a specific conflagration dominated by drugs and gangs – so too, at longer intervals and in muted surroundings, the suburbs explode here and there in violence, some of it urban spillover, the consequence of overpopulation, as in other cases domestic troubles flare up with murderous results; New Jersey repeatedly thrown back on the contradiction of itself: at once the split personality of urban and suburban, and the sprawling oversized city-state artificially cut off from itself amid 600 manifestations of parochial power. Speaking on condition of anonymity over the weekend, a one-time high-level federal official voiced aloud his worry in squeezed-together circumstances about a greater capacity for societal lawlessness.
Lawless gangs in the cities and isolated loners in the suburbs.
“I deeply believe that people have fewer interpersonal connections than ever before,” said Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21), who grew up in Plainfield and raised his family in Westfield.
“You don’t see people getting together out on the stoop,” he added. “When you have interpersonal relationships, bonds are built. When people are on their computers inside and watching television, the more likely it is that tension and isolation develop and the more likely it is that you are going to see violence in suburban and rural areas. The instant you don’t find comfort in human relationships, you lose your humanity. The computer is no substitute.
“People think they have real relationships on Facebook, but what it reveals is the lack of community and isolation. That creates an opportunity for violence.”
Roselle Park and Roselle Park – at least by design – are more livable and walkable than Warren and Watchung. If Bridgewater isolates owing to no downtown, in certain urban areas designed around public plazas and parks, people can’t go outside without fear of treading into the middle of a gang war. In Elizabeth, it’s Bloods versus Latin Kings, stark lines of all-out race war, a veteran off-duty cop told PolitickerNJ. It’s routine business.
“In capitalism, you protect your business by killing the other guy,” said Bramnick, unhappily.
Bramnick, right, with Assemblyman Chris Brown (R-2).
A pipeline of Trenton legislation contains elements of crisis management, even as most people express their doubts about the system, and deride politicians as opportunists content to indulge in self-aggrandizing legislation sooner than squarely hit injustice.
Two years ago, state Senator Ray Lesniak (D-20) sponsored an act declaring violence a public health crisis, and establishing the “Study Commission on Violence.”
“We’re waiting for the recommendations from the commission,” said the veteran senator, volunteering his own views ahead of the report finished but yet delivered by Chair Camelia M. Valdez, the Passaic County prosecutor.
“It is the same crisis over and over again,” Lesniak added. “We’re not doing much to prevent it. The criminal justice system has to be rebuilt from top to bottom. We’re not paying enough attention to the divide in communities, starting with child care. Body cameras for police are important but there are core issues there. A lot of America is being left behind.”
From Newark to Trenton
The most hardened might call it a trudge of futility.
Baraka led his anti-violence march on August 8th, and two weeks later, Newark absorbed five killings in the span of 24 hours. Murders are down overall but shootings are on the rise as the city tries to cope with fewer uniformed police officers on the streets. That mayor’s office had staged the march as a specific exhortation to ward residents to assume responsibility for their own neighborhoods and city blocks, and to crack down on the pervasion of acquiescent silence amid a criminal scourge.
It occurred after a demonstration organized by People’s Organization for Progress (POP) Founder Larry Hamm rallied in opposition to police brutality as a show of solidarity with similar anti-violence expressions nationwide. Baraka lent his voice to that rally too, but pointedly wanted to emphasize the responsibility invested in the people themselves to express zero tolerance for violent crime in their streets.
“I agree with Mayor Baraka, violence is a public health crisis,” said Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp. “To the extent that blacks and other minorities have suffered at the hands of law enforcement we are fortunate in New Jersey that we have not had the same issues.”
But the day before Baraka’s rally, organized as a counterweight to Hamm’s, law enforcement authorities shot a 14-year old boy in
Caldwell-Wilson
Trenton, an incident that received scattered news play at best and which, in the words of Trenton Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, the mayor’s office smothered in concert with the state Attorney General’s Office.
“The community is still up in arms regarding the lack of information,” said Caldwell-Wilson, a retired labor leader who serves the city’s north ward. “The AG shut it down. The mayor couldn’t get information, but you’re the mayor, mobilize the city and get the information.”
Representatives from the AG’s Office met with the mayor and U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) at Shiloh Baptist Church meeting but the councilwoman says city representatives still don’t know exactly what went down at that meeting.
“We’re getting a song and dance from the AG’s office,” said Caldwell-Wilson. “None of our council is involved. That’s the difference between here and Newark. The mayor of Newark is taking a stand and bringing everyone to the table. That’s not happening here, and it’s part of a pattern. You need to have a backbone and you need to have an attitude of no tolerance out there.”
Mayor Eric Jackson replaced Mayor Tony Mack, who went to prison on federal corruption charges, leaving his city in shambles and squalor, with a nattily dressed church minister stepping up last year to take over and hopefully change course from the Mack debacle. For Caldwell-Wilson, Jackson might as well be Mack on the public relations front. “I don’t think the politics has changed,” said the councilwoman, reflecting on both administrations. “This administration is not transparent. It’s like déjà vu all over again. Tensions are really high.”
Whatever the administration in charge, Newark and Trenton both share the crisis of urban New Jersey, which includes – for many – the expectation, dreaded or otherwise, of violence.
“With high unemployment and poor schools comes crime,” said Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-29), a prosecutor by trade who serves Newark’s South Ward. “It happens. It’s not unique to this mayor or to this city. It is the reality in which we live. Crime is a pandemic issue. There are mass killings in rural, suburban and urban areas. It’s a national problem. Ras Baraka called this a public health crisis before he was elevated to mayor. He said it when he was councilman.
“It is a public health crisis because what happens plays on the emotional and mental side of the community,” the assemblywoman added. “People are afraid to go outside. They can’t enjoy their neighborhoods. My mother used to tell me, ‘You need to be home before the street lights come on.’ You want to be home when it’s dark. Kids are thinking how long will I live.”
Spencer herself has a baby girl whom she carried in Baraka’s peace march. But walking in that march and walking down the street in the neighborhood are two different things.
“It makes me very cautious,” the assemblywoman said of the environment now – and always – in her city. “I was on Lyons Avenue in Newark the other day walking with my daughter. Then I thought to myself, ‘What am I doing?’ and decided to go home. But until the violence moves to the level of Ebola, people will just say it is an urban problem. People see it as routine, but it’s so not normal.”
The brutality of crime forces reactive or preemptive action on the legislative side, as the national storyline of police abuse creates room for elected officials like Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey’ Torres and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop to advance requisite body cameras for police officers, and for Gov. Chris Christie to follow suit at the state level. Former Governor James McGreevey works on a prisoner reentry program in Jersey City that he hopes will be a national model. But listen long enough and the other part of the debate in a state divided between Abbott and non-Abbott schools and dependent on property taxes to pay for them, goes to how we educate our young people. And therein persists a tragic divide.
Origins and Education
When Christie won the governorship in 2009, he undertook a dramatic departure from the man he vanquished in the area of schools maintenance, and he started in Newark on the day after his victory. His presence at Steve Adubato’s charter school in the North Ward signified the direction he planned: more school alternatives to what he saw as the public union-dominated public institutions.
Over five years later, with Baraka’s election at ground zero in Newark exhibit A of a reversal of educational trends, the Christie-era debate in New Jersey has reached an apparent impasse, even as separate but unequal conditions permeate statewide, walling whole populations into educational oblivion. Not without irony did the former schools principal turned mayor facing a $19 million budget deficit stand as a counterpoint to the overhaul effort undertaken by former Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson with the support of the Republican governor.
Anderson’s attempts to reform the Newark schools clinched Baraka for mayor as he used the perception of a force-fed plan to generate grassroots power and put down the Christie-affiliated establishment that backed his rival, Shavar Jeffries.
Both candidates harbored a personal history scarred by violence and a public will to break from the past.
Baraka lost his sister. Jeffries lost his mother.
To hear New Jerseyans talk on the street is to again be made aware – beyond the personal histories and stories of the politicians themselves – of the cynical contempt much of the public has for the system, and the enduring belief of many that politicians hurt instead of help communities of need. School financing in New Jersey as implemented pits the weakest against each other: old against young, as retirees struggle to remain in state while saddled with tax burdens to foot the bill for schools; suburban against urban; middle class against poor; black against white; homeowners against renters.
Patrick Murray, political scientist and pollster at Monmouth University, said it’s difficult to ascertain the level of disaffection. “Lack of leadership in the governor’s office while he’s out campaigning for president is mostly driving public perception right now,” Murray said.
At the local heart of the Christie-Booker reform effort infused with $100 million from Facebook maven Mark Zuckerberg to improve Newark’s schools abided a distrust with top-down policies. That distrust boiled over earlier this year at a committee hearing in Trenton, when Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-34) cross-examined Cami Anderson. “Never in my life have I seen a leader of a public institution adopt an attitude that they do not have to engage [with the people served by the school system],” said Oliver, a former assembly speaker.
It was Anderson’s last appearance before the governor’s office supplanted her with former Education Commissioner Chris Cerf and acknowledged – with Baraka’s reinforcement – a pathway to local schools control.
“I knew a lot about it [Newark public education] before you were even born it disturbs me that you have negated the wisdom and life experiences of people in your school district,” said a riled Oliver, the most animated of a wave of Essex legislators frustrated and angered by the state-appointed super and her One Newark Plan.
“You make assumptions that you’re the smartest tool in the shed,” said Oliver, infuriated by what she identified as Anderson’s arrogance and a history built under Anderson’s leadership. She cited salary increments, people on the state-appointed super’s staff jumping from $140,000 to $175,000, and an underlying attitude of private sector power brokering supplanting public service.
The deep dive crime debate went to the education debate and the education debate led to a public rejection of the One Newark Plan and that rejection circled back to band aid crime-fighting and pre-Christie political conditions. Baraka’s win reasserted the will of the public sector unions and those activists committed to undoing the Christie-Cami Anderson overhaul championed by Baraka’s predecessor, Mayor-turned Senator Cory Booker.
In agreement with Oliver, embedded in the failure of One Newark is a lack of trust, says state Senator Ronald L. Rice (D-28), who describes constituent fear of a system rigged by the powerful to strip away the input of those on the ground.
“Unless you discuss education you will continue to have crime,” said the veteran senator, a former Newark detective. “These problems are impacting outside urban areas. It’s an epidemic. But you come down to it, we’ve been lost in the wrong debate. The debate shouldn’t be charter versus public schools. It should be about how we fix the public schools. Too much corruption and impropriety in government. You want to talk about crime? The majority of criminal activity in New Jersey is white collar crime.”
The Politics of Paterson
After getting sworn-in by Gov. Christie outside City Hall where both men stood under a hail of teachers deriding the governor as an enemy of teachers’ unions, Torres, the newly mayor of the Silk City, brought the city’s $252,613,000 budget within the Christie initiated, state-required two-percent cap.
But the swapping of budget help on the city side came accompanied by deep school aid cuts as Paterson laid off over 200 staff at the schools, a public sector tsunami that Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-35) and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-35) tried to reverse in the budget process, restoring money that Christie subsequently vetoed.
Sumter has supported numerous bills designed to help combat crime, including legislation to improve trade schools authored by Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32), and assisting law enforcement agencies that need state support to constitutionally seize vehicles used to convey drugs, and to create local opportunities for McGreevey’s re-entry program.
The loss of education dollars hurts worse than the gains made elsewhere, she maintains, because it hits those most vulnerable. But under Torres’ storied police director, violent crime in Paterson is down.
Is that the choice, the assemblywoman wonders aloud – tools to fight crime on the streets at the expense of schools.
“It’s frustrating,” Sumter told PolitickerNJ. “If I had to express it with an emotion, it’s almost as though it’s the politics of forked tongue. We’re right on the cusp of change, then the rug is pulled from under us. You want to see your urban towns do their best, but it’s not by coming up with a balanced budget that essentially holds education hostage.”
Last week, NorthJersey.com reporter Joe Malinconico noted that City of Paterson education officials awarded a $200,000, one-year contract to the Antares Group of Montclair to “work on the computer systems for Paterson Public Schools’ human resources, payroll, and finance offices.”
Baraka at the march.
In foreclosure-besieged Newark, with the example of Paterson to the north and the political dynamics altered in the aftermath of the Cami catastrophe, Baraka the public school agitator-educator fights the way he knows how, starting on the streets of the South Ward, exhorting those who elected him to join in the fight against violent crime.
Others don’t warmly embrace the mayor’s street presence and what it does to add or detract to the crisis. In the words of one Newark insider, the problem has to do with the breakup of the family and the fact that single mothers must slave at two jobs while being unable to care for their children, who wander the streets with guns at younger and younger ages.
Then there are those like Irvington Councilman David Lyons, who first got into local elected politics after being held up at gunpoint, who remain simply fed up. “At some point we have to stop marching against crime and do something about crime,” Lyons told PolitickerNJ. “First of all, there are too many guns out there, and as long as there are Republicans controlling Congress there will continue to be guns out there. At some point we need a full-fledged effort to go after crime killings. Marching is not going to stop it.”
Newark South Ward Councilman John Sharpe James was among those local elected officials who joined Baraka in the streets on August 8th. “There are some people committed to doing violence to others,” James said. “I think it’s a step in the right direction when you have 5,000 people in the streets demonstrating against violence.”
For his part, Hamm, ever the diagnostician, goes way back with Baraka. The mayor and his own late father, the poet Amiri Baraka, both claimed membership in POP. To the grassroots, Princeton-educated activist, Baraka represents a commitment bred on the ground level.
“I agree with the mayor 100%,” Hamm said. “This is a public health crisis. We’ve regressed since 1968. Remember, Nixon was elected on a law and order platform. What we’re looking at today is the byproduct of a lack of an urban policy for the last 40 years. This country turned its back on the war on poverty. We fought in Iraq and Afghanistan instead of the streets here. We bailed out banks that crashed the economy as corporations awarded bonuses and increased salaries. Whole cities are going into bankruptcy because of high rates of foreclosure, and through all of this, black people are moral failures, or so we are to believe.
“People just don’t want to face the fact that people do desperate things when they’re in a desperate situation,” Hamm added. “The mayor is doing all he can possibly do. More than any other mayor I can remember, and I go back to [Mayor Hugh] Addonizio.”
Hamm’s not the only one who agrees with Baraka.
So does Christie.
He signed that act authored by Lesniak declaring violence as a public health crisis. That was two years ago. Of course, Christie’s proffered remedies at the origins of the crisis proved contradictory to Baraka’s – and unsustainable.
Moreover, not only those urban others feel the sting of the system and the weight of what even the apparently most established suburbanites come to see as its injustices.
A Street in Somerset
It was colder. It was March.
Nationally, almost every week brought another black fatality caused by a cop as African-American activists mobilized anew with a longstanding case that law enforcement didn’t serve underprivileged communities and instead targeted their young black men. Such a narrative hardly appeared fitting in the genteel suburban setting of Somerset County, New Jersey, one of the wealthiest per capita areas in America, largely white, and known mostly as the riding country crib of former Republican Governor Christie Todd Whitman, one of the most austere personalities in Garden State politics.
But the place had a unique history.
October of 2014 brought with it the strange and shocking case of John and Joyce Sheridan, a husband and wife first reported lost in a fire in their Skilman home, just north of Princeton Township. Undertaken by Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, the investigation adjudged early that fire did not cause the deaths of the couple. As months dragged on, news dribbled out that the body of John Sheridan, a universally respected attorney and staunch upper echelon player in the Republican Party, contained stab wounds. So did the body of Joyce Sheridan.
In March, Soriano, with the support of the state Attorney General’s Office, released the official findings of his office’s investigation that John Sheridan murdered his wife Joyce and then killed himself. The news caused the Sheridans’ four sons to immediately release a statement condemning the findings, and sent Mark Sheridan, a powerful and respected attorney in his own right and the most politically connected of the brothers, into overdrive.
“The conclusion announced today fails to provide those answers. It is nothing more than an expedient way for the Prosecutor’s Office to close its file and put an end to its embarrassing bungling of this murder investigation in the hope that our family, the citizens of Somerset County and the press will stop inquiring about what actually happened,” said the brothers.
The Sheridans noted the absence of a murder weapon that would have caused the wounds in question, the confounding absence of
numerous pertinent interviews with people connected to the case, and the absence of a motive. Why would John Sheridan – pater familias and revered public servant – kill his wife and then kill himself?
Nothing in the investigation’s conclusions provided an answer.
Given the fact that Soriano emerged from Somerset County as the hand-selected choice of state Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, the prosecutor’s findings would put Mark Sheridan on a collision course with Somerset’s Republican establishment. That divide would lead straight to Gov. Chris Christie, tasked this year with reaffirming Soriano’s tenure as prosecutor.
Bateman’s pressing hard for Soriano to stay. Sheridan and his brothers want him gone.
Unanimously backed by the senate for the job, Soriano carried into his work a reputation as a diplomat, a quality lacking for years in the chief occupant of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Nick Bissell had been a flamboyant attention seeker who racked more seized assets than any other county prosecutor until he himself got jammed up on embezzlement and tax fraud charges. On the lam, he killed himself in a hotel room in Nevada.
Wayne Forrest replaced Bissell. An ex military man and a registered independent, Forrest’s perfect public posture to some was exactly what the county needed after the incredible plummet from power and crackup of Bissell: a cop’s cop and former U.S. Army paratrooper. Others saw the ramrod Forrest as an overcorrection from the preposterous Bissell.
Soriano, his critics maintain, had the politics down, perhaps too much, as he became emblematic in those circles of Sheridan supporters of the politicization of the process itself and now finds himself in the crosshairs of politics.
“It’s excruciating. I had a huge amount of faith in the system,” Sheridan told reporters on a conference call after the release of the prosecutor’s findings in the deaths of his parents. “I can tell you I no longer have that faith. If you’re not a family with resources, education and the wherewithal to fight…I’m not sure how you get a fair shake.”
That was a matter separate from the deeper consideration of the roots of violence and ongoing anxiety everywhere.
But a street in North Plainfield on Saturday night set the scene for a block party of longtime residents, some of them slowed by illness and age but nonetheless still gathered in the street, outside, blacks and whites; some of them playing volleyball and basketball, dancing hip hop and Greek folk and American fusions of other worlds concentrated finally in the same place, local politicians circulating in thoughtful discussion with young and old, Democrats and Republicans, firefighters and cops, mechanics and a handful of corporate types, purveyors of local, street level politics, which on this late summer night in the hard collision of New Jersey’s otherwise irreconcilable, alienated parts, felt at last like the politics of peace.
“I’ve got to get out,” an old-timer under a baseball cap and nursing a beer told PolitickerNJ.
It seemed an odd moment to talk of departure, but at the edge of the dancing the man nodded with sad resolve, his eyes looking past New Jersey to Delaware.
“I can’t afford the property taxes here,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Who Will Succeed Sweeney as Senate President?
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« Darkness Descends On Texas | Main | Solutions: Addendum »
About Those Solutions
"Solutions" seems to be the word o' the day for the Clinton campaign. Here's Hillary:
"I am in the solutions business. My opponent is in the promises business. I think we need answers, not questions."
And Bill:
Do you want the excitement of speeches or the empowerment of solutions?
Just curious - what exactly has Hillary ever solved? What solutions has she ever successfully enacted? I mean this to be a bit snarky, but it's still a substantive question. Unlike Obama, I don't see any significant legislation with her name on it. Unlike Obama, I don't see any accounts describing how she worked vigorously behind the scenes to further progressive goals - particularly on national security matters.
Sure, she's had some high-profile co-sponsorships and photo ops. And she's written Gates a letter and asked Wolfowitz some sharp questions in a hearing once. But in looking at her accumulated "solutions," I'm not seeing much.
And that, of course, is the larger problem. Obama and Clinton's policies are pretty much the same - and they're both smart, capable candidates. The question is which one is actually going to stick out his or her neck to fight for, as they say, solutions. To me, the best evidence of future willingness to "solve" comes from past behavior. And "fighting for solutions" is not exactly how I'd characterize her 7+ years in the Senate. "Ostentatious centrism in preparation for a general election" seems closer to the mark.
Posted by publius at 01:19 AM in Politics | Permalink
She certainly solved that healthcare crisis back in '93.
Posted by: JR | February 15, 2008 at 01:35 AM
"Solutions" is just the latest slogan-de-jour from the clueless Clinton machine. It's even more empty of content than Hillary's bogus 35-years of "experience" and her empty "agent of change" rhetoric. What a joke! Hillary's a hopeless hack who hasn't accomplished a damn thing in public life, except make millions on cattle futures and other politically-connected, influence-peddling scams.
The Clinton campaign can't implode fast enough for me. Stop, just stop, wouldja?
Posted by: Redhand | February 15, 2008 at 01:45 AM
I've been appalled by the venom being spewed around the blogs, by otherwise sensible people, who support Hillary and detest Obama, and those who favor Obama, but detest Hillary. The animus is unbelievable. The abuse heaped by each side on the other is alarming. Each side seems to be expressing their inner-Rove, trying to Swiftboat the other's candidate and render them unsupportable. Why this extremism? They act more like Republicans, than Democrats. Shame on all who act like the thugs we're trying to remove from our system of governance. Not everyone suffers from the dementia, but all too many do.
Posted by: Rick | February 15, 2008 at 01:58 AM
Exactly! I've been wondering the same thing. This is just the latest formulation of "who the hell does this upstart think he is?!" and it's not any more convincing than the earlier ones.
Posted by: Not Prince Hamlet | February 15, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Rick: HRCs campaign is about as inane right now as the Kerry campaign in '04. But in '04, Kerry was all we had. There was no opportunity cost. Now, we have something better, but HRC is threatening to take it away, which explains the venom. The perception is that if she snags this nomination from Obama, which she well might, she will have cost the country a very, very good thing.
In fact, some people are coming close to feeling towards her what they feel towards Ralph Nader. It's not so much disagreement as it just is a wish that this person would go away for the good of the country.
Posted by: Ara | February 15, 2008 at 02:37 AM
For some reason this reminds me of Clinton's old "I survived the Republican attack machines" line. Sure she *survived* the Republican attack machine, but I'm very hard pressed to recall any instance when she actually *beat* the Republican attack machine.
Posted by: Callimaco | February 15, 2008 at 03:00 AM
The "solution" we need right now is a decisive result in the Democratic nomination process. Maybe Barack can "bring us together" against those nasty people who support Hillary, eh?
Yes, I mean to be snarky. It's not Hillary's fault or Barack's that us voters out here can't make up our damn minds decisively enough. Both of them are egotists, or they would not be running. Both of them want the glory of being President. I don't blame either one for that.
Barack is my guy. I want him to be the next President. The reason I do is because I do not for one minute take literally his "bring us together" schtick. I tend to think, that Mark Kleiman has it right: it's not that Obama won't screw the conservatives; it's just that he will kiss them first and tell them he loves them afterwards.
But I will be goddamned if I believe that Hillary would make a worse President than John McCain, and I get annoyed by people who fail to mention that, when they go on a tear about why she'd be worse than Barack.
-- TP
Posted by: Tony P. | February 15, 2008 at 03:38 AM
Tony P: I really don't think a person has to be an egotist to want to be President. There are those people who think they can do actual good and find themselves motivated by a desire to do that.
Ara--it's one thing to believe that you can do actual good. But to sacrifice years of your life and any vestige of privacy or a normal family? That takes a healthy dose of power-lust. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but you have to assume that anyone who makes a serious run for president is crazed with ambition.
Think of it this way--even if you believed yourself more qualified than the rest of the field, would you want to run for President? Enough to spend 2 years of your life doing it, knowing all along that you might not even win?
Posted by: Dan Miller | February 15, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Now, we have something better, but HRC is threatening to take it away, which explains the venom. The perception is that if she snags this nomination from Obama, which she well might, she will have cost the country a very, very good thing.
Ara nails it with this observation. I'm actually something of a recent convert, a John Cole Democrat if you will, who has always viewed Hillary as a corrupt, completely artifical empty skirt. So my rancor and bias against HRC is out there for all to see. But the essential point is that she really is frustrating the aspirations of millions of long-term and new Democrats who hunger for a fundamental change in our politics, and see Obama as the only hope. A return to Clinton-era partisanship and corruption is the last thing this country needs after eight years of Bush 43's malfeasance and unconstitutional power grabs.
I began this journey in support of Hillary, if not whole-heartedly. Bit by bit, I began to be won over by Obama, and the thing that finally did it was a belief that here is a man who truly cares about our country, vs. having his own or his party's interests at the top of the list. I feel his style of government would be just the sort that people are craving...and not to mention that the man is truly articulate. So I moved to become a whole-hearted Obama supporter, while saying that I would support Hillary, if she was the nominee. However, I am moving further and further away from that position, as I see that she is only concerned with her own fortunes, and not those of the country nor the Democratic Party. And watching her campaign implode has reminded me of the mess that W created for us in Iraq with poor planning, rewarding loyalists, etc. I don't think McCain would be a better President, but if Hillary wins the nomination, especially if it is by means of the Superdelagate vote, I will stay home on election day for the first time since I have been able to vote. I will be 68 years old.
Posted by: jwo | February 15, 2008 at 01:14 PM
I prefer a roughly 20% solution of ethanol in water, with a lime twist.
Rick: “I've been appalled by the venom being spewed around the blogs, by otherwise sensible people, who support Hillary and detest Obama, and those who favor Obama, but detest Hillary.”
I can’t speak for other sites, but this one has become a Groupies-For-Obama blog, where all they do is accentuate the negative for Hillary, and act like yea-sayers shouting adulatory positives to the Naked King Obama and his non-existent new clothes.
It’s surprising, because when I first started reading Obama Wings, er Obsidian Wings (after Publius abandoned his own blog, before he became as irrationally and blatantly partisan as he is now) a wide spectrum of views was expressed and encouraged here, including Conservative Republican perspectives. Now, only Obama supporters seem to be allowed to post above the fold, but no privileges for democrats or independents of any stripe, if they have the common sense to support the Clintons, and want to articulate that fact.
Now, only Obama supporters seem to be allowed to post above the fold
I'd correct that to say that the only people posting above the fold are Obama supporters. There are a highly limited number of people who have posting privileges, and a few of those just...don't.
One of those used to be me, so I think I have a notion of what I'm talking about, here.
"but if Hillary wins the nomination, especially if it is by means of the Superdelagate vote, I will stay home on election day for the first time since I have been able to vote."
There's a lot of us who feel the same way about Obama winning by means of the super delegate votes, especially if Obama's delegates fight to exclude the Florida primary vote...
And if Obama is the nominee, I think I'd still vote for House and Senate candidates, but not for Obama.
And if it looked like the Democrats were going to lock up both houses, I'd consider voting for McCain, to keep things in balance.
Dan: I still think you are underestimating people's ability to be motivated to extreme lengths just by the belief that they are doing good. And I think we tend to underestimate this because we hold politicians in a particular frame that we do not hold others. Look, soldiers sacrifice an awful lot more that their privacy.
And yet we don't tend to think that they are motivated by some kind of self-interest, some kind of mad mania to shoot things, or any other loopy motive that could account for why they are willing to give up so much.
Enough to spend 2 years of your life doing it, knowing all along that you might not even win?
Let's say if you are a major candidate your realistic chance of winning is somewhere around 1/5. Again, entrepreneurs regularly give away much more of their lives than two years and incur much more financial risk for odds that are not as good. And yet we don't think of them necessarily as being driven by money-lust. Some people just like what they do and don't mind taking risks.
Well, as none of the other 'highly limited' people are posting in favor of Hillary, for all intents and purposes this is a partisan Obama blog. And almost all of those responding in the comments sections are ardently for Obama and snidely, snottily, blatantly, and irrationally against Clinton-- so much so you'd think you linked up by mistake to Sean Hannity's or John McCain's web sites.
Correct me if I'm wrong: neither Obama nor Clinton will have enough pledged delegates to win the nomination. The superdelegates WILL have the final say. It's only a question of what the superdelegates will base their votes on -- their own judgement, or the will of the last, most marginal few percent of the voters.
In the nomination contest, Jay Jerome cancels out jwo. In the actual election, jwo and Jay Jerome are on the same side: ready to accept a McCain presidency. This baffles me, but never mind. The question I pose to both of them is: why should a superdelegate care what EITHER of you think, since s/he can't possibly satisfy BOTH of you?
Posted by: Tony P. | February 15, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Well, as none of the other 'highly limited' people are posting in favor of Hillary, for all intents and purposes this is a partisan Obama blog.
No, it's not. It's just a small blog whose two main posters happen to be Obama supporters. Publius is entirely free to change his mind, as is hilzoy, should convincing, mind-changing evidence to do so present itself.
If I were still posting, I'd probably be supporting Obama, too. Just not because I'm required to in exchange for posting privileges. If you want to be a poster, the Powers That Be might grant you the power to be a pro-Hillary faction. Then again, they might not. Knowing hilzoy, though, it wouldn't be just because you support someone she doesn't.
If Charles wanted to brave the gauntlet, I'm sure he'd be posting pro-McCain stuff at this point, or anti-Obama stuff, or even anti-Clinton stuff.
Jay -- I agree that the preponderance of those posting here are Obama supporters. Perhaps my filters are biased, but my sense is that most people are putting forward reasoned and/or evidence-based justifications for that preference. For "blatant and irrational" try Larry Johnson's blog http://noquarterusa.net/blog> No Quarter -- except he and Susan skew in the other direction.
Posted by: farmgirl | February 15, 2008 at 03:08 PM
It would be interesting to see a Clinton presidency just to watch the giant hissy fit that would be thrown by the extreme right-wing nuts.
And almost all of those responding in the comments sections are ardently for Obama and snidely, snottily, blatantly, and irrationally against Clinton-- so much so you'd think you linked up by mistake to Sean Hannity's or John McCain's web sites.
I plead guilty here. I was a rabid irrational Obama supporter arguing (nay, shouting down) dutchmarbel at the end of this thread. I was so wild with partisan rage that I wrote things like "Thanks for continuing the discussion. I do appreciate your arguments" and talked about how I would happily vote for Clinton in the general election. I have often thought that the snottiness of my comments in that thread reminds me of nothing so much as Hannity's incoherent rants, what with all the substantiative reasons for disliking Clinton's likely foreign policy.
Now, I happen to agree with you about my snottiness and snideness and irrationality, but others might not see as clearly as you do, so perhaps you could explain where specifically I was snotty and snide and irrational in that comment thread? Many thanks.
And almost all of those responding in the comments sections are ardently for Obama and snidely, snottily, blatantly, and irrationally against Clinton...
I might be snide, snotty, and blatant, but I am not irrational.
I freely admit to irrationality in this matter, but I just choose not to say much about Hillary Clinton. I'm not really even very wild about Barack Obama, but given the opposition, I don my soon-to-be-ex-VRWC noseplugs and...well, I'm still uncommitted. Although I ought to be.
I have often thought that the snottiness of my comments in that thread reminds me of nothing so much as Hannity's incoherent rants
I knew you reminded me of someone Turb… ;)
What Slarti said: decisions about who posts here were made long before any of us was supporting any particular candidate. If Charles were posting, he'd be for McCain; if Andy were posting -- well, he was for Ron Paul, though he didn't get to see the evidence of Paul's racist newsletter, which I suspect he would not have liked, so I don't know who he would be for now. Seb has posting privileges, but his views on the election are unknown to me.
The fact that publius and I ended up on the same side is a coincidence. And it's not as though I haven't been trying to cite evidence.
And of course there's von, but I haven't the faintest idea where he's coming from, either.
Jay Jerome:
[...] And if Obama is the nominee, I think I'd still vote for House and Senate candidates, but not for Obama.
Of course you will. You're not a Democrat:
[...] but of course that's one of the liberal knee-jerks of perception I stepped back from: you know, reading homophobic or racist intent in any criticism directed at gays or dark skinned minorities; and part of the reason why so many other Democrats have distanced themselves from the latte-liberal fringe of the party, because they’re just as narrow-mindedly obtuse as fringe conservatives, and don’t understand what the middle-ground is.That’s the reason why Giuliani was elected mayor of NYC twice, even though Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 5 to 1 in the city; and the reason the Grope-anator won the governors race in California, where Democrats are significantly more numerous than Republicans...
And it didn't turn me conservative -- it put me back in balance. I’m a registered Independent now, and we’re the ones who are going to decide who the next president is – and that’s a good thing..
Obama sure is scary to you latte-liberal hating independents. McCain is the ticket!
Too bad Rudy isn't still in the race, or Arnold.
It's a little much to also pretend to be a Democrat, though. It's not as if people lack memories.
"And of course there's von, but I haven't the faintest idea where he's coming from, either."
I figure he he wasn't lying.
Hey, that's a good idea! BRB
Posted by: J. Michael Neal | February 15, 2008 at 05:13 PM
publius: "To me, the best evidence of future willingness to "solve" comes from past behavior. And "fighting for solutions" is not exactly how I'd characterize her 7+ years in the Senate."
To start, lets compare apples and apples. Obama's record of fighting for solutions in the senate has been nothing but a lot of shadow boxing. Statistically he's sponsored or cosponsored 129 bills since Jan 4, 2005, and only 9 of them made it out of committee, a little under 2 a year.
Since 2001 Hillary's sponsored or cosponsored 354 bills, and 47 of those made it out of committee, or about 7 a year.
Which means she and her cosponsors were better then 3 times as successful at moving bills forward as Obama and his sponsors. About the only thing he's been better at during his Senatorial career so far is missing votes -- 185 of 1098 votes (17%)since Jan 6, 2005. Hillary Clinton missed 152 of 2406 votes (6%) since Jan 23, 2001.
Now let's compare apples and green apple-sauce. Hillary has a long and distinguished history of accomplishment. Back in the 1970s when Barak was living in Hawaii with his grandparents and shooting baskets as a second-string highschool basketball player, Hillary was working at a law firm doing pro bono child advocacy work and publishing articles on children's rights and neglect which earned her the respect and admiration of activists and scholars alike. She also helped co-found the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a state funded alliance with the CDF to promote education and advocacy rights for children in that state.
Also during that time she was appointed by President Carter to the board of directors of Legal Services, the first woman to serve as the chairperson of that organization, set up by the US Congress to "to seek to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it"
In the 1980s when Obama was getting an education, his nose stuffed into books, Hillary was the First Lady of Arkansas, working on and solving real life problems as chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee, and chair of the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, where she fought a long but successful battle to improve standards for teachers and curriculum and classroom size. And after that she promoted home-instruction programs for preschool kids, improving literacy and preparing them for future schooling. Next, from 1987 to 1991 she chaired the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession, addressing gender bias in the legal profession and convincing the association to adopt measures to combat it.
This was just about the time Obama made it to Chicago as a community organizer. From 1992 to 1995 he was working at the law firm Minor, Barnhill & Galland, where he did some laudatory work, mostly focused on civil rights issues. Hillary by then was First Lady of the U.S. - the most activist First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt, and the first to be ensconced into the West Wing, near the Oval Office, the Cabinet and Situation Rooms, and the Executive Office of the President. Before he was elected Bill Clinton said electing him would get the nation "two for the price of one," and he kept his word: Hillary was daily involved in the operation of the US government and the people who ran it. When it comes to governing the nation, she's been there, done that. But, contrarily, the only thing Obama knows from personal experience about the practical operation of the White House is what he's seen or heard from a distance: the difference between living inside, and gazing from the outside.
The Clinton presidency overlaps Obama's tenure in the Illinois State Legislature. There, he did some good things as a liberal legislator, but nothing spectacular; certainly nothing to show he has the capacity or ability to be a national leader.
For sponsored or co-sponsored bills he was successful passing a law requiring law enforcement to videotape suspects in some serious crimes, and another on racial profiling to create a 'study' of the race of people pulled over for traffic tickets. He also successfully sponsored a shield law to protect Illinois workers from federal rules threatening their overtime. The sponsorship he most touts was an ethics reform called the Gift Ban Act (1998) to statutorily regulate the giving and receipt of gifts to officials and employees of government agencies or entities, and to prohibit lawmakers from soliciting campaign funds while on state property. It was an admirable bill, to cut down on corruption, but parts of it were nonsensical, including a list of OK gifts (could you give your teacher candy for Valentine's Day, but not socks for Xmas?) and I think parts of the law were found unconstitutional and it had to be redrafted in 2005.
Hillary during this period was traveling around the world as U.S. Good-Will Ambassador, but also as a voice of conscience for women's issues, including the notable 1995 speech she made to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing where, resisting pressure from the Chinese, she publicly spoke out against practices of abuse in China and the world; she also spoke out against the treatment of Afghan women by the Taliban.
It's also the time period she screwed up the Health Plan (she acknowledges it was partly due to her political inexperience) but she didn't sit back on her ass and sulk: along with Backstabber Ted Kennedy she was a major force behind the State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing funds to buy insurance to families with children with incomes too high to get Medicaid: the largest expansion of coverage for US children since Medicaid began in the 1960s. She also promoted immunization programs for children, successfully helping increase research funding for childhood asthma and prostate cancer at the NIH; helped create the Office on Violence Against Woman at the dept of Justice; and in 1997 shepherded the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which helped increase the adoption of children with special needs.
Is that enough fighting for solutions for you, pub? Obama's career is puny in comparison.
Jay-will address that post in depth given more time, but first, I must point out some laughingly hypocritical points:
nd almost all of those responding in the comments sections are ardently for Obama and snidely, snottily, blatantly, and irrationally against Clinton
And then, I guess, to show how Clinton-supporters are not snide, snotty, or blatantly irrational, you give us this dispassionate, even-handed analysis of Obama:
Back in the 1970s when Barak was living in Hawaii with his grandparents and shooting baskets as a second-string highschool basketball player,
In the 1980s when Obama was getting an education, his nose stuffed into books,
And then, of course, there was this:
This was just about the time Obama made it to Chicago as a community organizer. From 1992 to 1995
What about actually reviewing what he did as a community organizer? What about Project Vote!, which helped Bill win the state of Illinois? etc etc.
Anyway, I'll go more in depth on what struck me upon initial reading as little more than agitprop tonight (Hillary was solving "real problems" that I won't really describe in length, either the nature of her problems nor the solutions...but they were real, and she did solve them! Hillary's office was physically close to other important offices...so we know she was important like them, even if she had no official role and we have no documentation of what her role was and how she fared in it!)
Needless to say, though, you didn't pass your own test of what accounts for good advocacy for a candidate by refraining from snide and snotty remarks. Considering the fact that I've seen a paucity of such infantile attacks aimed at Hillary Clinton from front pagers nor in the substantive posts in comments sections (as yours claims to be), I think you may be projecting just a bit.
Posted by: Michael | February 15, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Hillary Clinton has missed 127 votes (27.1%) during the current Congress.
Full list of Clinton missed votes. Historical chart of Clinton missed votes.
Clinton:
Time Period Number of Votes Missed Votes Percent
2001-Q1 63 0 0%
2001-Q2 157 0 0%
2001-Q3 68 3 4.4%
2003-Q3 108 1 0.9%
2004-Q3 42 10 23.8%
2007-Q3 119 26 21.8%
You know Jay, that would have been a great comment had you left Obama out of it. But instead you're claiming you're making apples-to-apples comparisons when you're not. And making snide remarks about "greenness" which essentially amount to pointing out that he's younger, was he really supposed to be doing the same thing Clinton was when he was in high school? (note that he's the same age now as Bill Clinton was when Clinton was elected President).
Oh, and I have to correct the record on something that is laughingly inaccurate:
t's also the time period she screwed up the Health Plan (she acknowledges it was partly due to her political inexperience) but she didn't sit back on her ass and sulk: along with Backstabber Ted Kennedy she was a major force behind the State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing funds to buy insurance to families with children with incomes too high to get Medicaid: the largest expansion of coverage for US children since Medicaid began in the 1960s.
If anyone is a back-stabber, it would be Hillary and Bill on Clinton on S-Chip. That bill, sponsored by Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy, was sacrificed at the alter of the balanced budget by Clinton after complaints from Trent Lott. And after Bill actively politicked against the bill, trying to dissuade Senators from backing it, Hillary supported his efforts at throwing Kennedy's bill under the bus, saying, and I quote, "He had to safeguard the overall budget proposal"
Is that enough fighting for solutions for you, pub?
I think the problem so many of us have with Clinton is the above is what passes as "fight for solutions" from her, apparently. Did she eventually get back on board S-Chip? Yes (only after Kennedy and Hatch and the Children's Defense Fund and the Girl Scouts and on and on lobbied the President's office hard). Did her advocacy and Bill's as well help it's ultimate passage? Yes. But Ted Kennedy was the driving force behind S-Chip, Hillary and Bill were happy to abandon it when it wasn't politically expedient and had to be leaned on hard by Senators from both parties and lobby groups to get behind it again.
That's not "fighting". That's exactly the type of political cowardice that sours people on Clinton. And the fact that she wants to claim it a major accomplishment, and you want to cite it here as an instance of her fighting for a cause against political opposition, is laughable.
Not to pile on Jay, but about this: "To start, lets compare apples and apples. Obama's record of fighting for solutions in the senate has been nothing but a lot of shadow boxing. Statistically he's sponsored or cosponsored 129 bills since Jan 4, 2005, and only 9 of them made it out of committee, a little under 2 a year.
Since 2001 Hillary's sponsored or cosponsored 354 bills, and 47 of those made it out of committee, or about 7 a year."
You wouldn't know that I had just provided a whole list of the bills that actually became law (I'm not sure why making it out of committee is supposed to be a better index of anything.) During the time when both Clinton and Obama were in the Senate, she did, in fact, pass more bills than he did, but none of them were substantive.
I mean, if you don't bother to look at what those bills actually were, you could find yourself inadvertently being impressed by Hillary Clinton's dramatic advantage in Post Office namings. And it would be easy not to look at what they were had I not just posted them all on this very blog. It's a bit odder not to bother with what the bills actually were when they are all so convenient. Which is, actually, why I bothered to post them: I wanted to make it as easy as possible for anyone to compare them.
To draw a salient analogy, Clinton getting credit for "fighting" on behalf of S-CHIP would be like John Lewis trying to get credit for fighting for Barack Obama. Did he sing Obama's praises way back when? Yes. Is he advocating for Obama now? Yes. Might that advocacy even be significant in helping Obama win the nomination? Certainly.
But he also abandoned Obama, endorsed Clinton, and actively criticized Obama, dismissing him as 2nd-rate in between. That's not "fighting" for Obama, anymore than the Clintons advocacy for, abandonment of, and later re-upped advocacy for S-CHIP was some sort of example of their dedication to progressive causes.
It's wind-sock politics. The bill was popular and healthcare was something they'd run on, so they back it. There's opposition, so they're against it. There's heavy lobby pressure for it, so they're behind it again. Please.
Wow, just saw an AP vid describing how supporters are bolting from HRC because they were initially brought into line by fear rather than loyalty.
There is this too to think about among her fundraising. Several articles have made clear: people gave because they saw this as a way to get ahead in the coming administration. These people are investing. Obama's people are donating. The investor-types are just the ones to be most sensitive to the risk of their candidate not winning. The whole "air of inevitability" was a fundraising ploy.
Apparently lewis is for Obama now.
Thank you Ara for ewxpressing exactly whhy I get annoyed withh Hillary suupporters. TThey are out to lose the election for us out of irrationality. It pissies me off.
Hillary supporters sometimes bash Obamiacs for beinng all about hope. Annd yet HHillary supporters are all about wishfull thinking.
They think a woman with a rock solid disapproval rating of 48% can win.
They think she can win by using the 50% plus onw strategy thhat worked so well in 2000 and 2004.
They think she can win even though her batched, illconcieved campaign is managed by people chosen for loyalty, not competence.
They think she will be a change agent annd compose all sorts of thoughht pretzels to maintain this illuusion even though her actual pattern is of excessive caution, a pattern she maintainns to this day (remember thhe FISA no show?)
They think shhe can overcome her disapproval raings even thhough her behavior in this camapign reinnforces her image as unscrupulously abmitious.
It really is the triumph of wishhful thinkinng over reasonn.
Up thhread Ughh says something abouut the hissy fit the righht wouuld through if she won. Yes probably annd they would ennjoy everute of it, too. Hating Hillary is the only thing the righht has. There's nothing thhey would love more than to spennd more time bashing her. (By "they" I mean malkin and listeneers annd so on and Repubs inn Congress).
I think Hillary supporters are primarily motivated by spite, which is understandable. However we will only get to be spiteful in ouur victory if we actually win. Hillary won't. The polls show her losing by substancial amrgins to McCain in both red and purple states. She will run a Kerryesque campaign and get a Kerryesque result. or worse.
I prefer Obama because he can win. That's that best revenge.
Hillary supporters owe it to the rest of us to take a good objective look at the facts of electability.
Posted by: wonkie | February 15, 2008 at 08:01 PM
G. Farber: "Hillary Clinton has missed 127 votes (27.1%) during the current Congress."
That's right, distort by omission:
Obama has missed 38% of votes during this current Congress, surpassed only by Tim Johnson 66% (though that might have had something to do with his brain hemorrhage) and John McCain (55.7%).
I originally left out the current Congress missed votes because missed votes go up when candidates are campaigning; but BOs overall record for missed votes far surpasses hers, and so does his current record, which you conveniently left out.
You also left out a description of Obama's missed vote on the Iranian resolution, this after he launched an attack on Hillary for voting to label Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group (like they're not, right) and didn't even show up to vote for it himself after chastising her.
So thats two bits of hypocrisy: his and (fill in the blank, because I don't want to violate the posting rules for being 'insensitive') -
"Apparently lewis is for Obama now."
This is where precise writing is important. "For" conveys little of the necessary information.
To be specific, Lewis endorsed Clinton, but yesterday said he would cast his superdelegate vote for Obama. He neither withdrew his endorsement of Clinton, nor endorsed Obama.
[...] Though Mr. Lewis had praise for Mrs. Clinton and for her historic candidacy, he said he could decide within days whether to formally endorse Mr. Obama.
Today all the reports are just that Obama has tried and failed to reach Lewis, and Lewis' press spokesperson said:
[...] a spokeswoman for Lewis, Brenda Jones, said the Times story and a similar one by the Associated Press, saying he was contemplating such a switch, were inaccurate. Both the Times and AP stories quoted Lewis directly after speaking with him; he was not available for comment later Thursday. The Obama campaign also said that Lewis and Obama had not talked recently about a change of heart.
"It is plain there is a lot of enthusiasm for Barack Obama," Jones said. But, she said, "those things are observations," not statements of preference. She said Lewis has left the option of changing his superdelegate support for Clinton on the table, but made no decisions. Still, it is clear that Lewis has had misgivings about the Clinton campaign in recent weeks, especially after the racially charged campaign in South Carolina, during which former president Bill Clinton was perceived to have made racially insensitive comments.
"That's right, distort by omission"
Here's the entire entry, word for word:
Missed Votes
Hillary Clinton has missed 127 votes (27.1%) during the current Congress. See a list of her missed votes since 1991 or see a full list of vote missers.
Word for word. I provided the additional links.
Here is Obama page's relevant entry, if you had trouble finding it:
Barack Obama has missed 182 votes (38.8%) during the current Congress. See a list of his missed votes since 1991 or see a full list of vote missers.
Look! Here's a problem:
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which issued about 144,000 trailers to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, has been widely criticized for its slow response to extensive evidence that many trailers contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde, an industrial chemical classified as a probable carcinogen.
About 38,000 families are still living in the trailers and mobile homes, federal officials said Thursday at a news briefing, including more than 7,000 in trailer parks that FEMA had already vowed to close by May, before hurricane season begins again along the Gulf. Most of the other trailers are parked next to flooded houses that families are trying to repair.
FEMA will now hasten to move families living in trailers into apartments or, if necessary, into hotels, said R. David Paulison, the administrator of the agency."
And here were people worrying about it before it hit the headlines:
"U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Barack Obama (D-IL) lauded Congress’ passage of their proposal to launch an investigation into reports that housing trailers contaminated with formaldehyde were provided to Hurricane Katrina victims. This provision, which is contained in the Omnibus Appropriations package soon to be signed into law, will initiate a long overdue investigation into why the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) failed to prevent the contamination or investigate the allegations. (...)
This provision requires the U.S. Inspector General to:
Investigate FEMA’s policies and processes regarding formaldehyde in trailers purchased by the agency to house Katrina victims;
Collect and respond to health and safety concerns of trailer occupants; and determine whether FEMA adequately notified occupants of potential health and safety concerns and whether FEMA has proper controls and processes in place to deal with health and safety concerns of those living in trailers following disasters; and
Report to Congress on its findings."
Of course, they couldn't force FEMA to actually act swiftly. That would take leadership from the administration. But they were doing what they could.
It's amazing what you notice when you've been compiling lists of legislation...
Huh. Fascinating. Another case of being alert to potential trouble while it's still potential.
Posted by: Bruce Baugh | February 16, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Houston Chronicle and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel endorse Obama.
What a surprise, Jay Jerome didn't actually address our host's point and just pivoted. His post kind of reminded me of Lieberman's attack on Lamont for voting with Republicans a lot while ignoring most of those were procedural votes.
Posted by: Reality Man | February 18, 2008 at 02:35 AM
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Welcome to the Sports’ Pages!
For your reading pleasure, every now and then I plan to post on this page a chapter, some complete, others abridged, from my Little League memoir, Put Him In, Coach!, published in 2007. It’ll be a Dickensian sort of reading experience, a little serialized fun, and you can leave your dictionary on the shelf. Put Him In, Coach! is about as light and breezy a read as they come.
I chuckle to think how my mother, who tolerated her athletic progeny but thumbed her nose at my passion for sports, would feel about sharing “her” blog space this way. Still, she read Put Him In, Coach! cover-to-cover at least three times and after, always gave me a verbal pat on the back. “It’s really more of a family story,” she liked to say, as if this made up for the passed balls and called strikes, the RBIs, ERAs and RISPs she had to wade through. But in a way, Mom was right (as mothers, sigh, so often are). Coach! is a family story, and I’m ever grateful it came out when it did, a good three years before my mother’s brainpower began to sputter. Should you like what you read enough to want to own a copy of your very own, click here. If you prefer an e-book, click e-book Friends tell me it makes a great gift for that great coach or sports fanatic in your life!
Put Him In, Coach!
Put Him In, Coach! A Mother’s All-Star Memoir
Chapter One, Bonus Baby
I suffer from Little League Syndrome, a condition found commonly in parents of youth league baseball players and now recognized in other mutations as well, among them Pop Warner Football Fixation, Gymnastics Flip Fever, and Youth Soccer Syphilis (so called because its effects on the adult human brain are far-reaching and in most cases, irreversible). The parents of more cerebral or creative children may contract one of a family of related yet slightly higher-brow addictions lovingly known as Drama-Mama Disorder, Academic Bowl Affliction, or Youth Symphony Shock Disease. The names are different, the symptoms the same: victory at all costs, brash and inappropriate behavior at games, auditions or concerts; constant, nagging phone or e-mail communications with busy coaches or bandmasters; micromanagement of the lives of children who would be better served by biking through the neighborhood or playing in a ditch.
As with most emotional disorders, my problems started early. Though I don’t exactly blame my parents, or my place in the birth order, I feel that in the spirit of self-analysis and do-tell-all psychology popular today, I must begin there, at the beginning, when I myself was only a high-strung, Type A competitor-waiting-to-happen. I grew up in the ’60s and ’70s, an era when only the best athletes on a team got trophies, only the smartest kids received academic awards. Being the youngest child in a family of six, I clutched at any opportunity to divert my parents’ attention from matters involving my older siblings, and I discovered early that nothing garnered their love and affection like an honor or an award. In my mother’s case, Happiness Was… a report card glowing with As.
Perhaps more important to my case, however, is the fact that I grew up in a household drenched in testosterone. My one sister, sixteen years older (and a talented swimmer, by the way), vamoosed before I was old enough to cut a paper doll, much less dress a Barbie. Through no fault of her own, she left me in the care of four older brothers. My mother, a lady to the core, tried her best, but all female role modeling aside, I was a born tomboy for whom edging out the competition, any competition in any form, brought great personal satisfaction. By the time I was eight, I preferred a game of HORSE on our driveway basketball hoop to playing house or attending the ballet classes Mom insisted on. I never missed a minute of the Wide World of Sports (remember when you had to wait ’til Sunday to watch sports?!?), and I spectated loyally at my brothers’ sporting events. One of them was the star of his high school basketball team—during each of his games, my parents and I made an unnecessary fuss whenever he swooshed a foul shot or performed some complicated dribbling maneuver while paying not a spec of attention to the poor kids warming the bench.
But as is generally the case with young impressionable girls, my most questionable tendencies with regard to sports, and to baseball in particular, can be traced back to my relationship with my father. He had season tickets to Georgia Tech football games, and while my mother shopped or went antiquing, I would sit happily above the fifty-yard line, flanked by Dad and a couple of brothers. I cheered and analyzed strategy and quickly learned the meaning of a P.A.T. and a clipping penalty. A graduate of Tech, my father taught me the words to the Ramblin’ Wreck fight song, even the beloved curse of the archrival. In those days, nothing thrilled me more than to shout, “To hell with Georgia!” with no risk of having my mouth washed out with soap. A few years later, I enjoyed the early days of Monday Night Football—a sporting event on a school night! This was such a special occasion, I was allowed to flop on the living room floor at Dad’s feet and do my math homework in front of the television. A few months before I turned six, the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta, and Dad took to listening to games on his AM radio. A businessman whose exercise regimen consisted of several hours of weekend yard work, he liked to turn on the ignition in his Oldsmobile, roll down the windows, and crank up the Braves’ play-by-play while he trimmed hedges and weed whacked. I’d shoot baskets or play nearby, within safe earshot of the easy hum of Ernie Johnson’s commentary.
Finding his sons engrossed by then in the vagaries of teen life, Dad began taking me out to the ballpark. Sporting caps adorned with a funky (and decidedly non-P.C.) tomahawk, we latched on to Braves’ players like Rico Carty and Felipe Alou. Together, we admired the Cat, Felix Millan, who could turn a double play with the grace of a feline. Our hearts quickened to see Hank Aaron’s strong, fluid swing launch pitch after pitch into the seats. Yes, we enjoyed the competition, the game, but there was more. Baseball was ours alone. My father sitting strong and tall beside me, I came to love the game’s slow, almost drawling pace, the dramatic unfurling of each inning, the long, lingering season. Like Dad, I was a fiercely loyal but easily disappointed fan. There was great comfort, then, in the fact that in baseball, if things didn’t go your team’s way, another game would be quick on its heels, possibly just minutes after the final out, or at the very least, the next day.
So maybe this—a passion for the game—later instigated my fanatical behavior. It’s reassuring to think so. And maybe it wasn’t thoroughly unwholesome that when my firstborn son, Sam, four years old, picked up his plastic bat and whiffle ball and asked me to pitch to him in the backyard, I fell in love. To that point, Sam and I had struggled for a mutual interest, for some bond stronger than the instinctive ties between mother and son. Being the family of a surgeon-in-training and living in a strange city, we were often lonely. We needed each other, but mothering small children did not come easy for me. I was by nature a loner, a reader and a thinker, more teacher than nurturer or playmate. Sam, like most boys, was a bundle of restless, random energy, a talker who craved distraction and attention, hands-on and lots of it. But on that first day (and many after), I found I was content—no, more—I was happy to pitch to Sam.
As whiffle ball after whiffle ball sailed high into the blue Georgia sky, a sense of deep satisfaction would quell Sam’s restless nature. Now and then, he would drop his bat, blonde hair a rumpled mess, gaze after his hit with cherubic green eyes, and jump with glee as I chased into the farthest hedge to dig out the ball. “Mommy, Mommy! Watch out for snakes!” he might yell, smiling, before standing in again, bat cocked behind his soft little shoulder, ready for my next pitch.
A couple of years and several split and dimpled bats later, I signed Sam up for tee-ball. He quickly demonstrated a knack for the game, and before long, my healthier maternal instincts were sublimated—how did this happen? It was just too satisfying. Watching an older, lankier Sam slam line drives and make diving catches in the field fulfilled me in a way other aspects of parenting did not. Like any first-time mother (or like most, perhaps? a few?), I thrived on hearing my fellow parents marvel at my son’s natural grace and talent. I dreamed blissfully each night, my baseball-consumed brain replaying his triumphs on the diamond like an ESPN highlight tape. Soon, our second son, Matt, began slugging away himself and alas, I began my descent into mania. Because I couldn’t bear the thought of missing even a single one of my boys’ games, I began organizing family meals and outings around their Little League schedule. Who needs planetariums or zoos when you’ve got fields of grass to play on? And nutrition be damned—my toddler daughter could eat hot dogs and popcorn for every meal if it meant I could cheer on my boys.
During his nine-year-old season, Sam posted a set of career stats. Coaches began to take notice. He pitched well and batted over .600, which means he had a hit two out of every three times he came to bat. Top professionals are paid seven-digit sums to average above .300, but in Little League, only those who reach base nearly every time they step up to the plate stand apart. And Sam did it! You can imagine my euphoria. At the end of this season, he was rewarded with an election to the All-Star Tournament Team. Having heard of his acceptance to Yale couldn’t have given me more of a high, a high which only stoked my obsessive tendencies. I’d always known Sam was all-star material. I never doubted he would excel in tournament play.
Well, he didn’t. Far from it. No, Sam came up short of expectations in almost every category. Given the position of starting center fielder because of his speed and agility, he misjudged fly ball after fly ball. Known for his intelligent approach to the game, he flailed through a series of mental errors. Famous for reaching base often and being a good contact hitter, he struck out about half the time. Desperate for the comfort and isolation of our whiffle ball afternoons, I developed a tic, a little twitch of the cheek with each swing-and-a-miss. Not long after, my idle fingers discovered the joys of neurotic pill rolling. Nail biting was a given. Before the district tournament was over, the anguish of watching Sam fail and the embarrassment attendant on my body’s small betrayals drove me away from my regular post as bleacher cheerleader. Rather than witness Sam’s dreary, droop-shouldered shuffle back to the dugout after a strikeout or an error, I sweated out his games on a mosquito-infested hillside above right field.
Ever the lioness, I blamed his coaches, blood-thirsty men who kept dropping him in the batting order—how would he ever gain experience and boost his self-esteem if he batted last? Sam needed a coach who believed in him, not one who would shower him with expletives after he popped out on a bunt attempt. He was only nine years old, for heaven’s sakes. He simply needed time—and understanding!—to develop into the next Babe Ruth. Late in that all-star season, my nightly highlight tape morphed into a nightmare of first-time mother stress. I would replay images of Sam fumbling a fly ball or whiffing at a fast pitch and blame myself for the downcast look on his tender face as we drove home. Then the what ifs began—what if his self-confidence couldn’t recover from this failure? What if he didn’t make the team next year? What if he were (God forbid) to quit baseball?
A month or so later, something funny (perhaps even serendipitous?) happened. I woke one July morning feeling a little seasick. The next day, it was a little worse, and on and on. Uh oh–time to fetch the bassinet down from the attic! Yep, I was pregnant. Pushing forty and on the brink of having all three children enrolled in a full school day, yet pregnant. The next April, just weeks after Little League Opening Day and right about the time his sister began to wow on the gymnastics mat, our eight-and-a-half-pound son, James Ian, burst into the world. He pushed and hurried his way out so that I nearly had to give birth without benefit of anesthesia.
“Good!” I reasoned breathlessly through clenched teeth. “He’ll be quick, smart, aggressive!”
“This one’s got a set of lungs!” the nurse noted as Ian howled into the antiseptic silence of the delivery room.
I smiled, noting the strength of his screeches even as I surrendered to the twilight sleep brought on by my epidural in the final hour. I dreamed of our new babe stepping up to bat in Tom Thumb–sized baseball cleats only to rip a home run off of the ten-year-old giant who pitched to him.
“A ten. And a nine point three!” A vaguely familiar voice tore me out of my reverie. Dopey with exhaustion, I struggled to comprehend.
“His APGAR—a ten, and a nine point three!” my husband, Houston, repeated, tapping his index finger repeatedly on a computer printout where presumably these crucial numbers appeared, numbers that the pediatrician had assigned Ian at birth, numbers that supposedly measured alertness, strength of reflexes, general well-being.
As the nurse laid Ian’s warm, soft, somewhat gooey self over the slack ruin of my belly, Houston squeezed my forearm. “Those are really high scores!” The night’s labors must have been wearing on him. He rarely showed excitement in public over something as pedestrian as one of his children’s APGAR scores. My hands draped over my latest born, I pulled my lips into a wilted smile before drifting into a contented slumber. Another child had arrived, whole and hearty, and I realized with a jolt of shock that I didn’t particularly care what Ian’s APGAR scores were, that unlikely as it seemed, I was overjoyed just to have created another new life …
Still, Ian’s scores were really high! They could not be ignored! And unlike my husband, I am a pedestrian, non-medical type, a sucker for such a significant numerical ranking, the first my son would achieve in a life that would no doubt teem with them. Most assuredly, such strong numbers would one day translate into dexterity! Energy on the athletic field! A high slugging percentage!
And energetic Ian certainly was—an early riser whose thirty-minute naps provided more annoyance than relief in our frantic days. He walked late, however, posing a significant worry. Sam and Matt had walked before they hit ten months, Emma at a year exactly, but Ian showed no interest in getting up and going anywhere until he was nearly thirteen months old. He did finally walk, of course, but he did something else first—something I surely dreamed when he was in utero and by maternal powers instilled in him. He pitched. At nine months. OK, OK, victims of the Syndrome tend to exaggerate. Ian threw a tennis ball, but he achieved such extension in his elbow and chucked the thing with such force, you could only call it a pitch.
And his first word?
He was a dream come true! And we had so much time, Ian’s brothers and sister, Houston and I, to mold him into a competitive player. By the time Ian reached legal league age for tee-ball, we’d have seven more years of Little League experience under our belts. I would no doubt be an expert when it came to training up an All-Star, navigating the tournament system, dare I say, schmoozing a coach … How could we miss?
Well, I didn’t know the half of it.
Chapter Two, Swing for the Fences
In the wake of Sam’s disappointing all-star season, I wasted a surprising amount of emotional energy worrying that I had waited until he was six to sign him up to play tee-ball. Blame it on the hormones but there I was, a naive first-time mother raised in an era when even your burliest jocks tended to put off organized sports until say, age ten. How was I to know of the rich opportunities out there for the preschool athlete? Besides, it seemed I woke a day or two after finally figuring out how to load his Little Tikes pop-up pitching machine (ages two to four) to find Sam had grown so tall, he had to crouch down like a pint-sized version of Jeff Bagwell in order to swing. It didn’t help that our little family had been on the move during these crucial years. Before Sam turned six, we lived in three different cities with varying levels of enthusiasm for kiddie sports. He dabbled in soccer in Augusta, Georgia, wasted a precious spring season learning lacrosse in Baltimore, and all while most of his future all-star teammates were enjoying a couple of preliminary seasons of Atlanta church-league baseball.
Sadly, we moved into the city only a few months before Sam became eligible to play real Little League–sanctioned tee-ball at Frankie Allen Park, home of Buckhead Baseball, Inc. I was raised in Buckhead, a geographical district considered a suburb in the days before Atlanta’s metropolitan area encompassed about a hundred counties across North Georgia. Nowadays, Buckhead, or Buckhead Village, as it’s known by the trendy twenty-somethings who frequent its establishments, has become a hub of Atlanta nightlife. As history goes in the American South, Buckhead has a colorful past. During the 1840s, legend has it, near a forested crossroads just northwest of what would later become Terminus, then Marthasville, and finally Atlanta, a tavern owner named Henry Irby one day hunted down and killed a buck—a strapping, prize-winning sort of buck. Proud and plucky, Irby (one of whose descendants played ball with Sam 150 years later) hung the buck’s bloody head on his hitching post. Before long, every farmer in the county was meeting at the buck’s head for social hour.
Despite these inauspicious origins, Buckhead developed into the closest thing Atlanta has to a Beverly Hills, with affluent neighborhoods growing up around a quaint retail center. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Tara-like homes on rambling lots and grand churches sprouted up along a four or five mile stretch of Peachtree Street. When I was a preteen in the early 1970s, my friends and I were allowed our first independent journeys into Buckhead to shop at the Sears Roebuck or grab a bite of lunch at a fountain drug store. In my earlier years, I toddled behind mother and brothers to places like Buckhead Hardware and the Buckhead Men’s Store, a crusty old establishment where graying men in dark suits knelt down with measuring tape to deck out their youthful customers for Sunday services. I also skipped alongside when Dad stopped in to watch my brothers play Little League at a place then called Bagley Park, located about a half mile east of the former site of Henry Irby’s tavern.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Buckhead reinvented itself. Commercial development ran amuck and much of the area’s charm gave way to an inevitable urbanization as Atlanta grew rapidly into an international city. Today, sleek high-rise condominiums populated by young professionals or retirees (mostly from points north) have replaced all but one of Peachtree’s mansions. A new Starbuck’s sprouts up every other month, and a swanky restaurant featuring two-inch-thick steaks stands where my Sears once did. Traffic moves along Peachtree so thick and fast that no mother could in good faith allow her child the freedom of bicycle travel. Besides, cheesy nightclubs line the strip that once housed establishments like the Buckhead Men’s Store, and every few months, the proprietors of Buckhead’s nightlife somehow manage to extend closing time. Old Henry Irby, as fond of drawing a pint as he was, might be a touch disturbed.
On the morning of Sam’s first Opening Day, I awoke itchy with anticipation and readied our crew to head for Frankie Allen a good hour before game time. Our then family of five buckled securely in our minivan, we pulled onto park grounds, carefully skirting the huddle of homeless women that like to kick back at the picnic tables near the entrance, then rolled past one, then another, clay-colored infield, each freshly raked and smoothed, with newly etched foul lines glistening. Ancient pine trees and scattered hardwoods provided pockets of shade over the bleachers and outfields, where dew-sprinkled grass, spring green and fragrant with a recent mowing, glittered in the chilly March sun. Adjacent to home plate on the Majors’ field rose a concession stand decorated with red and blue balloons, and beyond right field was a set of authentic batting cages where twelve-year-old sluggers crushed baseballs against chain-link fencing.
Tucked between the Majors field and its batting cages, the tee-ball diamond stood gallantly in a far corner of the park, as far as possible, I noticed, from the entrance and its vagrants (what a relief for the concerned tee-ball mom). Below the outfield, a hillside fell sharply away toward the rear of the park where Buckhead’s yuppies liked to walk and exercise their dogs. This orientation, I would soon learn, made for primo excitement when a superstar tee-baller managed to hit a ball over the fence. It could roll for yards and yards, only to be retrieved happily by some young stock broker’s Labrador. But as time would tell, there aren’t all that many true, over-the-fence home runs in tee-ball. You might see four or five in an entire season, a statistic my Sam couldn’t quite swallow. As we motored slowly past the field hunting for a parking spot, he lamented the fact that he hadn’t been able to hit a homer himself during preseason practices.
“Mark’s hit three already!” Sam whined, his blue belt buckled on the last notch to cinch in his baseball pants, size youth extra-small yet roomy, considering Sam’s lack of girth. His cap adjuster likewise was crossed over at the back.
“One of them landed way over there,” he said, his cap bill over his eyes.
His head held at a precarious backwards tilt, Sam pointed to an azalea bush to our right. Wild and unkempt, its blossoms were just before bursting into fuchsia.
“Well, Mark’s a bigger kid than you, honey,” I answered.
“Size doesn’t have that much to do with it …” Houston quipped. (Gee thanks. Read any child psychology lately?) “I bet you’ll hit one out before the season’s over!” he added and I had no choice but to punch him in the thigh.
“Now he’ll waste time over-swinging!” I whispered.
“I won’t, either, Mommy,” Sam said, all ears.
“Well, you need to focus on being an all-around player anyway,” I said. “There’s more to baseball than power-hitting.”
“Quit touching me, Matt!” Sam yelled, shoving his little brother against Emma’s car seat where Emma herself, four months old, nestled in deep sleep.
“Ow!” Matt cried, eyes filling with artificially rendered tears.
“Mom! His fingernails are touching me!”
“Shhhh! You’ll wake the baby,” I said, reaching back to pat Matt’s knee.
“Dad says nice and easy swings get the biggest hits,” Sam the Daddy-pleaser continued. “Everybody knows that.”
With a wide grin, Houston wedged the van into a makeshift parking space and we unloaded. Game One pitted Sam’s Braves against the Tee-Rockies. Sam came to bat in the first inning after the sure-to-be-famous Mark had rounded the bases on a towering fly ball that did not, in fact, go over the fence but might as well have—it bounced against said fence and lay there ignored by the Rockies’ outfielders until their parent-umpire finally trotted out to fetch it. Sam then cracked a solid hit up the middle, sending the ball bouncing through the shortstop’s legs and on past two outfielders, one of whom was facing the wrong direction, watching one of those friendly retrievers lope after a Frisbee on the road below.
“Pick up the ball!” came the gruff command from the Rockies’ dugout, and ten little faces turned towards their livid coach as if to say, “Now there’s an idea!” (This coach would later be banned from tee-ball for his intensity on the field.) Meanwhile, Sam raced around the bases, bareheaded now, his cap having flown off somewhere along the first-base line. It looked as if he might follow Mark into the dugout with an inside-the-park homer of his own until the Rockies’ first baseman, clearly talented and clearly determined to stop this circus act, turned on his jets and bolted from first to the center-field fence. He scooped up the ball and made a rocket throw to the third baseman, who in an act of self-preservation, allowed the ball to ricochet off his body as Sam dove back to third. In awe, I watched the first baseman run back to his post and noticed for the first time a ponytail bouncing through the gap in his—uh, her—cap. Yes, the play which reminded the Rockies they were playing a baseball game rather than enjoying a day in the park was turned by a girl, one who robbed Sam of his first full trip around the bases. Not so good for his tender ego.
“Nice hit, Sam!” I yelled, clapping heatedly in an effort to deflect any potential feelings of ineptitude. After all, a triple in his first at-bat—nothing to sneeze at! I turned to my fellow mothers, feeling sure they were impressed with my firstborn. Instead, they were red faced with muffled laughter, hands clasped over mouths. When I turned back to the field, I saw Peter, our next batter, running headlong at Sam who was trying to dodge him to make it safely home. Peter had hit the ball well enough to score Sam but then, sadly, had chosen to run up the third-base line.
“Go the other way!” hollered Jim, our normally mild-mannered coach. “Towards first, Petey! That way!”
Jim, who stood in the coach’s box a mere five feet away from Peter, gestured in the direction of first base, but to no avail. A speedy little devil, Peter was already halfway to third, nearly eye to eye with Sam, and here came Little Miss Rockies over from first again. Ball in glove, she tagged both boys out for a double play.
And I’d been warned that watching tee-ball was like watching paint dry. Blasphemy! In a single inning, I’d gone from nervous excitement to exhilaration to emotional languishing—it was better than the real Braves.
Despite Mark’s towering hits, the Buckhead Tee-Braves developed into a huggable little team that failed to win a single game. Dubious though the distinction may have been, Sam did become one of the team’s stars. Although the other parents never said this in so many words, Houston and I could sense it. We could sense it in the curious way Gus, the most competitive dad among them, set his teeth as he whacked Sam on the shoulder as a means of congratulating him after a big hit. We could see it in the watery eyes of the mother whose son could hardly hold the glove above his head in the effort to catch a pop fly. Glancing our way on the bleachers, she’d whisper, “Thank goodness for Sam,” who’d just leaned in to catch a fly ball inches behind her son’s unprotected head. At that point, it seemed to make little difference that Sam had missed those seasons of preschool ball. He could scoop up wayward hits deflected off of less attentive players, snag line drives (rare though these are in tee-ball), and throw with the grace of a dancer.
Methinks the lady doth boast too much. Reader, forgive me. The flesh is weak and now and then the urge to indulge my parental bias too strong. Sam’s tee-ball glory was so delicious … and, ah, so fleeting! Now that I have twenty-seven years of parenting behind me, I know how hard being good at something really is for kids. Successful high school athletes drag into weight rooms at 6:00 am (before classes) in order to keep up with the competition. But first-time parents don’t know this, and even if they do, it doesn’t matter—nothing tops the thrill of witnessing a child first revealing a natural talent, be it a penchant for sports or an ear for music or a gift for comforting others. You know it when you see it. It comes unbidden, and nothing is more beautiful to a parent than its purity and effortlessness.
In the end, Sam’s illustrious tee-ball career spoiled us. During the late games of the Buckhead Tee-Braves’ second season, Houston and I began to take for granted the doubles and triples and RBIs, even the circus catches, that Sam seemed born to execute. We grew bored, antsy for the day our son would graduate to what’s known as the Rookie League, not quite real baseball but close enough for the eight-year-old slugger. In rookie play, the batter stands in at home plate as he would in traditional baseball and waits for an umpire to feed a ball into a pitching machine, thus insuring more consistency of pitches for the developing hitter. About three minutes after Sam received his second tee-ball trophy, I began to dream, day and night, of Sam’s future domination over the pitching machine. These dreams sustained me through yet another dreary, cabin fever–infested winter completely devoid of baseball. Then, early one Saturday in mid-February, I roused before any child seized the chance to infiltrate our bedroom. Perhaps it was the scent of crisper, drier air, a slight evaporation of winter’s mucky mold, but something moved me towards the window, where the rays of a sun beaming more strongly than the day before were peeling back the thick skin of gray that had gripped our city since early November. In the backyard, crocus and daffodil buds were beginning to push open in happy response. Everywhere, rodents and birds and other suburban wildlife were shaking off the drowsiness of winter to begin a new season of foraging and reproducing.
A modicum of warmth, the promise of new life … baseball on the horizon. My children too caught a hint of renewal in the air and rustled early. Down the hall, Emma chattered with the bunny who was her cribmate while Matt scrambled in his costume trunk to find Superman’s missing cape. Moments later, Sam, bat in hand, raced through our bedroom door clad in his fresh-issue Little League uniform.
“What time do we go, Dad?” he called, unaware that his father still lay drenched in sleep, slightly less anxious than the rest of us to emerge from winter’s long nap.
“Practice doesn’t start ‘til ten, sweetie,” I whispered. Emma began demanding rescue from her crib, but I ignored her, glad for a moment to bond with my firstborn.
“Aaww, that’s like …” Sam glanced at the clock, pouncing on Houston. “… more than three hours away! Dad, can we go early? You could pitch to me!”
“Never wake me this early!” Houston growled in mock anger, rolling over to tickle Sam.
“No, Dad! Stop!” Sam cried.
“Of course. Early it is,” Houston added, tickling all the harder.
Ahhhh, the preseason—there is surely no happier time for the Little League family. Such promise in the warming air … and so much to do! There is the new bat to be purchased, slightly longer and heavier than last year’s to account for the added power a year’s growth will guarantee, and the new cleats to be sized to accommodate increased speed on the bases. Uniforms fairly glisten and coaches are all sunshine, smiling and promising not only a championship by season’s end, but equitable playing time and candy rewards for stellar performance and open channels of communication with parents. The highlight of February for me personally was finally getting my hands on the game schedule, then recording in my calendar every last opportunity I would have to cheer on my brave slugger. In short, nothing stood in the way of a star being born.
But something went wrong. Very, very wrong. At practice that bright chilly day, the machine wound up, pitched, and Sam swung and missed. A lot. He struck out. Again and again, in fact. And not only on that ominous day, but deep into his Rookie season. The umpire on the mound would hold a ball aloft, and Sam, arms quivering, soft small knuckles aligned on the bat, would blink, his cap tipping ever so slightly to indicate his eagerness, his determination. This time, he would hit it. This time, he would earn the right to show off his speed on the bases, perhaps even to slide. How he longed to slide—to smudge and stain those sleek white pants! As the ump dropped the ball into the machine’s hurling mechanism, Sam would coil back his bat, unleash his beautiful left-handed swing, and catch air. Again and again.
Maybe it was the machine itself, I reasoned. A metal contraption on four spindly legs, it is a decidedly cold, menacing thing, inhuman and featureless save for a dark hole resembling a mouth, a monster’s mouth, that spits out balls at what must seem a breakneck speed to a child accustomed to having his parent pitch to him. Maybe Sam needed to witness the human exertion of a pitcher’s windup to better predict the trajectory of that little white ball. Or maybe, just maybe, it was divine retribution, the baseball gods giving us our due for the sin of pride. The psychological strain brought on by Sam’s failure in the face of the monster machine turned out to be simply a primer for the gut-wrenching lows that are an integral part of parenting a Little Leaguer. Slumps, or extended periods of poor performance, are all part of the ball game, unless you happen to have one of those kids with such built-in self-confidence that he or she doesn’t think twice about having struck out in his last two at-bats when he steps up to the plate the next time around. He simply believes this time he will get that hit. Who me? I’m not in a slump—I’m due!
I spent much of Sam’s Rookie season greening up with envy of the mothers of such boys, watching brazenly their interactions with the young Ty Cobbs they seemed to be raising. After all, I reasoned time and again, I can be taught! If emulating these supermoms would help me infuse my sons with confidence, then I’d study their parenting skills until the stadium lights went dim. No doubt I should have long ago purchased a self-help book (or a hundred) on this topic, but what Little League mom has the time? There are practices to be watched, strategies to formulate! And besides, how could Sam control what seemed written in his genes? He was jockish, yes, but also a sensitive and analytical child. How could he help but apply these traits to his own play? And apply them he did. He would strike out once, come up to bat later wearing a look of edgy hope, swing once, twice, thrice, and strike out, again. He’s not using his legs, his coaches might advise, not throwing his hands, not following through … He’s thinking too hard!
That was it! At age eight, he’d already overengaged his cerebrum, lost his boyish playfulness. And while he deliberated and analyzed, his previously less-talented and blissfully less self-aware cronies sprayed machine-pitched balls all over the place, infield and out. Heck, when Sam’s younger brother played in the Rookie League, he saw not a monster in that machine but an ally. Matt struck out once, exactly once, in his fourteen-game Rookie League season.
During Sam’s endless Rookie charade, I would bite my lip, toss back my hair, and watch his shoulders slump after each strikeout until he developed a permanent baseball slouch. Houston and I forced smiles and thanked our fellow parents for their continuing encouragement. Gus, the shoulder-slapping dad from Braves’ tee-ball, again shared the bleachers with us. In fact, Sam generally batted behind Gus Junior who by midseason had one of the hottest bats on the team. I suspected Sam’s coach, Jim, the same nurturing, mild-mannered man who’d guided him to his tee-ball eminence, was trying to take the pressure off of Sam by letting him bat after a boy whose hits would more often than not clear the bases.
One day, Gus Junior came to bat with the bases loaded and, sure enough, hit a triple to the fence. When Sam swung and missed for the third out, stranding Gus Junior at third, Big Gus caught me broadside with that meaty paw and gave me a wink.
“Don’t worry. He’ll get that magic touch back soon!” he said. “Some of ’em have trouble making the transition from the tee to a live ball,” he went on, doling out another thud between the shoulder blades.
Against all reason, Houston and I grew quite popular that season, as if the more glaring Sam’s weakness became, the more attractive we were as a family. Perhaps the baseball gods needed something more than game day humiliation, something harsher, more along the lines of a burnt effigy. Thus, we were invited to cook out with people we hardly knew. What could we do but accept and stuff our miserable faces as Sam dragged along his albatross of a bat, then swung and missed right in his friends’ own backyards?
As the Rookie season drew to a close, Sam began to get the knack of the monster’s trickery. But the machine would not give up so easily. Although he began to pick up a few hits, most of the hardest-hit ones shot right back at the evil ball-spitter (was this accidental?). He’d slam a line drive in the direction of center field, and the ball would careen off the metal leg of the machine. Guess what that meant? Dead ball. It touches any part of the machine itself, and you lose. No credit given—replay!
In spite of this, Coach Jim refused to give up on Sam. When asked by the Rookie commissioner to name two players to an all-star team, he chose his own son (a solid, all-around player) and Sam. After all, he may have had a weak bat, but Sam was still the man in the field. My husband and I missed that early June all-star game—as I remember it, against my will. Had I known before season’s end that an all-star game or team even existed, I never would have planned to go along on Houston’s annual fishing trip for tarpon. I don’t even fish! But it was too late to change our plans. Sam’s grandparents went to his game in our stead.
“How’d Sam do?” I spat into the hotel phone, my ear sweaty with Florida humidity.
“He played just fine. Fine,” answered my perpetually optimistic father-in-law.
“Did he get to bat?”
“Uh, just once or twice, they had him a ways down in the batting order.” (Dead last, Sam told me later—not that I was surprised.)
“And?” I just knew he’d broken through, showed ’em his stuff after all.
“I can’t quite remember. Wasn’t on base much.”
He struck out, of course. Twice.
Yet I entered that off-season with hope in my heart. Sam’s coach knew Sam still had the spark. He’d been named an all-star, after all! But that was before I figured out the truth. Being dubbed an all-star is one thing. Being elected to the All-Star Travel Tournament Team is quite another thing altogether.
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Home/World News/Policeman suspended after allegedly fondling dead woman’s breasts
Policeman suspended after allegedly fondling dead woman’s breasts
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is under investigation after his body camera allegedly caught him fondling a deceased woman’s breasts.
Police authorities said the officer has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the probe.
A police spokesman confirmed the probe to AFP on Wednesday but would not discuss details of the case.
“We are aware of it and an administrative investigation has begun,” Lieutenant Chris Ramirez said.
“We cannot discuss the case because it’s a personnel matter and because of litigation issues.”
An official familiar with the case who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the incident unfolded after the officer and his partner responded to a call about a woman who was possibly dead in a residential unit.
Once the pair determined the woman was deceased, one of the officers left the room, the official said.
“The one who is accused went back in to where the deceased woman was and allegedly fondled her breasts,” he added.
Although the officer had turned his body camera off, a two-minute buffer on the device captured the incident.
The official said the footage was uncovered during a random inspection and reaction among the force has been “utter disgust.”
“This has no place in law enforcement or anywhere,” he said. “There needs to be and there always has been a reverence of respect for folks who have died, and from the rank and file all the way up to the chief, it’s just total disgust at this.”
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents officers, said the allegations are “extremely disturbing.”
“If this allegation is true, then the behavior exhibited by this officer is not only wrong, but extremely disturbing, and does not align with the values we, as police officers, hold dear and these values include respect and reverence for the deceased,” the statement said.
Lieutenant Chris Ramirez police
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Measuring the expansion of the Universe
ACTIVE GALAXIES POINT TO NEW PHYSICS OF COSMIC EXPANSION
Investigating the history of our cosmos with a large sample of distant ‘active’ galaxies observed by ESA’s XMM-Newton, a team of astronomers found there might be more to the early expansion of the Universe than predicted by the standard model of cosmology.
According to the leading scenario, our Universe contains only a few percent of ordinary matter. One quarter of the cosmos is made of the elusive dark matter, which we can feel gravitationally but not observe, and the rest consists of the even more mysterious dark energy that is driving the current acceleration of the Universe’s expansion.
This model is based on a multitude of data collected over the last couple of decades, from the cosmic microwave background, or CMB – the first light in the history of the cosmos, released only 380 000 years after the big bang and observed in unprecedented detail by ESA’s Planck mission – to more ‘local’ observations. The latter include supernova explosions, galaxy clusters and the gravitational distortion imprinted by dark matter on distant galaxies, and can be used to trace cosmic expansion in recent epochs of cosmic history – across the past nine billion years.
A new study, led by Guido Risaliti of Università di Firenze, Italy, and Elisabeta Lusso of Durham University, UK, points to another type of cosmic tracer – quasars – that would fill part of the gap between these observations, measuring the expansion of the Universe up to 12 billion years ago.
Quasars are the cores of galaxies where an active supermassive black hole is pulling in matter from its surroundings at very intense rates, shining brightly across the electromagnetic spectrum. As material falls onto the black hole, it forms a swirling disc that radiates in visible and ultraviolet light; this light, in turn, heats up nearby electrons, generating X-rays.
Supermassive black hole
Three years ago, Guido and Elisabeta realised that a well-known relation between the ultraviolet and X-ray brightness of quasars could be used to estimate the distance to these sources – something that is notoriously tricky in astronomy – and, ultimately, to probe the expansion history of the Universe.
Astronomical sources whose properties allow us to gauge their distances are referred to as ‘standard candles’.
The most notable class, known as ‘type-Ia’ supernova, consists of the spectacular demise of white dwarf stars after they have over-filled on material from a companion star, generating explosions of predictable brightness that allows astronomers to pinpoint the distance. Observations of these supernovas in the late 1990s revealed the Universe’s accelerated expansion over the last few billion years.
“Using quasars as standard candles has great potential, since we can observe them out to much greater distances from us than type-Ia supernovas, and so use them to probe much earlier epochs in the history of the cosmos,” explains Elisabeta.
With a sizeable sample of quasars at hand, the astronomers have now put their method into practice, and the results are intriguing.
Digging into the XMM-Newton archive, they collected X-ray data for over 7000 quasars, combining them with ultraviolet observations from the ground-based Sloan Digital Sky Survey. They also used a new set of data, specially obtained with XMM-Newton in 2017 to look at very distant quasars, observing them as they were when the Universe was only about two billion years old. Finally, they complemented the data with a small number of even more distant quasars and with some relatively nearby ones, observed with NASA’s Chandra and Swift X-ray observatories, respectively.
“Such a large sample enabled us to scrutinise the relation between X-ray and ultraviolet emission of quasars in painstaking detail, which greatly refined our technique to estimate their distance,” says Guido.
Quelle: ESA
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The Inglorius Padre Steve's World
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John Brown: Fanatical Idealist and “Warrior for God”
Friends of Padre Steve’s World,
October 16th is the anniversary of John Brown’s attempted seizure of the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry. He was executed after trial on December 2nd 1859. Brown was a man who had a righteous cause, but surrendered the moral high ground because of his fanaticism. Justice Robert Jackson wrote:“[I]n our country are evangelists and zealots of many different political, economic and religious persuasions whose fanatical conviction is that all thought is divinely classified into two kinds — that which is their own and that which is false and dangerous.” John Brown was a fanatic who in his desire to achieve his goal was not above committing murder as he did in Kansas, and insurrection as he did at Harper’s Ferry. There are many people in this country who harbor similar beliefs. John Brown serves as a warning to all of us. Violent means in service of a honorable or righteous cause often make things far worse.
This article is part of my draft book Mine Eyes have Seen the Glory: Race, Religion, Ideology and Politics in the Civil War Era.
Padre Steve+
In the North there too existed an element of religious fanaticism. While “the restraining hand of churches, political parties and familial concerns bounded other antislavery warriors,” [1] and while most abolitionists tried to remain in the mainstream and work through legislation and moral persuasion to halt the expansion of slavery with the ultimate goal of emancipation; there were fanatical abolitionists that were willing to attempt to ignite the spark which would cause the powder keg of raw hatred and emotion to explode.
Most prominent among these men was John Brown. Brown was a “Connecticut-born abolitionist…a man with the selfless benevolence of the evangelicals wrought into a fiery determination to crush slavery.” [2] His father was an early abolitionist who helped later found Oberlin College. In his early years Brown “formulated a certitude about divine intervention against sinners, starring himself as God’s warrior against slaveholders.” [3] As early as 1834 John Brown was “an ardent sympathizer the Negroes,” desiring to raise a black child in his own home and to “offering guidance to a colony of Negroes on the farm of the wealthy abolitionist Gerrit Smith at North Elba New York.” [4]Brown regarded moderate free Staters with distain and though he was a fanatical Christian he never joined any church, and “obeyed only his conception of God’s unbounded command.” [5]
Brown “ridiculed Republican’s mainstream tactics. He disparaged even Yankee extremists for deploying too non-violent a strategy.” [6] After a series of failed business ventures the militant Brown went to Kansas and set about to change the equation through the use of terror. After the sack of Lawrence, Brown and a company of his marauders set upon and slaughtered the family of a pro-slavery settler at Pottawatomie Creek. [7] Brown and his son’s entered the house of one family, “dragged three men outside, shot the father through the head, and hacked and mutilated his two sons with broadswords.”[8] Two years later Brown went to Missouri where he “murdered a slaveholder, seized eleven slaves, and led the new freedmen 1100 miles to Canadian sanctuary.” [9]
The example of John Brown provides us with a good example to understand religious extremism, especially when it becomes violent. The counterinsurgency field manual notes in words that are certainly as applicable to Brown as they are to current religiously motivated terrorists, that “Religious extremist insurgents….frequently hold an all-encompassing worldview; they are ideologically rigid and uncompromising…. believing themselves to be ideologically pure, violent religious extremists brand those they consider insufficiently orthodox as enemies.”[10]
Brown was certainly “a religious zealot…but was nevertheless every much the product of his time and place….” [11] Brown was a veteran of the violent battles in Kansas where he had earned the reputation as “the apostle of the sword of Gideon” as he and his men battled pro-slavery settlers. Brown was possessed by a zealous belief that God had appointed him as God’s warrior against slaveholders. He despised the peaceful abolitionists and demanded action. “Brave, unshaken by doubt, willing to shed blood unflinchingly and to die for his cause if necessary, Brown was the perfect man to light the tinder of civil war in America, which was what he intended to do.” [12]
Brown attempted to gain financing from wealthy abolitionists for a new expedition to seize the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry Virginia, and most would have nothing to do with his scheme. When they “touted their pacific antislavery societies, Brown responded that “your methods are perfectly futile; you would not release five slaves in a century; peaceful emancipation is impossible.” [13] After hearing William Lloyd Garrison and other abolitionist leaders plead for peaceful abolition he remarked: “We’ve reached a point,” I said, “where nothing but war can get rid of slavery in this guilty nation. It’s better that a whole generation of men, women, and children should pass away by a violent death than that slavery should continue to exist.” I meant that literally, every word of it.” [14]
Following that meeting, as well as a meeting with Frederick Douglass who rejected Brown’s planned violent action, Brown went about collecting recruits for his cause and set out to seize 10,000 muskets at the Federal armory in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in order to ignite a slave revolt. Brown and twenty-one followers, sixteen whites and five blacks moved on the arsenal. As they went, Brown:
“believed that we would probably fail at the Ferry, would probably die. But I believed that all we had to do was make the attempt, and Jehovah would do the rest: the Heavens would turn black, the thunder would rend the sky, and a mighty storm would uproot this guilty land, washing its sins away with blood. With God’s help, I, John Brown, would effect a mighty conquest even though it was like the last victory of Samson.” [15]
After initial success in capturing the armory, Brown’s plan was frustrated and Brown captured by a force of U.S. Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart. Brown was tried and hanged, but his raid “effectively severed the country into two opposing parts, making it clear to moderates there who were searching for compromise, that northerner’s tolerance for slavery was wearing thin.” [16]
It now did not matter that Brown was captured, tried, convicted and executed for his raid on Harper’s Ferry. Brown to be sure was “a half-pathetic, half-mad failure, his raid a crazy, senseless exploit to which only his quiet eloquence during trial and execution lent dignity” [17] but his act was the watershed from which the two sides would not be able to recover; the population on both sides having gone too far down the road to disunion to turn back.
Brown had tremendous support among the New England elites, the “names of Howe, Parker, Emerson and Thoreau among his supporters.” [18] To abolitionists he had become a martyr “but to Frederick Douglass and the negroes of Chatham, Ontario, nearly every one of whom had learned something from personal experience on how to gain freedom, Brown was a man of words trying to be a man of deeds, and they would not follow him. They understood him, as Thoreau and Emerson and Parker never did.” [19]
But to Southerners Brown was the symbol of an existential threat to their way of life. In the North there was a nearly religious wave of sympathy for Brown, and the “spectacle of devout Yankee women actually praying for John Brown, not as a sinner but as saint, of respectable thinkers like Thoreau and Emerson and Longfellow glorifying his martyrdom in Biblical language” [20] horrified Southerners, and drove pro-Union Southern moderates into the secession camp. The Richmond Enquirer wrote in its editorial, “The Harper’s Ferry invasion has advanced the cause of Disunion, more than any other event that has happened since the foundation of the Government; it has rallied to that standard men who formerly looked on it with horror; it has revived, with ten fold strength the desire of a Southern Confederacy…” [21]
The day that Brown went to his hanging he wrote his final missive. This was written once more in apocalyptic language, but also in which he portrayed himself as a Christ figure going to his cross on the behalf of a guilty people, but a people whom his blood would not atone:
“It’s now December second – the day of my hanging, the day the gallows become my cross. I’m approaching those gallows while sitting on my coffin in the bed of a military wagon. O dear God, my eyes see the glory in every step of the divine journey that brought me here, to stand on that platform, in that field, before all those soldiers of Virginia. Thank you, Father, for allowing an old man like me such might and soul satisfying rewards. I am ready to join thee now in Paradise…
They can put the halter around my neck, pull the hood over my head. Hanging me won’t save them from God’s wrath! I warned the entire country: I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood.” [22]
Brown’s composure and dignity during trial impressed Governor Henry Wise of Virginia who signed Brown’s death warrant as well as that of fire-eater Edmund Ruffin. In his diary Ruffin “praised Brown’s “animal courage” and “complete fearlessness & insensibility to danger and death.” [23]
UBrown’s death was marked with signs of mourning throughout the North, for Brown was now a martyr. Henry David Thoreau “pronounced Brown “a crucified hero,” [24] while through the North, Brown’s death was treated as a martyr’s death. Even abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison who had condemned violence in the quest of emancipation praised Brown’s actions, while throughout the North:
“Church bells tolled, black bunting was hung out, minute guns were fired, prayer meetings assembled, and memorial resolutions adopted. In the weeks following, the emotional outpouring continued: lithographs of Brown circulated in vast numbers, subscriptions were organized for the support of his family, immense memorial meetings took place in New York, Boston and Philadelphia…” [25]
Future Confederate General Lafayette McLaws spoke for many Southerners in the army when he wrote: His diary entry for February 27th 1860 noted:
“Debates in congress show no mitigation of sec. feeling…. I think it would be better not to be so fanatical on any subject, the extreme pro-slavery man is as bad as that type as that type of anti-slavery, John Brown. I do not consider slavery an evil by any means, but I certainly do not think it the greatest blessing.” [26]
But in the South there was a different understanding of Brown’s assault on Harper’s Ferry. Despite official denunciations of Brown by Abraham Lincoln and other Republican leaders, the message proclaimed by Southern newspapermen, ministers and politicians was that the North could not be trusted. Brown’s raid, and the reaction of Northerners to it “was seized upon as argument-clinching proof that the North was only awaiting its opportunity to destroy the South by force….” [27]
Of course that was not the feeling in much of the North, but Brown’s actions and words were seized upon by the Southern versions of Brown to make Civil War inevitable once the political balance changed, and they neither controlled the Presidency, House, or Senate.
[1] Ibid. Freehling The Road to Disunion Volume II p.207
[2] Ibid. Guelzo Fateful Lightning p.81
[4] Ibid. Potter The Impending Crisis p.211
[7] Ibid. Potter The Impending Crisis pp.211-212
[8] Ibid. Goldfield America Aflame p.118
[10] Ibid. U.S. Army/ Marine Counterinsurgency Field Manual p.27
[11] Ibid. Levine Half Slave and Half Free p.197
[12] Ibid. Korda, Clouds of Glory p.xviii
[13] Ibid. Freehling The Road to Disunion Volume II p.208
[14] Ibid. Oates The Approaching Fury p.203
[16] Ibid. Korda Clouds of Glory p.xxxix
[17] Ibid. Catton Two Roads to Sumter p.18
[18] Ibid. Potter The Impending Crisis p.381
[20] Ibid. Catton Two Roads to Sumter p.187
[21] ___________ The Harper’s Ferry Invasion as Party Capital The Richmond Enquirer, 23 October 1859 in The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Documentary Collection edited by William E. Gienapp, W.W. Norton and Company, New York and London 2001 p.54
[23] Ibid. Thomas The Confederate Nation p.3
[24] Ibid. McPherson The Battle Cry of Freedom p.210
[26] Oefinger, John C. Editor A Soldier’s General: The Civil War Letters of Major General Lafayette McLaws University of North Carolina Press, Charlotte and London 2002 p.18
[27] Ibid. Guelzo Fateful Lightning p.119
Filed under civil rights, civil war, ethics, faith, History, leadership, Political Commentary, racism, Religion
Tagged as abolition movement, abraham lincoln, american slavery, Bloody kansas, Christ figure, edmund ruffin, frederick douglass, harpers ferry raid, henry david thoreau, henry wise, jeb stuart, john brown, lafayette mclaws, Pottawatomie Massacre, ralph waldo emmerson, robert e lee, u.s. marine corps, virginia, william lloyd garrison
After Irene: What happens the Next Time, do we feel Lucky?
Crews working to restore power aboard Camp LeJeune
Irene has left the scene and thankfully for whatever reason, divine intervention or just plain luck Irene lost her groove and didn’t get it back before coming ashore. There was damage and loss of life but it could have been much worse. She had weakened and hit New York at low tide had she not weakened and moved fast New Yorkand much of New Englandcould have faced a disaster of epic proportions. Even still damages are estimated at 7 billion dollars and there were towns which most people in power don’t really give a damn about that were devastated by flooding, storm surge or wind.
In North Carolinawhen I am stationed we took the brunt of the storm. There was a lot of damage in the communities where she came ashore, the Outer Banks and in low lying inland areas where the building codes are less stringent than on the coast but it could have been much worse. A big part of the reason is that we have been abnormally dry and so streams and rivers were low and the ground was able to absorb the heavy rain. I have been through worse here and I’m glad that we did not have a repeat of Floyd were the storm was a high category 2 with massive rains inundating a state that had been saturated by two previous hurricanes.
My Island Hermitage is on Emerald Isle and it is better situated than many communities on the Outer Banks. Despite this I prepared in earnest and thankfully all the damage I had was a bit of wet carpet which happens every time we get a lot of rain. I’m told that my home inVirginia Beach came through fine although as in every tropical storm or Nor’easter the lakes in my neighborhood overflowed and flooded the streets. In past tropical storms and Nor’easters we lot power for extended periods of time. According to my neighbor who was looking after the house there was only a momentary outage.
For us the storm produced some anxiety. As a geographic bachelor and as a part of essential staff at the Naval Hospital I knew that I would be there for the duration. Since Irene was a massive storm I had Judy secure our home and evacuate on Thursday. We I made the call Irene was expected to hit as a category 3 or strong category 2 storm with both the Island Hermitage and my Old Virginia Home in the crosshairs. I veer to caution in such situations, it is far better to over prepare and get lucky than to presume upon God or nature depending on your world view.
I rode out Irene in our Naval hospital with our bare bones essential staff, some of their families, patients and families, women in their last weeks of pregnancy and pets of the staff members forced to be on duty. We did well, my Commanding Officer told the story in this blog post http://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/501 . We lost commercial power early on and were on diesel backup generators the duration of the storm. After the Friday dinner we were reduced to emergency rations which the main courses have an eerie resemblance to MREs and what staff had brought from home.
I ambled about on my gimpy leg the best that I could and had to resort to using my cane to make my rounds as I went about to staff, patients and family members. Several babies were born on Friday night and Saturday. It was a good event and thankfully nothing bad occurred. A lot of people especially those that had never been through a hurricane or had a spouse deployed overseas found it unnerving. But we did our best. We converted the chapel to a TV room for the kids to watch movies since they had little else to do and almost every television were on non-emergency circuits. We ran an extension cord to an “essential” plug in our section of the building which allowed this to happen and our hospital American Red Cross office supplied us with DVDs as well as coloring books and games for the kids.
As I have written in previous articles the military, particularly the Navy tends to be more of a family than any civilian employer. We are bound together by our shared experiences of deployments, danger and regular moves and family separations. We pull together in ways that I have never seen in the civilian world. It is an honor to serve. I finally left the hospital late this morning since Emerald Isle did not reopen the bridge that links us to the mainland until today.
Since I have come back online I have seen some comments from various critics of Federal disaster assistance or the actions of governors or mayors of states and cities with large numbers of people in the danger zone, about 67 million Americans I think is the number. The most critical politicians were from the House of Representatives and the biggest mockers when Irene came ashore in a weakened state and did less damage than expected were from the “new” conservative media. Having been through more hurricanes and major earthquakes than I can count and seen the devastation of these events and the effects on the lives of people I find the comments calloused, mean spirited and simply used this as another way to push a political agenda.
Of course it is easy to be a critic when you have no direct responsibility for the lives of people. You see those in the executive branch be it at Federal, State of City levels of government and the agencies are each level are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they know of something that that could devastate their communities and the citizens in them and do too much and disaster doesn’t strike, those that hate government say that they are overreacting and an “intrusion of big government.” If they don’t react it is held up as a failure of government. As far as Federal assistance after an event those that say that the Federal government should let people sink or swim and states and municipalities fend for themselves even if the disaster is overwhelming the same is true. They are always critical simply because they want to dismantle the Federal government. Well most are against it until it is their community is affected, the rare exception being Virginia Representative and House Majority Whip Eric Cantor who told people in his own district to take a hike after they were hit by an earthquake that no one ever anticipated or were prepared.
Close to 70 million people were potentially at risk from a potentially historic hurricane that only weakened at the last minute. The President, the governors of the affect states and the mayors of major cities did what they were supposed to do. They did not wait until it was too late as was the case in Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina. For that they are mocked I the press, especially those that are deemed liberal I haven’t heard any criticism of the actions of Republican Governors of Virginia or New Jersey for doing what the Mayor of New York did.
We got lucky this time but some day we won’t be and if the critics have their way the result will be historic in the bad kind of way, think about the Tsunami in Japan kind of bad. We got lucky and if we think of ourselves as gamblers we need to remember that eventually the law of averages works against us, just ask the people of New Orleans or more recently Joplin Missouri. God or nature take your pick only gives us so many chances and it takes only one of these things to make a direct hit and wipe untold numbers of people, their communities and even the assets of major corporations and Fortune 500 companies, but then the people that are against Federal assistance to regular people would jump through their asses to help Corporate America, can you imagine what would have happened in Wall Street went under like they did back in 2008 except this time under real water?
Being prepared and taking precautions is always preferable to loss of life on a major scale. No government or community can be prepared for all contingencies but it is foolish for them not to do so but they are damned if they do and damned if the don’t in the eyes of their critics do not have the same responsibility.
I do hope that we band together to help those most affected by Irene and other recent disasters. Prayer is nice but action is even nicer. Thank God there are good people that lay it all out for those in need and do it well working with the government and other charitable organizations and individuals. I think a lot about the efforts of the Southern Baptist disaster response teams as well as the Salvation Army disaster relief and those like them that make such a difference.
I’m glad that Irene lost her groove and didn’t get it back, unfortunately lives were lost and millions of people have suffered some kind of loss due to her.
For me it was a long and exhausting event. But it was a great chance for me to have a weekend with some wonderful people, my local Navy and Marine Corps family. Men and women that give every day and exemplify the best of America. That makes all the difference.
Filed under natural disasters, Political Commentary
Tagged as american red cross, disaster response, emerald isle nc, eric cantor, federal government, governors, hurricane evacuations, hurricane floyd, hurricane irene, hurricane irene monetary cost, hurricane katrina, irene damages, island hermitage, japan tsunami, joplin missouri tornado, mayors, MRE meals ready to eat, naval hospital camp lejuene, navy family, new jersey, new orleans, new york, north carolina, outer banks, power outages, president, salvation army relief, southern baptist disaster relief, virginia, virginia beach, wall street
Fires Earthquakes and Hurricanes Oh My! I thought God loved Red States more than Blue States
Denny Crane Alert! Over the top prose and satire contained in this post. Read with caution!
“Massachusetts is a Blue state. God has no place here” Denny Crane
Well it seems that things are getting a bit sporting back here on the East Coast, even the Red States those favored by God and Fox News are being afflicted with plagues that are more common in Godless Blue States like California and Massachusetts. After all everyone knows that God loves the Red States more because they like God more than the Godless Commies and Socialists in the Blue States.
There has been a spate of events lately that are making me wonder about God’s love for his chosen people in the Red States. There were earthquakes in Colorado and Virginia, fires in North Carolina, floods in the Midwest, drought in Texas and the Deep South and most of these places are Red States where God’s real people live. I could understand if they were Blue States since God isn’t allowed in them.
I grew up on the West Coast, mostly in California where I also did my undergraduate work before I was commissioned as an Army Officer. That was back back in the good old days of the Cold War when the United States and Soviet Union held back chaos by dividing the world into us and them. Saint Ronald was President and 80s power ballads were hot. But I digress….
I grew up in California, up and down the state, Oakland where I was born, San Diego, Long Beach, Stockton, and the good old San Fernando Valley. Back in those days I got used to plagues, we had droughts, the Medfly, Jerry Brown, riots, Earthquakes and massive fires and mudslides. It was good living. Plagues build character ask the Egyptians and you never forget them.
I mean I have survived big earthquakes the 1970 Los Angeles quake, the 1980 Mammoth Lakes Quake while I was at a Christian retreat. That weekend was strange there was nice weather, then snow, then hail and finally a thunderstorm before the skies cleared only to have a 6.8 on the Andy Richter Scale earthquake interrupt a class. Now this was a Presbyterian Charismatic Communion retreat and if you didn’t know that some Presbyterians have this in them you needed to be there. The building started shaking like a perverted Rock Star gyrating his hips and all of a sudden everyone around me was speaking in tongues, shouting and rebuking the Devil and some even rolling on the floor. I moved underneath a door frame as I was taught in school to do and wondered what was going one. I survived as did they. Well I’ve been through other earthquakes of varying intensities, most bigger that the wimpy 5.8 Virginia quake, I’m sorry that’s namby pamby, or even worse namsy pansy. I can’t imagine a namby pamby quake striking a Red State.
The problem is that instead of the Blue States getting these plagues of late as they rightfully should being that there are Godless Communists that love those ho-mo-sexual wedding planners, or weddings or whatever. Just know that God doesn’t like it but for some reason it seems that all the plagues are afflicting the Red States now days.
Rick Perry’s Texas and Tom Coburn’s Oklahoma are going through a drought like the Dust Bowl days, except to escape it they don’t dare to go to California like people did in the 1930s and risk becoming ho-mo-sexual and having God send them to Hell. Of course the drought has been going on for some time now but for goodness sakes a couple of days ago there was an earthquake in Colorado home of James Dobson, Focus on the Family and the Coors Empire. Red to the core, even the Birkenstock wearing tree huggers are red in their hearts. Big church ministries move to Colorado from California and even more to Texas. But Colorado had an earthquake and Texas has a drought. North Carolina and Virginia have been fighting fires in the Great Dismal Swamp that won’t go out because of the richness of the peat soil and layers of American made pine needles. Now Virginia which is definitely back in the Red column after crushing a brief Blue uprising has a really big earthquake by namby pamby East Coast standards. My goodness the government of Virginia is in church more often than they are in session and are giving a new meaning to the Old Dominionists, but they had an earthquake strike near a nuclear power reactor; shut the place down for a while. I wonder are they not praying hard enough or are there still enough of those Blue people hanging around to garner the wrath of God? And now there is a bitch of a hurricane named Irene that is threatening the good Red people of North Carolina and Virginia with devastation of Biblical proportions and since I live where the big “hit me sign” is, I am concerned.
This can’t be just. The Virginians and North Carolinians have been throwing the leftist Democrats out of office at a cyclic rate of late, for goodness sakes they’re doing the work of God and this shouldn’t happen to them. If God was just this would happen inNew York or Massachusetts where they do all sorts of Godless things and put Democrats in office and let ho-mo-sexuals be wedding planners and even get married to other ho-mo-sexuals. This should be happening inMartha’s Vineyardwhen Obama is on the golf course with all his liberal commie pinko fellow travelers.
I think that Pat Robertson needs to get out his knee pads and flying carpet to pray this on away like the one he did back in the 1960s. His place is in the path of Irene and they felt the earthquake down inVirginia Beach too.
Remember where you heard it.
Back to reality, if anyone is taking this seriously they need to get a life. Yes it’s serious, but the seriousness is in the satire. If you don’t understand read my other “serious” posts. However mark my word there are already a lot of preachers out there claiming that this is all the judgement of God against America. But even so Pat Robertson should still be praying as probably all of us should. Besides I am not Red or Blue, I’m a Red White and Blue American Moderate and proud of it. Padre Steve.
Filed under Just for fun, purely humorous
Tagged as 2011 virginia earthquake, biblical plagues, blue states, california, church retreats, colorado, denny crane, dismal swamp fires, dust bowl, earthquakes, focus on the family, hurricane irene, james dobson, jerry brown, los angeles 1970 earthquake, mammoth lakes 1980 earthquake, massachusetts, namby pamby, namsy pansy, new york, north carolina, pat robertson, presbyterian charismatic communion, president ronald reagan, red states, rick perry, texas, the medfly, tom coburn, virginia, virginia beach
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Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence
Kristine L. Creavey, Lisa Michelle Kopp, Gregory M. Fosco
Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)
Low family socioeconomic status (SES) is a robust risk factor for adverse child outcomes, yet the specific processes that account for this risk are not fully understood. This study examines whether and how variation in two adverse factors, stressful life events and harsh parental discipline, affect children’s social competence within a high-risk environment, and whether some children are more vulnerable to these effects than others. Data were collected from 207 families of kindergarten children at risk for behavioral maladjustment. Children’s physiological regulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) measured during rest was examined as a moderator of risk exposure. Results indicate that both greater exposure to life stress and harsh discipline were correlated with lower social competence. Although children’s resting RSA was not a direct predictor of their social competence, it moderated the association between life stress and social competence. Greater exposure to life stress was more strongly associated with lower social competence among children with lower resting RSA. Higher RSA may help to buffer the effects of stress and facilitate appropriate social development. RSA did not moderate the effects of harsh discipline. This differential pattern of findings suggests that children’s physiological regulation can facilitate an effective response to situational stressors, but may be less efficacious in buffering against stress in the context of the parent-child relationship.
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Parent-Child Relations
kindergarten child
Creavey, K. L., Kopp, L. M., & Fosco, G. M. (2018). Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(2), 483-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0913-3
Creavey, Kristine L. ; Kopp, Lisa Michelle ; Fosco, Gregory M. / Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence. In: Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2018 ; Vol. 27, No. 2. pp. 483-493.
@article{8461562c937443e494bcc3ab4d180c5a,
title = "Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence",
abstract = "Low family socioeconomic status (SES) is a robust risk factor for adverse child outcomes, yet the specific processes that account for this risk are not fully understood. This study examines whether and how variation in two adverse factors, stressful life events and harsh parental discipline, affect children’s social competence within a high-risk environment, and whether some children are more vulnerable to these effects than others. Data were collected from 207 families of kindergarten children at risk for behavioral maladjustment. Children’s physiological regulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) measured during rest was examined as a moderator of risk exposure. Results indicate that both greater exposure to life stress and harsh discipline were correlated with lower social competence. Although children’s resting RSA was not a direct predictor of their social competence, it moderated the association between life stress and social competence. Greater exposure to life stress was more strongly associated with lower social competence among children with lower resting RSA. Higher RSA may help to buffer the effects of stress and facilitate appropriate social development. RSA did not moderate the effects of harsh discipline. This differential pattern of findings suggests that children’s physiological regulation can facilitate an effective response to situational stressors, but may be less efficacious in buffering against stress in the context of the parent-child relationship.",
author = "Creavey, {Kristine L.} and Kopp, {Lisa Michelle} and Fosco, {Gregory M.}",
journal = "Journal of Child and Family Studies",
Creavey, KL, Kopp, LM & Fosco, GM 2018, 'Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence', Journal of Child and Family Studies, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 483-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0913-3
Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence. / Creavey, Kristine L.; Kopp, Lisa Michelle; Fosco, Gregory M.
In: Journal of Child and Family Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2, 01.02.2018, p. 483-493.
T1 - Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence
AU - Creavey, Kristine L.
AU - Kopp, Lisa Michelle
AU - Fosco, Gregory M.
N2 - Low family socioeconomic status (SES) is a robust risk factor for adverse child outcomes, yet the specific processes that account for this risk are not fully understood. This study examines whether and how variation in two adverse factors, stressful life events and harsh parental discipline, affect children’s social competence within a high-risk environment, and whether some children are more vulnerable to these effects than others. Data were collected from 207 families of kindergarten children at risk for behavioral maladjustment. Children’s physiological regulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) measured during rest was examined as a moderator of risk exposure. Results indicate that both greater exposure to life stress and harsh discipline were correlated with lower social competence. Although children’s resting RSA was not a direct predictor of their social competence, it moderated the association between life stress and social competence. Greater exposure to life stress was more strongly associated with lower social competence among children with lower resting RSA. Higher RSA may help to buffer the effects of stress and facilitate appropriate social development. RSA did not moderate the effects of harsh discipline. This differential pattern of findings suggests that children’s physiological regulation can facilitate an effective response to situational stressors, but may be less efficacious in buffering against stress in the context of the parent-child relationship.
AB - Low family socioeconomic status (SES) is a robust risk factor for adverse child outcomes, yet the specific processes that account for this risk are not fully understood. This study examines whether and how variation in two adverse factors, stressful life events and harsh parental discipline, affect children’s social competence within a high-risk environment, and whether some children are more vulnerable to these effects than others. Data were collected from 207 families of kindergarten children at risk for behavioral maladjustment. Children’s physiological regulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) measured during rest was examined as a moderator of risk exposure. Results indicate that both greater exposure to life stress and harsh discipline were correlated with lower social competence. Although children’s resting RSA was not a direct predictor of their social competence, it moderated the association between life stress and social competence. Greater exposure to life stress was more strongly associated with lower social competence among children with lower resting RSA. Higher RSA may help to buffer the effects of stress and facilitate appropriate social development. RSA did not moderate the effects of harsh discipline. This differential pattern of findings suggests that children’s physiological regulation can facilitate an effective response to situational stressors, but may be less efficacious in buffering against stress in the context of the parent-child relationship.
JO - Journal of Child and Family Studies
JF - Journal of Child and Family Studies
Creavey KL, Kopp LM, Fosco GM. Differential Effects of Family Stress Exposure and Harsh Parental Discipline on Child Social Competence. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2018 Feb 1;27(2):483-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0913-3
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You are here: Home / Urban Issues / UBERPOOL & LYFTLINE: How the New Carpools Will Change Travel
August 3, 2016 /in Urban Issues /by Joseph Schwieterman
How will new carpool options like LyftLine and UberPool affect the marketplace of transit services? When mobility conversations turn to Lyft, Uber and other ridesourcing – or ridesharing – companies, the discussion typically centers on their effects on the taxicab business. Here in Chicago, Lyft and Uber recently survived a turbo-charged regulatory battle with cabbies that could have forced them to entirely withdraw from our city.
Ridesharing carpools add a new dimension to the extraordinary rise of these companies. Many users have not until recently begun experimenting with carpooling options, but by all indications their popularity is accelerating. Both LyftLine and UberPool were unveiled in summer of 2014, and then rolled out gradually.
To use LyftLine or UberPool, a rider inputs his or her location and destination on a smartphone, which then displays two options – a traditional rate, and a discounted rate for those who choose to ‘pool’. The driver of a pool may make other pickups and drop-offs. A four-mile trip on UberPool may cost around $6, whereas on UberX (the standard Uber service) it might cost $10; a taxi ride would run much higher.
In communities with lackluster public transit, carpooling fills an enormous void by giving millions without a private vehicle a new, lower cost travel option. Even in areas saturated with public transit, however, this new option promises to reshuffle how people move about.
The opportunity raises critical questions. Will significant numbers of time-sensitive travelers, including commuters, opt to use public transit less, in favor of rideshare service carpools? How much time can they expect to save? To what extent do the additional stops negate the benefits of this option, compared to using transit?
I created a controlled experiment involving 50 one-way trips between various urban locations in a transit-rich part of Chicago. Data collectors measured the differing costs, time, and conveniences associated with UberPool, trains, and buses. One person used Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) services while the other hailed an UberPool (Figure 1).
We evaluated only weekday trips during daytime hours to and from the north and northwest sides of the city, in order to focus on a transit-rich environment. Our trips, which linked the centroids of community areas, averaged about six miles long.
UberPool did not disappoint. Regardless of the type of trip involved, our study found that carpooling tended to get you there faster than public transit, although often not by enough for to justify – for many passengers – the cost difference. The average elapsed time for all UberPool trips was about 36 minutes, besting transit by about 12 minutes. UberPool was faster on 39 trips, while the CTA was faster on 11 (Table 1). The carpooling costs averaged $9.66, compared to transit’s $2.29.
Stops to pick up other passengers were not as prevalent as many might expect, with UberPool trips averaging just under one extra stop. Still, one fifth of all trips made at least two extra stops, while two out of the 50 trips involved three extra stops
The appeal of carpooling may depend on the type of travel involved. On downtown-oriented trips, the time savings averaged a mere six minutes. UberPool was faster on eleven of these, and the CTA on seven.
Moreover, UberPool can be challenging during rush hour, when it is slowed by traffic congestion and taking rapid transit is often faster due to the heightened schedule frequency.
We suspect that primarily people in a hurry, those carrying heavy or bulky items, or those uncomfortable with transit would be inclined to regularly carpool to work downtown. The level of exertion is also greater on public transit. Our transit passengers were unable to find seats on about one-fifth of trips, and walked more often. UberPool involves minimal walking, whereas the average transit trip involved about a half-mile trek. Eleven transit trips required passengers to hoof it for at least two-thirds of a mile, while three involved doing so for more than a mile.
On trips from the peripheral ‘outer downtown’ to the neighborhoods, though, UberPool outpaced transit by ten minutes. Carpooling starts to look more tempting to the transit rider in this scenario.
The most dramatic benefits from carpooling, however, involve neighborhood-to-neighborhood travel (Figure 2). Such trips can be painful to transit users in Chicago, in part due to our slow pace of getting bus rapid transit off the ground and our ‘legacy’ rail system, with its radial design that focuses primarily on travel to and from downtown. And busses on some routes stop every few blocks.
On these trips, UberPool dominates, averaging 28 minutes per trip, almost 19 minutes faster (about 40 percent) than transit. Carpooling was more than 10 minutes faster on all but four of our 23 trips, and more than an hour faster on one.
A notable negative aspect of using UberPool is, of course, the variability in pricing. Six of the 50 trips involved ‘surge’ pricing (premium fares due to heavy demand), resulting in prices as much as 60 percent above the normal fare. We did not study the price and speed of UberPool during the evening and late-night hours, when demand is reportedly heaviest, and when surge pricing appears to be more prevalent.
The inescapable conclusion is that carpooling services are appealing to far more than transit-averse and extremely time-conscious travelers, although perhaps not as an option that many commuters would use daily. UberPool tends to perform best precisely where transit is at its worst, e.g., on trips between the neighborhoods, especially during the off-peak periods when traffic is lighter.
On one level, our results support the conclusions of a new Shared Use Mobility Center/American Public Transit Association report showing that such mobility innovations tend to be complementary to public transit. Shared-use services like Lyft and Uber fill the gaps that exist in urban bus and rail operations, and encourage people to pursue lifestyles that do not center on private cars.
Still, carpooling should also be regarded as a potential game-changer. Federal guidelinesrecommend that analysts assume the average urban traveler values time savings at $24 per hour. An average traveler on an UberPool making a neighborhood-to-neighborhood trip may, therefore, by arriving about 20 minute earlier than a transit rider, derive a benefit from carpooling of around $8 per trip, which would be a far greater amount than the extra cost. The most time-sensitive travelers and groups of travellers would derive an even higher benefit.
Even though rideshare carpools represent a mobility breakthrough, it unfortunately continues to take a backseat in the taxi-centric debate over Lyft and Uber. It is certainly going to pose an increasing challenge to public transit agencies. Heightened competition in urban transit markets appears here to stay, and is now poised to bring dramatic changes to the way we travel.
Joseph P. Schwieterman is director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development and Professor of Public Service at DePaul University in Chicago.
Flickr photo of the S2 smartwatch from Samsung Newsroom: Travel NYC with the Gear S2 and Uber
This article was originally published by newgeography.com on 7/28/2016
https://opportunityurbanism.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SamsungGearS2.jpg 355 355 Joseph Schwieterman https://opportunityurbanism.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/COU_masthead.png Joseph Schwieterman2016-08-03 16:25:172017-03-14 13:08:45UBERPOOL & LYFTLINE: How the New Carpools Will Change Travel
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“Shoot the bugger!” screamed someone as Captain William Bligh was bundled overboard at musket-point and into a longboat. Dawn was breaking off the tiny Pacific island of Tofua when HMAV Bounty’s first mate Fletcher Christian ordered his captain and 18 loyalists into the six-metre boat. Shooting them might have been a kinder fate. Instead, they were set adrift in mid-ocean, some 6000 km from the nearest European outpost at Kupang, Timor.
April 28, 2019 marked the 230th anniversary of the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty. Overlooked amid the ensuing blue water opera of passion, heroics and revenge is that the Bounty might be seen, whimsically perhaps, as the pioneer of South Pacific cruising. If so, was the tempestuous, brilliant William Bligh — who is officially credited with discovering 13 Pacific islands — the South Pacific’s first European tourist, even if its most reluctant one? As visitors to the Pacific today, we sail in the wake of Bligh and the Bounty.
Bruny Island, Tasmania. In August 1788, His Majesty’s Armed Vessel Bounty, on a mission from England to Tahiti, made its first Pacific stop in Tasmania. As well as ‘discovering’ Hobart’s Mt Wellington, William Bligh planted at Adventure Bay seven apple trees — the very first the for future ‘Apple Isle’. On the shores of the bay, today’s Bligh Museum of Pacific Exploration commemorates the Bounty visit as well as those of other great navigators such as Cook, Flinders and D’Entrecasteaux.
Bounty Islands. On a roundabout route to its place in history, Bounty passed a desolate cluster of 13 granite islands in the Subantarctic. Now New Zealand territory, this uninhabited group is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of New Zealand fur seals and vast populations of seabirds. Bligh named the islands in honour of his ship, no doubt having in mind more glorious landmarks to append his own name to than these guano-bombed outcrops. The islands are now World Heritage-protected. Landing is prohibited and they are seen these days only by occasional expedition cruises. Bounty then headed north to warmer Pacific latitudes, but life at sea on any 18th century ship was always harsh and often more so under Bligh’s rigid discipline.
Tahiti, French Polynesia. The Society Islands, aka The Isles of Love, are renowned today for their lagoon resorts, vivid reefs and postcard lushness. To Bligh and the British Admiralty they simply meant breadfruit. Bounty’s mission was to collect a thousand saplings for transportation to the West Indies, hopefully to be used there as cheap food for sugar plantation slaves.
You can stand today on the black volcanic sands of Point Venus, 10 km from Papeete, and look across Matavai Bay to where Bounty rode at anchor for over five months during 1788 and 1789. While gathering the breadfruit plants, its crew were seduced by ‘paradise’ in the form of ample food and generous, amorous Polynesian consorts.
When Bounty up-anchored on 4 April, 1789 and sailed from ‘Otaheite’, its lowly sailors knew their days of near-aristocratic indulgence were reverting to the norm of being little more that seagoing slaves. (As the writer Dr Johnson noted after visiting a British man-of-war of that era, ‘Serving in a ship is like being in a prison — with a chance of drowning.’)Many of the crew, Fletcher Christian among them, were lovesick for their Tahitian sweethearts, while the caustic manner of Bligh, their master, commander and tormentor was salt to their wounds.
Cook Islands. All Polynesia had been populated by 1000 AD but Bligh is credited with ‘discovering’ Aitutaki — ‘Wytootackee’ — in the Cook Islands. He recorded, ‘I saw no Smoke or any Sign of Inhabitants, it is scarcely to be imagined however, that So charming a little Spot is without them.’ Bligh wasn’t the only ‘first white man to see’ part of the Cook Islands. Following the mutiny, Fletcher Christian aboard the fleeing Bounty sighted Rarotonga, which today is the most populous of the Cook Islands and its capital. But Fletch, being a no-good, shipjacker, would never be credited by the Admiralty with anything but heinous mutiny and thus candidature for hanging from the highest yard-arm. His sighting goes pointedly un-commemorated.
Tofua Island, Tonga. The Tongan Islands are known today as the Friendly Isles, a magnet for yachts, game fishing and whale watching, but as the Bounty wended its way through the archipelago in late April 1789, there were few friendly notions brewing on its foredeck. The rot set in terminally at Nomuka Island when Christian led an armed party ashore to find water but retreated under threat from hostile locals. Bligh publicly damned him as a ‘cowardly rascal’ afraid of ‘a set of Naked Savages’.
“Vintage engraving showing mutineers seizing Captain Bligh on board the Bounty. The Mutiny on the Bounty was a mutiny aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian against commanding officer Lieutenant William Bligh. According to most accounts, the sailors were attracted to the idyllic life on the Pacific island of Tahiti and were further motivated by harsh treatment from their captain.”
Picture this: 28 April 1789, beneath the brooding volcanic crown of Tofua Island in the Ha’apai Group, William Bligh is roused from his bunk at bayonet-point and thrown into the longboat, along with his 18 loyalists. Scant food and water, plus a sextant and compass, but no charts, are flung after them.
In this frail craft it was as far to the moon as to a safe shore. No blue lagoons or happy hour sundowners for these doomed men. But, as the mutineers set Bounty’s sail for Tahiti and its promises of languid paradise, the iron-willed Bligh set his own mind to the near-impossible, to navigate the tiny boat to Timor and revenge.
Fiji. Thus began the survivors’ 41-day, open-boat voyage, regarded as one of the most outstanding feats of seamanship in maritime history. As the first Europeans to sail through Fiji, Bligh marked their route so well that his chart of the ‘Bligh Islands’ (as he modestly named them and as Fiji was first known) is still useable today. The strait between the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu remains named after him.
Fiji’s beautiful Yasawa Islands today are famed for resorts like Turtle Island and the 1980 Brooks Shields’ movie The Blue Lagoon. Inevitably, there is a Bounty Island Resort. For the castaways, however, if there were to be any picnic in the Yasawas, they feared that they would be the main delicacy. Bligh recorded his men as having to frantically out-row a pursuing canoe of supposedly salivating cannibals.
Restoration Island, Cape York Peninsula. Constantly rowing, and aided by only two small sails, they inched their way towards ‘New Holland’ and through the Great Barrier Reef. Many of the men could barely walk when on 28 May they beached on a sandy islet that Bligh called Restoration Island, where they found water, oysters and berries aplenty. They ate ravenously. The island (“Resto” to today’s locals) sits a few hundred meters offshore from the Lockhart River mainland and 800 kilometers north of Cairns.
In 1932 the young Errol Flynn, sailing to New Guinea in his schooner Sirocco, visited the island and was fascinated by its Bounty connection. He soon went on to play Fletcher Christian in his first film, the 1933 version of Mutiny on the Bounty. Some 70 years later, Russell Crowe, star of another maritime epic, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, lingered at Resto in 2003 while on a seafaring honeymoon with wife Danielle.
Kupang, Timor. Reaching the northernmost point of the Australian continent, aka New Holland, the wretched survivors found a passage, now known as Bligh Entrance, through the Torres Strait and rowed on, ever westwards. More dead than alive following their six-week voyage of ‘extreme hardship, brilliant navigation and mutual hatred’, they sailed into Kupang harbour, Dutch Timor, on 14 June 1789. Bligh, always a stickler for protocol, insisted on doing so under a makeshift Union Jack.
Today’s travellers might head to Indonesia’s West Timor for surfing on Roti Island or next door to independent Timor-Leste for birding, diving and mountain biking but, for Bligh, Timor was just the beginning of his furious return to England in order to restore his reputation and to call down the Admiralty’s implacable wrath on Fletcher Christian and company.
Pitcairn Island. Meanwhile, back on the Bounty, the mutineers hightailed it to Tahiti and the longed-for good life but, understanding too well the grisly penalty for mutiny, most of them knew better than to linger where the Admiralty would surely track them. Collecting their female consorts and six Tahitian men, Christian and eight mutineers sailed the Bounty off the map.
After desperately searching the ocean for a haven they came across uninhabited, uncharted Pitcairn Island in January 1790. They burned the Bounty to avoid discovery and thus became the first permanent European settlers in the Pacific Islands. Within months, however, they were at each other’s throats. Within a decade all but one of the mutineers were dead.
The fate of the vanished Bounty remained a mystery for almost 20 years until an American whaling ship stumbled upon the island in 1808 and was greeted by a gaggle of polite, robust, English-speaking, mixed-race youngsters and a white-bearded, Bible-quoting elder, the last surviving mutineer, John Adams. Visitors today can reach this truly remote corner of the Pacific, with MV Bravo Supporter calling there several times a year. Some Bounty remains, mostly ballast stones, remain visible in the clear waters of Pitcairn’s Bounty Bay.
Norfolk Island. The mutineers’ English-Tahitian descendants thrived and multiplied on tiny Pitcairn to the point of overcrowding. When Queen Victoria granted them lush Norfolk Island in 1856 the entire Pitcairn community of 194 people was relocated there. Today, there are resorts, good dining, reef diving and convict ruins on Norfolk. And, of course, Bounty lore and proud ‘Mutiny’ descendants galore.
Footnote: The author sailed in April 1989 on the 200th anniversary re-enactment of the mutiny aboard the replica vessel built for the 1984 movie, The Bounty.
© John Borthwick 2019
Author davidlattaPosted on June 15, 2019 Categories Adventure, Australia, Bounty Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific, Tahiti, Tasmania, Timor, Tonga, TravelTags Australia, Captain James Cook, Captain William Bligh, Cook Islands, Errol Flynn, Fletcher Christian, HMS Bounty, Master & Commander, mutiny, Mutiny On The Bounty, Pitcairn Island, Russell Crowe, Tahiti, Tasmania, Timor, TongaLeave a comment on CAPTAIN BLIGH’S PACIFIC PARADISES by John Borthwick
Before World War II, you could present yourself at Bled railway station – with a suitable stack of valises for the journey – and buy yourself a ticket to Luxor as easily as you could to Paris. The rich and privileged of Europe did just that, using the lake resort on the sunny side of the Alps as a pleasant halfway house on the way to and from the mystical east as well as being a destination in its own right.
Even then, a half a century before the 1991 opening of the eight-kilometre-long tunnel through the Karavanken mountains which finally linked Slovenia with the Central European freeway system, or the introduction of the two-hour catamaran service across the Adriatic from Venice, the trek to the pure, warm, emerald green waters and thermal springs by the high peaks of the Julian Alps was deemed well worth the effort.
It is from a balcony of the famed Vila Bled that the allure is most apparent. Take, as I did, any eye line out across the water, past the tear-shaped island with its baroque church of the Assumption, up the sheer cliff on the other side to the striking 11th century castle clinging to the peak, and then out to the Karavankens in the dramatically arrayed distant background (with its imposing Mount Triglav), and you readily understand why this once royal realm has been eulogised and celebrated by poets, painters and photographers.
The balcony in question – now part of a suite in the first hotel of a former Eastern Bloc country to be welcomed into the prestigious Relais & Chateaux chain – was once attached to the office of Yugoslavian communist strongman Marshall Tito (whose mother was a Slovene). First constructed by an Austrian noble in 1885 as a smart two-storey villa resembling an English cottage, the Vila Bled was serving as the summer residence of the old royal family until they were driven into exile by advancing Nazis.
Sturdily rebuilt in 1947 to serve as a guest house for Tito’s official visitors, it played host to the likes of Khrushchev, Ceaucescu (whom Tito loathed) Nehru, Nasser, Bokassa, Indira Ghandi, Hussein, Akihito and, well recalled for the inventory which departed with him, North Korea’s Kim Il Sung.
While German Chancellor Willy Brandt is said to have put the finishing touches to his ‘Ostpolitik’ while in residence, affairs of state did not occupy all the occupants all the time. For a hint of how these illustrious visitors passed their hours within the sturdy Dalmatian marble walls, one needs to ask for a private tour – the pearl of which is Tito’s private cinema.
What first appears to be a dowdy room of aging furnishings is transformed into a compelling cultural time warp as large drapes are drawn back to reveal vast continuous murals of strident socialist realism which are even thin on the ground in Russia these days. The colours are assaulting, the imagery even more so – sheaths of wheat, valiantly wielded sickles, ragged peasant tunics, feet bound in tied rags, bright-eyed children – all surging forward into a glorious tomorrow which never arrived.
Easily the most-visited part of Slovenia – a ’boutique’ country traversed by the sun in all of twelve minutes – Bled comes alive in summer, with a plentiful international tourist flow descending upon the food, the displayed art, the evening concerts and a small casino. However, if you arrive out of season it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that mayor Janez Faifar, until recently the manager of the Vila Bled, will load you into his own car and take you with him as he strides about his domain, not just exposing you to the rustic delights of thousand year-old villages but proving resoundingly that what you’ve never been told about nails and bees can actually be essential information.
The giant nails which still hold together the pylons that support Venice were made (along with 129 other varieties) in Kropa, a tiny village wedged into a slim valley under the Jelovica Plateau. By the boiling base of the steep and fast-flowing Kroparica stream which slices through the famous little steel town is an Iron Forging Museum which recreates the world of the dedicated artisans who, for centuries, turned out fine wrought-iron decorations along with their shafts and spikes (some of which found their way to the New World with Columbus and were prised from planking by sailors who swapped them ashore for necklaces and other considerations).
It is another rare craft that forms the core of the attraction of nearby medieval Radovljica, a craft that grew out of Slovenia’s beekeeping mastery. So advanced in all things apiarian is this little land that more than a thousand trucks are put at the disposal of bees in peak season to better facilitate the honey flow. Not content to just write treatises and export queen bees to the world, the keepers of the hives, from the early 1800s, began painting and decorating them with topical and often quite beautiful folk art.
In some, the devil is depicted sharpening an old woman’s tongue or swapping old wives for nubile young women; in another, two peasants quarrel about the ownership of a cow while a lawyer milks it; and, in another, a funeral procession through a forest sees a hunter borne to his grave by gun-toting animals. It is within the ornate Thurn Manor on the historical public square, near the 1822 Lectar Inn restaurant and former gingerbread bakery, that the Beekeeping Museum displays these amazing original panels and cleverly celebrates an industry that has shaped Slovenian life.
Paths are beaten to and beyond the doors of these museums between mid-April and mid-October, when the 2,500 beds in beloved Bled have been claimed. Part of the seduction secret is a certain serenity. There are no motored vessels allowed on the 500-metre-high lake. Twenty families have inherited rights to operate the gondola boats called pletnas that softly snake across the water to what is the only true island in Slovenia. Blekski Otok has borne a Christian church since the 9th century though there is evidence that it was a site of pagan worship for the early Slavs well before that.
Now, the dimensions of landmarks are normally the fine print in guidebooks but it is worth knowing that, when the recession of the Ice Age Bohinj Glacier gouged out Lake Bled, it left a cavity just a whisker over two kilometres long. The length would not have been of any great significance to the primitive Slavs of the 7th century but it certainly was to aspiring Olympians of the 20th century who became aware that the official length of a rowing course was, yes, two kilometres. With a fortuitous, slightly off-centre placement of the island allowing the sleek craft to glide just past it, the rowers of Bled were able to practice, day in and day out; their disciplined labour culminating, at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, in the first gold medal for a new nation.
Heroes they are, in Bled and beyond, their praises sung and their visages displayed in the snug and stylish capital of Ljubljana, where a true cafe society is carried on under a castle backdrop amid a network of decorative bridges and buildings, waterways, narrow streets and busy markets.
It is the level of sophistication that comes as the first great surprise, though it really shouldn’t. Tucked into a curve in the Adriatic alongside Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, with Trieste literally just down the road, Vienna and Rome thirty minutes away by air, and Venice, Salzburg and Munich a few hours away by road, Ljubljana is thoroughly European.
Indeed, with its castles, crafts, alps, lakes, ports, culture, fertile farms, annual jazz festival and layers of linguistics, Slovenia is very much Europe in microcosm. It was French novelist Charles Nodier who, greatly impressed by the national flair for languages, once compared it to “an Academy of Arts and Sciences”.
What irks the fine citizens most in this lush land (after Scandinavia, it is the greenest in all Europe – more than two-thirds wooded) is being, as the popular phrase puts it, tarred with the Balkan brush. It is here in the art-laden coffee bars and restaurants of a safe and civilised city of just 300,000, where young policeman in goatee beards stroll with a smile past art-house cinema clubs frequented by chattering students in jagged fashions, that you keep hearing the exasperated refrain. It comes somewhere between the seasoned pork with field mushroom soup and the fragrant apple or violet ice cream: we were a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire for a thousand years and of Yugoslavia for seventy years but all anybody remembers is the last part.
“Even during the communist years, we were always somewhere in between – not socialist, not capitalist” offered a young man called Tomaz in the grounds of his old university. “We could travel internationally. If you wanted something that wasn’t available, you went to Trieste and bought it. We never felt that we couldn’t talk about anything we wished; we even had great rock’n’roll here.” Slovenia’s exit from the disintegrating Balkan state in 1991 was relatively painless, all over and done with in ten days of half-hearted sabre rattling by Belgrade. And, over the next decade, the entrepreneurial citizens prospered nicely in their bread basket land, untouched by the horrors in Bosnia or Kosovo. It was even overlooked by the criminal gangs that preyed on those disrupted and disputed republics.
The impact of world perception was harsh when it came to tourism. In 1991, a million visitors a year came to the extraordinary Postojna Caves, west of Ljubljana toward the coast. A decade on, the admissions were less than half a million (though they’ve climbed upward since). Far and away the greatest loss was on the part of those who chose not to come to it or to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Skocjan caves, for only around the Spanish/French Basque region are there comparable subterranean complexes.
Long known as “a cheese land” the Slovenia depths are patterned by some 7,000 caves, with only 20 open to the public. Described by English sculptor Henry Moore as “Nature’s most wonderful gallery”, the two-million-year-old Postojna is comprised of more than 25 kilometres of gloriously sculptured chambers, galleries, halls and river beds. Guides have been taking paying customers along the trails for almost two hundred years; with the aid of railway carriages since 1872 and electric illumination since 1884. Over 30 million people have passed through, in constant temperatures of 8-9 degrees centigrade.
The tentacles of these caves extend to the startling Predjamski Castle – a Robber Baron’s retreat castle where boiling oil really was poured from parapets. The dramatic setting of this four-storey structure, in the open mouth of a cavern halfway up a mountainside, made it a hotly contested property some five hundred years ago. The best legends are attached to Slovenia’s Robin Hood, one Erazem Lueger, who used the secret passages and caves to pillage the countryside and return to the impregnable, drawbridged castle. He met his inevitable end while performing his ablutions in a vulnerable water closet, having been betrayed by a servant to an Austrian cannon post.
Legends also abound along Slovenia’s scant 47 kilometres of coastline, much of which was only incorporated into Yugoslavia in the mid-1950s. In summer months, it takes on a decided Cote d’Azur tone, with the coastal towns of Portoroz, Piran, Izola, Koper and Ankaran boasting 120 hotels between them, and around a million and a quarter visitors staying overnight in Portoroz alone – drawn by its beaches and popular health resorts.
At the heart of the appeal, apart from the strong international atmosphere, is the coast’s very Mediterranean climate, noticeably warmer that the rest of the country. In wintry January, temperatures rarely go below 4-5 degrees centigrade and, in July, sit around 21-2. Izola lays claim to the furthermost north olive trees in the world capable of yielding good quality oil; though that is but part of its bounty – citrus fruits, pines, palms, oleander, rosemary, laurel, tomatoes and paprika adding to an agricultural mix more Sicily than Slovenia.
The centrepiece of the coast, occupying the tip of a slender dogleg peninsula, is Piran (Pirano to the ubiquitous Italians). A rich merchant port, a ‘free town’ with its own statute in the 13th century, it is famed for a Venetian Gothic Old Town, layers of high ancient town walls, a flourishing arts community, and a small harbour marina for which the term picturesque is more than apt.
With a name derived from either the Celtic word bior-dun (town on a hill) or the Greek word pyr (fire), this atmospheric old trading chest seaport has been handed from one conqueror to another over the centuries, with each occupant – be they Celts, Romans, barbarians, Byzantines, Obers, Slavs, Franks, the Patriarchs of Aquileai, Venetians, Italians, Germans, Austrians or Yugoslavs – leaving something tangible behind.
Within a 17th century palace along this small harbour, in front of Tartini Square (named after violinist/composer Giuseppe Tartini who found world fame with his infamous Devil’s Trill sonata) is a place of exhibition every bit as engaging as Bled’s nail and bees houses of wonder. Take the marble staircase up to the Sergej Masera Maritime Museum and you enter a time when navies ruled the world and commanded all trade, when fires were lit each night in the Punta district on the tip of the peninsula at Cape Madonna to guide ships heavy with precious cargo into port. A time also when the masts of Venetian ships, the frames of galleons and the walls of Venetian houses were made from high, straight oak trees plundered from Slovenia’s Karst region, where the caves reside (and where some hills are forever denuded).
Slovenia’s icons, as one learns within these walls, didn’t all play their way into chamber music fame or row into Olympic record books. The man who discovered that Baja California, in Mexico, was a peninsula and not an island 350 years ago was Slovenian. One Baron Marko Anton Kapus, a Jesuit Abbot. They’ve put him on a postage stamp. A new nation takes its heroes where it can.
Thanks to Italian nationals, who account for 90 per cent of the custom, the ‘Slovenia Riviera’ has a strong casino culture. During the communist years, locals were not allowed entry to those gaming centres set up to fleece foreign currency from the region and so developed no taste for gambling. However, with only four legal casinos in Italy there is an unquenchable appetite from that part of the world for the spin of the roulette wheel and the slap of the blackjack table which Slovenia, with its swish and highly professional emporiums of chance, is pleased to help satisfy.
Somehow the gamblers fit easily into a visitor flow that includes young British and European internet surfers who lob into Trieste from London on bargain charter tickets and treat the border as if it were not there (in many ways, it isn’t). What they all find is often more than they came seeking, for surprises are plentiful. Take, for but one example, the Casa Del Papa in Ljubljana, a restaurant/bar cum nightclub devoted to Ernest Hemingway displaying a simply astounding array of ‘Papa’ and Cuban visuals over its three floors.
There is something decidedly comfortable about this country, with its often staggering diversity and inexpensive pricing, and something undeniably appealing about a people who are said to have a Mediterranean temperament with a touch of Nordic reserve combined with earthy Slav charm and sincerity. There is a sense of wry and dry humour that seems to be ingrained in those people who survive terms as Soviet Satellites. Ask Janez Faifar about the origins of the name Bled and he may respond: “In German, it means crazy, in Russian, it refers to a whore and, in French, it comes out as ‘a lost village in the mountains’. Maybe two out of three isn’t bad.”
For the moment, these good folk are waiting for the world to catch up. It may insist, at least for the moment, on seeing Slovenia as Balkan rather than Adriatic or Alpine but they will keep politely correcting the record. As they know better than most, everything changes in time.
P.S. For a time, after my departure, Janez Faifar became the Mayor of Bled. An eminently wise elevation.
©2002 Words and photography by Glenn A. Baker
Author davidlattaPosted on January 9, 2019 January 9, 2019 Categories Europe, Slovania, TravelTags Bled, Kropa, Ljubljana, Marshall Tito, Piran, Postojna Caves, Predjamski Castle, Radovljica, Slovenia, Vila Bled3 Comments on SLOVENIA – ADRIATIC, ALPINE, ASTOUNDING by Glenn A. Baker
John Borthwick
Way back then, the late 1960s, I believed with all the earnestness that only age 20 can summon that my life in Sydney was dead, karked. I was already too old to succeed, but too young to officially fail. I borrowed ten pounds to flee the academic, economic and romantic corpses strewn (I imagined) behind me. I would take to the roads, disappear forever. Or at least hitchhike right around Australia, the circumference of my knowable world.
The tourniquets that stifle a city — mortgage belt, industrial belt, car yard wastelands — soon fell away. A “rabbito” named Ernie piloting an old Vanguard stops and we head west over the Blue Mountains and out past Bathurst to where I join him on a three-day rabbit-trapping safari, using nets and Mitzi, his cute, blood-lusting ferret. Out there on the western plains of the Great Divide, the wheat fields ripple like ground-swell and sulphur-crested cockatoos cartwheel down the sky, screeching away through the stringy barks. Mobs of galahs. Wallabies. I nearly overdose on bunny stew. And when I start hitching again, not too many cars.
Somewhere near Cowra, my ride passes a semi-trailer that’s overturned, spilling a cargo of cowboy boots and licorice candies. I ditch the lift and grab a pair of boots and a face-full of Choo-Choo Bars just before the insurance agents torch the lot. I figure that now, in my boots, no one’s going to spot me as a city boy.
Across the Murrumbidgee plains, dawn and dusk suns flicker like strobes through the windbreak poplars. At Hay, I help a trucker change eight of the 18 tires on his bone-rattling rig. “I’ve been at the wheel for 20 hours,” he says, “And since I was starting to talk to myself, I figured I oughter pick up someone to listen to me.” He lives like a gypsy, criss-crossing the country for weeks on end, at odds with log books, cops and savage schedules. He complains, “The bloody mermaids are after us truckies.”
“Mermaids?” I query.
“My oath. Mermaids everywhere. Weighbridge inspectors. Cunts with scales.”
New South Wales becomes Victoria, becomes South Australia, each one vanishing in the infinite regress of the side mirror. The big one, the Nullarbor Plain soon lies ahead of me. By now, there isn’t much left of my ten quid and so when a driver says that he’s an abalone diver working out of Ceduna and, do I want a job as a “shucker”, you bet I do. God knows what a shucker does.
Next morning I’m racing out to sea in an “ab boat”, heading for the Nuyts Archipelago about 40 miles off Ceduna. The head diver, Rodney Fox had achieved fame a few years back when a huge white pointer clamped him in its apocalyptic jaws. He struggled so fiercely that the Noah let him go but left the perfect imprint of its dental chart puncturing his torso fore and aft. Hundreds of stitches later — a zipper would have been quicker — plus a brief convalescence, Rodney got straight back on the seahorse and resumed diving for lucrative abalone.
Shucking means that you’re up on deck tending the air-compressor, making sure the diver’s air-line doesn’t kink and shelling — “shucking” — the abalone that you’ve winched to the surface. Oh, yes, and watching for sharks. The pay, about eight pounds a day. The one, big shucking drawback — seasickness.
Beyond Ceduna, the Nullarbor Plain stretches to infinity across the Great Australian Bight. During my gig as a shucker I notice a glum-looking kid camped near the last roadhouse. Teddy, an Aucklander, is having no luck in hitching to Perth. For a week he’s stood beside the agricultural inspection gate from nine to five, waggling his thumb in vain. A thousand miles of desert ahead and he can’t get out of town.
My problem is that he’s at the head of the hitching queue — yes, there is etiquette among bums — and I’m ready to hit the road, too. Come the morning of my departure, there’s Teddy already out by the tick gate. At the roadhouse café, I fall into conversation with a dog-collared gentleman who is breakfasting beside me. Who announces he is heading to Perth.
“Now? I mean, today?” I ask.
“Could I, um … get a ride with you?”
Suddenly, I’ve scored a ride across the Nullarbor without even raising my thumb! In jubilation and in shame, I sail through that gate. And cannot look at Teddy.
The Nullarbor, the No Tree Plain, is a ribbon of unreal, unsealed images. So wide and empty you can almost see the curve of the earth. Like the wake of a ghostly boat, the highway rises and falls, straight as death across the spinifex ocean. Heat miasmas shred the vanishing point and leave it flapping between heaven and the horizon. A sign says “Last Petrol”. Another warns, “Last Water” and then, ominously, “Last Beer”. After that, the husks of blown-out tires, shattered beer bottles and dead kangaroos are the only pointers to life before death.
Nonchalant Aborigines walk from seemingly nowhere to specifically somewhere else. A mission. A cattle station. Miles from anywhere, two wild-eyed hitchers gesticulating like crazed windmills beside their midnight bonfire. The West Australia border is marked by a bullet-peppered sign: “First Beer”. The old telegraph station at Eucla appears then disappears, engulfed in shifting coastal dunes. It’s almost 1200 miles to Perth, or more correctly, 2000 kilometres. Australia’s been “metric” for a few years but we’ll still talk in miles for decades.
Whatever the figure, after thirty-six hours of pot-holed, bull-dusted highway, I bid farewell to the terrifically decent Rev. Trev Brown, London Missionary Society, late of Mount Hagen. I teeter, sleepless, speechless, stuffed, onto King George’s Terrace, Perth. Wrecked, but there.
“In the midst of life, we are in Perth”, said Sydney bohemian writer Harry Hooton. I think I get what he meant. One night in the Salvo’s flophouse and quick look around — and it’s clear that I won’t be making my fortune here. I sign up as a mine labourer at Mount Tom Price, far, far north in the Pilbara’s Hamersley Range. Which means another thousand-mile hitch, up the Indian Ocean coast to the job on time.
The whole mountain — more like a range — of almost solid iron ore is being shipped chunk by chunk to Japan. My seven-days-a-week job is to run an Air-Track, a compressor-driven drill mounted on crawler tracks, boring holes in giant boulders so they can be blown to smithereens. Work all day, save every cent, sleep in a cell and eat in the mess. Get up and do it again, amen.
The town has 500 single men and six single women. Extraordinarily, one of the girls kissed me, once. Even more extraordinary — I can’t recall why. Hamersley Mining had sunk $300 million into this open-cut abyss but for all the state-of-the-art crushers and conveyors, things still kept jamming. After six hours of shovelling overflowed ore that had flooded the train loading-bays, Duggy the Drunk bellowed: “Three hundred million bucks worth of alternating oscillators and oscillating fuckn’ alternators, and it still takes a dozen blokes on pick n’ shovel to make the bastard work.” That we were doing it all on emergency, triple-time rates eased the pain.
I moved up to offsider on a big mobile drill rig that trundled over the mine site day and night sinking sixty-foot holes with its rotating tungsten bit. The powder crew followed, filling the drill pattern with nitropril explosive and then blasting the hillside to Mitsubishi. On night shifts, while Irish Frank the driller eased the bit down into the earth with the skill of a surgeon — and sutured himself against the desert cold with belts of vodka — I had time aplenty to watch the giant sky and the spokes of its star-wheels turning, and to wonder where, for me, real life lay?
Marooned — OK, voluntarily — in this burning, freezing, boring, mateless doldrum of saltbush and red dirt, was this the horse latitudes of my life? After ten weeks with the outside world leaking-in only through two day-old newspapers (over breakfast I learn that Bobby Kennedy has been assassinated), I’ve saved a thousand bucks and grown a beard. A bulldozer driver yells, “What are ya, mate? An armpit with eyes or an ear‘ole with teeth?” and I jump an ore train to the coast.
Port Hedland is a culture cut-up — old horse hitching-rails outside new supermarkets, giant ore carriers offshore from feral camels. The next port, Broome is quieter, with its pearling luggers careened on the tidal flats like elephants drunk in the sun. There’s an exemplary swirl of Japanese-Malay-Chinese-Aboriginal-European genes.
The roads are rough and the rides are few but they’re long. Up here a hundred miles is not much more than “next door.” Derby. Fitzroy Crossing. Hall’s Creek. The road leaves the ocean, curves east then north. The sky turns turquoise at the edges. Whistling, whip-cracking Aboriginal stockmen dressed like fantastic gauchos in bandanas, cowboy boots and Akubras just let the traffic sit and wait, and wait, while their huge mobs of cattle amble by.
One morning I wake beneath a fat old boab tree outside Kununurra and wish myself “Happy Birthday.” I’m twenty-one. Ignoring homelessness and joblessness as portents of a fucked future, but still pissed-off at being stuck here for three days, I celebrate with a beer, a can of smoked oysters and a decision. Stuff Kununurra’s parched mercies. Next morning I’m on a TAA plane to Darwin. Having blown $25 on my escape, I compensate by wolfing down three breakfasts before we land. Chokka on the Fokker.
Darwin. The Top-End. The Territory. Everything steeped in sweat and alcohol, and it’s only ten a.m. I luck out when two flash, high-spirited girls of imprecise occupation — “Don’t ask, darling” — in a big, black, bat-winged Chevy whisk me down the track to Rum Jungle.
“The Track”, the Stuart Highway, bisects the continent from north to south. Harry, an old-timer who had spent 30 years working on the Overland Telegraph took me all the way from Mataranka to Three Ways, five hundred miles. “I seen you hitch-hiking like I used to back in the Depression. I’ve been reading we might be having another one, a Depression, so I thought I better give yer a lift.”
This is about his longest speech during our two-day drive. Come dark, he pulls his old Holden ute off the road, we build a fire and he heats-up dinner — in the middle of a million square miles of Australian beef country, it’s a can of Paraguayan beef. We eat. Harry rolls out his swag and beds down. After 15 minutes he belches: “Struth. That stuff tasted more like the Paraguayan hisself, eh?”
Just north of Tennant Creek is a sand-whipped crossroads known as Three Ways, a dark fork on life’s path where a traveler must choose between deserts to the south, mulga and Queensland to the east, or to flee back north, to soused, troppo Darwin. The Three Ways signpost is twisted so it points perversely west to Alice, east to Darwin, south to Mt Isa. A corrugated iron hut calls itself “Cafeteria.” The gimlet-eyed customers, too wise to their own violence don’t risk much speech with a stranger. Very expensive Mars Bars. “If ya don’t like the price, try the fuckin’ shop next door,” drawls the old hard-case harridan behind the counter.
“Welcome to Three Days,” says Bobby, an Aboriginal bloke.
“Three Days?”
“Yeah, that’s about the average wait for a ride here.”
“Fark.”
An hour later another hitcher arrives. An old hand, heading for Sydney, he’s done time here before. After a warm Coke, a piss and a stink-eye glare in my direction he growls that two hitchers is one too many, and heads off the other way, south across the desert to Alice and Coober Pedy. And so it is that when a battered Land Rover pulls up after only three hours I leap in the back with near-jubilation. There are two jackaroos up front.
“We’re just going for a Sund’y drive.”
“Great, where?”
“Camooweal.”
Some Sunday drive. Camooweal is almost 300 miles east, in Queensland. Elated as I am to be heading there, I have no desire to actually be in Camooweal. The town has a reputation born of stories about stir-crazy ringers and boundary riders hitting town to blow their cheques after months of isolation on over-the-horizon cattle stations. Their best joke is supposed to go, “Hey, mate, ‘Blue’s’ lookin’ for you.”
”Huh? ‘Blue’ who?” answers the newly arrived, unwitting, longhaired, bearded stranger.
“Blue Gillette! Let’s shear him, fellers!”
The boys drop me right outside the Camooweal pub. Shit. Thanks. I turn up my collar and hoof it straight out of town, way past the “Welcome” sign that’s shot-gunned to resemble a colander. I lurk in the mulga, praying that some sane ride, please Jesus, arrives soon. Half an hour later it does — a perfectly sober shearer.
More rear-view highway hypnosis from the back of trucks and utes. The endless Black Soil Plains slip behind on a rhythm of ruts and posts, clouds and curves. Days later, something blue tilts up to fill half the sky. The sea, at last! Townsville, dense with palms, reeking of blossom and salt tang. Colonial pubs with lace iron balconies face the Coral Sea, waiting for whoever gets there first, discovery by Nostalgia or demolition by Progress.
Stuck south of Mackay, I shelter for a night in a road-gang’s camp. Most of the crew are in town for the weekend rodeo. As I leave in the morning one guy asks, “Jack. I see you’re wearin’ cowboy boots. You a dark horse headin’ for the rodeo?” Feeling almost credible, I hit the track for one last haul south.
The highway picks up speed. The gravity rings of Brisbane and Sydney suck everything down the map towards them. The cane fields flare against the night sky as farmers fire their crops before the harvest — the world smells like a giant vat of molasses. At Surfers Paradise, I flop onto the beach and then bodysurf my first waves since forever.
If the dust on my boots and stains on my pack are badges of the road, I’ll claim them. It’s taken 10,000 miles and three months.New South Wales again. Almost back, Jack. Shelter from a cyclone near Mullumbimby. Screw the thumb to the track one last time. All the rites and wrongs of passage now done, complete. I’m on the home run to the Big Smoke. Hey, Ma! Hey, Sydney! I’ve actually done something.
Words and photos John Borthwick ©2018
Author davidlattaPosted on October 27, 2018 January 9, 2019 Categories Australia, TravelTags Abalone, Australia, Bathurst, Blue Mountains, Camooweal, Ceduna, Cowra, Darwin, Great Australian Bight, Hay, Kununurra, Mataranka, Mount Tom Price, Mullumbimby, Nullarbor Plain, Nuyts Archipelago, Perth, Pilbara, Port Hedland, Sydney, Tennant Creek, TownsvilleLeave a comment on THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF MY KNOWABLE WORLD by John Borthwick
In-room artwork at The Guest House At Graceland
You can’t go very far in Memphis without encountering some reminder of Elvis Presley. The Tennessee city was his in so many ways. He went to school there, recorded his world-changing Sun recordings there, lived there throughout his adult life and continues to exert a powerful influence over it more than 40 years after his death. While he spent a lot of time away – in Germany for his late 1950s Army service, in California for much of the 1960s making a string of largely forgettable but hugely popular and profitable films, and touring throughout the United States (but nowhere else) – Elvis, the King of Rock’n’Roll, was Memphis. His home, Graceland, remains the city’s most popular tourist attraction, attracting more than 600,000 visitors a year.
The man who many claim invented rock’n’roll (and certainly presided over the social revolution that rock’n’roll ushered in) may have been Memphis but Memphis, paradoxically, was also far more than Elvis.
The list of singers and musicians who were born in or near or eventually called Memphis home, even if they were later more widely associated with other cities, is astoundingly long. W.C. Handy, regarded as the Father of the Blues, was born in nearby Florence, Alabama (close to what is erroneously known to music fans as the Muscle Shoals area), and played the bars and clubs of Beale Street in the early years of the 20th century; later, such local exponents of the blues, rhythm and blues and soul included William Bell, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, B.B. King, Little Jimmy King, Memphis Slim, Little Milton, Charlie Musselwhite, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Junior Wells, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Arthur Lee, and Maurice White. And just to ensure that Memphis isn’t entirely mired in nostalgia, there’s Justin Timberlake.
Boo Mitchell at Royal Studios
Is there something in the water (aside from the Mississippi that laps its muddy shores) that brought so much talent to gather in one place? Nobody knows although there are certainly numerous theories. One thing is certain: over several decades, Memphis was the place where a perfect creative storm played out in recording studios and live music venues, the reverberations of which encircled the world.
There aren’t too many people with greater insight into Memphis’ musical legacy than Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell. He grew up in Royal Studios, which his father, Willie Mitchell, operated as well as serving as Vice President of Hi Records; at the height of its R&B fame in late 1960s and 70s, Hi was best known as the home of Al Green (who had sales in excess of 20 million copies).
He was his father’s son; he combined his inherited talents with a fascination for testing boundaries. Long years of watching and listening, instructed by Willie and everybody who passed through the studio, paid off spectacularly. His first paid session was at the age of 16 as a keyboard player on Al Green’s recording of “As Long As We’re Together”; providentially, it won a Grammy.
Boo started managing Royal Studios in 2000 and became Chief Engineer in 2004. Now considered one of the oldest continually operating music studios in the world, Royal recorded the likes of Green, Anne Peebles, Ike and Tina Turner and Bobby Blue Bland during its R&B and soul heyday, then attracted artists such as Rod Stewart, Boz Scaggs, Tom Jones, Robert Cray, John Mayer, Snoop Dog and Keb Mo.
Much of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Special album was recorded at Royal (earning Boo a Grammy for his engineering duties), especially the Bruno Mars’ single, Uptown Funk. It was the first #1 out of Royal since Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and the first #1 out of Memphis since Disco Duck. And the first ever Record Of The Year Grammy out of Memphis.
Boo carefully considers the factors that brought Memphis to its creative convergence.
“Memphis has a very interesting history,” he says carefully. “It’s always been different, non-conformist. What makes us unique is that we don’t really care what other people think or what the trends are. Historically, we’ve always danced to the beat of our own drum. There’s something about the city, an energy here that inspires creativity and individuality. It comes out in the music.
“Memphis is one of those places you have to visit to understand. You can read about it, you can talk about it, but you won’t really get it until you come here. We still have a realness and a grittiness. I think that’s what draws people here to make records.”
What Boo Mitchell (and his brother, Archie, who is also involved with Royal) experienced growing up and how it influenced their eventual career path, is something of a microcosm of what Memphis is all about. There is a tradition of creativity and musical appreciation, and a reverence for that tradition, that passes down through the generations.
Recreated recording studio at Stax Museum
Royal was one of the success stories of Memphis and that goes just as much for Stax. Founded in 1957 under the name of Satellite Records, the company took over an old movie theatre in South Memphis in 1960; one of its early recordings, “Cause I Love You”, by Rufus Thomas and his daughter, Carla, became a hit. Soon afterwards, Satellite became Stax.
With distribution through Atlantic Records, Stax (along with sister label, Volt, and subsidiaries Enterprise, Hip, Chalice and Gospel Truth) showcased Memphis soul and R&B to the world. Although Stax’s prime barely lasted two decades, it recorded and released a massive amount of product with such lasting names as Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, the Mar-Keys, the Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Issac Hayes, Sam & Dave, and William Bell.
Although the movie theatre that became Stax recording studio and corporate headquarters was demolished in 1989, following the collapse of the company, within a decade it was recreated as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, which opened in 2003. It profiles Stax artists as well as other giants of soul, R&B and blues.
Isaac Hayes’ gold-plated Cadillac at the Stax Museum
The Stax Museum isn’t the only celebration of the city’s musical heritage; the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and the Blues Hall of Fame are all worthy of visits. But there’s really only own ground zero when it comes to discussing the music that changed the world and the role that Memphis played in this.
And that’s Sun Studios, just east of the downtown area. It’s small and usually crowded and often chaotic but its importance to modern music is in inverse proportion to its size. And the story of Sun Studios, and its most famous recording artist, reveals a lot of about Memphis as a society and why rock’n’roll became such a seismic revolution.
This story goes back to 1950 when a radio station recording engineer by the name of Sam Phillips established the Memphis Recording Service. Phillips, like W.C. Handy, was born in Florence, Alabama, and was a sound engineer for a Memphis radio station when he decided his future lay in uncovering and recording new talent.
In the midst of the segregated South, long before the civil rights movement began to change the lives of the black community, early gains were made via the music industry. Sam Phillips started recording African-American artists such as Howling Wolf, Little Milton and Rufus Thomas, but his agenda was as simple as it was initially elusive – to find a white artist who could reinterpret black music for a whole new audience.
In August 1953, a quietly spoken and painfully shy 18-year-old high school student by the name of Elvis Presley came to the studio to record a two-sided acetate as a tribute to his mother (paying $US3.98 plus tax for the privilege). With a high keening voice, faltering with nervousness, and hindered by a taste for simpering ballads, Phillips was nonetheless intrigued by the boy’s potential and made a mental note to get him back at a later date to further explore his potential.
That took quite some time; Phillips called him back in June 1954 to try him out on a song he thought had a chance in the charts. The recording session didn’t yield the results he wanted; over the next few hours, he had Elvis sing just about anything he could recall but nothing special evolved.
Still, there was something there. Phillips just didn’t know what. On 4 July, he called in a second opinion from musician Scotty Moore, who was less than impressed but Phillips forged ahead anyway. On the evening of 5 July 1954, Phillips gathered Elvis, Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on stand-up bass and had them run through an almost endless series of songs in the Sun studios.
Hour after hour, little transpired except frustration. Late that night (or in the early hours following midnight, depending on who later told the story), Elvis dropped the ballads he’d been addicted to and started fooling around with a song that had been a hit for an African-American blues artist, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup almost a decade before.
With Crudup, “That’s All Night (Mama)” was straight-up Delta blues; Elvis, not likely almost hallucinating with fatigue, mixed in rockabilly and his own interpretation of black rhythm and blues. Phillips froze at the console; he alone realised that the genie had wrestled its way out of the bottle.
Rock’n’roll was born. Elvis’ world was changed forever, just as music (and the world in which it existed) forever changed. Until that time, black music was as segregated from white music (and its respective audiences) as society was in general. The barriers came crashing down; and while the changes weren’t as rapid as is generally believed in hindsight, the changes did occur.
Elvis led the revolution for just a few short years. He set the world on fire with his performing style (honed through a stage fright that manifested in his trademark leg shaking although it was mis-interpreted as sexualised gyrations by critics of the older generation) but his influence lasted just five Sun Records singles over the next 15 months before RCA takes over Elvis’ recording contract and four years of live performances. A new manager, Colonel Tom Parker, took over his career in March 1956. Elvis was conscripted into the Army in March 1958. He returned from service in Germany two years later and effectively spent the next 13 years making 31 largely forgettable movies.
That he rebuilt his career as a performer in the late 1960s says much of his innate talent and the dedication of his fans. And even after his death, at the of 42, in 1977, those fans – and new generations to come – kept his celebrity alive.
The TV Room at Graceland
Graceland is one of the best-known tourist attractions in the United States. In early 2017, a $US45 million state-of-the-art entertainment and museum complex, Elvis Presley’s Memphis, opened. It showcases a staggering range of archival Elvis material, from cars and motorcycles to stage costumes, and includes restaurants, numerous merchandise stores and a theatre continuously screening Elvis movies and concert footage.
To tour Graceland is to appreciate just how global the Elvis phenomenon is. Visitors from every country in the world came to Memphis to get their Elvis fix. And they find it in just about every corner of the city.
At the Peabody Hotel, the grand dame of Memphis hotels, Hal Lansky is another who enjoys taking the time to enthuse to visitors his own special music stories. Hal’s father, Bernard, and his uncle, Guy, founded the Lansky Bros. menswear store on Beale Street in 1946. At that time Beale Street was the centre of black culture with cafes, restaurants, juke joints, pawn stores, clubs, pool halls and theatres. Gospel, blues and jazz music played continuously.
Lansky Bros. specialised in stylish men’s clothing, attracting a core clientele who appreciated the high-quality fabrics and rainbow-hued colours. In the early 1950s, Bernard noticed a young man gazing longingly at the front window displays and drew him inside.
He introduced himself as Elvis Presley and stated his intention of being a singer. He wanted to dress as well as other Lansky clients but didn’t have the money. Bernard, sensing someone who could well change the world, staked him for his first outfits. In return, Elvis, wherever he performed and whenever he was asked (or even if he wasn’t) credited Lanskys with his wardrobe. Elvis never forgot the generosity of Lansky Bros. He’d often buy the shop out, dropping in for midnight shopping sessions, or influencing other performers to try them. Over time, Lanskys also outfitted B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Rufus Thomas and James Brown.
When Hal was a child, Elvis would come into the store. On Saturday mornings, he’d go horse riding at Graceland. He’s often accompanying his father when dropping in outfits to Graceland; Elvis would even open the front door and spend time chatting at Hal.
“I’m proud that we’re helping to keep Elvis’ legacy alive,” Hal says. “He was our goodwill ambassador. He never forgot what my father did for him.”
In one of the four Lansky Bros. stores at the Peabody hangs a pink leather fur-trimmed coat that Elvis dropped in for repairs (he’d ripped the back vent as he was getting out of a car) just before his death and never picked up. And Elvis was buried in a white suit, light blue shirt and white tie – all from Lansky Bros.
In 2014, Lansky Bros. returned to the original building founded by Bernard and Guy; it shares space with the Hard Rock Café. It’s from outside this building that I climb into a 1955 Plymouth Belvedere being driven by local singer/songwriter Eva Brewer of the Rockabilly Rides tour company for a 90 minute Red Hot & Blue tour, taking in Elvis sites throughout Memphis.
Eva Brewer of Rockabilly Rides
Included is Humes High School, which Elvis attended, the Overton Park Shell, the outdoor performance space where Elvis gave his first public performance on 30 July 1954, the Lauderdale Courts, the public housing development where Elvis lived with his parents at the time he recorded with Sun Records, and even the dealership where Elvis purchased his Cadillacs (for himself occasionally but more often for family, friends and even complete strangers; its estimated, for example, that Elvis gave away more than 275 luxury cars, worth well over $US3 million).
(In a typical Memphisian stroke of serendipity, one of the principals of Rockabilly Rides, Brad Birkedahl, played Scotty Moore in the Oscar-winning Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line.)
However long a visitor spends in Memphis, eventually it all gets back to Elvis.
Humes High School, Memphis
Many thanks to Memphis Tourism for their assistance in experiencing Memphis and compiling this article.
Further suggested reading:
Connolly, Ray: Being Elvis: A Lonely Life (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2016)
Cantor, Louis: Dewey And Elvis: The Life And Times Of A Rock’n’Roll Deejay (University Of Illinois Press, 2005)
Dundy, Elaine: Elvis & Gladys (University of Mississippi Press, 2004)
Guralnick, Peter: Last Train To Memphis” The Rise Of Elvis Presley (Little Brown & Company, 1994)
Guralnick, Peter: Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Little, Brown & Company, 1999)
Guralnick, Peter: Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock’n’Roll (Little, Brown & Company, 2015)
Williamson, Joel: Elvis Presley: A Southern Life (Oxford University Press, 2015).
Lansky Brothers: Clothier To The King (Beckon Books, 2010)
Author davidlattaPosted on August 28, 2018 October 5, 2018 Categories Memphis, Tennessee, Travel, United StatesTags Al Green, Boo Mitchell, Bruno Mars, Carla Thomas, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Graceland, Hal Lansky, Hi Records, Humes High School, Isaac Hayes, Justin Timberlake, Keb Mo, Lansky Bros, Lauderdale Courts, Mark Ronson, Memphis, Overton Park Shell, Peabody Hotel, Rockabilly Rides, Royal Studios, Rufus Thomas, Sam Phillips, Snoop Dog, Stax, Steve Cropper, Sun Studios, Tennessee, W. C. Handy, Willie MitchellLeave a comment on ALWAYS ON MY MIND: ELVIS PRESLEY, MEMPHIS AND THE MUSIC THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by David Latta
A traveller looks back on Buenos Aires, 1996
In Recoleta, they often die as they have lived — much like Oscar Wilde said of himself — beyond their means. Buenos Aires’ most prestigious suburb, Recoleta, has its own exclusive necropolis where row upon bankrupting row of marble vaults accommodates the dusty repose of the city’s elite. Lowering the tone by octaves (according to some) is the tomb of Eva Peron, the infamous “Evita” who, although lauded in life by Argentina’s poor, is surrounded in death by the rich who loathed her then and reputedly still do.
Buenos Aires is a bright city of melancholia set to a dance-step. A tango town of delicious decrepitude, of wealth now blown but for the nostalgia and crumbling mansions. This was the home of Jorge Luis Borges, jackbooted generals, Nazis on the lam, the Mothers of the Disappeared and footballer Diego Maradona. And now, for seven weeks, it is hosting Madonna who’s here to channel Evita in the bio-musical of her life.
Eva Duarte Peron, the second wife of Argentine President General Juan Peron, died at age 33 in 1952. She divides Argentineans in death as she did in life: some think of her as a near-saintly friend to the poor while others consider her little more than a social-climbing tart. Heroine or whore? Who could be better cast in this deified-demonised contradiction than the artist formerly known as Ms Ciccone, who’d made a career of tweaking the horns of a similar dilemma — starlet as faux harlot?
And there I was with a hotel room overlooking hers. The brush with fame was wasted on me. As a photographer, I make a lousy paparazzo. Stalking soi-disant celebrities through a 500 mm lens would bore me witless. I was there to find a city of coffee and glory, debt and plazas — not for celeb sniffing. Had I wanted the latter, the rather more talented Robert Duvall was also in town, shooting the movie Eichmann. His Hollywood production crew was delighted that Madonna was drawing all the rubberneckers.
Benign fate delivered me a sixth-floor room in the Park Hyatt hotel. My windows looked straight down onto the hotel’s exclusive annex known as La Mansion. This restored, turn-of-the-century millionaire’s pile is a Louis XIII-like confection of marble, oak and chandeliers. The likes of Keith Richards and media magnate, the late Kerry Packer, used to stay there, and now it was Madonna’s turn. She occupied the entire top floor of the opulent three-storey Mansion in a suite costing $6,000 a night.
From my considerably cheaper room, I could look down on her bodyguards — blokes built like brick outhouses with bow ties — patrolling the gardens of La Mansion. Their main task was to repel sorties of gleeful, chanting, Argentinean teenyboppers. On Madonna’s top floor, the louvered French windows that opened onto a patio were sometimes left alluringly ajar, their gauzy curtains flicking in the evening breeze. Soft lighting glowed within the suite. Yes, I confess, I peeked. No — in three days I didn’t once glimpse the Immaterial Girl. However, late one night I saw someone stepping onto the balcony to drink in the night air. I strained for a better look. Was it her? Nah. Whoever it was looked closer to Kerry or Keef than Madonna.
There’s more to Buenos Aires than starlets, juntas and a steamy dance-step. This city of Belle Époque elegance and vast boulevards (its Avenue Ninth of July, 16 lanes wide, is the world’s widest city street) is like no other Latin capital, from the candy-coloured houses at Caminita to the centre’s grandiose edifices. The coffee is excellent, as are the coffee shops such as the famous Cafe Tortoni, founded in 1858 and once patronised by writers like Borges, Lorca and Pirandello. The 19th and early 20th century wealth — generated by the export of pampas beef, mutton and wheat — that created this New World melding of Paris, Rome and New York must have been astounding.
The steaks are as large as your place mat. The taxis are metered and the public buses are good, but the walking is even better. Which is what I did, letting the city’s vast, flat blocks crowd me with their memories. But, a sunlit city with the grumps, I thought at times. Porteños, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires, are said to be famously unhappy and to have two addictions, coffee and psychoanalysis. What’s the problem, I muse. A century ago, this was the eighth-richest country in the world. Its patrimony was then squandered by a string of venal generals and feckless politicians — sometimes one and the same person. Many of the capital’s sumptuous old buildings are now in pleading need of maintenance but, for a dilettante blow-in who is walking its streets, the flaking patina of their history rubs off, almost literally, on one’s elbows.
The first Spanish settlement here was established in 1536 on the banks of the Rio de La Plata — a name so much lovelier in Spanish than its lumpenprole English rendition, River Plate. The British attempted a takeover in 1807 and were booted straight back out, while the Spanish colonial masters received their own marching orders a few years later. By the turn of the 20th century, this was the largest city in Latin America, with massive immigration adding German, Welsh, Basque, Irish, Italian and English blood to that of the earlier Amerindians and Spaniards.
In the harbour suburb of Boca (where Maradona started his football career at Boca Juniors club) one old street has been reborn as a walk-through art galley. Closer to an alley than an avenue, Caminita is more notable for its buildings — multi-storeyed structures made of corrugated iron and painted like Rubik’s Cubes — than for its art. These days the latter is mostly kitsch imagery of zoot-suited dandies with pomaded hair and bedroom — if not bathroom — eyes, intensely entangoed, loin to loin, with slinky dames in slit skirts.
Nearby, in San Telmo district, the plazas, cobbled streets and outdoor cafes seems so European that this could be Italy in the 1950s or Franco’s Spain. One writer noted that ‘BA doesn’t look like Europe, it looks like a postcard of Europe.’ Downtown, the grand 1908 opera house, Theatre Colon, seems like it just drifted down a canal from Venice and ran aground in central BA. There’s no such whimsy attached to La Casa Rosada, the Presidential Palace, from whose balcony Generalissimo Peron and his Eva once stirred the crowds with jingoist speeches. European echoes aside, BA remains unmistakably itself, with radio tangos trotting softly in the background and the walls splashed with a reprise of the perennial mantra, ‘Yankee Go Home.’ Today they shout, ‘Viva Evita! Fuera Madonna!’ — ‘Long live Evita! Get out Madonna!’
And then there are the Porteños. Almost 40 percent of Argentina’s 44 million people live in greater Buenos Aires. Beyond the grand edifices and touristic tango clubs, it is the Porteños who make the place real, give it its edge. ‘Personality’ here means the triumph of both substance and style: everywhere I see people with (for want of a more precise term) a defiant individualism, plus a glint in the eye. Blame (or thank) the coffee or the neuroses? Who cares? In all, a people greater than the sum of their clothing labels.
At an outdoor cafe in Recoleta on a crowded, sunny Sunday afternoon I catch a glimpse of who-gives-a-damn pleasure that is at once intensely private and public — the kind of thing you’d never see in other, more self-conscious capitals. A well-groomed, sixtyish woman wearing shorts sits with her bicycle propped nearby. A bottle of mineral water and a coffee half-consumed are on her table. Her tanned midriff is bare and her sneakered feet are up on a chair. A partly smoked cigarette lingers in one hand, and her eyes are closed in semi-ecstasy as the Buenos Aires sun pours down like benediction.
©2018 JOHN BORTHWICK
Author davidlattaPosted on June 8, 2018 Categories Argentina, Buenos Aires, South America, TravelTags Argentina, Boca, Buenos Aires, Eva Peron, Evita, Juan Peron, Madonna, Park Hyatt Bienos Aires, Recoleta, San Telmo, TangoLeave a comment on THE IMMATERIAL GIRL OF TANGO TOWN by John Borthwick
Author davidlattaPosted on April 27, 2018 Categories Adventure, People, Places, Sri Lanka, TravelLeave a comment on IMAGES OF SRI LANKA by Glenn A. Baker
The most memorable words spoken about Swiss timekeeping came from the great Orson Welles, high on a ferris wheel over Vienna, in the film, The Third Man: “In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love and five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
He may not have been quite so dismissive of Swiss clocks had he been given, as I was, an escorted tour through the entrails of the Zytglogge (Clock Tower) in Bern, the Swiss capital – on the site of the 1191 City Gate. It has long been said that a good magician does not reveal his tricks but all is on display here.
More than 500 years old, it is the world’s oldest mechanical clock and needs to be wound daily. Crowds gather in the square beneath it to witness the cast of a gilded crowing rooster, a bell striker and ten dancing bears.
My travelling companion was reminded of the Martin Scorsese film, Hugo; about an orphan boy living in a Paris railway station, who was taught to fix clocks and other gadgetry by his father and uncle and uses those skills to keep to station’s clocks running on time.
The Germanic-leaning capital of Switzerland, which once played host to Albert Einstein (with a museum honouring his presence), Bern gives the impression of having been designed by an ancient predecessor of a Tourist Office. Compact and clean, with pure air, striking architecture, covered outdoor arcades, traditional shopping precincts and markets, and a swiftly flowing river which winds through the city, complete with bridges and high views.
In the cool evenings, the city square is filled with spacious open street restaurants and buskers (one of which is a puppeteer’s doll, seemingly skilled on the violin).
There is a chocolate-box quality to the place and, not surprisingly, there are chocolate emporiums aplently. Our favourite was Laderach, which offers a particularly delectable dark blend with strawberries and pink peppercorns. There are cake bears at the other sweet shops – a local delicacy.
Add that to the Bern motif, an enclosure of brown bears residing in a cage down by the river, and a large moulded beast straddling a wire across a nearby bridge by the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town, and you readily reach the conclusion that Bern is bear crazy.
In March, Bern’s version of “Carnival” takes place when a mythical bear imprisoned in the Prison Tower is woken from his winter sleep by the ychüblete (drumming) and released. Masked revellers brave the winter temperatures and swarm through the streets and restaurants (including the 350-year-old Klotzlikeler) of the Old Town. Guggenmusik-Cliques (bands of carnival musicians) make the six-kilometres route along Bern’s arcaded promenade vibrate with their wild rhythms and noisy percussive music.
Though there is a Schnit International Short Film Festival with Bern as one of eight participating cities, a Bern “Grand Prix” where thousands run along “the ten most beautiful miles in the world”, a Buskers Festival, a world-famous jazz club (Marian’s Jazzroom), Christmas Markets on Bear’s Square and at Kambly, and a September Sichhlete Festival which combines a harvest, livestock and folk festivals, and the four-day Gurten Music Festival – reached only on a funicular called the Gurtenbahn – showcasing some 60 live acts of all contemporary genres – it needs be said that there is little of the French joie de vivre that one finds in, say, Geneva.
Though the citizenry is faultlessly helpful – particularly when it comes to negotiating the network of trams and buses which can take you beyond the immediate city limits – the smiles and banter one encounters are more likely to be from other visitors. There is a certain general abandon, though, down by the river under Parliament House. The normal gleeful splashing in a pool is to be heard but the real attraction is the use of the Aare River as a means of rapid transport cum recreation.
The crisp and deep waters that sweep down from the Bernese Alps can take you a few hundreds metres or from one side of the city and out the other. There is no need for a canoe or kayak, just hurl yourself (perhaps with your possessions in a watertight pouch) into the torrent from one of the platforms and, when you wish to alight, strike out toward the shore, grab one of the steel bars protruding from a platform and drag yourself onto land.
A first attempt can be a little, let’s say, challenging and even a tad terrifying, but once you get the hang of it, it’s an almost addictive experience. On a busy day, there are quite literally hundreds of bobbing heads being swept past your eyeline. All looking rather joyful for the experience.
Author davidlattaPosted on March 6, 2018 March 6, 2018 Categories Berne, Europe, Switzerland, TravelTags Albert Einstein, Berne, Cuckoo Clock, Orson Welles, Switzerland, The Third Man, TravelLeave a comment on BEARING UP TO BERN by Glenn A. Baker
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Constituent Assembly day
Constitutional Democrats are pronounced enemies of the people, party leaders are arrested
“While life and personality does not make one sacred, until then real human life is unthinkable“
Council of People's Commissars
Smolny Institute, Petrograd, Russian Republic
A decree (proposed by Lenin) authorising the arrest of “the most prominent members of the Central Committee of the party of the enemies of the people” and their trial before revolutionary tribunals:
“Members of the leading bodies of the Constitutional Democrat Party, as a party of the enemies of the people, are liable to arrest and trial by revolutionary tribunal.
Local Soviets must exercise special surveillance over the Constitutional Democrat Party on account of its links to the Kornilov-Kaledin civil war against the revolution. The decree enters into effect from the time of signing.”
Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars
(Passed unanimously, with one vote against – that of Stalin).
Source: Protokoly zasedaniy Soveta Narodnyh Komissarov RSFSR. November 1917- March 1918. Moscow, 2006
✍ Also today
Vera Sudeikina
Yalta, Crimea, Russian Republic
Tuesday. Everything is closed down due to the Constituent Assembly day, everything is covered in flags. Serezha went to get papers twice. He was forlorn. He suggested shooting ourselves, but I told him I believed that the strong-willed will win, we just need to be patient. Serezha calmed down a little, painted a little portrait of me in a fur coat and a turban.
Source: Sudeikina V. Dnevnik, Moscow, 2006.
Zinaida Gippius
Sergievskaya 83, Petrograd, Russian Republic
I was awoken by the sounds of music (the window above my head being open). Outside it was minus ten degrees but bright as spring. An endless flag-bearing procession was making its way to the Tauride Palace. See more
Spring this wasn’t, however: armed with the slogan “All Power to the Constituent Assembly!", the crowd had a remarkably non-military character; it wasn’t so much proletarian as democratic. Labour democracy was on the march. Troops had been banned from taking part by the Bolsheviks. Hooting Red Guards, rifles at the ready, fling themselves into any and every crowd: “Disperse!” Uncertainty pervades the South, but it would appear that situation is not at all good. It’s cruel that the Europeans will never understand our tragedy – or, in other words, they won’t understand that this is a tragedy and not merely “ignominy and criminality”. But so be it. May at least the scrupulous and cultured among us cling on to the last source of pride we have: silence.
Source: Gippius Z.N., "Chernye tetradi", SPb, 1992
Nadezhda Udaltsova
82 apartment, 65, Smolenskiy blvd, Moscow, Russian Republic
While I will be working, I must finish everything and still pieces of 10 new drawings. Art is the only thing that is natural, everything remaining is demonic obsession. See more
How easily one take it upon themselves to solve the most complicated questions with violence and death. While life and personality does not make one sacred, until then real human life is unthinkable. A person must become a person. Now man has become a wild animal. I no longer believe those who gave up their conscience.
Source: Drevina E., Rakitin V., Sarabyanov A., Nadezhda Udaltsova. Zhizn russkoy kubistki, Moscow, 1994.
Feodor Chaliapin
Petrograd, Russian Republic
An opportunity to talk over the telephone availed itself, and I spoke to my godmother, who, naturally enough, told me more or less everything. I asked her to send a fur coat to me here in Petersburg, but I’ve still not received anything and don’t know whether or not she sent it. See more
I’m beginning to think that she did send the coat, but that someone must have taken a fancy to it and opted to keep it for himself. Such is the time we’re living in now! This is nothing out of the ordinary. In all likelihood I’ll have to carry on wearing someone else’s coat this winter (thus far I’ve been walking around in Aksarin’s).
Source: Fedor Ivanovich Shalyapin. Collection, M., 1960, T. 1.
Andrei Shingarev
is arrested
To the demonstration slogans, I advise adding:
Shame to the Right S.R.s and Chernovites, who have broken away from the peasant congress! See more
Long live the Second All-Russia Congress of Peasant Deputies, which has sided with the Soviet power!
The working people demand that the Constituent Assembly recognise Soviet power and the Soviet Government!
Long live the nationalisation of the banks!
Down with the saboteurs and striking officials! Boycott them, use revolutionary terrorism against them!
Source: Lenin V.I., Sobranye Sochinenyi in 55 volumes, Moscow, 1973.
General Allenby enters Jerusalem. December 1917
The British took Jerusalem yesterday. It's more of a romantic accomplishment than a political one.
Marina Tsvetaeva Sergeу Efron Writer, officer
Borisoglebsky lane, 6, Moscow, Russian Republic
Leo! Yesterday I was at S’s. He offered to help with selling the house. To some Pole. Regarding another subject, he says I should write you down as a candidate for some economic society. See more
It’s a good income. In the meantime, he advises you to rest for a month. As for the candidature, I will research and write to you in detail. Kisses.
P.S Dodin’s uncle has a bearded servant that looks like Baba Yaga. Very sweet. Pass it on to Doda. Soon I will send food and sheets.
Source: Tsvetayeva M.I., Neizdannoye. Sem'ya: istoriya v pis'makh, M., 1999.
The session of the Constituent Assembly is postponed indefinitely
Chaliapin performs in the Mariinsky theatre
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Meet the Goworkers: Jonathan Kalan
Goworkers / July 17, 2018 July 17, 2018
Meet Jonathan Kalan, Co-Founder and CEO of Unsettled. He’s from Connecticut, originally, but has lived in about a dozen places in between there and here!
How He Does It
Jonathan has been his own boss or working with small startup teams his entire life. “I’ve never quite experienced anything different. But for me, the freedom of setting my own schedule – even if it’s always packed – is the greatest benefit. I’ve worked from boats, trains, villas, remote islands, and everything in between, and often find myself most productive when I’m on the move.”
While it’s great that he gets to work and travel, Jonathan finds limitations in his on-the-road lifestyle. “Working while traveling usually means you’re working more than traveling. It takes effort to stop working and to make time for exploring. It also takes effort to find true mentors and people who can provide valuable guidance.”
“Wake up, and walk/bike to the office. Settle in with a cup of coffee, and dive into a marathon of calls with my team spread out between 5-10 different timezones. After that, I’m usually developing marketing strategies, planning out new locations, and helping my team move forward. If I have time in the evening, I’ll go for a swim over at St. Johns Rec Center, or take a bike ride in Prospect Park.”
Before discovering Prosper Gowork, Jonathan mostly worked from home, about half a dozen coffee shops in Brooklyn, or the TED office in NYC. Now, his favorite spot to work in Prosper’s 1024 Broadway space is in one of the phone booths!
“I often find myself in the first booth on the right for a quick call… and 8 hours later I’m still there. It’s easy to tune out of the world in there. I have yet to go explore and work from downstairs, so I guess when I need a change in scenery I’ll head down below and see what happens!”
What “gowork” means to him? “Get. Sh*t. Done.”
Jonathan and his co-founder hope to have landed on a growth strategy that keeps Unsettled in business for decades to come in 2018.
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ProXR Kickstarter Project Proposes Changing The Baseball Bat
Thrown Baseball Bats Landing in the Stands and Players Suffering Broken Hamate Injuries Indicate the Need to Test and Reconsider the Design of the Iconic Baseball Bat.
ST. LOUIS (June 5, 2013) – Giant Project, Inc., has launched a Kickstarter project to field-test the performance efficacy of its patented ProXR bat technology. The funding campaign, called “Power To The Batter,” runs through June 30 and seeks funding to comparatively field test performance characteristics of ProXR’s ergonomically correct bat versus conventional bats.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2005960640/proxr-testing-the-ergonomically-correct-baseball-b
“We’ve player-tested ProXR technology, on a limited basis, at every stage of development,” said Grady Phelan, ProXR’s inventor. “The vast majority of players like the swing ProXR delivers, and would love to have ProXR technology as part of their preferred bat. But, we’re not a bat company, and we’re not in this to become one.”
“Our goal with Kickstarter-funded field testing is to generate more comprehensive quantitative data to shed light on ‘Why’ ProXR delivers significant performance benefits. Then bat companies can decide whether they want to offer players a better choice,” says Phelan.
ProXR bat technology is distinguished by its uniquely angled and contour-shaped knob that works with the range of motion of the human hand. The angled knob enhances swing performance and provides protection against thrown bats and hand injuries. Hundreds of player tests indicate ProXR technology provides greater bat control and power transfer from the hands to the ball. Further, Phelan believes ProXR provides protection against thrown bats and hand injuries.
“Early on, we teamed with Washington University Biometrics Lab researchers to establish some quantitative benchmarks,” said Phelan. “Results showed increased levels of compression from conventional bat knob design and reduced compression with the ProXR technology.”
Phelan theorizes that conventional bat knobs induce batters to lose or weaken their grip while swinging, causing thrown bats – putting fans and players at risk of injury. He also maintains that bat knob compression may be the leading cause of broken “hook of the hamate” injury, an increasingly common injury among baseball players.
“This impacts ballplayers at all levels,” said Phelan. “It’s a fact that marquee players like the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval and the Orioles’ Nick Markakis are breaking their hamate bones while batting. Given the value of players’ careers and the money that’s on the line, I’m betting the Players Union, team ownership and bat companies would be interested in a solution to this problem. That’s why we’re pursuing this field testing project” says Phelan.
Phelan began developing ProXR technology in 2003, following an unintentionally thrown bat in his backyard. From his St. Louis basement workshop he developed prototypes, later contracting with small, custom bat makers for limited quantity test bats. The ProXR angled knob technology, patented in 2010, is approved for use in play by both MLB and the NCAA. Some of these ProXR bats eventually made it into the hands of MLB players, including the Mets’ Mike Hessman and power hitter Prince Fielder. In 2010, the ProXR bat technology was first used in regular season MLB games. Later in 2011, ProXR was accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the first bat of its kind ever used in MLB.
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Podcast by Behind True Crime
Behind True Crime Behind True Crime
Introducing American Hysteria by CWS
CWS and Skylark Media present American Hysteria, a brand new podcast exploring our moral panics, urban legends, and conspiracy theories, how they shape our psychology and culture, and why we end up believing them. Host Chelsey Weber-Smith will attempt to understand why we fear the wrong things, explore how these fears shape our past, present, and future in sometimes hilarious and sometimes devastating ways, and also what these bizarre panics might be covering up. Topics range from Stranger Danger to Poisoned Halloween Candy to Satanic Panic to the Illuminati.
The first two episodes drop November 12th. Subscribe now at skylarkmedia.com/podcasts/americanhysteria
or where ever you get your podcasts.
Follow American Hysteria on social media:
Twitter.com/AmerHysteria
Instagram.com/AmericanHysteriaPodcast
Facebook.com/americanhysteriapodcast
Introducing Blackwood
**Announcing a new audio drama from Skylark Media in partnership with Wondery!**
Five years ago, three teenagers set out to investigate the local legend of their small town, The Blackwood Bugman, and the mysterious disappearances and murders connected to him over the years. But as they soon come to find out, getting too close to the truth can be dangerous.
From the masterminds behind Hunt A Killer comes a chilling tale of secrets, monsters, and murder. Subscribe to Blackwood today at wondery.fm/true
After the Arrest of the Golden State Killer: Catching Up with Billy Jensen and Paul Haynes
***If you haven't already, please listen to the previous episode of Behind True Crime with Billy and Paul titled Finishing the late Michelle McNamara's 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark:'
I had crime writer Billy Jensen and research assistant Paul Haynes on Behind True Crime this last March when Michelle McNamara’s now legendary book 'I’ll Be Gone in the Dark' had just come out.
After Michelle’s sudden death, Billy and Paul were asked by her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, to help organize her notes and writings into the now number one New York Times bestselling book about her hunt to finally identify the serial murderer she dubbed the Golden State Killer.
Little did we know the last time we talked we were only a month away from seeing the face of the man responsible for at least 12 murders and over 50 rapes in various areas of California in the 1970s and 80s.
Today Billy and Paul, the two of the men who completed the late Michelle’s masterpiece of research, dedication, self-reflection, and obsession, tell me about what their lives have been like since this whirlwind of 'I’ll Be Gone in the Dark' and the revelation that came only two months after its publication.
We talk DeAngelo’s arrest, the affect Michelle’s book had on the investigation, the revelation of ancestry DNA in cold cases, and what it was like to finally see the face that Michelle never stopped looking for.
Get a copy of 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' here: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062319784/ill-be-gone-in-the-dark/
Billy's website: billyjensen.com/
Behind True Crime is sponsored by Hunt A Killer, the monthly murder mystery subscription box service. Check them out at huntakiller.com and use the code BEHIND for 10% off your first order.
Directors of 'Wild Wild Country:' Brothers Maclain and Chapman Way
Chapman and Maclain Way are the directors behind Netflix’s six-part docuseries Wild Wild Country, a deep dive into the unbelievable story of a new age meditation cult active in the 1980s, its creation of a vast commune in rural Oregon, and its ongoing conflicts with their neighbors, a small conservative community of only 60 people.
Complete with orgies, drugged beer, voter and immigration fraud, religious prejudice, assault rifles, government intervention, and attempted murder, 'Wild Wild Country' skillfully waffles opinions of the complicated and dramatic conflict back and forth, forcing audiences to think critically, and leaving us wondering, in every possible way, who’s side are we on?
Chapman and Maclain share their experiences creating this hugely successful series.
Sasha Reid and Phenomenology: Studying the Inner World of Serial Killers
Sasha Reid is a PHD student of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the University of Toronto. Her focus is on sexually motivated, psychopathic murderers, and her work in the field of phenomenology “aims to better understand the inner worlds and motivations of serial killers.”
Sasha also created her own comprehensive database for missing persons in Canada. As she plugged in over 8,000 names and profiles, she noticed the patterns of what appeared to be a serial killer operating in Toronto’s “Gay Village,” in a neighborhood called Church and Wellesy, a community already suspicious that a killer was among them. She created a suspect profile and contacted authorities with her ideas. and a year later Bruce McArthur, a landscaper who allegedly met his victims on mobile dating apps, was arrested and charged with eight counts of first degree murder. He closely matched the profile Sasha had created from her research.
Follow the brilliant Sasha Reid on twitter at @TheReal_DrReid
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murder.ly
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HomeResearch Outputs Randomized controlled clinical trial of fractional doses of ...
BACKGROUND: As part of an evaluation of strategies to make inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) affordable for developing countries, we conducted a clinical trial of fractional doses of IPV in Cuba.
METHODS: We compared the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of fractional-dose IPV (0.1 mL, or 1/5 of a full dose) given intradermally using a needle-free jet injector device compared with full doses given intramuscularly. Subjects were randomized at birth to receive IPV at 6, 10, and 14 weeks.
RESULTS: A total of 471 subjects were randomized to the 2 study groups, and 364 subjects fulfilled the study requirements. No significant differences at baseline were detected. Thirty days after completing the 3-dose schedule of IPV, 52.9%, 85.0%, and 69.0% of subjects in the fractional-dose IPV arm seroconverted for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3, respectively, whereas 89.3%, 95.5%, and 98.9% of subjects in the full-dose IPV arm seroconverted for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3, respectively (all comparisons, P < .001). The median titers of each poliovirus serotype were significantly lower in the intradermal arm than in the intramuscular arm (P < .001). Only minor local adverse effects and no moderate or serious adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale evaluation demonstrates the feasibility of fractional doses of IPV given intradermally as an antigen-sparing strategy but also shows that IPV given to infants at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age results in suboptimal immunogenicity (especially for the fractional-dose arm).
Sonia Resik
Alina Tejeda
Pedro Mas Lago
Ania Carmenates
Luis Sarmiento
Nilda Alemañi
Belkis Galindo
Anthony Burton
Martin Friede
Mauricio Landaverde
Roland W Sutter
External organisations
Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK)
Cuba, Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic, Drug Administration Schedule, Female, Humans, Infant, Injections, Intramuscular, Injections, Jet, Male, Poliomyelitis/immunology, Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated/administration & dosage
The Journal of infectious diseases
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Social Media Platforms: Manipulation Campaign
HomeTips & Articles Blog Social Media Platforms: Manipulation Campaign
Blog, Culture, Health & Care, Tips & Articles
December 14, 2018by PostAbroad0 comments
Social media platforms used to be something we wanted to use. Indeed, we imagined and applied the many wonderful uses and applications. To be able to connect with one another and share similar interests. For one thing, entering into new circles to form more positive and well-meaning culture.
So we thought.
There are communities that are censoring artists and celebrities and anybody else that tries to open their mouths in America. In effect, slowly chipping away at the American freedoms while declaring themselves victims. That said, if you proclaim to be a victim then that is the role you have accepted for yourself. All others are merely allowing you to play that role.
An American who censors another American is not an American.
These underhanded tactics were once limited to reluctant communal gatherings. With new technological advancements, such misbehavior now reaches audiences worldwide. This is social psychological manipulation by a few carefully selected media-connected personnel.
This type of social influence attempts to distort the public’s perception. Consequently, changing behaviors through deceptive and very abusive now commercially viable tactics. Social media platforms have consistently failed to stay objective.
In effect, polluting the public’s perception to complete their personal vendettas.
“In his Congressional testimony before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees last week, FIRED FBI Director James Comey claimed he ‘can’t remember,’ ‘can’t recall’ and ‘doesn’t know’ — 245 times — when asked key questions involving two of the biggest FBI cases in American history he oversaw while running the agency.”
How the hell did disgraced James Comey get hired in the first place?
It would be much easier to believe James Comey can’t remember shit if he wasn’t so darn detailed in his collection of private conversations with the president. Especially considering he wrote a book about his conversations with the president. Furthermore, using detailed material he gathered while in his position as FBI Director.
All in all, if it looks like bullshit and sounds like bullshit. Plausible deniability is not available for you, homey.
This type of selective amnesia from Comey usually affects persons of interest in, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
And Another One
Christine Blasey Ford accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of attempted rape or molestation or sexual abuse or just looking at her funny. It doesn’t matter because it didn’t happen. She doesn’t remember key details of the alleged event. Because it’s hard to keep an account of all the lies you’re trying to sell. And the list of witnesses whom she has said were able to corroborate such a tale, have completely denied her story.
Christine Ford, either a fraud, or a liar, or a lunatic or some combination of the three – demonstrably so… Contradicted herself, contradicted by the people she said could corroborate it.
Michael Knowles
Still, as you will be able to tell from these stories, playing dumb is a tactic best suited for the guilty. In any event, this is a childish tactic used to delay and manipulate others to get them to steer away from the subjects main inquiry. Because the manipulator is pretending not to know what you want from them exactly. And thus ultimately transferring responsibility back to the interrogator.
Overwhelm To Confuse
This is the information age with new more sensitive generationally confused bi-pedals.
People get overwhelmed with the bullshit. It comes in like a storm, but the worst part is when we are found in the eye of it. At the same time, we get flustered from the constant misinformation. Thinking, feeling, digesting in order to correctly react becomes the principal challenge.
This is what is known as “intellectual bullying,” best practiced in sales and financial industries. These manipulators push his or her agenda exerting “expert” power over you, albeit convincingly. In various types of settings, professional discussions and negotiations, as well as social or relational engagements. These manipulators take advantage of you by imposing alleged facts, statistics and other data that you many know very little about.
It’s not your fault when you get played. These exploitative and devious tactics are practiced prudently. That said, it is your fault when you allow it without questioning your social media platforms feed.
What a culture we live in, we are swimming in an ocean of information and drowning in ignorance.
Richard Paul Evans, A Step of Faith
Manipulation of Facts
Key information should be quoted, because it is information that should be spotlighted. Sounds simple and completely obvious. But, news outlets such as, the garbage lit on fire failing New York Times, like to peddle deformed truth.
The New York Times have been caught manipulating and censoring any opposition within their social media platforms. Information that uncovered the Uranium One deal with the Clintons and Russia were muted from the public to avoid ACTUAL journalistic reporting.
On another occasion the pillow-biting New York Times gets busted for peddling fake news once again. “There may have been a real White House briefing with real White House officials, but The New York Times couldn’t be trusted to accurately summarize what the White House official said. And it wasn’t on a minor point.”
The New York Crimes Syndicate
The worthless, incompetent, dysfunctional opinion section of the New York Times is free to perpetuate crimes against humanity. From support of pedophilia to “anonymous” sources with delusions of infiltrating the white house administration. This is what is called, a negative surprise.
A negative surprise is what manipulators use in order to put someone or profession or business off balance. It is used only to gain a psychological advantage. If the person even falls for it. It comes without warning and gives the victim little time to prepare and counter their move. Consequently, making the victim more stressed and appear disorderly.
It typically comes in the form of negative information. Such as, the New York Times “anonymous” opinion article that criticised the Trump administration. It is tremendously likely that this was a conspiratorial orchestration by these New York turd-burglars, Times. How they love them turds.
These are all textbook manipulative tactics. And if the public did any research, these New York idiots would burn while the devil laughs. They have been done mostly to sway and control the public. At first, mostly to gain enough traction in reputation. Then, when the audience is sizeable enough. Your long range of audience fan fare would help to secure privately held special interests and organisations.
Who is Laura Silsby?
“It began with the shocking discovery that Hillary and Bill Clinton provided assistance to convicted child trafficker, Laura Silsby (aka Laura Gayler), resulting in a reduced sentence for child trafficking… Silsby was arrested at the Haitian border attempting to smuggle 33 children out of Haiti without documentation. Her sentence and charges were reduced after an intervention by Bill Clinton. In the aftermath of Silsby’s arrest, her originally retained lawyer Jorge Puello was arrested in connection with an international smuggling ring accused of trafficking women and minors from Central America and Haiti.”
This is the origin story of PizzaGate. And the only thing that stopped more people from asking more questions?
“Welch walked into Comet Ping Pong armed with a knife, AR-15 assault weapon and a revolver. Welch said that he had driven to the pizzeria from Salisbury, N.C., in order to investigate online conspiracy theories of child sex slaves being held in the restaurant.”
There are no such things as, coincidences. And birds of a feather, flock together.
Guilt Baiting
This is where they pull on your emotions. Where they cut deep into your soft spot. No time for analysis, rushing to judgement is the only solution. For every mass shooting, which coincidentally has died down ever since conservatives have taken office. There was an agenda for gun control.
Something Americans have come to find out, the FBI has consistently dropped the ball on several of these tragic events. Are these poor investigative efforts due to lack of funding or purpose driven manipulation?
When the Two Towers fell in New York City, everyone was emotionally swept. And America headed off into a never-ending war with little to no results.
Except for more dead and traumatised soldiers coming home.
“The U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller — former director of the FBI — failed to act on intelligence confirming al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was in Iran for years after 9/11, according to explosive revelations in a new book blowing the roof off the Deep State.”
“We’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finishing off, Iran.” Retired General Wesley Clark revealed to Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman in 2007 the ambitious imperial plans of the Bush-Cheney inner circle.
This means that the war was purposefully extended for reasons concerning the Deep State. Or, “Inner Circle.”
Americans were devastated, this was a massively orchestrated event. And being moved by tragedy, Americans rushed in search of revenge. This was a well researched and the most observed manipulative example of guilt-baiting.
After the dust had settled. We find out that the terrorists were, camel-jockeys with box cutters? And Americans found no weapons of mass destruction. And Americas great nemesis, Osama bin Laden’s corpse had been unidentified by the majority, along with being mysteriously thrown into the ocean. Thereby, ending anymore inquiries and giving the Americans a great sense of accomplishment.
The End. #ThanksO[S]ama
The mainstream media has been consistently entertaining. It feels like I have been watching “reality” tv, very surreal. Twitter, Facebook and Google have been proactively democratic.
This has been evident in what their timeline displays and search results. Along with, reports of democratic representatives and their staffers joining forces with social media platforms and vice-versa. Read, dozens of former Clinton and Obama staffers are working at Google and Facebook.
The sterile New York Times are dangling on the spirits of exemplary journalists’ pasts. I would tell them to stop, but like Alfred says, “Some Men Just Want To Watch [The New York Times] Burn.”
Consumer Trust is Fading at an Alarming Rate
Consumers are less trusting year by year with the companies of today. And more so when it comes to emerging technologies such as, artificial intelligence (AI), drone deliveries, self-driving automobiles, genetic mapping, chips embedded within our bodies.
Companies are not using their customers data to improve their lives. They are using their customers data and are only improving their pockets. And while manipulating public opinion.
The ability of anyone to know what you’ve been browsing about for years, who your contacts are, who their contacts are, things you like and dislike and every intimate detail of your life – from my own point of view it shouldn’t exist.
This is Insulting. This is Irresponsible. This is, Surveillance.
“When you sign up for Messenger or Facebook Lite on Android, or log into Messenger on an Android device, you are given the option to continuously upload your contacts as well as your call and text history. For Messenger, you can either turn it on, choose ‘learn more’ or ‘not now’. On Facebook Lite, the options are to turn it on or ‘skip’. If you chose to turn this feature on, we will begin to continuously log this information.”
Though Facebook mentions your contacts, they do not specifically state the harvesting of your call logs and text messages. they have made this a default feature on their updates.
You must specifically turn into Sherlock Holmes and investigate the depths of this travesty.
Facebook has been collecting users phone call logs and text messages for years. For Years! And according to Facebook, this data mining was done with users’ permission. But, at no time did any user explicitly consent to giving up their contacts and texts to Facebook.
“Facebook says that it’s not the social network’s fault, it’s yours.”
See Me No More
Every single user with an account to these top search engines, social media platforms, entertainment networks are being hoarded like pigs. The worst feeling in the world is to know you were used and lied to and for what? CEOs, partisanship, greenbacks and mind control.
Anything that has to do with connecting to the internet of things. All your information is being abused by these social media platforms. To be collected and sold, like victims of sexual violence from the Ukraine.
Social media platforms like Facebook says, you are just carelessly letting this happen.
From a company’s perspective, when it comes to marketing, any opportunity is valid. As long as you can get away with it. The problem isn’t the service or how we use the service. If companies can predict a better opportunity for me to enjoy their services. I am all for it.
But I do not want to be used like a puppet for the benefit of a shadow government. This is not in the best interest of the people which is what all company’s should be striving for.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Uncle Ben, Spiderman
Step One: Denial
You’ve got Sundar Pichai testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. Not really saying anything. Dodging all questions, he should consider teaming up with Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller for a sequel to the Dodgeball movie.
Republican lawmakers claim that Googles search engine results are completely biased against conservatives. Something Sundar Pichai denies.
What’s in A Crayola Box?
“In 2016, WikiLeaks claimed Google was ‘directly engaged’ with and working for the Clinton presidential campaign, while leaked emails showed that former Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt wanted to be the “Head Outside Advisor” to the Clinton Campaign.
Schmidt was also ‘instrumental” in creating the “The Groundwork,’ a company that sought to put Clinton into the White House, and Google worked to hide negative search results of Clinton during the presidential campaign.
In a leaked video released by Breitbart Tech of an internal meeting at Google shortly after Clinton’s presidential campaign defeat in 2016, Google executives, including CEO Sundar Pichai, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat, and Vice Presidents Kent Walker and Eileen Naughton expressed strong and negative reactions to the results.”
Sounds pretty biased to me, Sundar.
Example or Coincidence?
Even attempting to search for Post Abroad through Google, doesn’t bring Post Abroad up at all. We used to be on page 18, and then nothing. No pages. Poof. Gone.
Why hasn’t the omniscient Google not been able to index us? I even used Google’s social media platforms like, Google+! #lol
Post Abroad shows up at the top or on the first page of every other search engine except for Google? Even excite.com‘s search engine can find Post Abroad. Is it because one article complimented the U.S. trade war? Or because I don’t use Google analytics to give up intel on my customers?
Is it because I have no Clinton staffer working for me?
oh well, C’est La Vie!
So why do we allow ourselves this abuse from these social media platforms? There really is no satisfaction in using these companies. None of these companies activate my serotonin.
In fact, social media platforms have been proven to cause depression.
What would happen if we limited our use to these companies? If we really opened our doors once again and went outside and enjoyed the many more impactful experiences this life has to offer us?
A study conducted by Melissa Hunt, Rachel Marx, Courtney Lipson and Jordan Young presents the fact that limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression. 143 undergraduates from the University of Pennsylvania were studied. Using seven different scales, Hunt and her team tested the participants mood and sense of well-being.
Half of the participants continued their use of social media platforms, the likes of Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. The other half were limited to only 10 minutes per day per social platform.
The end result, participants who cut back from their social media platforms accounts saw a “clinically significant” drop in depression and loneliness throughout the course of the study. The participants who continued their use of social media saw no improvement in mood or behaviour.
This isn’t the first study to link these conditions to the use of social media platforms. But, it is the most striking blow for these networking giants. You can check out the study here, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Cutting back on your social media platforms use and profile adds years to your life.
PostAbroad
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7 Of The Best Content Curation Tools
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On January 4, 2017 September 18, 2017 By ErraticErrata
“Refuge is not a city so much as it is a cluster of vagabonds, held together by awe of the Lady of the Lake. There are no laws here, save for her whims, and those she inflicts only rarely. The Kingdom Under seems to consider Refuge a protectorate, though they have no real presence on the premises, and I should not need to remind you of Lady Ranger’s infamous ties to the Calamities. The Consortium must tread lightly. This is the woman who once hunted the Wild Hunt for sport, and she has not grown meeker with the passing of years.”
– Varrus Ipsimos, agent for the Consortium
She’d had to steal a boat in Cleves, for no one had been willing to sell one to her when they’d guessed her destination.
They were not Lycaonese up there – Alamans, though a far cry from those of the central principalities – but living in the shadow of the Kingdom of the Dead had taught them hard lessons. People who tried to cross the Tomb, that deep dark lake festering with the animated corpses of monsters and men alike, never left its waters. Their hands joined the thousands of others reaching from the waters to drag fishermen under the deep. The crossing had not been uneventful: the Dead King now had eyes watching the path through the rocks she’d used the last time. It had made for an amusing distraction until she reached the shore on the other side of the river that fed into the Tomb. The path after that had been even more treacherous. The air had been poisoned in the Kingdom since the Seventh Crusade, thick lingering green tendrils of something toxic fouling the air, but that part Hye already knew how to deal with. She’d had cloth enchanted that covered the lower part of her face and allowed her to breathe safely, for even if the poison could not kill a Named it could have made her sick.
That would not have been ideal, in a land patrolled night and day by massive shambling armies. And they’d gotten better at finding intruders, too: the Dead King must have implemented her suggestions from the last visit. The bone wyverns had been unexpected enough she’d almost been caught the first time they appeared, and the closer she’d come to Keter the tighter the defences had been. Using the old roads of the kingdom that had existed before this entire land had been turned to undeath wasn’t even worth considering: they were all heavily guarded and in disrepair besides. No, she’d made her way through the broken countryside and kept to the shadows. It had taken her several months to make it to the old capital, the placed they now called the Crown of the Dead. The seat of the Dead King’s power, and where behind tall walls a permanent portal into one of the Hells stood.
Keter had once stood on a plain, but that was no longer true. Centuries on centuries of mining into the deep had made the city an island surrounded by sheer cliffs going so deep only the ever-burning fires at the bottom could be made out in the darkness. How deep that chasm ran, Hye had no idea. She’d heard the dwarves had mined around all of the Kingdom of the Dead, and immediately plugged any tunnel form there into their lands with molten steel. Whether that was true or not, it did not change the fact that there were four roads into Keter: broad ramps of stone stretched over emptiness, tread tirelessly by sentinels long dead. The walls of the city rose so high only one part of Keter could be seen from outside: a great spire of dark stone, jutting out into the sky like an arrow. An orb of hellfire always hovered above its tip, ever-shifting as the demon bound inside cast its searching gaze on the streets inside. This was the fortress that had broken the spine of five crusades. Impossible to breach, they said, by force or by stealth. Not even the most skilled of heroes could do it.
It would be Ranger’s fourth visit.
Now, the Dead King had started nailing undead under the bridges so they could raise alarm after she’d climbed across under it the first time. He’d had dead sorcerers permanently assigned to stirring up sharp winds in the void between Keter and the rest of the plain after she’d rappelled her way across, the second time. He’d hardened the metaphysical borders with Arcadia after she’d slipped through there the third, and she supposed that after this one he would make sure his bone wyverns collapsed when they were captured. The giant bone creature, flapping through the air more by the grace of magic than by its leathery wings, crashed into the walls of Keter with a resounding clap. She leapt off its back and landed on the stone, finding purchase for her hands and immediately beginning to climb. Hye had been noticed, of course, and she still had the better part of a hundred feet before her before reaching the top of the ramparts. The bloody wind sorcerers had crashed her ‘borrowed’ mount before she could get any closer. The gaze of the demon in the orb landed on her and it began screaming, the noise shaking the air.
“Hello, Artie,” she waved.
It kept screaming. The first arrow streaked past her as she was already moving, scuttling up and to the side to present a harder target. There were, in Keter, four kinds of undead. The Bones, as she called them, were the ones currently manning the ramparts as the demon alarm sounded and trying to put arrows in her. They were not particularly clever on their own, no more intelligent than dogs, but the Dead King could seize control of them at any moment. The second kind, the Binds, would actually be dangerous. Those had souls bound in their bodies, and were just as sentient as the living. The third kind, the Revenants, she would not encounter until she was deeper into the city. They were, as a matter of fact, the reason she had come in the first place. As to the fourth, there was no need to name the category. There was only one entity in it, the Dead King himself. Wedging her feet into outcroppings – they really needed to saw those off, it made climbing easier than it had to be – Hye wrenched out her bow and notched an arrow. Knock, draw, release.
The Bind who’d been directing the Bones shooting at her took it right in the skull, the impact of the arrow shattering the bone under the helmet it punched through and releasing the soul inside. That should buy her just long enough to make it to the top, she thought as she slung the longbow over her back.
It did, as it turned out, though by then masses of dead warriors were snaking their way up the stairs leading into the city. Blades in hand, Ranger idly scattered the closest Bone as she considered her options. The Dead King was trying to clog up the way until his heavy hitters could arrive, she decided, or he had this entire part of the walls blasted with sorcery. She’d need to move fast. Sheathing one of her shortswords, Hye caught the wrist of another Bone and wrenched out the arm. This one was wearing old Proceran armour long gone out of style, bust most importantly he’d had a shield as well as the longsword now clattering on the ground. A big tower shield, the same kind the Praesi used in their Legions of Terror. Bronze and iron instead of steel, she noted. That must have been a truly ancient warrior. Idly sheathing her other sword as she danced out of the reach of another Bone, Ranger took the shield and broke into a run. Those stairs had cover on both sides, thick stone borders with a smooth top.
With a shout of glee she leapt down and put the tower shield under her, using it as a slide. The sheer angle of the borders was enough for her to keep gaining momentum, going fast enough that the Bones headed for her were too slow to react to strike at her. There were a few Binds in the line but those she slapped away with her blades, crouched and grinning.
She was about halfway down when she realized that, for once, the Dead King had anticipated her. There were spikes of iron in the stone from halfway up, jutting out at the right angle to catch her. Before the first impact she leapt off the shield and continued into a run, letting her Name strengthen her limbs so she could keep the pace. That round went to the Corpse Lord, then. Having to tap into her Name this early meant she’d have less fuel when things got interesting. She leapt again, ducking under an arrow and landing in a roll.
Hitting the paved streets of Keter, Crown of the Dead, Hye Su eyed the gathering hordes around her. Run? Run.
The problem with undead soldiers, Ranger decided, was that they never got tired. She’d been awake for three days and night herself, and if not for her mother’s blood running through her veins she would likely be dead in an alley. She’d inherited different things from her parents: in body she was her mother’s daughter, but in mind her father’s. Dada had never been one to let common sense get in the way of an adventure, to her mother’s mild despair. Being a half-elf had few drawbacks, save for the Emerald Swords occasionally trying to purge you from existence, but then Mother had taught her a few tricks to deal with their lot. She had, after all, taught most of them. Not that elf-killing tactics would help her much here, Hye thought. Putting down a handful of extremely powerful individuals was a different kind of fighting than scything your way through a horde of weaker ones.
Ducking into the shadows at the patrol of Binds passed her, Ranger waited until she could no longer her their steps before moving again. This deep into the Hall of the Dead there were no Bones. Calling where she was the basement of the keep would have been inaccurate, for beneath her went so deep inside the earth the furthest levels were flooded with molten stone. She was around the middle, really, and almost where she needed to be. Putting a spring to her step, the Ranger ghosted through the corridors until she reached the wide-open gates of the nameless room where the portal to Hell stood. The hall was broad and long, had once been a throne room, but now it was bare save for the sculpted obsidian arch surrounding the wound in Creation.
That, and the two silhouettes standing by it.
One was a man, pale and clad in silver-lined armour. His face could not be seen under the helmet and the long white cloak did not manage to hide the heater shield and longsword he kept. The other was a woman, tall and massively built. She had no weapons but for the stripes of leather around her knuckles. No armour but a threadbare tunic, and she hadn’t even bothered to wear boots. Promising. Both Revenants stirred when she strode into the room, walking forward at a pace.
“So one of you is one of those fancy monk-types from Levant,” she said. “And the other some kind of knight? Help me out here.”
The man unsheathed his sword.
“I was the White Knight, once,” he said gravely.
“Now we’re talking,” Ranger murmured.
“I was,” the woman said, “the Sage of the West.”
Unsheathing a single sword, Hye offered them a swordsman’s salute.
“I am the Ranger,” she said. “I hunt those worth hunting. Rejoice, for you qualify.”
Nothing more needed to be said. The fell on her without hesitation, the Knight’s sword coming for her neck and the Sage sweeping her feet. Hye tested a parry against the sword and found the dead hero’s strength not overwhelming – she would not need to dodge every time. The sweep she avoided deftly by leaping, leg wrenching out to land a kick on the Sage’s chin – or would have, had the hero not caught the blow and casually tossed her away. Ranger landed on her feet a dozen feet away, then slowly unsheathed her second sword. This, she reflected, might actually be challenging. She knew from experience that this far in the Dead King would not longer bother trying to drown her in lesser undead, so she could take the time to enjoy herself with these two.
The Ranger stepped forward and let her blades sing.
The Sage was the first to go. She could even now turn her skin harder than steel, the ghost of an aspect to a Name she no longer held, but steel was something she’d learned to cut long ago. A hand lost, then a leg, and from there on no amount of fancy magic hand-to-hand tricks was going to save her. The Knight, though? The former White Knight was the hardest fight she’d had in a long time. A century, at least.
“You have no aspects to tap in,” the Revenant eventually said, batting away a probing blow and attempting to bash her face in with his shield. “Unusual.”
Hye laughed.
“You have it the wrong way, Knight,” she said. “I’m always tapping into my aspects.”
She flicked her sword around his and wrenched upwards, forcing the blade out of his gauntleted hand in the exact same way he’d done to her early in the fight.
“Learn,” she said.
The White Knight effortlessly snatched his blade out of the air and struck, but she’d moved ahead of him. The blade passed through the air, and when he brought it back towards his body her own followed. Like flowing water filling a cup. Her own strike bit deep into his armour, shattering the steel and the the skin and bones underneath.
“Perfect,” she said.
The former hero was beyond pain and wounds meant nothing to him, save for the fact that the broken bone of his shoulder made it harder to swing his sword. He retreated cautiously, shield raised, as he sought a better angle of attack. Hye idly sheathed one of her swords and hummed as she came for him. The moment crystallized for her, the Knight carefully placing his sword stroke and the shield rising as he prepared to charge her. It was timed perfectly. She would be caught by one or the other, because she’d come forward too quickly with an improper guard. A swordsman of the dead hero’s calibre would need only one opening like that to kill her. It would not touch her. She spun around the shield, and if the Knight had still been human enough for such a thing his eyes would have widened. It wasn’t that Hye had become faster, because she hadn’t. Tricks like that could be adjusted to, countered. Just sinking the power of your Name into your limbs was a brute force application. What she did was… different. She simply was not where the enemy’s weapon was. Her single short sword swept like quicksilver, taking the Knight’s head. In a blur of movement, she relieved him of one limb after another and then broke the spine itself. Slowly, the necromancy began seeping out of the dead hero onto the floor.
“Transcend,” she finished calmly.
She was out of breath. Ahead of her, the portal flickered. That was as much of an invitation as she was going to get. Sheathing her blade, Ranger idly passed into Hell. The other side led into a banquet room, for the Dead King owned the gate and the places it led to. A long table with stone benches, covered with plates of still-warm food and quite a few carafes of wine, was headed by a wooden throne. On it sat a dark-haired child, too pale to be alive and too gaunt to even try pretend it was.
“Really?” she said, headed for a roasted chicken. “The creepy child route is what we’re doing? You have to know that’s a horrible cliché.”
She was starving, so she broke off a drumstick and bit into it with relish.
“Stop killing my heroes,” the Dead King said. “I only have so many to spare.”
“I’ll think about it,” Ranger lied.
The ancient abomination sighed.
“The wyvern trick won’t work twice,” he said.
“You should also take care of those footholds on the wall,” she spoke through a full mouth, grabbing a plate and stuffing it with couscous. “The spikes were a nice touch, though.”
The monster kept a surprisingly good table, for a creature that no longer needed to eat. Kingly habit, probably.
“Why do you darken my hall, Ranger?” the Dead King asked.
“Darken your…” she snorted. “That’s rich, it really is. Can’t a girl visit an old friend?”
“We are not friends,” the lich denied.
“That’s a carafe of my favourite wine,” Hye said, pointing towards the receptacle in question.
“Coincidence,” the Dead King said.
Ranger sat on the bench, spitting out a chicken bone before she could choke on it.
“Mama went back across the sea,” she said. “Finally talked a Baalite captain into taking her there to lay my father’s bones to rest.”
“You should also go there,” the monster said. “Far away. Give serious thought to never coming back.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” Ranger said. “I need a hobby.”
“You could leap off a cliff,” the Dead King suggested.
Hye poured herself a cup of wine to wash down the couscous.
“It’s just been so boring, lately,” she said. “The most excitement there’s been is Praes trying to invade Callow again and getting hilariously brutalized on the Fields of Streges.”
“The Tower has not been in worthy hands for centuries,” the Dead King said contemptuously.
“We’re not talking about your weird boner for Triumphant again,” Ranger said. “I really don’t want to know the logistics of how that would have worked.”
She paused. Boner. That was was funny because he was undead so- never mind. She had a little wine.
“Anyway,” she said, “I’m thinking about a hunting trip in Arcadia. The Wild Hunt was very uppity when I met them.”
“If I could lock you in there, I would,” the Dead King said wistfully.
“You don’t mean that,” Ranger dismissed. “Wait – are you trying to distract me while massing devils outside this room?”
There was a long pause.
“No,” the Dead King lied.
“Good talk,” Ranger said, rising to her feet hastily. “I’ll see you in a few years.”
“Please don’t,” the lich said.
Hye made for the door, then paused and backtracked. She stole another chicken leg and a carafe of wine before legging it.
The tavern was nearly empty at this time of the night – people in the Green Stretch were farmers, went to bed early and rose with dawn. She would have noticed the three who entered regardless: they had the feel of Names to them, that knotting in the threads of Fate. They headed straight for her table and Hye sipped at her wine thoughtfully. They made for a strange bunch. Two men: one a tall and almost ridiculously handsome Soninke, the other a pale Duni type with vivid green eyes. Amusingly shorter than his companion. The Taghreb woman dwarfed them both, at least eight feet tall and built like a living battering ram. The Duni must have been the leader, because he was the one to talk. He gestured at the empty chairs around the table.
“May we?”
“You are the size of at least two people,” Ranger said, pointing at the Taghreb.
“Is that why I keep eating them?” she deadpanned.
Hye grinned. Well, at least they had a sense of humour. That was surprisingly rare in in villains.
“By all means,” she said, gesturing at the chairs. “What can I do for you?”
“You would be the Ranger, yes?” the Soninke asked in a voice betraying his education.
No weapons on him. Mage, most likely. Praesi did love their sorcery.
“That’s me,” she said.
The Duni sat across from her and smiled. He was handsome, if not as much as his friend. Not really her type, but she could appreciate eye candy when it was offered.
“I hear,” he said, “that you can get people into Callow.”
Ranger hummed. Well, that should kill a few months at least.
93 thoughts on “Regard”
Thanks for the chapter, though it left me wanting more interaction with Black. Before the talk about the Praesi invasion I was thinking this was current-day, but sadly no reaction-shots from Hye for the kid who Captain says could be “Black’s and Hye’s daughter”… You tease.
Honestly, this has been hinted and teased at enough to drive me crazy. Cat thinks of Black in a weird father light, Black can kind of see it too, with Captains help. It enough to drive a girl bonkers with crazy theories’s.
Like, what if Black got Ranger Pregnant before the Fields, or they met up sometime latter, and because: -something, something, Magic, Elves blood, Arcadia, bull,- Catherine ended up born several years after the conquest, and because Ranger is mad, board, not-really-the-mother-type, really-likes-fucking-with-people, she left Baby Cat at the Orphanage.
nipi
Nah! Youd expect Cat to have inherited good looks from one of them. I can however see Ranger well not exactly adopting Cat but taking an interest in her – If only to kill some time.
Catherine has no blood relation to either of them.
Cat is darkish-skinned, while Amadeus is pale white and I’m pretty sure Ranger is similar. She might have inherited the angular face shape, but not the complexion by a long shot. Besides, orphans being the secret child of a mighty figure is much more of a Hero thing, and the closest any of them comes is violent neutral.
I feel like they kind of explained it here – Cat is the daughter Black never had.The reason why they’re so close is not because of any blood relation, but because he not only sees himself in her, but also sees the woman he loves.
I am well aware that Black is not Cat’s Dad, but a girl can dream… and think of AU theories, and draw fan art etc. As it stands I love where their relationship is at. I hope and pray to the Gods above it is a Hero who does him in, anyone but Cat.
greatwyrmgold
I expect this to be more of a Rei situation. She doesn’t have the super-special heritage; she just has talent, drive, and a couple of deadbeat (or maybe just dead) parents.
impolitic
You know who else wears black? DARTH VADER.
Cat, I am your father. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
Khhhhhh-Shhhhhh.
Trolling the Dead King, truly a magnificent hobby.
Gods Bellow, she is mad. That explains so much.
Just really, really bored. 😛
As we both know, enough boredom is indistinguishable from madness.
I wonder if Refuge and her “school” are the hobby she took after Black.
What’s with bored immortal elves making schools ? XD [/Tellwyrn]
Well, half-elves. *beat* Well, at least Ranger isn’t Rafe levels of bonkers. 😉
It gives them something to poke at from a position of authority. That way they can be as Sholes and claim it is for the youngster’s good. (Bonus points when it actually is.)
DarkoNeko: now I am imagining Refuge like a smaller, more martial Last Rock. And Ranger loops more and more like Tellwyrn.
Damn you autocorrect (again)!
Well there we are back at Tolkien.
The half-elf Elrond at Rivendell, who trained a Ranger who then made out with his daughter 😆😆
So actually Willy and Cat should have gotten together.
arancaytar
We get two chapters today? It’s like a second christmas! 😀
This is glorious! Thank you!
Are we to expect a hiatus between books? 🙂
i asked a while ago and i think the author said, that he/she would take a break for a month or so before coming back.
With that pun, I think she’s already had enough wine.
Thorbjorn
No such thing as enough wine.
Anyone want to guess what they wanted in Callow?
Passing through to get to Stygia and the repeatedly-teased overthrowing of a government using only a donkey, 2 shavels and a bottle of wine?
No, and I am intrigued. I suspect that it was during this adventure that Anaya was taken. Stygia was after, when Black was already Black and Anaya was in the Tower.
I believe it was so then Scribe Amadeus could kill the Commander (which was one of Cat’s dream visions). Probably to help along the ascension to Black Knight or something.
Squire Amadeus, not Scribe.
JackbeThimble
Huh. This is setting off all sorts of epileptic trees.
So we know that Heiress believes that the Dead King has gone quiescent, and furthermore that this quiescence is the factor that allowed a Lycaonese Prince to rise to the leadership of the Principate. Cordelia also admits that the Dead King is in ‘slumber’ though she doesn’t trust it to be permanent. This glimpse we’ve just gotten of the Kingdom of the Dead doesn’t look like a kingdom in decline though. We also know that Heiress’ plan in Liesse was to capture the Hashmallim, presumably for later use(?). Which indicates that her plan involved kicking off a crusade at some point, or possibly using her demon to corrupt the Hashmallim and use it’s mind control powers on her own behalf. Whatever it was the elves deemed it important enough to send two of their elite hitters to take her out, which doesn’t seem to be something they do every day. We also know that Heiress’ is trying to get a new name and she’s been setting up the narrative to ensure that it will have something to do with diabolism. And now for the first time in a long while a Proceran prince is planning another crusade against Praes instead of the Dead King. Finally we are now learning that the Dead King is the sorta guy who has a boner for Triumphant, so we can expect that he’d like the Young Turks running Praes about as much as the Heiress does, and that it’s highly unlikely that he suddenly decided that playing Orcus on His Throne for a few more centuries was all he really wanted out of undeath.
What if this crusade by Procer against Praes is exactly what the Dead King wants? If he’s been relieving pressure on the borders with Procer in order to draw them into a false sense of security so that they’ll feel like they have the leeway to direct their forces eastward when he’s really spent the past few centuries gearing up, fortifying and cultivating his Devils to maturity for just this opportunity when the forces of good direct the bulk of their forces away from him. And furthermore if it’s possible to move between locations on creation through Arcadia, who’s to say that you can’t do the same by moving through one of the Hells? Like the one the Dead King controls. What if Heiress (and maybe the Tyrant of Helike) has been working with the Kingdom of the Dead this whole time? What if her big plot is to provide the casus belli that will trigger the Tenth Crusade just at the moment when Praes is distracted in the Free Cities but before the forces of Good can fully marshall, so that when the Dead King sweeps into Northern Procer the forces of good and ‘pragmatic’ evil are already occupied worn down dealing with each other and unable to stop him when he comes through the Vales and makes his bid to conquer all of Calernia?
Or maybe he’s just trying to resurrect Triumphant or something. I dunno.
Well, now you did it. You didn’t say “may she never return”. Now you MADE that the thing he’s trying to do, and guaranteed his success.
I hope you’re happy.
Hahaha well black don’t say that neither;)
Shikome Kido Mi
I think there’s a large hole in your logic chain. Yes, we learned that the Dead Emperor liked Empress Triumphant. But we also learned that the people who have been running Praesi for centuries, the people Heiress represents, aren’t Triumphant’s chosen heirs. Instead they are the people who assassinated her and have since tried and failed to ape her style.
What the Dead King and Triumphant have in common is this: They’re not just Evil, they’re innovators. Mages still crawl through works reputed to have been written by the Dead King to learn a fraction of what he knows and he didn’t bow to the forces of traditional Evil, he made thm bow to him, as ultimately represented by his rule in Hell. Triumphant tried (and mostly succeeded) to conquer the world with air supremacy, she didn’t inherit and empire she created one.
I think if anything, the Calamities are more the type of people of whom the Dead King would approve than any of the Praesi Old Guard (who, to him, are the young upstarts). Which is probably partly why Ranger likes them, actually. She likes the Dead King, perhaps they remind her of him.
Solracmar
Thanks for the book. A good hiatus for you.
I think Heiress should seize the Name GRAVEDANCER; she IS a summoner and necromancer, and dead bodies are a vital part of her ‘schtik’. Or perhaps it would suit Catherine better… though I can’t really envision her dancing a around a fresh grave, no matter what the payoff
So… Necrodancer ?
PingleBerry
I REALLY want know the story behind the dead king, do you suppose it could be a extra chapter at some point?
I suspect it might be like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYPc2UPcGqM
So the Dead King collects Dead Heroes? Iiiinteresting…
Gotta catch em’ all!
I find it fascinating that Ranger’s aspects are Learn, Perfect and Transcend. I note a strong influence of them in Black’s long term plan for Praes. Learn has always been more powerful that people thing, and couple with Perfect it becomes deadly. And Transcend is as overkill as they get.
Well having those aspects has the downside of not having any lets call them supernatural aspects of her own. She cant learn others aspects. She cant learn to topple towers with a flick of her wrist, ect.
Im sure she is aware of this. And I think she would find Take a very interesting aspect.
Her thing is that with the loadout she has, she doesn’t need raw power. Which isn’t to say she doesn’t get plenty. In Beast, she did imply that she could kick at least twice as hard as it takes to shatter a stone golem with one hit.
I could swear Ranger is cheating. I can’t find it, but either there’s a bit of text or erraticerrata’s comment that says “Learn” has to be activated from active teaching, you can’t just learn during a normal fight.
If it was just a comment, then poor Cat; just as she lost Learn, it gets buffed to being super-strong.
But Learning is a highly cultural concept. We think of learn as academic knowledge. But Ranger grew with a mother that used to train Emerald Swords, that means she considers Learning a martial thing. She probably learned a lot of technics during spars (and then perfected them by being a perfectionist half-elf). So, she goes into every fight considering both a challenge and a learning opportunity.
And then she got Transcend and every limitation got sublimated, seriously OP.
Sardek
They weren’t italicized, so it’s entirely possible they’re not literal aspects and just how Ranger prefers to do business. That also gets around the theoretical limitations of Learn, since she’s not actually tapping into it. With how bored she claims to be, it’s entirely possible that she decided to not use her aspects because it makes things at least a little interesting.
Nehemiah Newell
Don’t assume the Ranger’s Learn and the Squire’s are the same. The ranger is a full Name, the Squire a transitional one.
1shot4living
It could very well be that as Names take on a different shape with each incarnation, so Aspects aren’t limited to a single form either, with each one being just a little unique to their wielder.
joni alanen
True. And despite the reasonings and possibilities stated by other commenters, There was a point about more and less flexible aspects, and the rarity of them. Some, often the more uncommon ones, are tied more to the wearer/user and are as such more malleable. The common ones, or the extremely common ones(like learn – an aspect practically every squire, and possibly many other apprentice roles have) are rigid and easy to appraise and predict. If i’m not completely wrong, this is in the very conversation where Black tells Cat about the learn. So in the end, i do believe, that there is a continuity error.
“Well i-it’s not like a got it for you b-baka.😣”
Did anybody else expect The Dead King to respond like this?
No! That would just destroy the scene!
You read too many mangas^^
The way he answer(woman,just go die ) is way more fitting and is more akin banter
Will Manders
Yap, The Dead King is tsundere.
Wait, you meant he DIDN’T answer that? In my mind, he did. Can’t even recall the actual words since they were just cover up.
“the dwarves had mined around all of the Kingdom of the Dead, and immediately plugged any tunnel [form->from] there into their lands”
“With a shout of glee she leapt down and put the tower shield under her, using it as a [slide->sled].”
“Ranger waited until she could no longer [her->hear] their steps before moving again.”
“She knew from experience that this far in the Dead King would [not longer->not/no longer] bother trying to drown her in lesser undead”
Is the name Keter at all inspired by the SCP foundation?
I greatly enjoyed the chaper. From what I know, it doesn’t surprise me at all that Ranger treats breaking into a place deemed impenetrable in order to beat up the super-expensive guards there a hobby.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keter
Keter: http://www.scp-wiki.net/keter-arc
crazedmoth
More typos!
“[Knock -> Nock], draw, release.
“plugged any tunnel [form -> from] there into their lands with molten steel”
“so they could raise [an/the] alarm”
“Ranger idly scattered the closest [Bone -> Bones?] as she considered her options”
“This one was wearing old Proceran armour long gone out of style, [bust -> but] most importantly he’d had a shield”
“She’d been awake for three days and [night -> nights] herself”
“[The -> they] fell on her without hesitation”
“You have no aspects to tap [in -> into]”
You know you’re lonely when you spend a week starving and fighting for your life through a horde of undead just for a brief conversation with one of the only people you sort-of consider an equal.
Nah,I think her target was the dead heros^^
She is a battle maniac…
“the placed they now called” > place ?
“immediately plugged any tunnel form there” > from ?
Hey, Ranger pulled out the Legolas manoeuver XD
Except she did it on a railing, a thing people naturally slide down in real life, rather than the stairs themselves, which makes a lot more sense.
Thanks for the chapter! I really like this character^^
living her own way,Really old but still young minded,badass,don’t really care about good or evil and just want some fun;)
This was a fun chapter, and if Black is Cat’s father figure, who is to be her mother figure? Alaya or Hye? Maybe dear Captain?
Sabah is pretty maternal in a quiet way.
More like a uncle…aunt, i mean aunt!!
Roberto Testino
I wish to translate your work to español, i’m wonder if that is ok with you?
While I appreciate the thought, I never authorize off-site copies/translations/pdf versions – the work is meant for eventual publication and having it floating around the web would significantly complicate that. So, please do not.
Well, he COULD translate it for you and you offer the different-language-version here in case you like it?
So Keter is basically Mordor x Moria on a cliff, dialed up all the way to eleven. It’s beautiful.
The castle sounds to me like Peter Jackson’s version of Isengard more than anything. The rest of the land sounds like northwest Mordor, true.
So, is there not going to be another chapter this week? I thought that there was going to be another chapter before you took the between-books break?
Is there….any chance the Dead King is related to Hye somehow? Her mother’s immortal, after all, and the first thing Ranger wants to talk about is what her mother is up to. That seems oddly familial.
I’m getting a strong siblings vibe from the banter, especially when Hye talks about “Mama”.
True. And, he does know her favourite foods… Siblings tend to not have to think too hard about what each likes. It’s up there with both knowing exactly what makes prime blackmail material without having to squint in thought at all. 😉
Left out being grouchy when your sib barges into your room, even though you knew damn well they were going to. 😛
Shawn Panzegraf
I definitely lend credence to the theory someone mentioned that the Dead King has been playing possum for reasons as yet unexplained. Undeath doesn’t do “decline”…if his kingdom was in that organized a shape as of the Field of Streges, it’s only gotten stronger since then.
@ERRATIC: QUESTION: You mention the Dead King and the Chain of Hunger in the same breath a lot. We always hear about “ratling warbands” when Chain of Hunger is mentioned…BUT, context also makes it sound like the Dead King’s territories and the Chain of Hunger are both located very close to the First Prince of Procer’s home territory.
Can we get at least a brief explanation WHAT the Chain of Hunger is? Mentioning the title, and using the two words “ratling warband” over and over, without ever providing the SLIGHTEST bit of exposition concerning the Chain is rather maddening.
If you look at the map, the Chain of Hunger is the mountainous area (or possibly is the name of the mountain range?) to the West of the Dead Kingdom.
Ratlings is the name of the species that inhabits the great plains known as the Chain of Hunger. “The Chain of Hunger” is also how other nations call their nation/government, since it’s a pretty apt description of how they function. It’s a common curse in Lycaonese principalities to say “may you be the weakest link in the Chain”, which more or less means “may you get eaten by a hungry bipedal rats”. Though they don’t send actual armies into Rhenia and Hannoven (Rhenia being Cordelia’s home principality and Hannoven her uncle’s) every spring large warbands drift south and cross the rivers and lakes to assault the defences. Hannoven has been razed to the ground by those eight times, and every time was rebuilt larger and with harder defences. The best way to understand the Lycaonese is a quote I once read about Prussia under Frederick the Great: “Prussia was not a country with an army, but an army with a country”.
Once again we Germans are the enemy of the Protagonists 😆
To bad that our cultural preference is to guilt-trip us over this badass reputation instead of accepting our prowess in battle and science over the centuries.
I wonder which Goto Badguy Theme there would be if not for the Nazis.
etvolare
*waves* Hello! May I entice you to drop me an email at volaretranslations@gmail.com for a mutual publicity blitz? 😀
Etvolare, you’re awsome 😀
Really looking forward to Book III – I’m starting to miss this story 😀
Only eight days until Book 3.
I thought it would return this week… I’m kinda sad now lol
Seven.
Missed one. So five.
While climbing the wall, Hye used a long bow to shoot the Bone. It would have made more sense for her to use a recurve bow since that is much shorter for the same power.
Can’t wait for tomorrow;)
When is the next first chapter coming out? normally it would be up by now.
It occurs to me that the Dead King might not focus as hard as he could on killing Ranger not only because of any grudging respect (or finding her visits a change of pace in immortal boredom), but also because her free security advice is useful. I would certainly hate to be the next band of heroes to try to assault his fortress after all the tips she’s supplied.
Though, I suppose she does weaken his forces by killing his more powerful minions in duels, so that has to be weighed carefully against her usefulness.
Ranger is an adrenaline junkie. As if that were not scary enough, her aspects make her even scarier.
I have a nagging feeling that Ranger and Dead King are related, half siblings maybe? That would explain why she told him about her mother’s tracel plans.
And now I like the Dead King even more that we’ve met him than from his reputation and actions.
I think this series must have stolen all the decent villains from almost everything else, considering how rare decent villains are these days…! I’d ask you to share but a) that wouldn’t be very Evil, and b) this is so cool, who cares?
(erraticerrata, I don’t know if you read the comments this far back, but for me to be making comments this frequently on something is almost unhread of. I also noted above that this is intended to be published eventually – well, for my part, I’m fricking *sold.*)
Okay, Ranger is my favoritest character now.
Dead King Child is the second.
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Urban Symphony
70 cm x 90 cm (27.56 inches x 35.43 inches)
Lithograph 3 colors printed with Marinoni press lithographic and hand cut.
Signed by the artist, numbered and stamped by our publishing house.
Early Bird Price :
£290 (≈ €323, includes £18 of VAT, only applies to countries of the European Union)
£272 (≈ €300, without VAT, applies to the other countries)
Final Price :
Urban Symphony quantity
“This piece represents the idea of imagination being able to propel you to higher heights, being able to exceed certain limitations of social or economic status through ones heightened imagination or belief that they can go beyond their set of circumstances.” Hebru Brantley
The original artwork from this lithograph is one of the key pieces of Hebru Brantley’s last solo show called “Then There Were Two” currently on view at Galerie des Bains (Geneva) until the 9th November 2018.
This lithograph was produced in collaboration with Galerie des Bains as part of this exhibition.
SKU: TC-003-L Category: Lithograph
more from Thomas Canto
“This lithograph is from a new series that I started to develop: it’s a new project about the concept of rhythm in the urban space. You can guess an aesthetic that looks like buildings’ forest. It reminds places like Hong Kong with a kind of rhythms that is made by the sky, which alternates with concrete. That’s what I tried to transcribe in this lithograph: to have an impression of infinity that is specific to the current urban landscapes.” Thomas Canto
This lithograph is also inspired by « Exponential Urban Symphony » which is an assembly of lighting fixtures, sound design, mirrors, and video projectors. This installation is currently exhibited at « Prism Fantasy », on view until August 18th 2019, at Incheon (South Korea).
The exhibition features works by Jeppe Hein (Denmark), Daniel Rozin (Israel), and Daniel Buren (France), Ivan Navarro (Chile), Thomas Canto (France), Lee Bul (Korea), Gabriel Dawe (Mexico), Bongchull Shin (Korea), Ryota Kuwakubo (Japan), Lee Yongbaek (Korea), and Olafur Eliasson (Denmark).
Born in 1979 in France.
Inspired by experts across a variety of industries, Thomas Canto has charged himself with the task of finding the connection between the different areas. He is known for his work distorting speed and city structures until their original forms are effectively unrecognizable. Regardless of the genre, Canto finds inspiration from figures like the Hungarian painter and sculptor László Moholy-Nagy to architects like Zaha Hadid and Jean Nouvel. His works also focus on creating images new through technology that express the relationship between humans and architecture.
Thomas Canto’s works, even his installations, are often geometric environments expanding in space like abstract volumetric drawings, in a continuation of the works of Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez or, more recently, in the line of the Iranian artist Timo Nasseri’s line-based sculptures. Canto’s pieces, while having an unexpected simplicity of means, are visually sophisticated networks that play with the perspective viewpoint and the materialization of the gaze. When we see images of his works on a computer or catalog, it is difficult to comprehend how the work is built from ordinary building materials, such as rope or grey, white and black matte paint. In some of his interactive and spatial works we are also invited to walk into the installation, which instills a physical and mental inspiring drift of physiological, philosophical, and mathematical associations, according to the personal universe of each visitor. In our world of digital images, Canto’s geometric environments are unusually tangible due to their irreducible materiality, while the viewer feels as if plunged into a universe where perception and, with it, movement – time and space -, seem to materialize.
Thomas Canto’s repertoire is based on the energy of cities, which he is able to incorporate into his pieces thanks to his deep understanding of optical and kinetic (movement) art. Light and movement are critical elements in modern art today, and these focal elements are clearly evident in his works.
Pieces by Thomas Canto depict a fine and detailed world of the city and the interactions between humans and architecture. Containing modern components, his pieces are all accented with his unique individual flair. Additionally, the artist considers the many reiterations of daily life in the city and works to convey the chaos of the scenes through a variety of elements working in concert.
Still Life Of Space Time
Learn more about Thomas Canto >
Sea Scape
Layers 30
Ci Manga (Blue Edition)
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Distribution of Isotopic and Environmental Tracers in Groundwater, Northern Ada County, Southwestern Idaho
Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5144
Prepared in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources
By: Candice B. Adkins and James R. Bartolino
https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20105144
More information: USGS Index Page (html)
Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
Residents of northern Ada County, Idaho, depend on groundwater for domestic and agricultural uses. The population of this area is growing rapidly and groundwater resources must be understood for future water-resource management. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, used a suite of isotopic and environmental tracers to gain a better understanding of groundwater ages, recharge sources, and flowpaths in northern Ada County. Thirteen wells were sampled between September and October 2009 for field parameters, major anions and cations, nutrients, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, tritium, radiocarbon, chlorofluorocarbons, and dissolved gasses. Well depths ranged from 30 to 580 feet below land surface. Wells were grouped together based on their depth and geographic location into the following four categories: shallow aquifer, intermediate/deep aquifer, Willow Creek aquifer, and Dry Creek aquifer. Major cations and anions indicated calcium-bicarbonate and sodium-bicarbonate water types in the study area. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes carried an oxygen-18 excess signature, possibly indicating recharge from evaporated sources or water-rock interactions in the subsurface. Chlorofluorocarbons detected modern (post-1940s) recharge in every well sampled; tritium data indicated modern water (post-1951) in seven, predominantly shallow wells. Nutrient concentrations tended to be greater in wells signaling recent recharge based on groundwater age dating, thus confirming the presence of recent recharge in these wells. Corrected radiocarbon results generated estimated residence times from modern to 5,100 years before present. Residence time tended to increase with depth, as confirmed by all three age-tracers. The disagreement among residence times indicates that samples were well-mixed and that the sampled aquifers contain a mixture of young and old recharge. Due to a lack of data, no conclusions about sources of recharge could be drawn from this study.
Scientific Investigations Report
10.3133/sir20105144
Idaho Water Science Center
vi, 30 p.
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APC urges members to embrace Zamfara peace accord
Published Oct 13 at 1:27am
Maiharaji Altine
The Secretary of the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Sani Musa, has urged members of the party to embrace the peace accord initiated by the state government.
Briefing newsmen on Saturday at Talata-Mafara, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of the state, the APC scribe said the peace accord was for the good of the party because there would be no development without peace.
“We don’t want any of our party members to engage in any act capable of undermining the security arrangement put in place by the present administration. Let us support the peace initiative,” he said.
Thousands of APC supporters converged on the residence of a former governor of the state, Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yari, to pay homage to him at Talata-Mafara, where the APC scribe spoke to journalists.
zamfara-apc-peace-accord
Court orders Malami to unfreeze FUNAAB ex-bursar's account
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Star Wars Fans Really Want Meryl Streep As The New Leia, Supporters sign Petition
Still of Carrie Fisher as Leia in Star Wars The Last Jedi/ Lucasfilm
Megha Kedia
It seems some Star Wars fans desperately want to see Academy Award winner Meryl Streep play the character of the new Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episode IX. The character was previously played by late Carrie Fisher. Fisher tragically passed away on December 27, 2016, after going into cardiac arrest at the age of 60.
In fact, fans are already running an online petition asking the Star Wars makers Disney and Lucasfilm to cast Meryl Streep as Leia. The petition addressed to Disney, Lucasfilm and its president Kathleen Kennedy, and Episode IX director J.J. Abrams has already got support from over 8,205 signees and is almost about to reach its 9,000 signature goal.
“After the death of Carrie Fisher, there have been a lot of uncertainties in how STAR WARS Episode IX is going to deal with Leia,” the petition reads.”As Lucasfilm claimed that they have no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher with CGI in STAR WARS Episode IX, the more possible solutions are to recast Leia or to write her out of the film.”
The petition mentions that fans don’t want to see the character of Leia written out of the film abruptly without a reasonable plot. It added that Streep is an ideal candidate to replace Fisher for the role.
“As the fans of STAR WARS and Carrie Fisher, we really want Leia to shine in Episode IX and we certainly do not want her to be written out of the film abruptly without a reasonable plot. Therefore, recasting Leia is an ideal option for us and we believe that Meryl Streep is an ideal candidate to play Leia.”
Fisher and Streep had worked together on the film Postcard From The Edge, the semi-autobiographical movie based on Fisher’s novel. It remains to be seen whether or not the upcoming J.J. Abrams’ directed Star Wars movie will cast Meryl Streep as Leia.
Do you support the petition too? Let us know in comments below.
Source: Care2Petitions
Related TopicsfeaturedLeia OrganaMeryl StreepStar Wars
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Category: police procedural
#BlogTour #BookReview Demons by Stewart Giles @stewartgiles @Books_n_all
Title: Demons (Smith 11) by Stewart Giles
Publisher: STILL Books
From #1 best-selling author: Stewart Giles comes a new addition to the popular Detective Jason Smith series.
‘Forgive me father, for I have sinned.’
Someone is killing people in York. All of the victims share a secret that the murderer is somehow aware of and all of them receive an identical message after they are killed.
‘God has forgiven you your sins, but He could not rid you of your demons. So I have taken them for you.’
Detective Sergeant Jason Smith heads up the most draining investigation he’s ever come across. Coming face to face with demons of his own, will this be the case that finally sends Smith over the edge?
At the confluence of the River Ouse and Foss, York is the traditional county town of the historic county of Yorkshire. York Minster and a variety of cultural and sporting activities make it a popular tourist destination.
DS Jason Smith is an Australian who was sent to York to live with his Grandmother when his sister disappeared from a beach. He has suffered many losses in his short life and is now a dedicated detective. He is a bit of a loose cannon he has his own way of doing things that doesn’t always mean following orders and procedures. However, he does get results.
Amazon universal link – http://mybook.to/SGDemons
Goodreads link – goodreads.com/book/show/49126179-demons
I want to thank Jill Burkinshaw at Books n All promotions for inviting me on this tour and Stewart Giles for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
So this is number eleven in the Smith series and his most complicated case yet!
Smith is meant to be having a relaxing time off with his daughter and wife but that is interrupted when a body turns up. The man has been stabbed with an unusual knife and a body part removed, along with a creepy message: ‘God has forgiven you your sins, but He could not rid you of your demons. So I have taken them for you.’
More bodies turn up killed in a similar fashion but things in his personal life send him off the rails. Can Smith pull it together and solve the case?
Demons is fast paced thrill ride of a novel that doesn’t let up from that very first page.
Smith is his own worst enemy but since he’s been married I thought he’d settled down a bit but oh no, he was back to his old tricks again in this book. I swear if he would have been in front of me, I would have given him a good smack! Although, slight spoiler here, he does get a punch from a very surprising person which was very entertaining.
I liked the religious aspects running through the book, I’m not remotely religious myself so I find books like this interesting because I feel like I learn something new.
Truthfully, I had the culprit pegged quite early on but Stewart Giles still managed to throw a few twists and turns in there to keep things interesting.
Overall Demons was a quick read and a great addition to this action packed series!
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brings together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
Miranda is something totally different. A stand-alone psychological thriller, it is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
Website: www.stewartgiles.com
Twitter: @stewartgiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33
Author ljwrites85Posted on 29/12/2019 29/12/2019 Categories blog tour, Book Review, book series, books, crimefiction, mystery/thriller, newrelease, police procedural, reviewTags #blogtour, #bookreview, books, bookseries, crimefiction, demons, mystery/thriller, newrelease, policeprocedural, review, stewartgiles1 Comment on #BlogTour #BookReview Demons by Stewart Giles @stewartgiles @Books_n_all
#BlogTour #Review The Truth About Murder by Chris Collett @JoffeBooks @crime_crow
Title: The Truth About Murder by Chris Collett
ATTACK, KIDNAP, MURDER
Stefan Greaves emerges from a coma. He was brutally mugged while investigating a whistleblower complaint at a local hospital. She had feared mortality rates of children on her ward born with terminal illnesses and disabilities were on the rise. Now the whistleblower has disappeared.
PC Mick Fraser is sent in to interview Greaves. His partner, PC Denny Sutton, has just been murdered.
Then the whistleblower is discovered murdered and Fraser learns that Sutton had been stealing evidence to cover up crimes against those considered to be a drain on society: homeless and disadvantaged people and the mentally ill.
HOW ARE THESE CRIMES LINKED?
A fiendishly complex puzzle emerges. Can these two detectives learn to trust each other enough to put the pieces together?
Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham.
What readers are saying about Chris Collett
“I couldn’t put it down.” Barbara
“Definitely one of the best British crime novels I have read, with a great plot that twist and turns.” Terje
“A brilliantly well thought out mystery with plenty of red herrings.” Jacqueline
“A strong pace and multidimensional characters keep this British procedural moving briskly.” Library Journal
“Cleverly plotted, with an unexpected shock ending, plenty of suspense, and a likably genuine cast of characters, this is a strong new entry in an increasingly popular police-procedural series.” Booklist
“Collett is a wonderful writer, subtle, clever, strong on atmosphere and character.” Yorkshire Post
ALSO BY CHRIS COLLETT
DI MARINER SERIES
Book 1: Deadly Lies
Book 2: Innocent Lies
Book 3: Killer Lies
Book 4: Baby Lies
Book 5: Married Lies
Book 6: Buried Lies
Book 7: Missing Lies
THE FIRST THREE MARINER MYSTERIES ARE AVAILABLE IN A GREAT VALUE BOX SET: DETECTIVE TOM MARINER BOOKS 1-3
I want to thank Jill Burkinshaw at Books n All promotions for inviting me on this tour and Joffe books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
So I love Christ Collett’s DI Mariner series so when I saw that she was releasing a standalone crime thriller I was intrigued.
Stefan Greaves is approached by Rita Todd about infant death at the hospital she works at. Later on, Stefan is mugged and Rita disappears.
PC Mick Fraser is assigned to Stefan’s case but without much evidence to go on, the investigation stalls.
Rita’s body turns up and it’s assumed as suicide but Rita’s daughter isn’t convinced. With the help of Mick, Stefan must get to the bottom of a terrifying conspiracy and find out what really happened.
The Truth About Murder is a twisty and complex tale which I found quite unsettling at times, although I do think this would make a fantastic TV series!
The story follows two perspectives, Stefan Greaves, a paralegal who suffers from cerebral palsy and PC Mick Fraser, a Scottish policeman who’s just moved to Charnford.
They are both really strong characters but Stefan just edged ahead for me. Also Stefan having a disability (although we don’t find out the true extent of this until later in the novel) really added that extra dimension to the story showing some of the difficulties he faces. I also liked Stefan’s emo personal assistant Plum, she’s full of attitude but has a kind heart.
The underlying theme in this story is quite harrowing especially regarding disability and how it is treated. And there are certain parts of the story, in our current political climate, I thought to myself, I could actually see this happening, which were truly terrifying.
I did have an issue with the layout, Stefan’s perspective was written in normal writing but Mick’s was written in italics. I know this was done so you could tell the difference between the two first person perspectives but going from one to the other made my eyes go a little funny!
The Truth About Murder is realistic police procedural which will equally enthrall and chill you to your core.
I know this is currently a standalone novel but I would love to see some more from these characters.
I was born and grew up in a Norfolk seaside town, almost as far east as it’s possible to go in England without falling into the North Sea. There I worked variously in a boarding house (now defunct) a local bakery (closed down) and a crisp factory (razed to the ground). I graduated in Liverpool, then for twenty-five years taught children and young people with learning disabilities, including autism, before going into higher education as a senior lecturer.
Mindful of its reputation, I moved somewhat reluctantly to Birmingham, where I met my husband, in 1981. But just a few years later DI Tom Mariner was created to police its mean streets, and these days I relish the vibrancy and rich social history of the city. After eight outings for Mariner, I still feel as if I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Recently retired from lecturing and I’m currently luxuriating in the time I now have to continue the Mariner series, alongside published short stories and academic works. In my spare time, among other things, I’m a manuscript assessor for the Crime Writers Association.
Website: http://www.chriscollettcrime.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.collett.5477
Twitter: @crime_crow
Author ljwrites85Posted on 22/12/2019 21/12/2019 Categories blog tour, book, Book Review, crimefiction, mystery/thriller, newrelease, police procedural, reviewTags #blogtour, #bookreview, chriscollett, crimefiction, joffebooks, mystery/thriller, newrelease, policeprocedural, review, thetruthaboutmurderLeave a comment on #BlogTour #Review The Truth About Murder by Chris Collett @JoffeBooks @crime_crow
#BookReview Why She Ran by Geraldine Hogan @gerhogan @bookouture #BooksOnTour
Title: Why She Ran by Geraldine Hogan
Publisher: Bookouture
‘Rachel. They must have made a mistake. A mother would know?’ She let her words pour into the emptiness of the kitchen. She began to shiver. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said softly and rocked back and forth, as if she was a huge child, seeking solace in the simple gesture.
When young, pretty nurse Rachel McDermott is found murdered in the harsh lights of the hospital kitchen where she works, her mother can’t accept the news, and the small Irish town of Corbally reels in disbelief. Rushing to the scene, Detective Iris Locke vows to find the sick killer, whatever it takes.
The last person to see Rachel alive was her close friend, sixteen-year-old Eleanor Marshall, a troubled teenager, estranged from her family. Eleanor was spotted fleeing the kitchen where Rachel’s body was found and becomes the main suspect. Iris has a search party combing the endless woods near the Comeragh mountains where they believe she is hiding. But Iris is consumed with worry for the vulnerable girl and can’t shake a prickly disquiet that Eleanor shouldn’t be a suspect.
Eleanor’s sister agrees but a day later, when she is found dead in the area Eleanor is hiding, things don’t look good for the runaway teen. Iris can’t see Eleanor, who still sleeps with her childhood teddy bear, as someone who would kill her little sister and her best friend, but all the evidence seems to point that way.
Sleep-deprived and desperate to find the truth, Iris takes a closer look into Rachel’s background and discovers that she was keeping strange, shadowy company the night before she died. Convinced that Eleanor is in terrible danger, Iris sets out to find her, in the icy-cold woods, alone. But what if somebody else makes their way through the darkness and reaches Iris and Eleanor first?
This gripping mystery thriller is perfect for fans of Carol Wyer, Robert Dugoni and LJ Ross.
You can buy your copy here:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YFZYBm
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2PfIskk
Google Play: https://bit.ly/38wcw2B
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2t7kC1r
I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It’s funny in my last review I was saying that I hadn’t really read any police procedurals set in Ireland but now I’ve read two in a row! Funny how that happens.
So this is actually the second in the Iris Locke series, having not read the first I would probably recommend you start there as Iris’ backstory carries over. Although if, like me, you’re too impatient to do that the story works well as a standalone but I still feel like I could go back and read the previous book without worrying too much about spoilers.
Iris and her partner DS Slattery are called out to Curlew Hall, a place for troubled youngsters, where a young woman Rachel McDermott has been found brutally murdered and her young charge Eleanor has disappeared.
Could this vulnerable young woman be capable of murder? If not why did she run?
Why She Ran is a well written, intense and realistic police procedural.
The story was told from several points of view, mostly Iris and Slattery who I really warmed to. They are both damaged in their own ways but work well together as a team. I also like the way the author managed to weave in the character’s back story seamlessly along with the main story line.
The pace was steady, maybe a little slow at times, but it really built up the tension until I couldn’t stop turning those pages desperate to know what happens to the characters.
Why She Ran is a solid police procedural with compelling characters that really draws you in and doesn’t let you go.
Geraldine Hogan was born in Ireland. She gained an Honors Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree in Training and Management from University College, Galway. She is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of four contemporary fiction novels under the pen name Faith Hogan.
HER SISTER’S BONES is her first crime novel, her second WHY SHE RAN is due out in December 2019.
She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!
You can find out more about Geraldine here:
http://www.Facebook/GeraldineHoganAuthor.com
Twitter @gerhogan
https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/?hl=en
Author ljwrites85Posted on 20/12/2019 19/12/2019 Categories blog tour, book, Book Review, book series, crimefiction, mystery/thriller, newrelease, police procedural, review, suspenseTags #blogtour, #bookreview, book, bookouture, bookseries, booksontour, crimefiction, geraldinehogan, mystery/thriller, newrelease, policeprocedural, review, suspense, whysheranLeave a comment on #BookReview Why She Ran by Geraldine Hogan @gerhogan @bookouture #BooksOnTour
#BookReview No Simple Death by Valerie Keogh @ValerieKeogh1 @Bloodhoundbook
Title: No Simple Death by Valerie Keogh
Date Published: 4th December 2019
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
How can you find someone who doesn’t want to be found?
When Detective Garda Sergeant Mike West is called to investigate a murder in a Dublin graveyard, suspicion immediately falls on a local woman, Edel Johnson, whose husband disappeared some months before. But then she disappears.
Evidence leads West to a small village in Cornwall, but when he checks in to an Inn, he finds Edel has arrived before him. Her explanation seems to make sense but as West begins to think his suspicions of her are unfounded, she disappears again.
Is she guilty? West, fighting an unsuitable attraction, doesn’t want to believe it. But the case against her is growing. Back in Dublin, his team uncover evidence of blackmail and illegal drugs involving Edel’s missing husband. When another man is murdered, she, once again, comes under suspicion.
Finally, the case is untangled, but is it the outcome West really wants?
No Simple Death is a murder mystery with a touch of romance, set in the Dublin suburbs. It will appeal to fans of authors such as Peter James, LJ Ross and Ruth Rendall.
**** This book was previously published under the title That One May Smile ****
I want to thank Valerie Keogh for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
No Simple Death is the first in the Garda Mike West series and a very intriguing start it was!
Edel Johnson finds a body in the cemetery behind her house, three months after her husband Simon disappeared. Detective Mike West is called out to the scene to investigate.
Then Edel goes missing.
Where has she gone? Is she guilty of murder? Why do they find evidence pointing to a small village in Cornwall?
No Simple Death is a mix of police procedural, psychological thriller and a hint of romance.
It’s told mostly from Mike and Edel’s points of view giving the story that extra depth. Both characters were strong, with their own unique voices so you’d never get the two confused!
Another thing I liked about it was the fact it was set in Ireland. I was wracking my brains before writing this review and I can honestly say I haven’t read a police procedural set in Ireland and it was nice to see how their police structure differed from the UK and the US.
The writing is quite vivid and realistic, which personally I don’t mind, but there were a few scenes that were a little gruesome, so just a little warning there.
Also I felt, to me anyway, the story lost a bit of steam around the middle before building to a great ending, I just think it could have maybe been a little shorter.
No Simple Death is a complex story full of twists and turns and memorable characters that is a must for mystery/thriller fans!
Valerie Keogh grew up reading Agatha Christie so when she started writing it seemed natural to write crime novels.
She writes a gritty series based in the UK featuring Nicola Connolly, a serial killer. The Hudson and Connolly series: DEADLY SLEEP, TWISTED POWER, BITTER BUSINESS, and WICKED SECRET.
Valerie has also written a stand-alone psychological thriller, Exit Five from Charing Cross.
In March 2018, Valerie signed a two book contract with the publisher, Bookouture. The first of these, Secrets Between Us, was published in Nov 2018 and the second, The Housewife, in Feb 2019.
In June 2019, Valerie signed a three book contract with Bloodhound books. The first psychological thriller is due out in Feb 2020 and the second in June 2020. Bloodhound are also publishing Valerie’s Irish Crime series, the first of which is due on Dec 4th.
Like Valerie Keogh’s facebook page: facebook.com/valeriekeoghnovels
Author ljwrites85Posted on 17/12/2019 17/12/2019 Categories book, Book Review, book series, crimefiction, mystery/thriller, newrelease, police procedural, reviewTags #bookreview, bloodhoundbooks, book, bookseries, crimefiction, newrelease, nosimpledeath, policeprocedural, review, setinireland, valeriekeoghLeave a comment on #BookReview No Simple Death by Valerie Keogh @ValerieKeogh1 @Bloodhoundbook
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ACORN Tactics
Back to Summary
Percentile Rank
ACORN Tactics is ranked in the 9th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Scored Reviews
PS3Blog.net
ACORN Tactics is a very good strategy game with easy to understand gameplay mechanics that will keep you coming back for more until the end.
Overall, ACORN Tactics is a fun turn-based strategy release on Nintendo Switch with some pros and cons that you're either going to love or hate. There's more than enough content to justify its asking price, but the way how the game starts a bit on the slow side during the first handful of stages and the high difficulty of later stages might rub some people the wrong way. But if you stick with it you'll find a solid indie release that is worth a shot.
Matthew Mason
ACORN Tactics has its heart in the right place, but it plays it very safe. It's a very solid strategy RPG, taking elements of games such as Fire Emblem and Advance Wars and wrapping it in its own aesthetic. However, for as liberally as it borrows from its inspirations, it never goes above and beyond and does anything that might be construed as unique. Without many peers at the outset of the Switch's life, ACORN Tactics might be the kind of game to sate your SRPG cravings until something meatier comes along.
NintendoWorldReport
The amount of polish that went in and the lack of bugs that can often plague titles developed by small teams truly demands applause. The issue though is that a single person development team isn't capable of matching the same quality of similar titles like Mario + Rabbids that are developed by a large team. Had ACORN come out prior to Ubisoft's release, I think it would have been a nice preview to the tactical RPG genre on Switch, but trying to play it now just reminds me of how good Kingdom Battle was and that you would be better suited to investing your money into a big budget game that will provide better gameplay and much more replayability.
Nindie Spotlight
Justin Nation
If you’re a strategy die hard I’d probably say the game isn’t well-suited to you since even if you eventually get to something challenging it will take some time since the pacing of the battles is pretty slow and meticulous. Graphically it isn’t going to win any awards but it is also very clean and shows glimmers of personality nonetheless. Perhaps even moreso than Mario + Rabbids I’d say this is a very accessible tactical strategy game for all ages and for newcomers it is likely a great fit since at least half of the missions take their time to layer on strategic elements piece by piece. While it isn’t blowing the doors off it is at least a reasonably good game for people interested in checking out strategy games on a budget.
The Switch is perfectly suited to strategy games, but ACORN Tactics isn't one that should automatically go in your collection. It's a shame, because despite being quite charming, it isn't any fun.
FNintendo
André Reis
ACORN Tactics may start with the promise of becoming something enjoyable within the strategy genre in the Nintendo Switch catalog but unfortunately it doesn't live up to what it could be. Too slow during combat, very shallow in its mechanics and lacking feedback in crucial points, ACORN Tactics falls short of players' expectations and fails to deliver what is today taken for granted by most.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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← Declan Waugh claims it’s “clear as day”
Let’s rely on anecdotes instead! →
Standing up to junk science in New Zealand
Posted on November 9, 2014 | 281 Comments
Last week we saw several local victories for science over pseudoscience. And the US mid-term elections also gave electoral victories supporting community water fluoridation in 5 out of 6 communities where it was voted on.*
Peter Griffin from New Zealand’s Science Media Centre reported on the New Zealand victories in his post Experts shine in fight against junk science.
“It was a week when climate change denial, a “miracle” ebola cure and homeopathy grabbed headlines.
But by and large it was also a week where the media laid out the evidence and featured expert commentary putting the science behind the claims in perspective.”
So, the media seemed to be “on-side” this time and scientific experts were fronting up to counter the pseudoscience.
“The pending arrival in New Zealand of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing leader James Humble to push his Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) was front page news. Medsafe warned that the treatment acts like an industrial bleach and could cause serious harm to those who took it. Australia’s Nine News reported that four Victorians had been hospitalised after taking the MMS treatment.
Dr Shaun Holt
Natural remedies expert Dr Shaun Holt and University of Auckland microbiologist Dr. Siouxsie Wiles made numerous media appearances to explain the pseudoscience Humble has been spreading about MMS, including that it can cure Ebola, HIV and malaria.The Herald reported today that an Auckland man who attempted to attend one of the “non-religious” Church’s seminars in the Hauraki Plains, was removed when it emerged he had not paid the US$500 registration fee, a hint perhaps at the real reason behind Humble’s Australasian tour.”
NZ Herald’s front page piece on MMS
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change renewed the media interest in climate change.
“False balance in climate coverage
Professor Tim Naish and Dr James Renwick, who have both contributed to IPCC reports put the latest update in context for New Zealand on One News and 3 News.
However TVNZ undermined its own climate change coverage by featuring noted climate sceptic and energy sector consultant Bryan Leyland on the Breakfast show, including presenting a graph featuring data supplied by Leyland himself.
By the end of the day the item had been pulled from TVNZ’s website after the broadcaster received numerous complaints from the public, scientists, as well as journalists.”
Then there was the response to the Green Party’s natural products spokesman Steffan Browning’s folly in signing a petition calling for homeopathic treatments to be used in the fight against Ebola. This lead to his demotion within the party and removal of his spokesman role.
“The embarrassing endorsement attracted attention in the UK and the condemnation of Browning’s own caucus.
Writing on Sciblogs, Dr Grant Jacobs applauded Browning’s demotion, but pointed out that he retained other science-related shadow portfolios.
“I’m aware of a number of people who have said they didn’t vote for the Greens because of Steffan Browning’s stance on genetic engineering and others who have said that while they voted for the Greens they don’t approve of Browning’s approach to GMOs and GE.”
Peter Griffin finishes by thanking “all the scientists who stepped up to make sense of the dubious claims journalists and the public were faced with this week.”
I think this also shows what can be achieved when good science journalism is actively promoted by groups like the Science Media Centre, and when scientists and other experts participate in the social communication media and make themselves available to journalists.
*Support for community water fluoridation in these 5 communities was pretty overwhelming:
Boyne City, Michigan – 68% support for fluoridation: http://goo.gl/BUQVev
Bronson, Michigan – 63% support for fluoridation: http://goo.gl/KogVkP
Kalama, Washington – 73% support for fluoridation: http://goo.gl/wP6xAY
Saline County, Kansas – 67% support for fluoridation: http://goo.gl/Q2IGWL
Healdsburg, California – 68% support for fluoridation: http://goo.gl/KsOCgn
These victories were probably because fluoridation supporters, families and dentists organised public campaigns. See Group wants fluoride vote to keep its teeth.
This entry was posted in New Zealand, SciBlogs, science, Science and Society and tagged climate change, ebola, MMM, SciBlogs, Science journalism. Bookmark the permalink.
281 responses to “Standing up to junk science in New Zealand”
soundhill1 | November 9, 2014 at 2:02 pm |
Something might be evidence-based and marvellous scientific technology like fracking, but wider science is needed to decide upon its use.
You may be called a Luddite if you oppose genetic modification. Then are you really dealing with science or with salespeople selling the outdated genetic modification of our food which means it contains antibiiotic resistance genes? Insertion of antibiotic resistance is outmoded by science now but a huge number of crops still contain that old technology. I find articles weak unless they cover that sort of point.
greenbuzzer | November 9, 2014 at 3:37 pm |
Jeez Ken . . . haven’t you had a gratifying week . . . but as for ‘Junk Science’ what is it about ‘evidence-based science’ that can ever be relied upon when it ignores the most basic fact about life that is the difference between a live body and a dead body?
@greenbuzzer yes some of the GMO “safety” testing has done on a just a chemical. Then the gene for the chemical was put into a plant and it was assumed that the result would consequenly be safe. But a gene inserted in a living plant really has more consequences than just producing the intended chemical.
This author wants more experiments to test if his work is good or junk.
and his abstract
http://www.waterconf.org/upload/Konovalov%20Abstract%20WC2012.pdf
greenbuzzer | November 9, 2014 at 10:23 pm |
Very interesting doco about Goat Island Marine Reserve on tonight 9th November, which reminded me of you and the events of the past week Ken, and how real scientists actually have humility and keep an open mind realising that ‘facts change’ and new things are revealed and ‘discovered’ every day – like the fact that the noise they thought was being made by the crayfish was actually coming from the very small fish called ‘Big eyes’. Under your regime and that of the likes of Souxsie Wiles, et al, you would keep denying this to the bitter end if this was one of your core dearly held beliefs – such as fluoride is safe, no matter what the evidence to the contrary, and homoeopathy is whacko even though very smart people, such as the Queen, claim enormous benefits from using it . . . would be sad really if it was just you and your cohorts who were left suffering in your ignorance, but unfortunately you would have the rest of us bound by your lack of knowledge as well . . . look at all the people who could have benefitted from an RDI of vitamin C well above that set to prevent scurvy and even now who’s going to stump up the cash to do the clinical trials when there’s nothing in it for them – we have long since been deserted by our ‘health officials’ to do any such research and the ‘public interest’ is now squarely at the mercy of Big Pharma, and your ‘colleagues’ livelihoods no doubt depend upon them toeing the party line . . . so do forgive me if I take a very jaundiced view of most of what you’ve written.
The shame of all of you is that because your beliefs do not allow you to partake of any of the benefits of megadoses of IV vitamin C or even homoeopathy you would deny everyone else the opportunity by ensuring that any tax money spent on their health care was not of their choice but rather your narrow, ignorant and limited ‘evidence-based’ Big Pharma poisons because they have set it up that they are the only ones that can afford to buy the ‘scientists’ to jack up the studies in favour of their products and come up with any number of counter studies should anyone dare to suggest they may not only be ineffective but downright dangerous.
Isn’t it something like 40% of deaths & / or hospital admissions are from iatrogenic illnesses – it would be good if Souxsie keep a running commentary of those alongside her obvious witch hunt against homoeopathy don’t you think?
Don’t need to wish you Good night or anything because as they say Ignorance is Bliss – you must be very blissful . . . :}
You seem upset about something, greenbuzzer? Wonder what it is.
soundhill1 | November 9, 2014 at 11:06 pm |
Ken, it is possible greenbuzzer may be referring to thngs like: http://www.nature.com/news/china-sacks-officials-over-golden-rice-controversy-1.11998
@greenbuzzer
I saw that doco. I wonder how many people are aware of the EPA hearing going on about mining the Chatham Rise for phosphorite. Quite a bit of science has been discussed. One point has been the sound of the vacuum dredge. I was firstly thinking in terms of hearing damage, But watching the doco I thought of how the 24/7 dredging sound could mask sounds that creatures use as signals. I think the doco said the little crayfish hear the spiny sea urchin munching on kelp and that is a way they know where to swim back to after their initial time in the more open ocean.
Evidence of how creatures have burrowed into phosphorite nodules: http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/NZOIm77.pdf, science needs to take a wide view. What part have those creatures played in long our food chain?
(And will there be enough moisture and low enough pH to make the rock phosphate of use in a sufficient portion of NZ?)
greenbuzzer | November 10, 2014 at 12:06 am |
Yes Soundhill1 – to see the crayfish return after 2 years at sea by following the sound of the sea urchins munching on kelp makes one realise just how much we don’t know about the big picture . . . and as far as China goes, they also fined Glaxo Smith Kline the $488M they spent on bribes to doctors etc to use their products . . . just the tip of a very big iceberg I suspect . . . funny Ken didn’t see fit to comment on that as well . . . :}
Nor this . . . http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local-news/oliver-springs-removes-fluoride-from-water-supply_43415611 . . . :}
heh | November 10, 2014 at 6:22 am |
I don’t know, Shaun. The Red Cross seemed to have pretty good results with this “bleach” when they cured 154 cases of Malaria in Uganda 2012, documented on video by two different producers. The videos are on the frontpage of the (non-religious) Genesis II Church of Health & Healing website as we speak. Looks convincing to me.
Keep in mind that Oxygen is also a bleach if you want to get scientific about it, and we have lungs to use that as much as possible — in moderate amounts, of course. Chlorine dioxide is the same principle and the oxidation potential is actually weaker than that of Oxygen, so it’s safer than Oxygen, in moderate amounts.
Here are the Red Cross Cured 154 Cases of Malaria with MMS links, for safety sakes. http://mmswiki.org/index.php?title=Red_Cross
LEAKED: Proof the Red Cross Cured 154 Malaria Cases with MMS
Red Cross World Sensation! Malaria finally defeated!
Perhaps a little humility is required.
@6.22am I don’t know, Shaun.
Shaun?
It seems the kooks are all on a first name basis.
soundhill1 | November 10, 2014 at 9:39 am |
Ken I feel your Galileo picture may have been made quite a few years ago when Google was not so encompassing. Just because something is on Google does not mean it isn’t science. Nowadays Google is rather good at giving which scientific papers have cited another. The scientist can not usually put that in their paper because it has not happened yet at the time they published.
And some “research” is actually just a review of many papers on a subject. The scientist does not have to be in a lab to do that.
There is even a whole branch of physics working with mathematical models, they don’t work with equipment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoretical_physics
soundhill1 | November 10, 2014 at 1:11 pm |
Thanks, Heh. Charity can be big business. This seems a fairly academic artice: http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/ethics_and_nonprofits
It is hard to know what sort of review of articles are true as opposed to advocacy. Beware of emotive writing and writing which brings about confusion over doses and danger &c. A lot of the criticism of that chlorite work alludes to the danger of doses way beyond what is used. So far that is the only sort of criticism of the study that I have been able to find. People without much knowledge of science can thus be carried along if there is an agenda to keep up profits by avoiding a cheap treatment.
Perhaps we could rank writers on this group by the amount of emotive terms they use.
Scientist Changes Sides
Grant Cameron, as quoted: “I’m aware of a number of people who have said they didn’t vote for the Greens because of Steffan Browning’s stance on genetic engineering and others who have said that while they voted for the Greens they don’t approve of Browning’s approach to GMOs and GE.”
Here is more recounting of points I have been making, and a story of a scientist changing sides:
http://earthweareone.com/former-pro-gmo-scientist-speaks-out-on-the-real-dangers-of-genetically-engineered-food/
Stuartg | November 11, 2014 at 6:27 am |
Ken, it seems like some of your commenters believe that the definition of scientist is someone who can point a web browser towards Google.
It’s the equivalent of calling yourself a mechanic because you can drive a car to a garage / service station.
They certainly don’t understand that science defines a way of thinking; maybe their way of thinking precludes that understanding?
soundhill1 | November 11, 2014 at 10:47 am |
@Stuartg
I am wondering who your target audience you think you can swing is, who will buy your aspersions here.
How about taking several of the points and commenting?
Science has a way of thinking, politics has a way of thinking, business has a way of thinking. Some of them try to bend the public perception of the others for their own ends.
Trevor Crosbie | November 11, 2014 at 1:52 pm |
This on GMO from a scientist – There is a growing body of scientific research – done mostly in Europe, Russia, and other countries – showing that diets containing engineered corn or soya cause serious health problems in laboratory mice and rats.I don’t know if I was passionate about it but I was knowledgeable. I defended the side of technological advance, of science and progress.
I have in the last 10 years changed my position. I started paying attention to the flow of published studies coming from Europe, some from prestigious labs and published in prestigious scientific journals, that questioned the impact and safety of engineered food.
I refute the claims of the biotechnology companies that their engineered crops yield more, that they require less pesticide applications, that they have no impact on the environment and of course that they are safe to eat.
There are a number of scientific studies that have been done for Monsanto by universities in the U.S., Canada, and abroad. Most of these studies are concerned with the field performance of the engineered crops, and of course they find GMOs safe for the environment and therefore safe to eat.
Individuals should be encouraged to make their decisions on food safety based on scientific evidence and personal choice, not on emotion or the personal opinions of others.
We should all take these studies seriously and demand that government agencies replicate them rather than rely on studies paid for by the biotech companies. (end)
I respectfully suggest the same applies to the scientific studies done to ‘prove’ the safety, benefits and effectiveness of fluoridation.
Well, Trev, at least you a “respectful” about your “suggestion” regarding fluoridation but you provide absolutely no evidence for it.
@Ken,
I pointed out that the Royal Society review did not mention a paper about IQ and fluoridation that had controlled controlled for other trace elements. Indeed in your blog you claimed a possible different explanantion.
When I asked you about the matter you said I should contact the authors of the RS study.
So in relation to your reply to Trev, this must be evidence pending. Sorry must action it.
Stuartg | November 11, 2014 at 4:21 pm |
soundhill1:
“Just because something is on Google does not mean it isn’t science.”
We agree on that. The trouble is that some of the comments here (and other of Ken’s blogs) imply that the commentor equates the double negative with a positive.
In other words, it seems they think that (“does not mean it isn’t” = “means it is”).
There is a tiny fraction of Google that includes science. Most of Google is neither science nor scientific. The tiny minority of science available on Google means that Google is not a good place from which to perform scientific “research.”
Some comments here suggest that the person has used nothing but Google for their “research.”
Science starts with the basics. It slowly builds from there. Scientists check each other’s results, contribute to each other’s thinking, they suggest areas to be followed, point out relevant areas which may have been investigated before, and then they eventually reach a consensus from which further research can be done. Google is not required at any stage of this process.
Someone using Google gets many thousands, even millions of hits from a query. If they have not done the scientific basics then they have no idea which of those hits, if any, may be relevant to a scientific query.
The ability to point a web browser to Google does not enable a non-scientist to do scientific research.
@ Trevor Crosbie
This on GMO from a scientist – ….blah blah blah
More unattributed and therefore utterly worthless anecdotes from Trevor Crosbie.
He’s repeatedly been asked to lift his game in this respect but seems incapable of doing so.
@Richard
Trevor was highlighting the bit of my link whose method he wishes to be applied to fluoride, too.
I think he is also pointing out that going by what people are saying they had not been reading that link.
@stuartg so-called research is not always honest either. Are you trying to cast doubt on this link I gave on this thread because it was on Internet? Note it is a link to the journal Nature which has some scientific standing. Or what specific examples can you use from this thread to back up your argument? http://www.nature.com/news/china-sacks-officials-over-golden-rice-controversy-1.11998
Where did I mention honesty of research? What argument did I make?
I made some observations.
I will comment on generalities (scientific method, junk science…), but otherwise I’m just not able to contribute to arguments outside of my fields of expertise. I would suggest that’s a good principle for anyone to follow.
soundhill1 | November 12, 2014 at 12:15 pm |
@Stuartg | November 11, 2014 at 6:27 am |
Ken had offered a picture saying “sometimes scientists are proven wrong but it’s always by smarter scientists and never by google researchers whose entire argument boills down to, “NUH-UH.”” and then he said, “Perhaps a little humility is required.”
Well thunder is about and I’ve read that lightning can cause surges that destroy computers. Though I have not read research about it I’ll write this quickly and turn off for a bit.
So Stuartg, that comment to Ken is perhaps, by saying, “seems like,” asking Ken to back it up and make it into, “is.”
There needs to be a distinction between “reporting research, or researchers’ battles” and “being a scientist.”
OK I am humble, not a GMO researcher. Does that stop me from pointing to scientific controversy?
Stuartg, when you saw the website ref “nature.com” with that word, “nature” did you not click on it thinking it was some sort of alternative site?
Did I not click on it..? Did I think it was an alternative site..? Did I not think it was an alternative site..? Please structure your sentences so that your meaning is clear.
Why should I have made a comment about that website reference? It’s about people breaking laws in China. There’s nothing in it that is remotely near my fields of expertise.
I agree, Stuart. Soundhillâs link did not warrant a comment. It was unexplained and therefore seemingly irrelevant. I still canât fathom his thinking on it.
Is he trying to suggest via such links that there is something wrong with the scientific method, with testing ideas against reality, and therefore fluoridation is bad? Or that anti-science and pseudoscience activists should be believed because someone broke the law in China or the US?
There seems no rational purpose for his promotion of the link.
I take it from Richard’s ramble (11 Nov) that every bit of science conducted and peer reviewed is absolutely true and not subject to any bias or untoward influence. If that is true why are we not all smoking Chesterfield cigarettes, which were promoted by the AMA journal in the 1950s and backed by scientific research(funded by US tobacco interests) as safe and beneficial?
I might not be a scientist but I can recognise manipulation and bullshit when I see and smell it!
Sorry Richard – the scientist I quoted is Thierry Vrain, a former research scientist for Agriculture Canada.
@Ken
greenbuzzer made a serious accusation: ” buy the ‘scientists’ to jack up the studies in favour of their products”.
So I gave that reference about a study on golden rice 2 and USA and Chinese scientists being severely reprimanded for false reporting. Why would scientists be doing that? What would they gain?
In your article you reported Grant Cameron saying that people turned away from voting Green because of the Greens’ anti-GM policy. Golden Rice has been a platform for pro-GMOers to try to attack anti-GMOers. GR1 produced about 2001 had little carotene. GR2 came in some years later about 2008 with several different genes inserted and not tested on animals before being tried on children without consent. Even then it was not given daily to children as reported but only once. (As well as the dishonesty in the paper it arouses suspicion as to whether side effects were noticed.)
Were the scientists being employed by the industry to give the GR2 a good look? 6 years later it is still not released.
Trev, I can appreciate you have no trouble recognising “manipulation and bullshit.”
You and your mates indulge in these all the time.
You however, don’t understand the most basic concepts in science. No one ever claims that “every bit of science conducted and peer reviewed is absolutely true . . ” in fact it is easy to explain that most ideas in science are wrong. That is inevitable because we can never get an absolutely exact depiction of reality.
However, it is certainly not up to you to make the declarations about what is correct or not. That involves interaction with reality – something you probably do very rarely.
So sound hill you are attempting to justify junk science ( because that is what the Science Centre article was about) by randomly selecting some event around the otherwise of the world.
Why not discuss the junk science that has been successfully debunked in NZ in the last week? Why get so defensive about that fact? And why not discuss the details of their claims if you really want to justify it?
You Re just diverting.
@Ken wrote: “Why not discuss the junk science that has been successfully debunked in NZ in the last week?”
As you have pointed out Ken maybe I do not spell things out enough.
One of the “junk science” things being dealt with in the article is the MMS/activated chlorite cure. Quickly looking I have not been able to find evidence that it does not work. The attack on it appears to based on risk, as I said:
“A lot of the criticism of that chlorite work alludes to the danger of doses way beyond what is used. So far that is the only sort of criticism of the study that I have been able to find. People without much knowledge of science can thus be carried along if there is an agenda to keep up profits by avoiding a cheap treatment.” And the risk was based on taking doses other than the recommended doses. That may be risky for many medicines.
Quoting from your article: “Medsafe warned that the treatment acts like an industrial bleach and could cause serious harm to those who took it.”
A few drops in water are used. I searched for more of what Shaun was saying and found him saying:
“Victoria University professor Shaun Holt said that MMS should in no way be consumed by humans. “It’s highly concentrated and I wouldn’t let one drop near my lips.” “http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10627103/Miracle-church-on-way-here
Of course a drop of it could burn your lips. He owes it to peoples’ intelligence to reaffirm whether it is the diluted or concentrated product that he would not put near his lips.
Say 5 drops per 100ml. If I remember correctly 50 drops are roughly a ml. So 5 drops is 0.1ml. put that in 100 ml of water and the dilution is 1 part per 1000. The drops were some 25% chlorite so it may be 250mg per litre that you drink, or 25mg in your 100ml dose.
For malaria it is one dose. But here is a study in which people who may be susceptible to the substance because they are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient were given the substance in their water at 5mg/l for
12 weeks and did not suffer.
OK it is a lesser concentration. But if they consumed 2l of water in a day they would be getting 10mg per day.
If your doctor intends to prescribe penicillin to you he should ask if you are allergic to it. If it is your first time you cannot know yet. It can be life threatening. It would be nice to have a way of knowing in advance. Same with bleach if the 25mg dose puts you into shock.
Note also in the video people were given a bottle of water to drink so the concentration in their stomach would be much reduced.
So where are studies that debunk its effect on malaria? I don’t see where it has been successfully debunked.
This has been a bit complex. I hope you ask for clarification if needed.
This comment is just so typical of those who want to believe without evidence. And yet the same people attempt to discredit the evidence -based science:
“Quickly looking I have not been able to find evidence that it does not work.”
I had a quick look tonight and could not find any evidence that there wasn’t a unicorn at the bottom of my garden. So there you are scientists – you either don’t know what you are talking about or you are in the pay of companies who want to hide these unicorns from us.
@Ken the videos appeared to demonstrate that it worked. Your people set out to debunk it with statements about its danger, not its efficacy.. I don’t see any evidence against its efficacy so far. Perhaps you could point me to it.
Sound hill – you are just naive to take these videos at face value. The advantage of science is that things can be rested properly and transparently, and then results can be peer reviewed to reduce the chances of ideological motives or simple bias. Has the miracle mineral solution been tested in this way? If not, why not?
One should be very sceptical when something like this is advanced as a miracle cure for problems as diverse as AIDS, Ebola and malaria – especially with no proper objective evidence and testing. Especially when it is advanced by a church and untrained people are being enlisted for $650 each to attend a seminar on it with the enticement they can make money out of it.
Now about those unicorns at the end of my garden. Do you accept my assurances they exist because I have not been a able to find anything to show they don’t? Or would you be happier if I can get someone to make a video of me and my mates making this claim?
Obviously I won’t subject my claim to the normal scientific evaluation because we know that scientists are biased and paid by companies who wish to hide the fact of unicorn existence from us.
@ trevor crosbie.
why are we not all smoking Chesterfield cigarettes, which were promoted by the AMA journal in the 1950s
What the hell do you mean by “promoted by the AMA journal ”
-that a paid advertisement for Chesterfield cigarettes appeared in the journal?
-that the editor promoted a cigarette brand as official smokes of the journal, deliberately endorsing them over Phillip Morris and Camel?
– Chesterfields were the official cigarettes of the AMA?
and backed by scientific research(funded by US tobacco interests) as safe and beneficial?
more confusion
Are you claiming the AMA published a study funded by the tobacco lobby? Did it represented AMA’s position on the health effects of smoking?
I tell you what, Trevor, how about doing something novel and provide link to the original source,
it’s not that people have learned not to trust you or anything.
Ken your story about unicorns has some connection to type 1 and type 2 errors which are involved in statistical analysis. Debunkers don’t always understand that procedure either, or they hope their audience won’t.
This essay relates to the Seralini GMO study which was severely though falsely junked.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Excess_cancers_and_deaths_from_GM_feed_stats_stand_up.php
Ken studies may be done or not and published or not. The truth table has 4 categories.
For each category commerce regards outcome, scientific quest, politics, religion, commerce regards funding, personal goals and maybe others will have varying inputs.
Since there is a lot of feeling against MMS it is surprising that studies trying to disprove it have not been published.
There was a doctor in attendance in the second MMS video. It didn’t look like actors to me.
I have pointed to material which says teh Red Cross have been censured for collecting donations for the 9/11 event then spending them elsewhere. So I am not quite sure I can trust them.
soundhill
MMS contains chlorine atoms. Chlorine is a halogen, just like fluorine. According to your maths (and I will just note that drop size is not standard and depends on the dropper used), the concentration of chlorine after dilution is many times the concentration of fluorine in community water supplies.
Since atoms in the same group of the periodic table tend to have similar properties and actions, where is your evidence that MMS will not cause the same problems that you have previously attributed to CWF?
Have you tried Google? Or maybe looked at some science instead?
I know, I know. I just thought it would be fun to throw junk science and junk scientific reasoning back at those who use it routinely. Maybe someone else reading it would get an insight into how junk science differs from science.
It’s up to the people promoting MMS to prove what it can and can not do.
If you say your car can drive to the moon, it’s up to you to drive your car to the moon and prove it. It’s not the job of scientists to prove your car can’t drive to the moon.
It is a sad day if public good is sidelined for a promotional environment.
Perhaps I am being harsh.
Businesses have always done R&D. Unfortunately these days sometimes that means promoting the same old remedy in a new package for commercial purposes and not for public good.
Universities and DSIR used to do more pure research and public good research but the commercial environment imposed since the 1980s means they are now have to look to business for funding, too.
Science has people keen on it without pay, like people watching for comets.
And the guy offering the knowledge of the MMS treatment could hardly have been into it for profit, (though some are now trying to make money from teaching about it,) I think he an amateur keen to help alleviate suffering.
With the constraints operating which I have just related, it must be acknowledged it can be hard to get scientists to work on a project. But the well-meaning people have done an experiment, and offered the results they got.
They have used the video format to report rather than going to the expense of journal publishing possibly also in the knowledge that many people learn faster from video. They have put their results out in the world and now it is up to people to respond. What we have seen from Shaun and Medsafe appears to be saying it is dangerous to use undiluted bleach in your mouth. That would be correct, of course, but saying pretty much nothing, and a discredit to them. At least they could have said people whose bodies do not produce a particular enzyme may be more at risk.
The junkers would look more credible if they stopped focusing on the medium and got on with examining the message.
1: Anecdotal videos is not “putting the results out in the world.” It is what you do when you don’t have good results but want to sell or promote something.
2: Sure there is an attempt to get NZ business to front up with what they should see as their moral responsibility for research. But the fact is that there is still a lot of public good and public funded research in NZ. In the end, of course, if scientists want to attract corporate funding for their research the best way to do that is produce good science. Both corporate and public good funding have roles to play in research.
3: The MMS people would look more credible if they commissioned honest scientists to research their product. This of course means that they, not the public purse, have to pay for the research. But that is in fact what responsible companies do all the time. It is the snake oil salesmen and crooked companies who rely instead on propagandist videos instead of honest commissioned research. My experience has always been that honest companies do not object to commissioning research – but the small, opportunist ideologically driven and plainly dishonest companies always object to paying for research.
4: If the MSS people already have proper research results (the video reports are not proper research) then put them out there to be considered. It is understandable that extreme miracle claims like theirs do not win sympathy without evidence. And as Christopher Hitchens famously said – “that which is asserted without evidence can be rejected without evidence.” It is the responsibility of the manufacturer and promoters of this snake oil, not anyone else’s, to produce evidence – to do or commission the research.
Just because it is a video does not imply it is anecdotal.
“But the fact is that there is still a lot of public good and public funded research in NZ. In the end, of course, if scientists want to attract corporate funding for their research the best way to do that is produce good science.”
At the time of doing pure maths research it may not have been known whether it would be publicly or commercially useful, thouight quite often is some years along. Are your saying if your pure research is good science then commerce will make up for the reduced amount of pure research funded publicly?
“The MMS people would look more credible if they commissioned honest scientists to research their product. This of course means that they, not the public purse, have to pay for the research. But that is in fact what responsible companies do all the time.”
There are two parts to the MMS scenario: the profit part and the public good part. Can we deal with them separately?
“If the MSS people already have proper research results (the video reports are not proper research)”
They may or may not be reports of proper research, but the fact that they are in video format does not make them improper.
No, I am not saying commercial companies fund pure research – that would be highly unusual. In NZ we have the Marsden Fund for that.
Here is a patent application for use of chlorite with 5FU to improve quality of life in advanced cancer. Anecdotes I suppose. What research method would you prescribe? I suppose they checked chlorite by itself. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20080292729.pdf
In other words, you are saying that the promoters of MMS haven’t done any research. They haven’t got any proof that it works. They haven’t any proof it doesn’t work. They haven’t done any research into any side effects. They have no idea of the dose (that drop size again). They don’t know of any interactions with medications or drugs a person may be on.
What they have done is make a TV advert about it, although they haven’t paid for the advert to go on TV.
NZ, unfortunately, has joined the USA in allowing direct to consumer marketing of medications. All the advert has to do to be legal is mention indications, doses, warnings, contraindications, interactions, and side effects. Oh, that’s why it’s not advertised on TV – they haven’t done any of that research yet.
Here was me thinking it was all about maximisation of profits by not paying for advertising!
In other words, you are saying that the promoters of MMS haven’t done any research.
saying and fabricating excuses for it.
Stuartg, sometimes it is regarded as unethical to continue with a double blind study because the effect of the actual treatment is so much better.
The way you and Ken are going on about the video is like you are trying to think up reasons to suppress the research when you can’t really argue with it.
Some 500 came to the clinic. Some 150 tested positive for malaria with test strips. They were given the dose and their water. They came back and most tested negative. A few were given another dose and became negative, too. The doctor in attendance was satisfied.
Now a church is travelling to charge people for more training about the process for other afflictions. They may involve more doses and more care to get it correct.
Why is it legal to sell bottled water in NZ for such a price when the same thing is free out of the tap?
Oh and if the test strip said positive their blood was examined under microscope for verification. What is lacking in the study? Do you say half at random should have been given only water for double blind purposes and left with the disease?
It is of course unethical to continue a double blind study in some situations â but that comment is completely irrelevant. There was no double-blind study in this case.
To make an intelligent comment on the poor quality of the âstudyâ does not indicate a desire to suppress it â simply to point out the problems.
Whatever the misgivings of a genuine researcher, if they are commissioned to research a product they are quite capable of designing appropriate experimental procedures and producing objective results. In this case no attempt appears to have been made to commission proper research.
I have been approached several times by companies wanting their product tested. In some cases I thought they were away with the birds but put appropriate costed proposals to them. The more honest companies accepted the proposals, the less hones preferred to stick with their weird ideas rather than put them to the test.
the point is that research costs money. If a company wishes to validate their product they should be prepared to invest in that research. If they donât then we are entitled to treat them as charlatans.
Sorry about the drop size. It seems it can vary from 18 to 40 drops per ml, although a standard dropper seems to give 18-26. So the doses may be a bit over double what I said.
Note also that the patent application whose ref I posted says that for the best results with cancer the dose should be adjusted to the patient’s weight. In the malaria video babies were given less.
You may not know that aspirin relates to body weight. It annoys me that the 75mg dose costs more than the 100mg low dose enteric coated aspirin for heart care.
Side effects were talked of weren’t they? Most medicines, vaccines &c have varying side effects, and cost vs benefit ratios. It will be nice when tests become available and checked before vaccines &c are administered.
Ken this did not appear to be the usual situation for a double blind test where you are looking for some advantage of treatment over placebo. I do not think placebo can cure malaria, verified by testing.
I have been part of a controlled trial of administering potassium in heart attack care. There I was in a confused state trying to understand if I wanted to be part of the test in which I would not know if I got the treatment or not, and they were telling me to get on with deciding so as they could start the treatment. I was presuming it is normal to check and administer potassium if levels are low and here they were wanting to withhold it for a test.
Drop size: equipment I have personally used has varied from 5 drops per ml to 60 drops per ml.
That difference can give a 12x variation in the dose of MMS.
So, what is the recommended dose of MMS? Per kg, please, just the way you say it should be done with aspirin.
soundhill,
Aspirin in NZ is available in 75, 100, 150, 300 and 650 mg tablets. The dose depends on which of its indications it is being used for.
@Stuart, in the supermarket the stomach safer 75mg tabs cost 30% more than the stomach-safer 100mg.
“The indications” normally means what condition to treat, but the weight of the patient should also be taken into account. I think it should be about 1mg per kg body weight for thinning the blood. So a 75kg person taking 100mg is more unnecessarily susceptible to common or uncommon side effects: http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1082-3/aspirin-oral/aspirin-oral/details/list-sideeffects
Medicine droppers
4a. Standards are described for medicine droppers in USP Chapter 〈1176〉 and Chapter 〈1101〉 Medicine Dropper.
b. Graduated medicine droppers are described in Chapter 〈1101〉; when held vertically, they deliver drops of water each of which weighs between 45 mg and 55 mg. Chapter 〈1101〉 states that the volume error for these droppers should not exceed 15% (11).
d. Notice that for both types of droppers, the calibration is given in terms of water. Other liquids have different surface tensions and viscosities, which give different drop volumes[…]
https://www.inkling.com/read/contemporary-guide-pharmacy-practice-thompson-3rd/chapter-14/v–volumetric-devices
The equipment I used was medical equipment manufactured and calibrated to worldwide standards. There’s still a 12x variation in drop size.
Ask your supermarket why the difference in price between different doses and brands of aspirin, not bloggers or the general public.
Rather than just “think” that aspirin should be 1 mg/kg, why not look up the research? Whilst you do that, look up genetic variation in cyclooxygenase and relate it to both response to aspirin and potential for side effects. You may learn something interesting.
Now, you’ve done your best to dodge questions so far, but here’s some direct questions that should be answered by someone as supportive of MMS as you are.
What is the dose of MMS per kg?
How does the dose vary for different indications?
What actually are the indications for MMS?
What are its contraindications?
What interactions are there with different medications?
What are its side effects?
Those questions have been answered for aspirin by the manufacturer and distributor, and the answers have been made public. There is no reason for the manufacturer and distributor of MMS not to do the same.
…unless it doesn’t work and they’re after a quick buck, just like other snake oil sellers.
Away from home with only a phone…
That had to be tapped out four times before it posted! Three times it just deleted instead.
May be something wrong with Openparachute. My post has disappeared, too.
Don’t see anything by you in spam or awaiting moderation.
In case someone saw my post before it disappeared, I feel a caution is needed about putting drops of MMS into the nasal passages as shown by Humble in his 2014 video. Would the smell sense organ be at risk? I am not expecting a reply, just giving my wonderings, as for the aspirin.
Humble is still working on doses, with his ones in his 2014 video still quite heavy single dose for malaria but hourly small doses for some other things.
Stuartg, medical droppers drop size do vary depending on whether it is for a very slow saline drip into a vein &c. And standard medicine droppers should be as I said, isn’t it?
Humble talks of contraindications. He speaks of starting with small doses. If you are going to use DMSO to get it through your skin, test with a little DMSO first to see if your liver can cope, which it may not do for a small number of people.
The earlier films posted on this thread say it is a pilot test being described. I bet it was a while before the doses/troubles with aspirin were well known.
My doctors have not been able to prescribe less than 100mg enteric coated aspirin. A lot of the indications for aspirin on apparently authoritative websites do not take body weight into account. So in a way I believe aspirin is still in a sort of pilot stage. When I was started on it there was no attempt to measure that enzyme you write of. I think Humble is doing quite well with his cautions in comparison to what often happens in medical practice where a patient may be lucky to read the small print.
I wish there would be tests to determine whether particular vaccines may be harmful to particular patients.
A claim has been made that the pilot MMS test in Uganda was done without proper ethical permission. Note that the Golden Rice 2 experiment was likewise done.
“I believe aspirin is still in a sort of pilot stage.”
Aspirin is one of only four current prescription medications that were available when Queen Victoria was on the throne. It has over a century of research backing its use. More than five generations have successfully used it for various indications. Just when do you think it will be ready to leave the “pilot stage”?
That’s a rhetorical question. We already know that you think MMS has left the “pilot stage”, even though the manufacturer/distributor has done no research into its indications, contraindications, dosage, interactions or side effects. All they have done is made a TV advert, which is apparently sufficient proof for you.
You have obviously asked questions about aspirin, yet when I ask you the same questions about MMS you avoid answering those questions and then shift the goalposts.
Aspirin has over a century of research backing it, with millions (billions?) of people using it effectively for more than a century. MMS, an industrial bleach, hasn’t even got any safety data for human ingestion, but its manufacturer/distributor has made a TV advert!
If you can’t see the discrepancies between your approaches to the two, then there is no point in discussing it further, but it is a good comparison between science (aspirin) and junk science (MMS).
The problem was me and my phone. I was deleting the typed (tapped?) contribution rather than posting. I think I’ve solved the problem now.
Stuartg wrote:
>Aspirin is one of only four current prescription medications
>that were available when Queen Victoria was on the throne.
> It has over a century of research backing its use. More than
> five generations have successfully used it for various indications.
> Just when do you think it will be ready to leave the “pilot stage”?
I am not satisfied that 100mg is the only dose available on prescription for heart care.
>That’s a rhetorical question. We already know that you think MMS
> has left the “pilot stage”,
No I said that one of the films above reported it is only a pilot experiment.
> even though the manufacturer/distributor
> has done no research into its indications, contraindications, >dosage,
> interactions or side effects.
No the 2014 film I pointed to which was showing then disappeared was a talk by Humble about his dose adjustments.
>All they have done is made a TV advert,
> which is apparently sufficient proof for you.
It’s not a TV advert. It’s a pilot study.
Jim wants to be helpful. The materials are very cheap. Some people are packaging them but he is not pushing a particular brand, “There’s a lot of bottles on Internet, but we believe on them all.”
>You have obviously asked questions about aspirin, yet when I ask
>you the same questions about MMS you avoid answering those
>questions and then shift the goalposts.
The 2014 film gives you some answers.
>Aspirin has over a century of research backing it, with millions
> (billions?) of people using it effectively for more than a century.
It should have it’s doses related to body weight, not just the very rough difference from child to adult.
>MMS, an industrial bleach, hasn’t even got any safety data for
>human ingestion,
Not true. It is the substance used in water treatment.
>but its manufacturer/distributor has made a TV advert!
Sometimes research articles are intended as publicity for a product or service. A lot of scientific journal articles have to be retracted.
I would like to see a bit more detail about the pilot test.
>If you can’t see the discrepancies between your approaches to >the two,
> then there is no point in discussing it further, but it is a good
>comparison between science (aspirin) and junk science (MMS).
I’ve asked you to tell us the indications, contraindications, doses, interactions and side effects of MMS. Please explain why you don’t.
I am learning about it. I only know what is in the videos, and a few points some people have discussed in various groups.
Ken’s current discussion related to fluorosis/IQ is also a pilot study. Being a pilot study not everything is known so far.
As with GMOs some people may be wrongly selling it without proper testing. I agree caution there. China thinks GMOs/glyphosate are hurting their people. The companies have made it hard to get material to test, so often there is no science in the public domain.
Harmful science is not necessarily junk science, either.
Here we have Humble wanting to help, and doing his best. If he is harming we should start to see reports of that. I don’t think we should be any less lax on him than on normal medicine which causes huge amounts of iatrogenic disease.
“Please explain” my (soundhill1s’) difference in attitude between aspirin and MMS.
Very well, a single example, paraphrased.
Aspirin: “I want a dose of 1mg/kg, exactly.”
MMS: “I’m not going to tell you the dose in mg/kg. Use a few drops of unknown size, using a dropper that hasn’t been specified by the manufacturer/distributor, from a base solution of an unknown concentration, diluted in water. That’s close enough.”
As I said, if you can’t see the discrepancies between your attitudes towards aspirin and MMS, then there is no point in debating.
Others will see the discrepancies, then they will make their own informed judgments about whether they should be placing untested industrial bleach into the various orifices of the human body.
The base solution of chlorite if I remember is around 25%. The drops can be seen in the 2014 video. At a rough guess they were around 20 per ml I figure by the amount they filled up the containers.
Humble explained his doses, 18 drops for malaria in one dose, or 2 drops for some other afflictions every hour. It is mixed with the same volume of citric acid and agitated for some 10-20 seconds till it goes yellow then 100ml of water is put in, or ordinary fruit juice, which must not have vitamin C added.
As I said for a standard medicine dropper, (not some of the other medical equipment which you won’t say what it is you talked about,) the drops should be fairly well specified.
I have not tried it. I worry that it might kill some of my beneficial intestinal flora. But I have it in mind as an option.
I don’t know too much about malaria. The people in the videos did not look terribly sick, except for maybe the baby. My uncle got malaria in WWII. I think he said he got cold shivers. I was very young. It seemed to get better, I don’t know how. But I believe malaria is a major killer, killing far more than AIDS, and of course ebola.
With many serious diseases conventional treatments may be very disabling. Search for “iatrogenic”. Maybe this bleach will hurt a few. But that is acceptable with conventional medicines/vaccines. Quite a lot of children have died from HPV vaccination, I think.
Our bodies work on oxygen. This beach supplies a bit more. Some doctors try to treat people by making them breath higher pressure oxygen.
This thread is about junk science and I believe to junk this treatment there needs to be more talk than about the danger of bleach.
Stuartg | November 18, 2014 at 12:40 pm |
Wow, what a load of junk, both science and medicine.
Lets see. Your dose for MMS is “around”, “a rough guess”, “mixed with”. Hardly an exact mg/kg dose, is it? Like you ask for with aspirin? There aren’t any standard medicine droppers, at least in NZ, even though you supplied a USA standard. In NZ, if a medication requires a dropper then the manufacturer supplies one for that medication alone (example: nystatin). Unless the dropper for MMS is specified by the manufacturer/distributor, then you have no idea of the drop size or the dose.
I wouldn’t worry too much that bleach “might kill some of my beneficial intestinal flora.” I would worry that it would kill off my oral and oesophageal mucosa. I’ve seen it happen, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
Wikipedia informs us “The EPA has set a maximum contaminant level of 1 milligram of chlorite per liter (1 mg/L) in drinking water.” Now, what was the concentration of chlorite in your made up solution? You have absolutely no idea.
You “believe” that malaria is a major killer. You got that right. That’s why there are well investigated, scientifically based medications that can be used to treat it. Any new medication would be have to be compared with existing medications since comparing it with an ineffectual placebo would not be ethical. The earliest antimalarial was quinine, originally from the bark of the cinchona tree. That’s where G&T originated – the gin helped disguise the bitter taste of quinine in the tonic water. If you “don’t know too much about malaria”, then why are you commenting on it?
“Maybe this bleach will hurt a few.” No, it will kill a lot. Medications may have side effects, but they don’t carry warnings about poisoning on the outside of the container like sodium chlorite does. Even Wikipedia details some of the toxic effects and clinical symptoms that can be expected in someone who ingests it. ToxiNZ gives a lot more information, and also tells how to treat someone who has ingested the stuff.
“Search for “iatrogenic.”” No, I won’t. Are you trying to switch the goalposts here? I deal with iatrogenic illness (aka “side effects”) every day of my working life. Is that good enough?
Ebola has killed around 5,000 during this epidemic. The WHO estimates that influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 every year. Ebola is much harder to catch than influenza, as is HIV. Both HIV and influenza are routinely dealt with by medical personnel in NZ, and the ebola training is being rolled out. Why bring it up, unless you were switching the goalposts?
“Our bodies work on oxygen. This beach supplies a bit more.” Wrong. Bleach supplies chlorine, not oxygen. Chlorine is used for sterilisation of surfaces – because it kills living things. Concentrations that will kill a malarial parasite (which, in the human, usually lives inside erythrocytes and hepatocytes) will also kill the cells that it lives in. Those concentrations will result in toxic effects and clinical symptoms, maybe even death. What was that dose for MMS again? is it above or below the concentration that will kill malaria, erythrocytes and hepatocytes?
“Quite a lot of children have died from HPV vaccination, I think.” No, you think wrong. The exact figure is zero. It’s one of the safest vaccines ever produced. Continuing research since its release has repeatedly shown its safety. Don’t take my word for it, try Orac: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/?s=hpv+vaccine .
“Some doctors try to treat people by making them breath (sic) higher pressure oxygen.” True… Off the top of my head, nitrogen narcosis and Cl. perfringens infection are a couple of reasons. It’s used so infrequently that there are only two places in NZ that can supply the therapy.
“This thread is about junk science…” It is, and you are supplying a lot of examples.
soundhiil,
By the way, I missed something (as well as spelling mistakes).
“With many serious diseases conventional treatments may be very disabling.” The word “may” does not mean “are”. It’s all about risk versus benefit.
Have you ever considered how disabling the alternative of death would be, if those “serious” diseases were not treated?
>Wow, what a load of junk, both
>science and medicine.
I’ve not got it all right, nor you.
Some quick replies:
>Lets see. Your dose for MMS is
>“around”, “a rough guess”,
>“mixed with”. Hardly an exact
>mg/kg dose, is it?
>Like you ask
>for with aspirin?
I want a better dose for aspirin.
I feel there needs to be a wider understanding that a 60kg adult could do with a different dose from a 120kg adult. Such is a factor of two.
There aren’t any
>standard medicine droppers, at
>least in NZ, even though you
>supplied a USA standard.
Which looks to be another NZ thing that ought to be fixed. The USA standard droppers would not give a factor of 2.
In NZ.
>if a medication requires a dropper
>then the manufacturer supplies
>one for that medication alone
>(example: nystatin). Unless the
>dropper for MMS is specified by
>the manufacturer/distributor, then
>you have no idea of the drop size
>or the dose.
That’s rather poor.
>I wouldn’t worry too much that
>bleach “might kill some of my
>beneficial intestinal flora.” I
>would worry that it would kill off
>my oral and oesophageal mucosa.
>I’ve seen it happen, and I
>wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
You need to give more data. I agree with Shaun not to put one drop of undiluted bleach near my lips. How many drops per 100ml are you talking about? Even if they are big or small?
>Wikipedia informs us “The EPA
>has set a maximum contaminant
>level of 1 milligram of chlorite
>per liter (1 mg/L) in drinking
>water.”
That is when sports people are drinking 5 litres every day the whole year.
Now, what was the
>concentration of chlorite in your
>made up solution? You have
>absolutely no idea.
I got the drop a bit small in my calculations which I gave.before For malaria I see now it’s about 18 drops at .05ml each which gives about 1ml. And that is what it looked like in Humble’s 2014 video. The drops were about 25% chlorite so it’s about 0.25 ml with 100ml of water put in on top.
Then you drink quite a lot of water.
It’s quite strong, but you’re dealing with a serious disease.
The other protocols are weaker and have several ways to find the best you can tolerate.
>You “believe” that malaria is a
>major killer. You got that right.
>That’s why there are well
>investigated, scientifically based
>medications that can be used to
>treat it.
But often unaffordable.
Any new medication
>would be have to be compared
>with existing medications since
>comparing it with an ineffectual
>placebo would not be ethical. The
>earliest antimalarial was quinine,
>originally from the bark of the
>cinchona tree. That’s where G&T
>originated – the gin helped
>disguise the bitter taste of quinine
>in the tonic water. If you “don’t
>know too much about malaria”,
>then why are you commenting on
>it?
I know it’s a big killer and is not being treated. Here is a treatment being offered and being called junk science without proper argument.
>“Maybe this bleach will hurt a
>few.” No, it will kill a lot.
>Medications may have side
>effects, but they don’t carry
>warnings about poisoning on the
>outside of the container like
>sodium chlorite does.
They ought to.
>Wikipedia details some of the
>toxic effects and clinical
>symptoms that can be expected in
>someone who ingests it. ToxiNZ
>gives a lot more information, and
>also tells how to treat someone
>who has ingested the stuff.
Like a kid drinking out of the neat bleach bottle?
>“Search for “iatrogenic.”” No, I
>won’t. Are you trying to switch
>the goalposts here? I deal with
>iatrogenic illness (aka “side
>effects”) every day of my
>working life. Is that good
>enough?
I don’t think the goalposts for one treatment should be different from another.
>Ebola has killed around 5,000
>during this epidemic. The WHO
>estimates that influenza kills
>250,000 to 500,000 every year.
>Ebola is much harder to catch
>than influenza, as is HIV. Both
>HIV and influenza are routinely
>dealt with by medical personnel
>in NZ, and the ebola training is
>being rolled out. Why bring it up,
>unless you were switching the
>goalposts?
Just to say that however bad we are made to feel about ebola a whole lot worse problem is not being got at by conventional medicine partly because of cost.
>“Our bodies work on oxygen.
>This beach supplies a bit more.”
>Wrong. Bleach supplies chlorine,
>not oxygen.
Sorry a bit more oxidation. Not as strong an oxidising agent as chlorine.
Chlorine is used for
>sterilisation of surfaces – because
>it kills living things.
It’s not chlorine produced.
Take a look here:
http://www.thesabrecompanies.com/science/chemistry.aspx
>Concentrations that will kill a
>malarial parasite (which, in the
>human, usually lives inside
>erythrocytes and hepatocytes)
>will also kill the cells that it lives
>in. Those concentrations will
>result in toxic effects and clinical
>symptoms, maybe even death.
“The mechanism of action by which chlorine dioxide inactivates microorganisms is not entirely well understood. As a general matter, however, it is known that chlorine dioxide destroys microbes by attacking their cell walls (or viral envelopes) and interfering with essential protein formation. It is also known that chlorine dioxide is more effective against viruses than either chlorine or ozone. Furthermore, chlorine dioxide is known to be effective against hearty waterborne protozoans such as Giardia Lambia and Cryptosporidium, the causative agents of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis, respectively. Since chlorine dioxide is an oxidative biocide, microorganisms cannot build up a resistance to it.’
>What was that dose for MMS
>again? is it above or below the
>concentration that will kill
>malaria, erythrocytes and
>hepatocytes?
>“Quite a lot of children have died
>from HPV vaccination, I think.”
>No, you think wrong. The exact
>figure is zero. It’s one of the
>safest vaccines ever produced.
>Continuing research since its
>release has repeatedly shown its
>safety. Don’t take my word for it,
>try Orac:
>http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/?s=hpv+vaccine .
Seems to be controversy language rather than science.
Try this, I.m not sure if it’s the newest:
http://therefusers.com/refusers-newsroom/us-vaccine-court-pays-6-million-to-gardasil-victims-most-claims-not-yet-settled/#.VGsb2ckzDEs
>“Some doctors try to treat people
>by making them breath (sic)
>higher pressure oxygen.” True…
>Off the top of my head, nitrogen
>narcosis and Cl. perfringens
>infection are a couple of reasons.
>It’s used so infrequently that
>there are only two places in NZ
>that can supply the therapy.
>“This thread is about junk
>science…” It is, and you are
>supplying a lot of examples.
>By the way, I missed something
>(as well as spelling mistakes).
>“With many serious diseases
>conventional treatments may be
>very disabling.” The word “may”
>does not mean “are”. It’s all
>about risk versus benefit.
Yes and I’m asking for genetic testing before vaccination.
>Have you ever considered how
>disabling the alternative of death
>would be, if those “serious”
>diseases were not treated?
That’s what I am considering.
“Because chlorine dioxide has lower oxidation strength, it is more selective in its reactions. Typically, chlorine dioxide will only react with compounds that have activated carbon bonds such as phenols, or with other active compounds like sulfides, cyanides, and reduced iron and manganese compounds. Chlorine is a more powerful oxidizer than chlorine dioxide, and will react with a wider variety of chemicals, including ammonia. This property limits its overall effectiveness as a biocide. Conversely, because chlorine dioxide has more oxidative capacity compared to ozone or chlorine, less chlorine dioxide is required to obtain an active residual concentration of the material when used as a disinfectant.”
Stuartg | November 19, 2014 at 11:12 am |
Some of these are repeated and reworded because you do not seem to have understood them previously.
You “want a better dose for aspirin.” In NZ it is available in 75, 100, 150, 300 and 650 mg tablets. That’s sufficient for most people and easily accommodates that factor of two you want. If more accuracy is needed, it can be prescribed in individual doses, prepared by a compounding pharmacy. I’ve seen 40 mg capsules prescribed in the past. You can even get 71.5 mg capsules (for example) prepared, if you want, but you’d have to pay for them.
(A colleague suggested that a big meal, or a big poo and wee, would change your kg. Would you then change the mg of aspirin? If not, why not? That’s science for you!)
“I don’t think the goalposts for one treatment should be different from another.” Oh, but you do. You don’t look for the same science for MMS that you insist on for aspirin.
The manufacturer/distributor of aspirin supplies indications, contraindications, doses, side effects and interactions. The manufacturer/distributor of MMS doesn’t do the same. Why not? Why don’t you ask for those details? You said: “I don’t think… one treatment should be different from another.” Then let’s not treat them differently and apply the same approach to both substances. Let’s get that information from the manufacturer/supplier of MMS, just like we got it from the manufacturer/supplier of aspirin.
You are the one who says aspirin should be an exact mg/kg dose. So, making sure again that you don’t treat MMS differently from aspirin, what is the dose of MMS in mg/kg? “Around” and “a rough guess” is the only answer you have given me. Science says mg/kg; junk science says “around” or “a rough guess.”
“How many drops per 100ml are you talking about? Even if they are big or small?” It’s not me that is talking drops per 100mL, it’s you.
Drug companies in NZ supply droppers that are calibrated for the individual medication in order to reduce errors and enhance patient safety. Why doesn’t the manufacturer/distributor of MMS do the same? Relying on the purchaser to source an unspecified dropper is hardly a scientific (or safe) approach.
Malaria: “I know it’s a big killer and is not being treated.” It is being treated. I mentioned it before, but maybe you didn’t read it. Some drugs are very cheap (quinine), others are more expensive. There is a cost to manufacture them all, so none of them are free. You get what you pay for. If you wish to pay for something that is dirt cheap, for which the manufacturer/distributor won’t give indications, contraindications, interactions, dosages or side effects (like MMS), and try to use it for malaria, then that’s your own lookout.
It’s up to the manufacturer/distributor of any compound to use science to prove an effect on any disease, not wait for others to show it hasn’t got an effect. Why don’t you insist on seeing the science behind MMS rather than just accepting junk science?
MMS (aka bleach): We need to know the concentrations at which chlorine kills living things, not necessarily how. Malaria is not a protozoan and it doesn’t have a cell wall or a viral envelope (you mentioned all three; they have no bearing on malaria). The malarial parasite is a eukaryote. That means that it dies at about the same concentration of chlorine as other eukaryotes – including humans. A high enough concentration of chlorine in the blood WILL kill intracellular malarial parasites, but unfortunately it will kill the human as well. All the manufacturer/distributor of MMS has to do, to make it a valid antimalarial treatment, is to demonstrate that the existing scientific knowledge on chlorine (chloride, chlorite, hypochloride, etc) is wrong.
“Like a kid drinking out of the neat bleach bottle?” No, like adults drinking out of unmarked bottles of diluted bleach that did not have poison warnings.
HPV vaccination: “Try this.” Yes, it’s a news report. No science in it. No mention of a single death after HPV vaccination, just implication. The VICP pays out for 50% and a hair; proof of a direct relationship between a vaccine and a complaint is not needed. Science requires the proof; junk science doesn’t. Your “I think” is accepting junk science without question.
“Seems to be controversy language rather than science.” Controversy? No, there is no scientific controversy over HPV vaccine. Orac, or one of his “minions”, has backed up every argument with references to the peer reviewed science. All of those references are available to you by reading through and clicking on the links. You can do that easily. By dismissing the reference out of hand, you are ignoring the science. You have the opportunity to learn and correct your thinking, but you won’t do it? That’s the attitude of junk science rather than science.
“Yes and I’m asking for genetic testing before vaccination.” Shifting goalposts again? And exactly what do you mean by “genetic testing”? The human Genome Project was only completed 11 years ago. It’s going to be decades before we understand how our genome contributes to infection or disease. Gene analysis is still in its infancy, and today is mainly used in testing for some specific genetic diseases. Some SCAM artists offer “genetic testing”, but their results are both meaningless and very expensive. They have no science behind their “interpretation” of results. Their “genetic testing” is a good example of junk science.
I’ve answered your questions where I can, in language that tries to avoid jargon. I have asked you questions, but all you have done is regurgitate junk science and avoid answering them.
It would appear that, as well as not recognising that you have different attitudes depending on the subject, you also do not understand the difference between science and junk science.
>Some of these are repeated and
>reworded because you do not
>seem to have understood them
>previously.
>You “want a better dose for
>aspirin.” In NZ it is available in
>75, 100, 150, 300 and 650 mg
>tablets. That’s sufficient for most
>people and easily accommodates
>that factor of two you want.
It is not sufficient for people who are concerned about bleeding stomachs unless they are also available enteric coated.
When has 75mg enteric coated become available on prescription. It’s a year or two since I asked the doctor.
> If
>more accuracy is needed, it can
>be prescribed in individual doses,
>prepared by a compounding
>pharmacy. I’ve seen 40 mg
>capsules prescribed in the past.
>You can even get 71.5 mg
>capsules (for example) prepared,
>if you want, but you’d have to
>pay for them.
How much will it cost for 75mg enteric capsules on prescription? They are about $4.95 per month at the supermarket.
>(A colleague suggested that a big
>meal, or a big poo and wee,
>would change your kg.
A big wee might be 0.5kg and a poo 1.5kg.
>you then change the mg of
>aspirin? If not, why not? That’s
>science for you!)
I think your friend is being a bit deprecating. “You’ve got to find a way around these fussy patients.”
I am not asking for the same accuracy with aspirin theat might be required with warfarin. Even then your 3% poo-wee accuracy is probably not necessary. And you have a funny definition of science.
>“I don’t think the goalposts for
>one treatment should be different
>from another.” Oh, but you do.
>You don’t look for the same
>science for MMS that you insist
>on for aspirin.
>The manufacturer/distributor of
>aspirin supplies indications,
>contraindications, doses,
Normally just chld/adult dose, not by weight
>effects and interactions. The
>manufacturer/distributor of MMS
>doesn’t do the same. Why not?
So you have looked at the bottles. I haven’t. But I have watched Humble talking about doses and effects of chlorite/citric acid.
>Why don’t you ask for those
>details? You said: “I don’t
>think… one treatment should be
>different from another.” Then
>let’s not treat them differently
>and apply the same approach to
>both substances. Let’s get that
>information from the
>manufacturer/supplier of MMS,
>just like we got it from the
>manufacturer/supplier of aspirin.
>You are the one who says aspirin
>should be an exact mg/kg dose.
Not exact. Just not out by 30% to 100% in mg/kg. This source gives mg/kg for children up to 11 years of age. Then no real explanation of where in the range of doses it offers to use for older people for each condition.
>So, making sure again that you
>don’t treat MMS differently from
>aspirin, what is the dose of MMS
>in mg/kg? “Around” and “a
>rough guess” is the only answer
>you have given me. Science says
>mg/kg;
Actually science knows how to specify the required accuracy. I note Ken does not bother with error bars on his graphs.
junk science says
>“around” or “a rough guess.”
Somewhere in secondary school pupils learn how to deal with significant figures, orders of magnitude, and not spcifiying something to more significant figures than you know. That is science.
>“How many drops per 100ml are
>you talking about? Even if they
>are big or small?” It’s not me that
>is talking drops per 100mL, it’s
>you.
You were talking about a damaging concentration of chlorite. What concentration?
>Drug companies in NZ supply
>droppers that are calibrated for
>the individual medication in order
>to reduce errors and enhance
>patient safety.
That does not mean they should not have to specify the dose. Temperature may have an effect on drop size. https://www.scribd.com/doc/50062179/How-Temperature-Affects-the-Volume-of-a-Drop
Also learn about specifying errors in that.
Why doesn’t the
>do the same?
I don’t know they don’t. And I know they do better in Youtube videos than I can find for aspirin.
Relying on the
>purchaser to source an
>unspecified dropper is hardly a
>scientific (or safe) approach.
People need a bit of teaching to buy a standard dropper just as they do for a standard teaspoon.
>Malaria: “I know it’s a big killer
>and is not being treated.” It is
>being treated.
If it were being treated sufficiently then the death statistics would show it.
I mentioned it
>before, but maybe you didn’t read
>it. Some drugs are very cheap
>(quinine), others are more
>expensive. There is a cost to
>manufacture them all, so none of
>them are free. You get what you
>pay for.
You get what you CAN pay for.
If you wish to pay for
>something that is dirt cheap, for
>which the
>manufacturer/distributor won’t
>give indications,
>contraindications, interactions,
>dosages or side effects (like
>MMS), and try to use it for
>malaria, then that’s your own
>lookout.
As I pointed out there is more easy-to-understand stuff about MMS than about aspirin.
>It’s up to the
>manufacturer/distributor of any
>compound to use science to prove
>an effect on any disease, not wait
>for others to show it hasn’t got an
>effect.
The video appeared to show it.
You can’t junk that just by saying it’s dangerous and not specifying the concentration you think is dangerous.
Why don’t you insist on
>seeing the science behind MMS
>rather than just accepting junk
>science?
I gave a ref in which a water treatment company said it is not really known how ClO2 kills parasites. Several medical treatments have been done without proper scientific explanation, just because they are thought to work. Example ECT right up to the present though controlled studies now are showing no difference to placebo.
>MMS (aka bleach): We need to
>know the concentrations at which
>chlorine kills living things, not
>necessarily how.
ClO2 does not produce chlorine. After reaction the chloride ion is left and that is naturally in blood.
Malaria is not a
>protozoan and it doesn’t have a
>cell wall or a viral envelope (you
>mentioned all three; they have no
>bearing on malaria). The malarial
>parasite is a eukaryote. That
>means that it dies at about the
>same concentration of chlorine as
>other eukaryotes – including
>humans. A high enough
>concentration of chlorine in the
>blood WILL kill intracellular
>malarial parasites, but
>unfortunately it will kill the
>human as well.
I say again which I said yesterday, also, it is not chlorine.
This gives some indication of how the body is being helped to fight.
http://bioredox.mysite.com/CLOXhtml/CLOXilus.htm
The first thing I cam across, maybe NIH/NLM will come up with something.
“MALARIA IS OXIDANT SENSITIVE
From November 2006 through May of 2007 I spent hundreds of hours searching biochemical literature and medical literature pertaining to the biochemistry of Plasmodia. Four species are commonly pathogenic in humans namely: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. What I found was an abundance of confirmation that, just like bacteria, Plasmodia are indeed quite sensitive to oxidants. “
>has to do, to make it a valid
>antimalarial treatment, is to
>demonstrate that the existing
>scientific knowledge on chlorine
>(chloride, chlorite, hypochloride,
>etc) is wrong.
>“Like a kid drinking out of the
>neat bleach bottle?” No, like
>adults drinking out of unmarked
>bottles of diluted bleach that did
>not have poison warnings.
Household bleach is diluted at about 3% to 8%. Is that the dilution you mean? Some supermarket bleach is stronger than other, and needs dilution. But the concentration to treat malaria, given the drop size &c data in the ref I have just given 25 drops per ml, … gives up to 0.15% before you even drink extra water on top of it.
>HPV vaccination: “Try this.” Yes,
>it’s a news report. No science in
>it. No mention of a single death
>after HPV vaccination, just
>implication. The VICP pays out
>for 50% and a hair; proof of a
>direct relationship between a
>vaccine and a complaint is not
>needed. Science requires the
>proof; junk science doesn’t.
So they are paying out on junk.
>“I think” is accepting junk
>science without question.
>“Seems to be controversy
>language rather than science.”
>Controversy? No, there is no
>scientific controversy over HPV
>vaccine. Orac, or one of his
>“minions”, has backed up every
>argument with references to the
>peer reviewed science. All of
>those references are available to
>you by reading through and
>clicking on the links. You can do
>that easily. By dismissing the
>reference out of hand, you are
>ignoring the science. You have
>the opportunity to learn and
>correct your thinking, but you
>won’t do it? That’s the attitude of
>junk science rather than science.
I am always suspicious of stuff filled with emotive language.
>“Yes and I’m asking for genetic
>testing before vaccination.”
>Shifting goalposts again? And
>exactly what do you mean by
>“genetic testing”? The human
>Genome Project was only
>completed 11 years ago. It’s
>going to be decades before we
>understand how our genome
>contributes to infection or
>disease. Gene analysis is still in
>its nfancy, and today is mainly
>used in testing for some specific
>genetic diseases. Some SCAM
>artists offer “genetic testing”, but
>their results are both meaningless
>and very expensive. They have
>no science behind their
>“interpretation” of results. Their
>“genetic testing” is a good
>example of junk science.
Missing enzymes can be checked for.
>I’ve answered your questions
>where I can, in language that tries
>to avoid jargon. I have asked you
>questions, but all you have done
>is regurgitate junk science and
>avoid answering them.
>It would appear that, as well as
>not recognising that you have
>different attitudes depending on
>the subject, you also do not
>understand the difference
>between science and junk
>science.
I have made comments about that.
Chris Banks | November 19, 2014 at 4:32 pm |
Actually, Soundhill, you don’t necessarily get what you pay for. People are, after all, expected to pay good money for this bleach product which, by all indications, is modern-day snake oil. In this case, you pay money and you get nothing. Or perhaps you develop all new health problems to go with the ones you already had.
Capitalism in action, I’m afraid. You don’t actually need to demonstrate that something works in order to make money off it, all you need to do is convince your customers that it works. Whether that’s through actual evidence or simply through advertising (perhaps on youtube videos). If you doubt this, there are plenty of homeopaths in the world who make a decent living. Also psychics.
Now, I’m not particularly inclined to watch half an hour’s worth of youtube video, but I did run across a short interview with one of the church’s founders ( http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/258889/watchdogs-investigate-miracle-claims ), which was quite sufficient to convince me that the man is a charlatan. After all, he is reporting a 100% success rate in treating people with ebola, malaria, herpes, cancer firbromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and AIDS.
Now, these claims are extraordinary enough that I would be highly skeptical on an individual basis. Taken together, claims of 100% cure rates (in a single day, no less) for a diverse range of completely unrelated conditions are, well, quite literally unbelievable. That is, the man is lying through his teeth.
Unfortunately, many of these conditions are sufficiently scary that desperate people will fork out money in hopes of a cure that actual medical professionals are simply not able to guarantee. Oh, did I mention that autism is also on the list, albeit the claim isn’t 100% in that case? A veritable grab-bag of scary conditions which you can cure if only you will give the church your money.
Yes, bleach kills stuff. Very effectively. The problem is that in order to cure people without killing them in the process, you have to target a specific set of cells, whether invading bacteria or cancer cells or whatever. Quite how bleach is supposed to cure multiple sclerosis or autism I haven’t the faintest idea. Nor, I’m sure, do the Genesis Church people.
They will simply trot out their unverifiable claims of x number of people they supposedly cured of this that and the other, spout some unscientific gibberish so they sound authoritative and rely on people’s gullibility or sheer desperation to bring in the money.
>Actually, Soundhill, you don’t
>necessarily get what you pay for.
>People are, after all, expected to
>pay good money for this bleach
>product
I checked on ebay and it’s not expensive.
which, by all indications,
>is modern-day snake oil.
Indications from where, and wghat indications? Are people saying it did not work for them?
>case, you pay money and you get
>nothing. Or perhaps you develop
>all new health problems to go
>with the ones you already had.
Some treatments do that.
TV3 Campbell Live ran a program promoting prostate cancer screening. I tried to post on their Facebook a link to a recent report by our Parliamentary Health Committee. They did not recommend universal screening. Men are quite often left incontinent and or impotent by cancer treatment when more men die with prostate cancer than from it.
Why would Campbell Live not leave my link up? CTV did leave it up. I fear I have to consider medbusiness pressure.
>Capitalism in action, I’m afraid.
>You don’t actually need to
>demonstrate that something
>works in order to make money
>off it, all you need to do is
>convince your customers that it
>works.
Or force ti though legislation.
Whether that’s through
>actual evidence or simply through
>advertising (perhaps on youtube
>videos).
You can “advertise” your concerns on Youtube videos. Doesn’t mean you want to make money.
If you doubt this, there
>are plenty of homeopaths in the
>world who make a decent living.
>Also psychics.
And purveyors of ECT machines.
>Now, I’m not particularly
>inclined to watch half an hour’s
>worth of youtube video,
So your comment is not worth so much.
but I did
>run across a short interview with
>one of the church’s founders
>http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/258889/watchdogs-investigate-miracle-claims ), which
>was quite sufficient to convince
>me that the man is a charlatan.
>After all, he is reporting a 100%
>success rate in treating people
>with ebola, malaria, herpes,
>cancer firbromyalgia, multiple
>sclerosis and AIDS.
>Now, these claims are
>extraordinary enough that I
>would be highly skeptical on an
>individual basis. Taken together,
>claims of 100% cure rates (in a
>single day, no less) for a diverse
>range of completely unrelated
>conditions are, well, quite
>literally unbelievable. That is, the
>man is lying through his teeth.
That’s your feeling. I think he agreed in the interview he may be using a bit of hyperbole.
He is wrong about oxygen being harmless.
Permit me the indulgence of a little brain storm. When I was young I suffered from severe asthma. It was before the days of steroids. I used to fight for breath till I no longer could. I do not have asthma now. I learnt not to fight for breath. In later years I read about hyperventilation. Panic attacks sometimes do it to people. It has been recommended to breath into a paper bag to treat the problem. A theory is that the hand-tingling that goes with hyperventilation is a result of oxygen starvation of the tissues. For respiration to occur the haemoglobin must let go of oxygen to the tissues. CO2 is part of that process and hyperventilation may render the CO2 lefvel too low for that to occur.
It seems very contrary to breath less to stop fingers tingling.
Now I have come across this today in the link I referenced:
“Low dose oxidant exposure to living red blood cells induces an increase in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels inside these cells. This attaches to hemoglobin (Hb) in such a way that oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) more readily releases oxygen (O2) to the tissues throughout the body.” So I need to think about that.
Asthma was expensive with the doctor having to come around with his adrenalin injections to brign me back. Since I cured myself I am not contributing in that way to GDP.
>Unfortunately, many of these
>conditions are sufficiently scary
>that desperate people will fork
>out money in hopes of a cure that
>actual medical professionals are
>simply not able to guarantee.
It seems very cheap. Medical professionals are increasing the things they can cure, rather than just treating. And I see a patent applied for which uses chlorite in combination with 5Fluoro-Uracyl to reduce suffering in cancer sufferers.
>did I mention that autism is also
>on the list, albeit the claim isn’t
>100% in that case?
There must be differing reasons for autism. Pathogens may be one. Note the high level of prescribing of anti-depressants when patients may be suffering from an infection.
A veritable
>grab-bag of scary conditions
>which you can cure if only you
>will give the church your money.
They want to help. They are not allowed to cure people, as Humble said if you had watched the video, it is only a church since they cannot be stopped from offering sacraments.
>Yes, bleach kills stuff. Very
>effectively. The problem is that in
>order to cure people without
>killing them in the process, you
>have to target a specific set of
>cells, whether invading bacteria
>or cancer cells or whatever.
Our bodies have natural killer cells and know how to be rid of wrongly proliferating cells. But sometimes they may need a bit or a lot of help.
>how bleach is supposed to cure
>multiple sclerosis or autism I
>haven’t the faintest idea. Nor, I’m
>sure, do the Genesis Church
>people.
Closed mind.
>They will simply trot out their
>unverifiable claims of x number
>of people they supposedly cured
>of this that and the other, spout
>some unscientific gibberish so
>they sound authoritative and rely
>on people’s gullibility or sheer
>desperation to bring in the
>money.
Or they might be helping. Where is the database of complaints from patients? Any reported at all?
It doesn’t look like genetically modified plants where you are not allowed to find out and report.
You think? Plainly you didn’t listen to the interview all that well then. He said nothing about hyperbole. The message was clear and consistent: 100% success.
He is wrong about pretty much everything he says. Why single out oxygen?
Skepticism, Soundhill. I’m perfectly okay with not understanding the details of how a particular treatment works. I’m actually okay with nobody fully understanding how it works. But I do expect evidence that it actually works. You know, records of the trials. There is a claim of 100% success, over a period of 17 years. Why, then, is the information on these trials not available for scrutiny?
I’m sorry, Soundhill, you’re confused. I wanted evidence that they were helping. I wanted some record of their successes. Where is that database? Does it exist? No? Well then, if they’re not even maintaining that database, why on Earth would it be in their interests to maintain a database of complaints? “Oh, hey, we can’t demonstrate that our product works, but here’s a list of people who it didn’t work for or who were otherwise unhappy.”
“They are not allowed to cure people,”
They’re able to sell their product, aren’t they? Then there is no impediment to them being able to cure people if it works as they say it does. Hell, the snake-oil salesman insisted repeatedly that they’d cured 100% of patients in every supposed trial.
What they’re not allowed to do is lie about their ability to cure people. If they want to make that claim, they have to put forward evidence.
>“That’s your feeling. I think he agreed in the interview he may be >using a bit of hyperbole.”
>You think? Plainly you didn’t listen to the interview all that well >then. He said nothing about hyperbole. The message was clear >and consistent: 100% success.
No he agreed there are things he cannot control.
>“They are not allowed to cure people,”
>Bollocks.
>They’re able to sell their product, aren’t they? Then there is no >impediment to them being able to cure people if it works as they >say it does. Hell, the snake-oil salesman insisted repeatedly that >they’d cured 100% of patients in every supposed trial.
>What they’re not allowed to do is lie about their ability to cure >people. If they want to make that claim, they have to put forward >evidence.
But there are huge hurdles to getting certification for a product. They have decided to put their energy into using it instead.
To do much in this current capitalistic medical environment without the profit motive loud and clear is heresy of the first order and to be jumped on very quickly.
Well it’s not only in medicine, water and everything has to be monetised.
Why aren’t you jumping on the people who are applying for a patent with chlorite in combination with 5FU? Because that is on the big profit alter.
Wow, Soundhill, that is some seriously impressive selective listening you’ve got going there. Let me break it down for you:
First, the snake-oil salesman claims a 100% success rate in trials to date.
Second, the interviewer challenges him, asking if this means people will live forever if they use his product (because, you know, 100% effective against everything under the sun).
Third, snake-oil salesman, grasping that perhaps claiming his product will confer immortality is a step too far, notes that, yes, people might still die due to factors beyond his control.
Now, Step 3 does not actually contradict step 1. Stating that your product might not be 100% effective in future (against death from any cause whatsoever) does not invalidate a claim that it has been 100% effective SO FAR.
Search Google for patent cancer chlorite
Why? Putting a patent on something doesn’t mean the thing actually works. It just means nobody else is allowed to steal the design and profit from it.
I’m sure there are all manner of ridiculous patents out there.
A chlorite-based drug in phase 2/3 trials hcv hiv http://www.metaphysical.ca/IIM/cuttingedge.html
Somewhat better, Soundhill.
Still not actually relevant to the Genesis Church product though. After all, they’re not claiming they have a particular chlorite-based drug undergoing testing for its efficacy and safety in treating certain autoimmune disorders (eg severe persistent allergic rhinitis).
They’re claiming they have a wonder-drug which has been 100% effective against all manner of unrelated conditions.And they will not produce so much as a shred of evidence to this effect.
Furthermore, various medical professionals and regulatory bodies are actively warning people not to consume the product for safety reasons. This is likely because there are very important differences between chlorite-based drugs and a product which is 28% sodium chlorite by volume.
Chris Banks | November 19, 2014 at 10:15 pm |
… Okay, how the hell did I miss this? It was, after all, one of the earlier links in Ken’s post. How did you miss it, for that matter, Soundhill? You’re the one who’s been demanding to know whether the stuff’s harmed anyone.
http://www.9news.com.au/health/2014/11/03/09/15/four-victorians-sick-after-drinking-miracle-potion
Yes, huge hurdles. Like, for instance, demonstrating that it actually works. And is safe (or that side-effects are well understood and clearly laid out).
Oh poor, naive Soundhill. Genesis Church screams profit motive. Without, unfortunately, the checks and balances on the profit motive which apply to actual medicine. It’s very much a product of capitalism. Let me lay this out for you:
There are two approaches you can take to making money off a product. First, you can sell an expensive product in low volumes. Second, you can sell a cheap product in high volumes.
Genesis Church’s MMS epitomises the second approach. Without any need to recoup regulatory or development costs, they can produce it at a dirt cheap price, and still make a very respectable profit margin on each unit sold (US $40 for a packet of 100 tablets, I see). Plus, they can charge people US $500 a head to attend a seminar on how to sell their products. My, what a lot of money one can make if they only discard any pretense of ethics.
(Technically, there is a third approach to making money off a product – the holy grail of selling an expensive product in high volumes. See, for instance, Steve Jobs).
That article if you search further reports Dr Tony Bartone saying the problems occurred when people used it undiluted to try to get greater effect.
Chris Banks | November 20, 2014 at 12:28 am |
Yes, Soundhill, that makes perfect sense. Why, it’s as if nobody explained to them that the substance was hazardous if undiluted. Bottles of bleach, as a rule, come labeled with warnings not to ingest the stuff. Alas, the available images of MMS bottles are not legible enough to tell if they contain similar warnings.
Definitely should have linked to the more in-depth article:
http://bit.ly/1xCu5sa
Yet again, you have declined to answer my questions. Why is that? Can’t you answer them?
I’m not going to go through them again, I’ve done it enough times without getting any answers from you.
As to your comments, they’re as junk as ever. Let’s just say that aspirin EC 75 mg has been, and still is, available on prescription. You just have to pay extra because the manufacturer charges too much and Pharmac will not fully subsidise it.
Only after a fashion, since you can’t actually measure something that’s not there. But that’s being pedantic.
You were talking about “genetic testing.” Measuring enzymes has nothing to do with gene analysis, and clinical biochemistry has been measuring enzyme activity since before we knew about genes.
Now, try again, what do you mean by “genetic testing?”
@Chris Banks,
Can read label on Ebay.com. “Don’t use full strength.” And Humble gives the instruction it won’t help to make it stronger.
You wrote: “very important differences between chlorite-based drugs and a product which is 28% sodium chlorite by volume.”
http://www.google.com/patents/US6086922
It seems to be sodium chlorite, maybe calcium hypochlorite, with weak acid like citric or lactic. (Note the scare tactics “acid” in your warning.)
This 2009 orthopaedic surgery article refers to it as a prototype of a somewhat more complex arrangement: http://www.morthoj.org/2009v3n1/Outcome_of_Tibial_Fractures.pdf
The MMS is so cheap it is unlikely that drug companies will arrange conferences to encourage doctors to prescribe it like they do for Viagra &c. Humble is doing his best to educate about its proper use: cannot use ozonated distilled water. (The Pure Dew distilled water in Countdown Supermarkets then is ruled out.) He refers to many MMS brands on the Internet and does not specify any particular one. People are pleased he is doing this education and give him donations.
As a reader of the attempts by Stuart and Chris to elicit answers from soundhill and of their efforts explain to soundhill how MMS falls well short of meeting standard ethical and efficacy requirements, I conclude that this discussion is becoming futile.
I’m also inclined to question whether soundhill has some undeclared association or vested interest in the product. It is unlikely, given the anonymity afforded by the internet, that we will ever know.
Aspirin is one of the cheapest medications on the market. It should be, it’s been manufactured for over a century. It is still covered at medical conferences.
MMS is also covered at medical conferences. It’s a useful industrial bleach that can be used to clean and sterilise work surfaces. It just doesn’t have any therapeutic effects.
(By the way, where do you get the idea that drug companies arrange conferences? They are only allowed to sponsor conferences arranged by others. Or not, if that is their preference.)
Treatments tailored to our genes are becoming more known.
Modern technology is rapidly advancing for genetic testing.
But until we are there it should still be possible to test children more widely for lack of enzymes which will endanger them if they take aspirin &c. Some sources say do not give aspirin to any children because of what it may do to some.
And maybe a test for penicillin intolerance will be developed.
“A Shot of Penicillin
Many parents wonder why doctors don’t give as many penicillin shots as in the past. A shot of penicillin was once the treatment of choice for streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat). Now it is rarely used, and for good reason.
A course of oral penicillin, if taken properly, is as effective as a shot of the same drug. The main reason not to give a shot is the possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction. The chances are one in 2,000 that a person will have a serious reaction after their first injection of penicillin, and one in 50,000 the reaction will be fatal. Every year there are 250-500 deaths from reactions to penicillin. There have been only eight reported fatal reactions ever reported to oral penicillin. If your child needs a penicillin shot, stay in the doctor’s office or hospital for at least 30 minutes, and preferably 60 minutes, to watch for any allergic reaction.”
http://www.kiddocs.net/information-allergies.html
The wait and see procedure will become obsolete. The arguments about DNA fragments in Gardasil will become more understood. Not a very good pay off at the moment when it only gives temporary immunity against 4 strains of HPV. (Cervarix only against 2 strains).
For the third time, what do YOU mean by “genetic testing?”
I already know what other people mean, but have no idea what you mean.
I agree, but maybe some others will realise soundhill is merely parroting junk science provided by others.
S/he certainly has no insight into what science actually means.
By “genetic testing” I meant looking at differences between people other than what other drugs or food they are taking which might cause a reaction.
In NZ, Amoxicillin is now the drug of choice for Strep throat. It has been for the past generation, since about 1990. It covers the same spectrum of organisms that penicillin does, including Streptococcus, and has less chance of anaphylaxis than the original penicillin.
Your quote, on a NZ blog, is both out of date and from the USA. Why?
The original penicillin preparation included clusters of imperfectly reproduced penicillin molecules. These were big enough for the human immune system to recognise as a foreign antigen. It was these clusters that triggered the majority of anaphylactic reactions to penicillin.
Modification of the original penicillin molecule, as happens when amoxicillin is manufactured, removes the clusters of imperfectly reproduced penicillin molecules. Result: much less allergy and a safer treatment.
That’s how science works.
The “temporary” immunity against the commonest carcinogenic strains of HPV as provided by the HPV vaccine has, so far, showed almost no diminution. The immunity is now known to last for much longer than was estimated before the vaccine went into production.
But you would know that if you had read the reference I gave you earlier.
Just where does your meaning include genetics?
Then why have my doctors not known they could prescribe 75mg enteric coated?
If you have ever had a root canal done on a tooth you would know chlorite is used in your tooth, from the smell. The smell is actually not the substance itself but its effect on organic material.
And from the ref I posted it seems to be known about in Indonesia.
for orthopaedic surgery.
From your comments you are behind the times.
An 85 year old friend on mine had his doctor grumble about giving him a test for homocysteine, and then offer him Viagra.
Gender, weight, muscle mass, activity levels, age (newborn, toddler, child, pubertal, adult, elderly), medication history, previous medical history, family medical history, haematology tests, biochemistry tests, biopsy results, microbiology results… All are “differences between people” that are taken into account in every part of the medical care of a person.
What do you mean by “genetic testing?”
“Then why have my doctors not known they could prescribe 75mg enteric coated?” I don’t know, why don’t you ask them instead of me?
“An 85 year old friend on mine had his doctor grumble about giving him a test for homocysteine, and then offer him Viagra.” As my father used to say… “and what has that to do with the price of fish in China?”
Soundhill, I think you need to talk with your doctor more â and even consider changing doctors if your find her unsatisfactory.
My doctor has no trouble prescribing this form of aspirin and has always been extremely helpful in explaining her prescription advice.
“Can read label on Ebay.com. “Don’t use full strength.” ”
What, that’s it? Does the label say why you shouldn’t use it at full strength, or tell you to contact poison control if you do? I mean, this is a product people are actually intended to swallow. Shouldn’t there be some kind of warning of the consequences of improper use?
“(Note the scare tactics “acid” in your warning.)”
I see you’re not complaining that “produces poisonous bleach” is a scare tactic, which I would have thought was the actual problem.
“Humble is doing his best to educate about its proper use:”
Yes, let’s look at the “proper use,” shall we? http://www.factssheetproject.com/MMSFactsSheet.pdf
Apparently, “proper use” is to gradually up the number of drops until you feel nauseous, at which point you dial back a little.This is, of course, totally safe and nobody has ever had any damage caused by the symptoms of overuse. (Note: This has been withering sarcasm).
Thanks Ken, that was an obvious reply!
My own doctor thinks that the EC 100 mg formulation is appropriate for me. Even though I (probably) know more about aspirin and other antiplatelet therapy than he does, he has a more objective view of what is appropriate for me than I ever could have.
“Look, a patent!”
Pay attention, Soundhill. Patenting a product does not indicate that the product works. What it does is ensure that nobody else is allowed to produce and make money from your design.
Stuartg wrote: “In NZ, Amoxicillin is now the drug of choice for Strep throat. It has been for the past generation, since about 1990. It covers the same spectrum of organisms that penicillin does, including Streptococcus, and has less chance of anaphylaxis than the original penicillin”
Medsafe does not say it is safer.
“`Amoxycillin should not be used for the treatment of
bacterial infections in patients with viral infections, presenting with sore throat, pharyngitis or
infectious mononucleosis, as a high incidence of amoxycillin induced erythematous (morbilliform)
rashes have been associated with glandular fever in patients receiving amoxicillin”
What did I mean by “genetic testing”? Well though I thought I might be encompassing modern genome printouts and what may begin to be done from them, I was also meaning the older ideas: http://www.ihavelynchsyndrome.com/10-reasons-genetic-testing-important/#.VG0i0MkzDEs
Maybe 10% of patents are not valid because the device does not do as claimed.
“This 2009 orthopaedic surgery article…”
Tetrachlorodecaoxygen =/= Sodium Chlorite.
Waving medical journal articles at me about actual treatments which do not resemble MMS and are used for specific conditions or in specific circumstances (ie surgery), in no way provides evidence that MMS is anything more than snake oil. Dangerous snake oil, at that.
Yes, Soundhill, well done. You have successfully demonstrated my point. You cannot tell a product works just because it has a patent. Although I am curious where you get the 10% figure from.
“The MMS is so cheap it is unlikely that drug companies will arrange conferences to encourage doctors to prescribe it like they do for Viagra &c.”
Let me correct that for you.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that MMS works, and people have been hospitalised by it, therefore it is unlikely that drug companies will arrange conferences to encourage doctors to prescribe it like they do for Viagra &c.”
Plus, of course, it would be illegal for doctors to prescribe MMS, because it is not a medicine. It has not undergone testing, and has not gained regulatory approval.
“People are pleased he is doing this education and give him donations.”
Hey look, a third income stream – donations. So, that’s direct sales, charging people to attend conferences and bamboozling people to the extent that they will outright give you money.
Life is clearly good if you’re a successful snake-oil salesman.
Yes, I am intrigued by the 10% figure too. I have at times intensively searched patents and there is certainly an immense amount of rubbish or irrelevant stuff there. One that sticks in my mind is for underpants with an attachment providing penile stimulation while walking! Seriously!
Chris: I don’t have proof for here I am just suspicious. “Four Drug Makers Dominate Payments to Local Doctors
The only reason Pro Publica was able to get financial records from 15 major drug companies is because those firms were charged with crimes by federal authorities. Drug and medical supply companies spend hundreds of millions per year to influence medical providers. They provide gifts to doctors, free samples, lavish meals and entertainment, speaking fees for speeches written by the drug companies, first class travel to exotic destinations, or sign up doctors as “consultants.” The reason they spend so much is because it works.”
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/24001284/i-team-drug-companies-court-doctors-with-gifts-vacations
The point being that if MMS is done for money that is not unusual.
“Tetrachlorodecaoxygen =/= Sodium Chlorite.” They said the second (that would be after reaction with weak acid to produce ClO2 monochlorodioxygen) is the prototype of the first.
Tetra means 4, deca means 10.
Chris and Ken
“US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) auditors believe that as many as 10% of all issued patents are invalid, a high percent of those due to the fact the invention does not work.”
http://www.willitsell.com/patmyths.asp
So I can’t say for sure, but it means that if it is patented there is a good chance it works.
I said “Gene analysis is still in its infancy, and today is mainly used in testing for some specific genetic diseases.”
That’s exactly what your reference says.
Now, unless you have one of a few rare genetically inherited diseases in other members of your family, then genetic analysis cannot predict your personal reaction to medications. Your reference says that as well.
So, your request for “genetic testing” is currently useless unless you have to see a geneticist for other reasons.
You said “I thought I might be encompassing modern genome printouts and what may begin to be done from them”.
I covered that as well: “Some SCAM artists offer “genetic testing”, but their results are both meaningless and very expensive. They have no science behind their “interpretation” of results. Their “genetic testing” is a good example of junk science.”
I’ll repeat myself again. The human Genome Project was only completed 11 years ago. It’s going to be decades before we understand how our genome contributes to infection or disease.
This means that medicine does not do “modern genome printouts.” Only SCAM artists do. Pay for one if you want – but be aware that the only thing that you will get out of it is a lighter wallet.
And there is a 10% chance, according to you, that it doesn’t work. How, exactly, are we meant to tell which patents make up that ten percent? Certainly we can’t tell a product works just because it has a patent. We need other evidence.
Hence why I am unimpressed by you waving patents at me.
“Believe?” No analysis done? Some people would call that a guess.
“the invention does not work?” So as well as being a guess, it’s not even talking about medications.
Any relevance is decidedly small.
Having been involved in one patent application I seriously question the 10% estimate. This is because many applications are made without the backup of peer reviewed science. In my own case business managers prevented scientific peer reviewed publication until after the patent process was completed and I am sure that must be a common procedure.
I have found patent applications hopeless for actually getting details of procedures and formulations. Where scientific publications exist and are cited I always go to those,
@Ken I am on to my third doctor since my heart attack and bypass 13 years ago, plus several locums. None have been able to prescribe 75mg coated aspirin. Last time I asked would have been March 2013.
Yes, Soundhill, I know what “tetra” and “deca” mean. I don’t think you understand the chemistry involved though.
You think you get ClO2 from mixing sodium chlorite and citric acid in water? Great. Well done. Here’s the thing.
ClO2 =/= Cl4O10
Not even close. So. No connection whatsoever to the paper you cited. Which, I will note, does not advocate a “mix your own in water and swallow it to cure everything under the sun” approach to using tetrachlorodecaoxygen.
Ken is correct. Aspirin EC 75 mg is available on prescription in NZ. I’ve seen the prescriptions done, the latest about two weeks ago.
I have no idea why your doctor(s) would not prescribe it – that has to be between yourself and your doctor(s). Maybe you could ask him/her/them?
In NZ, aspirin EC 100 mg is the only antiplatelet version of aspirin that is fully funded by Pharmac, specifically the Ethics brand. All others receive the same subsidy that Ethics aspirin EC 100 mg does, which means that there is an extra cost to the patient in addition to the prescription cost.
(And I’ve just learned there is an enteric coated 300 mg aspirin available in NZ as well. It’s only partially subsidised, too.)
@Chris “You think you get ClO2 from mixing sodium chlorite and citric acid in water? Great. Well done.”
Just in case some people don’t know when you are being sarcastic perhaps you had better be clear.
” Here’s the thing.
Not even close.
So. No connection whatsoever to the paper you cited. Which, I will note, does not advocate a “mix your own in water and swallow it to cure everything under the sun” approach to using tetrachlorodecaoxygen.”
When you dilute it in water? Seems to be curative. Not quite sure how the anti-inflammatory thing works. Don’t always want to do that.
3.6. Comparison of chlorite with chlorite-based drugs in interaction with MPO
The drug substance OXO-K993 (NUVO Research Inc., Mississauga, Canada), also referred as tetrachlorodecaoxygen anionic complex [i.e. (Cl4O10)n with molar mass of 301.8 for n = 1] contains 4.25% chlorite, 1.9% chloride, 1.5% chlorate, 0.7% sulfate and sodium ions as cationic species in an aqueous solution [14]. A sterile, pyrogen-free, aqueous 10% (w/v) solution of OXO-K993 is applied under the name WF10 for intravenous infusion in patients with chronic-inflammatory diseases [39–41]. Another 55-fold diluted formulation derived from OXO-K993 is Oxoferin™ that is topically applied as a wound-healing agent [42,43].Here we applied Oxoferin to test the effects of this drug solution upon interaction with MPO. The chlorite content in Oxoferin is reported to be 12.3 mM [44]. To test if the additives lead to any differences in reactivity the direct reaction of human ferric MPO with this drug was investigated. The reaction of MPO with Oxoferin showed similar kinetics and finally resulted in heme bleaching (Supplemental Fig. 3). The reaction was biphasic with calculated rate constants of 3.9 × 105 M− 1 s− 1 and 2.3 × 104 M− 1 s− 1 (pH 5.0), respectively. Thus, with respect to reactivity towards MPO in terms of heme bleaching and kinetics, Oxoferin is indistinguishable from a pure chlorite solution.”
And for interest:
ClO2 has a very interesting structure:
Well done, Soundhill. You have produced an entirely different paper which actually has something to do with ClO2. Very preliminary, by the looks, but a possible indicator that maybe, just maybe, it might one day function as a useful medication, properly used, in specific circumstances.
Nothing, I repeat nothing in that paper remotely suggests that those circumstances are as a miracle cure-all 100% effective for ebola, AIDS, autism, malaria, you name it, which people should mix and drink for themselves, using whether they feel nauseous as a guide to whether they’ve taken too much.
I mean, for zog’s sake, Soundhill, did you even read how the existing drug is used? Intravenous infusion, or application to wounds. No drinking involved.
“I don’t have proof for here I am just suspicious. “Four Drug Makers Dominate Payments to Local Doctors””
Which has to do with… what, exactly? I’m perfectly aware that pharmaceutical companies are not guaranteed to operate in an ethical manner. In fact, there are significant incentives for them not to. This is why we have checks and balances, imperfect as they may be. For instance, the media. Product trials, that kind of thing.
But you seem incapable of applying any degree of suspicion at all to the Genesis Church people. Despite ridiculously transparent lying about their product, hospitalisation of people using the stuff, and a profit motive utterly untempered by any kinds of checks or balances.
There is confusion since I have read elsewhere not to use it intravenously. This one is for chronic inflammation which may mean a person’s metabolism is functioning differently. It seemed a very heavy dose.
Inflammation is associated with many conditions. Fish oil is an anti-inflammatory because of its omega 3. The counsellor on Maori TV’s Nutters’ Club was suggesting it for depression. It’s a chance that such could be the mechanism why it might help autism.
Ice packs, Nurofen, aspirin, NSAIDs, steroids are ways of reducing inflammation.
I have read that sometimes schizophrenic people do not get the same amount of physical illness as non-schizophrenic people. Their inflammatory response may be low.
I have read also that it is used to suppress rejection for xenotransplants.
So a lot of thought is necessary.
But the approach on this thread has been to spank the child in case they may be naughty. Don’t worry if you cause a complex.
“hospitalisation of people using the stuff,”
Double standard. How many people have been hospitalised for overdosing on alcohol because they think more is better, and I don’t see scientists ganging up on it.
Chris you complained about the dose titration approach. That approach is frequently used in medicine.
“In NZ, aspirin EC 100 mg is the only antiplatelet version of aspirin that is fully funded by Pharmac, specifically the Ethics brand.”
Which seems dumb since it would be great to get the amount which would reduce angina without causing tiredness or stroke risk.
Soundhill, you are confused.
I am very specifically dealing with claims made by the Genesis Church people.
For instance, they claim to have cured 100% of the people they’ve treated for malaria, ebola, AIDS, whatever. This is a ludicrous claim, which you have done nothing whatsoever to support. Who are these people? Where were they treated? By whom? Why, if Genesis Church is so very determined to educate the world about the efficacy of their product, have they so thoroughly buried any evidence of these patients’ very existence?
They also claim that nobody has ever complained about their product. Now, improper use or not, I think hospitalisation counts as a complaint. You do not see anybody claiming that alcohol is perfectly safe and nobody has ever complained about the product. Indeed, there are some quite specific laws in place about drink-driving. We could, incidentally, go on and on about issues with alcohol marketing. So I’m not seeing this double standard you seem to believe exists.
“Chris you complained about the dose titration approach. That approach is frequently used in medicine”
No, Soundhill. I have complained about the expectation that untrained consumers should mix up the solution for themselves in ridiculously vague doses, and stop adding more when they feel nauseous.
This approach is never, EVER used in medicine.
Spoonfuls are vague doses.
We’ve spent a lot of time determining that the antiplatelet dose of aspirin on prescription is only available in 100mg enteric coated. That is a very vague amount. They do better if self medicating buying it at the supermarket where they have a choice of 75 or 100mg. Stuartg says the doctor prescribes 100mg for him. Maybe Stuartg weighs closer to 100kg than 75kg. If not I wonder about the doctors thoughts. Aspirin is quite a dangerous drug.
I think when patients are given a morphine pump to activate as they need they actually use less than they get with CR and topup.
You seem to have this ridiculous idea that because I have concluded that the Genesis Church people are money-grubbing charlatans, based on the utterly ludicrous claims they have made, without so much as a shred of supporting evidence, and because of their transparent profit motive, I am in some manner hostile to, well, everything you’re going on about.
Rambling on about anti-inflammatories and omega-3 as a means of treating depression / autism (erm, what?) is not actually addressing the issues I have raised about Genesis Church. Indeed, you have scrupulously avoided in any way dealing with the reasons I set out right at the beginning of this conversation for why I had concluded they were charlatans.
Wow, Soundhill. Way to completely ignore the “until they feel nauseous” bit. Once again, you have managed to completely ignore the substance of my complaint.
Incidentally, I am not aware that anybody uses “spoonfuls” as a dose for medicine. Either a specific size of measuring spoon (eg teaspoons) will be listed, or a spoon of the appropriate size will be provided with the medication. You can also be sure that a specific number of teaspoons will be listed for a particular time period, as opposed to “keep adding drops until you feel nauseous (or if not, a maximum of three per ill-defined time period).
“Prior to 2005, colchicine dose instructions included the advice to continue dosing until the pain settled or gastrointestinal adverse effects occured. The standard dose instructions have now been changed to improve safety.” ” In a case series of nine patients presenting with colchicine overdose in the Auckland region over a 15 year period, eight died.6 Four of the patients had taken an accidental overdose of colchicine (ranging from 18 – 24 mg) due to lack of knowledge about the medicine” http://www.bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2014/September/safer-prescribing.aspx
Were you getting up in arms about that before 2005?
I suppose it is possible that there are medicines which use “spoonfuls” as a dose. Cough syrup is a possible example. In this case, it is incumbent on the manufacturer/ prescriber to be sure that nobody is going to come to harm if their spoons are a little larger than the average. Safety margins do exist. Taking extra spoonfuls, beyond what is specified (ie +100% or 50% or whatever to the recommended dosage range) is of course another matter.
Wow, Soundhill.
You have successfully identified an example of an unacceptable dosage regime, of which I was previously unaware. This has since been corrected for what I would hope are obvious reasons, and should never have been administered in that manner in the first place. So, we’ll chalk that up as evidence that this is not acceptable behaviour, shall we?
There is something seriously wrong with your basic reasoning skills if you think that pointing out somebody else has been caught out doing this (with actual medicine) in some way excuses the behaviour of your favoured band of quacks.
My point is why are some serious things kept quiet, like you had not heard about the colchicine deaths, and things like the current chlorite made such a media issue, with words used like “acid” rather than “citric acid” and people reported as ill from the medication when it was from overdose and many medicines make you ill from overdose. If you don’t want to watch the 2014 dosing video for MMS maybe someone should transcribe bits of it for you.
Soundhill, I am not some omniscient being with perfect knowledge of every specific case. I am, however, perfectly aware that things do go wrong in medicine. Given that the egregious issue you raised has, in fact, been corrected, I am unsure what the hell you are talking about in regards to cover-ups.
But hey, you seem to think that because things go wrong in medicine, absolute quacks who have provided not a shred of evidence that their product does anybody any good whatsoever, should be able to market it in an untruthful manner, with unsafe directions on how to use the stuff and flowery assurances that nobody’s ever made any complaints.
I will pass on the video, thank you. The fact sheet is much quicker to read, and I’m sure most consumers don’t bother to view half-hour youtube videos before using a product. But do let me know if the video somehow contradicts it; I’ll chalk that up as evidence of the Church disseminating misleading / dangerous information.
Complain to Pharmac, if you want, or just suck it up and pay the difference. Or talk it over with your doctor(s). There may be a reason they don’t want to prescribe the EC 75 mg dose of aspirin for you.
Here’s the thing, Soundhill.
Medical misadventure is well-recognised, recorded and hopefully learned from going forward. Whilst plainly not desirable, is an unfortunate price we pay for the good modern medicine does in society. It is expected that any given procedure or treatment will have a body of evidence supporting its use, that any risks or side-effects associated with it will be well understood. If further evidence indicates this is not correct, the product or procedure’s use can be amended accordingly, or it can be withdrawn / discontinued. Naturally, if it’s a prescription medicine, the prescribing doctor should make any risks clear, and packaging should spell out correct usage. The authorities do actually come down hard on fraud or malpractice.
By contrast, alternative medicine or natural health remedies are tolerated on the basis that, although there is no evidence that they actually work, nor is there any evidence they do any harm (alas, as a general rule, nobody has checked, nor are they required to), and people should have the right to decide on their own treatment. That said, if it turns out there are serious risks or harms associated with a product (above and beyond being put forward as an alternative to actual effective treatment of a condition), there are no countervailing benefits which can be used to argue against the product being banned.
If, of course, the Genesis Church people want MMS to be recognised as a medicine, they are more than welcome to engage in testing of the product. I’m highly dubious it would ever pass, and it’s surely much more profitable to lie to people about its ability to cure ebola/cancer/autism/whatever than it is to figure out what, if anything it actually does and sell it to treat that.
Chris you are, to use an emotional word, pontificating about the MMS program while only acknowledging a fact sheet which says: “This paragraph is only a basic description and should NOT be used as a guide for treatment.)”
(above and beyond being put forward as an alternative to actual effective AND ACCESSIBLE treatment of a condition),
Stuartg you are using your strongest language when it comes to the financial basis of the situation. That is as if the money flow were very much more important than the treatment/health of the patient which becomes only a service to make capital from.
Give me a list of reasons they would not want to prescribe me the coated EC 75mg when I say the 100mg does not leave me feeling so well and 75mg works.
Oh, so it includes instructions on how to take the stuff, but you shouldn’t actually follow those directions? Glad we’ve got that cleared up. (note: sarcasm). Any disclaimers on the video? Any material contradicting the “fact” sheet? Or is it basically the same load of dangerous rubbish?
I mean seriously, Soundhill, the “basic description” of how treatment is supposed to work sounds pretty dreadful. Are you saying it’s not accurate? That it all works completely differently? If so, why would Genesis Church put out a misleading fact sheet?
Note the fact sheet that you found also says: “Who is behind this
MMS Facts Sheet and why?
This facts sheet is produced and maintained by a group of private citizens from around the world who want the truth to come out.
The intent of this facts sheet is to provide you with just enough basic information to do further research, while highlighting the brewing controversy, so as to make it easier for you to remain objective. The information provided here only scratches the surface. We encourage you to consider
the possible motivations on all sides and draw your own conclusions”
The Fact Sheet does not describe the mixing with citric acid and its strength, and the yellowing as ClO2 is formed, when to put the water in and how long it will last after mixing. It does not talk about taking extra water or maybe food to help or give other maybe more comfortable options to absorb the substance. &c.
You know, Soundhill, I would have thought that, having finally decided to go down the “this isn’t official information” route, you might have checked to see whether the content of the fact sheet was included in the video or not, rather than finding a bunch of stuff in the video which wasn’t included on the fact sheet.
Perhaps you’d like to look into that?
“The intent of this facts sheet is to provide you with just enough basic information to do further research,”
It’s a bit of the recipe in the 2014 video. It’s like you go into a restaurant and ask what the scones are made of. They tell you dates and yogurt and wholemeal, and maybe mention butter or what sort of fat. But they don’t tell about the various rising agents, how the baking powder in them works with moisture, and the baking soda in them works with heat to rise the scones, whether the butter was rubbed in with fingers or such and such.
The chlorite requires some sort of acid to turn it to ClO2. Maybe just stomach acid would do it a bit. But they seem to want the ClO2 there before you drink it or apply it in DMSO &c.
soundhill:
You said: “We’ve spent a lot of time determining that the antiplatelet dose of aspirin on prescription is only available in 100mg enteric coated. That is a very vague amount.”
Wrong (repeatedly wrong).
This is the third time I have told you: in New Zealand, aspirin is able to be prescribed in 75, 100, 150, 300 and 650 mg tablets. All of those tablets are available in enteric coated formulation. I don’t know how to put it any more simply. Check MIMS if you don’t believe me.
Not all of those tablets are fully subsidised, so if tablet without a full subsidy is prescribed then the patient has to make up the difference between the subsidy and the amount charged by the manufacturer/distributor.
What is so difficult to understand about that?
Re-read your quote above. Can you tell me how a dose of “100mg” is a “very vague amount”? As opposed to MMS, the dose of which you have given as exactly “around” and “a rough guess”?
By the way, where do you get your dose for aspirin in mg/kg (for prophylaxis in ischaemic heart disease) from? All my resources just give a dose range, usually 75-325 mg. You are the first (and so far only) person I know of that says the prophylaxis dose is 1mg/kg.
I really want to know, because if that figure has any research data to back it then it is likely to change the practice of many doctors, cardiologists in particular.
Right. Not really what I was asking, Soundhill, but what you’re telling me is that the information on the fact sheet is official but incomplete, yes? Which means that the dosage instructions are to just keep adding drops until you feel nauseous, and that diarrhoea /vomiting are nothing serious.
For some reason, you seem incapable of grasping that there might be something wrong with that whole system. That it might, perhaps, be dangerous.
“Right. Not really what I was asking, Soundhill, but what you’re telling me is that the information on the fact sheet is official but incomplete, yes?”
I am nothing to do with it.
You found that Fact Sheet, which I had not seen.
My concern is for the attack on this anti-malaria measure, by people who are claiming themselves to be scientific, but appear to be more concerned to discredit new possibilities very strongly rather than assist inquiry.
Society gets stuck in certain paths which may not be good for individuals. I got swayed by the idea of a very low saturated fat diet, stuck to it for many years till I got a heart attack.
It was suggested I use statins. I felt terrible on them, and doubly terrible as I became a heretic and refused them. The procedure for them is to take them but watch out for muscle troubles. Many medicines you are supposed to watch out for side effects, and maybe cease taking it. Like penicillin. In the case of MMS as I see it, you may not get nauseous by the time you get to the recommended dose. But if you do then cut back. How much sunlight can a person tolerate for vitamin D? Depends on skin colour. Maybe someone will design a calculator. Maybe same for
MMS. Maybe same for statins. Maybe same for warfarin so you don’t have to wait till a blood level before you know. It will depend on salicylates in your diet, and other blood thinners. It would be great to be able to vary your diet like you are not allowed at the moment when you are on warfarin.
With morphine you try to titrate the dose so the pain just under the surface so you don’t get side effects.
“Which means that the dosage instructions are to just keep adding drops until you feel nauseous, and that diarrhoea /vomiting are nothing serious.”
Can get diarrhoea from eating figs, prunes, vitamin C megadose, beetroot some people, or boiled milk.
Salt water can make you vomit, or tickling your throat inside.
Which is acceptable for treatments whose sellers have had the money to get them accepted.
You said “You found that Fact Sheet, which I had not seen.”
You are prepared to give/take/recommend MMS, at an unknown dose, without seeing any fact sheet.
Yet you study the fact sheet for aspirin, statins, penicillin, warfarin and possibly vitamin C, looking for exact doses, contraindications, interactions and side effects.
And you say you can’t see any contradictions between your approach to prescription medicines and and your approach to MMS.
I agree with Chris. There appears to be something seriously wrong with your basic reasoning skills.
Stuartg I think maybe a cardiology nurse told me about 1mg/kg. But here, according to animal studies, a very low dose may be a risk and may be the reason why attacks occur a week or so after aspirin cessation. It says 1mh/kg has moderate effect without risk of bleeds. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/thrombosis/2012/247363/
“My concern is for the attack on this anti-malaria measure,”
Soundhill, let me be perfectly clear.
The “anti-malaria measure” does. Not. Work. It is snake oil, peddled by charlatans, in an apparently successful effort to make insane amounts of money off of gullible people.
How do I know this? Because the snake-oil salesmen selling it claim to have a 100% success rate curing malaria, cancer, ebola and a whole bunch of other things…. But refuse to produce any evidence of a single one of their supposedly innumerable experiences. These are ridiculous, ludicrous claims, made in such a manner that they are impossible to verify. If the claims were true, they would be scrambling to produce the evidence and get it out into the world of medicine. They are not. Because, obviously, the evidence does not exist.
I mean, seriously. Look at who it’s being marketed to. What, exactly, do you think are the odds that the comfortably well-off people of first-world nations such as Australia, New Zealand, America, Ireland and so forth will come into contact with malaria? Or ebola for that matter? If the goal is to help prevent malaria, why the hell are they marketing it here, rather than sending their people out to give away the product to those who would supposedly benefit from it?
If, on the other hand, the claims about malaria are simply lies for the purposes of marketing, everything becomes clear. “Hey, this stuff will cure malaria. Just imagine how well the miracle cure-all will work for whatever niggling little complaints afflict you.”
I am perfectly willing to consider new possibilities in the fight against disease. But the thing is that any ethical person is going to get evidence that their cure works first, setting things out in a transparent manner and ensuring that others are given the opportunity to replicate their results.
If they skip that pesky little step of evidence and go straight to selling their product to gullible punters as a means of raking in money, well, that really tells us all we need to know about the efficacy of the product. The medical community isn’t going to buy into it, and it will in all likelihood do a great deal of harm, if for no other reason than convincing people they don’t need to seek actual treatment for serious conditions until it’s too late.
Plainly, Soundhill, you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes “inquiry.” Shockingly enough, my approach aligns with the scientific method, which has had quite a bit of success down through the centuries, and is foundational to modern medicine.
By all means, people should come out with outlandish ideas and outside-the-box thinking. This can result in great leaps forward in science, and even in medicine. But their ideas should be subjected to rigorous testing, both by themselves and a community of their peers. If the evidence is against an idea, it should be discarded, reworked, or shelved, depending.
People should not expect us to simply take their word for all manner of grandiose claims.
If someone claimed 100% success at curing tooth ache and the treatment was removal of the teeth then you might believe them. I think it is just that you cannot imagine a mechanism for ClO2. Let’s do a bit of decent brainstorming before rubbishing.
Ken pointed out about the Marsden Fund. I searched a bit and found some pure maths research they are sponsoring involving a UOC worker, Maarten McKubre-Jordens. “Paraconsistent mathematics is a type of mathematics in which contradictions may be true. In such a system it is perfectly possible for a statement A and its negation not A to both be true. How can this be, and be coherent? What does it all mean?”
http://plus.maths.org/content/not-carrot
It looks like the Marsden Fund hopes that Maarten’s work may be useful in working with problems in computer networks.
Our world is coming towards big problems. Malaria may come to NZ with global warming. Malaria is becoming resistant to some of the current drugs. One very risky approach is a type of genetically modified mosquitoes.
I feel we need to come to grips with more than a monetised approach which I feel is limiting your ability to see. Maybe you are correct, but I hope for a moment you might be able to set aside the monetary arguments, just in case anything of value becomes faintly visible.
Soundhill, you have not listened to a word I have said.
I have pointed out to you, repeatedly, that MMS is ridiculously monetised. That selling the stuff without having to test whether it works or obey basic standards of safety, allows them to make large profits from each unit sold. There is no motivation, whatsoever, to actually have a working product.
I do not have the faintest idea where you get the idea that I am somehow fixated on monetised approaches to medicine or research. What I have said, again repeatedly, is that we need to actually be collecting evidence that any given approach works before turning it loose on the general public. Whether or not money is involved is in some ways beside the point, though we should certainly have checks and balances to overcome the monetary incentives which may tempt people to somehow game the system.
Incidentally, Soundhill, your toothache example is deeply flawed. An actual parallel would be if somebody claimed pulling a person’s teeth out would 100% cure them of toothache, earache, ulcers, clogged sinuses and whatever other condition took their fancy. Very separate conditions, with very different underlying causes, but a single miracle cure which purports to treat them all.
I would have no hesitation calling anybody who made such claims a quack, despite the fairly obvious causal links between teeth and toothaches. Particularly considering that pulling a person’s teeth out does actually have downsides (I sincerely doubt nobody has ever complained after such dental procedures).
Well you can see a mechanism in a heart bypass fixing chest pain, making it easier to do many things after some healing, and stop having several daily anticoagulant injections. It’s not 100% and you do get the occasional death, but no more than 1% I think.
Things affect other things. Sometimes it is easier to see the mechanism.
If a person is not breathing you can allow many of their organs to function by helping them to breathe again.
If ClO2 were enabling some process in the body like breathing maybe it could help the body to heal itself better.
I’ve caught up with a current MIMS at work, rather than the older one I have at home. The 650 mg aspirin I mentioned earlier is no longer available on prescription in NZ.
The range of doses of aspirin tablets able to be prescribed (current edition of MIMS) is now 75, 100, 150, 300, 320, and 500 mg.
250g of aspirin powder is also available on prescription, presumable for compounding pharmacists to make up other doses.
Soundhill, I think at some point I have to take a step back. You are going on about things which are utterly irrelevant to the point which I am trying to get through your thick skull.
Namely, that Genesis Church are a pack of charlatans, which we can tell on the basis of the ridiculous claims they themselves have made about the efficacy of their product, which, in the absense of so much as a shred of evidence to back them up, we must conclude are outright lies. Further, the instructions for the use of the product are outright dangerous.
You have scrupulously avoided addressing these points in any way. Rather, you go off on rambling asides trying to convince me of who even knows what.
So. Do you or do you not accept that these people are charlatans, preying upon gullible consumers in order to make money?
Unfortunately, that paper is about experimentation in rat models with acute myocardial infarction. In an acute myocardial infarction, different doses of aspirin are used in humans compared with those used for prophylaxis (160-325 mg/day versus 75-325 mg/day).
Since we are both human beings, and neither of us are suffering an acute myocardial infarction (at least I hope you aren’t), that paper has no relevance to the aspirin used in both of us for prophylaxis.
I’ll continue to follow my GP’s guidelines (which are the same as cardiologists). I’d further advise you to consider who’s advice you would rather follow: “I think maybe a cardiology nurse,” or a cardiologist.
The experiment was on rats to help with a hypothesis that might apply to humans.
“Recently published surveys have warned against the increased risk of aspirin discontinuation, which includes acute coronary problems, stent stenosis, acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and lower limb ischemia”
Since I had been promoting lower dose aspirin I thought to pass this on, as a contraindication for very low dose. They are trying to find out whether there is a rebound effect after aspirin is stopped, and the blood level tails off, or whether a very low dose itself of aspirin itself may be dangerous.
OK you claim very low dose might cause heart trouble in a rat, but no trouble for a human?
Chris: very emotive language. You think that will work when you cannot scientifically back up what you are claiming? You only suggest it is obvious.
How about you refer me to peer reviewed articles about charlatans and science.
No, really, Soundhill, this isn’t hard.
Do you believe, as claimed by the Genesis Church people, that they have cured 100% of the people they have treated for… Hang on, let me check the list…
Ebola, malaria, herpes, cancer, firbromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and AIDS. Probably other conditions as, not referred to in the interview, but let’s stick with those.
Yes or no question. Bearing in mind that they have produced no evidence whatsoever to back up these claims.
If no, then this indicates you believe they are lying. Given that these are not minor claims, and are being used to sell the product, this would further indicate they are charlatans.
I’m really not seeing an abrupt transition to emotive language; I’ve been calling them liars and charlatans for a fair while now. Further evidence that you haven’t really been paying attention to what I’ve been saying? Then again, perhaps it was the “thick skull” comment. I’d apologise, but rather than actually answering the question, you’re once again trying to divert the subject.
That reference was for a rat model investigating a different problem.
It was a model for acute myocardial infarction, for the first few days after a heart attack.
You are talking about prophylaxis in ischaemic heart disease, ie long term use with the aim of preventing heart attacks.
The reference is irrelevant to your question.
That means you base your 1mg/kg on something you may remember, and you aren’t even sure who it was. Great reasoning!
Why not talk to your doctor(s), or even a cardiologist?
I don’t make any claims about very low dose aspirin in rats. You provided the reference and you are misinterpreting it.
I follow the research based guidelines and recommendations for humans.
You rely on something someone once said and research into a completely different problem.
Sorry if it’s against your beliefs, but I’ll rely on the scientific approach to answering questions.
Earlier, in a reply to Chris, you said “A theory is that the hand-tingling that goes with hyperventilation is a result of oxygen starvation of the tissues.”
Just to let you know that theory was disproven decades ago. Oxygen supply to the tissues is maintained. What happens is that changing (lowering) CO2 levels disrupts the acid/base balance across the cell membranes. Once the balance shifts enough, the nerve cells that rely on a particular acid/base balance can no longer function normally and the signals from the disfunctioning nerves are perceived as tingling.
(There’s a lot more to it than that, of course, but that’s a very simplified explanation.)
You asked Chris “You think that will work when you cannot scientifically back up what you are claiming?”
When are you going to ask yourself the same question?
So far you have not managed to scientifically back up any of your claims. We have asked questions; you have evaded, fudged, prevaricated, changed the subject, and provided irrelevant data. What you haven’t done is to back up your claims.
I will ask you again:
The purveyors of various snake oil treatments never bother to answer these questions. They just claim the snake oil will cure multiple diseases with no side effects. They just “spread the word” (ie advertise) and wait for the money to role in.
Manufacturers/distributors of prescription medications answer all the above questions before the medications go to market; the scientific research then continues after the medication gets to market (for over a century in the case of aspirin!)
Now, a further question. Read those last two paragraphs again. Which description does MMS fit – snake oil or medication?
In Humble’s book he describes getting the dose right to cure malaria in Malawi. The description is a bit sketchy.
http://www.mms-supplement.com/MMS_Part_1.pdf
In this interview in Malawi he relates of though how he could not prove he was getting HIV negativity, he was making the people well. Comments after the video dispute some of his comments about HIV testing.
Here is description of immune modulation by the related functioning Tetrachlorodecaoxygen (TCDO) and WF10 which might explain improvements in apparent health.
http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013109949A1?cl=en
Another posting of some of the same interview with the comment after it: “Totally Critical
How do people believe a word this guy says when he doesn’t even know there are AIDS tests which doesn’t rely on antibodies? Look up NAT or PCR tests.”
Yes, yes, yes. We’ve seen the TV adverts before.
Now, where is the scientific data? You know, like the stuff you insist on reading for your prescribed medications?
Don’t worry how things might work.
Worry about IF they work.
We used aspirin for a century before anyone knew how it worked, but we knew it worked.
No-one has shown that MMS works. They’ve just made some TV adds.
Vitamin C nearly stops it from working.
It’ interesting that my uncle who had had malaria said years later that vitamin C supplementation made him feel terrible.
My approach is to learn what we can about this fairly recent ClO2 work.
Like a new cat coming on to your garden the existing cats will fight it off. (Cats can even have transferred aggression. A cat looking out the window and seeing an intruder cat spray in the garden may turn on his accepted house mate.)
To fight off this new form of immune modulation medication the plan is to say that because the educator is exaggerating claims he can be called a charlatan therefore everything 100% of what he says is discredited. Strangely that is applying the same form of exaggeration as what Humble is applying.
Add a few bits like it’s a danger when it is probably less of a danger than many accepted medications and you have a better fight against it. You think, but I think people will see through you. They will want to learn and accept that many/most salespeople exaggerate.
What is the SCIENCE behind your claims?
@Stuartg wrote: “What is the dose of MMS per kg?
Info is gradually building for these related treatments:
“Example 5: Determining the Clinical dose for TCDO
[0161] HIV-positive patients received one cycle of intravenous infusions of WF10- defined as 5 consecutive daily doses followed by 16 days of no treatment-at a dose of 0.5L/kg body weight/day to 50 (0.5 mL)/kg body weight/day, without apparent adverse effect. Patients were then given 4 cycles of WF10 with the daily dose ranging from 0.5 mL/kg body weight to 1.5 mL/kg body weight. The maximal tolerated dose of WF10 was determined to lie between 0.5 mL/kg body weight to 0.75 mL/kg body weight per day. Doses of 0.75 mL/kg body weight and greater were associated with phlebitis and a pattern of decreased hemoglobin. However, in this and subsequent clinical studies, administration of 4 cycles of 0.5 mL TCDO/kg body weight per day showed no clinically relevant hemolysis”
Somewhere above, you said you wanted MMS to be treated the same as other substances.
Very well. That means that you also have to treat it the same as prescription medications. These questions have been asked, and answered, for prescription medications by their manufacturer/distributor. Now, we expect you to treat MMS exactly the same as prescription medications – and answer the questions.
What are the indications?
What is the dose?
What are the contraindications?
I’ve asked you these multiple times but you haven’t answered.
If you don’t answer them, we have to agree with Richard: “I’m also inclined to question whether soundhill has some undeclared association or vested interest in the product.” You do sound just like a snake oil salesman.
Hint: try looking for the answers in the public domain, like on a manufacturers information sheet. Answer them just like the manufacturer of aspirin would.
Don’t just have a stab at Google and cherry pick something that sounds appropriate. Patents are not manufacturers information sheets; it is not expected that the general public has to search among patent applications to find the dosage of aspirin, is it?
To treat it the same as prescription medications, all you have to do is give us the information that would be on a manufacturers information sheet. Simple.
So give me the time other medication sellers have had. And expect that if the acceptance regulation is too lenient or new knowledge comes to light then it may be withdrawn again.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_withdrawn_drugs
Also acknowledge that if the acceptance regulation is too tough a useful product may be denied to sufferers.
Should the used of aspirin have been denied till what is known about it today was known?
Manufacturer/distributors of prescription medications have the information sheet available when the medication hits the market.
MMS is already being marketed, so you’ve already had the time that prescription medications have had. Where is the information sheet?
Treat MMS the same as prescription medications, or it’s just snake oil and should never enter the market.
By the way, interesting list. What relevance does it have, other than if you expect MMS to make it onto the list? It won’t, because no-one has shown it has a useful therapeutic effect. You’ll find it in the list of poisons instead.
If you want MMS to be treated by others the same way they treat prescription medications, then there’s a few simple questions to answer first:
“It won’t, because no-one has shown it has a useful therapeutic effect. You’ll find it in the list of poisons instead.” Botox on both lists
“What are the contraindications?” Take care with a person whose metabolism is struggling. Not all known yet. May be changed. Like ECT is no longer thought by many to be appropriate for schizophrenia, only depression perhaps. Some believe it is no better than placebo for that, but it is still used.
“Botox on both lists” Many things are on both lists. “…and what has that to do with the price of fish in china?”
You say you want MMS treated the same as prescription medicines. That means that you have to treat it the same as prescription medicines as well.
Prescription medicines have to have an information sheet before they are marketed. So do we. The manufacturer/distributor has to supply both the sheet and the information. Where is it for MMS?
What is put on the market without any scientific research, claims it can cure many different diseases, is claimed to have no side effects, has no information sheet, and the knowledge of it is spread only by advertising? Answer: snake oil. Oh… …and MMS.
Strike out the “So do we.”
I meant to say that the other commenters on the blog, and myself, want MMS treated the same way as prescription medicines. Somehow I managed to put the sentence in the wrong paragraph.
Be interesting to know more about the progress of regulation of aspirin. http://www.aspirin-foundation.com/what/timeline.html
Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s. Stomach trouble was acknowledged before that. The process of drug regulation changes. Do you think it is perfect now? I think the current fiscal considerations make it very difficult for new drugs to come to market. R&D may be just rehashing old, already consented stuff, in new packages for the market.
Ken talked about the Marsden Fund. That only administers a small proportion of what the Public Good Science Fund does. PGSF is giving large amounts to people like Tony Conner who is also funded by genetic modification companies. There may be an agenda to support enterprises who are already doing well. And they won’t do well if another strong cat comes on the block. Commercial science is very tough. China has turned against genetically modified food. So the price of genetically modified corn and soy has dropped in USA. China say it will turn to Ukraine for food. Which may be why the Blackwater/Academi/Xe name changer mercenary security firm fighting in Ukraine is used by Monsanto, could be owned by Monsanto say some.
Which is why I ask Chris to put a fade on the monetary mask. Traditional breeding is ahead of GMO breeding for adapting to needs. Sometimes a gene is inserted to then mark them for patenting. But is has been at great expense to the public good and great commercial benefit.
Humble says he does not have great amounts of money, though others may disagree. Most patenting drug companies have lots of money. Socially motivated people do not always have much money. When companies like Gates/Monsanto donate they may do it with a financial/political agenda and do not actually being about social improvement. Dumping of unwanted soy on poor countries can suffocate local farms and people become poorer.
From Humble’s words he feels compelled to spread the word that he thinks MMS can help against malaria. Other drugs against it are losing their effectiveness. If Marsden fund or PGSF won’t touch it and want to stick with para-consistent maths &c then maybe crowd funding might help with a proving or disproving research.
If we get the TPPA and strict controls being put on nutritional supplements then I think we would see a reduction in the available range with more profit in fewer hands.
“…and what has that to with the price of fish in China.”
You are trying to avoid answering questions.
Do you want MMS treated the same as prescription medications or not?
Is MMS snake oil or not?
Stuartg I would not want you in charge of public transport. It would all travel at about 15km/hr and anyone who wanted to get on would have to jump on it while it is still moving.
Stuartg: “Don’t worry how things might work.
You seem contrary to Chris who is more worried about how they can work than if they do. Chris won’t believe they work unless he or she is able to see how they can.
This thread is about homeopathy, too and before we start to talk about that we ought to understand more about water.
Oh, good. More evidence that Soundhill has serious reading comprehension problems. Quite some time ago, Soundhill, I made my position very clear.
“I’m perfectly okay with not understanding the details of how a particular treatment works. I’m actually okay with nobody fully understanding how it works. But I do expect evidence that it actually works.”
https://openparachute.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/standing-up-to-junk-science-in-new-zealand/#comment-64339
Stuart raises a very good example in penicillin, which is precisely why I hold that attitude. History is littered with things we have made use of but only discovered the theoretical basis for later.
Of course, ideally we would have evidence that something works AND we would understand why.
No-one particularly worries how things work. That can wait till later. They only want to know if things work.
Now, about MMS:
Why don’t you answer these simple questions?
Incidentally, trying to change the subject to homeopathy, despite barely a mention of it in a good 200 comments now, strikes me as a means of trying to evade Stuart’s questions. Again.
One school of charlatanism at a time, please.
Aspirin worked for about a century, then we found out how it worked.
I don’t worry how homeopathy works, because it doesn’t work.
If you say homeopathy works, then prove it.
Homeopathy has been around for over 200 years. Nobody has yet shown that it works.
There is no point in asking how anything works until we know that it does work.
If you say you can drive your car to the moon, then prove it by driving your car to the moon.
If you say that homeopathy works, then prove that it works. Maybe by curing a cancer, or a gram negative sepsis, or even by re-growing an amputated leg (something that medicine can’t do – yet), by using only homeopathy and nothing else?
Now, those questions about MMS:
Why don’t you answer these simple questions? Are you going to answer them, or not?
How many times have I asked these questions and you haven’t answered any of them?
For others apart from soundhill1:
About 200 years ago a German by the surname of Hahnemann invented homeopathy. This was a system where he diluted substances in water or alcohol to a level less than one molecule in a volume of water (or alcohol) greater than the known universe. He claimed that this made the substances very powerful in their effects.
Since medicine mainly used bleeding at the time, medicine was very harmful to patients.
By using only water (or alcohol), homeopathy didn’t do much harm to patients. Medicine, by using bleeding, caused a lot of harm to patients, especially during a cholera epidemic. Homeopathy didn’t do any additional harm over the cholera.
Since then there have been absolutely no advances in homeopathy. Nobody has ever shown any healing that has occurred by use of homeopathy alone.
Medicine, however, has used scientific theory, and advanced more than a little bit in its ability to treat illnesses since those days.
That’s why I say homeopathy doesn’t work.
Now, soundhill, shut up about homeopathy and answer my questions.
@Chris Banks: “claims of 100% cure rates (in a single day, no less) for a diverse range of completely unrelated conditions are, well, quite literally unbelievable.” “I’m perfectly okay with not understanding the details of how a particular treatment works. I’m actually okay with nobody fully understanding how it works. But I do expect evidence that it actually works.” But if it treated several conditions that appeared unrelated to you?
“Depression isn’t the only mental health issue that may be related to infections and autoimmune condition. Writing last year in the Harvard Health blog, Dr. Jeff Szymanski described how some children with strep throat suddenly develop obsessive-compulsive disorder. It’s one manifestation of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. Quick treatment with antibiotics can reverse the problem.”
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/infection-autoimmune-disease-linked-to-depression-201306176397
And I didn’t understand your words: “Rambling on about anti-inflammatories and omega-3 as a means of treating depression / autism (erm, what?)”
Soundhill, Soundhill, Soundhill….
You haven’t produced any evidence that Genesis Church has cured 100% of the patients they’ve claimed to have treated with MMS for ebola, cancer, malaria, etcetera.
Heck, you haven’t produced any evidence it’s cured ANYBODY of ANY of these conditions.
You don’t really think “The Genesis Church people say so” counts as evidence, do you? That’s the claim, not the evidence.
“And I didn’t understand your words:”
I see no particular evidence you understand anything I say, Soundhill. Why should a random sentence fragment from a couple of days ago be any different?
Chris wrote: “we should certainly have checks and balances to overcome the monetary incentives which may tempt people to somehow game the system”
One of the rules of the free market is that it is supposed to be contestable. I maintain that it is gaming the system to put up huge barriers to becoming a competitor. In this case that is barriers to considering whether a treatment works and can enter the system, because there is no proof yet that it works.
I have made suggestion about crowd funding to help getting testing done. Then I could claim there is proof that it works for whatever, or could say it works for nothing at all.
It may be simpler for ClO2 than for homeopathy, which many people buy, since to be an effective homeopathy practitioner may require an understanding of water greater than the common understanding.
I think homeopathy is supposed to have some sort of innoculatory effect. I don’t know if it is to do with the phagocytes. But the patent material I posted about ClO2 says that is supposed to stimulate the phagocytes. I also note:
“When bacteria enter some phagocytes, the phagocytes use oxidants and nitric oxide to kill the pathogen”
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phagocyte
So maybe ClO2 is being used by the phagocytes for their oxidant needs.
Stuartg asked: “What interactions are there with different medications?”
http://bioredox.mysite.com/CLOXhtml/CLOXprnt+refs.htm
“SOME INCOMPATIBILITIES
Acidified sodium chlorite could provide a powerful new opportunity to improve or to restore sensitivity to quinolines by virtue of its oxidative power. However, quinolines contain secondary or tertiary amino groups which react with chlorine dioxide in such a way that both could destroy each other. Some possible strategies to resolve this incompatibility are suggested below.
Acidified sodium chlorite could be used as explained above only as a solo therapy.
Quinoline administration could be withheld until after the acidified sodium chorite has completed its action.
Patients already preloaded with a quinoline could stop this, wait a suitable period of time for this to wash out, then administer the acidified sodium chlorite.
The quinoline could remain in use and while the less active sodium chlorite is administered without acid. This should retain plenty of oxidant effectiveness without destroying any quinoline or wasting too much oxidant.
Switch from a quinoline to an endoperoxide (such as artemisinin) or to a quinone (such as atovaquone) before using acidified sodium chlorite, as these may be less sensitive toward destruction by chlorine dioxide.
Similar problems apply to methylene blue and many other drugs if they have an unoxidized sulfur atom, a phenol group, a secondary amine or a tertiary amine. Such are also very reactive with the chlorine dioxide component. [58a] ”
( On The Mechanisms Of Toxicity Of Chlorine Oxides Against Malarial Parasites – An Overview
By Thomas Lee Hesselink, MD
Copyright September 6, 2007
The purpose of this article is to propose research.
Nothing in this article is intended as medical advice.
No claims, promises nor guarantees are made.)
Yeah, right. “The purpose of this article is to propose research.
No claims, promises nor guarantees are made.” In other words, this is what Hesselink thinks, he’s proposing that someone else does the research (he hasn’t actually done any), and no-one should believe what he says anyway. And this is the BEST information you’ve got on MMS?
Actually, I asked more than one question about MMS. I’ve asked them numerous times and you still haven’t answered any of them.
For any prescription medication the answers to all of these questions can be found on the information sheet that comes with the medication.
These are straightforward, standard questions that are asked of any prescription medication, and answered before the medication reaches the market. Why don’t you have the answers for MMS? After all, it’s already on the market and is being advertised.
The way you comment on this blog suggests the answers to those last two questions are “No” and “Yes” respectively.
Stuartg, I imagine the NZ government plan for global warming/malaria/drug resistance for NZ is so far non-existent. At some stage profits of selling increasing doses of existing drugs will be a factor and hospitalisation GDP. I find it awful that our world depends on war and disaster for stimulating GDP. Christchurch has been the improving economy in NZ since the quakes.
So I am up against a very strong block when I talk about types of preparedness.
Hesselink’s article cites over 50 articles in connection with OVERCOMING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE WITH OXIDATION. Which won’t only apply to malaria. Also to many diseases, (and possibly those which are the result of horizontal gene transfer from antibiotic resistance genes inserted by genetic modification in our food we import, as well as use of antibiotics as growth stimulants in animals we eat.)
In total Hesselink has cited getting on for 1000 papers. It would take a long time to count them, let alone read them.
Indeed Dr Hesselink is asking for assistance with research.
I can see why he needs help. That has to be one of the worst efforts at sounding scientific I have ever seen. He should probably start with a remedial research methodology course, then one on science writing. He could follow that up with experimental methodology… And that might just leave him prepared to conduct the research he says he wants to do. I’m sure his good friend Jim Humble would stump up the money if he asked nicely.
As to the “look, a thousand papers” bit, I refer you here:
https://sites.google.com/site/mmsdebunked/home/mms-scam
“They cite an absolute mountain of articles, which looks impressive, but all this amounts to is the logical fallacy called Proof by Verbosity, or argumentum verbosium. There are so many articles that to sift through them all and refute them would be a mammoth task. The fact that no one has done so is used as a “proof” that the argument is valid when all it really proves is that no one has the time or patience to wade through it all. The fact is, it doesn’t matter how high you stack cow pats, in the end all you’ll have is still a pile of dung.
If you look through the cited articles, it really doesn’t take long to see that they are pretty much all about how sodium chlorite is a disinfectant, and how oxygen can kill parasites and viruses etc. Which is all true, however there is NOT one single article which links the two, not one single article actually supports the claim that sodium chlorite has some health benefit in the human body . That “miracle cure” claim is ONLY ever made by Jim Humble and Hesselink.”
The mms-scam page is using enotive language and not addressing the phagocyte issue, rather saying ClO2 is only a disinfectant.
Yet again, you do not answer my questions about MMS. They are the same questions asked of every prescription medication before marketing.
Anyone would think that you either don’t have any answers, meaning MMS is not a medication, or that MMS is just snake oil.
Yet again:
The lack of answers to these simple questions is merely confirming that MMS is snake oil.
And you aren’t using emotive language?
Emotive language makes no difference to the conclusions that good science reaches. Good science on that page concludes that MMS is a good disinfectant but has no therapeutic effects otherwise.
It’s up to you to prove that MMS is any more than a disinfectant.
Oh noes! Emotive language! How dare people describe quacks as, well, quacks? Why can’t we just naively believe whatever we’re told by some random guy who pasted a thousand references into an incoherent document which, according to the disclaimer, is not actually making any claims whatsoever?
Seriously, Soundhill. The issue, which you are once again attempting to sidestep, is that no evidence whatsoever has been produced in support of the efficacy of MMS. I mean, if this person, who is supposedly intent on extolling the benefits of MMS to the world, managed to paste in a thousand references without a single one of them providing any such evidence, wouldn’t you think that’s a pretty good indication the evidence doesn’t actually exist?
@Chris: “no evidence whatsoever has been produced in support of the efficacy of MMS.” Hesselink’s article is about the mechanism.
The idea of oxidants and malaria has been around for a while. The parasite somewhat oxidises a red blood cell it inhabits. If the cell is further oxidised and dies the parasite dies with it. So the parasitise cells will be killed by extra oxidant more readily than non-parasitised cells.
As resistance increases and combinations of existing drugs become less effective possible ClO2 could get more attention.
Great that Humble found it out and wants to pass it on. I read he asked Bill Gates for help but Gates does not want to develop new stuff.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jm00402a001
“Great that Humble found it out and wants to pass it on.”
Not great. He hasn’t passed on any evidence that it works. The only evidence we have is that he’s selling snake oil to make a quick buck.
Show us that it isn’t just snake oil.
Stuartg if you were the AllBlacks coach the team would lose because no new players would be taken on, because they had not yet proved themselves in an international AllBlack match.
A number of anti-malarial drugs works by destroying folic acid. If they are given early in pregnancy the neural tube defects are possible. Supplementing folic acid may stop the anti-malarial drug from working. It may be hard to balance if at all possible. So ClO2 needs to be checked if it has such a side effect. Does it destroy folic acid?
“Hesselink’s article is about the mechanism.”
Well then, I’ll chalk that up to problem’s with your reading comprehension. We have, after all, been very clear that we want evidence the stuff actually works.
Why, given extremely clear statements to this effect, you are wasting our time with claims about the mechanism by which people claim it works (incoherent as those claims are), I haven’t the faintest idea.
More efforts at diversion, I suppose.
Oh wait, I ‘m sorry, The disclaimer says the document makes no claims. Therefore, it can’t possibly be about the mechanism by which MMS is supposed to work.
Difficult to tell what the point of the document is, really, if it’s not making any claims. Perhaps the guy just wanted to spam readers with as many citation as he could as part of a desperate cry for help.
Again. All I am asking for MMS is the information sheet that comes with every prescription medicine from the first day a prescription medication hits the market.
MMS is on the market. You say it’s a medicine. So give us its information sheet.
You say you want MMS treated the same as prescription medications, but your actions in not giving us that information give the lie to that.
Without that information, MMS is just snake oil.
Now, are you going to give us that information, or by not giving it to us acknowledge that MMS is snake oil?
No claims, promises nor guarantees are made.”
It’s snake oil.
Stuartg: “evidence that it works” here’s some evidence of what may NOT WORK for malaria.
“Antiparasitic resistance
The prime example for MDR against antiparasitic drugs is malaria. Plasmodium vivax has become chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistant a few decades ago, and as of 2012 artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum has emerged in western Cambodia and western Thailand.” MDR=multidrug resistant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_drug_resistance
And it’s not only about malaria.
Behold the desperation as Soundhill tries any tangent he can think of to divert attention from the fact that he can’t find any evidence that MMS works on anything at all.
What are NZ’s plans to deal with MDR malaria in immigrants? http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP056987.htm
The basics of medicine safety:
1. Know why you are using a medicine; what therapeutic effect you are expecting.
2. Know the dose to take, how much and how often, in order to get the therapeutic effect you want.
3. Know what illnesses the medicine is likely to make worse.
4. Know what other medications, drugs, foodstuffs the medicine will interact with.
5. Know the problems that have been reported as possible side effects.
You know all this. You have made comments about aspirin, warfarin, statins, and other prescription medications that show you have carefully read about all these things on the information sheets. You have even made comments that suggest that you think the information sheet doesn’t go far enough.
You would not swallow something if you didn’t know what it did, how much you were taking, when the next lot was to be taken, had no idea whether it would make you worse, no idea of any side effect, or any effects on other substances you were taking.
No-one has shown MMS has any therapeutic effects.
No-one has given a specific dose, how much or how often.
No-one has said what illnesses it must not be used in.
No-one has made a list of interactions with medications, recreational drugs, or even foodstuffs.
No-one has given a list of side effects.
I want MMS to be treated exactly the same a prescription medications. You have said you want the same. I want the basics of medicine safety for MMS made public, just like they are made public for prescription medications. You don’t want that at all, as you have avoided answering those safety questions every single time that I have asked them. What you say is not what you do.
The only possible reason I can think of for your behaviour is that you know that MMS is snake oil and that you have some financial interest in selling it. In science this is called a conflict of interest and has to be declared up front.
Now, a single question that HAS to be answered if you want anyone to take you seriously:
Do you have a conflict of interest over MMS? Yes or no.
You said: “What are NZ’s plans to deal with MDR malaria in immigrants?”
Try the MoH website. It took me nearly 10 seconds to find what you are after.
No need to make any more comments or ask about it further.
I have no conflict of interest.
All of the patients with malaria in New Zealand that I have diagnosed, confirmed and then treated with prescription medications have been cleared of the parasite with never a mention of MMS.
If you avoid answering the question of whether you have a conflict of interest over MMS, or if you decline to answer the question, then the logical assumption is that you do have a conflict of interest.
Malaria UK
Year Deaths
Ken: “Writing on Sciblogs, Dr Grant Jacobs ”
I have checked Grant on Sciblogs and offered on Saturday the following on a June 26article, and he has not approved it so far.
From the Seralini study: “Because of recent reviews on GM foods indicating no specific risk of cancer [2,16], but indicating signs of hepatorenal dysfunction within 3 months [1,7], we had no reason to adopt a carcinogenesis protocol using 50 rats per group.” (16 is the Snell review.) The 50 rats per group for the carcinogenesis protocol is a much larger number than required for the toxicology protocol. But I understand that requirement for a greater number is to make sure there is no cancer even at low frequency. So the fact that tumors showed up in the smaller number of rats required for a toxicology test was newsworthy, as well as something that protocol requires to be reported even though it was not part of the experiment. A lot of criticism has been aimed at this paper based on the straw man principle, saying there were too few rats for a cancer test when it was not a cancer test.”
What has that to do with me, sound hill?
What has the number of deaths from malaria in the UK got to do with a conflict of interest? Or even with you answering questions about the safety of MMS?
Ken your article is quoting from sources who do not appear to give space to opposing reason. Another example the Science Media Centre has reported about transgenic mosquitoes to work against malaria. They mention risks of the process but contrast that with human lives saved, but skim over the risks.
“Simply considered as a genetic trick, it is ingenious. Shredding the X chromosome of the male will make all of its offspring males. That is because female mosquitoes (like female humans) have two X chromosomes, one from the male parent and the other from the female parent, so without the contribution of the X chromosome from the male parent, only male offspring will result. A completely sterile male mosquito is useless, as it just dies out without affecting the population. But a fully fertile one that breeds exclusively males and pass on the sex-distorter trait would be ideal, as it would indeed wipe out the natural population, provided the trait is stably inherited. It would have been the perfect solution to destroying the natural populations of mosquitoes that transmit malaria; except that the DNA-cutting enzyme is by not means “specific” to “ribosomal gene sequences located exclusively on the mosquito’s X-chromosome” as stated. On the contrary, it cuts at a target sequence in ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes – numerous copies of which are present in all eukaryote genomes – plus other sites as well, and the transgenic mosquitoes have been created using a jumping gene (transposon) vector that promiscuously invades all genomes. It is the female mosquitoes that bite people and transmit disease; so any transgenic female mosquitoes among the offspring would inject GM DNA containing the vector and I-PpoI transgene for horizontal transfer into people’s cells to shred their genomes. ”
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Beware_the_New_Breakthrough_Transgenic_Mosquitoes.php
Again sound hill, what has this to do with me?
You are blatantly trolling my article here. If you cannot get comments on ancient articles in someone else’s blog you should either accept that as logical or take it up with the blogger.
If you respond to this with another blatant trolling which has nothing to do with this blog I will put you in moderation.
This is not an agony aunt column.
Stuartg my conflict of interest is with corporatocracy which controls media. Ken has been talking about MH17 and may understand.
Stuartg you are suggesting I have a conflict of interest when I ask for investigation of MMS. That technique of accusation is very prominent in the Ukraine conflict with USA allies accusing Russia of things the USA are doing themselves.
That sounds very much like you are avoiding the question and do have a conflict of interest.
“Stuartg you are suggesting I have a conflict of interest when I ask for investigation of MMS.”
To place a medication on the market, the manufacturer/distributor has to make public some basic safety information. If that information is not available, then the manufacturer/distributor should not place it on the market until they can supply it, ie have done the research themselves.
Claiming a chemical can cure lots of things, without giving doses, dose intervals, interactions, avoidance criteria and side effects is what snake oil salesmen do.
You are doing it for MMS.
I have suggested that you have a conflict of interest over MMS and am really interested that you have not denied the conflict of interest and then immediately tried two major changes of subject in an attempt to avoid the question and hide that you have been asked it.
Sounds very much like a snake oil salesman to me.
Do you have a conflict of interest over MMS, or not?
Where is the manufacturer/distributor basic safety information for MMS?
No, Stuartg. It’s quite common to point out opposing sources’ possible bias, so as to warn readers against everything else they contribute, and not to give space when others try to point out your similar failings. I am OK with your comments because I know others may be reading this without seeing everything I write: some of my concerns about MMS so far have been included. That it tries to oxidise blood cells you have said and I have acknowledged. I say again those cells harbouring a parasite are already under some oxidative stress and more likely to die, so destroy the parasite. You or Chris have said that explanation was not clear. A number of medical treatments, especially cancer treatments, work by destroying the body’s cells in addition to the cancer and hope for regeneration which does however not always occur. In the MMS case it is hoped a dose will not kill healthy cells, but not certain. The body may warn with vomiting. This has been a learning process for me.
“That it tries to oxidise blood cells you have said and I have acknowledged.” No, you said that.
What I said was that to get concentrations of MMS in the blood that would kill the intracellular malarial parasite, you need to reach concentrations that also kill human cells. Concentrations of MMS that kill malarial parasites in the petrie dish will also kill human cells in the same petrie dish. Concentrations of MMS in blood that will kill malarial parasites within the human body will also kill cells of the human body. I don’t see the point in killing the malaria if you also kill the human as well.
You even acknowledged the problem yourself: “In the MMS case it is hoped a dose will not kill healthy cells, but not certain.” “…hope for regeneration which does however not always occur.” You hope? It’s a bit too late when people start dropping dead. I keep telling you, it’s up to the manufacturer/distributor to provide basic safety information BEFORE anything is marketed.
“The body may warn with vomiting.” Or may not… People may just drop dead… …or may not. Where is that basic safety information that you keep avoiding telling us about?
Your professed concerns about MMS are a front for something else. If your concerns were real then you would be asking for exactly the same basic safety information that I am.
You have no wish that MMS be treated like prescription medications, otherwise you would be asking exactly the same questions that I am.
Both Chris and I have said that we don’t want, or even need to know how MMS works. We just need to know that it does work. So far, neither you nor anybody else has shown that MMS works.
(Quick examples: that gunpowder worked was known for centuries before people knew how it worked. Not knowing how gunpowder worked didn’t stop people from using it. That boats floated may have been known for millennia before it was worked out why. Not knowing why they floated didn’t stop people from putting out to sea.) (btw, that’s not a change of topic. I could use many medications as examples, but you would only use them to continue to avoid answering questions.)
You are trying to sell MMS (using the sense of advertise) without providing indications, contraindications, doses, interactions, or side effects. That is the action of a snake oil salesman.
You keep avoiding the question of your own conflict of interest over MMS, just like a snake oil salesman would.
Now, do you have that basic safety information or not?
Do you have a conflict of interest or not?
Failing to answer tells us “No” and “Yes” respectively.
Stuartg: “Concentrations of MMS that kill malarial parasites in the petrie dish will also kill human cells in the same petrie dish. Concentrations of MMS in blood that will kill malarial parasites within the human body will also kill cells of the human body.”
No, and yes. Yes cells, that is some cells (a fuzzy part of English where you may hope people think all cells in contact with the oxidant, when you say “cells”), of the human body will be killed but more likely the infected ones. The malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in. Al least at certain stages. So it is not necessary to apply enough oxidant that will kill the parasites directly. The infected cells will be killed more easily, being already under stress. And when they are dead the parasites die inside them.
That is a mechanism, which you don’t want to know about, but you described a mechanism.
Stuartg, I do not have a conflict of interest in the sense that I am trying to sell MMS or promote it so that others may make a financial gain from it. Now please declare that about what you are promoting.
What am I promoting? Nothing. You are the one promoting MMS.
All I’m doing is asking you to give us the basic safety information behind MMS.
I’m asking about the science. You are providing us with junk science.
Along the way of you never giving us the basic safety information, you have tried to divert down many other avenues. It’s almost as though you don’t want people to know how, or even if, they can take MMS safely. As a mild diversion, I’ve actually corrected more than a few errors in your knowledge about prescription medications and the function of the human body.
Let’s do that again with another correction. Maybe more than one.
“Malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in.” (I presume that you mean inside the human body, not inside Anopheles mosquitoes.) Wrong, again. Inside the human, they routinely live in liver cells (hepatocytes) as well. They can transfer between hepatocytes and erythrocytes. One of the worst types of malaria is cerebral malaria, where the malarial parasites are living in brain cells as well. So, malarial parasites definitely don’t die if they are outside the blood cell.
“…all cells in contact with the oxidant…” By oxidant, I take it you mean the industrial bleach called MMS. Check out “volume of distribution.” All cells of the body are in contact with the circulatory system. They get their oxygen and nourishment from the blood. If you poisoned someone with MMS, then the blood stream is how it would reach every cell in the body. If cells don’t have a blood supply, they die. (Hint: look up “gangrene”)
The theoretical volume of distribution of simple ions such as Cl is such that every cell in the human body would be exposed to equal concentrations on the outside. I say “theoretical” because the practical measurement of the volume of distribution of Cl would be too risky for ethics committees to allow it to happen. It would be as ethical as measuring the same for CN.
If you did put MMS into the blood, intracellular malarial parasites would be exposed to a lower concentration of MMS than the erythrocytes or hepatocytes they were inside (hint: it’s called the diffusion gradient). Once the cell died and burst open (killed by MMS) the parasite would then be exposed to the full concentration of MMS in the blood, a strength that had already killed its host cell. This is obviously entirely theoretical because the manufacturer/distributor has never run the test.
“Hesselink’s article is about the mechanism (of action of MMS).” And you believe it? Even Hesselink says “Nothing in this article is intended as medical advice. No claims, promises nor guarantees are made.” – or don’t you believe what Hesselink has actually written?
As I said. I don’t need to know the mechanism of action of MMS. Nobody needs to know the mechanism of action of MMS. They do need to know if MMS works or not. So far, all of the data says “not.”
Now, what is the basic safety information about MMS? The stuff that tells you the dose, dosage interval, contraindications, interactions and side effects? You know, it’s the simple stuff that you insist on knowing about any prescription medication before you take it.
Actually, I think I do have a point of interest, although it’s not a conflict.
I don’t want to see anyone die of MMS poisoning.
@Stuartg wrote including partially quoting me: ““Malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in.” (I presume that you mean inside the human body, not inside Anopheles mosquitoes.) Wrong, again. Inside the human, they routinely live in liver cells (hepatocytes) as well. They can transfer between hepatocytes and erythrocytes. One of the worst types of malaria is cerebral malaria, where the malarial parasites are living in brain cells as well. So, malarial parasites definitely don’t die if they are outside the blood cell.”
But I had added an extra sentence:
“The malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in. Al least at certain stages.”
I am still learning, but I understand those “certain stages” are fundamental.
I gave this ref on my post referring to Gates, and maybe you thought it was about him and did not click on it.
So I’ll type out the first bit and hope you can click on the rest. Maybe you even have access to this journal and could see the whole 1988 article. I would be interested to know more about it.
“Complex adaptations are necessary for the survival of malaria parasites. Not only must plasmodia survive temporarily as as free living organisms (sporozoites or merosoites) but they also must be able to recognise an appropriate host red cell, penetrate and replicate within it. In the intraerythrocytic phase, successful replication of the parasite entails having as little adverse effect upon the red cell as possible. In the event that the host cell is damaged so that it cannot survive the necessary 49-72 h, the parasite is doomed because immature blood-form plasmodia cannot survive.”
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jm00402a001
First, thanks for acknowledging you were wrong with “Malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in.”
Even though you have been wrong with many other things, I think this is the first time you have acknowledged it.
Your quote then confirms that the erythrocyte is not “under oxidative stress”, as you have said before, but tells us that its parasite has “as little adverse effect upon the red cell as possible”. It also confirms that the erythrocyte has to be killed before its malarial parasite becomes doomed. Both are directly contradictory to your quotes from Hesselink (who, of course, warned that nothing his article should be believed or was guaranteed.) It’s what happens when you cherry pick.
“I would be interested to know more about it.” If this is true then there are many general medicine texts more recent that that 1998 article, any of which will bring you more up to date about malaria.
If you are “still learning,” then I always recommend going back to learning the basics. Just trying the University of Google results in the cherry picking of papers that you don’t understand and don’t even know enough of the basics to know that you don’t understand (reference: Dunning-Kruger effect). Nice try on attempting to divert away from MMS though.
Now, before someone ingests MMS, where is the basic safety information that they need to know? (Indications, contraindications, dosages, interactions, side effects)?
“First, thanks for acknowledging you were wrong with “Malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in.” ”
Ever had flesh eating bacteria? It’s very scary, advancing visibly by the hour.
The fucithalmic acid treatment, if it works, does not kill the bacteria.
It is a similar thing, it gets at the reproductive stage.
Trying to divert again?
Before someone ingests MMS, where is the basic safety information that they need to know? (Indications, contraindications, dosages, interactions, side effects)?
Are you are referring to necrotising fasciitis?
Why you mention antibiotic eye drops (fucithalmic acid) for deep seated fascial and skin infections is beyond me. But then I can’t understand why you would want to use MMS without it being tested for effectiveness or safety either.
What is the basic safety information for MMS?
Stuartg wrote: “First, thanks for acknowledging you were wrong with “Malarial parasites will die if they do not have the blood cell to live in.” ”
Once again you have partially quoted me, missing “At least at certain stages.”
I could have written, they will DIE OFF if their reproductive habitat is lost. That is they themselves try not to kill the red blood cells their multiplication happens in. But they do weaken those cells, which become easier to kill by oxidation of ClO2, or thereabouts.
You’ve already said that you are still learning.
Go back to the basics.
Go to a textbook. I’ve suggested a textbook of general medicine.
Read the chapter on malaria.
If you can be bothered, then go and read the references, then their references.
Then you will know the basics of malaria.
The references you have given so far directly contradict each other. That alone demonstrates that you have not understood the basics.
You are cherry picking from Google, but you don’t know enough about the basics to recognise what you don’t know and don’t understand. It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect.
I want to understand about MMS. Show me the basic safety information about MMS that would contradict all the screeds of information I have about it being poisonous industrial bleach.
Show me the basics about MMS, whilst you go off and learn the basics about malaria.
Stuartg wrote: “Why you mention antibiotic eye drops (fucithalmic acid) for deep seated fascial and skin infections is beyond me.”
You are always just trying to get me out and not offer helpful knowledge that you ought to have if you are working in iatrogenics.
Sorry I should have said fusidic acid or sodium fusidate which is the active component in Foban as it is in Fucithalmic eye drops.
This is a blog. We can only read what you write.
You write something.
Someone corrects you.
You then say “what I meant was…”
Someone corrects that.
What you are doing is shifting the goalposts.
My goalpost has always been the basic safety information behind MMS. By that I mean the stuff that you can read about for any prescription medication by opening the information sheet.
You have been kicking in all sorts of directions without coming anywhere near the goalposts. Some of the “kicks” have been pushes, throws or headers. I’ve effectively been saying “yes, nice kick, you can do a bit better – but the goalposts are not in that direction, they are over there.”
Now, where is the basic safety information about MMS?
Stuartg: “I want to understand about MMS. Show me the basic safety information about MMS that would contradict all the screeds of information I have about it being poisonous industrial bleach.”
Do you remember our exchange: “”Botox on both lists” Many things are on both lists.”?
I am learning. At the beginning of this I did not know about the sensitive stage of certain malaria parasites. The goalpost did not shift. I gained an understanding of how the toxic ClO2 could work, being dosed so as not to be strong enough to kill red blood cells unless they are already under stress such as from a replicating malaria parasite.
A blog is a discussion or informational site on the WWW.
A helpful blogger ought to say, “:Don’t you mean?” if they know.
The problem is not what you “should” have said, but what you did say. No-one can reply to what you “should” have said unless you said it.
You said “fucithalmic acid” not something else. I can only reply to “fucithalmic acid.” I can’t reply to anything else – you could have “meant” to say “State Highway 1,’ or “Betelgeuse,” or indeed anything else at all – but what you did say was “fucithalmic acid.”.
Yet again, you are kicking the ball nowhere near the goalposts. You are trying to divert us away from the goalposts. I have pointed out the goalposts many times.
Where is the basic safety information about MMS?
I refrained from pointing out that MMS isn’t on both lists. It’s only on the list of poisons.
Stuartg wrote: “My goalpost has always been the basic safety information behind MMS. By that I mean the stuff that you can read about for any prescription medication by opening the information sheet.”
And I have tried to give various analogies, getting on a moving train, playing in an international All Blacks match when you have not yet shown yourself doing that.
Information sheets evolve. Wiki says too frequent use of fusidic acid is causing bacteria to become resistant.
The MSDS for ClO2 as a treatment needs to evolve.
This is a blog about what is junk science, and ought to be able to encompass change. Climate change science is becoming less junked. Big names like Rockefeller are getting out of fossil investments quite recently announced.
But you want a static position in which only things already regstered and thaterefore have a medical MSDS may be classed as non-junk science. Even though they vary between countries, as with fusidic acid guidelines. Fusidic acid was reintroduced as other antibiotics lost their potency in an environment of bacterial adaptation. Now it is losing its potency, though it was very good for the fast growing dark-brown-black infection of a paper-cut-like scratch on my finger.
“Information sheets evolve.”
I’m happy to accept ANY information sheet on MMS, as long as it covers the basic safety information.
At the moment the evolution of the safety information needs to get it on to “sheet” form.
The information has been evolving in countries in which literacy may not be optimum. There we have the problem that farmers may not be able to read the instructions on pesticides. (That impacts not only their health but the health of countries they export to.) The video format for MSDS and cellphone technology may be a boon in that regard.
Maybe someone will write the data from the videos down on a sheet. It may or may not be able to be done satisfactorily.
A heavy object dropping from a high tower does not land directly below where it was dropped from. It took science some time to explain it. So you want evidence as well as the info sheet. That is evolving, too. Humble has tried to involve Gates, but Gates only wants stuff already on the USA-literate train.
ffs soundhill.
You are full of total s*it.
Put a plug in it.
“But you want a static position in which only things already regstered and thaterefore have a medical MSDS may be classed as non-junk science.(sic)” You said that, not me.
I agree with the international community about a substance intended to be used as a medication:
What illness(es) are we going to use it for?
What illness(es) have we to avoid using it?
What dose do we give?
What interactions have been recorded so far?
What side effects have been recorded so far?
All of that is basic safety information.
That basic safety information is publicly available for every prescription medication before it gets to the market.
MMS is listed as a poison. It is sold in containers marked “poison.” The containers have advice about emergency measures to take when someone ingests it, and who to call to get emergency advice and treatment. All of the publicly available information for MMS says, in effect, “do not ingest this substance, it will do you a lot of harm.” MMS can, and does, kill people.
You want MMS to be freely available on the market, with no restrictions about who buys it, or what they do with it. So what are you doing to make sure those people are not poisoned by MMS?
“You want MMS to be freely available on the market, with no restrictions about who buys it, or what they do with it.”
No. Where it has evolved, written instructions, labels may be of little use.
This thread is supposed to be about science, but appears to be about conventions.
Richard, give me your correction then.
“Bill Gates told Jim Humble that he wouldn’t consider looking at sodium chlorite solution until it was tested and approved by the FDA.”
http://g2cforum.org/index.php/list/general-discussion/1447-gates-foundation-invests-10-million-in-vaccines-developer
soundhill.
Final note.
I agree with Richard.
You don’t learn the basics, so the Dunning-Kruger effect is strong and the science of your arguments weak to non-existent.
You keep using junk science to promote MMS, an industrial bleach which is also a listed poison, as a “medicine.”
I have asked you tens of times for the basic safety information about MMS. The information I asked for is just the same as is freely available for every prescription medication.
You have prevaricated, diverted and done many other things in order not to admit that there is no basic safety information about MMS.
You are correct in that the thread has been about junk science. You have supplied a high percentage of the examples of junk science, for which I thank you.
The amazing thing is that I do not believe that you have recognised what you have been doing.
Now, put a plug in it.
Stuartg I am not promoting MMS I am examining the limited logic by which it has been classed as junk science. Looking to the future it may have a place. I have reported examples of where it is used as an adjunct with other medications such as cancer chemotherapy.
Wiki says fusidic acid should not be used by itself in some jurisdictions. So is that a problem of the fusidic acid or the jurisdictions or both?
Possibly same with chlorite, maybe should not be used by itself..
Hope for a science discussion which looks to the future and not for one which seeks to perpetuate the exisitng.
T A Crosbie | November 28, 2014 at 2:04 pm |
I think I might be joining the Skeptics movement:
The Government was considering guidelines to scientists on the difference between speaking about their areas of expertise, and advocacy.
A total of 384 New Zealand scientists answered the Association of Scientists’ survey, half of whom work in Crown research institutes, or CRIs.
Association president Nicola Gaston said of those who had not felt gagged, many said they had witnessed it happening to others.
“There’s an issue around embarrassing the Government, but the funding issue is quite poor so the kinds of commercial funding that come into the CRIs, those contracts are one particular issue.
“But there’s also the idea of Government funding being effected by speaking out, saying the wrong things, perhaps having a point of view which is not that of the expert reviewers on a particular funding proposal.”
Dr Gaston said most scientists wanted to know what the new ethics code would be before saying whether they were for or against it.
I am sure you would enjoy the NZ Skeptics Trev. I understand they have some great discussions on fluoridation.
You might enjoy them.
@T A Crosbie. Skeptic or not always need to be careful not to cherry pick research. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/opinion/the-problem-with-prostate-screening.html?_r=1
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A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines
S Akehurst, Mitchell Piddock
To realize the required reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions pursued both voluntarily by the ACEA and possible legislatively by the EC, there is a move to increase the specific power output and thus efficiency of the automotive diesel engine. To this end there is a move towards engine downsizing and the adoption of significantly higher boost levels from air handling systems fitted to the engine. This task is complex and can often result in multiple configurations and iterations of prototype air handling hardware before performance criteria are met. The work detailed in this paper describes the modelling of high boost engine configurations using cycle simulation and a black box engine approach, the interactions between boost pressures; compression ratio and valve timing and duration have been investigated and will be described. Response surface models for engine performance have been developed such that rapid optimization of the engine air charge handling systems can be performed. Optimizing the operating conditions for maximum torque and improved fuel consumption will be discussed, particularly with regard to drive cycle performance. Finally the development of an advanced combustion air handling unit (CAHU) and high dynamic exhaust pressure control system that is capable of emulating novel boosting on engine at a conceptual stage will be described. The paper will detail the design and specification of the CAHU hardware. The paper also describes ongoing work to develop real-time models of air handling components to integrate with the CAHU system such that future technology combinations of supercharging, e-boosting and sequential turbocharging configurations can be rapidly evaluated specifically in terms of engine transient performance.
SAE 2008 World Congress - Detroit, Michigan, USA United States
SAE 2008 World Congress
USA United States
Air engines
Compression ratio (machinery)
Akehurst, S., & Piddock, M. (2008). A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines. Paper presented at SAE 2008 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA United States.
A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines. / Akehurst, S; Piddock, Mitchell.
2008. Paper presented at SAE 2008 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA United States.
Akehurst, S & Piddock, M 2008, 'A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines', Paper presented at SAE 2008 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA United States, 14/04/08 - 17/04/08.
Akehurst S, Piddock M. A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines. 2008. Paper presented at SAE 2008 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA United States.
Akehurst, S ; Piddock, Mitchell. / A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines. Paper presented at SAE 2008 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA United States.
@conference{851295c2a7414257a83c5b1e19ca388c,
title = "A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines",
abstract = "To realize the required reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions pursued both voluntarily by the ACEA and possible legislatively by the EC, there is a move to increase the specific power output and thus efficiency of the automotive diesel engine. To this end there is a move towards engine downsizing and the adoption of significantly higher boost levels from air handling systems fitted to the engine. This task is complex and can often result in multiple configurations and iterations of prototype air handling hardware before performance criteria are met. The work detailed in this paper describes the modelling of high boost engine configurations using cycle simulation and a black box engine approach, the interactions between boost pressures; compression ratio and valve timing and duration have been investigated and will be described. Response surface models for engine performance have been developed such that rapid optimization of the engine air charge handling systems can be performed. Optimizing the operating conditions for maximum torque and improved fuel consumption will be discussed, particularly with regard to drive cycle performance. Finally the development of an advanced combustion air handling unit (CAHU) and high dynamic exhaust pressure control system that is capable of emulating novel boosting on engine at a conceptual stage will be described. The paper will detail the design and specification of the CAHU hardware. The paper also describes ongoing work to develop real-time models of air handling components to integrate with the CAHU system such that future technology combinations of supercharging, e-boosting and sequential turbocharging configurations can be rapidly evaluated specifically in terms of engine transient performance.",
author = "S Akehurst and Mitchell Piddock",
note = "SAE paper: 2008-01-0297; SAE 2008 World Congress ; Conference date: 14-04-2008 Through 17-04-2008",
T1 - A Multiple Factor Simulation and Emulation Approach to Investigate Advanced Air handling Systems for Future Diesel Engines
AU - Akehurst, S
AU - Piddock, Mitchell
N1 - SAE paper: 2008-01-0297
N2 - To realize the required reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions pursued both voluntarily by the ACEA and possible legislatively by the EC, there is a move to increase the specific power output and thus efficiency of the automotive diesel engine. To this end there is a move towards engine downsizing and the adoption of significantly higher boost levels from air handling systems fitted to the engine. This task is complex and can often result in multiple configurations and iterations of prototype air handling hardware before performance criteria are met. The work detailed in this paper describes the modelling of high boost engine configurations using cycle simulation and a black box engine approach, the interactions between boost pressures; compression ratio and valve timing and duration have been investigated and will be described. Response surface models for engine performance have been developed such that rapid optimization of the engine air charge handling systems can be performed. Optimizing the operating conditions for maximum torque and improved fuel consumption will be discussed, particularly with regard to drive cycle performance. Finally the development of an advanced combustion air handling unit (CAHU) and high dynamic exhaust pressure control system that is capable of emulating novel boosting on engine at a conceptual stage will be described. The paper will detail the design and specification of the CAHU hardware. The paper also describes ongoing work to develop real-time models of air handling components to integrate with the CAHU system such that future technology combinations of supercharging, e-boosting and sequential turbocharging configurations can be rapidly evaluated specifically in terms of engine transient performance.
AB - To realize the required reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions pursued both voluntarily by the ACEA and possible legislatively by the EC, there is a move to increase the specific power output and thus efficiency of the automotive diesel engine. To this end there is a move towards engine downsizing and the adoption of significantly higher boost levels from air handling systems fitted to the engine. This task is complex and can often result in multiple configurations and iterations of prototype air handling hardware before performance criteria are met. The work detailed in this paper describes the modelling of high boost engine configurations using cycle simulation and a black box engine approach, the interactions between boost pressures; compression ratio and valve timing and duration have been investigated and will be described. Response surface models for engine performance have been developed such that rapid optimization of the engine air charge handling systems can be performed. Optimizing the operating conditions for maximum torque and improved fuel consumption will be discussed, particularly with regard to drive cycle performance. Finally the development of an advanced combustion air handling unit (CAHU) and high dynamic exhaust pressure control system that is capable of emulating novel boosting on engine at a conceptual stage will be described. The paper will detail the design and specification of the CAHU hardware. The paper also describes ongoing work to develop real-time models of air handling components to integrate with the CAHU system such that future technology combinations of supercharging, e-boosting and sequential turbocharging configurations can be rapidly evaluated specifically in terms of engine transient performance.
LEAN POWERTRAIN DEVELOPMENT TOOL (LPDEV)
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News: January 2019
EAC report finds leading retailers lagging behind on fashion sustainability
| 31 January 2019 |
A group of major UK retailers are not doing enough to reduce the environmental and social impact of the clothes they sell, according to an interim report published by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.
Young people more likely to sell than recycle electronics, says REPIC
Under 30s prefer to sell their old electronics rather than recycle them, a survey by WEEE compliance scheme REPIC has revealed, shining a light on knowledge gaps in WEEE reporting that could be affecting recycling rates.
EU microplastics ban could be in force by 2020
The European Union could be banning a range of microplastics in products by 2020 – but critics say the proposal needs to be tightened up to ensure it will have “real impact”.
Gove raises prospect of waste stockpiling in the event of ‘no deal’ Brexit
The Environment Secretary Michael Gove has outlined Defra’s preparations for the stockpiling of waste in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit in a letter to Lord Teverson, Chair of the European Union Energy and Environment Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.
Company fined over £500k for illegally storing hazardous RDF
Hertfordshire-based Winters Haulage Limited, based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, has been handed a £510,000 fine for illegally storing thousands of tonnes of dangerous combustible waste.
Welsh projects share £1.4m funding from Landfill Disposals Tax
The Welsh Government has revealed a range of environmental projects set to benefit from more than £1 million of funding raised through its Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme.
Iceland to trial Northern Ireland’s first reverse vending machine
UK retailer Iceland has introduced the first in-store reverse vending machine in Northern Ireland as it continues its efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of single-use plastics on the environment.
Waitrose offers £1m for plastic waste reduction projects
A £1-million fund is on offer from Waitrose & Partners, with support from behaviour change charity Hubbub, for projects aiming to reduce plastic pollution.
Reconomy continues business expansion
Reconomy
Reconomy has continued its recent expansion by completing the acquisition of compliance company Valpak appointing a new Chief Information Officer to strengthen its management team.
France to force online retailers to tackle compliance free-riding
The French Government is set to introduce new rules obligating online marketplaces, such as Amazon, to ensure that the collection and recycling of waste arising from products sold through their sites is properly financed.
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Progetti della Rete
Gli Orti della Rete
Orto Botanico di Bergamo “Lorenzo Rota”
Orto Botanico di Brera – Università degli Studi di Milano
Orto Botanico dell’Università di Pavia
Giardino Alpino Botanico Rezia – Bormio
Orto Botanico Città Studi – Milano
Orto Botanico Brescia – Toscolano Maderno
Parco Botanico di Villa Carlotta
SEMIAMI piantami
Scegli un seme
Villa Carlotta Botanic Garden
You are here: Home » Villa Carlotta Botanic Garden
INDIRIZZO via Regina 2 TREMEZZINA (COMO)
CONTATTI info@villacarlotta.it - +39 0344 40405
STAFF Director: Maria Angela Previtera
Event coordinator: Michela Gatti
Educational Services coordinator: Mara Sugni
Administrator: Massimiliano Pozzi
Booking and information: Valeria Marzullo
Head gardener: Roberto Travella
ORARI 9.30 am - 5 pm (from March 10 to March 31 and from October 2 to November 5)
9 am - 7.30 pm (from April 1 to October 1)
9 am - 9 pm (on tuesday in June and July)
10 am - 4.30 pm (November 4-5-11-12-18-19-25-26 and December 8-9-10)
The ticket office closes a hour before the closing time mentioned above.
In winter you can book your visit at segreteria@villacarlotta.it
INGRESSO € 10,00 - gratis for children (0-5 years old)
discounts for groups, families, students and over 65
BOOKSHOP +39 0344 43042
SUPERFICIE 8 hectares
QUOTA 209 m asl
NUMERO DI TAXA 834 species
PROPRIETA' State property
VISITE GUIDATE Visit the "Educational Services" page on www.villacarlotta.it or write an email at: didattica@villacarlotta.it
INDEX SEMINUM -
Villa Carlotta is a place of rare beauty. Within its seven hectares of gardens and museum, natural and human masterpieces harmoniously coexist. The villa was built at the end of the 1600’s by the Marquis Giorgio Clerici. A great yet simple building it is surrounded by an Italian style garden with statues, stairs and fountains. It is situated within a natural dip between a lake and mountains, in front of a breath-taking setting on the dolomitic Grigne and Bellagio. Thanks to its next owner, Giovanni Battista Sommariva, the Villa reached its maximum majesty. Sommariva, both businessman and art collector on one hand, and expert in agronomic sciences on the other hand, bought the Villa at the beginning of the 1800’s: he extended the garden by acquiring the surrounding grounds to be used mainly for agricultural purposes. In the mid-XIX century the property was given as a wedding present from Princess Marianna von Nassau to her daughter Carlotta and her husband George II von Sachsen-Meiningen; he was a passionate botanist and changed the “useful” plants with flowering bushes, thus striving towards the development and improvement of a romantic garden, today of great historical and environmental importance. Favoured by soil fertility due to the deposits of particularly acidic sediment from ancient glaciers, the Villa Carlotta park is famous for the beautiful spring flowering of more than 150 cultivars of rhododendrons and azaleas. Nevertheless, each period of the year is adequate for a visit. Between ancient specimens of camellias, cedars and sequoias, huge plain trees and exotic species, surprising settings follow one another: the vegetable theatre, the rock garden, the valley of ferns, the rhododendron wood, the bamboo garden, the ancient olive tree grove and extraordinary glimpses which account by far for the fame of this place that since the 1800’s has been considered “a piece of paradise”.
Villa Carlotta is managed by its namesake private foundation (Ente Villa Carlotta) constituted at the end of World War I, thanks to Senator Giuseppe Bianchini. Since 1927, the foundation has guaranteed the villa conservation and development. According to the statutory rules, all entrance fees are used for the improvement of the Villa and therefore it is open to the public. The maintenance and enrichment of the botanical heritage run parallel with the conservation of the historical-cultural heritage that is more than three centuries old. Along with the President and Management Committee, the staff is composed of a director, an administrator, a technician, two ticket office assistants, four museum assistants, and three coordinators for the information office, events and educational services. Thirteen gardeners take daily care of the large garden, and approximately ten educators guide visitors to discover its wonders. Moreover, in collaboration with Auser, numerous group of volunteers help take care of the garden and organize activities. In addition, the Associazione Nazionale Alpini cooperates to take care of the wooded zone and to restore the agricultural zones, and an agreement with Fondazione Minoprio for the management of the phyto-pathological aspects guarantees an adequate care of the whole botanical heritage.
The Villa Carlotta park can be divided in three main areas. In front of the villa there is the Italian style garden, composed of five terraces animated by geometrical flowerbeds, niches and fountains, and by many botanical surprises including high hedges of camellias, large citrus tunnels and many roses. On the right of the villa, there is the English style garden, rich of precious trees of extraordinary size, of rare species, of appealing glimpses and impressive masses of rhododendrons and azaleas. Finally, the “old garden” is located to the left of the villa; its name refers to an area that was probably neglected for some time and was so infested by spontaneous plants that it was therefore considered an old garden. It is composed of three long paths cutting it longitudinally at three different levels and is rich of romantic wonders with enormous, and probably very old, trees. Along with these three gardens, an agricultural area that in the past was assigned to Lario-typical cultivations, including the olive tree, was recently restored.
Considering the size achieved by numerous specimens, it is possible to conclude that the use of the camellias here goes back to a remote past. Between the 267 known species, the most important presence within the park is that of Camellia japonica, which, thanks to its versatility, allows for the creation more than 2000 cultivars. Walking through the park, different varieties, some quite rare and of many colours, can be admired such as ‘Hagoromo‘, ‘Black Lace‘, ‘C.M. Hovey‘, ‘Jupiter‘, ‘Lavinia Maggi‘, ‘Nuccio’s gem‘, and ‘Ville de Nantes‘. Moreover, the camellias of the Risorgimento such as ‘Annessione‘, ‘Arciduca Carlo‘, ‘Carbonara‘, ‘Conte Cavour‘, ‘Garibaldi‘, ‘Il 22 marzo 1848‘, ‘Roma risorta‘, ‘Pio IX‘ cannot be overlooked. Along with these numerous varieties, there are the winter camellias, flowering from October to January, and belonging to the species C. sasanqua and C. hiemalis. In a zone closed to the public there are some specimens of C. sinensis, the tea plant, a bush with white pendant flowers and elliptical, shiny, dark green leaves, which can be up to 12 cm long in length. All the tea types come from the processing of leaves, buds and other parts of this plant: only the processing methods discriminate the various types.
Along with the camellias, azaleas represent the botanical glory for which the Villa Carlotta park is so famous. In April and May Villa Carlotta offers an authentic sea of multi-coloured azaleas in high rounded cushions along the garden paths. The effect is unique because of the chromatic variety and plant size. It is a flowered path of great charm and entity that, in Italy, has very few comparisons. Here it is possible to verify the ability of the landscape architects of the Sachsen-Meiningen times and of today’s gardeners, who are able to create and maintain such a beautiful bloom, interpreting in a modern way the aims and the techniques of the ancient topiary art.
The skilful care of a series of specimens mainly belonging to a single rhododendron species (Rhododendron arboreum) allowed for creating a scene that in nature can only be equalled on the Himalayan Mountains: a great number of trees – some of them over one hundred years old – evoke an unforgettable atmosphere with their trunks and branches. Characterized by a thick trunk and no branches in its lowest part, 30-60 cm in diameter and between 1m to 15 m in height, the R. arboreum is a tree with oblong leaves and inflorescences with 15 – 20 red flowers each in the typical species, or pink or white in some of the sub-species. Within the park there are the sub-species: ‘Duc de Brabant‘, ‘Garibaldi‘, ‘John Waterer‘, ‘Vesuvio‘. Moreover, there are specimens of R. macabeanum, coming from India, which are trees with very large oval leaves and rich inflorescences, with funnel-shaped or trumpet-shaped corollas.
With a spectacular double tunnel of citrus trees planted on the ground and with a system of modulate greenhouses, Villa Carlotta attests to how these species were an important accessory for the stately gardens. Despite the excellent eastward exposure, the tunnels need winter protection. They are composed of different cultivars of citrus trees. In addition to the common lemon tree (Citrus limon) and bitter orange (C. x aurantium), there is not only a series of hybrids of various species, but also sweet orange (C. sinensis), mandarin (C. reticulata), grapefruit (C. paradisi), clementine (C. reticulata subs. unshiu), chinotto (C. x aurantium var. myrtifolia), bergamot (C. bergamia) and, finally, the Buddha’s hand citron (C. medica var. digitata), one of the most interesting cultivar.
More than 3000 m2 of the Villa Carlotta park, inspired by the principles and techniques of the Japanese art of gardening, hosts 25 different bamboo species within a context of great harmony between little waterfalls, streams and stone structures. There is also Phyllostachys sulphurea var. viridis, Phyllostachys aurea, Pleioblastus argenteostriatus, and Pseudosasa disticha, and the rare species Phyllostachys edulis var. heterocycla is also present with a stem characterized by strange bulges and distortions.
Villa Carlotta hosts a large group of exotic palms. Two species of Phoenix, the same genus as the date palm: P. canariensis, native to the Canary Islands, which has a lower, thicker trunk, and P. sylvestris, from India, which is taller and more slender, and whose leaves can reach a length of 4.5 m. Then, there are Californian Washingtonia filifera, approximately 10 m tall and characterized by a trunk covered with the remains of the dry leaves it has shed; a Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis), with a fissured trunk and petioles as long as 1.5 m bearing costapalmate leaves 2 m wide; a Sino-Japanese fan palm (Rhapis excelsa), also known as dwarf palm because of its modest height; a Mediterranean palm (Chamaerops humilis); a Chinese palm Trachycarpus fortunei and, finally, a Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), native to the Andes, with a high straight trunk covered with scars left by the gradual shedding of the leaves gathered in a tuft at the top of the tree, from which they hang down gently, reaching a length of as much as 5 m.
There is a large stock of succulents, including many species belonging to approximately 15 different genera. From the most common, such as Opuntia, Aloe, Agave, Sedum, and Euphorbia to the lesser known Cereus, Mammillaria, Gasteria, Echeveria, Kalanchoe, Kleinia, Epiphyllum, and Zygocactus, not to mention the famous “mother-in-law’s cushion” (Echinocactus grusonii), a cactus with hedgehog-like spines on which no one would like to sit.
At one end of the “old garden” a green wall with aromatic plants, spreading an intense perfume in summer, is present. On this wall there are lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), absinthe (Artemisia absinthium), white wormwood (Artemisia alba), helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum), wild rocket salad (Diplotaxis tenuifolia subsp. tenuifolia), origano (Origanum vulgare), Santolina pinnata, feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), caraway (Carum carvi), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), catmint (Clinopodium nepeta), sage (Salvia officinalis) and different species belonging to the genus Mentha: mint (M. aquatica), variegated mint (M. suaveolens ‘Variegata‘), Moroccan mint (M. spicata ‘Moroccan‘) and pennyroyal (M. pulegium).
Monumental trees, dwarf coniferous and Ericaceous
The Villa Carlotta park not only hosts majestic monumental trees (Pinus nigra, Cedrus libani, Cedrus deodara, Liriodendron tulipifera, Calocedrus decurrens, Cinnamonum camphora, Liquidambar styraciflua, Magnolia tripetala, Ginkgo biloba, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Quercus suber,…) but also a collection of dwarf coniferous including Taxus baccata Minima, Picea abies Pusch and Lombarts, Picea omorika Kamen, located near various species of Ericaceae (for example Erica vagans Valerie Proudley, Erica cinerea Rock Pool and Cairn Valley, Calluna vulgaris Island Mist, John Egets and Ariadne, Erica x watsonii).
To valorise its educational mission, Villa Carlotta has developed a program of laboratories and services for the interpretation of its heritage for groups of visitors of different ages and provenance. Botanical gardens like Villa Carlotta are places favoured for carrying out activities of scientific education and education for sustainable development: plant collections are not only spectacular for the beauty of their colours and structures but they are also important for providing valuable food for thought about the importance of the plant kingdom in our daily life; just like a living encyclopaedia they offer an extraordinary richness of very good materials to carry out educational activities. The hands-on method is common to all age levels and to all workshops, with an experiential and participatory approach, towards the development of the divergent and critical thought. The educational services are divided on the basis of the end-user typologies: schools, groups and families, companies, summer camps for children and other initiatives (for further details visit http://www.villacarlotta.it/schools.php?pag_id=26&sez_id=18&lang_id=1 or write at didattica@villacarlotta.it).
Between the projects in which the Ente Villa Carlotta is involved:
“Radici per il futuro: recupero delle antiche colture lariane quali strumento di conoscenza, crescita e solidarietà”, funded by the Cariplo Foundation, has allowed to recover and restore an area of Villa Carlotta’s property characterized by a specific agricultural vocation. It is an area that in the past was cultivated for the production of Lario-typical cultivations (olive trees and vineyards). The restoration of the old agricultural area was therefore carried out by valorising the landscape valence and integrating the cultural opportunities of the botanical park. The Ente created new conditions able to guarantee a sustainable management of the restored area through new opportunities for maintenance.
“Etnobotanica in Tremezzina: antichi saperi per i cittadini di oggi grazie ai cittadini di domani. Esperienza pilota di indagine etnobotanica sulla popolazione adulta a partire dalla popolazione scolastica, funded by Regione Lombardia, has been allowed to collect information and evidence about the popular use of medicinal plants in Tremezzina. This result was achieved through an ethno botanical investigation that involved local students interviewing members of their families; the results of these investigations were made available to the public through an exhibition which consisted of a collection of spontaneous plants within the agricultural area of Villa Carlotta. The data acquired from the research activity was then used in a creative way through a multimedia platform. Its aim was to valorise the cultural heritage and to continue the research project through personal contributions of its users. Moreover, the documentary materials were shared with the Archivio di Etnografia e Storia Sociale of Regione Lombardia.
Bertolucci S. 2012. “Villa Carlotta – Museo, parco storico, giardino botanico sul lago di Como”. Allemandi & C., Torino. 108 pp.
Clauser M., Pavone P. 2016. “Orti botanici – Eccellenze italiane”. Nuove Direzioni, Firenze. 293 pp.
De Nicola A., Zuccoli F. 2016. “Paesaggi Culturali – Nuove forme di valorizzazione del patrimonio: dalla ricerca all’azione condivisa”. 210 pp.
Inserisci il tuo indirizzo email per iscriverti allanewsletter e ricevere periodicamente aggiornamenti sulla attività della Rete degli Orti Botanici della Lombardia: *
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Right Wing Folks
Rosie O’Donnell Says Trump’s Relationship With Daughter Ivanka Has A ‘Creepy Incest Feel’
On Wednesday, Rosie O’Donnell said President Donald Trump’s relationship with daughter Ivanka has a “creepy incest feel,” alleging that he’s “been doing bad things with her for a very long time.”
O’Donnell’s comments came when she appeared on the left-wing “Michelangelo Signorile Show” on SiriusXM, and the host asked her about Ivanka Trump joining her father at the G20 Summit in Japan — as well as the president’s prediction that Ivanka would one day become America’s first female president.
“Oh, dear lord,” O’Donnell said.
“Talk a little bit about Ivanka Trump and what Donald Trump is doing with her,” Signorile said.
“I don’t know what he’s doing with her …” O’Donnell continued.
“I mean, politically,” Signorile said with a laugh.
“I think he’s been doing bad things with her for a very long time,” O’Donnell said.
“There’s a creepy incest feel that is very prevalent amongst Donald Trump and his children, at least his daughter. Very creepy. I don’t know. I think she’s like, you know, a talentless, non-intelligent, non-powerful woman,” the former co-host of “The View” said.
“It’s laughable to think of her in any kind of public role. No one in his family has ever been in public service. Why should they start now?” O’Donnell added.
.@Rosie on @IvankaTrump today on my show, @SXMProgress : "There's a prevalent incest feel amongst Donald Trump and his children, at least his daughter. Very creepy…I think she's, you know, a talentless, non-intelligent, non-powerful woman." pic.twitter.com/h8wWtrvRAo
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) July 10, 2019
Trump and O’Donnell have a had feud for years, endlessly trading barbs on Twitter and elsewhere. Way back in 2006, O’Donnell said on “The View” that Trump is “not a self-made man” but a “snake-oil salesman on ‘Little House On The Prairie.'” In 2011, Trump bashed O’Donnell’s new show on Oprah Winfrey’s network OWN as “a complete and total disaster.”
When O’Donnell returned to “The View” in 2014, Trump wrote on Twitter: “Rosie is crude, rude, obnoxious and dumb – other than that I like her very much!”
Rosie is crude, rude, obnoxious and dumb – other than that I like her very much!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2014
O’Donnell has attacked other Trump family members, as well. In 2016, she asked if Barron Trump, the president’s young son, was autistic. She retweeted a YouTube video, now deleted, that supposedly showed the young boy exhibiting autistic characterizations. She later apologized to Barron’s mother, writing on Twitter: “I apologize to @MELANIATRUMP – i was insensitive in my [retweet] – i am sorry for the pain i caused – it was not my intent – i am truly sorry.”
But the two haven’t always been at war. When she suffered a heart attack in 2012, Trump wrote: “@Rosie, get better fast. I’m starting to miss you!”
.@Rosie, get better fast. I'm starting to miss you!
She wrote back: “r u trying to kill me ? xx.”
@realDonaldTrump @Rosie – well thank u donald –
i must admit ur post was a bit of a shock …
r u trying to kill me ?
— ROSIE (@Rosie) August 21, 2012
A version of this story appears on the Daily Wire website.
Related Topics:News
JACQUELINE STIGMAN
Our President Trump has a beautiful grown-up daughter, a wife and mother,siness woman and adroit at politics. Rosie? Deal with it. Only sicko dems like you who cannot think of anything else to say and nothing to contribute to our country would come up with such ugly slander. Rosie are you possibly jealous? Infatuated with Ivanka? Again, deal with it.
Not just the demonCRAP, the lesbos do the same. But that’s OK, they’ll tell that to satan , when they’ll spend eternity with him and his demons! I am SOOOOOO sick of this world!
Just because your a disgusting vile person don’t mean others are, so clean off your own doorstep before your start on someone else’s,
Jamie Klein
Apparently, even Rosie’s parents didn’t love her. It’s a foreign concept to her.
That’s what I’m thinking, Her father probably showed her little or no affection
Rosie, you just wish you could find any man that would smile at you. You are an evil, vile, fat assed being, who just wishes you had a relative, any relative, who would give you a hug. Eeeeeww what a thought.
She gives me a creepy feeling.
Evangeliine
What a perverted mind she has! She’s always been nasty but this is going too far even for her.
she’s a lesbian, what else needs to be said?
Rosies just mad because she’d kill to spend five seconds in bed with Ivanka, or just to hug her as her father does. And Rosie doesn’t even have a relationship with her adopted daughter so she is so jealous of Trump it eats her up at night while she fantasizes about Ivanka.
W. Cares
Rosie’s just pissed off that she can’t lick that!
In other news, California’s iconic Disneyland theme park reported that its “Jungle Cruise ” attraction is missing one of its hippos.
lynn e babcock
and you Rosie, your comments have an Evil, hateful feel.
Gerald Cline
Rosie O’Donnell suffers from acute Trump derangement syndrome. She is psychotic.
Rosie is an evil, demented, sick, vile, disgusting hated, scum! Ivanca isn’t a beautiful, intelligent, loving, sister, daughter, wife and Mother! She is a successful business woman and working hard to improve things for women’s! Everyone including her adopted children can’t stank Her! She is a never was! Everyone knows she is crazy and mean with an extremely loud vile mouth with an extremely filthy mind!
Nancy West
O’Donnell sure has her face out giving her 2 cents. Makes me wonder what she has to hide that the SDNY will be uncovering. Those who speak the loudest has most to hide.
Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter Chelsea tells how the former View host tried to pull her clothes off to find her tattoo, threatened to hit her with an empty wine bottle and told her she could ‘kill her’ if she wanted to
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4462998/Rosie-O-Donnell-s-daughter-tells-won-t-reconcile.html
Gayle P Jordan
Rosie, you are projecting your Sick, Evil, Perverted Ways onto others. YOU are the one who was (is?) involved in INCEST. Maybe you like it and that is why you just cannot get it off your mind. Maybe you are so jealous of Ivanka that you are obsessed with wanting that kind of relationship with her. You are one really, really disgusting, despicable, ugly excuse for a Human Being.
Right Wing Folks by Raww Digital © 2019
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“The Musician” harmonizes a touching Chicago tale
By Daniel Patton Aug 2, 2018
Anne Harris and Reese Harley in “The Musician”
Mark Schimmel combines
beautiful visuals with
conflict, resolution
music, and performance
in hard-to-shoot
action sequences
throughout the city
Chicago filmmaker Mark Schimmel’s short, The Musician, features a violinist and a child in a story of redemption, forgiveness, and inspiration.
Starring well-known musician Anne Harris and first time actor Reese Harley as the urchin who steals the tool of her trade, the film takes place on the Chicago River’s winding course through the lowest part of the downtown skyline. It was inspired by an observation that Schimmel made while filming various musicians performing “Sweet Home Chicago” on the streets of the city for a video of the same name in 2014.
“When I was filming (future American Idol finalist) Crystal Bowersox, and she was an unknown person, people were walking past us and kind of giving us dirty looks,” he recalls. “And I thought, wow, what if she was a famous person, would they react the same?”
The concept of a famous musician playing somewhat anonymously stuck with him. “I researched and learned that Yoyo Ma once dressed up in street clothes and performed on the streets of New York City,” Schimmel continues. It gained traction after he enrolled in the Masters of Fine Art program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA).
“The school said, ‘you got to make something,’” he recalls. “I had an array of ideas, and it came back to, ‘hey I want to make a silent movie that’s based on music and visuals.’”
TRAILER FOR “THE MUSICIAN” DIRECTED BY MARK SCHIMMEL
In his initial treatment, the street musician gives all of the money she earns to another street musician before revealing that she is famous by “walking into the Lyric Opera and passing a poster with her picture on it.”
With help from his advisors — filmmakers Till Schauder and Mike Day — Schimmel transformed the plot into a Dickensian tale.
“As my first script, one piece of advice was, make it hard on the musician,” Schimmel says. “The more conflict, the more interesting the story will be.”
Six months later, he had expanded the story to include a child who steals the violin when the performer gets distracted during a confrontation with a security guard. The two-part journey offers conflict, resolution, and a few hard-to-shoot action sequences.
Director Mark Schimmel and DP Bill Nielsen on location
“Throughout the story, we learn how the violinists retrieves her instrument and inspires the girl to become a musician,” says Schimmel. “Not giving that away in the story and showing that cinematically was a huge challenge.”
The idea became reality with help from various members of the Chicago film community.
Columbia College, where Schimmel is an adjunct professor, provided a professional development grant to cover about 20% of the budget. Cinematogrpaher Bill Nielsen — whose resume include Chicago Fire, Sirens, and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll — not only coordinated the action, but also offered a handful of suggestions to complement a Clark Street Bridge scene that Schimmel had in mind. Among them were shooting in River North’s bridge-framed Ward Park and on a Chicago River Taxi.
Chicago Film Office Director Rich Moskal and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Mark Kelly provided guidance and support to help secure permits for the Clark Street Bridge and the park. Wendella, the company that operates the River Taxi, told him, “because you called us and asked us, we’d love to have you on the boat … usually people sneak on with their cameras.”
Keslow Camera, who “really helped (Schimmel) out” when he made Kill the Light in 2015, arranged gear, including the Alexa that Nielsen operated.
Harris and Reese in Wade Park
Of course, funding, locations, and equipment work best used with great actors. Schimmel started getting the cast together with help from editor and co-producer Mark Voss.
“I told Voss, ‘I don’t know if I should cast an actor who plays or a musician who hopefully can act,’” Schimmel recalls. “He said, ‘you should meet Anne Harris.’”
Schimmel checked out a few of Harris’ videos online and, three days later, met her at a coffee shop. He not only found her music to be “mesmerizing,” but also learned that she is “one of the nicest, most incredibly giving people I have ever met.”
On-camera her presence became a compelling vision of passion within wide and beautiful shots of the city.
“She will disagree with this, but I don’t think Anne required a lot of direction,” says Schimmel. “Bill and I both believe that nobody could have played this role except Anne Harris.”
VIOLINIST ANNE HARRIS
MUSIC VIDEO FROM MARK SCHIMMEL’S “THE MUSICIAN”
He cast the role of the thieving-child through a stroke of old-fashioned social media good luck — “I got an Instagram message from Reese’s mother,” he explains.
When they met a few days later, he “immediately, beyond a shadow of a doubt, knew this was the child.”
“Reese has the most incredible expressions and takes direction very well,” he continues. “This is a silent movie, so I didn’t need to worry about dialogue.”
Harley, like Harris, “loves to perform,” and is accustomed to the spotlight through modeling and performance. Together, their talents helped get the film completed within schedule.
“We shot it over two-and-a-half days, but since we had a minor, we were limited to eight-hours,” Schimmel says. “Reese had never acted on camera before but was accustomed to being onstage and Anne becomes her music. The combination of the two provided amazing, genuine, and delightful performances.”
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Category: Character
Pixar Spark Shorts – “Smash and Grab” Awesome Things You Didn’t Know Were on Disney+
Everyone had their own reasons for getting excited about the arrival of Disney+.
The old favorites released from the mysterious “vault” such as classic Princess movies like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
Fan-favorite Disney Channel shows That’s So Raven, Lizzie McGuire, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Can I admit that I watched all of the seasons of The Suite Life On Deck without seeing The Suite Life first?
New favorites such as the over-the-top successful Aladdin. I can confirm that the movie is at least as good the 6-7th time you see it as it the first time.
And then the pièce de ré·sis·tance, the first original live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian. A show that has exceeded our expectations and is worth every bit of hype it was given.
There are a few gems on Disney+ that I wanted to spotlight for those looking for something that they may not have heard of before, but would definitely enjoy.
Spark Shorts: Smash and Grab
If you have not checked out Pixar’s section of Spark Shorts, you must do so immediately. Pixar more than any other studio has taught us that compelling stories with deep messages can be told in less than 10 minutes but remain in our memories forever.
Smash and Grab : After years of toiling away inside the engine room of a towering locomotive, two antiquated robots will risk everything for freedom and for each other.
This short is one of the best shorts I have ever seen in my life.
In less than 10 minutes we are introduced to a beautiful and complex dystopian robot society where some robots live in freedom and luxury while others are enslaved.
A deep connection of love and brotherhood is made apparent between our two main characters. They have been enslaved together, and they will be free together, or they will die trying.
The personalities of these robots are communicated through simple eye-shape changes, robot sounds, gestures, and movement. You understand who these characters are, what motivates them, and what they mean to each other without a single word being spoken.
You fall in love so fast with these characters that you immediately feel the fear when they are put into peril by their decision to reach for freedom. The fear they feel for each other is worse than the fear they have for themselves.
Y’all, there have been dozens of movies that cost millions of dollars who couldn’t accomplish in 2+ hours what this one short is able to accomplish in 7 minutes.
An entire world/society is clearly communicated, injustice is seen for what it is and a decision is made to do something about it. Two distinct personalities are established as well as their connection and meaning to each other. These characters step out of their comfort zone and all that they have known to reach for something better, no matter the cost. They have a complete and full character arc in 7 minutes time.
And all of this is communicated without a single word being spoken. The world, a problem, main characters, decisions, a battle, sacrifice, love, endurance, and the ending?
I’ll let you watch the short to find out what happens. It’s glorious.
Plus, just check out how gorgeous this world is. The colors, the textures, the lighting! The artistry is purely stunning and takes its place on the stage of excellence right alongside the storytelling and music.
Everyone involved in creating this short should be dang proud of themselves.
Check it out today on Disney+, Smash and Grab!
Author graciemobilePosted on January 22, 2020 Categories #disney, Character, dystopian, pixar, SciFi, Setting, StoryTags character development, characters, disneypixar, disneyplus, dystopian, family, family friendly, pixar, pixarshorts, robots, SciFi, shortfilms, smashandgrab, space fiction, sparkshorts, StoryLeave a comment on Pixar Spark Shorts – “Smash and Grab” Awesome Things You Didn’t Know Were on Disney+
Fatherhood Feature: The Mandalorian
Fatherhood is such an important topic in today’s culture.
It always has been. Thousands of children grow up every year without fathers, absent or neglectful fathers, and even abusive ones. Every single one of us has a need for a dad literally built into the way we develop and function.
When someone is faced with a lack of a good father it definitely creates many extra layers of struggle.
There are thousands of incredible single moms out there who are doing both the job of dad and mom, they deserve all the praise and recognition they can get, and I look forward to writing a series celebrating mothers as well.
We are also blessed with some pretty amazing kick-butt dads who remind us those good men do exist and we should be celebrating the guys who are giving it their all to be good dads.
Whenever I see an example of a great dad on screen I sit up straighter and take notice. I want to highlight a few of the best I have seen on the big and small screen.
Disney+’s The Mandalorian was already on track to become a success before the world ever knew that Baby Yoda existed.
Jon Favreau made a brilliant move when he chose to add a baby and an adoptive relationship to this series.
At first glance, it merely looked like a shiny shoot-em-up about a Mandalorian warrior. Cool, but not exactly deep.
What began as really cool became unbelievable overnight!
Baby Yoda has become the heart of the series, and his introduction turned the Mandalorian into a character with a full range of emotions and deeply personal motivations that we can all connect with.
What Makes the Mando a Great Dad?
The biggest thing of all…sacrifice.
He lost his complete freedom to go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wished.
He lost his career and Guild membership.
He became enemies with multiple dangerous groups of people.
He has committed to an entire life on the run. As was evidenced by Chapter 4, stopping and settling down with a family doesn’t appear to be in the cards for Mando or his new son.
He has no idea what the lifespan of this child is or how long Baby will need him. 50 years old…still a baby who toddles and cannot yet speak. That’s some serious commitment.
He takes on a responsibility to care for someone that could well cost him his life.
Parents sacrifice for their children in countless ways every single day.
To be a parent is to lay your life down daily for someone else who is smaller and more vulnerable, who may not ever be able to repay you.
It’s a selfless, sacrificial kind of love.
It’s a 24/7 job that never lets up, especially if you are a single parent and, oh yeah, people are trying to kill you AND your kid!
The Mando has shown this kind of selfless love for a child who isn’t even his own blood. Not even his own species!
The Mandalorian is giving a beautiful place of honor to adoptive/foster relationships, fatherhood, and single parenting. And it’s stinkin’ awesome.
Mando on his own is really just another warrior with a bag of skills and shiny armor.
Mando as a father putting himself on the line for a tiny little Person?
That’s about as macho and cool as it gets!
Fatherhood is one of the most masculine and awesome things in this world, and I could not be more pleased that Mr. Favreau chose to make the theme of fatherhood the beating heart of a show that is one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen on screen.
For all of the horror, violence, and evil that is created and consumed by millions of people, it’s really nice to enjoy a show that gives honor to that which is truly honorable.
Here’s a shout-out to all of the awesome dads, step-dads, foster dads, adoptive dads, single-dads, grandpas, surrogate dads, teachers, mentors, coaches, pastors, big brothers, uncles, friends, and guys who are stepping up to the plate and raising the precious people that are our future. You guys are MVPs and we love you.
And I’d say you are in good company…
Author graciemobilePosted on December 10, 2019 Categories #disney, Character, Lists, SciFi, Setting, Star Wars, Story, TV Show Review, TV Shows, WesternTags #disney, adoption, babyyoda, beadadtoday, brycedallashoward, dads, Dave Filoni, deborahchow, disneyliveaction, disneyplus, disneystarwars, family, family friendly, fatherhood, jonfavreau, kathleenkennedy, mando, moviedads, pedropascal, singledads, singleparents, spacewestern, starwarsshow, themandalorian, themando, truth1 Comment on Fatherhood Feature: The Mandalorian
Black Widow…Too Little Too Late?
A trailer for the new Black Widow solo movie came out today.
It looks like a pretty good movie.
But in all honesty, friends?
I do not feel very excited about it.
Can you just hear the exclamations of shock from Hollywood?
What’s wrong with you? Are you just not a fan?
It’s cause she’s a woman, isn’t it? People these days are so unevolved.
It’s a fantastic movie! You should love it!
You must just not love Black Widow.
First off, I sleep under a Captain America blanket every night. I protect that thing from harm like it was my baby. My Avengers leggings are my favorite leggings. I am a woman in her 20s who drinks out of a Marvel water bottle made for children. And I write a movie blog that often features Marvel content. Clearly, I am a fan.
Second, hello, I am a woman. Don’t play the woman card with me. Also, Captain Marvel was a smashing success and that was only her introduction movie, she wasn’t even an already a deeply beloved character. So, yeah, drop the woman card.
Like I said above, it looks like a good movie. I can see myself enjoying the action, the humor, and getting more of the backstory. The issue here is not actually with the movie itself.
“Maybe you just don’t love Black Widow that much.”
Wrong, the opposite is the truth. I loved Natasha Romanoff too much. That’s why I am not very excited.
Why do I feel this way? Endgame, Endgame is to blame.
The further I get away from Endgame, the more I am disappointed.
I didn’t want to be. I don’t walk into movies full of skepticism like many movie-goers. I prefer to live with excitement about something and then deal with the disappointment rather than live as a cynic and only be surprised now and then when something good actually happens.
I went into Endgame with high hopes. And I enjoyed many moments in the movie.
But truthfully…
…Endgame fell far short of what Marvel had set us up to expect. And they failed heavily on the one thing that mattered the most.
Closure.
Thor gave up his entire 6 movie character arc to go hop around the galaxy and drink beer…and yet he gets another movie?
We were not given a chance to properly mourn Tony. A choice was made to cut a scene that was under 2 minutes and could have changed the whole scope of how both we and our onscreen heroes were allowed to mourn our beloved Tony Stark.
This would have given us a chance to gain some closure from as far back as Civil War. The fact that Clint Barton is the very first Avenger to drop to one knee would have been deeply healing to me.
Steve left for the past without a proper goodbye. He left his two best friends in the world behind. Bucky he had fought tooth and nail to bring back to the light, and Sam had fought alongside him without complaint. They deserved more. We deserved more. Steve means more to us than no proper goodbye.
Now Steve has made a choice that largely rearranges Marvel history and we are supposed to just be okay with that? The dancing scene with him and Peggy didn’t even last long enough for us to get a full kiss.
With the exception of Rocket and Nebula, the Guardians were treated as a joke. It was entirely disrespectful of their beautiful character arcs and all of the progress they have made in their movies.
I have other complaints but I’ll spare you the rant. The only Avenger done complete justice in Endgame was Scott Lang. And his reward is that he currently does not have any more movies on the docket.
Oh…but Nat. Nat.
Beautiful, warmhearted, undying spirit Nat. She was treated the worst.
Not only was her death incredibly unfair, but we were never given a chance to properly mourn her.
True, the heroes had to jump into the next thing immediately, I understand priorities. But we should have revisited her more beyond the few comments made by the people who loved her most. She deserved more. We, the fans, deserved more.
And Marvel let us down.
Natasha Romanoff absolutely 100% deserves her own movie. The issue is not with this movie itself, the issue is all about the timing. This movie is 2-3 years too late.
I do really appreciate that Marvel understands that a raw origin story movie for Natasha would not work. She’s come too far since appearing in Iron Man 2 for us to actually enjoy watching her as a “devolved” character. We wouldn’t even know her.
Marvel is smart with the place in the timeline they chose to feature Nat. Post-Civil War she’s a highly complex and beautiful character who is finally strong enough to face her past and deal with it properly. We get to enjoy learning the backstory while taking that journey with the Nat we truly know and love.
But this movie should have been done 2-3 years ago. Much sooner after Civil War. Before we knew what happens. Before we knew how Nat’s story ended. Before we had tasted the bitter flavor of disappointment and grief.
That’s the danger of many Prequels, you know that eventually, Anakin must become Vader. And in this case, you know that Nat must die on a stupid planet in the middle of nowhere for a dumb stone and never be properly mourned.
Endgame created a ton of new gaps in our timeline, in our understanding of our characters, in our experience of this story. We are still walking around with those wounds, and now they want to go back and play with an old gap that should have been filled ages ago?
The world did need a Black Widow movie.
But my concern is that this may be too little too late. And that’s a shame because Natasha Romanoff deserves better.
Marvel trained us to expect deeply human stories. Powerful emotions. Gut-wrenching redemption arcs and betrayals. Characters that gave us the courage to keep facing our lives and live them well. Marvel has taught us to laugh, to cry, to grow, to grieve, to heal, to fight!
It’s not our fault that we feel the way we do, we responded to what they gave us. And in Endgame, Marvel let us down.
Yes, I love Natasha Romanoff. I love her so much that I do not feel as excited about this movie as I want to. And that makes me sad.
I have a dream, a shy hope, that maybe, just maybe, the end scene of Black Widow will feature a certain Star-Spangled best friend popping up on Vormir and returning a nasty little orange stone. And then a flash…
“…I told you I’d see you in a minute.”
If that were to happen, my entire outlook on the future of Marvel would change.
I have struggled to put into words the disappointment and grief of things I have felt post-Endgame. I wrote a few articles on a few aspects of the movie I thought they did well.
The use of food in Endgame to connect characters and moments was really brilliant.
Sam Wilson really is the right heir-apparent for the shield, even though I do not like how he got it.
The amount of torn timelines, gaping holes, and unanswered questions post-Endgame is huge. Marvel cannot expect to just leave us hanging and grieving, can they?
Right now I look forward to Spider-Man’s story continuing, his story is always well-done and Tom Holland is a pure delight. But beyond that? Beyond that, I do not know. I do not feel very excited.
Dear Marvel, you did me and my friends wrong, especially my girl Natasha here. You made this mess, so are you gonna fix it or what?
She deserves it.
I will likely see this movie. Whether I see it in theaters or not, I cannot say. But I fear that Black Widow may not make the splash it is expected to, and that has nothing to do with the character herself, or audiences, it has everything to do with the choices Marvel has made.
I hope that I see this movie and I enjoy it. I hope that I see this movie and find out my girl’s story isn’t over, in fact, it has just begun. I hope that Marvel has some secret-laid plans to untangle this mess and bring it back around.
That is my hope. I guess we’ll have to wait until May to see if it’s fulfilled or not.
Were you disappointed by Endgame?
What is something you would have changed about the Marvel storyline up until now if you could?
Are you looking forward to Black Widow?
Comment and let’s discuss!
Author graciemobilePosted on December 3, 2019 Categories #disney, Character, marvel, Movies, SciFi, SuperheroTags #civilwar, antman, avengers, avengers4, avengersendgame, blackpanther, blackwidow, buckybarnes, captain america, captainamericashield, captainmarvel, cateshortland, endgame, hawkeye, infinitystones, infinitywar, ironman, kevinfeige, marvel, marvelcomics, marvelmovieblog, marvelstudios, natalieportman, phase4marvel, rachelweisz, russobrothers, samwilson, samwilsoncaptainamerica, scarlett johansson, teamcap, theavengers, thewintersoldier, thor, tony starkLeave a comment on Black Widow…Too Little Too Late?
The Flash: Villains Ranked
Season 6 premiere of the popular DC show The Flash airs Tuesday, October 8th on The CW at 8/7c.
Barry Allen is the definition of what it means to be a hero. He is selfless, brave, loving, and redemptive. Barry Allen strikes a beautiful balance of being an imperfect human who continues to save the day over and over again by doing what is right.
In storytelling, a good balance must be struck between the light and the dark. The Flash has had varied success in creating its Big Bads, and today I am going to rank them from Best Villain to Worst Villain.
The electrifying villain of Season 1 has continued to dominate in all of the following seasons as the monster who is always hiding under the bed, just waiting for a chance to come out and wreak havoc again!
As far as origin stories go, I personally find Eobard’s “I could never be you so I became the reverse“ a pretty lame excuse for villainy. Then again, whoever said villains had to come up with decent excuses to be legitimate? Because Thawne is without a doubt the most solid villain to ever sully Central City.
Every villain is meant to be either a reflection or warped version of Barry Allen himself. Savitar was actually a time remnant of Barry Allen, which made his intention to murder the love of Barry’s life (Iris) right in front of him seem even more twisted and horrific.
Season 1 has been my favorite season thus far but I have to say, Season 3 brought it when it came to terror! The entire Season felt like this horrible ticking clock that led to impending doom. Every episode bringing us a little closer to the edge of a cliff we could not escape from.
Savitar felt unbeatable, supernatural, and that made him an A+ villain in my opinion.
Season 3 really brought Barry full circle in the arc that he began with during Season 1, and it took someone as close as himself threatening to take away the person Barry holds most dear to reach that point. The character work of this season was phenomenal and heartbreaking.
FYI – I am to this day still not over losing HR.
Season 4 was not my favorite, but no one can deny that DeVoe was a force to be reckoned with. He challenged Barry and Team Flash in a way that no speedster ever could. He began as an almost likable person with his beautiful house and supposedly “happy” marriage to his wife – a strange comparison to the unity and strength of Iris and Barry’s now marriage. Two couples going head to head, it was new take on the good vs. evil battle.
But as the season went on we saw just how rotten DeVoe was from the inside out. How meticulously he had planned everything. DeVoe was disgustingly arrogant and truly felt unbeatable! While his arrogance annoyed the heck out of me, it was nice to have a villain that was so hard to thwart (unlike the villain of Season 5).
I have to take issue with Barry’s “no-kill” rule here (and a few other places). While I would not want to rush to flip the switch on anyone, Barry literally begged Ralph not to kill DeVoe when they had the upper hand for the first time all season! At that moment, it was the only way DeVoe would have been defeated. Considering that DeVoe intended to alter the world and had no issue killing or controlling anyone (killing pregnant women, drugging his wife, etc), I don’t know, Barry, I think we have a Hitler situation here.
It was a great triumph to me that love, a petty emotion DeVoe had scoffed at, was the chief reason he was defeated. The mind is great, the heart is greater!
Zoom had a cool villain appeal. His very unpredictability made him a severely uncomfortable villain to have around. I don’t know how Team Flash could sit and drink coffee when they knew this creep could just zip in and rip them to pieces at the drop of a hat.
And yet, he fell somewhat short of his potential. He felt more like a deranged toddler running around and causing chaos just because he wanted to. He could have done so much more damage. While this definitely qualifies as “villainish” behavior, in comparison to villains like DeVoe and The Reverse Flash whose plans have plans, Zoom did not make the grade.
True, he was going to destroy the multiverse, but it was merely so he could be the fastest man in the universe. A rather childish ambition to the villain who had never grown up. Understandable, but the success/fear factor was outdone by the Master Planners like DeVoe/Reverse Flash and terrifying monsters like Savitar.
Season 5 was intriguing with the new angle of Barry and Iris spending the entire season with their adult daughter. I am a sucker for a parent/child storyline, especially when the parents are almost the same age as their children. Barry has fatherhood potential written all over him, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the West-Allen family be together even if Nora could ruin a good thing in about five minutes.
But Cicada? Why was Cicada considered a strong enough Big Bad for an entire season of The Flash? The answer did not come until the true villain, The Reverse Flash, entered the picture. His scenes always upstaged Orlin or Grace Dwyers’ scenes, he was the truly villainous force this season, Dwyer barely felt like a sideshow.
Cicada could have been removed from circulation so many times and Team Flash was “foiled” in the most ridiculous ways. I get that we are living in a pretend world where mind-control gorillas and professor sharks are a thing, but that does not mean the believability in writing needs to be sloppy. It was horribly sloppy this season, and Cicada failed to strike fear in me at all.
Without a doubt, the King of Flash Big Bads is The Reverse Flash and considering that he started us off on this journey, perhaps that is only fair.
Bloodwork aka Dr. Ramsey Rosso is the new Big Bad for Season 6.
First impressions?
He looks as if he has potential. He’s not a speedster so clearly, the answer will not be just run faster. This is not just a mind or a speed game, it’s a new game altogether.
He’s a peer to Caitlin Snow (can this girl catch a break with anyone outside of Team Flash?), making him a known person to the team pre-villain years. Will he use this familiarity to his advantage?
His powers will be incredibly unique and gross.
He seems suave and self-assured without the opulent arrogance of DeVoe or the sneering attitude of Eobard Thawne. A calm villain is sometimes the most frightening.
I get a chilled feeling that he truly believes himself to be the hero of this story and those types always scare me the most. A villain with conviction who believes themselves to be the hero will go farther, justify more, and approach the battle in ways lesser villains will not. I fully anticipate all of that from Bloodwork.
So, I have ranked The Flash villains from best to worst. Do you agree with the rankings? What is your take on Bloodwork and the direction for Season 6? What will happen to Barry Allen during Crisis On Infinite Earths?
Author graciemobilePosted on October 6, 2019 Categories Character, DC, Lists, SciFi, Story, Superhero, TV ShowsTags #dccomics, #dcheroes, arrowverse, barryallen, caitlinsnow, candicepatton, carlosvaldes, centralcity, cicada, ciscoramone, crisisoninfiniteearths, daniellepanabaker, DCuniverse, dcvillains, devoe, elongatedman, eobardthawne, grantgustin, hunterzolomon, iriswestallen, joewest, killerfrost, ralphdibney, savitar, speedster, Superhero, teamflash, thecw, theflash, theflashseason6, thereverseflash, thethinker, tomcavanagh, vibe, villains, West-Allen, zoomLeave a comment on The Flash: Villains Ranked
Flynn Rider: Reimagining the Disney Prince
The 2010 Rapunzel story Tangled was an instant classic and remains in a place of high honor.
Much of this is due to the charming and roguish Flynn Rider, adorable crown thief- turned into the adventure partner and harmonizing prince we ladies dream about.
Was it his gorgeous face that caught our attention? Uh, well, yeah, that certainly helped.
His sense of humor? Mmmhhmm.
The smolder? It certainly did not damage his cause.
As much as we love his charming exterior, what really sold us all on Flynn Rider was the way he changed the “face” and expectations for the classic “Disney Prince”.
The character that came closest to Flynn Rider before he hit the screen was most definitely Aladdin. Not only was he also an adorably mischevious thief, but rather than just a pretty face with a castle we were given a more 3-dimensional character who had his own backstory, own dreams, and own failures.
Still, Flynn Rider, or shall we say Eugene Fitzherbert took it to the next level.
Flynn Rider started out as a self-seeking jerk.
You are talking to a girl who loves the good guys. I have only fallen for the “bad boy” twice in my life and those two bad boys ended up becoming the best of the good boys. #edmundpevensie #captainhook (Apparently I go for dark good looks as well? Hmm…)
But it is wise to admit to ourselves that everyone is human, male or female.
We have imperfections, we have broken places, we have pockets of selfishness or places of retained anger. There are things about ourselves we would like to change and things in others we find hard to overlook. We’re really messy, and sometimes kind of ugly.
Flynn Rider is something of a scoundrel. He double-crosses his own partners-in-crime in order to keep the crown for himself.
When Flynn arrives at Rapunzel’s castle, he has an initial moment of awe over her beauty, but it passes like a cloud over the sun and then he’s back to scheming again.
Can I just say how much I love the fact that Flynn and Rapunzel broke the “love at first sight” Disney couple trope?
I 100% believe in love at first sight. It happens all the time in real life. I just think it’s a good idea to present more than one way for a couple to fall for each other. Many couples discover each other over time, building one step upon another. Such is the case for Flynn and Rapunzel.
Flynn Rider has eyeballs, anyone with eyeballs can see how beautiful Rapunzel is. He has a normal human reaction to her appearance and then he starts trying to pull one over on her. His own selfish needs and desires trump whatever reaction she just created in him.
#canayoneelserelatetothis
I’m not saying we need to stay here, by the grace of God and Jesus’ death on the cross I am redeemed from the selfish choices that I make, I am in the process of becoming more like Him every day. But I still make mistakes.
Flynn’s plan to frighten Rapunzel ends up placing them in a situation of danger where Rapunzel’s indomitable spirit and open heart earns Flynn’s respect.
She takes a roomful of gross and scary (and anatomically incorrect) men and turns them all into mush by seeing beneath the surface and touching their hearts.
Follow that up with an epic escape from multiple foes that succeeds when it shouldn’t…
…yeah, Flynn looks at Rapunzel with new eyes.
He is impressed, there is more to her than he at first thought. The sweetest thing is that Rapunzel does all of this without the intention of winning someone’s approval or respect. She is merely being herself and is entirely guileless. It’s refreshing, tantalizing, and touches a long-hidden part of Flynn Rider.
Enter, Eugene Fitzherbert.
First respect, next we go to a new level. Vulnerability.
Flynn and Rapunzel find themselves in a dark cave with water rising. #thisismyworstnightmareminussomesharks
The idea that they are facing death gives Flynn the courage to reveal one of the most precious and tender parts of himself…his true name.
Eugene Fitzherbert. It’s soft and sweet. Rapunzel listens with such kind respect, she proves to Flynn that not only is she someone he can rely on in a pinch, but she is also a safe person to trust himself with. His true self.
The theme of revealing their inner selves continues by the fireside where Rapunzel reveals the story of her magic hair and Flynn tells her about that special book that gave him oxygen to dream during the tragedy of his childhood as an orphan.
Whoa, a sad orphan who used to read this book to the younger orphans? A kid who grew up and took on the name of his literary hero to try and build a life of plenty for himself to replace the history of lack and lovelessness?
I. Am. Intrigued.
We begin by seeing Flynn through the mask he has invented for himself – a careless and debonair thief who needs no one. #funnybutnotmarriagematerial
Within the course of about two scenes of tender and revealing moments, our perception is entirely changed to match what is this character’s truth.
Flynn is not a typical Disney prince. He is just as broken and in need as the princess is. He needs her as much or more than she needs him. They need each other in different ways.
It’s a beautiful picture of so many real-life relationships where you take two extraordinary individuals who each bring something neat to the table, but together they create something wonderful.
Together they end up helping each other heal.
Together, they dream a new dream.
We started with respect, leveled up at vulnerability, and now we bring in attraction.
Flynn is sooooo attracted to Rapunzel. She has had a deprived life in a way different from his, but no less real. However, her deprivation has made her kind, patient, and eager to enjoy every little thing.
The word that best describes Rapunzel is “wonder”.
The biggest dream of her life has just been to go and see these beautiful lights that fill the night sky on her birthday.
Flynn has been everywhere and thinks he’s done everything, it was all old news to him until he met her.
Rapunzel reintroduces Flynn to the idea of wonder, and during that process, he finds himself deeply attracted to her.
I love the montage of this glorious day in the town that leads up to one of Disney’s best romantic songs in existence. It shows Eugene and Rapunzel falling for each other in such a sweet, specific way that celebrates life.
Falling in love with Rapunzel doesn’t just bring stars to Flynn’s eyes, we get to go so much deeper into the why behind his love for Rapunzel that we do with many other Disney princes.
Rapunzel reawakens the Eugene within him, reminds him of who he is, and gives him the courage to dream something far bigger than just a castle of his own.
Rapunzel and Flynn’s story reminds us the power of human connection to create change as well as the healing capability that true love can bring.
And what is true love? It has been said in passing in so many stories, but we actually get to see it lived out in Tangled in a way that blew my mind.
True love is a sacrifice.
He first respected her, then he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her. His attraction grew alongside hers, but Flynn’s love was proven to be real when he sacrificed himself for her without a single selfish thought…
…he actually dies for her.
Flynn’s sacrifice is not pretty, he gets stabbed in the back and is bleeding out on the floor. #thisscaredmesobad #disneybrokealltherules
There were no grandiose words or declarations of valor. There was no masterful sword fight against a dragon (the dude lost a duel to a horse, y’all), no sweeping in on a vine to rescue the girl. No magic shoe to gallantly slip on her foot.
He is weak and bleeding out on the floor. In hoarse tones he calls her to come close to him.
In a swift motion he uses the last of his strength to take a shard of glass and cut off all of her hair…freeing her forever from her lifelong bondage.
The shock of that moment hit me like a tidal wave in the same way it does for the other characters. Rapunzel can’t even comprehend the fact for a moment that her hair, the source of her magical strength as well as her hideous bondage is gone. Mother Gothel is in the throes of death (whew, that was ugly), and Flynn is dying.
As Rapunzel cradles a dying Eugene in her arms, they have such a broken and tender moment where they tell each other “You were my new dream.”
I love this! The word “dream” gets thrown around so often in our stories and our real world.
It gets watered down, misused, abused, and people practically kill themselves in the pursuit of what they believe to be their “dreams” only to reach the end and find themselves with no one.
Flynn Rider, or rather, Eugene Fitzherbert thought he knew what a dream was, and then he met Rapunzel. And she became his new dream.
The word “dream” is redefined for both of them as they realize that the true dream to is share a lifetime of meaning and purpose with someone you love. Together you create something bigger than yourself.
Flynn’s entire life has been about achieving his “dreams”. He actually finds out what his true dream is, and he gives it all up without hesitation in order to ensure that the woman he loves is safe.
This is pure true love. This kind of dream and this kind of love make so many other imposters fall away to ash in the face of something as deeply rich and full of potential as Rapunzel and Flynn’s love for each other.
It makes the moment when Rapunzel’s teardrop heals him all the more amazing as yet again, she does the impossible by simply being herself. The payoff of this movie is incredible.
We went deeper, therefore we celebrated bigger.
Respect. Vulnerability. Attraction. Sacrifice. Joy.
He’s the “perfect” man, physically the man has 0 faults. But Disney secreted a real-life, 3D human in a perfect package.
Flynn Rider completely reinvented the way we looked at Disney men and opened the door for characters like Kristoff, Kit (Prince Charming), Prince Adam (live-action Beauty and the Beast), Finn (Star Wars: Sequel Trilogy) Aladdin (live-action Aladdin), and so many more to come.
Flynn was so perfect it wasn’t even real, and yet, they managed to take the “perfect man” and teach us the beauty of imperfection as well as the depth and meaning of a true dream and the true definition of love.
To one of the greatest Disney characters ever created.
Flynn Rider, we love you.
Author graciemobilePosted on August 14, 2019 Categories #disney, Character, Movies, Princess Movies, romanceTags #disney, animated, animatedclassics, character development, characters, classicfairytales, disneypixar, disneyprince, disneyprincess, eugene fitzherbert, fairytales, flynn rider, mandy moore, maximus, mother gothel, now i see the light, pascal, pixar, rapunzel, tangled, tangled ever after, tangledeverafter, tangledseries, zachary leviLeave a comment on Flynn Rider: Reimagining the Disney Prince
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Visit RPLG.Solutions Visit Renne Public Law Group 916.230.6935|info@rennepublicpolicygroup.com
Director, Government Affairs Dane Hutchings Joins RPPG
Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG), a division of Renne Public Law Group (RPLG), has announced that Dane Hutchings will lead the practice from a Sacramento office as Director, Government Affairs. The newly launched lobbying firm is bringing together the local government legal expertise and wisdom of the attorneys at RPLG with the political acumen and experience of one of local government’s strongest advocates.
RPPG is a full-service lobbying and consulting firm that provides support to public agencies and the companies who align with the interest of public agencies. As Director of Governmental Affairs, Mr. Hutchings will advocate for clients in Sacramento and provide full wraparound services with RPLG attorneys and consultants from RPLG.Solutions serving as strategic advisors for the division.
“Over the past 10 years, I’ve built my reputation on hard work, honesty and integrity,” said Mr. Hutchings. “Culture matters to me. So having an opportunity to build off of the success of the RPLG brand and culture is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to develop the business, grow our government affairs team and create an environment where the team loves to come to work and fights with passion and courage for our clients.”
For over a decade, Mr. Hutchings has been advocating for the best interests of both public and private entities. Regarded as a statewide thought leader in California public pension policy, he offers a unique understanding of California local government operations, service delivery methods and revenue sources.
Mr. Hutchings will work to perfect public policy in California with a focus on local government agencies and the businesses that partners with local government. With RPLG’s seasoned legal expertise and Mr. Hutchings’ deep policy experience, RPPG is poised to deliver in a critical area of policy: the balance between state authority and local government autonomy.
“We are thrilled to bring Dane aboard to head Renne Public Policy Group,” said Jon Holtzman, RPLG Founding Partner. “After working directly with him for the past three years, I have connected with his fast-paced, nuanced and inclusive advocacy style. He is the perfect fit for this position and this firm.”
Sara Madsen2019-08-09T11:07:49-08:00May 22nd, 2019|
Dane Hutchings Served as Panelist for San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s State of the State
SB 266 is Officially Dead for this Legislative Session!
AB 5 on its Way to the Governor – An Insider’s View
RPLG and RPPG Address the League of California Cities San Diego County Division
Fearsome Foursome: A Quartet of Problematic Bills Threatens Public Employers
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1100 11th Street, Second Floor, Suite 231
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S.O.S. Saint Paul to Buenos Aires: Juan Pablo, are You Listening?
Tango night at the Black Dog in Lowertown, Saint Paul. (Photo: Y Entonces/Flickr)
Funny how two people
can get the feel of each other in two bars
two bars of a tango
a woman from the top of the world
a man from the bottom of the world
in the middle of a circus
in the middle of an industrial zone en el Rio Plata
in the middle of Buenos Aires.
Funny how they can take each other’s measure
and throw it away
to course into a Piazzola tango, torso to torso
transmitting questions and answers
two birds mating in the sky wings akimbo
dancing the dance of love
Cuidado! Losing altitude! Hitch’er up!
Ooooooooooooooooooo song’s ending
even birds mating in the sky are finite
sink her over and atop your body
head cradled like a baby
Molly Culligan’s life has revolved around Saint Paul. Act I: Third of six in the John and Margaret Culligan family. Act II: Motherhood. Act III: Actor, dancer, director, producer, writer, editor, poet, coach. Peace work figures large. She presents readings of her poetry on life, death, and the tango. She performs as Meridel Le Sueur and other writers.
Photo courtesy Y Entonces. Visit Dan’s photostream on Flickr.
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Why attack the shrines?
A spate of terrorist attacks by puritan extremists on a number of famous Sufi shrines in Pakistan has brought into focus the shrine-going culture and its opponents. This is an important development, especially considering the negligible knowledge today’s young, educated urbanites have of this popular culture even though shrines continue to play an important spiritual and economic role in the lives of a majority of Pakistanis.
The shrine culture of devotional, recreational and professional activity around the shrines of Muslim saints has been present in the subcontinent for over a thousand years. It is largely associated with activity around the shrines of Sufi saints who started arriving from Iraq, Iran and Central Asia with various waves of Muslim from 8th century onwards.
These men (and some women) allowed for fusing Muslim esotericism, as it had developed in their home countries over the years, with the cultural rituals of Indian non-Muslim communities — all were welcome to the presence of the Muslim divine. More than the ulema, it was the Sufi saints whose all-inclusive approach helped spread Islam in this region.
Over time, a permissive culture of devotional music, indigenous rituals and assorted intoxicants (said to be used to induce trance-like state) started taking shape around the shrines. The shrine culture was patronised by various Muslim dynasties that ruled the subcontinent, and by the 19th century, it had become a vital part of the belief and ritual system of a vast majority of Muslims.
This system has remained intact despite the many puritan movements that attempted to expunge what they alleged were innovations that Muslims of India had adopted from Hinduism. However, around late 1960s urban middle-class Pakistan had left this culture to the largely uneducated and the superstitious lot or the feudal lords who presided over them.
But just like middle-class hippies in the West in the 1960s, who had chosen various esoteric eastern spiritual beliefs to demonstrate their disapproval of the ‘soullessness’ of the western culture, many young, middle-class Pakistanis in the 1970s, began looking to the shrine culture as a way to make a social and political connect with the dispossessed masses. Thus urban middle-class youth came into contact with rural peasants, petty traders and the urban working classes who thronged the shrines.
Middle-class Pakistani youth began to frequent shrines, especially on Thursday nights when a number of shrines hold nights dedicated to the traditional Sufi devotional music. The popular genre of qawali has been sung in the region for over seven hundred years. Now it has become a commercially lucrative art form, but at its pristine best it remains an impassionate fixture at shrines on Thursday nights.
The shrine culture is strongly owned by the Barelvi, mainstream Sunnis. They celebrate the ritual and social outcome of Sufism’s historical engagement with other faiths. This acceptance inherent in the popular belief system historically worked well to harmonise relations between Muslims and the Hindu majority of India. Pakistan’s military as well as civilian ruling elites did not meddle with the shrine culture. In fact, the Z.A. Bhutto regime (1972-77) actually patronised (and utilised) it as an expression of populism.
According to a report published in 1979, more Pakistanis visited shrines than they did mosques. Though some scorn at this, there are many who would say that the level of violence, crime and corruption in society was much lower than what it climbed up to from 1980s onwards. The Ziaul Haq dictatorship (1977-88) was inspired by the more puritan strains of the faith, and found it hard to introduce certain harsh Islamic laws in a social scene that was steeped in centuries-old traditions of tolerant shrine-going Muslim creed.
This popular religious culture was not attuned to a puritan interpretation of jihad, which constituted a problem for the Zia regime. He had to propagate the importance of ‘jihad against the infidels’ in the wake of Pakistan’s frontline status in the CIA-backed guerrilla war against Soviet occupation forces present in Afghanistan. The dictatorship went about building a number of puritan mosques and madressahs, mostly funded by donations from the Gulf states. Zia also began partronising certain spiritual leaders (pirs) around some shrines.
This was also done because many shrines (especially in Sindh) had become the centre of activity of various anti-Zia political forces. The tactic of hijacking the shrines by the Zia regime was successful in diminishing the participation of the middle-class in the shrine culture, but the culture’s core participants (the masses) remained intact. The status quo in this regard remained unchanged, and many shrines faced neglect and growth of crime around them.
The state’s interest in reinvigorating the all-encompassing shrine culture was revived after the tragic 9/11 episode. Governments under Musharraf (and the current PPP-led coalition) put in efforts to upgrade various shrines in an attempt to arrest the growth of extremism which has also found an appeal among the urban middle-class. This is why puritan terror outfits like the Taliban have begun targeting the shrines.
By Nadeem Paracha, Smoker’s corner
Courtesy Dawn: http://public.dawn.com/2010/10/17/smokers%E2%80%99-corner-why-attack-the-shrines.html#comment-445
Comments by Abbujak:
As long as people go to shrines and offer Fatehah by praying to Allah to bless the departed soul and to remember own death it should not bother any one. But praying to dead saints is against the teachings of Islam. Instead of killing the ignorant people, efforts should be made to educate them, through Preachings [Dawah], which no one appears to be doing. Violence breeds violence and anarchy. Allah may guide us.
اسلام میں وراثت، ہبہ اور وصیت کے احکام Law of Inheritance in Islam
The Creator خالق کائنات کون؟
نقاب ، حجاب: قرآن , حدیث اور اجماع Niqab, Veil
Slouching Toward Global Disaster: Chaos and Intervention in the Middle East | Global Justice in the 21st Century
The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace
Modi’s India is a living nightmare for Muslims – Washington Post
Don’t be Deceived, Know the Real Enemies of PEACE, Raise Voice against Tyranny & Oppression
The most influential man in history- Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) میلاد النبی ﷺ
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Karen Howe (Position 3)
1. Do you support a plastic bag and styrofoam ban in Sammamish? Why or why not?
Yes, I support a ban or a usage tax. We’re all doing a much better job of remembering our reusable bags so I believe we can change behavior over time. Plastic bags take between 500 and 1000 years to degrade and when they do, they release chemicals into the soil. The Floating Garbage Patch (the size of Texas) is made up of mostly plastic and other debris. Put a picture of that on our temporary bags and maybe we’d start to wake people up a bit.
2. How would you encourage local businesses and Sammamish residents to compost and recycle? What incentives, education, and/or regulations would you enact to increase participation in these programs throughout the city?
Republic, our new waste management provider, is trying to help residents learn what’s OK in terms of composting and recycling. They and the city have also tried to make it clear that residents can reduce their bill by composting food scraps. I would bet that most people don’t know that 30% of our garbage is wasted food and food-soiled paper.
We need to do a better job of educating residents on their role in reducing the landfill. I love the fact that Republic has information in different languages on their website, but we need to do more. The ReCommunity site has great videos and lessons for kids – but it’s the adults who need the attention. I think Republic should create a competition for the HOA’s to compete for a free dumpster day for the HOA that does the best job of recycling in a given month.
3. What is your priority for land acquisition for open space, parks, and/or trail connections for the city of Sammamish? Why?
In ranked order:
Trail connections: they could disappear soon into development projects and getting them back later would be too difficult and expensive. Trails are highly rated by residents and encourage people to walk instead of drive, helping with overcrowded roads.
Open spaces: potentially less expensive to obtain and may not require immediate improvements in order to provide immediate benefit.
Parks: our parks are such gems and are the soul of Sammamish. We may not have all the park land we want but we have much of the land we need at 600+ acres. I support the current PRO plan that’s currently underway.
4. What is your plan for reducing car traffic in Sammamish? Would that include increasing public transit and/or removing road barricades to increase connectivity?
Transit is really the only long-term viable solution to our traffic. Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time to get the service we need. In the interim, I’d like to get a shuttle service running that loops residents around sports fields, retail centers, and the library so that residents don’t have to hop in their cars. This would be ideal for kids, seniors and those without other forms of transportation. It’s also possible that by reducing the speed limit, we’d improve safety and congestion (Source: Helsinki Traffic Planning Division).
Additionally I believe we need to add the study of AM traffic (not just PM) into the concurrency mix. Schools add a tremendous amount of traffic in the morning and it needs to get documented. We could should also push to get parents to stop driving their kids to school and partner with the schools to get the Walking School Bus project adopted. It takes a long time to change behavior but it can be done.
5. How would you increase trail connectivity in and around Sammamish to increase walkability within the city and to and from the Emerald Necklace?
I would make trail connectivity a priority for funding and execution. As stated before, residents have highly rated trail usage as an activity they enjoy and want to see expanded. Creating a 28-mile loop around the plateau would be an enduring gift to the community. Grants and partnerships will be necessary to complete the trail but ongoing funding from the city will be necessary to maintain it.
6. Would you support Sammamish using the STAR Community Rating system (starcommunities.org) as a sustainability framework and certification program? Nearby, Seattle is a 5-STAR Certified Community (the second city in the country to do so!), Tacoma is a 4-STAR Certified Community, and King County is a 4-STAR Certified Community.
7. Do you support completing the East Lake Sammamish Trail to King County regional trail standards? As currently designed by King County Parks, the trail meets King County and AASHTO national standards for a trail of its type and expected volume of use, including design as a 12-foot-wide trail.
I support finishing the trail. I would also like to ensure that affected residents are treated fairly. King County asserts the right-of-way for the railroad was sold to the Cascade Land Conservancy and then to King County. Residents assert they own the land bisecting their properties and the county owns an easement – not the land itself.
In 1988, Congress passed a “railbanking” statute that allows the government to convert railroad easements into public recreational trails without compensation to the landowner. The US Supreme Court overturned this. There is case law to support both points of view.
Trail residents are asking for fair treatment. They understand this land will be used by the public as a trail. I would broker a reasonable solution that allows the trail to proceed and provides mitigation for affected residents.
8. Would you support the city transforming our unattractive stormwater ponds to promote a natural aesthetic? How would you propose that the city ensure they are properly maintained in form and function?
We could do a much better job of landscaping around our stormwater ponds. It wouldn’t be expensive to create a naturally landscaped buffer and we could test if neighborhoods would be willing to step up and adopt a pond.
9. Do you support the creation of aesthetic design standards for new developments in Sammamish? Why or why not?
This would be very difficult to mandate as aesthetic design is subjective.
10. The agreement between the city and the Y includes transferring the Y property next to Pine Lake Middle School to the city at no cost if it is used for active recreation. Some would like to see it developed for more passive use to maintain tree canopy and wildlife habitat. This passive use of the property may require the city to purchase it outright. How would you handle this issue?
Given the findings from the most recent Parks and Rec survey, I support passive use of the land. Residents have no appetite for clear-cutting the 7+ acres to construct a building as currently implied by YMCA lease documents. We can maintain the spirit of the lease by using the land for passive recreational purposes such as trails, perhaps a ‘fitness’ course as well. The land should be viewed through the park land acquisition lens and scored appropriately.
11. What 3 actions should the city take to increase its tree canopy cover?
We need to know what our tree canopy status is today and then establish the goal of what we want for the future. Seattle’s canopy is about 27%. I believe Sammamish residents would like to see a higher percentage.
Enforce existing tree preservation ordinances which includes replanting conifers.
Fund natural space acquisition and fund best-practice tree maintenance by arborists.
12. What is your goal for Sammamish’s Urban Forest? Additionally, would you support the following proposals? Why or why not?
My goal is to create sound policy around canopy retention and the Urban Forest. Good policy balances individual preservation with overall expansion of canopy and open space. It uses data, not just site characteristics, when considering preservation.
Trees can decrease the amount of stormwater runoff and pollutants that run into local streams and Lake Sammamish. They reduce runoff by capturing and storing rainfall in their canopy and releasing water back into the atmosphere. The roots and leaves create soil conditions that promote the infiltration of rainwater into the soil. They can also help slow down and temporarily store runoff and reduce pollutants.
a) Creating an Urban Forest Panel or Board to monitor and enforce the provisions of the Urban Forest Management Plan
A commission might be a good way to start.
13. Would you support having a dedicated Sustainability staff member in Sammamish? (Issaquah currently has 5 staff in its Office of Sustainability.)
Staff additions would need to be prioritized and residents would need to weigh-in.
14. What other efforts would you actively pursue to further sustainability in Sammamish?
I think Sammamish could combine sustainability efforts with becoming a Smart City as well. Smart Cities utilize IoT (Internet of Things) technology to monitor energy usage for example.
Sustainability goals for Sammamish would ensure that residents have access to:
healthy, affordable sustainable food and drinking water
parks, trees, stormwater management, and healthy streams and lakes
safe, affordable, and low-carbon transportation
Sustainability goals for the city would include strategically sourcing cost effective, reliable, safe, clean energy and conventional energy systems for city government.
Back to the questionnaire page
Mark Baughman Jason Ritchie
Minal Ghassemieh Karen Howe Karen Moran
Ryika Hooshangi Rituja Indapure Chris Ross
Melanie Curtright John Robinson Pam Stuart
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Op-Ed: My Take on Apple WWDC 2019
July 1, 2019 July 15, 2019 / Ryan Donovan / Leave a comment
For years, I have observed Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference from the sidelines purely as an enthusiast. Since moving to Hootsuite, I can now definitively state that I have a proverbial horse in this race – as we publish multiple applications on the iOS App Store. Hence, this year I paid even more attention than usual – and thought I would share some of the findings.
This year debuted iOS 13, which is very much targeted at end-user enhancements. Most of note is a native dark mode, which has been desired by end users for many years. The built in applications are all getting a plethora of feature-enhancements with the majority of the investment going into Music, Messages (including support for dual-SIM), Maps (including Street View), Reminders, and Photos. And the keyboard now supports swiping – bringing parity in alignment with 3rd party options and Android. ARKit v3 debuted with people occlusion and enhanced movement tracking along with the introduction of RealityKit, which facilitates the creation of photorealistic renderings of digital assets, animating them, and having them obey the laws of physics. CarPlay is upgraded with a new layout that appears to be imminently more useful.
Verdict: Dark Mode, CarPlay and end-user application improvements will continue to make the iPhone the most seamless mobile experience in the industry; iOS 13 makes recent-generation devices the most capable augmented reality handset on the market and is no doubt setting the stage for something much bigger in the future.
This year saw a more modest update to tvOS. Many of the new capabilities are centered around the already announced Apple TV enhancements from the spring. Of note are multi-user support to enable personalized recommendations and support for 3rd party game controllers. The personalized recommendation support is by far the most desired feature for both my wife and I and will no doubt continue the AppleTV as our primary means of watching television.
Verdict: A hugely convenient evolutionary release that will no doubt make AppleTV the most popular gaming platform beyond XBox and PlayStation.
One of this year’s biggest announcements was the separation of iPadOS from iOS. First up, Safari now reports itself as a Mac to provide a full “desktop-class” browsing experience. The days of getting a mobile optimized site on an iPad are no more. iPads now support external USB storage and the ability to import photos directly from digital cameras. The Files application has been upgraded to mirror the experience in macOS. Sadly, there does not yet appear to be any feature to fully offline sync cloud libraries, but hopefully this will come next year. Multi-tasking and split screen mode has been greatly improved, including the ability to have multiple versions of an application open (e.g. multiple copies of Microsoft Word to edit different documents). There are new editing gestures to expedite things like copy and paste or undo. A one-handed shrunken keyboard is available for one-handed typing. Pencil latency has been markedly reduced on the latest generation hardware. Mouse support is finally provided, but under the guise of accessibility. And lastly is Sidecar, which allows an iPad to be seamlessly used (via cable, WiFi, or Bluetooth) as a second display for macOS Catalina. Stylus-enabled applications can now receive input directly through the pencil. And it also provides a touch bar mirroring what is on the 2016+ generation MacBook Pros.
Verdict: iPadOS is some of the most impactful news coming out of WWDC. The improvements greatly close the gap between an iPad and a laptop, all without compromising a touch-first experience – something Apple has been extremely principled about dating back to rare indirect criticism of Windows 8. It is easy to see how these capabilities will be more rapidly evolved in the future, making an iPad the only computer one needs for more and more use cases. For someone like me, it will shift even more time to my iPad from my MacBook Pro, especially when traveling. More interestingly is Sidecar – I believe this is a hat tip to the future of touch in macOS, which has been remarkably touch-free for many years. I envisage a world where the iPad is used to enable touch (or stylus) where it makes sense but without compromising what is a desktop-first operating system. The blend of touch and desktop is an elusive holy grail no one has yet solved, but this seems to be well on its way to achieving that elusive goal in subsequent iterations. Project Catalyst makes this even more likely.
The sixth iteration of watchOS brings independence from the iPhone. The Watch will now have its own AppStore and apps can now run completely independently, opening up a variety of new completely disconnected use cases. Several popular iPhone apps are finding their way to the Watch such as Calculator and Voice Memos. Health and fitness continues to steal the show, with several key enhancements including long-term activity trends, a decibel meter to alert to potentially dangerous hearing conditions, and a menstrual cycle tracker.
Verdict: The most popular health wearable will continue to maintain and grow its lead within the market. The ability to run independently from the iPhone and additional productivity apps will open up new use cases and possibly start to see new categories of broad adoption beyond health and fitness. For me, it will make my Watch even more useful than ever.
Recent macOS releases have all had California names – this year it’s Catalina. And Catalina brings some of the heaviest investment in macOS in some time. One of the most long-requested features has materialized – the breakup of iTunes. Replacing it are new Music, Podcasts, and TV. Devices can now be directly managed in the Finder. Voice control is now offered as a new means of navigation. Apps such as Home and News will also receive significant improvements.
Verdict: Outside of Project Catalyst (more on that) and Sidecar, this is a largely evolutionary release that delivers upon one of the most long-requested features to address the user experience behemoth known as iTunes, making it a worthwhile upgrade just for that alone. However, Catalyst and Sidecar hint at much broader ambitions to come…
Apple’s often criticized voice assistant gets a number of upgrades this year. First is a more natural sounding voice. Support has been extended on other devices. For example, on AirPods can read incoming messages and facilitate immediate voice-driven response. HomePods can now differentiate voices to allow for individualized responses. More third party apps can now leverage Siri in CarPlay, facilitating a much richer voice-driven in-car experience.
Verdict: Although not as useful as Google Assistant or Alexa, Siri provides a solid “third place” but without compromising privacy. The number of additional use cases take something that has been growing increasingly useful, and make it even more so.
HomeKit this year added support for several new categories of devices including routers and security cameras. Security camera footage can be analyzed by a HomePod and then encrypted and stored in iCloud, with 10 days of storage available at no charge.
Verdict: HomeKit is one of the easiest smart home systems available and one that certainly makes privacy a feature. Although I personally have not gone down the smart home path, if I were to do it, HomeKit would likely be my choice given privacy concerns with other platforms.
Project Catalyst
One of the largest announcements was no doubt Project Catalyst, the project formerly known as Marzipan. Developers can now take iPad applications and target macOS merely through xCode and get applications working with a minimal amount of re-factoring provided that no obsolete libraries are used and there are not too many hardware-specific features. iPad apps were chosen deliberately as they were inherently designed to handle a larger display size, with the hypothesis that the experience will translate better to macOS. This is also Apple being cognizant that an application built for a phone may not work very well on a desktop; something that is painfully apparent when utilizing Android apps in ChromeOS. Several major developers have already committed to leveraging Project Catalyst including Twitter and Atlassian.
Verdict: Probably one of the most game-changing announcements from WWDC – this sets the stage to invigorate the macOS ecosystem like nothing before. All Mac users can no doubt look forward to many more native applications than have been previously available. Early developer feedback is very positive, suggesting that Apple’s timing is once again right to truly drive a cross-platform developer experience. As well, it sets the stage for further blurring between the iPad and the Mac. It’s easy to imagine where this goes as the iPad gains mouse support and true windowing while the Mac becomes more touch-enabled when using an iPad as a second display/input.
Sign in with Apple
Single sign on has been around the Web for a while, with Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Twitter all being quite prevalent. Now Apple has entered the fray – but with a unique twist, Privacy. Whereas the others leverage SSO to build up advertising profiles, etc. – Apple is doing the exact opposite. No data is stored. It even goes so far as to provide e-mail address obfuscation to truly maintain a private identity. And, the use of Sign in with Apple is going to be mandatory for the App Store going forward virtually guaranteeing widespread adoption.
Verdict: This is the 2019 “Apple tax” for developers, but consumers win in the end – at the expense of the other major SSO providers. It will be interesting to see how actual end user adoption goes, but as a privacy minded individual – I can see myself using this.
The Mac Pro & Pro Display XDR
Several years back it seemed that Apple had abandoned the professional user with the 2013 Mac Pro that didn’t seem to solve very many problems for anyone while exiting the display market and pushing users towards MacBook Pros and USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. The rest of the line somewhat languished beyond the outstanding 5K iMac. Professional users were rightfully outraged.
In a rare about-face, Apple admitted it had gone down the wrong path and re-committed to the professional audience, but with a 2-year tease for a new Mac Pro. In the interim, the core iMac and notebook lines have been refreshed with much better regularity and seen massive specification increases – hindered only by the awful butterfly keyboards. The Mac Mini received an impressive specification boost that nobody thought would happen. The iMac Pro debuted and delivered the most powerful Mac to-date – something far more powerful than the 2013 Mac Pro. All of this led to the speculation that the new Mac Pro and display would be horribly off the mark when they did arrive; the rumor mill was convinced it would be a stackable system of Mac Mini-like enclosures with proprietary connectors while users lamented the old G4-style “cheese grater” chassis.
In a somewhat shocking move, Apple reimagined the “cheese grater” and delivered the most powerful and expandable Mac ever seen. Industry standards like PCIe are embraced, but Apple made it better with the MPX modules and is encouraging an open ecosystem. At debut, the new system has an impressive array of GPU options plus a FPGA coprocessor for editing up to 3 streams of 8K or 12 streams of 4K video. This is paired with a 32” display that can operate in either portrait or landscape at Retina 6K resolutions with an astounding 1M:1 contrast ratio. The whole setup is ungodly expensive, but ungodly powerful.
Verdict: Nobody can say that Apple doesn’t care about professionals any longer. There is truly something for everyone from extremely powerful notebooks and iMacs Mac Minis with 3rd party display and GPU ecosystem to the iMac Pro – and now this beast of a setup. It punches far above the weight class of any previous Mac Pro, whose use cases can now arguably be met with the iMac Pro or other aforementioned options. The level of power (and price tag) one can configure is pretty amazing. Likewise, the new display’s specifications are competing with reference displays costing tens of thousands of dollars. When looking at what is being delivered, it is priced competitively to inexpensively depending on the use case.
As someone that does a lot of virtualization as well as photography (with a budding interest in SLR panoramic photography, which requires a lot of horsepower), this is the Mac Pro I’ve been waiting for. Although an iMac Pro would definitely meet my needs, the modular expandability wins every time. My last Mac Pro lasted from 2006-2016; I can’t say I’ve managed to get a decade out of any other computer I’ve owned. I expect no less here…
This was an incredibly exciting WWDC. My key take-aways:
The most refined mobile operating system gets even more refined, with a lot of core functional enhancements and a much desired dark mode combined with the best in-car experience available
Although by no means winning the AI assistant race in terms of features, Siri has evolved to the point of genuine utility while not sacrificing privacy
HomeKit has expanded to pretty much every mainstream use case for a smart home platform, while again prioritizing privacy
The Watch and watchOS have emerged into a first-class platform, with a plethora of new use cases opened up with iPhone independence. Only time will tell if the Watch will continue to be a health and fitness first device (and the undisputed leader there) or evolve into something broader.
Apple is truly becoming the “privacy as a feature” company, with this being a core value proposition of virtually every product line and the new Sign in with Apple, which provides a unique means of obfuscating one’s identity over the Internet in what will no doubt become a very widely adopted SSO mechanism given the mandate to leverage it in the App Store.
Apple is more committed to the Mac ecosystem than ever, with the introduction of Catalina, the new Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR, and Project Catalyst, which looks to be on the verge of bringing a multitude of iOS applications to the Mac in an extremely seamless and expeditious fashion. Big name adoption and early positive feedback are indicators that taking the time to mature Project Catalyst was probably the right thing for all.
The iPad is now becoming a true laptop replacement for many more use cases. It’s touch-first user experience is not being compromised in any way and it is clear Apple has even further ambitions in the future. Even more interesting is its fusion as a touch-display accessory to macOS allowing a best-of-both worlds without any compromise. Project Catalyst and harmonizing the developer platform between iOS and macOS hints at likely even greater things to come as iPadOS and macOS converge.
The fact that iOS was not the star of the show acknowledges what sales and Wall Street have already recognized we are likely at peak iPhone. The renewed focus in broadening and growing the overall Apple ecosystem quashed any lingering doubts I had about Apple’s overall strategy.
Some Other Thoughts
First, a hat tip to my good friend and former colleague Dylan Lloyd, with whom I always enjoy discussing Apple’s latest including this WWDC.
This is also my first blog post in almost three years. Shame on me. Now that I work for Hootsuite as a social-tech company, I must endeavour to “be more social” and blog more often. Thanks for reading!
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New Zealand and Australia – warmest decade on record
By Peter Griffin • 06/01/2010 • 1
New Zealand and Australia experienced their warmest periods in the decade just closed since records began according to data released by NIWA and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
While 2009 was slightly cooler overall than the 1971 – 2000 average, says NIWA, the decade was still the warmest, followed by the 1980s, the 1970s and the 1990s, in that order.
’This result is caused by a combination of natural variability and a background warming trend,’ Dr James Renwick, NIWA Principal Scientist said in a statement.
Across the Tasman, Australian scientists also confirmed the warmest decade on record since reliable records began in 1910:
“2009 ends Australia’s warmest decade on record, with a decadal mean temperature anomaly of +0.48°C (above the 1961-90 average). In Australia, each decade since the 1940s has been warmer than the preceding decade. In contrast, decadal temperature variations during the first few decades of Australia’s climate record do not display any specific trend. This suggests an apparent shift in Australia’s climate from one characterised by natural variability to one increasingly characterised by a trend to warmer temperatures.”
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology
In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate talks, the World Meteorological Organisation predicted the decade 2000 – 2009 would be the warmest on record for the globe. The local results from New Zealand and Australia will be taken into account in the finalised WMO climate data for the decade.
One Response to “New Zealand and Australia – warmest decade on record”
New Gadgets | New Zealand and Australia – warmest decade on record says:
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About Griffin's Gadgets
Griffin's Gadgets is the blog of Sciblogs founder and editor Peter Griffin. His area of interests include technology, science, futurism and science communication. Peter is the founding director of the New Zealand Science Media Centre and a technology commentator for the New Zealand Listener, Radio New Zealand and Newstalk ZB.
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Left-brained: Study suggests conservative Democrats don’t compute for liberal voters
NeuroscienceNeuroscienceSocial & Behavioral Science
Credit: Craig Chandler|University Communication|University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Political partisans would like you to believe voters’ heads will explode if faced with candidates crossing party lines on key policies – a Democrat who opposes abortion, say, or a Republican who supports gun control. In a new study, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers found that self-identified liberals were more likely to notice when candidates deviated from the party line. Liberals also tended to take longer to react to inconsistent positions from Democrats. And in the majority of instances, they evaluated those inconsistent positions as “bad.”
The study used a powerful functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine at the university’s Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior to observe what happens inside the brain when people are faced with “incongruent” policy positions from their party’s candidates. The researchers used the scanner to see if certain areas of the brain activate when people evaluate candidates’ stances on a range of issues.
Participants were asked to review made-up candidates’ positions on dozens of issues, then decide within milliseconds whether those positions were “good” or “bad.”
“We found that liberal and conservative participants processed the information differently and that liberals were more likely to penalize candidates who expressed incongruent positions,” said lead researcher Ingrid Haas, a political psychologist at Nebraska.
That may mean Democratic candidates with conservative leanings may have a trickier time in today’s political climate than Republican candidates with a liberal bent, Haas said.
The findings have implications for the causes of political gridlock, she said. It may not be true that polarization comes only from the top, with politically polarized elites alienating constituents by refusing to compromise. The study hints that polarization may also emerge at the grassroots level.
Despite conservatives’ reputation for being less tolerant of ambiguity, the findings suggest liberals are more likely to scrutinize inconsistency, Haas said.
“If less scrutiny is applied to Republicans for policy deviations, it may indicate that specific liberal causes and policies have some electoral viability among Republican candidates,” Haas and co-authors wrote in the study.
There are other possible explanations for the differences in conservative and liberal reactions: Perhaps the GOP has become so fractured on issues like health insurance, social issues and foreign policy, the researchers suggested, that voters don’t always recognize when a candidate has left the ideological fold.
Haas’ research team included Melissa Baker, a former Nebraska student and now a graduate student at the University of California at Merced; and Frank Gonzalez, a former Nebraska graduate student who is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona.
The Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, or CB3, is an interdisciplinary center at Nebraska that brings together faculty in the social, biological and behavioral sciences and engineering. The center’s state-of-the-art facilities and multidisciplinary environment expands understanding of brain function and its effects on human behavior. The center’s unique capabilities and partnership with Nebraska Athletics deepen the university’s research capacity, including its leading expertise in concussion research.
The team conducted brain scans of 58 adults while they reviewed policy positions of four hypothetical political candidates — two Democrats and two Republicans. While in the scanner, participants saw stock photos representing the candidates and responded to about 50 of their policy positions on issues such as the death penalty, teaching evolution, immigration, same-sex marriage, climate change and gun control.
About one-third of the time, the hypothetical candidates held positions that conflicted with their party’s. Participants pressed a button to indicate whether they felt “good” or “bad” about the candidate based on the policy stance.
Conservatives were less likely to notice whether policy positions followed party lines. They also showed a stronger positive response when Democrats held conservative positions. They were more evenly divided in ruling whether it was good or bad when a candidate deviated from the party platform.
Researchers found that the areas of the brain used to monitor conflict and evaluate information were more active on incongruent trials for liberal participants compared to conservative participants, especially when they evaluated “in-group,” or same-party, candidates.
“These findings may be concerning to those who see political polarization as a problem as well as to those who desire meaningful social change as they demonstrate the psychological process that help to hinder the likelihood of political compromise, which is necessary for translating desired policy into implemented policy given the divided nature of government in the United States,” the authors concluded.
Ingrid Haas, political psychologist
@UNLNews
http://www.unl.edu
http://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/left-brained-study-suggests-conservative-democrats-dont-compute-for-liberal/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11211-017-0295-0
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Hero at Large (1980)
Posted on July 11, 2018 | 1 comment
4-Word Review: Actor becomes a hero.
Steven Nichols (John Ritter) is a struggling actor who is hired to wear the Captain Avenger outfit in public in order to help promote the movie, which he himself is not in, that is soon to be released. While picking up a snack late one night at a convenience store he inadvertently witnesses a hold-up and decides to put on his Captain Avenger disguise to ward off the crooks and the trick works and makes him an overnight sensation. Walter (Bert Convy) who works for the mayor (Leonard Harris) decides to hire Steven to play Captain Avenger fighting off more crooks in different scenarios, but this ends up causing Steven serious conflicts with Jolene (Anne Archer) the pretty lady who lives across the hall from him and who he has just started up a relationship.
I really like John Ritter, but his appeal here gets put to the extreme test and it isn’t enough to save what is otherwise a very flat film. This was supposed to be the movie that jettisoned his career to the big screen, but instead it quarantined him back to TV-star status and he was never able to recover. By the 90’s he got a few more leading movie roles, but they were in crude, low-brow stuff like Stay Tuned and Problem Child, which were never going to win the Academy Award, but even they were better than this bland thing.
The script by A. J. Carothers, who mainly wrote for Disney and TV-sitcoms, doesn’t go far enough with its premise and misses too many prime opportunities to be funny. The most disappointing is the film’s pivotal moment where Ritter tries to stop a hold-up, but you would think someone who has never fought off criminals before would be clumsy in his first attempt, which should’ve invited in some slapstick comedy, but it never comes. You would also think hardened street crooks would laugh at Steven in his super hero getup and probably turn around and beat the shit out of him especially since he carried no weapons instead of running away from him in fright. Yet this potentially big moment gets played out like a throwaway scene that lasts for less than a minute and is quickly forgotten.
The emphasis instead gets focused on Steven’s generic romance with Jolene, who after knowing him for only a little while lets him move into her apartment where he platonically sleeps on the sofa even as she continues to see her boyfriend, which seems like quite a stretch. Her constant smiling at Steven’s ongoing ineptness makes her seem more like a parent bemused at her child’s wide-eyed naivety than as an equal love partner.
What is worse is the film’s attempts at satire, which are too obvious and it beats home its simplistic, feel good message like it’s being told to a group of eight-year-olds. The super hero costume that he wears is unimaginatively designed and barely masks Steven’s identity, which makes the subplot dealing with how almost no one is able to figure out who this super hero guy is as quite ridiculous.
The dumbest part though is the ending, which gets played up to a nauseatingly melodramatic degree and has Steven, wearing his Captain Avenger outfit, running into a burning building just as all the other firefighters are told to evacuate it and then somehow able to save a child unscathed even as the building falls in on him, which all helps cements this woefully uninspired flick as an excellent candidate for a bad movie night.
Released: February 8, 1980
Runtime: 1Hour 38Minutes
Director: Martin Davidson
Studio: United Artists
Available: DVD, Amazon Video, YouTube
Posted in 80's Movies, Comedy/Drama, Movies for the Whole Family, Movies that take place in the Big Apple, Romance
Tagged A. J. Carothers, Anne Archer, Entertainment, John Ritter, Movies, Review
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“Banal Story”: A Hypermedia Critical Edition
by Quimby Melton
the all text
permissions & credits
"'Banal Story': A Hypermedia Critical Edition" features a reading of the overlooked -- and atypical -- Ernest Hemingway short story, a critical bibliography of relevant secondary sources, and a remixed "all text" edition of the story itself. An unauthorized, eclectic conflation of three editions of the story, the "Banal Story" all text is as much visual art as literary artifact.
More broadly, the project illustrates the radical possibilities hypermedia offers 21st century manuscript studies and material textual scholarship.
Citation: Melton, Quimby. 20 April 2014. "“Banal Story”: A Hypermedia Critical Edition." SCRIPTjr.nl. https://scriptjr.nl/articles/banal-story (accessed [PST / -8:00]).
Updated: April 20, 2014 at 12:28 pm (PST / -8:00)
Quimby Melton lives in Southern California where he directs operations for his boutique hypermedia design firm Studio Hyperset, manages a raging narrative creation/consumption habit, cultivates the Victorian "gentleman adventurer" ideal, and edits SCRIPTjr.nl. A graduate of the Universities of Georgia (BA, cum laude, '00) and Nevada, Las Vegas (MA, '03; PhD, '08), Quimby studied Anglo-American literature, 20th century art and music, and various new media technologies. He's published work in Bright Lights Film Journal, SCRIPTjr.nl, Zouch, and other publications and has written many "closeted" screenplays of his own, which, admittedly, remain so less out of necessity than as a result of consequence.
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Watch: Shopkeeper at Shaheen Bagh, whose stores have been shut for a month, explains why he protests
Jun 21, 2018 · 08:59 pm Updated Jun 21, 2018 · 10:48 pm
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepts five YSR Congress MPs’ resignations
They had quit in April to protest the Centre’s refusal to provide special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan | PTI
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday accepted the resignations of five YSR Congress legislators. V Vara Prasada Rao, YV Subba Reddy, PV Midhun Reddy, YS Avinash Reddy, and Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy had quit in April to protest against the Centre’s failure to provide special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Lok Sabha bulletin, Mahajan accepted the resignations of the MPs with effect from June 20. This comes two weeks after the legislators urged the Speaker to accept their resignations immediately. Mahajan had earlier asked them to reconsider their decision.
The YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party had held up proceedings in Parliament all through the Budget Session to protest the Centre’s refusal to grant Andhra Pradesh special status. The session was marred by protests for for 22 days in a row in March-April.
The five YSR Congress Party legislators had also accused Mahajan of using various pretexts to not admit their no-confidence notice against the central government. The party submitted at least 12 notices, calling for discussions on a no-trust motion against the government.
“We proved our sincerity by resigning from our seats,” Rajamohan Reddy said, according to the Hindustan Times. “Now, it is up to the Election Commission to take a call on whether it will hold bye-elections to the vacant seats or not. We are ready to face the bye-elections.”
As the resignations were accepted on June 20 and the present term of the Lok Sabha will be over in less than a year’s time, chances of bye-elections to these seats are slim, reported The Times of India. The Election Commission will decide on the matter after the Speaker’s office informs it about the vacant seats.
Sumitra Mahajan
YSR Congress
Muslim women can pray at mosques, may ignore fatwas prohibiting entry, personal law board tells SC
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Topic Information security threats
SubTopic Messaging threats
Nation-state cyberattacks
Messaging threats
Emerging threats
Hacker tools and techniques
Internet applications
Contributor(s): Taina Teravainen
Email spam, also known as junk email, is unsolicited bulk messages sent through email. The use of spam has been growing in popularity since the early 1990s and is a problem faced by most email users. Recipients of spam often have had their email addresses obtained by spambots, which are automated programs that crawl the internet looking for email addresses. Spammers use spambots to create email distribution lists. A spammer typically sends an email to millions of email addresses, with the expectation that only a small number will respond or interact with the message.
The term spam is derived from a famous Monty Python sketch in which there are many repetitive iterations of the Hormel canned meat product. While the term spam was reportedly first used to refer to unwanted email as early as 1978, it gained more widespread currency in the early 1990s, as internet access became more common outside of academic and research circles.
Types of spam
Email spam comes in various forms, the most popular being to promote outright scams or marginally legitimate business schemes. Spam typically is used to promote access to inexpensive pharmaceutical drugs, weight loss programs, online degrees, job opportunities and online gambling.
Spam is commonly used to conduct email fraud. The advance-fee scam is a well-known example -- a user receives an email with an offer that purportedly results in a reward. The fraudster presents a story where upfront monetary assistance is needed from the victim in order for the fraudster to acquire a much larger sum of money, which they would then share. Once the victim makes the payment, the fraudster will invent further fees, or stop responding.
Fraudulent spam also comes in the form of phishing emails, which are emails disguised as official communication from banks, online payment processors or any other organizations a user may trust. Phishing emails typically direct recipients to a fake version of the organization's website, where the user is prompted to enter personal information, such as login and credit card details.
Users should avoid opening spam emails and never respond to them or click on links in the messages. Spam email may also deliver other types of malware through file attachments or scripts, or contain links to websites hosting malware.
Spamming techniques
Botnets allows spammers to use command-and-control servers, or C&C servers, to both harvest email addresses and distribute spam.
Snowshoe spam is the technique of using a wide range of IP addresses and email addresses with neutral reputations to distribute spam widely.
Another method spammers use is blank email spam. This involves sending email with an empty message body and subject line. The technique could be used in a directory harvest, an attack against an email server that seeks to validate email addresses for a distribution list by identifying invalid bounced addresses. In this type of attack, the spammer does not need to enter text into the email. In other instances, seemingly blank emails may hide certain viruses and worms that can be spread through HTML code embedded in the email.
Spammers have developed methods to obfuscate the nature of their unsolicited email or find a way to bypass spam filters. Because spam-filtering programs often search for certain patterns or words in the subject lines and message bodies of email, spam emails often contain misspelled words or extra characters.
With image spam, the text of a message is stored as a JPEG or GIF file and placed into the email body. The text is often computer-generated and unintelligible to human readers. This method attempts to avoid detection from text-based spam filters. Some newer filters have the ability to read images and locate text in them; however, this can inadvertently filter out nonspam emails that happen to contain images featuring text.
How to stop spam emails
While receiving some spam may be unavoidable, users can reduce the amount that makes it into their inbox. Most email clients already have spam filtering in place, which will move suspicious email to a separate junk folder. By reporting, blocking and deleting instances of spam email that do make it into their inboxes, users can train the client to prevent further messages from those particular spam addresses or messages displaying similar content.
Block email spam using a firewall to filter out unwanted emails.
For extra protection, users can also add a third-party antispam filter on local email clients or create an email whitelist, which includes all of the specific email addresses, IP addresses or domains the user trusts and is willing to receive email from. The whitelist must be thoroughly and continuously updated, and it can be a time-consuming and difficult process.
Users who need to publish their email addresses on the internet, such as in online forums or comments sections, should use a disposable email account or masked email address.
Legality of sending junk emails
Most internet service providers (ISP) have acceptable use policies that prohibit sending spam. However, ISPs may be reluctant to or face difficulties actually enforcing these terms.
In the United States, Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, or the CAN-SPAM Act, permits unsolicited commercial email to be sent if it meets certain criteria, including having an accurate subject line, header and sender address, containing clear information for users on how to opt out of future emails and including a valid physical postal address. The act is enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Critics of CAN-SPAM deride it for pre-empting other more restrictive antispam laws and being ineffectual at reducing the amount of spam users receive.
Many countries, including Canada, Australia and the European Union, have passed laws that target the act of sending spam. The EU has a set of guidelines member countries can adapt their electronic communications laws from, but most member countries stipulate that either prior explicit consent or an existing transactional relationship is required before a commercial email is sent, and it should be made easy for the recipient to opt out of any further messages. Offenders may receive fines and other penalties.
This was last updated in January 2017
Continue Reading About email spam
Compare the best email security gateways for protecting your enterprise from spam.
Learn how to block spam on enterprise email systems.
Prevent phishing email attacks with effective security controls and end-user training.
Keep up with how spam defense methods have evolved.
Ensure your business is acting in accordance with the FTC's CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide.
Email (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication. See complete definition
Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personally identifiable ... See complete definition
Phishing is a form of fraud in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable entity or person in email or other communication ... See complete definition
Dig Deeper on Email and messaging threats
The state of enterprise spam filters: Can more be done to control spam?
By: Michael Cobb
Learn IT: Defeating Spam in the Enterprise
backscatter spam
Can an IP spoofing tool be used to spam SPF servers?
Margaret Rouse asks:
What methods have you found effective for reducing spam email?
Margaret Rouse - 21 Sep 2005 11:35 AM
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VanderKooi Repeats, Bridgman Wins 1st Title
Posted Saturday, November 2, 2019
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN – Abby VanderKooi wasn’t being cocky.
She was merely stating the obvious.
“I don’t normally have competition anywhere, so it’s really tough,” the Muskegon Western Michigan Christian sophomore said.
Being one of the nation’s top runners and competing in the smallest division at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula cross country championships only accentuates the gap between VanderKooi and her competition.
The Division 4 girls race Saturday at Michigan International Speedway was a battle for second place as VanderKooi ran solo up front to repeat as champion by 1 minute, 11.7 seconds with a time of 18:11.0.
Last year, she won by a margin of 1:15.6 in 17:47.3.
So, how does VanderKooi maintain her focus in races when there is nobody else around to push her?
“I try to recite Bible verses, and that helps sometimes,” she said.
Her favorite, she said, is Philippians 4:13.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” she said. “I like that one a lot.”
VanderKooi followed up her Division 4 championship last year by placing third in the Foot Locker National Championship in San Diego. She plans to run the Midwest Regional on Nov. 30 in Kenosha, Wis., to qualify for the national meet Dec. 14.
VanderKooi had a gap on the pack by the end of the 700-meter opening straightaway. Riley Ford of Marlette was in second place, but had no delusions of trying to catch VanderKooi.
“I just ignore that she’s there,” Ford said. “I know she’s at a way higher level than I am. I try to do what I can do. My goal was to get second, and it happened.”
Ford held second place the entire race, holding off a brief challenge from 2018 runner-up Madison Volz of Lansing Christian at the two-mile mark. Ford finished in 19:22.7. Volz was third in 19:30.2.
“Last year I got fifth,” Ford said. “I was holding second, then I got passed at the two mile and kept getting passed and couldn’t hold it. The last two weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of kilometer repeats at race pace. My pace was ingrained in my head, and it really helped. I just wanted it really bad. I haven’t had the best season.”
In the team competition, Bridgman ended Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s four-year run as champion by scoring 132 points. Sacred Heart was second with 148, and Kalamazoo Christian was third with 174.
Karsyn Stewart was sixth overall and third among team runners in 19:38.8, while Arie Hackett was 11th overall and sixth among team runners in 19:58.2 to lead Bridgman. The Bees’ previous best finish at an MHSAA Final was fifth in Class D in 1985. They didn’t qualify again until 2015, but have since made it four of the last five years.
Summer Fast was 39th (20:59.3), Jane Kaspar 68th (21:43.1) and Mikaela Owen 81st (21:55.8) to complete Bridgman’s scoring.
Click for full results.
PHOTOS: (Top) WMC’s Abby VanderKooi builds a big lead during Saturday’s Division 4 Final. (Middle) Bridgman’s Karsyn Stewart (1702) follows Maple City Glen Lake’s Makenna Scott through a curve. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)
Bridgman Completes Climb to 1st Title By Geoff Kimmerly Second Half editor Bridgman girls cross country coach Spencer Carr couldn’t recall his team having a bad meet this fall. And...
Dudek's Dominance Paces Pioneer Title Run Second Half reports BROOKLYN – Zofia Dudek wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a potential MHSAA champion cross country runner during her f...
Petr's Kick Highlights EGR D2 Dominance Second Half reports BROOKLYN – As Anna Petr charged toward the finish line at Michigan International Speedway, trying to overtake the reigning ...
Tolson, 3-Peater Hart Find Winning Plans Second Half reports BROOKLYN – Rylee Tolson got her rookie mistakes out of the way last year. Running for the first time in the MHSAA Lower Pe...
Preview: Challengers Chase History By Geoff Kimmerly Second Half editor Make way for historic finishes at Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals at Michigan...
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, Marlette, Bridgman, 2019-20 Finals
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Shine A Light on 35yrs of Central Youth Theatre
To build a fund to enable us to continue offering subsidised bursary places for young people to take advantage of all aspects of our youth theatre offer, including weekly activities, learning performance and backstage skills, celebrating local heritage and travelling to international festivals.
Charity information: Central Youth Theatre
The need to keep our services open and accessible to all young people regardless of their families financial circumstances
By building up a fund to provide bursary places
To create bursary funds to provide subsidised places for young people to access our youth theatre.
» Weekly drama workshops
» Performance and backstage opportunities, including stage management, set and costume making, technical skills in lighting and sound.
» Opportunities to perform at international festivals across Europe
» Learn about local heritage and culture through taking part in immersive projects that explore the history of Wolverhampton and it's population
Statistical figures and through dissemination of activities via our annual report, social media channels and website,
Ensuring young people from areas of deprivation across the City of Wolverhampton are accessing our activities. We track this through the data we collect on membership forms and we share this statistical information in our annual report where we publish graphs of the wards our membership is drawn from.
Not being proactive in promoting our activities across the most deprived areas of the City.
Via our annual report and via emails and social media.
Budget - Project Cost: £5,000
£3,000 Termly Workshops Subsidy of £150 per person per term x 20 yp per termk
£2,000 International Festivals Subsidy of £200 per child to travel and participate in international festivals x 10 yp
City Of Wolverhampton.
In the 2015 Indices of Deprivation, Wolverhampton was ranked as the 17th most deprived of England’s 326 local authorities,
Young people aged 8 -25yrs of age, including young people with disabilities.
We have been delivering this kind of work for the last 35 years and have a considerable standing and reputation in this line of work.
Jane Ward MBE
Founding Director and company administrator and Artistic Director
Holly Parry
Co-Director - company administrator, marketing co-ordinator and artistic director
Anthony Allen MBE
Chair of Trustees - overseeing financial affairs of organisation
Janine Lane
Volunteer Admin Assistant - and data collection on membership stats
What Central Youth Theatre Does
In 2016 UK Youth made Central Youth Theatre a highly commended youth organisation for it's innovative and adaptable approach to overcoming challenges and continuously supporting young people to positively progress through their social development journey
Anna Smee - UK Youth
Central Youth Theatre has been one of those things that define someone’s entire life & the path that it takes, and it has buried itself deep into the core of my very being. It was a defining experience for me, and I am sure it has been for the hundreds of young people that have passed through it
Rus Gethings - former member
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Sarah Blake's Books
Naamah
Let’s Not
Mr. West
Named After Death
If an alien ship came to Earth, would you get on?
In her stunning follow-up to Mr. West, Sarah Blake uses self-consciousness as a tool for transformation. Her fear becomes palpable through the classification of monsters and through violences made real. When the poems find themselves in the domestic realm, something is always under threat. The body is never safe, nor are the ghosts of the dead. But these poems are not about cowering. By detailing the dangers we face as humans, as Americans, especially as women, these poems suggest we might find a way through our anxieties and our injuries. Read a starred review from Publishers Weekly here.
“When Sarah Blake says Let’s Not Live on Earth, it’s not whimsy, it’s vision. Her poems of suburban domesticity pushed to the breaking point give way to a genuinely fearsome feminist epic with the prescience of science fiction and the savagery of poetry.”—Kathleen Ossip, author of The Do-Over and The Cold War
“Sarah Blake breaks her heart open for us in Let’s Not Live on Earth by writing what being inside and outside the body is as simultaneity. I am jarred out of my own angle and what I’ve always known about bodies becomes uncanny.”—Carmen Giménez Smith, author of Milk and Filth
Let’s Not Live on Earth came out in December 2017 from Wesleyan University Press—available now at Barnes&Noble and other retailers. Or find it at a library. The cover features a painting by Nicky Arscott. Follow the links below to poems in the collection.
Three poems in the January/February issue of American Poetry Review
Neutron Star in Kenyon Review
For Max in The Rumpus
Featured at Verse Daily, Rats in West Branch
Three poems and an interview in Connotation Press
Two poems in Horsethief
(one is featured on Lushlife’s interdisciplinary mixtape in support of the ACLU)
Three poems in Storyscape
Three poems in Arsenic Lobster
The beginning of The Starship first appeared in TriQuarterly (with audio recording)
The entirety of The Starship was published in illustrated installments at Berfrois, with enormous gratitude for all of the contributing artists
Praise for The Starship at Queen Mob’s Teahouse
“We’re Getting Older” by Instar (Greg Greenberg, Doug Van Bevers, Aaron Musquiz) with guests: Travis Orbin, Hayato Imanishi, Dan Wieten, and Sarah Blake
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Psychiatric Evaluation & Treatment
Meditation & Stress Mangement
NeuroStar TMS Thearpy
Becoming a new patient
Jonathan Sherrod
Jonathan Sherrod joined The EHS Medical Practice PA in 2006. As Financial Assitant, Jon is responsible for a wide range of executive support functions.
After earning his A.S. degree in General Studies at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, Jon served his country for six years as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.
Jon’s work experience prior to joining The EHS Medical Practice PA includes positions in management, accounting, sales, and data processing.
Sarkis Family Psychiatry
529 Northwest 60th St
About Sarkis Family Psychiatry
Our psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and nurse practitioners treat children, adults, and families for a full range of mental disorders and emotional problems such as ADHD, depression, bipolar, anxiety disorders, autism, and PTSD.
529 Northwest 60th St Gainesville, FL 32607
© Copyright 2016. Sarkis Family Psychiatry
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Board Members: 1948 to Present
Accessibility Fund
Access Copyright Foundation Grants
Artists in Communities
Artists in Schools
Independent Artists Program
Indigenous Peoples Art and Artists
Micro-Grant Program
Prince Edward Arts Scholarship
Professional Arts Organizations Program
Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts Awards
SaskFestivals
Preparing Your Application
How Are Grants Awarded?
Recent Recipients
Saskatchewan Arts Awards
The Story Behind the Award
Art Rental
Arts Services Organizations
E-mail: info@saskartsboard.ca
Artists in Schools offers schools a chance to enhance arts-related activities that are linked to educational outcomes through partnerships with professional artists. The aim of the program is to expand access to meaningful artistic activities, increase student engagement in learning, cultivate cross-disciplinary learning skills and attitudes, and foster a lifelong interest in the arts.
Artists in Schools -- Micro-Development funding allows schools access to small amounts of money to: build relationships with potential artists, present “experimental” introductory projects and/or assess school needs, research, and/or develop plans for longer term projects or residencies.
Artists in Schools -- Projects funding assists schools to design an inquiry based project by contracting a professional Saskatchewan artist working in any art form to collaboratively engage in arts activities that are linked to educational outcomes in any curriculum K-12. Applications will be accepted in English and French.
Artists in Schools -- Residencies funding assists schools to host an artist in residence project by contracting a professional Saskatchewan artist working in any art form to collaboratively engage in arts activities that are linked to educational outcomes.
Artists in Schools is a Saskatchewan Arts Board program supported by funding from the Saskatchewan Arts Board, SaskCulture Inc. through the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation, and the Government of Saskatchewan through the Ministry of Education.
See the Teachers section of our website for videos of successful projects and other helpful resources for teachers.
Application Closing Dates
Micro-Development: March 10, June 10, September 10, December 10
Projects: May 1 and November 1
Residencies: May 1
Note: Applications are now available online. They will not be accepted past the deadline date.
Eligible Applicants: Provincial schools, school divisions, band schools, private schools using the Saskatchewan arts education curriculum, in partnership with community groups or organizations, and professional artists.
Please review the Guidelines for more information on eligibility.
Maximum Funding
Micro-Development: $1,000
Projects: $10,000
Residencies: $40,000
Project Dates
Micro-Development: Anytime
Projects and Residencies: Between September 1 and June 30
Adjudication Process and Allocation Methodology
Applicants are informed of grant decisions no later than 60 days after the deadline.
A list of grant recipients will be posted below.
How do I find an artist for my project?
If you do not know of a suitable artist for your project, the Program Consultant can provide suggestions and help you find one.
Why does there have to be an inquiry question?
The Artists in Schools program has adopted an action research model for the program. Action research is about learning at the local level. When teachers state a question, they are expressing what they and students would like to learn during the course of the project. Inquiry learning encourages students and teachers to engage in creative processes and develop their own questions, learning methods and ideas. This way of working and learning parallels the way artists work in their own arts practice. It also encourages students, teachers and artists to be collaborators and co-learners.
Why the partnership be established between the teacher/school and the artist?
Most effective projects come out of strong partnerships between the school/teacher and the professional artists - relationships that are genuine and where both partners plan and execute the project, respecting each others' roles.
Who is eligible to apply for Artists in Schools grants?
The Saskatchewan Arts Board invites applications from partnerships that include an elementary or secondary classroom, school or a school division; a professional artist or group of artists. The teacher/school and artist must make the application.
Are any activities considered ineligible for funding?
The Artists in Schools program is not intended to fund the ongoing teaching of the provincial arts education program in schools. For example, hiring a band instructor to teach band or a dance instructor to teach dance would be ineligible projects. Nor is Artists in Schools funding intended for the purchase of equipment (e.g. kilns, digital cameras, computers). If you have concerns about eligibility of your project activities, contact the Program Consultant.
Can schools apply to have the same project funded again?
Yes. Ongoing involvement with the Artists in Schools program increases the impact on the school and community. Most schools that have received funding in consecutive years have developed new projects each year. However, we will entertain applications for repeat projects as well. Keep in mind that Artists in Schools s is not intended to fund ongoing programs that are the responsibility of a school or school division.
How do Artists in Schools projects tie into existing school programs?
Research shows that special projects in schools have more lasting impact if they are integrated into the learning program in the classroom. This means that the project fits into a broader unit of study planned by the teacher, with preparation and follow-up for the project activities. The teacher or teachers work with the other project partners in the planning, and assume responsibility for setting learning outcomes and determining where the project fits with curricula in arts education and other subject areas.
Can a teacher be paid as part of the Artists in Schools grant?
Artists in Schools projects are intended to be integrated into regular classroom activity. A teacher's participation would then be part of his/her teaching duties. If there are exceptional circumstances, such as a teacher who is also an artist taking leave from the classroom to participate as an artist, this should be made clear in the budget.
Documents are subject to revision up to six weeks before the submission deadline.
Artists in Schools Project Documentation
Micro-Development Grant
Artists in Schools -- Micro-Development Guidelines
Artists in Schools -- Projects Guidelines
Final reports should be submitted online. If you applied prior to January 2018 using a paper application and would like a final report on paper, please contact your Program Consultant.
Artists in Schools -- Residencies Guidelines
Artists in Schools --- Residencies Final Report Form
Recognizing Saskatchewan Arts Board Funding
Jody Greenman-Barber
(306) 787-4659 (Regina) or 1-800-667-7526 (Toll-Free)
The Saskatchewan Arts Board provides funding and support to the arts for the benefit of all people in Saskatchewan.
Regina Office: 1355 Broad Street · Regina, SK · S4R 7V1
Saskatoon Office: 201 Avenue B South · Saskatoon, SK · S7M 1M3
© Saskatchewan Arts Board
Designed by Bradbury Branding and Design. Developed by Numacorp
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book, film, t.v., Theatre, tv film radio books theatremusic storytelling horror mystery fantasy science fiction thrillers drama, Uncategorized
SCIENCE FICTION MADE ME A LIBERAL
October 31, 2016 scarletthefilmmagazinebooks, education, liberal 3 Comments
With the current election cycle finally winding down, I look forward to the end of all the toxic attitudes and comments from all sides of the political spectrum.
What has for me personally been a surprise has been the vitriol aimed at those of the Liberal attitude from many within the horror and science fiction community. I am not so foolish as to think everyone who shares a mutual interest in a subject to lock step politically, though it is interesting that while we share a mutual joy in these subjects, that we take away different conclusions from them.
Being a small kid in the Bronx with a stutter and a strong Bronx accent, I always felt like an “outsider”. Then when I was very young, visiting relatives in Ireland, my older brother took me to the movies. The first movies that I ever saw on the big screen were FRANKENSTEIN (1931, Universal) and CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (Hammer,1957).
Mind you, this was in the early 1960s, but cinemas would sometimes pair older films and show them . Now I was terrified by both films (and indeed my brother & I were tossed out of the theatre because I was screaming so hard when Christopher Lee tore off his facial bandages), but I felt a certain sadness for the creatures too, and I was unknowingly hooked. Peter Cushing popped up in several other films and I was impressed by him as a performer and I began to get the idea that I would like to be an actor.
I found myself drawn to works by horror,science fiction and fantasy writers. In the era before the internet or home computers, one had to go to the library and research when one didn’t understand certain things. Due to the references of certain eras ,countries, etc,I would go to the library and read books on history ,politics ,and various topics . Rather than being bored I found that it enriched my appreciation of the stories that I read, and the world in general. While others in school were struggling with THE CAT IN THE HAT, I was reading histories of the Middle Ages so I would have a better understanding of the world of “The Pit & The Pendulum” .
Now hooked to fantasy /horror films, I recall that on television they had an ad on the old WOR-TV (Channel 9) in NYC. “Ghosts, murder, Regicide” intoned the unseen announcer as black and white images flew by the screen. I didn’t know what regicide was, but ghosts and murder were what I wanted to see.
At the appointed hour, I tuned on the t.v., and turned the knob to the channel. The film was Laurence Olivier’s HAMLET (RANK,1948). It looked like a horror film with its fog and moody photography (and heck at the end there was Peter Cushing as Osiric) but there was something more to the film. I didn’t understand all that was said, but I knew I wanted to speak like that. At the end, I was in tears, and knew that:
1-I wanted to be an actor
2-I wanted to speak like the people in the film and learn more about this “Shakespeare” guy who wrote it.
So, I would listen to recordings by Olivier, Gielgud, and others reading the works of the Bard (thank you Caedmon records) and it helped me develop my speaking voice and my confidence. It also got me beaten up a bit (no one likes a pseudo British accent, especially under ten-year-old bullies), but I found too the writings of this man from 350 years earlier spoke to me of the human condition. “Hath not a Jew Eyes? “A speech that showed that people may pray differently, but in essence we were all of humans.
An amazing speech too in that there were very few Jews in the country at the time, and in a play, that in the end, the Merchant is forced to renounce his faith, in effect destroying what defined him. A complex ending to be sure. That earlier speech lifted Shylock from being the Hebrew of anti-Semitic tracts into a human being with flaws. Othello was a great general, had even saved the city and yet suffered prejudice due to the color of his skin. Again, there were few blacks in England in Shakespeare’s time, and xenophobia was quite strong, so that Shakespeare created a rounded human being (who even had flaws, suffering from epileptic fits, etc) from someone who was different speaks volumes.
Plus, when women were little more than property, he wrote such wonderful parts about them and for them, though it was illegal for women to PLAY them. The first English woman to legally do so was Margaret Hughes, December 8,1660 as Desdemona, ironically in “The Moor of Venice” (a reworking of Othello).
Through Shakespeare I discovered the idea of trying to understand others. Shakespeare and horror films also developed my love of storytelling as well as the joy of reading and discovery of ideas.
Science fiction writers like George Orwell challenged acceptance of society without question, and that sometimes things were not always what they seemed. ‘1984” Orwellian double speak now lives on in Fox News as well as politicians who constantly deny facts if it stands in the way of their political agenda. Sadly, many seem ready to accept their outrageous claims as “double plus good”. Back in the 1960s, though, we were engrossed in a foreign war that was not what we told it was for, and indeed the ideals were dropped as the conflict continued. Plus, at the time, social injustices and women’s liberation were also issues that threatened the fabric of the country. Science fiction, for a young teenager was a way of trying to understand these complex issues.
The idea of controlling the media and what we can and cannot read was a reality in many dictatorships, but also within our own country narrow minded people wanted to ban the likes of ROMEO & JULIET, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and many other works. Why? Because they made us question the status quo. Controlling thought in “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s ‘FAHRENHEIT 451 “reflected a society where that happens, and again Orwell predicted flooding the media with info that they wanted, and acting as if previous facts didn’t exist.
Television and movies also had a strong effect on shaping my opinions and beliefs.
The earliest influence that I can think of is Rod Serling’s TWILIGHT ZONE. Serling tried through his various brilliant television dramas to illuminate the human condition Unfortunately, he ran up against censorship from both the networks as well as the advertisers. In one of his political dramas he was forbidden to have his politicians comment on current events to avoid the appearance of siding with one side or the other.
Wanting to discuss social injustice, racism, and other injustices, he felt that only way to do that was to disguise his tales as fantasies, using the allegories to discuss otherwise taboo issues. Maintaining creative control, he was one of the first to explore the idea of people seeing only the superficial rather the person within (EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, NUMBER 7 LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU), bigotry and hate (I AM THE NIGHT-COLOR ME BLACK) and other social issues.
Probably the biggest influence on me was STAR TREK. The show showed a multinational multicultural crew working together to deal with new life forms and issues that reflected items within our own society. Yes, they had women in miniskirts, but that was more the demands of the era than the ideals of the series.
Looking back now 50 years on, it is easy to point out the flaws of the show, but one must remember that every step forward starts with a small victory, and that it doesn’t happen overnight.
The show also dealt with the issue of overpopulation (MARK OF GIDEON), racism (LET THIS BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD), mutual assured destruction (A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON) and many other issues of the time.
The thing that most appealed to me about STAR TREK is that it offered a possibility of a future for mankind. That somehow we would survive the constant threats that promised the destruction of our society and possibility the entire planet.
It reflected the possibilities offered by Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were murdered by narrow minds but they left with us the baton to fulfill the dream that they proposed as well as the ideals that Gene Roddenberry’s series gave us in his “Wagon Train to The Stars”.
Little did I know, but these shows and books influenced my world overview. I like to think of the possibility that we as a planet and humans can accomplish, to help other people and not be xenophobic, to respect difference and learn from them, to protect the planet over profit.
There are those who live in fear and they become more conservative as they do not understand change, while there are those who look in wonder of the possibilities of our future.
Yes, SCIENCE FICTION made me into a LIBERAL, and I am very grateful.
1980s, Action Adventure, Blu Ray, cult, fantasy, Fred Ward, genre, Joel Grey, Orion Pictures, The Destroyer, tv film radio books theatremusic storytelling horror mystery fantasy science fiction thrillers drama, Twilight Time Blu Ray
REMO WILLIAMS ( Blu Ray from Twilight Time)
October 25, 2016 scarletthefilmmagazineBlu Ray, cult, Remo Williams, Twilight Time 1 Comment
REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS (Twilight Time) Blu-Ray Regions: A/B/C $29.95 -1985, color, PG-13 Action-Adventure ,121 minutes. http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/remo-williams-the-adventure-begins-blu-ray/
From 1978 until 1999, Orion Pictures was a studio that made several brilliant films that sometimes-won awards and nominations (AMADEUS,1984; THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS,1991) but also had many box office failures and behind the scene intrigues that prevented it from becoming a new United Artists.
In fact, several of Orion’s board were former U.A. executives who were looking around for a successful action franchise along the lines of James Bond. The series that they decided upon were “The Destroyer “book series created by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir. The series continues to this day (145 and counting) with Murphy’s son Will picking up the mantle.
In the books, Remo Williams was a Newark cop falsely sentenced to die in the electric chair. His death is faked and he is spirited away and trained to become an assassin for CURE, a secret government organization. He is trained by Chuin, a master of Martial Arts. Many feels that the series hit its stride with the third book (Chinese Puzzle, 1972, Pinnacle Books). That is when Sinanju fighting style is mentioned and developed. Williams is taught that a gun is unnecessary (though he does occasionally use standard weapons when needed) and that he himself is the ultimate weapon. (The Duo also appeared in Comic Book Form as well)
The idea for a film was shopped around by producer Larry Spiegel (he had written several episodes of tv’s RETURN TO PLANET OF THE APE series (Fox -tv,1975) as well producing John Huston’s little seen horror thriller PHOBIA(Paramount,1980)) and he presented the Orion executives what they thought would be a lucrative series.
To keep the idea of being a competitor to the Bond films, they hired director Guy Hamilton (GOLDFINGER,1964, U.A.) and screenwriter Christopher Wood (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME,1977, U.A.).
Fred Ward was relative unknown when cast as Remo Williams (he had starred in TIMERIDER (Jensen Farley ,1982) as well as embodying Gus Grissom in the superb THE RIGHT STUFF (Ladd Company/WB,1983)). Ward, feeling this film series could raise his level of visibility, through himself into the role, doing as many of the physical stunts himself.
Cast as Chiun was Tony Award winning Broadway star Joel Grey (winning the Best Supporting Oscar for role of the M.C. in CABARET (Allied Artists,1972). Grey was attracted to the mysticism of the role but feared offending the Pan-Asian community, particularly the Korean. He researched and made sure that his character respected that history and he decided to take the role on the strength of the superlative make-up by Carl Fullerton.
REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS, Fred Ward, Kate Mulgrew, 1985. ©Orion Pictures Corp
The closest thing to a female lead in the film was the casting of Kate Mulgrew as Major Fleming. This was her first lead in a major film release (her debut was opposite Richard Burton in the barely released LOVESPELL(Paramount,1981) but there was not much there for the stage trained actress to work with.
The film was lensed in New York City, Coney Island New York, Washington D.C., and various locations in Mexico.
With all the expectations, the film, released October ,1985, received mixed reviews and worse, did not even cover its production costs. Adding insult to injury, the May release of A VIEW TO A KILL (U.A.) continued to outdraw REMO.
The film started to receive cult status when it became a staple of H.B.O. and other premium channels. Remo’s bad luck sadly continued when a t.v. pilot starring different actors was mostly pre-empted by a Presidential Speech in 1989, and then unseen until it began to pop up on some cable channels in 2009.
Now, TWILIGHT TIME goes above and beyond with their release of the film. Limited to a print run of only 3,000, Twilight Time has given us a 1080p Hi Def print in its original 1.85:1 ratio (it seems director Guy Hamilton was not a fan of Panavision). The image is sharp, showing off the cinematography of Andrew Laszlo (THE WARRIORS, Paramount,1979).
Sadly, the film betrays some cost cutting (or some money not making it to the screen. Shooting in Mexico to cut costs, they had superlative craftsmen, but they had not budgeted extortion that was a daily factor at the time in the Mexican Film Industry of the time). While the Statue of Liberty recreation is superb, some of the interior sets look like they were left over from a Jess Franco spy thriller (it seems some of the sets were unfinished when the filmmakers had to use them).
The English 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound is rich, with hiss free dialogue. The optional English subtitles are all very easy to read and follows the dialogue and describes the action perfectly.
The Disc has an abundance of Superb Extras:
The original theatrical trailer
– MGM 90TH Anniversary Trailer (MGM had acquired many of the Orion titles in one of their many acquisitions)
-A poster /still gallery
–Craig Safan’s isolated score- the synth sound dates the film as being from the 1980s, but it is a fun inventive work, mixing in traditional heroic orchestrations as well as a Korean Orchestra and even gun shots worked into the fabric of the compositions.(Remo Williams -Main Theme YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxAjVfDOTs4 ).
–Audio Commentary by Film Historians Eddy Fiedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer, and( friend of Scarlet) Paul Scrabo. This has got to be one of the most interesting commentary tracks in quite a while, as two of the three up front basically say that the film is not one of their favorites, and while they are quick to point out its many wonderful qualities, they seem to go into detail in pointing out its flaws.
The only other commentary track that I recall being this belittling of its subject was Retromedia’s out of print Tenth Anniversary DVD of JACK-O (Tri-boro, original Direct to video release,1995). On that film, producer Fred Olen Ray’s ribbing angered filmmaker Steve Latshaw so much that the Latshaw stormed out of the recording!!!
Ballyhoo Pictures once again outdoes themselves with their special mini documentaries.
Subjects covered are:
CREATED, THE DESTROYER: Writing Remo Williams. This part goes into detail about the many novels, and their history, plus interviews with author Will Murray and others. Devin Murphy (son of Warren Murphy )has taken over production of the series .
UNARMED & DANGEROUS -Producing Remo Williams. Interviews with many of the people who shepherded the film from pre-production into the final release, including producer Larry Spiegel and some of his team.
SECRETS OF SINANJU: Training Remo Williams – A nice interview with star Joel Grey. He talks about how he approached the role, and the work that he put into it. He seems (rightfully) very proud the part and has great affection for the character. Sadly, neither Fred Ward or Kate Mulgrew appear in an of the interviews. For Miss Mulgrew, it is perhaps no surprise, as it was a thankless role, but that Ward did not make himself available is a bit of a surprise/disappointment.
BALANCE OF POWER: Designing Remo Williams – Production Designer Jackson DeGovia gives a very informative interview (well-illustrated with production sketches) on the important job that he and his team did on making REMO WILLIAMS, plus the behind the scenes problems and some disappointments.
ASSASSIN’S TUNE: Composing Remo Williams- Composer Craig Safan talks about his ideas that went into making his memorable soundtrack. Plus, as a bonus, he composes on the spot a villain’s theme, which the film he feels lacked. Here he is a few years ago conducting his Remo Williams Suite without synths. What do you think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdoeKTv40qs
All in all, a quite enjoyable disc given a remarkable first class release. If you are a fan of this film, then this a definite must have. If you have never seen it, this is a superb introduction to the characters.
Every few years, it is announced that someone else is going to attempt a new Remo Williams film. Before that happens, you should seek out this film. It may not be a classic, but it is fun. Kudos once again to TWILIGHT TIME.
(this article was corrected and updated on October 27,2016 thanks to welcome information provided by author Devin Murphy.Kevin had incorrectly said Will Murray ,not Devin Murphy was the son of Warren Murphy . The above pressure point was applied to Kevin ,and he is truly sorry for his error !Agh!)
Cat Shelter – D.I.Y.
October 24, 2016 scarletthefilmmagazinecats, d.i.y., feral, pet shelters Leave a comment
Not film or horror related ,but I noticed a lot of horror,sci-fi,fantasy,etc lovers are are also major animal lovers.
Now with winter coming, it is time to worry about ferals that many have been feeding and caring for. First off, I hope that everyone has had the animals TNR’ed (Trapped Neutered,Released ). If you need to do so, read this link https://www.petfinder.com/helping-pets/feral-cats/caring-for-feral-cats/ .
Now for the rest, you can build individual cat shelters for as little as $30 each.
You can ,of course, buy pre- made , but you will end up paying so much more and they may not be as well insulated.
First , get some inexpensive plastic storage bins (I went to Target ,which had a superb selection). I bought mine due to the size (two medium size cats could fit comfortable within )and the bright color makes it easy to see if you need to dig out when it snows.
I also bought an exacto-knife, and masking tape there. Then I ordered some MYLAR Rescue Blankets. They are inexpensive but can be life savers. MYLAR RESCUE BLANKETS provides compact emergency Protection in all weather condition
Made of durable insulation Mylar material,Retains/reflects 90% of body heat ,and are
Waterproof and weatherproof .
Finally, I bought some inexpensive Turkey basting pans (24lbs size). I also pulled out some old plastic bags from various stores that I had saved, some old cloth material that I tore up,and a bunch of old vhs tapes that I was going to toss out (you will be able to substitute other items for this).
First, I took the old cloth,and stuffed them into the plastic bags. I saw that two would fit comfortably into the basting pan . I then tightly sealed and then taped them carefully shut. The reason for this is to provide bedding for the cats, but te plastic will prevent the material from getting wet and moldy.
(2 bags filled with cloth,sealed and taped to prevent moisture)
Then I took the container and the exacto , & I cut a hole/door large enough for the largest cat to get though, but not too large as to prevent wind and water pouring in. Roughly 6″ x 6″ .
Then I took the Mylar ,and cut it into sheets to line the interior walls of the shelter.The black masking tape was used to keep the strips in place . The mylar would be a great help as it will reflect the body heat of the cats back to them.
Then taking the masking tape,I lined the opening of the box with black masking tape to protect the cats from any jagged edges as well as to reduce the cracking of the plastic .
Next ,I put the old video tapes in the bottom of the container. This served three purposes, to act as extra insulation against the cold, to raise the beds should any water get in , and act as weight for the shelter in case of high winds . You can use other material to help serve the same purposes .
Onto this I placed the turkey pan. I bent the lip a bit so that moisture was less likely to pour into the pan ,keeping the cats dry .
I then placed the two bags of cloth into the pan. The cats now had comfortable beds.
I taped the top part of the box to the container, and tried to seal any space between lid and box with black masking tape .
(By the way, are parents really trying to store their babies?)
I also took some strong plastic that was used to ship packages, and attaching it above the opening, it made an easy to move curtain for the cats. They could move it and enter with little effort and this would also serve to prevent rain from getting in .
Cat tested and approved.
The first one proved a great success and was used the inaugural night by at least one of the feral cats. I had completed the shelter one just in time ,as we were hit with high winds, a 30 degree temperature drop in two days and massive rains.
Putting my hand into the shelter after I saw one of the ferals exit it,I found it was
completely dry, and actually a bit warmer than the outside air . The insulation had worked.
You can play around with the designs a bit.
My second shelter,I decided to cut the door 3/4 ,and bend the plastic up into a sort of porch roof . Again ,this would provide more shelter for the cats entering and exiting.
For the door flap,I took the plastic bag from cat food which was very strong ,plastic, waterproof ,and re-enforced , and used that as a cat flap.
My own cats had no trouble checking out the shelters and getting in and out.
The shelters placed outside ,next to a feeding station and water.
Please observe local regulations about the feeding of cats (clean up and dispose of food, etc ).
You may of course have to take the shelters in every once and awhile to clean them up and perhaps replace damaged mylar or cat beds. That is simple to do by just cutting off the tape sealing the lid, and reach in to do your repairs. If weather is bad, you can always bring it in to your work areas, and then return it when done.
I do wish to raise the cat shelters off the ground , but am at present looking for inexpensive material that is safe and will not endanger the cats or the shelters if placed upon them.
The idea of raising is to prevent predators from trapping the cats and the animals becoming trapped in a huge snowstorm.
If you have any comments and suggestions ,please feel free to do so.
Also feel free to share this how to guide if you feel it can help save animals.
1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, American International Pictures, book, BOOK REVIEW, Bruce Hallenbeck, CLASSIC, Classic Hollywood, cult, fantasy, genre, hemlock books, Horror, rare, review, Roger Corman, SCIENCE FICTION, studio history, tv film radio books theatremusic storytelling horror mystery fantasy science fiction thrillers drama, Uncategorized, wierd
ROCK ‘N’ROLL MONSTERS: THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL STORY
October 21, 2016 scarletthefilmmagazineaip, book.film, Bruce Hallenbeck, hemlock books 1 Comment
ROCK ‘N’ROLL MONSTERS: THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL STORY by Bruce Hallenbeck (Hemlock Books) paperback pages 280 published August ,2016
U.K. £16.25 http://www.hemlockbooks.co.uk/Shop/category/7
U.S.: $47.85 https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Monsters-American-International/dp/0993398936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477073892&sr=8-1&keywords=rock+n+roll+monsters
Author /film historian Bruce Hallenbeck has published another must have book for lovers of movies. After giving us wonderful books on many of the British companies Amicus and Hammer, Bruce Hallenbeck turns his focus on the little upstart company that grew and challenged the majors in areas where they could not or did not compete. American International Pictures finally began to become a major, only to find that the other studios were now churning out higher end versions of the type of movies that AIP had done, and so the studio vanished into corporate buyouts after 26 years.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES began when studios began to lose audiences to television. Small independent producers began to create their own films outside the studio system after the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 334 US 131 (1948) forced theatres to divest themselves from owning theatres and keeping out other producers.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Monsters: The American International Story is a 2016 book by Bruce G Hallenbeck (The Amicus Anthology; The Hammer Frankenstein; The Hammer Vampire), published by British-based Hemlock Books.
In the early 1950s, the traditional American film industry was facing a crisis due to one thing: television. Two men from totally different backgrounds pooled their talents and tapped into the burgeoning ‘teenage’ market, and American International Pictures was born.
Founded by James H. Nicholson, a fantasy /science fiction horror fan (he had known Forrest J Ackerman since High School and had even published an early fanzine together) who had worked his way through the industry up to writing campaigns for Realart’s re-releases of Universal horror classics.
When Realart distributed MAN MADE MONSTER (Universal,1941) under the title ATOMIC MONSTER*, producer Alex Gordon had a script with the same title, he sought a legal settlement. The lawyer he brought had been seeking an entrance into film production by the name of Samuel Z. Arkoff. Arkoff got Gordon a $500 settlement but more important the three men all hit it off with their similar love of making movies. In a strange way, Universal had created a monster that rose to challenge their status as a maker of creature features.
Nicholson and Arkoff sought completed product to start their new company. They had tested the waters with a small documentary in 1953 called OPERATION MALAYA released by their company AMERICAN RELEASING CORPORATION. ** The man credited as producer on that film also became an important component to the company’s development, Herman Cohen.
However, the company had its first real success when they met the filmmaker who made them a viable entity, Roger Corman. The filmmaker had a film called THE FAST & THE FURIOUS (1954, released nationally in 1955). He had been thinking of having another studio distribute his film, but after being taken around by Nicholson to the various sub distributors, he was so impressed that he decided to take a chance with the new company.
With borrowed money to keep the doors open, the film became profitable enough that company was off and running. The studio was also smart enough to capitalize on a market that the major studios were neglecting, teenagers.
While many of their early films starred older performers, as the company developed, younger actors took the spotlight and became the heroes and heroines. Young audiences responded with their newly available dollars.
As the 1960s began, the studios moved into more expensive productions, and made Edgar Allan Poe a hot property.
Bruce Hallenbeck tells the story of the studio with clarity and affection, and has done a lot of research. His choice of mostly British lobby cards is most welcome to an American fan of the genre such as myself.
Towards the final portion of the book, there is a sense of rushing to the end. That may be because of editorial choices wishing to keep the book under the mass of a Stephen King novel. One wishes that the author had been allowed to expand his research into two books, as there is a very rich history. Also, except for a few brief references, Nicholson’s contribution to the success of the company is often overlooked and Arkoff’s a bit overblown. Several people felt that Nicholson was the creative force behind the studio, and several of the artists disliked dealing with the crude Arkoff.
That said, the book, like all of Hallenbeck’s studio studies as well as Hemlock Books, is definitely worth picking up.
*-This was a script that Alex Gordon had co-written with Ed Wood that was also known as ‘Bride of The Atom” before finally being titled BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (1955, released through Banner Productions, oddly, not ARC / A.I.P.)
**-if you were not a major company, you had your film distributed by several small regional sub distributors.
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Category Archives: Horror
1990s, BLUE UNDERGROUND, cult, Edgar Allan Poe, film, genre, Horror, https://www.facebook.com/scarletthefilmmagazine/, independent film, monsters, review, SCARLETTHEFILMMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM, tv film radio books theatremusic storytelling horror mystery fantasy science fiction thrillers drama, Uncategorized
October 27, 2019 scarletthefilmmagazineAdrienne Barbeau, Argento, Blu Ray, BLUE UNDERGROUND, CD, CD Soundtrack, Dario Argento, E.G. Marshall, Edgar Allan Poe, George Romero, Harvey Keitel, John Amos, Kim Hunter, Lenticular Slipcover, Luigi Cozzi, Madeleine Potter, Martin Balsam, Michael Gingold, OST, Pino Donaggio, Poe, Ramy Zada, review, Romero, Sally Kirkland, Scarlet The Film Magazine, Slipcover, Tom Atkins, TOM SAVINI, Troy Howarth, Two Evil Eyes Leave a comment
TWO EVIL EYES (Blue Underground 3-disc Ltd Edition Blu-Ray/4K Restoration) $49.99 Special Edition Release Date October 29,2019 Region A.
Original Theatrical release U.S.A. -Taurus Entertainment ,1990.
Color. 120 mins.
https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Eyes-Blu-ray-Harvey-Keitel/dp/B07VGTYMKB/
Warning -review illustrated with gruesome effects shots. No animals and we suspect few actors were harmed
When TWO EVIL EYES came out, George Romero had just worked with a major studio on MONKEY SHINES (Orion,1988) but had a bad experience wherein his work was edited without his permission. *
Argento ‘s last feature OPERA (aka TERROR AT THE OPERA) was a huge success in his native Italy but was denied a theatrical release in the U.S. by Orion, instead letting the small video company Southgate release the film in an R and Unrated version.
The two filmmakers decided to go independent again to retain control of the final product and picked two different Edgar Allan Poe tales to adapt.
Romero chose “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (published simultaneously in The American Review and Broadway Journal ,December 1845) . The story had been adapted previously in an Italian short film (Il caso Valdemar,Italy,1936 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qGwCPKhdI ) as well as segments in the portmanteau films MASTERWORKS OF TERROR (Argentina ,1959, redubbed and released by Jack H Harris as MASTERS OF HORROR ,1965) ,Roger Corman’s TALES OF TERROR (AIP,1962) and on the Spanish horror series Historias para no dormir (Stories to Keep You Awake, Televisión Española 1966). It also is one of the stories in the recent EXTRAORDINARY TALES (Mélusine Productions 2015 ).
a 1969 Japanese Illustration, inspired by TALES OF TERROR
The Black Cat by Alphonse Legros 1860
Argento chose “The Black Cat” (first published August 19, 1843 in The Saturday Evening Post). The story has been adapted with varying degrees of faithfulness, starting in 1934 with both Universal’s THE BLACK CAT as well as MANIAC (Roadshow), Universal again in 1941, AIP’s TALES OF TERROR again, the 1966 THE BLACK CAT (Falcon) ,Lucio Fulci’s 1981 version(Italian Int.) and recently a marvelous independent short in 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKN_I6ouswg .
The film :
Warning -turn your sound down for the opening credits of Pino Donaggio’s dissonant title theme.
The film opens with a succession of quick shots of Edgar Allan Poe’s statue, one of the great author’s home and burial plot, as a narrator intones: “To Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories have inspired this motion picture.”
We then immediately go to
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR (screenplay by Romero ; Dir of Photography Peter Reniers, who has worked on such television series as LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Dick Wolf /Universal ,1999- ).
Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau, returning to work with Romero again after CREEPSHOW, Laurel/WB ,1982) is hoping to inherit the money from her mortally ill husband Ernest (the wonderfully named Bingo O’Malley ,who also appeared in CREEPSHOW, and sadly in real life passed away June 2 ,2019).
To that extent, she gets Dr Robert Hoffman (Ramy Zada, tv’s DARK JUSTICE, Lorrimar,1991) to hypnotize the sickly Ernest to better control him. Dr Hoffman is most willing to do so, partly from a past relationship with Jessica, and partly from the desire to share in the millions that she will inherit. The problem is that Jessica has been taking money from Ernest’s account, so much so that if anything were to happen to her husband over the next three weeks, the police will surely investigate the wife.
E.G. Marshall as a lawyer warning Barbeau
Of course, Ernest dies, and the pair dump his body into a basement freezer. During the night she hears moaning and discovers that due to the hypnosis, the spirit of her dead husband is trapped between worlds, and that other entities wish to use his corpse to enter our sphere!
THE BLACK CAT (Screenplay by Argento & Franco Ferrini, who worked together on OPERA ; director of Photography Beppe Maccari, who was the camera operator on the Visconti classic THE LEOPARD, Titanus 1963)-
Argento’s take on the famous tale is a delirious and trippy over the top gorefest that references several other Poe tales.
Keitel in a Corman-like dream sequence with an Argento touch
Rod Usher (Harvey Keitel, TAXI DRIVER, Columbia,1976) is a police crime scene photographer who we first meet when he is taking pictures at a murder scene. This killing was a bit extraordinary, since it is a scene of a nude women bifurcated by a huge pendulum blade. To Usher, it is just work as usual, and he tries to frame the scenes with a sense of aesthetics that belie the horror of the scene.
At home, his girlfriend Annabel (Madeline Potter ,THE SUICIDE CLUB, Angelika Films ,1988) has brought in a black cat that Rod takes an instant dislike to. This mutual hatred comes to its zenith when Rod viciously and cruelly strangles the animal during a photo shoot. Rod, however, in a sort of A BUCKET OF BLOOD (AIP,1959) moment, decides that the murder deserves to be the over of his newest photo collection.
Sally Kirkland has a new kitty for Rod .
When Annabel sees the cover some time later in a store window, she realizes what has happened, and rushes home to confront Rod. Rod , in the interim , has been given a cat that is identical to the one he killed ).He takes the animal home to destroy it once and for all, but Annabel comes home ,saves the creature but she herself is killed gruesomely.
Rod conceals the body behind the wall, but suspicion continues to grow against him, resulting in more murders and gore before Rod receives poetic justice.
John Amos as a detective who grows suspicious of Usher
A huge title assures us that none of the animals were harmed in the making of the film as the picture’s end credits roll.
The film, which reportedly cost over $ 9 million to make, opened in only 150 theatres throughout the U.S. for just one week, taking in only $349,000.
It was released on VHS through various companies (Anchor Bay, budget label Video Treasures) as well as DVD and Blu Ray previously by Blue Underground.
Now , Blue Underground has gone back to the original camera negatives and given it a 4K 1080p restoration. The colors, especially in the Argento segment, really seem to jump out.
Martin Balsam & Kim Hunter,Spanish Lobby Card
The audio is available in either English: 7.1 DTS-HD, or to duplicate the theatrical release sound, English: 2.0 DTS-HD (or in French: Dolby Digital Mono). Again, watch that opening bit of music in the beginning!
Optional subtitles are English SDH, French or Spanish.
Where this becomes the must have edition of TWO EVIL EYES is the immense number of extras, some ported over from BLUE UNDERGROUND’s previous release of the title, but many brands new and exclusive to this limited edition.
Disc One Blu Ray- a brand new audio commentary by Troy Howarth (author of the upcoming book “Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento “). Troy has done audio commentaries on other Blu ray releases, and his love and well researched talks always have the feel of a well-informed fan joyfully sharing his thoughts and insights throughout the running time of a film, and this one is no different.
Poster & Still Gallery
Disc 2 Blu Ray
• Two Masters’ Eyes – Interviews with Directors Dario Argento & George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Supervisor Tom Savini, Executive Producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento. These are ported over from the 2003 Blue Underground 2-disc Blu Ray release.
Savini as a Poe like character who digs up corpses to steal teeth.Or is it just his character from THE RIPPER (United Ent.,1985 ) reprised?
• Savini’s EFX – A Behind-the-Scenes look at the film’s Special Make-Up Effects. Also, from the 2003 release, Savini takes us on a behind the scene tour of how some of the effects work was done.
• At Home With Tom Savini – A personal tour of Tom Savini’s home. From 2003, this segment is not only a master of his craft but also a fan sharing with fellow fans.
• Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero.- From 2003. The still lovely and charming actress shares her thoughts about working with the director.
Tom Atkins makes a horrific discovery
NEW! Before I Wake – Interview with Star Ramy Zada. The actor talks about his career and working with Romero.
NEW! Behind The Wall – Interview with Star Madeleine Potter. The very busy actress, who shuttles back and forth from the U.S. and London to perform, talks about Harvey, Dario and cats.
NEW! One Maestro And Two Masters – Interview with Composer Pino Donaggio. Subtitled. The composer talks about his career
NEW! Rewriting Poe – Interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini, who has often worked with director Argento, as well as upon the screenplay ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (W.B.,1984) .
NEW! The Cat Who Wouldn’t Die – Interview with Assistant Director Luigi Cozzi (who also directed the cult hit STAR CRASH, New World, 1978).
NEW! Two Evil Brothers – Interview with Special Make-Up Assistant Everett Burrell (who has worked with Savini several times, as well as Greg Cannom, and Kevin Yagher.).
NEW! Working With George – Interview with Costume Designer Barbara Anderson who worked with Romero from KNIGHTRIDERS (Laurel/UFD, 1981) up to THE DARK HALF .
Disc 3-A CD of Pino Dinaggio’s score. This alone might be enough for some to wish to buy this collection, as this soundtrack it seems has never been issued legitimately before. It is a sharp moody score, which fits the film perfectly, but many pieces can be listened to and enjoyed on their own.
Adding to the welcome extras is an informative booklet by Michael Gingold, who was one of the guiding forces of Fangoria magazine from 1990 (when the film came out) until 2015.
Fango #95 ,which covered the film
Once again, BLUE UNDERGROUND has put to shame many major studios Blu Ray releases, due to the care and multiple goodies adding entertainment, value and collectability for horror film lovers.
BLU RAY EXTRAS!
*-right after filming TWO EVIL EYES, he worked upon THE DARK HALF for Orion, which sat on a shelf for two years.
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THE NEW YORK RIPPER (Blue Underground Blu-Ray ,June 2019 release)
July 12, 2019 scarletthefilmmagazineBlu Ray Review, BLUE UNDERGROUND, Lucio Fulci, New York Ripper Leave a comment
THE NEW YORK RIPPER (Blue Underground) June ,2019
original Theatrical release: 1982, Vidmark.
Color. 93 mins. Unrated REGION FREE
(3-Disc Ltd Ed/4K REM)
1-BD + 1-DVD + 1-CD $49.95
http://www.blue-underground.com/product.php?product=294
When a film exists to shock, and succeeds beyond expectations, is it a good film ?
Surely there are many controversial films that do this –CALIGULA (Penthouse,1979) for one. THE NEW YORK RIPPER takes the Giallo archetype and extends it to a point where the misogyny of so many in that genre is multiplied and multiplied again. However, if that is what the killer’s mind set is and the film captures it, is it not then delivering upon its subject matter?
Lucio Fulci (1927-1996) was a director who seemed to invite controversy. Though he began as a writer director of documentary shorts in 1948 ,he got into full length features in 1959, working in all genres, from comedy (I LANDRI, ICM,1959) ,musicals RAGAZZI DEL JUKE-BOX (ERA,1959), and westerns (THE BRUTE & THE BEAST ,Mega,1968) with little notice.
In 1969, he made his first Giallo, Una sull’altra (ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, Empire ,1969) shooting some of the film in California), and he had found his niche in the mystery /horror genre. These films proved successful and with each successful one he increased the gore and often the sexual content. His Gates of Hell horror trilogy (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, Dania ,1980; his masterpiece, THE BEYOND Fulvia,1981 and HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, Fulvia,1981) put him on the horror /thriller map as a director to watch.
For good or bad, he became known as a Master of Splatter, and he delivered by the gooey bucketful. Shooting parts of his films within different regions of the U.S. probably set his films apart from a lot of other Italian productions of the time, and I am sure were used to sell the films as American movies to certain markets.
THE NEW YORK RIPPER (Lo squartatore di New York, Fulvia, 1982) continued his streak of lensing his films, at least good portions of them in the United States, here, of course, the title city. New York City thrillers were popular with the success of films like DEATH WISH (Paramount, 1974) due to the urban decay that the metropolis had declined into and remained in throughout the 70s,80s, and early 90s.
The world viewed the place as a petri dish where unimaginable crimes could happen almost anywhere, a belief that was solidified by events like the Son Of Sam shootings in 1976-7.
MANIAC (Analysis,1980) (also available in a beautiful Blu Ray Edition from BLUE UNDERGROUND http://www.blue-underground.com/product.php?product=291 ) amped up the ultra-violence (and yes, the objectification of women as victims ) in a powerful thriller .
THE NEW YORK RIPPER cranks it up to 11 with the sex and violence combo .
A dog out for a walk with its master finds a rotting human hand, later identified as having come from a local hooker. The lead Detective, Lt Fred Williams (British actor Jack Hadley, who had to take his stage name since there already was a famous Jack Hawkins, starred in the BBC series COLDITZ ,1972-4) begins interviewing people who may have known the unfortunate woman. In his search, he finds out that she had gotten a call from a person who spoke with an odd quacking sound and high-pitched voice.
Another young woman is murdered upon the Staten island Ferry by a knife welding unseen stranger, using the bizarre voice. The police suspect that there is a pattern to the crimes, tying into another murder that had happened previously. They realize that they are dealing with a serial murderer.
The Chief of Police (Lucio Fulci himself!) tells Williams to stop having press conferences that might panic the public (as indeed happened during the Son of Sam spree). Right after, Williams finds out that someone: sounding like a duck” called wanting to talk to him, like the taunts that Jack the Ripper gave the Police and Press.
Another victim is a live sex show performer, brutally murdered by a broken bottle into her genitals. That same night, another prostitute, Kitty (Daniela Doria, who was one of the victims Fulci’s THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY) receives a call from the quacking killer.
Several more vicious killings occur by the mad person dubbed “The New York Ripper”, often involving seedy locations or sexual situations. The film has a rather grim as well as downbeat ending which is one more kick to the gut that the film delivers before the titles roll.
Fulci had felt the film was a tribute to Hitchcock, though it owes a great deal more to Dario Argento with its graphic gore.
The combination of sex and violence got the film banned in the U.K. until 2002, while in the U.S. it was barely released, getting most of it’s following from its 1987 Vidmark VHS release in an edited version.
BLUE UNDERGROUND had released THE NEW YORK RIPPER uncut since 2008 on DVD (out of print) as well as Blu Ray since 2009.
This new (June 25th,2019) Limited Edition is a must have for fans of the film. For one, this print is a 4K scan from an ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE. The image sharpness is amazing, and probably looks better than any version prior, including its limited theatrical run. The film makes good use of color ,thanks to cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller (FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN , BLOOD OF DRACULA (Bryanston 1973,1974; Dario Argento’s DEEP RED, Mahler ,1976 ) that show off the makeup effects of Germano Natali (DEEP RED; SUSPIRIA ,International Classics,1977) in all their gory glory .
The audio is available in English 7.1 and Mono DTS-HD, as well as French, Italian and Spanish. I sampled the other tracks, and all seem fine, probably closer to the original theatrical sound but the 7.0 is the way to go. The background city sounds give the film a richer bigger budget feel, with dialogue usually clear and hiss free. I had to turn down the speakers a few times with the screams, that seem to get a bit loud, but let’s face it, that is to be expected in this sort of film.
There are also optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
The film is given an incredible number of extras (which we have come to expect and treasure in these marvelous Blue Underground special 4K releases like MANIAC.)
–A running Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth. Really one would be hard pressed to find a better commentator than Troy, who began writing for Fangoria, and is an expert on Italian Horror, having published at least three books that deal with the subject, including one on Fulci. That knowledge flows effortlessly in a conversational relaxed manner as he drops an amazing amount of info about the film’s production ,cast & crew as well as the various censorship and release problems that it encountered .
–NYC LOCATIONS THEN & NOW – a personal favorite, as I am a life-long denizen of the city, the too short featurette examines how the city looked then and now (well ,2009). With all the chain stores and Starbucks as well as aimless tourists nowadays, I am unsure which is preferable.
–PAINT ME BLOOD RED– an interview with Poster Artist Enzo Sciotti, who has painted over 3,000 Italian film posters, including this film. To see some of his work: https://www.cvltnation.com/demons-death-color-art-enzo-sciotti/
–THE ART OF KILLING -An interview with Co-Writer Dardano Sacchetti (in Italian, subtitled), who worked with Fulci on several of his films, including HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY and MANHATTAN BABY (Fulvia ,1982) and has worked with Mario Bava and Dario Argento.
–THREE FINGERS OF VIOLENCE– Interview with actor Howard Ross.
– ‘THE BROKEN BOTTLE MURDER– Interview with actress Zora Kerova, who was on the receiving end of one of the most controversial “murders” in the film.
– ‘I’M AN ACTRESS!” – A 2009 interview with the Hungarian born Zora Kerova.
–THE BEAUTY KILLER –Stephen Thrower, author of BEYOND TERROR: THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI, give a little more background on the director and the film. Between Thrower and Howarth’s comments, I feel I need to revisit Fulci’s films to better appreciate them.
–The Original Theatrical Trailer – bizarre and violent.
-A DVD version of THE NEW YORK RIPPER (should you find yourself wanting to watch on your laptop sans a Blu Ray Player).
-One of the biggest extras is the OST CD for THE NEW YORK RIPPER by Francesco De Masi. An eclectic mix, the score has lots of electronic guitar, some jazz horn, a bit of disco funk sound, lots of tambourine (what no cow bell? )- yet the score works well with the film that it accompanied. The limited-edition vinyl soundtrack that was available was going for about $25 in some areas, so this Bonus CD is a great addition to this release.
– Finally , A twenty-page booklet with essay by Travis Crawford from Indiewire with more information about the flick.
THE NEW YORK RIPPER admittedly is not for everyone’s tastes. However, for fans of
Lucio Fulci,
Italian horror/slasher films,
New York City set sleaze,
gore,
this BLUE UNDERGROUND belongs within your collection.
Also from BLUE UNDERGROUND mentioned in the article
MANIAC (ltd edition Blu Ray) https://www.amazon.com/Maniac-Blu-ray-Joe-Spinell/dp/B07FQ3RPND/
HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY https://www.amazon.com/House-Cemetery-Special-Catriona-MacColl/dp/B0057O6IMS/
CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD https://www.amazon.com/City-Living-Special-Christopher-George/dp/B0036R92US/
1980s, Blu Ray, cult, Drama, dvd, genre, gore, Helen Shaver, Horror, https://www.facebook.com/scarletthefilmmagazine/, Jimmy Smits, Martin Sheen, Mystery, New York City, OLIVE FILMS, Orion Pictures, review, Robert Loggia, santeria, SCARLETTHEFILMMAGAZINE.WORDPRESS.COM, thriller, tv film radio books theatremusic storytelling horror mystery fantasy science fiction thrillers drama, Uncategorized, voodoo, wierd
THE BELIEVERS (Olive Films Blu Ray and DVD releases)
June 28, 2019 scarletthefilmmagazine Leave a comment
THE BELIEVERS (Orion 1987) (0live Films,2019) R- Color. Region A. 114 minutes. 1:85:1 aspect ratio https://olivefilms.com/product/the-believers/ Available on Blu Ray $29.95 and DVD $24.95
THE BELIEVERS is a fascinating though at times frustrating film. The movie itself deals with religious beliefs and the supernatural beliefs in a modern, more secular world while the production tries to be a Val Lewtonesque film dealing with the subject but with flashes of modern grue effects to keep the punters paying attention.
The film’s pedigree made this a higher than normal profile project for the genre. Directed by John Schlesinger, C.B.E. (Oscar winning director of MIDNIGHT COWBOY, 1969, U.A.) with a screenplay by television writer Mark Frost (who two years later would change that media as co-creator, with David Lynch, with their groundbreaking TWIN PEAKS, Lynch/Frost Productions, 1990-91). The film was based upon the 1982 novel THE RELIGION (Dutton, written by Nicolas Conde. Conde is a pseudonym for the writing team of Robert Rosenblum and Robert Nathan).
The critical response, however, was less than kind. Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars, writing :
“I’m getting tired of the dingy tenements in Spanish Harlem with the blood-soaked chicken feathers on the floor, and the scenes where the shrink realizes he needs a witch doctor to save his child.”-June 10,1987.
How many films did he see that had such scenes? The only movie that even remotely comes to mind is the overlooked THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY (Paramount ,1972).
THE BELIEVERS also generated controversy by making some of its more sinister events tie in with Santería (a Spanish word meaning “follower of saints”), a religion in NYC that is a mixture of Christianity and Afro-Cuban religious ideals.
When Lisa Jamison (Janet-Laine Green) is electrocuted in a home accident before her horrified son’s eyes, her husband Carl (Martin Sheen, THE DEAD ZONE, Paramount, 1983) moves himself and the young boy Chris (Harley Cross, MRS SOFFEL, MGM,1984) to New York City.
Cal is a police psychologist (an anthropologist in the novel), so he doesn’t have much time to grieve, for soon after he arrives in the city, he is drawn into a savage murder mystery.
Undercover Police Officer Tom Lopez (Jimmy Smits, RUNNING SCARED, MGM,1986) is acting very irrationally after he finds the body of a young boy murdered by a religious cult. The cult knows who the officer is, and he is terrified. It turns out he is also a member of the group.
As Jessica Halliday (Helen Shaver, THE COLOR OF MONEY, Touchstone, 1986), the Jamison landlord, becomes more romantically involved, strange items start to appear in the apartment, left by the maid Carmen (Carla Pinza, who also acted as the film’s cultural advisor).
About the same time, Carl & Chris come across an animal sacrifice in Central Park. While Carl is distracted, Chris picks up an item left at the scene.
Things get more complex when a Haitian named Palo (Malick Bowens, OUT OF AFRICA, Universal,1985) arrives in the city with mysterious powers.
Meanwhile, Tom Lopez is in terrible pain, and goes to a Santeria shop, where he grabs a knife and stabs himself repeatedly in the stomach.
Police Lt McTaggert (the always reliable Robert Loggia, PRIZZI’S HONOR, Fox, 1985) along with Cal attend the autopsy, and are shocked and horrified to find that Tom Lopez’ stomach is full of squirming live snakes.
The mystery goes deeper ,with the religion being connected with local politics (out of towners saying, “Yeah well it is New York” ) , and the further they get involved , the more it endangers the lives of Cal ,his son and Jessica (who gets a very disturbing “pimple” ).
New York is a good setting for a mysterious religious cult. One of the most modern cities in the world, it still holds 6000 churches (2,000, with at least 4,000 unofficial places of worship), It is so busy, that a hidden cult can easily thrive in the impersonal activities of Manhattan and its boroughs.
“Wait. This Isn’t THE OMEN?”
THE SEVENTH VICTIM (RKO,1943), ROSEMARY’S BABY (Paramount ,1968), the already mentioned THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY -all make good use of this. THE BELIEVERS also does, but, like THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY, there is also the clash of cultures added within the mix.
OLIVE FILMS has given the film a sharp new 1080p release. Comparing it to my old MGM DVD, the colors are much sharper and the flatness of the image has been replaced with a much more vibrant one (note ,my review is based upon Olive Films Blu Ray ).
The sound also has been cleaned up as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The dialogue and sound mix are clean with no noticeable pops or hiss.
There are also optional English Subtitles.
THE BELIEVERS, Martin Sheen, Lee Richardson, Harley Cross, Harris Yulin, 1987, (c) Orion
RECOMMENDED for Horror fans, Martin Sheen fans, fans of voo-doo thrillers, NYC based thrillers.
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Al Pacino joins Tarantino's A-list cast for Charles Manson movie
Ben Arnold
Yahoo Movies UK 8 June 2018
Al Pacino (Credit: Rex)
Just when you thought Quentin Tarantino’s new movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood couldn’t cope with another A-lister, the director has now thrown Al Pacino into the mix.
According to Variety, the Scarface legend will play Marvin Shwarz, the agent to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Rick Dalton.
It follows the announcement earlier this week that Damian Lewis has signed up to play Steve McQueen in the movie, alongside Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch and Dakota Fanning.
Already on the bill alongside this lot are Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Burt Reynolds, and Timothy Olyphant.
The movie, which will deal with the horrific murders of Charles Manson’s cult the Manson Family, is set in 1969.
It finds DiCaprio playing Dalton, the former star of a Western TV series, and Pitt as Cliff Booth, his friend and stunt double.
Both are struggling in Hollywood, and happen to live next door to Sharon Tate, to be played by Margot Robbie, the pregnant wife of Roman Polanski who would later be murdered along with four others in the early hours of August 9, 1969.
The movie will open on the 50th anniversary of the murders, August 9, 2019.
Pacino is currently making mob drama The Irishman for Netflix with Martin Scorsese, starring opposite Robert DeNiro.
Donald Glover and Ryan Gosling in line to play Willy Wonka
Damian Lewis and Luke Perry for new Tarantino movie
Marketing blamed for Solo flop
Under no circumstances does Brad Pitt want to make 'Ocean’s 14'
Quentin Tarantino explains how 'The Golden Girls' helped 'Reservoir Dogs' get made
Inside the Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Brad Pitt wore a name badge, the Kobe Bryant tribute, and the plant-based menu
Justin Bieber Explains His Struggle Committing to Wife Hailey, Reveals Album Release Date
2020 Oscars: Zazie Beetz, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mindy Kaling Among Diverse Group of Presenters
Wuhan virus: ‘Do not listen to or spread rumours and untrue reports’ - PM Lee
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Cyantian Chronicles Forums
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[Public][S2 W9 D3][12:30 PM]Carpenteering![Carpentry Shop]
Author Topic: [Public][S2 W9 D3][12:30 PM]Carpenteering![Carpentry Shop] (Read 1894 times)
daemonschile
The Forum Ate My Soul
Title: [Public][S2 W9 D3][12:30 PM]Carpenteering![Carpentry Shop]
Post by: Zargon on April 16, 2008, 07:59:15 PM
Zargon sat in a corner of the Carpentry Shop, happily sanding a small block of wood. The shop was one that he had taken as part of his Electives. The shop teacher had quickly found out his ineptitude with tools and had banned him from using any of the power tools scattered around the shop. That was OK though, Zargon had found a coping saw, a small hand drill, and some sandpaper and had set himself to making a small child's toy, a little wooden duck.
He had cut out the general shape from a diagram he had found in the shop, located a dowel to use as a pair of axels, and slowly and carefully cut the shape of the wheels. Now he was working on smoothing the pieces, and eliminating any ugly marks he had made with the saw. It was not at all hard, but quite engrossing for the tiger, and he had found himself, for the past hour or so, entirely occupied by the work, not noticing the slightest thing around him.
Title: Re: [Public][S2 W9 D3][12:30 PM]Carpenteering![Carpentry Shop]
Post by: Frost on April 17, 2008, 02:45:30 PM
((Mut and Jeff have been locked in the closet too long. They need some air ))
A pair of eyes gazed carfully over the shop, another set, the set of his brother, were staring at a tube of industrial adhesive that was being squeezed into the lock of a cabnet. Vaughn and Virgil were up to no good. Not having noticed Zargon in the oppsite corner was all that was saving the feline.
In the office stood the only person who seemed to convey any respect from the terrible twosome. Frost was having a discussion with the teacher about letting some students do some wood working for the Academy. It would be a simple affair. Build a couple of desks and a few cabnets, the students would even receive a small amount of pay.
A couple of snickers were emitted from the brothers. Any lock they found was getting pumped full. It would all end with the shop teacher having to use bolt cutters or a plasma torch to open the lockers.
Post by: Vashiel on April 18, 2008, 06:30:44 AM
Vashiel wandered into the shop, dressed in simple attire for a change. He'd stopped by to ask the shop instructor to help him construct a simple prop that he wanted, and since he couldn't get one from Earth, he decided to make on instead.
Having been to the metal shop earlier to create a blunt blade, Vash now needed the handle to complete his archaic barber's knife. It was simple enough, and he'd enjoyed having learned how to make it, so he figured it was a good investment of his time.
Noting that someone was already talking with the instructor, he wandered deeper, avoiding the machinery and tools. Handy he wasn't, and he didn't want to hurt himself. He did, however, hear the snickers. That wasn't a good sign. Not wanting to get involved, however, he made his way over to Zargon, watching what he was doing quietly.
Zargon looked up from his work. "Hey roomie.. What're you here for?" He asked. "Hey! Check out what I made!" He held up the parts for his wooden duck. "It's only a kid's toy, but I guess it's a start."
Post by: Vashiel on April 18, 2008, 06:53:30 PM
"Wow..." Vash murmured, genuinely impressed. "I'm certainly not handy enough to do that. And this," he held up the metal case he was carrying, "Is why I'm here."
Setting it on a handy stool, he opened it to reveal the gleaming, squarish blade inside.
"I need a wood handle for this, specially made. I came to see the instructor to see if I could get someone to help me make it."
After fiendishly pumping the locks full of glue, the brothers looked for another project. The glanced about until the saw a snow figure in the distance.
"Is that?"
They glanced at each other, sly smiles spreading across their faces. Ever so sneakily they began to approach, then the new comer appeared. Mere feet from Zargon and his associate.
It was also about this time another figure appeared, from with in the office. "Now, lik' ah said, they'll get a small salery fer doin' de work. And if'n de academy heads likes wat dey don' dey may get more werk." Frost turns to spy the brothers stalking a student. "Wat are ya' up ta'?"
They both stand to attention and chime together. "Nutin'." Having been around Frost so much they'd begun to mimic his speech patterns.
"Hehe.. I'm not what you would called handy myself." Zargon chuckled. "See, they give you these plans, and you just trace out the pieces and do what they tell you!" He took a look at the object in the box. "Erm.. what is it?" He asked, curiously.
"It's a barber's blade," Vash said with a grim nod. "It's a prop for a musical I want to do. Not all that dangerous, it's dull as anything, but it has a grim purpose."
Post by: Frost on April 20, 2008, 08:02:24 AM
Both brothers curse inwardly, He always ruins the fun! They stood by as Frost approached. Slightly curious as to what Vaughn and Virgil were up to, the blond oaf spied a familiar figure. He stops briefly to eye the would be assassins. A slight cough, the twitch of an ear, and the metallic snap of teeth clicking together told all and said nothing.
What Frost was telling the brothers was, "No. Go away. Find food." He taps a finger on his watch and holds up the finger, "You have one hour." Watching them quickly exit the class, he shakes his head. Almost... Ever quietly he slanders up, and gazes at the items over Zargon's shoulder.
Quote from: Vashiel on April 19, 2008, 07:40:54 PM
His own curiosity getting the better of him, Frost pipes up "Ya' gonna try ta' shave the head master er' sumtin'?"
Post by: Zargon on April 20, 2008, 08:21:28 AM
Zargon grinned up at the blonde wolf. "Hey Frost, what's kickin?" He asked, cheerfully. He looks over at Vashiel. "Is that for the Sweeney Todd musical you were telling me about?" He turned back to the wolf. "It it is.. I don't think that blade is meant for shaving much.."
Vash chuckled at Frost's comment.
"I don't think I'm the type to go and do something like that. And yeah, Zargon, this is for that. It's not meant for much shaving, indeed..."
Not knowing what was going on, all Frost knew was talk of the edgeless strait razor in the box. "Cerse it ain't gonna shave! It's su blunt I bet it won't cut water. Bring it by de shop dis evenin' an' I'll fix'et." "I'll make it su sharp you'll get cut just from lookin' at it."
((Man, his accent is gettin' thick! ))
"I'm not sure that's the point.. I mean.. it's for a musical. A play? You know? And it won't get used for shaving much. Throat cutting is more what this particular specimen will be used for, unless I miss my guess." Zargon said, shaking his head. He looked over at the exiting twins. "What're those two up to?" He asked, using the beak of the wooden duck as a pointer.
"Ohh...." Frost nodded his head. "Okay...Wait wat!? Throat cuttin?" He eyes the other wolf suspiciously. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one. His attention snaps over to the twins.
He glances at the doorway, Vaughn and Virgil insisted on lingering about. "I dunno Zargy. I told'em ta' take a break and get sum food....." Both brothers were glancing about strangely. "Ug! Looks like deir up ta' deir usual crap. Wonder who's gonna get got dis' time?"
The Orion brothers hadn't left, they were still lingering around the shop doorway. They were hoping to see if some poor soul would attempt to use the lockers they'd sabotaged. When they caught Frost and Zargon staring, the brothers showed cheesy grins. "Think their on to us brother?"
"Not a chance."
Vashiel smiled slyly.
"Yes... slitting throats. It's a tricky business, as your next customer can't know what you've just done. It's hard getting rid of evidence so quickly, but I know what I'm doing."
Zargon grinned up at his room mate and played along. "I'm sure you are. You've done, how many now? Five? Six?"
Five or six! Frost makes his way to the opposite of Zargon, trying to put some space between himself and Vashiel. Rapping his nails on the table he inspects the felines work, while keeping an eye on the self proclaimed murderer.
"Hmm....Take it ya' makin' one ah dem old toys? Just be sure ta drill doz holes out slightly bigger'n dem axles. Udder wise it'll get moister to da' wud and lock up."
Vashiel's smile grew wider.
"I think it was six... could be more now, I had an appointment this morning."
He was mildly amazed with himself that he was managing to not laugh, especially considering the blond wolf's deliberate move away from him.
Zargon winked slyly in Vashiel's direction. "Those pies sure are good though.." He grinned.
"Yeah.. The dowels are 8mm so, I figured I'd just go, like, 8.5mm on the holes? That sound right?" He asked.
Vash nodded in agreement.
"The cooking classes sure appreciate the fresh supply of meat. Sure saves on buying it."
"I'd go wid 9mm ma'self." Catching the conversation on pie, Frost was slightly disgusted. The part of him that wasn't vented its annoyance. "Rurrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Uh! Bad timing tummy! "Blurgel Rurrrr!" The wolf gives as slight cough.
Zargon raised an eyebrow at the wolf. "You really need to get a leash on that thing." He said, grinning. "Haha! I think the only reason it doesn't come right out and attack you is because then it wouldn't have anyone to put anything in it!"
He nodded as to the size recommendation and went over to pull a different drill out of the cabinet, passing by the twin wolves on the way. He gave them a grin and a nod on the way. "What's goin' on, guys?"
"Huhuhu, yer right. I just wish I could trow dis curse on sum'n else. It eats me outta house'n 'ome." Just to prove its point another "Urrrrr!" was emitted and Tummy goes silent. (for now)
Zargon's approach gave the brother's fiendish idea's. Oh, how could they have a bit of fun, and what to use? In his passing the white tiger had issued a greeting. In responce Vaughn and Virgil gave their own greeting. {"Wazzup!"} A combined chime, with tongues hanging out, was their greeting of choice.
Post by: Vashiel on May 04, 2008, 01:38:37 PM
Rolling his eyes at Frost's small outburst, Vash took the lapse in conversation to wander over to the shop supervisor to discuss the handle for the blades he had made. The discussion would last for several minutes, as Vash gave minute details of what he wanted engraved into the handle, what it would be used for, the best wood to make it out of, etc, etc.
Post by: Zargon on May 08, 2008, 05:56:46 PM
Zargon snickered at the cued response. "So, you guys going to be working here for a bit I hear?" He asked curiously, going over to the cabinet that contained the drill bits. He pulled the handle. The door didn't budge. "Huh.." He went over and picked up the key to the lock. Coming back, he put the key into the lock. It took a strange amount of force, as though it was filled with a quickly hardening adhesive. "What the?" The tiger said, confused. The key wouldn't turn, so he went to take it out to try another, but it wouldn't come out either. "Hey!" He jerked on the key with the result that it broke off flush with the lock. "Oh, squid!"
He looked around at the two brothers. "You didn't see anything, right? Right??" He started to look for something to pry the key out with.
Post by: Frost on May 09, 2008, 02:34:34 PM
Snickers were hardpressed to silence as the Vaughn and Virgil watched Zargon attempt to open the lock. When he asked of them, they spoke in unison. {"See what?."} Retreating a decent distance, the dark furred twosome began to vent their laughter, quietly.
Prenna D'tella/17/Calico/Veterinary Student
Shyssa Wynd/19/Jilaic/Human Studies
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︎ ︎
SINGAPORE ART BOOK FAIR 26—28.06.2020
Every year we speak to a diverse range of people in an effort to develop and promote our local creative discourse. For 2018, we sat down with 21 creatives of various disciplines to learn about their practice and asked each of them to fill up a blank page in a notebook. For 2019, we gathered perspectives on our zine and art book culture, along with the possibilities of self-publishing today.
A Closer Look for SGABF2019: wares infoshop library The Convergence of Digital and Print Publishing Basheer Graphic Books Currency Syaheedah Iskandar Supernormal Zulkhairi Zulkiflee Zines Then and Now Norah Lea Divaagar 21 Creatives for SGABF2018: Hanson Ho Samantha Lo Liana Yang Charmaine Poh ASPIDISTRAFLY Teresa Lim Sobs Karen Tan Michael Ng Mary Bernadette Lee Deon Phua Janice Koh Ruben Pang Rebecca Toh Liao Jiekai Berny Tan Luca Lum Cyril Wong Atelier Hoko Lee Chang Ming Jacqueline Goh
NORAH LEA
Photo Credit: SGABF
SGABF: Hi Norah, tell us a little bit about your work.
NORAH LEA (NL): I’m a multi-disciplinary artist. Photography is my main medium but it usually goes with my performance and spoken word pieces as well.
SGABF: What are the greatest challenges about being an interdisciplinary performance artist?
NL: Image-making comes first. I usually see performance as a way to drive conversation for a work that I’ve already done. To me, the biggest challenge is toeing the line between letting the performance exist as a work on its own or have it support an original work.
Photo Credit: Rifdi Bin Rosly
It’s a constant struggle. I need to be sure that whatever I’m doing isn’t distracting. There were instances where the performance had nothing to do with any existing work yet it was still relevant – just a completely different body in itself. I used to be very interested in giving power to the audience, allowing them to decide what they’re going to do with my performance and how closely they want to interact with me.
Lately, I’ve been looking at taking the power away from them. How can I shift this dynamic? When you watch me, are you giving me power or am I giving you the power to see me? I need to know who’s coming into the space, first and foremost. Sometimes I wish that someone would say or do something to interrupt the flow. There hasn’t been such a situation, which leads me to feel that I’m still in power most of the time.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Artist
SGABF: How do you navigate that form of power from within?
NL: Siapa Dia Norah Lea, which I worked on between 2017 to 2018, involved getting people to assign an adjective or noun to me or who they thought I was. The images were created in response to these opinions. Within the installation itself, I placed pieces of paper hoping that other audiences would carry on the interaction. In this case, the power lies in not having people see my work the way that was intended.
SGABF: Why did you create the zine, In Love?
When I first showed the photos in school, my tutor immediately told me that I should make a book. I decided on the zine format instead of an art book as I felt that it represented the independent spirit of youth culture. The fact that I shot everything on disposable cameras too. I didn’t want the photos to be too polished, like what you’d see in a glossy photo book.
Zine: Courtesy of Artist
There wasn’t a need to be completely systematic with this work. The function of a zine allows the maker to break out of the traditional structure. That said, I don’t think In Love as a zine is experimental in nature. There is still a linear narration, unlike the exhibition at Coda Culture.
SGABF: How did the zine allow people to navigate themselves throughout the exhibition space?
NL: The idea of making a zine came before the exhibition. There was a delay in the production as we couldn’t get through with the printers in the beginning. The exhibition wasn’t even supposed to happen. We had intended to host a zine launch at Coda Culture but the founder, Seelan Palay, suggested transforming the space.
The exhibition gave us free rein to put up more images. With how it all unfolded, there was more power given to the audience to navigate their experience and the queer subject. On the other hand, I somehow got to decide on the zine experience. With the layout, I get to choose when you see me as a woman. Some questions that the zine presents include, is this person still a woman without all the makeup? The experience that one gets at the exhibition is more free-flow.
I gallery sat at the exhibition, so I was able to find out how people felt upon seeing it. It was a really scary experience because this work demands a person to enter a vulnerable space. Most people came out feeling the same way and even felt compelled to tell me their most personal stories. The thing is, I’m not emotionally equipped to respond to these reactions. Most of the time, I didn’t know what to do. That being said, it’s completely fair for audiences to observe or find parallels to their own lives.
For one of the pages in the zine, a friend pointed out that I was ‘in love but still wanted to be in power’. Based on such reactions, I’d think of ways to portray the images in the exhibition.
Photo Credit: Munn Iskandar
SGABF: You mentioned the printers were wary of your zine In Love falling into the Undesirable Publications Act. Should printed matter (in particular zines and art books) be regulated, and why?
NL: I’m a firm believer that there should be a committee to regulate the circulation of discriminatory or hateful ideas. We have to be wary of what we present to minors as well. Works with themes like paedophilia or revenge porn can have serious consequences in our society.
SGABF: Do artists and printers run the risk of self-censorship if regulations become too heavy of a concern in the process of making?
NL: To convince the printers to go ahead, I called up the IMDA to ask about the censorship of zines. I found out that the publishing of zines is usually self-regulated and does not require further permission. However, if public concern is raised, the work might be questioned or even withdrawn.
I think it’s both a state of anxiety and a validated way of thinking. It’s just the system that we grew up with. Personally, I practised a certain level of self-censorship when I decided which photos to place in more obscure spots within the exhibition space. I thought, what if children entered the space? How would parents make sense of those images?
Knowing the audience you’re serving helps a lot. I wouldn’t show these works in a religious country, for example. It’s also important to ask yourself if the current topic is worth discussing with certain groups of people. Sometimes, the emotional labour is just not worth it. My self-censorship ensures that I do not have to deal with additional baggage afterwards.
Going back to zines, I do like the spirit of rebellion and enterprise when we have to get around certain laws. Many works that have been published are resilient as a result of our strict regulations. If there weren’t all of these systemic rules, these works might not have been created at all. The issue with zines today is that people demand a level of finesse that I feel isn’t necessarily in line with the idea of counter culture. It seems like we are treating the zine as a commodity in some cases.
SGABF: Should makers be concerned about the commodification of works?
NL: Commodity enables accessibility, in terms of benefitting a large group of people. I don’t stand for the type that causes demand for productions that are exploitatory to communities. For example, some queer stories are mandated by what the cisgender consumer wants to see. This happens when queer trauma sells. I think a balance can be struck through affirmative actions, such as deciding when the spotlight should be placed on content that may not necessarily be the most profitable or in demand but that it’s urgent and important.
The culture of commodification is such that the original makers don’t get to decide what does well. Sometimes, what’s profitable is more detrimental.
SGABF: Finally, can you recommend up to three zines/art books that you’ve read or collected?
NL: Take Care of Yourself by Sophie Calle, An Aromantic Manifesto by Yingchen and Yingtong, My Name is Veron by Rhyhan Astha
Norah Lea is a multidisciplinary artist whose works investigate the performative aspects of our identities. Her work is rooted in self-portraiture, exploring themes such as gender, sexuality and ethnicity through photography, film, performance and spoken word.
︎
ABOUT SGABF
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Home News Media Accreditation now open for 2020 World Women’s in Prince George
Media Accreditation now open for 2020 World Women’s in Prince George
by Curling Canada
The world’s best curling teams will be heading to Prince George, B.C., as the 2020 World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by Nature’s Bounty Vitamins, takes over the CN Centre for nine days.
The 2020 World Women’s Championship is scheduled for March 14-22 in Prince George, with Team Canada battling 12 other countries for the gold medal.
For media requiring credentials, please apply on-line at curlingcanada.formstack.com/forms/curlingcanadamediaaccreditation2019_20 by no later than March 9, 2020. A week or so before the event, you will be sent a confirmation letter outlining the on-site accreditation procedures.
Those requesting credentials must also email a high-resolution mugshot of themselves to media@curling.ca to make the on-site accreditation process easier.
Please note:On-ice photographers will be required to wear black clothing and shoes and restrict themselves to designated shooting areas during the games. There will be no exceptions to this guideline. CLICK HERE to review photography guidelines.
A limited number of rooms at the Ramada Hotel Downtown Prince George is being held for media looking for accommodation during the 2020 World Women’s Curling Championship. Those needing accommodation need to book their rooms as soon as possible as space is extremely limited. Contact Donna Gillis (778-281-2028, donna.gillis@curling.ca) to arrange for accommodation.
The 2020 World Women’s Championship will feature a 13-team field and a six-team playoff format; the top two teams from the round robin will go straight to the semifinals, while the third- through sixth-place teams will play in the quarter-finals. Additionally, there will be no tiebreakers. Ties for playoff spots will be broken through head-to-head round-robin results first, followed by pre-game Last Shot Draw results.
For ticket and other event information about the 2020 World Women’s Championship, visit www.curling.ca/2020worldwomen.
TSN/TSN2 (RDS2 in French), the exclusive television network for Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide complete coverage of all of Canada’s games, as well as all playoff rounds, at the 2020 World Women’s Curling Championship.
Director, Communication & Media Relations
Curling Canada
acameron@curling.ca
Kyle Jahns
Manager, Communication and Media Relations
kyle.jahns@curling.ca
Cameron MacAllister
Head of Media
media@worldcurling.org
Canadian Sport Daily
News travels fast. Stay connected to sport and physical activity-related knowledge, news and resources through SIRC’s daily newsletter – delivered straight to your inbox.
Fast and Female to Host Ten Champ Chats in Alberta, presented by ATB Financial
by Fast and Female
Baseball Canada Names 32 Athletes to Junior National Team Spring Training
by Baseball Canada
Canada Ready to Kick Off Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship Against St. Kitts & Nevis
by Canada Soccer
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Elections2020
Steve King Was Brutally Rejected By Trump in Iowa
Filed to:steve king
Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
Extremely racist Congressman Steve King was apparently not allowed to ride on Air Force One with President Trump during his campaign visit to Iowa this week, two GOP officials told CNN.
King, who represents Iowa’s 4th District, is notorious for his unapologetic white nationalist views. In January, he was kicked off his committees in the House of Representatives by his own party after he said in an interview with the New York Times that he didn’t understand why phrases like “white supremacist” were offensive.
On Trump’s trip to Iowa this week, King allegedly asked to join the president’s entourage on Air Force One, and was turned down. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer were both allowed aboard the aircraft. Sad!!!
Incredibly, this incident proves that it’s possible to be so racist that Trump’s administration considers you toxic. Who woulda thought!
King says he’s running again in 2020, despite the lack of support from his party. He already has several primary challengers, including Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra, a strong Trump supporter.
Steve King Is Back on His (Racist) Bullshit
How Does Steve King Fit That Galaxy Brain Into Such a Tiny Skull?
Steve King: I'm Basically Jesus Christ
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'The girl you were warned about': Paris 2024 logo mocked online
October 23, 2019, 5:19 AM UTC
The new 2024 Olympics logo has earned online ridicule for its apparent resemblence to a stereotypical Parisian woman (AFP Photo/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)
Paris (AFP) - The new 2024 Olympics logo is supposed to evoke French history but has instead earned ridicule online for its apparent resemblance to a stereotypical Parisian woman.
Unveiled on Monday, the design incorporates the art deco style in vogue the last time Paris hosted the Games in 1924, depicting an Olympic flame within a gold medal.
It also incorporates the lips and outline of Marianne, the personification of liberty and the French Republic since the revolution of 1789 -- an addition that some mocked for adding an unnecessarily seductive character to the motif.
"The French Olympic logo tumbles out of bed on a Parisian morning," wrote Paris-based journalist Megan Clement on Twitter.
"She tousles her messy bob, dons breton stripes and ballet flats and whisks down the stairs from her fifth-floor apartment to grab a baguette before enigmatically texting two men who are pursuing her romantically.
"(She) has an expresso and a cigarette for lunch. She hops on a vintage bicycle and pedals past the Eiffel Tower on her way to a cafe where she will sit and read Baudelaire with her fluffy white dog at her feet."
Others compared the flame motif to the logo of dating app Tinder and suggested the silhouette of Marianne brought to mind the retro hairstyle made popular by Jennifer Aniston in the American sitcom "Friends".
"The artist's muse, the poet's dream, and the girl your mother warned you about. She's fashionably late for everything. She'll make out with your husband at a party and then wonder why you're mad," said one Twitter user.
"I want to follow the French Olympic logo on Instagram," wrote another.
Parisians got their first glimpse of the new logo when it was unveiled at the French capital's famous Grand Rex cinema on Monday.
burs-gle/qan
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If Mexico fans finally stop anti-gay goal kick chant, it won't be a moment too soon
Leander Schaerlaeckens
FC Yahoo June 21, 2018, 4:13 AM UTC
If you witnessed any Mexico game in the last decade or so, the problem will have felt intractable. The chant was so deeply ingrained in El Tri’s supporter culture that there was surely no getting rid of it. Every time the opposing goalkeeper took a kick, it rung through the stadium, loudly and in unison, each time with more gusto than the last.
We’re not going to print the exact word here. It starts with a P. And it’s a gay slur, more or less meaning male prostitute. It’s deeply offensive. And, far less importantly, it’s cost the Mexican federation fine after fine. During World Cup qualifying alone, Mexico was fined 12 times.
There are plenty of stakeholders who want to rid themselves of the hateful chant. It’s gotten so bad that TV broadcasters routinely turn down the crowd noise during those kicks to de-emphasize the outcry. The Mexican federation has spoken out against it and threatened fans caught chanting it that they wouldn’t be able to buy or use World Cup tickets. Groups like Pancho Villa’s Army try to raise awareness among members and reason with them not to use the slur.
But the chant is almost universal and its users insist that they mean no offense. Rather, they say the word should be construed as meaning “coward” and that it’s a cultural utterance. But many, like Pancho Villa’s Army founder Sergio Tristan, point out that the chant has only been around for a decade or so. And, truthfully, a slur is still a slur, whether you mean it as one or not. Try as you might, there’s no obfuscating hate speech.
Mexico’s stunning 1-0 upset of Germany in its World Cup opener on Sunday was blighted by the chant — much like El Tri’s games in 2014 in Brazil were — and FIFA has acted on the ugly utterance with a $10,000 fine, little more than a rounding error for Mexico’s federation.
The governing body’s toothless response is exactly what’s allowed the chant to endure. While FIFA would be within its rights and precedent to ban individual fans from stadiums, order empty-stadium games or even deduct Mexico points or ban it from tournaments entirely, it has never gone beyond small fines. And at the last World Cup, Mexico’s chanting wasn’t punished at all.
(Getty)
But in spite of FIFA’s shameful abdication on its responsibility for clearing its stadiums of anti-gay sentiment, it seems like, suddenly, momentum is building toward ending the chant regardless. Sufficiently embarrassed by it, Mexico players are speaking out.
On Thursday, captain Andres Guardado tweeted a suggestion that fans stop using the chant.
Demostremos que como mexicanos nuestros valores son de respeto y cordialidad. Nos han recibido con los brazos abiertos, es hora de mostrar que somos excelentes visitantes. pic.twitter.com/pjyPWKPsDF
— Andrés Guardado (@AGuardado18) June 21, 2018
And on Tuesday, midfielder Marco Fabian implored fans to do the same.
He offered the iconic Mexican Cielito Lindo folk song as an alternative, per ESPN. Or, more simply, “Mexico.” (A Mexican beer company, meanwhile, would like fans to chant “Putin” instead of that other P-word, as a topical Russia joke.)
On Wednesday, Fabian followed up with a tweet.
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manager tagged posts
England VAR World Cup Destiny Should Influence Premier League
July 13, 2018, Atlanta, Blog, Bundesliga, Data, England, Football, Fox Sports, France, Media, MLS, Nations, odds, Officials, Premier League, Soccer, sports tech, Superstars, Systems, Teams, Time, tournament, Video, wagering No comments
What Changed To Make England More Successful In This World Cup?
The pride surrounding the England team is unmissable. It’s been since 1966 when the Three Lions last roared as one for the football loving country when the men’s national soccer team won the World Cup final which so happens to be the year I was born...
A Brief History of Women in Motorsports
June 20, 2018, Blog, community, history, motorsports, pioneers, racing, women No comments
The first motorized tricycle race for women that we know of took place as early as 1897. Comparing these pioneering ladies to modern day racers shows one major similarity, courage. The Sports Techie community blog readers and followers represents thousands of women across the planet as equals to men. Yet, to this day motorsports are associated with dudes and are usually seen as a type of sport showing masculinity at its finest.
This discipline is one of the very few where men and women can compete against each other in big competitions, as well as there being ‘female’ clubs and associations to inspire, promote and protect sportswomen...
TeamSnap Officials, Refs and Umps Sports Tech Management
June 19, 2018, baseball, basketball, Blog, Coach, Football, hockey, Lacrosse, Officials, Parent, Soccer, softball, software, Sports Management, sports tech, volleyball, Youth No comments
TeamSnap Launches New Officials Management Platform to Serve Referees and Umpires
TeamSnap Officials is ready to use. It was designed specifically to manage game officials as an intuitive online sports tech platform. This new feature allows for the management of match officials, referees and umpires while meeting communication and scheduling needs in regards to youth and recreational sport. The Sports Techie community blog encourages the use of sports tech products, solution’s and systems to optimize and streamline business operations. TeamSnap continues to build out innovative sports technology assets as a single solution to meet the constantly evolving demands of that occurs when managing sport teams, leagues and now refs, in the digital age.
TeamSnap Launches New Officials Management Pl...
Sacramento Kings Social Media Night At Golden 1 Center Powered By Panasonic USA
February 12, 2018, Blog One comment
From Social Media night content, to Kiss Cam, to the Noise Meter, to promotions about upcoming games and shows, this giant video display was both easy on the eyes and so lifelike, viewers tend to watch the video board more than the live action.
Being at Golden 1 Center during the Sacramento Kings social media night as an industry expert on behalf of Panasonic was an ultimate fan experience I will never forget, thank you. Downtown Commons (DOCO) features the NBA’s most technologically advanced and sustainable venue. The Panasonic Solutions Group and I were given a private tour of the arena by team executives. I then conducted interview sessions with team management and a Panasonic executive...
Panasonic USA Live CES Coverage By THE Sports Techie
January 4, 2018, Blog No comments
Follow THE Sports Techie community at CES 2018 as I curate and share sports tech related content about how Panasonic USA is revolutionizing business and the fan experience with immersive entertainment solutions tailor-made for college sports stadiums, professional sport arenas and ballparks, and most recently, eSports facilities
Follow THE Sports Techie community at CES 2018 as I curate and share sports tech related content about how Panasonic USA is revolutionizing business and the fan experience with immersive entertainment solutions tailor-made for college sports stadiums, professional sport arenas and ballparks, and most recently, eSports facilities...
Is The English Premier League the Best Soccer League in the World?
Is The English Premier League the Best Soccer League in the World? – Sports Techie blog.
There is a regular argument in soccer or football as they call it in England, as to which league is the best. Now there are different factors to consider in this argument, so it is necessary to look at the debate for different angles. Does ‘the best’ mean most watched? Or highest revenue? Or best players? The Sports Techie community blog knows the answer is not an exact science, rather an opinion. Let’s take a deeper look and drill down into the different areas:
The signing fees of football players has rocketed in recent years and this year saw Neymar sign for PSG from Barcelona for an astronomical €222m.
The bigges...
New American-Made Index By CARS
July 13, 2017, Blog No comments
New American-Made Index By CARS – Sports Techie blog.
Cars and trucks have long been one of the manufacturing anchors and job sources of the United States economy since the birth of the model T and because of advancements in technology; the industry has truly gone global. One innovative American digital business of note is Cars.com which launched in 1998 out of Chicago and has since become a property of Gannett Company spinning off in May, 2017 as a new, publicly traded company on the NYSE named Tegna, Inc. The website has a robust database of new and used cars for sale nationwide loaded with tips and tools for automobile owners and would be buyers...
Canadian Hockey League Powered By Stadium Digital Provide Fans With CIBC Showdown Platform
Stadium Digital Powers New Interactive Engagement Platform for Canadian Hockey League and CIBC
CIBC Showdown showcases the best content from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL.
Stadium Digital and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), partners with CIBC, unveiled a new, interactive fan engagement platform out of Toronto to showcase video, content and highlights. The OHL, WHL and QMJHL are providing fans throughout Canada with the CIBC Showdown digital video player designed to provide a technology-driven environment complete with social media sharing ability and voting on the weekly selection of the best highlight. The Sports Techie community blog readers and followers in North America and worldwide can also participate with this innovative online and mobile fan experience...
How Technology Has Changed Sports
PC gaming offers serious growth, as well
It may be hard to believe now, especially for the younger generation, but there was a time when sports weren’t in the media 24/7. Technology has done wonders to make a sports fan life better. The Sports Techie community blog has documented our share of the game-changing sports technology from football tech to eSports and everything in-between.
Social media has allowed everyone to become an armchair manager. We can vent about our favorite teams/players to the masses on websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Instagram. Nearly everyone has multiple HD televisions in their homes today. Live sports can be watched live 24/7 in countries around the world. In fact – as long as you have an internet connection, you can watch any sporting events...
FC Shakhtar Donetsk Powered By StreamAMG Live Streaming Matches From Ukraine
January 25, 2017, Blog No comments
FC Shakhtar Donetsk partners with StreamAMG to launch new video platform to broadcast home games live and on-demand.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is the best football team and reigning champion in Ukraine, and they recently signed a partnership with StreamAMG to implement an online video service enabling fans to stream home games either live or on-demand from anywhere in the world. The Shakhtar digital fan experience has been upgraded via a new platform called FCSD.tv Live. The Sports Techie community blog has covered StreamAMG’s business development milestones across Europe for the benefit of our European readers and followers...
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Indian Filmmaker's Controversial Gandhi Quote, Stirs up Alleged Family Ties With Terror Plotter
New Delhi (Sputnik): Almost a decade after six serial bomb blasts shook the heart of the Indian city of Mumbai on 26 November 2008 that claimed 164 lives, the ghost of the attack and its conspirator David Headley came alive to haunt an Indian film maker on the trails of her controversial tweet.
Emily Ratajkowski's Hubby 'Exploiting Legal Loophole' to Live Rent-Free in NYC
Model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, who’s developed a reputation for posting racy Instagram snaps, married movie producer Sebastian Bear-McClard in a surprise wedding in February 2018.
Twitter-Quake as Guardians of the Galaxy Director Sacked Over Old Tweets
Disney has decided to fire James Gunn, the director of the massively successful movie franchise, for tweets he made nearly 10 years ago where he joked about controversial topics such as rape and pedophilia, which resurfaced earlier this week.
Kidnapped South Korean Actress, Darling of Kim Jong-il Dies at 91
Choi Eun-hee was kidnapped in 1978 by the North Korean secret service by personal order of Kim Jong-il, who was the actress’ number one fan. She and her husband later managed to escape from the North and returned to South Korea, where she passed away on April 16, 2018.
Publicity Stunt: Syrian Filmmaker Stages His Own 'Assassination' to Promote Anti-Assad Movie
A Syrian opposition filmmaker has apparently been exposed as the architect of a fake attempt on his life – staged in order to promote his anti-Assad movie.
British Filmmaker 'Loved by Kurdish Community' Killed in Daesh Ambush Near Raqqa
A British filmmaker has been killed in an ambush by Daesh fighters while working alongside Kurdish forces battling in Syria.
Indian Film Inspires Chinese Filmmakers to Look for Collaborations
Bollywood star Aamir Khan’s blockbuster film Dangal has impressed audiences at the second BRICS film festival in China’s Chengdu. Experts said Dangal's success indicated that more Chinese want to know the real India and the government should leverage it to showcase India's soft power.
Oliver Stone Urges Trump to Declassify Documents on Origins of Ukraine Crisis
Academy Award-winning film director Oliver Stone says that US President Donald Trump should make public any secret documents he has in his possession on the origins of the conflict in Ukraine.
Emir Kusturica Praises Putin for 'Restoring Balance to World Politics'
The famous Serbian film director Emir Kusturica sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as someone who restored a sense of balance to world politics, RIA Novosti reported.
Brazilian Director Seeks to Dispel Myths About Muslims
Amid the global focus on and fear of radical Islamic terrorism, Brazilian documentary director Tony Valentte believes that it's critically important to rehabilitate the image of Muslims in contemporary Brazilian society.
Finger in Every Pie: How CIA Became Involved in Entertainment Business
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a finger in every pie including… the entertainment business: it turns out that the CIA has played a role in producing at least 22 entertainment projects; investigative journalist Adam Johnson argues that by doing this the US intelligence agency puts American media workers at risk.
To the Batmobile! You Can Own the Caped Crusader's Car for One Mln Euros
A surprise advertisement for the sale of the iconic Batmobile in Moscow has been published on the vehicle sales website Auto.ru.
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THE WOLVES at LINCOLN CENTER THEATRE, PUFFS at NEW WORLD STAGES, and [PORTO] AT WOMEN’S PROJECT THEATRE ALL PART OF THIS MONTH’S QUALIFYING PRODUCTIONS LIST FROM PARITY PRODUCTIONS**
NEW YORK, NY (January 1, 2018) Theatre production company Parity Productions has released its monthly list of Qualifying Productions for January – their popular directory of New York City shows in which the individual creative teams include 50% women and transgender artists (directors, designers, and playwrights).
Parity Productions is New York’s theatre company that is dedicated to developing and producing new work and committed to hiring a minimum of 50% women and transgender playwrights, directors, and designers on each show they produce. In addition, part of their mission is to provide substantial promotional support to other shows that meet the 50% hiring standard in the form of social media, email blasts, PR support, and placement in their Qualifying Productions Directory. “In 2017, our Qualifying Productions Program promoted 152 productions and served 116 companies. And we expect to continue to expand this platform in 2018,” says Artistic Director and Founder Ludovica Villar-Hauser.
January 2018 also marks the first month of Parity Productions’ partnership with Show-Score. The two companies have teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind partnership in support of a 50/50 industry hiring standard. If Qualifying Productions have 7 or more performances, they will also be featured on Show-Score’s dedicated Qualifying Productions Page.
To submit your production, go to https://www.parityproductions.org/submit-your-qualifying-production.html.
To purchase tickets to Qualifying Productions, go to https://www.parityproductions.org/qualifying-productions.html or the individual show website.
January’s Qualifying Productions are:
20th Century Blues
Signature Theatre Company
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
20thcenturyblues.com/
Against the Hillside
Ensemble Studio Theatre
http://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/current-season-1/2018/1/31/against-the-hillside
01/16/18 — 2/25/18
One Year Lease Theater Company
59E59 Theaters, Theatre A
https://www.ticketcentral.com/59e59/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=D0517F6D-49B6-4C41-A94F-D5B552DE71EE
Butterside Down
The Cherry Lane Theatre
https://www.buttersidedownplay.org/
Cruel Intentions: The Musicals
(Le) Poisson Rouge
http://cruelmusical.com/#home
The Homecoming Queen
Atlantic Stage 2
atlantictheater.org/playevents/the-homecoming-queen/
Miles for Mary
Playwrights Horizons
Peter Jay Sharp Theater
https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/miles-mary/
Pop Punk High
Parkside Lounge
http://poppunkhigh.brownpapertickets.com/
[PORTO]
WP Theater
A Co-Production with The Bushwick Star
In Association with New Georges
wptheater.org/show/porto/
10/13/16 – 07/02/17 (extended)
The Elektra Theatre
07/08/17 – 01/14/18 (extended & moved)
First Person Xperience
www.firstpersonxperience.com/red
Blessed Unrest
http://blessedunrest.org/
12/2016 – 4/29/17
THML Theatre Company
The American Theatre of Actors
Beckmann Theater
https://www.thml.org/trial
Lincoln Center Theatre
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
http://www.lct.org/shows/wolves/
To be listed in the Parity Productions Qualifying Productions Directory, each show must meet three criteria: 50% of the playwrights, directors, and designers working on the production must be women or transgender artists; shows must be full productions (design elements included) that run for at least two calendar weeks in a New York City venue; and there must be a minimum of six performances over the course of the two week period.
Parity’s Qualifying Productions Program is one of their slate of advocacy programs that includes The Annual Parity Commission for Women and Transgender Playwrights, The Women and Transgender Artists Database and The Parity Store – a digital storefront that offers works of art, exclusive products, and professional services – many at a discount – to the industry and audiences. One out of every $10 the company makes from The Parity Store funds The Annual Parity Commission for Women and Transgender Playwrights.
MARY PAGE MARLOWE and STRAIGHT WHITE MEN at 2ND ST...
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(Fr. de Santa Maria Maior)
Lisboa (região)
Largo das Portas do Sol
Saint Vincent of Saragossa
martyr, patron saint of Lisbon, patron of vintners and vinegar-makers
(Wikipedia) Luis Xavier & Raul Xavier
Stone statue of St. Vincent holding in his hand a ship with two crows (the coat of arms of Lisbon). Legend tells that the remains of St. Vincent, a Spanish martyr who had been overthrown in the year 304, were obtained by D. Afonso Henriques and buried in the Cathedral of Lisbon in 1176, and were brought in a ship guarded by two crows.
The first studies for this statue were realized by Raul Xavier in 1949. The realization in stone only occurred between 1965 and 1967, by the hands of Raul's son, architect Luís Xavier. The statue was inaugurated on 25 October 1970.
Luis Xavier, Portuguese archictect, son of Raul Xavier).
Raul Xavier (Macau 1894 - Lisboa 1964), Portuguese sculptor (Wikipedia).
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Equipamentos.
Espaço e Tempo, revelar LX, Arte pública/Escultura.
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Arte Pública.
Town: Lisboa
Subdivision: Lisboa (distrito)
Region: Lisboa (região)
Vincent of Saragossa, St.
Xavier, Luis
Xavier, Raul
Location (N 38°42'44" - W 9°7'48")
Item Code: ptli039; Photograph: 29 August 2017
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Goldilock Revolutionizes How We Think about Digital Data
machnbirdsparo (60) in goldilock2018 • last year (edited)
Goldilock is a unique (patent-pending) approach to blockchain security. Its applications are far reaching which also justify its ambitious vision. The team is building an ecosystem to change how the world thinks about blockchain and digital security in general.
adapted from whitepaper
But it is not all about security. Goldilock has found a way to make digital transactions simultaneously more practical, user friendly, and efficient. Check out how it is done below. For a more in depth discussion of these concepts, please visit the whitepaper.
Goldilock Solves Custody and Accessibility Issues in the Crypto Space
You no longer need to choose between the security of cold storage (i.e. usb device) and the accessibility of “hot”, online keys (i.e. an exchange). The Goldilock solution combines the best of bost worlds. It provides an answer to damaged or lost storage devices. In terms of accessibility, its unique patent pending technology encourages mass adoption by individuals, organizations, and institutions. This last point has the potential to fulfill the promises of blockchain technology as a viable and scalable solution for digital assets.
BETTER, MORE SECURE STORAGE
Goldilock presents several new concepts for digital asset storage. It combines the best aspects of both cold and hot storage to change how the world thinks about the custody of cryptographic keys. The essence of this is in its non-IP triggered airgap technology. Users gain the security of information physically disconnected from the Internet, but have it immediately accessible at anytime from anywhere.
Airgap Technology
Investors find much needed relief through Goldilocks airgap technology. Crypto wallets are kept secure within it encrypted HSM vaults. Goldilock does not have access to data. Client maintain privacy through route request transmissions using their devices.
Goldilock patented its airgap technology with the U.S. government. Reliant upon “an airgap toggled by non-IP triggers” the ultimate in security is achieved by removing data from the Internet and electronic networks. This immense breakthrough will only be available through the Goldilock Security Suite. Institutions have two options, an in-house license or an outsourced service. In the future, institutions will be able to leverage airgap technology for API solutions.
Authorization for a non-IP command is completed over the Public Switch Telephony Network. Storage devices only become accessible after securely logging in. Once a transaction is completed, the storage device is physically disconnected. It is important to understand that Goldilock also serves as a way to manage private keys.
MASS ADOPTION
Goldilock provides the ultimate in security by removing and managing the electronic connection of digital data. This allows it to both improved access to data while reassuring people of their stored personal and/or critical information. It is truly redefining how the world handles sensitive digital data. Mass adoption occurs because digital operations become more practical while at the same time instilling user confidence.
It took the formation of a modern Wild West (brought on by the rush of cryptos to capitalize on blockchain technology) to make enough of the world aware of the need for data security. The old, inefficient Internet standard is simply not good enough for the crypto space. The issue of custody of encrypted keys creates a wall between institutions and the adoption of blockchain technology.
And yes this is indeed ironic considering that blockchains are intended to be more secure. Unfortunately, as blockchain tech matures, it often operates within an Internet that continually fails to keep pace.
A Wide Open Future
All decentralized transactions rely upon private keys. This makes the future of Goldilock as wide open as blockchain applications themselves. From individual credit data to banking assets and health records, Goldilock provides a physical layer of security. Simply, a cryptographic handshake with Goldilock , liberates us from Internet hacks.
The Goldilock solution was proved viable with its proof-of-concept at the beginning of 2018. It is a scalable solution for the ultimate in digital storage security. Mass adoption will follow as the Goldilock ecosystem grows.
INSTITUTIONAL BENEFITS
Goldilock provides institutions with many advantages. Among them are:
highly improved overall security solutions
the best of theft prevention
barrier against routine hacks
faster transaction times
remote feasibility
instant approval
a real solution for critical and personal information
secured sharing and privacy of consumer data
enforced copyrights with increased dissemination
convenient blockchain applications
Clients finally have a secure, practical solution for their legal, health, and financial records. Data usage improves for on-premises models, as well as, for Platform-as-a-Service. Crypto exchanges and a remote vaulted wallet thwart hacks and thefts to protect operations and client data. Wire transfers for banking becomes more secure and convenient. Sharing and reporting of data like credit and health information is now a user defined on-demand instance. Digital rights management also becomes more secure while making content more available.
Goldilock focuses on blockchain security. By choosing NEO, it can incorporate smart contracts to support applications for digital assets and identities. NEO provides Goldilock with regulatory compliance fast transactions speeds, and the utmost secure consensus mechanism in the most efficient way possible.
Regulatory compliance is made easy through NEO. It also benefits institutional audits within blockchain operations. Identities can be securely issued and confirmed through the Public Key Infrastructure. NEO achieves consensus through Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT). By combining Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), NEO’s dBFT takes the best of PoW security and PoS transaction speeds. In fact, NEO maintains the capability of processing over 10,000 transactions per second.
NEO is only a beginning. Once Goldilock transforms NEO into the most secure blockchain technology available, it plans to expand. Soon after, it will begin serving the other major cryptocurrencies. Long range plans include further expansion into mainstream and alternative coins.
Goldilock patented its technology in November 2017. Soon after, it succeeded in a technical proof-of-concept. In July, the first release of the Goldilock wallet and token presale followed closing on the first of institutional client agreements. Within a year, Goldilock plans to launch digital assets, release API services, provide institutional services, and become involved in device manufacturing.
You can find more detailed information in the whitepaper. Thanks to @OriginalWorks for hosting this contest sponsored by Goldilock. Visit the company’s telegram account to join the chat.
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Secrets and Unlockables, Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 Secrets and Unlockables
These are the Secrets and Unlockables in Silent Hill 2.
Maria on the posters.
The three types of ammo have birds on them (penguin, crow and owl).
There is a poster of Maria in the bathrooms at the beginning of the game.
When James runs to Silent Hill, extra footsteps can be heard almost as if someone is chasing him from behind. There are also dog-like sounds.
Posters for Stephen King's The Shining can be found in the beginning of the game. [1]
Second message in Neely's Bar.
In Neely's Bar, there are two messages that appear on the walls inside the room:
The first message is "There was a HOLE here. It's gone now." when James Sunderland first arrives in Silent Hill.
The second message is "If you really want to SEE Mary, you should just DIE. But you might be heading to a different place than Mary, James." after leaving Brookhaven Hospital. Reading this message will increase the chances of obtaining the In Water ending.
A corpse wearing James's clothing.
Most corpses in the game are in James's clothing (green jacket, blue jeans, black dress shoes).[2] They are signs of what may happen to James throughout his quest. Some notable corpses include:
In the area where James fights the first Lying Figure.
In front of Neely's Bar.
The corpse at the north end of Martin Street, which is holding the Apartment Gate Key.
In room 208 of the Wood Side Apartments, which also contains the Clock Puzzle.
At the north end of Neely Street across from the Pet Center with a number of papers strewn around.
Phoinix Body.
There is a establishment called "Phoinix body" or "Phoenix Body" on Lindsey Street. This might be a reference to reincarnation, like a phoenix does, and a nod to Alessa Gillespie/Cheryl Mason/Heather Mason from the previous game, or Mary and Maria, as there is a theme of rebirth in Silent Hill 2.
A "Magical Envelopes" signboard attached to the building on Sanders street might be an allusion to Mary's letter that disappears with its envelope at the end of the game.
In the room where James obtains his flashlight, the mannequin is wearing Mary Shepherd-Sunderland's clothes.
Heavy breathing can be heard on the third floor of Wood Side Apartments, as if the building is alive.[3]
In Room 307 of Wood Side Apartments, James hides in a closet from Pyramid Head. This appears to be a reference to the film Blue Velvet. In the same room, a painting of a mountain scene hangs on one of the walls. If viewed closely, skulls can be seen hidden in the picture.
The whisper heard in Room 209.
In Room 209 of the Blue Creek Apartments, a whisper may be heard that says something along the lines of "See my dead wife, come home to do some laundry..." This whisper is random, and there is about 50/50 chance that the whisper will occur.
Red cross texture.
The red cross texture in the PC version for low health is the image of the graffiti-covered wall where Laura sits reading the letter.
Heaven's Night appears to be directly modeled after the bar in the film Blue Velvet.
"Brookhaven Hospital" is misspelled as "Blookhaven Hospital" in-game, but this error was corrected in Silent Hill 3. This could be because in Japanese grammar, "L" and "R" are interchangeable.
In Brookhaven Hospital, heavy breathing can be heard when James discovers Maria isn't in her room.[4]
In Brookhaven Hospital, if James inspects the open refrigerator after obtaining the lead ring from it, he will comment that there is a rotting smell coming from it, implying that a body may have been stored in it at some point.
In the Otherworld Brookhaven Hospital at the very bottom of the stairwell, there is a fenced-off area right next to the basement storeroom. Each time James passes by it, a disturbing noise in the distance that sounds like a cross between a squealing pig and a wailing infant can be heard.[5] There are also sounds of glass shattering in Room C2.
According to the Book of Lost Memories, one of the pictures in the Silent Hill Historical Society is of the game's development team. It is likely a reference to this one.
The portrait found in the Toluca Prison cafeteria shows a corpse wearing James's clothing.
In Toluca Prison, in the cafeteria where Eddie Dombrowski explains the dead body slumped over a table, there is a portrait of the cafeteria hanging on the back wall near a health drink. If viewed closely, the picture shows that the corpse is in James's clothing, insinuating that the corpse is a sign of punishment.
In Toluca Prison, in the women's bathroom, if James knocks on a stall door and walks away, he may hear a sudden scream of a woman falling down, followed by a crash. This is considered to be one of the few "shock" or "jump scare" moments of the game.[6]
In Toluca Prison, in the gallows where James inserts the three plates, a sound similar to horses galloping in the distance can be heard, running back and forth. Afterwards, James coincidentally finds a horseshoe. Another interpretation is that the sounds are the ghosts of the prisoners murdered at the prison, who may have done jogging exercise drills. [7]
The lighter found in the prison says "Marlboro" on it.
In the morgue at Toluca Prison, if James inspects one of the corpses on a gurney, he will comment, "Did that just move or was it my imagination?" Also, if he tries to access one of the jammed doors, he will mention that there is a rotting smell coming from within. If he looks into one of the chutes, he may say that one of the bodies inside is terribly dismembered or that he regrets looking into them.
Silent Hill 2 - Man Crying In Hotel
Sobbing can be heard at 0:30.
In the Lakeview Hotel, James may hear a man sobbing when he walks past Room 208. Room 208 is the room in the Wood Side Apartments where he sees the body of a man in front of a TV. Room 208 is also written on the door where James discovers Maria is dead in her prison cell.
In the Lakeview Hotel, in the basement elevator where James finds the thinner, heavy breathing can be heard upon entering.
James examines the boiler.
In the Lakeview Hotel, if James enters the lounge (with his flashlight on) and examines the heater, he will find a note on the back of it that says: "I'm Johnny, one hot guy." This implies that the boiler directly caught a curtain on fire, which caused the hotel fire. Another suggestion is that this may be a reference to Stephen King's The Shining, where the main character Jack Torrance forgets to control the pressure on the old boiler room of the Overlook Hotel, causing it to catch on fire and explode. In the original novel, he purposefully overheats the boiler to destroy the hotel. In the film version, while possessed, Jack famously says "Here's Johnny!" during an attack on his family--specifically, his wife. A poster for The Shining can also be seen on a wall before James arrives in town.
The Little Mermaid music box is located near a water fountain (the sea), the Snow White music box in the pantry next to canned apples (poisoned apples) and the Cinderella music box in a briefcase with stickers from many cities (Cinderella's shoe was brought to many people before finding its rightful owner, and it needed just the right fit/combination. Or, being locked in the suitcase could represent how Cinderella was cruelly treated by her sisters/shunned from society).
The photos on the hotel bed by the briefcase in room 202 are of the game characters and enemies.
The suitcase in room 202 of the Lakeview Hotel can begin with the combination reading "KIRA". As "killer", when written in Japanese katakana, reads "kiraa", this may be a manifestation of the act which drew him to Silent Hill creeping back into memory. Also "kira" in Japanese literally translates to "shiny"; this would hint to Cinderella's slipper on the music box inside.
On the first try to get up to the third floor of the Lakeview Hotel, it's locked. When James turns around, Mary may be heard calling to him.
The scene where Angela ascends the hotel staircase might have been inspired by the last scene in Jacob's Ladder where the protagonist goes up the stairs following his son and, at the same time, dies in the real world.
A door which seems to have a face.
After defeating the two Pyramid Heads in the Otherworld Lakeview Hotel, James uses two eggs, one rust-colored and the other scarlet, to enter another corridor. In this corridor, there is a stain on a door that looks very much like a man's face imprinted on the wall.
If the player saves after receiving the Dog ending, the icon on the memory card will be the dog house where the key was found.
Sh2pc after Maria ending
After Maria ending gameplay.
In the PC version, it is sometimes possible to continue playing the game after the ending. If the game results are loaded from the game's pause menu, James will appear where the previous game was finished.
UFO Ending
Silent Hill 2 - UFO Ending
UFO Ending.
See UFO Ending#Silent Hill 2
An alternative joke ending. It was not included in the initial PlayStation 2 release of the game. It was added in the Xbox version, the PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits version and the Director's Cut PC version.
Rebirth Ending
Rebirth Ending.
An ending where James attempts to revive his dead wife.
In order to receive the Rebirth Ending, the player must beat the game at least once. Start a new game and there will be four extra items that James must obtain:
White Chrism
Book: "Lost Memories"
Obsidian Goblet
Book: "Crimson Ceremony"
Dog Ending
Silent Hill 2 Dog Ending
Dog Ending.
To get this ending, the player must receive the three normal endings, Leave, In Water, and Maria, or just receive the Rebirth Ending in a replay game. Once these endings are on the same save file, load it and start a new game. When exiting Rosewater Park for the first time, head straight and enter an open yard just west of Jacks Inn. Inside is a doghouse with a key inside. Get the key and use it to enter the Observation Room on 3F of the Nightmare Lakeview Hotel, after viewing the video tape in Room 312. Once this ending is achieved and saved, the low poly model representing the game's save data on PS2 versions changes from the radio to a bouncing doghouse.
Extra Riddle mode
A riddle mode that's much more difficult than the other three, it can be unlocked by beating the game once with each riddle level. The order you do it in does not matter, and the action difficulty you do it on does not matter.
After beating each riddle difficulty at least once, the next time you start a new game select hard for action difficult, and hard for riddle difficulty. You will now be playing on Extra difficulty.
Do note, however, that there is no separate option to select Extra riddle difficulty. You have to do the above process to play it. Also once you beat the Extra riddle difficulty the next time you select hard action and hard riddle it will only be on hard for riddle. To play Extra riddle just simply beat the game again with hard action, hard riddle.
To confirm that the next playthrough will allow Extra riddle simply start a new game with hard set to both, and just go to the first save and save the game. It will show when selecting a file if the difficulty is on Extra or hard.
Readable text
Note: Despite rumors that the text can be unlocked in-game, this is not possible. It can only be read by hacking into the game files to display it.
Swamp Monument
Swamp Monument.
Remains of Blood Swamp
The x meters of land surrounding this monument was originally swamp, but was later filled in.
From long ago, the swamp was nicknamed Blood Swamp because the executioners poured the water used to wash the execution tools in here.
Perhaps it's for that reason many people seem to have seen ghosts in the area.
Jennifer Carroll's monument, Rosewater Park
Victim of persecution by the Christians. Jennifer Carroll lived with pride and honor. What happened here shall never be forgotten.
Blood-soaked newspaper
Newspaper.
The body of a man later identified as Thomas Orosco (Lumberjack, age 39) was discovered in the middle of his room lying face up.
The probable cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the front of the neck and the left side of the torso by a sharp edged weapon. The estimated time of death was somewhere between 11:00 p.m. and 12:30 midnight.
Due to signs of struggle in the room and the lack of a murder weapon, police are considering this a homicide and have opened a murder investigation.
Furthermore, given the fact that the cash in the room was untouched and Mr. Orosco had a history of drunkenness and violence, the police suspect that the motive was not robbery but some sort of crime of passion.
Great Knife
The Great Knife.
Main article: Great Knife
Before James acquires the Great Knife, Pyramid Head wields this enormous weapon. The Great Knife is an incredibly large and heavy blade with a razor-sharp edge. The Great Knife will indeed kill, or at least knock down, almost anything in one hit, but it is very awkward to handle and use. James can only drag the knife across the floor, which slows him down immensely, due to its large size and extreme weight. James can find the Great Knife in the center room of Pyramid Head's "lair" in the labyrinth.
The secret chainsaw.
Main article: Chainsaw
The chainsaw can be obtained during a second playthrough, or while playing on Easy mode. After talking to Angela Orosco, a buzzing sound is heard, and when leaving the cemetery, the sound will get louder. The chainsaw is jammed into a log on the path after leaving the cemetery. It is powerful and has different attacks, but is slow to recover, and has a brief waiting period while it warms up. If James is left idle for a moment after downing a monster (not stomping), he lets out a battle cry.
Hyper Spray
The Hyper Spray.
Main article: Hyper Spray
The Hyper Spray can be unlocked by doing one of three possible things: completed the game on Hard mode, completed the game twice (at least once on Normal), or complete it three times, regardless of difficulty level. It is found inside the motorhome on Saul Street. The good part about the Hyper Spray is that no ammo is required, and depending on which version of the Hyper Spray is used, it can be quite effective, particularly if James is in a tight spot and needs to escape. The bad part about it is that the range is limited, and pressing it too long will lower the effect until James shakes the can. Also, while playing on Normal or Hard difficulties, James will get injured if he uses it too much. There are four different kinds of hyper spray in the game.
Deleted, unused and inaccessible content
Body from the concept art.
Silent Hill 2 originally featured a mini-map.[8]
In the game, Mary's video tape plays without sound. There is an unused sound file that corresponds to the video, however. The audio itself is profoundly disturbing, consisting of Mary's muffled screams.[9]
At the top of the hotel stairs, Angela can be seen bending and twisting. [10]
Though they don't appear in the game, the floating naked bodies from the concept art [11] can be found on the disc.[12] The bodies can also be seen during the ending credits.
The Church of the Rebirth can be seen briefly in the Rebirth ending, but it is possible to get James to the island by hacking the game. The area consists of a church sprite, many trees, and a dock.
The corpse in front of the TV is James's model.[13]
Another tombstone for James can be found in the first cemetery in the game.
Unused street plate.
There is a plate for Cornwell Street that can be found in game's files.
It is possible to use hacks to get James into the reddish hallway from the cutscene in Brookhaven Hospital, located on the east side of the hospital garden.[14]
The text on Mary's letter to Laura is actually Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory".[15]
James Sunderland - Mary Shepherd-Sunderland - Angela Orosco - Laura - Eddie Dombrowski - Maria
Ernest Baldwin - Amy Baldwin - Mary's Doctor - Rachel - Thomas Orosco - Mrs. Orosco - Jennifer Carroll - Patrick Chester - Mira - Harry Mason - Greys - Scott Fairbanks - Walter Sullivan
Abstract Daddy - Bubble Head Nurse - Creeper - Flesh Lip - Lying Figure - Mandarin - Mannequin - Mary - Prisoners - Pyramid Head
Chainsaw - Chinese Cleaver - Great Knife - Great Spear - Handgun - Hyper Spray - Pipe - Revolver - Rifle - Shotgun - Wooden Plank
Baldwin Mansion - Blue Creek Apartments - Brookhaven Hospital - Carroll Street - Church of the Rebirth - Dog House - Heaven's Night - Jacks Inn - Katz Street - Labyrinth - Lakeview Hotel - Nathan Avenue - Neely's Bar - Neely Street - Observation Deck - Pete's Bowl-O-Rama - Rendell Street - Rosewater Park - Silent Hill Historical Society - South Vale - Toluca Graveyard - Toluca Lake - Toluca Lake Island - Toluca Prison - Vachss Road - Wood Side Apartments
Flashlight - Fog World - Little Baroness - Manifestation - Map - Monster - Otherworld - Radio - Red Square - Siren - Seal of Metatron - UFO Ending - Sexuality
Memos - Items - Keys - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables
Retrieved from "https://silenthill.fandom.com/wiki/Silent_Hill_2_Secrets_and_Unlockables?oldid=203060"
Secrets and Unlockables
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Outrage At Dancers Viral Twerk On Burning Barca Street
October 21, 2019 October 24, 2019 spainuser 0 Comments
This is the moment a female dancer performs a twerk routine on a burning Barcelona street as her “form of expressing my protest” during the ongoing Catalan unrest.
The clip was shared on Instagram by dancer Sandra Kisterna where it is going viral with 370,000 views in one day.
The video, which shows Kisterna wiggling her bum on a burning Barcelona street, was accompanied with the message: “I do not want to offend people who are out to fight for their rights. This is my form of expressing my protest!
“I am aware that not everyone will take it well, but I have freedom of expression like everybody!”
“There are people who are taking to the streets to participate in violence and I want no part of it. What I saw last night in Barcelona was terrible, my city was ruined, there was chaos all around.”
Netizen ‘Gabrielajimenez24’ commented: “This ‘expression’ makes no sense at all!”
‘Felixbbdd’ wrote: “No offence, but do you think this was a moral thing to do when you knew it could bother people. This is not a ‘protest’ in my view. It is taking advantage of a situation where people are being hit around the head with truncheons on our streets. Claim freedom of speech all you want, but I only see you using the situation as an excuse to gain fame.”
‘Yasfaira97’ said: “The dancer should be told that although she thought she was doing a good thing, the timing was wrong. That’s all.”
A week of demonstrations and riots in Catalonia were sparked when the Spanish authorities sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison.
According to local media, so far 600 people have been injured including one police officer who is in a serious condition.
Four protesters have lost an eye, 28 people have been sent to preventative prison and 194 others are under arrest, according to a spokesperson for Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
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Access to up-to-date, reliable data is critical to improving social and economic outcomes. However, data is only useful if it can be accessed and understood. The Victorian Women’s Health Atlas was developed and launched by Women’s Health Victoria (WHV)in 2015 – in partnership with Spatial Vision – to assist in the identification of gender impacts across six priority health areas.
Spatial Vision admires the leadership of Women’s Health Victoria in advocating for improvements in health, safety and wellbeing for women. To help continue this great work, Spatial Vision and Women’s Health Victoria have established a partnership. In this partnership, WHV will help SV to continue to improve their Atlas and Perception product. Commissions from each sale of a Perception solution will enable WHV to enhance and expand the Women’s’ Health Atlas.
Spatial Vision held a workshop breakfast to launch our partnership with WHV and our new product Perception that is based on the successful Women’s Health Atlas.
Glenn Cockerton, Managing Director from Spatial Vision opened the breakfast. There were attendees from various health policy, research, outreach and advocacy organisations.
Rita Butera, Executive Director for Women’s Health Victoria spoke about our partnership and the successful completion of the Women’s Health Atlas. WHV aims is to influence local and state governments in making better decisions around equity and services for women.
The atlas was developed by Women’s Health Victoria, in collaboration with other state-wide and regional women’s health services and Family Planning Victoria, as a tool to assist in the identification of gender impacts on key health areas by LGAs, Regions and the State.
Women’s Health Victoria approached Spatial Vision with an aim to visualise their key statistics from the large data sets they had available. They needed to present this data in a consistent set of categories in order to clearly, quickly and easily communicate the data to the various audiences. The solution was to create a user-friendly, interactive and intuitive website that visualises their four key indicators, which later expanded to six.
Spatial Vision’s General Manager of Operations, Graeme Martin talked about the atlas and how it works, he showed some examples of the data that was represented in a map – Unpaid domestic work – females vs males – clear cut ‘win’ from my perspective!
Graeme described the methodology Spatial Vision used to finalise the Atlas and the timeline of the project, from inception to the launch. Women’s Health Victoria had a tight deadline, which Spatial Vision completed in a timely manner. The entire structure took about four months to complete. To build a similar application now would take much less time, as we offer Perception as a ready-made solution. It would only require new data and branding to be uploaded.
Perception allows you to visualise your data and provide meaningful insights. No technical expertise needed. It is fast to deploy, secure, available on multiple platforms and completely interactive. If you think your organisation could benefit from visualising data like Women’s Health Victoria have done, speak to one of our experts today.
Another good question was raised, was about the source for the data and whether it can be shared. The Atlas is publicly accessible because the information is free to share. Much of the data is freely available however, some is purchased. Importantly the Atlas presents the context for the data and delivers it in readily understood formats including maps, charts and fact sheets. It does not allow for people to download the data as some source organisations are not comfortable with this as they are concerned the data may be used inappropriately.
Overall, this breakfast was a success with the great turn out and quality questions raised by many attendees. Spatial Vision hopes that everyone enjoyed this morning and we hope to run workshops such as these in foreseeable future. We thank everyone in taking their time out of their busy schedule to come and attend the launch of the new product we are so proud of – Perception.
For assistance with your data visualisation needs, please contact us.
Spatial Vision and Women’s Health Victoria Partnership
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Data Visualisation in Health and Social Services
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Video: Data Visualisation in Health and Social Services
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‘We still haven't been allowed to be us': Breaking the Silence on Menopause
Rhiannon J. Davies
CommonSpace
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Perth, Scotland
Menopause is often regarded as a taboo topic for women to discuss publicly, but a group in Scotland is looking to normalize the conversation through pop-up cafes that go against this norm. "Menopause cafes," which started in Perth, Scotland, not exist throughout the county and attract not just women to the conversation, but also men that want to have a better understanding.
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At Year's End, News of a Global Health Success
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times 19 December 2012
Child mortality rates in third-world countries are often shockingly high. But they are gradually decreasing due to efforts that target contagious diseases and more widespread health education.
Female Veterans pose homeless challenge for VA
Léa Bouchoucha
Women's eNews 1 April 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Female veterans are more likely to have a history of trauma, be unemployed, and be homeless. To address this disparity, the VA has started awarding grants to organizations that help female vets.
For Mothers-to-Be, Finding Health Care in a Group
To educate and prepare new mothers, Centering Pregnancy and Centering Parenting sites in the United States offer community-based patient-centered care in low-income areas. Centering offers interactive learning, check-ups, and social support, so that women can take charge of their health.
For some, prenatal care is a community affair
Shuka Kalantari
Public Radio International (PRI) 18 June 2014
Radio / 3-5 Minutes
Latin American women in San Francisco have suffered from post-partum depression, social isolation, and chronic stress at the time of their pregnancies. Run by midwives, the Centering Pregnancy program at the San Francisco General Hospital provides patient-centered care, an environment to speak in...
For Teenage Smokers, Removing the Allure of the Pack
The New York Times 1 August 2012
Adolescent smoking remains a challenging health problem because of the allure of cigarette branding. Australia is piloting the transformation of cigarette packaging with a generic look that reduces the appeal of smoking. In Florida, the Truth campaign has exposed that cigarette companies targete...
Giving Where It Works
The New York Times 29 November 2011
Non-profit organizations and programs that seek to improve community or global life can have financial challenges even with donations. Investigative advocacy journalism has highlighted seven global programs that succeed in financial sustainability and demonstrate positive outcomes for the people ...
Grameen Bank and the Public Good
David Bornstein
The New York Times 24 March 2011
The Bangladesh government seeks to take control of the Grameen Bank, the world’s biggest microlender and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for offering small loans to poor village women. The seizure threatens the bank’s independence, the millions of impoverished villagers who own the loans, and the...
Guiding Families to a Fair Day in Court
The New York Times 29 May 2015
Millions of families of arrested individuals do not know what to do to help, how to obtain a lawyer, or what the process entails in the court system. Created by Albert Cobarrubius Justice Project, participatory defense is a type of community organizing that teaches and empowers people who face cr...
Crime and blight still remain
Greg Barnes
Fayetteville Observer 22 February 2014
Civic leaders in the U.S. struggle to effectively help their distressed neighborhoods. East Lake, Atlanta, created a replicable model that mixes residents of differing socio-economic status, and focuses on education and health in the area.
From Young Adult Book Fans to Wizards of Change
Courtney E. Martin
Global social and economic problems are difficult to change. However, fan-activism fuels the interests of fans of popular young adult fiction. Books such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games have inspired activist groups that raise awareness of global hunger, reading, and relief supplies to impov...
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/at-years-end-news-of-a-global-health-success?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
http://womensenews.org/story/military/150401/female-veterans-pose-homeless-challenge-va?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/for-mothers-to-be-finding-health-care-in-a-group?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-06-18/some-prenatal-care-community-affair?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Public Radio International (PRI)
Latin American women in San Francisco have suffered from post-partum depression, social isolation, and chronic stress at the time of their pregnancies. Run by midwives, the Centering Pregnancy program at the San Francisco General Hospital provides patient-centered care, an environment to speak in Spanish, and a nurturing community for women’s group appointments. The results boast fewer c-sections and pre-term births, and an improvement in emotional support and overall prenatal health.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/for-teenage-smokers-removing-the-allure-of-the-pack?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Adolescent smoking remains a challenging health problem because of the allure of cigarette branding. Australia is piloting the transformation of cigarette packaging with a generic look that reduces the appeal of smoking. In Florida, the Truth campaign has exposed that cigarette companies targeted teenage consumers and, in response, created a set of new advertisements that presented the cigarette industry with transparency.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/giving-where-it-works?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Non-profit organizations and programs that seek to improve community or global life can have financial challenges even with donations. Investigative advocacy journalism has highlighted seven global programs that succeed in financial sustainability and demonstrate positive outcomes for the people they serve.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/grameen-bank-and-the-public-good?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
The Bangladesh government seeks to take control of the Grameen Bank, the world’s biggest microlender and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for offering small loans to poor village women. The seizure threatens the bank’s independence, the millions of impoverished villagers who own the loans, and the ownership rights of the bank of which millions of poor women control 97 percent of the shares. Run by women, the management of the bank sends a message that women are the country’s social entrepreneurs and offer important voices in shaping policies that directly influence other women and the poor.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/guiding-poor-families-to-a-fair-day-in-court?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Millions of families of arrested individuals do not know what to do to help, how to obtain a lawyer, or what the process entails in the court system. Created by Albert Cobarrubius Justice Project, participatory defense is a type of community organizing that teaches and empowers people who face criminal charges. Individuals know how to work with attorneys in order to navigate the system and ultimately feel equipped to become drivers of their own change.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140222/News/302229724?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Fayetteville Observer
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/from-young-adult-book-fans-to-wizards-of-change?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Global social and economic problems are difficult to change. However, fan-activism fuels the interests of fans of popular young adult fiction. Books such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games have inspired activist groups that raise awareness of global hunger, reading, and relief supplies to impoverished nations, among others. Being a fan has served as a bridge to become politically active and solve the world’s problems.
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Steroid profiles Fat Loss Agents
DNP — Dinitrophenol
DNP is one of the most controversial drugs in use by bodybuilders. This agent is not sold for human use anywhere in the world at this time, but is readily available as an industrial chemical. Among other things, it is used as an intermediary for the production of certain dyes, for photographic development, as a fungicide, in wood pressure-treatment to prevent rotting, and as an insecticide. It is technically classified as a poison. Although quite incongruous with this list of strong industrial/chemical uses, this chemical was sold during the era of patent medicine as a diet drug for humans. It is this property of dinitrophenol that remains of interest to some bodybuilders today.
Dinitrophenol induces weight loss by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation, thereby markedly increasing the metabolic rate and body temperature . While this is an extremely effective way of producing rapid weight loss, there seems to be no ceiling to DNP’s temperature increasing effect. Herein lies perhaps its most dangerous trait; it may allow body temperature to rise to level that can be damaging, even fatal. Writer Carl Malmberg made perhaps one of the earliest and most famous quotes about this danger back in the 1930s when he told of a physician who was "literally cooked to death" from using it. This was far from an isolated case, and deaths associated with DNP have continued over the decades. For example, a recent highly publicized story concerns a man that died on Long Island, NY in 2001 after taking DNP for only four days. The dose used was reported to be 600 mg per day, just three 200 mg capsules.
Brand name DNP, Dinitrophenol, Solfo Black, Nitrophen, Aldifen, Chemox
Dinitrophenol History
The fat-loss properties of DNP were reportedly first noticed during World War I, when overweight men working with DNP in munitions plants started losing substantial amounts of weight. It did not take very long for this chemical to be identified as the cause. Soon after, it was packaged as a drug product. By 1935, more than 100,000 Americans had already used “patent medicine” remedies that included DNP. In fact, DNP was the first synthetic drug that was ever used for weight reduction in this country. While it was available, it was being widely advertised as a new, safe, and effective way to get thin. Popular brand names for DNP included Dinitriso, Nitromet, Dinitrenal and Alpha Dinitrophenol. At the peak of DNP’s popularity, the drug could be found in pharmacies all across the country.
While the drug may have worked for the intended purpose, it was also introduced at a time before government review and approval of drug safety. In this regard DNP had some very strong shortcomings, and it didn’t take long for reports of side effects to began pouring in. One such incident involved a dozen women in California who were temporarily blinded by the drug. Numerous reports of DNP-linked cataracts began coming in from as far away as France and Italy. It was said to be happening with doses as little as 100 mg daily when taken for long periods. Reports of more serious injury, even death, from DNP use followed. With such highly unfavorable safety reports, the drug was soon pulled. By 1938 it was off the market for good. It has never returned as a medicine for human or animal consumption. Even so, reports of death associated with DNP use continue to this day.
Author’s Note: I was hesitant to even include a profile of dinitrophenol in this book, for fear it might entice someone who otherwise may not have known about it to use it. But ultimately I decided it would be better to include the historical information about the drug. The true story of DNP is a scary one and needs to be remembered. Bodybuilders must understand that the reemergence of underground DNP in the late 1990s was not a revolutionary new achievement in fat loss, but a scary repitition of one of the biggest mistakes of the patent medicine era. It is a drug from a time when an unregulated market was allowing dangerous chemicals like this to harm the public. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exists today to protect the public from such scenarios. Almost all experts today agree that DNP is a dangerous drug, and is not recommended for weight loss.
How is Dinitrophenol Supplied
DNP is not supplied in a form prepared for human or veterinary consumption. It is available as a research or industrial chemical only.
Structural Characteristics of Dinitrophenol
DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) is a cellular metabolic poison with the chemical designation 1- hydroxy-2,4-dinitrobenzene.
Dinitrophenol Side Effects
There are many potential side effects associated with DNP use including increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, nausea, elevated body temperature, insomnia, profuse sweating, rash, skin lesions, decreased white blood cell count, cataracts, coma, and death.
Dinitrophenol Administration
DNP is not approved for use in humans. Prescribing guidelines are unavailable.
A common dose used among bodybuilders is reportedly 2mg per kg of bodyweight per day. This calculates to a dosage of 200 mg per day for a person of approximately 220 pounds of bodyweight. Note that this population tends to retain more lean muscle mass than the average (sedentary) person of the same bodyweight, which may substantially alter the results and side effects of a given dosage. Admittedly, fat loss due to DNP use is highly rapid and extreme, with some people losing as much as .5 to 1 pound of fat weight per day. This can equate to a drop of 15 or 20 pounds in only a few weeks. Given the high risks associated with DNP use, however, it is usually taken for only a few weeks at a time. The strong incidence of side effects is also regarded as an indicator that the drug should be discontinued immediately. Note that most experts regard DNP as a drug with inherent dangers that far outweigh its potential benefits.
Dinitrophenol Availability
DNP is not available as a human or veterinary medication in any part of the world. Availability of products intended for human use is entirely in the underground realm, where products, dosages, and safety are not the subject of government approval.
Bodybuilders reference
This was truly reported as chemical exercise. Normally the mitochondria process that converts ADP (adenosine diphosphate) into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is about 60% efficient, which means there is a great deal of energy wasted. Those who have read the creatine section ahead of this are well aware of our good friend ATP. When we exercise, this process accelerates and raises our metabolic rate. (More calories are burned as a result) The process is called oxidative phosphorylation. Since ATP is the high-energy chemical our bodies utilize for intense training, anything that compromises this process will make cellular mitochondria work harder and expend more energy as heat. (Body temperature rises).
DNP is an oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler. It makes the process only about 40% efficient by uncoupling a high energy phosphate molecule from ATP and therefore turning ATP into ADP. To maintain an adequate supply of ATP, the body must step-up production. For this reason metabolism is significantly increased and an incredible amount of calories are burned. During this accelerated metabolic state, and due to the need for ATP production, most of the calories come from fatty acids (adipose/fat tissue). So little or no muscle is lost (With adequate protein intake).
Users experienced elevated body temperatures and perspiration even while sitting around. Simply stated, metabolic rates elevate 100-200% in only a few hours. Sounds great, but DNP can be deadly. Since increased energy is dissipated as body heat, too high of a dosage of DNP for to long of a period can actually COOK ORGANS!!!. No joke, I mean medium well done.
The issue of body temperature is of interest here and is a relevant point to discuss further. Clenbuterol and ephedrine are fairly easy to chart for effective results by checking body temperature. However, DNP is much different in this sense. When an athlete (Or anyone) used DNP, increased respiration, heart rate, and skin dilation occurred. Thus heat is quickly dissipated. This means that a person using DNP could feel warm but a thermometer can fail to show an increase in body temperature. According to available literature, in most cases a body temperature of near 100 degrees indicate a metabolic rate of about twice normal. It also means that the individual is in the very near the danger zone. This is wholly unnecessary, and it is the low cellular ATP level induced by high dosage DNP use that was most dangerous. The temperature or heat issue is secondary by comparison. Most reported users of DNP ingested a daily dosage of 6-8mg per kilogram of body weight. Realistically speaking, I can say from personal experience that this is not only an uncomfortable experience, but dangerous and unnecessary as well. My experience has been that 3-5mg/kg daily provided better results and did so even without a calorie decrease. Personally I feel a body temperature of 99.5-99.7 degreases was preferable also.
Before going on, I would like to say a few related points. Now we know that the mitochondrial process of converting ADP into ATP is called oxidative phosphorylation and that the process is normally 60% efficient. We know DNP is an oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler that will reduce the process efficiency to 40% and that this burns fat while raising metabolic rates 100-200% while increasing body temperature. (We also know misuse can cook our guts!). There are several products on the market, such as Usnic ACID using these terms and comparing their products to DNP.
Well, bull shit! Usnic acid even in pure form taken orally failed to raise metabolic rates significantly at the reported average dosage. Okay, second: DNP cannot be sold for supplemental use by law because idiots will think more is better and the media will again have a field day. (Funny how we see so many media interviewers in bars).
How did polled athletes utilize DNP? Well, pretty simple actually. 4-mg per kg of body weight divided into 4 equal dosages, take 4 hours apart was a common practice. So using a 220 LB bodybuilder, 220 lb = 2.2 = 100-kg. 100-kg x 4-mg = 400mg daily total, at 100mg taken every 4 hours. Using an oral thermometer, (rectal if preferred) the athletes temperature was taken upon waking before the first 100 mg DNP dosage and record. At one hour and again at hour 4 before the second dose the temperature was taken again and recorded. Any temperature above 100' was considered over kill on dosage, and therefore dosage was reduced or periods between dosages were increased due to half-life over lapping from previous dosages. Simple?
I did use DNP and followed a few obvious rules for personal use:
*I was always absolutely sure of the DNP quality and dosage I purchased. A mistake could have made me a cannibal's lunch.
*I never took DNP within 3 hours of bed time. If I made a mistake and I was awake, a cool bath tub of water could have saved my life.
*I drank atleast 1 gallon of pure water daily to aid in proper body cooling and to aid in removal of metabolic wastes.
*7mg per kg was the absolute maximum dosage of DNP and only for 5 days at this dosage. 7mg per kg was too high of a daily dosage and usually resulted in lean muscle mass loss, which sucked. 3-5mg/kg was wiser.
*I ate 2g of complete protein per pound at body weight daily, divided into 6-8 meals with at least 1g of carbs per pound of body weight daily.
*Never used DNP for more than 21 days consecutive. I lost about 11-18LBS of fat this way. Note of interest: DNP also appeared to clean out androgenic receptor-sites and may have caused receptor-site up regulation!
Another factor of danger to consider is that after 48 hours of DNP use the liver experiences severe ATP depletion resulting in, among other things, almost all circulating T-4 thyroid hormone to be come unbound and excreted out of the body at a much higher rate. TSH, TRH, and thyroid gland secretion remain normal or above. But the body receives very little T-4 or T-3. This is why most DNP only users reported a decline in body temperature after two days of continuous use.
*It should be noted that DNP use causes an increase in free radical production. Those who used DNP supplemented their diet with additional anti-oxidants such as vitamins C & E, glutamine, and glutathione.
Anabolic Steroid Guide reference
The substance; 2, 4-Dinitrophenol has many other brand names such as, 1 Hydroxy-2,4-dinitrophenol, Solfo Black, Nitrophen, Aldifen, and Chemox are just a few and is among many things, a metabolic stimulant. That is it's popularity here in our world, it burns fat like no other. Let me just tell you of it's other uses before I continue. First, it is a toxic dye, chemically related to Trinitrophenol (Picric Acid), second, it is found in insecticides, wood preservatives, herbicides, explosives, and is also a hazardous material. Third, it is used in science to couple or attach to DNA molecules. All of this should tell you that it is not a run-of-the-mill metabolic stimulant, like Clenbuterol or Triacana or Ephedrine or any other for that matter. Here is DNP's tox faq's from the international chemical safety cards to you give an idea of what it is considered to be; Combustible. Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. Risk of fire and explosion. DO NOT expose to friction or shock. MAY BE ABSORBED! Redness. Roughness. Yellow staining on the skin. PHYSICAL STATE; APPEARANCE: YELLOW CRYSTALS ROUTES OF EXPOSURE: The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, through the skin and by ingestion. PHYSICAL DANGERS: Dust explosion possible if in powder or granular form, mixed with air. INHALATION RISK: Evaporation at 20C is negligible; a harmful concentration of airborne particles can, however, be reached quickly. CHEMICAL DANGERS: May explosively decompose on shock, friction, or concussion. May explode on heating. Shock-sensitive compounds are formed with alkalis, ammonia and most metals. The substance decomposes on heating producing toxic gases including nitrogen oxides. EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE: The substance may cause effects on metabolism, resulting in very high body temperature. Exposure may result in death. EFFECTS OF LONG TERM OR REPEATED EXPOSURE: Repeated or prolonged contact with skin may cause dermatitis. The substance may have effects on the peripheral nervous system. The substance may have effects on the eyes, resulting in cataracts. Boiling point: sublimes C, Melting point: 112C, Relative density (water = 1): 1.68. Solubility in water, g/100 ml at 54.5C: 0.14. Relative vapor density (air = 1): 6.36. This product is handled and shipped in a 15% solution of water, making it a paste, so that it will not explode due to shock or friction.
DNP is an uncoupling agent that inhibits the flow of electrons and the pumping of H+ ions for ATP synthesis. Fifty years ago it was used for weight loss, however, in 1938 the FDA removed it from the counter, as it caused cataracts and even sometimes death. If electron transport does not produce ATP, then much more sugar must be metabolized for energy needs. Very low production of ATP would be lethal. In oxidative phosphorylation, the flow of electrons from NADH (the reduced form of NAD+, oxidized from NAD. This enzyme is important in accepting electrons in the course of metabolic reactions. When NAD+ gives up it's electron, it is converted to it's reduced form NADH) and FADH2 (the reduced form of FAD) to oxygen results in the pumping of H+ from the matrix to the inner membrane space of the mitochondria. This gradient of H+ can produce ATP by flowing through ATP synthetase in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Dinitrophenol disrupts the H+ gradient reducing ATP synthesis. Under these conditions, much of the food that we eat could not be used for ATP synthesis and we lose weight. However, too much inhibitor and we could make too little ATP for life. The difference between weight loss and death is only a small concentration change in dinitrophenol, making the drug dangerous. Simply put, this means that while eating your normal diet, you will have somewhere between 20% and 40% reduction of calories.
You may now be wondering just what kind of dose would be effective, but not harmful. A dose of 2mg/kg/day (or two mgs per kg of body weight per day) would be an effective dose, causing the loss of about 5 to 10 pounds in a 10 to 14 day period, maybe less. So, a person weighing 200 lbs would weigh about 91 kgs, so 2mgs per kg of body weight would be the equivalent of 182 mgs of DNP per day, but since it typically comes in 200 mg capsules, you would take one cap per day. Since DNP has this inhibiting effect, glycolosis is inhibited as well, causing a diabetic effect due to the conversion of glucose without insulin, so you may have heard that people take insulin with DNP. This will counter act the symptoms of lethargy and lack of energy due to DNP's use.
Finding DNP, this may be a little difficult as there are only two manufacturers of it. Sigma and Springfield scientific, though they do not generally sell to the public, it is still available. If you cannot find someone with capsules, you may try to get some bulk (somewhere around $20.00 - $30.00 per lb I think), but since this is considered a hazardous material, it cannot be conveniently or inconspicuously shipped (which for consumption is a felony), however, it is possible. However, to get use of the bulk/raw form, you will need to make your own capsules, which is a meticulous process.
Wlliam Llewellyn (2011) - Anabolics
L. Rea (2002) - Chemical Muscle Enhancement Bodybuilders Desk Reference
Anabolic Steroid Guide
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Go To Artist Page
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Jumpin' Tracks
by Albert and Gage
© Copyright - MoonHouse Records / MoonHouse Records (750532030821)
One of the best local releases of the year. The duo handles gorgeous country pop numbers with a smart, adult contemporary maturity.
Genre: Folk: Folk Blues
just a few left.
Buy 2 or more of this title's physical copies and get 20% off
Song Share Time Download
1. Jumpin' Tracks
2. How Can I
3. I'll Go Crazy
4. Lay Your Head Down Baby
5. What Am I to You
6. The Workings of the Soul
7. Now That You're Gone
8. I Got Over It
9. Let the Castle Fall
10. I'm Looking for a Miracle
11. Boxcars
12. Vaya Con Dios
In Austin, Texas-a town overrun with talented singer/songwriters and guitar heroes - Christine Albert & Chris Gage have a six-year track record of making beautiful music together. Over the course of four duet albums, the duo have demonstrated that disparate backgrounds do not preclude musical soulmates from finding one another.
Their "Burning Moonlight" album led an Austin Chronicle reviewer to exclaim, "(The songs are) beautifully framed by the duo's intertwined, yearning vocals, leaving a glow as luminous and bright as moonlight itself." And the Houston Press noted, "From George Jones and Tammy Wynette to Richard and Linda Thompson, male-female duets are one of popular music's most delightful permutations. And the Austin-based duo of Christine Albert and Chris Gage easily slot right in with the best."
Says Christine of her partner, "Musically, I like to go in lots of different directions"-from country songs to French chansons-"and Chris goes right along with me. It's not just that he plays bluegrass or folk or blues, but that he plays it all with so much integrity."
"After being a sideman for several years I was ready to start my own band again", recalls Gage. "I wasn't sure exactly how that would manifest, and then I met Christine. What we brought out in each other was magical."
Onstage, Albert's slender, dark beauty contrasts strikingly with Gage's craggy good looks. How gracefully they complement each other is easily apparent. Although they have functioned as a duo for just six years, both musicians' individual pedigrees are far more extensive.
Gage is a journeyman musician and South Dakota native who literally began touring in a station wagon at age 15. In the mid-Seventies and early Eighties he led the popular midwestern country-swing Red Willow Band, and from there graduated to an eight-year tenure on piano with guitar virtuoso and country star Roy Clark. After moving to Austin in 1991, Gage began commuting to San Antonio to take the reins as musical director for the Fiesta Texas theme park.
But it was during (and following) his next incarnation, as bandleader for West Texas alt.-country singer/songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore, that he began to carve out his own place in the Austin scene as an in-demand session player and accompanist. It was with Gilmore that Christine first heard Chris play and in 1997 Albert & Gage was formed. The duo later toured as an opening act for Gilmore and as members of his ensemble.
Christine Albert's French grandmother lived in Paris and her mother was born in Switzerland, so perhaps it's inevitable that the occasional Edith Piaf song migrates into her sets of original material and carefully chosen covers. Indeed, she recorded an entire album of lovely (albeit improbable) Franco-Lone Star fusion entitled Texafrance in 1992; and a 2003 sequel-Texafrance-Encore!-was released, appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day.
Christine herself cut her musical teeth in northern New Mexico, in the chic environs of Santa Fe and in the rough-and-tumble biker bars out along the Turquoise Trail. Along with fellow New Mexico chanteuse Eliza Gilkyson, Albert re-located to Austin in 1982 and began to distinguish herself as a singer-songwriter in a town where the bar for such artists is set very high indeed.
She has released five solo albums, including Texafrance, The High Road and Underneath the Lone Star Sky. In 1996, she was voted Female Vocalist of the Year in the Kerrville Music Awards poll associated with the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival and has appeared on Austin City Limits, both with Gilkyson and on her own show. A longtime community activist, Albert is also known for her work on behalf of survivors of sexual assault.
The duo's most recent release is "Albert and Gage at Anderson Fair", a live album recorded at the venerable Houston folk club and mixed and edited at their own MoonHouse Studio. When not on the road, Albert and Gage also stay busy producing outside artists. Their artist-owned label MoonHouse Records will be expanding in 2004 with releases by fellow Austinites Cowboy Johnson and Mike Austin.
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Lady Eagles take Second in ACAA Championship Game
The Lady Eagles earned second place at this weekends ACAA Championship. Tight defense from both sides of the court kept both teams offenses in check tonight. The Lady Eagles ended the first quarter up 11-9. Several in and outs on the rim the Lady Eagles kept them from opening up a lead as they found themselves down by one as the teams headed into the locker room for half time. The Lady Eagles opened the game up in the third by outscoring the Lady Lions 9-3 to take a five-point lead. At the end of the third Abby Daddario put up a 3-pointer but it was waved off by the officials as the horn seemed to buzz before her shot got off. Heading into the fourth quarter with a 29-24 lead, the Lady Eagles looked to have the win in sight. Several missed opportunities offensively early in the fourth came back to haunt the Lady Eagles. The Lady Eagles were holding onto a two point lead with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter when the Lady Lions put two in for a layup to tie the game, then grabbed a steal and drew a foul to pull ahead by three. A rarity for this season the Lady Eagles were held scoreless in the fourth and as the buzzer sounded the Lady Eagles ended the game down 32-29.
Torri Erdman scored 12 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Tiffany Billings played a tough defensive game and added nine points to the tally sheet. Abby Daddario finished with six points coming from two treys. The Lady Eagles finish the season by taking 1st place in the ACAA Eastern Division and 2nd place in the ACAA with an overall record of 21-2 and an ACAA record of 13-1.
Congratulations Lady Eagles on a great season!
Filed Under: Athletics Pictures, Recent News
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Brightrock Games
War for the Overworld 1 797
General Help & Support 27
War for the Overworld - Knowledge Base 29
Help & Support Knowledge Base 6
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Crash on save file load
FlyingWizard 5 hónapok ago • updated 3 hónapok ago • 8
This all started when the game started being really choppy. I started the campaign mission Lambs to the Slaughter, and I started using Prophecy to scout the map. About 3 minutes in the game became unplayably laggy, and so I saved the game and tried to load, hoping that would fix it. Upon load, the game crashed. Before it crashed, the game caused both of my monitors to flicker off upon which it resized itself big enough to fill my second monitor (the game is supposed to be set to windowed mode at 1920x1080 resolution, and my second monitor's resolution is set to 2560x1440). After I clicked okay on the crash report hidden behind the game, I waited for steam to finish closing the game, then tried to start it again. When it was loading, it was again filling the screen of my second monitor. After waiting for a while, the game still was a white screen, so I gave up and closed it. Again, when I tried to start it again, it was filling my second monitor, then after a short time it shrinked back to the normal size. However, the choppiness still won't go away while the game is focused (it shows fine when it is not the focused window), and whenever I try to load the save file I made, the previous things I mentioned about the expanding game window and crashing repeat themselves.
Game Version:
Előre a legrégebbit!
Előre a legfrissebbet!
FlyingWizard 5 hónapok ago
crash.dmp
error.log
output_log.txt
Here are the files for the first crash.
I'm running on latest game and windows 10 build, i7-4790 CPU, Nvidia 970M, and 16GB of RAM
Oh, and I said the game is supposed to be windowed mode at 1920x1080, but it doesn't seem to be that large of a resolution (I tried adjusting it and it reacted normally so either I'm losing it or they're all a bit smaller than advertised)
Edit: here's the save files in case they matter, but I don't suspect it has anything to do with the file itself ....9 belmorne's pass lambs to the slaughter_20190820193444
9 belmorne's pass lambs to the slaughter....meta
Pending Customer
Lee "Noontide" Moon (Designer & Community Manager) 5 hónapok ago
Hi FlyingWizard,
Sorry to hear you've had problems with the game. I've had a quick glance over the log you've included and it looks quite interesting indeed.The report is filled with a number of D3D errors which confirm some level of graphical error. The experience you describe with your monitor sounds like it might have caused a GPU Driver crash and a device reset by the Nvidia software.
Unfortunately our team is extremely busy at the moment and I don't think we'll be able to investigate the save file itself until next week. But in the meantime can you confirm your graphics drivers are fully updated?
Greetings Lee!
Yes, my drivers were and are up to date. I had this problem several days before where the game would stutter, but by fiddling around with the window I was able to snap it out of it. Now, if you also use Nvidia, you might notice that soon after I posted this, a new graphics driver became available, which I installed. After restarting my computer post-update, I was able to load the file properly and haven't had any more issues. However, given the intermittency of the issue I rather doubt this new driver is the cause of the fix and that it may happen again with some variation thereof in the future. I can't say that with any certainty though--just a bad hunch.
Thanks for the error log interpretation. Now this laptop is several years old, but as you'll notice the specs are still decent, so my money is either on my laptop's interaction with my external monitor (I have it setup to use g-sync, but supposedly my laptop's model is incapable of using g-sync. Despite this, after looking around, I'm told that if I can find the g-sync option to turn it on in my driver settings that I am able to use it if I decide to try and turn it on--that it wouldn't show up if I couldn't), or the game has some sort of quirk with my rig or the last driver I was on. Hopefully it's just option #3... I'll continue to play and see if anything like this happens again and will post more logs if it does.
Please keep us informed FlyingWizard. I'm glad to hear the new driver seemingly resolved the issue but if you encounter another crash then please upload a new log and save files here.
I'll put this into our triage queue to review with our next pass for WFTO. As the crash is no longer occurring and there have been no other reports this issue is no longer considered urgent.
I started the game one day (today) and it took a while to start loading (as usual), and windows thought it was frozen for a while (as usual) and then it finally woke up and showed me the loading bar which slowly and sporadically filled some (as usual), then it hung for a while and then the graphics driver crash happened again. Here's a new set of logs for you.
I'm still hoping this is an easy fix, like "don't try and move the window while it's loading" or "don't repeatedly alt-tab back and forth to it while it's loading" or something stupid like that. It seems like after it crashes once, it will keep crashing until I restart my PC (note that I actually haven't restarted it yet, but I'm assuming it'll work fine after a reboot). I also wonder if not performing a warm or cold boot for a while makes this (more likely to) trigger.
Thanks for the report FlyingWizard and sorry to hear you're still suffering from the issue. Unfortunately as far as we can tell this is still isolated to your system which suggests there may be a hardware or software issue at play.
That said I can certainly advise that not interacting with the game while it is loading is generally a good idea. WFTO is pretty hefty at load time as you're aware and it can easily be disrupted. I'll be keeping this ticket open and in our backlog for review in the next triage pass to see if there's any way we can make this more robust.
I would like to note that I actually did try the whole "don't fiddle with the window at all while it's starting and loading" (including alt tabbing to it), and it hasn't given me any grief when I remember to do so. Could be coincidence, could be causal. Also wonder if I would have no trouble if I played the game in fullscreen mode instead of windowed. Probably will never test that though unless I get really frustrated with it.
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Tech.mt - Malta Leading Through Innovation
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Microsoft Is Winning The ‘Cloud War’ Against Amazon: Report
Topline: Microsoft is now the most popular cloud services supplier and is steadily gaining market share against major competitors like Amazon, according to a new survey from Goldman Sachs about the current state of a trend that is reshaping the technology industry.
Forbes — January 7, 2020
Video Streaming Platforms And The Benefits Of Cloud
Video streaming has come a long way from the old days when transferring video wasn’t even possible on the Internet.
Amazon sues Pentagon over $10B contract awarded to Microsoft
Amazon said it filed a legal complaint Friday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking to challenge the decision.
Tech Xplore — November 23, 2019
Muted launch for Google's game-streaming service Stadia
Google’s new game-streaming service Stadia demonstrates the possibilities of gaming from the cloud, but experts say it’s hindered by a lack of compelling video games and a convoluted pricing scheme.
IBM And Bank Of America Are Developing A Financial Services-Ready Public Cloud
Most of my cloud analysis has consisted of horizontal IaaS, PaaS and SaaS solutions.
Google Acquires CloudSimple To Bring VMware Customers To Its Cloud
Google today has announced it has acquired VMware-as-a-Service provider CloudSimple for an undisclosed sum.
Salesforce will adopt Microsoft’s cloud, as the companies cozy up again
Salesforce said Thursday it will move its Marketing Cloud service to Microsoft’s Azure public cloud, putting aside the rivalry between the two companies.
CNBC — November 14, 2019
Machine learning advances new tool to fight cybercrime in the cloud
Increased adoption of cloud applications, such as Dropbox and Google Drive, by private users has increased concern about use of cloud information for cybercrimes such as child exploitation, illegal drug trafficking and illegal firearm transactions.
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Microsoft will start letting customers run Azure programs in clouds owned by Amazon and Google
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Pentagon awaits possible Amazon challenge over cloud deal
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Google Cloud AI Platform Gets Enhanced Training And Inference Capabilities
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Amazon's position as cloud leader and Bezos' title as richest man could be threatened by Microsoft's JEDI contract
Amazon is considering its options for how to move forward following the decision to award a massive government contract to its competitor, Microsoft, according to a source familiar with the situation. One analyst said he “fully expects” Amazon to try to fight the decision in court.
CNN Business — October 28, 2019
Microsoft wins major defense cloud contract, beating out Amazon
Microsoft has emerged victorious in a dramatic competition for public cloud resources for the U.S. Defense Department, beating out market leader Amazon Web Services, the Pentagon said on Friday. The contract could be worth as much as $10 billion over a decade, according to a statement.
NBC News — October 26, 2019
Pentagon hands Microsoft $10B 'war cloud' deal, snubs Amazon
The Pentagon awarded Microsoft a $10 billion cloud computing contract , snubbing early front-runner Amazon, whose competitive bid drew criticism from President Donald Trump and its business rivals.
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Amazon’s cloud business reports 35% growth in the third quarter, trailing estimates
Amazon said on Thursday that revenue in its cloud division increased 35% in the third quarter, slower than analysts had expected and the lowest growth rate in more than five years.
CNBC — October 24, 2019
Comparing Cloud Storage – How Do AWS, Azure And Google Stack-Up?
There is a perception among enterprise IT cloud storage users that, while cloud storage generally costs more than on-premises data center storage, the premium is worth the cost in terms of agility gained and on-premises staff responsibilities avoided. Therefore, it is not surprising that they plan to increase spending on cloud storage by at least 20% over the next two years.
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October 8, 2019 Blog, Press & News, Social Events
October 8, 2019 Blog, Press & News
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Jeremy Stravius
Full Name: Jeremy Stravius
Born: July 14th, 1988
Abbeville, France
Jeremy Stravius News
Euro Meet: Ceccon Meet Record 100 Dorso. Tutti I Risultati Day 1
L’Euro Meet 2020 si è aperto in Lussemburgo oggi e già ai blocchi di partenza si sono avvicendati star del panorama internazionale. I Risultati
Euro Meet Lussemburgo 2020 – Parata Di Stelle Nel Week End
L’Euro Meet sarà la gara internazionale più interessante di questo fine settimana. Tante stelle internazionali e molti azzurri impegnati in Lussemburgo
Proud, Fratus, Manaudou, Govorov Set To Spar At 2020 Euro Meet Luxembourg
We’ll get a taste for where the men’s 50m free speed is at with Florent Manaudou, Bruno Fratus, Ben Proud and more racing in Luxembourg.
Jeremy Desplanches Just Misses another Swiss Record to Close French Nationals
After breaking a National Record in the 400 IM on Saturday, Jeremy Desplanches nearly broke another in the 200 IM on Sunday.
Jeremy Desplanches Breaks Swiss Record in 400 IM at French SC Nationals
Swiss swimmer Jeremy Desplanches broke his own National Record in the 400 IM and now ranks 3rd in the world this season behind Andrew Seliskar and Chase Kalisz.
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Jeremy Stravius is a French Olympian and versatile athlete. Stravius was born on July 14, 1988, and has won multiple medals across the Olympic and international stage. Swimming since he was 7 years old, Stravius won his first French National title in 2009. Although Stravius was primarily a backstroker earlier on in his career, he seems to constantly be branching out and finding new abilities.
International breakout
Stravius won his first French title in 2009, and competed at the European Championships later that year – he was apart of the winning 200m freestyle relay and finished within the top eight of the 50m backstroke.
First international medal win
In 2010 Stravius won his first individual international medal at the European Championships in Budapest. He won a silver medal in the 100m backstroke, as well as a gold in the 400m medley relay and bronze in the 800m freestyle relay.
Shanghai World Championships
At the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai Stravius wrote French history by becoming the first French swimmer to win the 100m backstroke at the meet. He tied with fellow French teammate, Camille Lacourt, and later went on to win two silvers on the 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle relays.
The 2012 French Championships served as the selection for the 2012 Olympic Team. Stravius finished third in the 100m backstroke, failing to qualify, but instead made the 800m and 400m freestyle relays. At the 2012 Olympics Stravius won his first Olympic gold on the 400m freestyle relay team and a silver on the 800m freestyle relay team.
Barcelona World Championships
At the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Stravius had a huge agenda ahead of him, swimming numerous relays and individual events. He won gold in the 400m medley relay and 400m freestyle relay, silver in the 50m backstroke and bronze in the 100m backstroke. He also swam the 200m medley and the 800m freestyle relay. In 2013 he broke the French National Record in the 200m IM, which had been held for four years.
In 2014 Stravius won three medals at the 2014 European Championships in Berlin – he won two silvers in the 50m and 100m backstrokes as well as a gold in the 400m freestyle relay. At the 2015 French Championships Stravius won gold in the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke as well as a silver in the 50m backstroke. He suffered a shoulder/back injury in 2014, which kept him out of the Mare Nostrum series in Barcelona.
2015 FINA World Championships
The French 400 meter freestyle winning team from the Europeans managed to win gold again, this time at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Stravius anchored the relay, keeping the Russian team at bay. He also made the semi-finals in the 50 meter backstroke finishing 9th and the 100 meter freestyle finishing 13th.
2016 Rio Olympics
Stravius began his Olympic journey at the French Trials in the 200 meter freestyle, up against the Olympic champion in the event, Yannick Agnel. Stravius took gold and punched his ticket to Rio, leaving Agnel behind in 3rd. In the 100 meter freestyle, Stravius edged another Olympic champion out of qualifying for Rio. This time it was Florent Manaudou who also finished 3rd while Stravius took the crown and the Olympic qualification.
In the 400 meter freestyle relay in Rio, Stravius joined with Mehdy Metella, Fabien Gilot and Florent Manaudou to take the silver medal. Stravius took over in second position for the anchor leg. Although he had the fastest split of the French men (47.11), he was up against Nathan Adrian who extended the United States’ lead. France took second in 3:10.53.
He also swam the individual 100 meter freestyle and butterfly but didn’t make it out of the heats. He finished 18th in 48.62 in the freestyle and 17th in 52.10 in the butterfly. On the last day he swam the butterfly leg on the 4×100 meter medley relay. But France finished 10, missing the final.
Stravius finished 4th in the final of the 50 meter backstroke in 24.61. His teammate Camille Lacourt won gold in 24.35.
« Danila Izotov
Fabien Gilot »
Silver 400 Freestyle Relay 2016 Olympic Games
Gold 400 Freestyle Relay 2015 World Championships
Silver 50 Back 2014 European Championships
Silver 100 Back 2014 European Championships
Gold 400 Freestyle Relay 2014 European Championships
Silver 50 Back 2013 World Championships
Bronze 100 Back 2013 World Championships
Gold 400 Freestyle Relay 2012 Olympic Games
Gold 50 Fly 2013 Olympic Games
Gold 100 Back 2011 World Championships
Silver 400 Freestyle Relay 2011 World Championships
lcm 100 Free 48.50 04/03/15 2015 French Championships
Limoges, France
lcm 50 Back 24.45 07/28/13 2013 FINA World Championships
lcm 100 Back 52.76 07/24/11 2011 FINA World Championships
50 backstroke, semi final, 2013 FINA World Championships (Photo Credit: Victor Puig) Matt Grevers, Jeremy Stravius, Camille LaCourt, men's 50 backstroke fina, 2013 FINA World Championships (Photo Credit: Victor Puig) LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2013, Finals. 100m backstroke Jeramy Stravius, FRA (courtesy of Jesper Nielsen | www.sttfoto.dk) Jérémy Stravius at 2015 World Championships in Kazan. Photo courtesy of Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com Jérémy Stravius off in the prelims of the 200 free at the Arena Pro Swim Series stop in Austin Texas (photo: Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography)
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Tampa by Florence
We cover the news for you
The Former Police Office Who Murdered His Wife,After The Wife Realized His Life was full of Debts Was Found Guilty
Posted on March 24, 2018 by tampabyflorence
Darren McKie, 43, killed Leanne, 39, when she found out he was taking out loans.
In the eyes of friends and family, police inspector Darren McKie appeared to have it all ( A blonde wife, three beautiful children and a newly renovated home in one of Cheshire’s most sought-after towns.)
According to his posts, on social media, the apparently perfect middle-class lifestyle of McKie and his wife Leanne included dinners at top restaurants, £4,500 holidays abroad and a £435,000 luxury home with expensive appliances and fittings.
The couple each had successful careers and drove smart new cars, while their children enjoyed a variety of afterschool clubs, including ballet, tennis and cricket.
But behind the Facebook gloss, McKie, 43, an officer with Greater Manchester Police, was struggling to pay for the trappings of their charmed way of life.
Unbeknown to his wife, McKie, who was in charge of their finances, had secretly racked up £115,000 in debts, allowing the family to live way beyond their means for years.
Mrs McKie, 39, a part-time detective constable in the same force, found out and was furious. On September 28 last year she confronted her husband, branding him a ‘liar’ in a series of angry texts, causing McKie, who was a martial arts enthusiast, to flip and kill her with his bare hands.
McKie was so desperate to hide his debts and that he killed wife Leanne, pictured above with their three children, when she discovered he had secretly applied for a huge loan in her name
According to a pathologist ordered by told the court “Mrs McKie suffered injuries to her neck akin to a karate chop, although and it looks like prolonged period of strangulation actually killed her.”
McKie initially denied killing his wife and blamed a mystery man. However, faced with overwhelming evidence he admitted manslaughter half way through the trial, but continued to deny murder, saying he never intended to cause her serious harm.
Thursday(22nd March), a jury found him guilty after nine hours of deliberations. He closed his eyes, but remained stony-faced as the foreman delivered the verdict, while relatives of the couple wiped away tears. McKie will be sentenced on Tuesday 27th March.
Source:dailymail.co.uk
Category: UncategorizedTags: Darren McKie, Facebook, Guilty, Leanne, Loan, Murdered, Wife
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the-smoke.org
The Smoke: London's International Larp Festival
The Smoke
Larp for Social Effect
Special guests 2019
Lunchtime talks 2019
Guests of honour 2018
In Conversation: A Dialogue Between Larp and Performance
In Conversation: A Dialogue between Art and Larp
Safety and flagging
Respect, inclusion, and encouraged behaviour
Photography etc
The Lovers’ Matchmaking Agency
Key themes: Trust, openness, human relationships, prejudice, and love
Designers: Jamie MacDonald and Aarni Korpela (FI)
Presented by: Jamie MacDonald (FI)
Number of participants: any even number up to 40
Genre/style: Nordic-influenced, performance art, alternate reality
Run before at: First run in Helsinki 2011. Further runs in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo, Tromsø, and featured in the 2014 documentary Match Me!
Content warning: none
About the larp
The Lovers’ Matchmaking Agency is a fake, pop-up “dating” agency that is about love and forming human connections, but not focusing on the search for romance and sex that we usually associate with dating. Usually run over multiple days, this version will give you a brief window into a state of mind where everyone is connected, and openness brings creativity. It’s a larp in the sense of being played in a magic circle of reality, but not in the sense that you play a role.
Jamie is a Helsinki-based performing artist (stand-up comedy, performance art, theatre) whose introduction to Nordic Larp started about a decade ago as an interest in the crossover potentials of larp and theatre. He has created pieces like Walkabout and The Lovers’ Matchmaking Agency together with Aarni Korpela, written chamber larps, and contributed written analysis of the larp scene and play and performance. He is a co-organiser of Just a Little Lovin’ in Finland in 2018, and an all-around good-time queer transgender guy.
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(MEDIA) The FBI has launched a division dedicated completely to investigating leaks, and the stats of their progress and formation are pretty surprising…
Expanding its capability to investigate potential governmental leaks to the media, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) created a new unit to address those threats in 2018.
Documents obtained by TYT as a part of their investigation identify the need for the unit as being due to a “rapid” increase in the number of leaks to the media from governmental sources.
“The complicated nature of — and rapid growth in — unauthorized disclosure and media leak threats and investigations has necessitated the establishment of a new Unit,” one of the released and heavily redacted documents reads.
The FBI appeared to create accounting functions to support the new division, with one document dated in May 2018 revealing that a cost code for the new unit was approved by the FBI’s Resource Analysis Unit.
In August 2017, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions had stated that such a unit had already been formed to address such types of investigations, which he had deemed as being too few in number shortly after taking office in February 2017.
By November of the same year, Sessions claimed that the number of investigations by the Justice Department had increased by 800%, as the Trump administration sought to put an end to the barrage of leaks regarding both personnel and policy that appeared to come from within the ranks of the federal government.
The investigation and prosecution of leaks to the media from government reached a zenith under the Obama administration, using a United States law that originated over 100 years ago in 1917, and was long unused for such purposes.
The Espionage Act treats the unauthorized release of information deemed to be secret in the interests of national security and could be used to harm the interests of the United States or aid an enemy as a criminal act. While controversial in application, the administration used it to prosecute more than twice as many alleged leakers than had been addressed by all previous administrations combined, a total of 10 leak-related prosecutions.
In July 2018, Reality Winner, pled guilty to one felony count of leaking classified information in 2016, representing the first successful prosecution of those who leaked governmental secrets to the media under the Trump administration.
Winner, a former member of the Air Force and a contractor for the National Security Agency at the time of her arrest, was accused of sharing a classified report regarding alleged Russian involvement with the election of 2016 with the news media. Her agreed-upon sentence of 63 months in prison was longer than the average of those convicted for similar crimes, with the typical sentence ranging from one to three and a half years.
Defendants charged under the Espionage Act by the FBI are challenged in mounting their case by the fact that they are prohibited of using a defense of disclosure in the public interest as a defense to their actions.
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(SOCIAL MEDIA) Reddit is the latest social media company to change their policy to protect against deepfake impersonation, because of the harm they can cause.
Reddit is the latest social media company making updates to their rules and policies ahead of the 2020 election. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, and now Reddit are all trying to make the social internet a safer place to receive information.
Reddit’s new policy officially bans impersonation with the goal of handling “bad actors who are trying to manipulate Reddit, particularly are issues of great public significance, like elections.”
Deepfakes have become a key topic of conversation the last few years. In the wake of the mass spreading of misinformation during the 2016 presidential election, users have grown wearier than ever of the information they see online. Deepfakes are no longer a niche subject, but an everyday pain point that technology companies are scrambling to control.
In a statement made on r/redditsecurity, Reddit informed users of the change to website policy stating, “Reddit does not allow content that impersonates individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner. This not only includes using a Reddit account to impersonate someone, but also encompasses things such as domains that mimic others, as well as deepfakes or other manipulated content presented to mislead, or falsely attributed to an individual or entity.”
The platform isn’t trying to make a mass change to it’s often humor driven culture. Parody and satire are still allowed forms of impersonation so long as the joke is obvious. Reddit has vowed to always take context into account when looking at cases of user impersonation.
It’s a good sign for society when popular social platforms start taking their role in controlling the spread of false information seriously. Companies like Reddit are in a position to create real change in the way we spread and consume information about major global events.
What’s unclear is how much man power these companies are putting behind their policies. Reddit ends their statement by pointing users to a report form that users can submit if they or someone else is the victim of impersonation. The question users should be asking is how long would it take to get a response or see action on these reports?
Policy changes are great, but if companies are simply throwing them onto their fine print with no resources behind enforcement then it’s not social change, it’s just legal jargon to protect their ass.
(SOCIAL MEDIA) Keep all of your social media profiles and products looking their best with the social media image size cheat sheet for 2020.
We can safely say that the one thing social media will assuredly do in 2020 is only get more powerful. As such, it’s important to keep up with the sizing information for social media images to keep all of your profiles looking fresh. Make A Website Hub has the official rundown in their annual Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet.
• Profile Photo: 400 x 400 pixels / Displays at 200 x 200 pixels (a maximum 100 KB file size)
• Header Photo: 1500 x 500 pixels (a maximum 10 MB file size)
• In-stream Photo: 440 x 220 pixels (a maximum 5 MB file size for photos and 3 MB file size for animated gifs)
• Cover Photo: 820 x 310 pixels (a preferred maximum file size of 100 KB)
• Profile Picture: 180 x 180 pixels
• Shared Image: 1200 x 630 pixels
• Shared Link: 1200 x 627
• Event Image: 1920 x 1080 px (Shows in feed: 470 × 174 pixels)
• Highlighted Image: 1200 x 717 pixels (appears on profile at 843 x 504 pixels)
• Profile Image: 250 x 250 pixels
• Cover Picture: 1080 x 608 pixels
• Shared Image: 497 x 373 pixels
• Photo Size: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Video to Stories: 750 x 1334 pixels
• Photo Thumbnails: 161 x 161 pixels
• Board Display Image: 222 x 150 pixels
• Pin Sizes: a width of 238 pixels (with scaled height)
• Image Posts: 500 x 750 pixels
• Channel Cover Picture: 2560 x 1440 pixels (for desktop), 1855 x 423 pixels (for tablets), 1546 x 423 pixels (for smartphones), and 2560 x 1440 pixels (for TV)
• Video Uploads: 1280 x 760 pixels
• Personal Page
o Personal Background image: 1584 x 396px
o Standard Logo: 400 x 400 pixels
o Profile image: 400 x 400 pixels
• Company/Brand Page
o Background image: 1536 x 768px
o Standard Logo: 400 x 400px
o Business / Career Cover Picture: 974 x 330 pixels
o Square Logo: 60 x 60px
o Business Banner Image: 646 x 220 pixels
Ello:
• Banner image: 2560 x 1440 pixels
• Profile image:360 x 360 pixels
• Profile Photo: 200 x 200 pixels
• Article Preview Header: 900 x 500 pixels
• Article Preview Thumbnail Image: 400 x 400 pixels (Displays at 200 x 200 pixels)
• Article Inline Image: 400 px x Any size px
Weibo:
• Cover Image: 920 x 300 px
• Profile Pictures: 200 x 200px (Displays at 100 x 100 px)
• Banner: 560 x 260 px
• Instream: 120 x 120 px
• Contest Preview: 640 x 640 px
• Geofilter: 1080 x 1920
(SOCIAL MEDIA) Facebook has a new logo, but you won’t see any change on the mobile app. The social network giant wants to expand to be more inclusive with this logo
Facebook has a new logo, but you won’t see any change on the mobile app. It’s easy to think of Facebook as just the social network where you avoid (or start) political debates with friends and family, but that’s just a piece of the picture. The new logo reflects Facebook’s ongoing expansion as a company beyond their original social network.
Facebook’s roots as a social networking company are undeniable. People have been using the platform to connect with family and friends across the globe since 2004. For many of us, Facebook is part of our everyday lives. It’s how we chat with friends across the globe, meet our partners, join communities, and sometimes it’s even part of our work life.
We have seen Facebook take on some big new projects this year including the announcement of Facebook Horizon, a social virtual reality world expected to launch in 2020. Facebook’s identity as a company now expands far beyond the Facebook app.
Facebook is the parent company of 74 companies including some equally popular and well-known apps such as Instagram and Whatsapp. The company operates out of 60 offices world-wide and employs over 43,000 people.
The new logo is part of an effort to create a clearer distinction between Facebook the parent company and Facebook the social network.
According to Facebook, “The new company branding is designed to help us better represent the diversity of products we build, establish a distinction from the Facebook app and communicate our purpose in the world.”
The main design differences between the two logos are the font and the color. The corporate logo is designed in all caps using a font designed in-house. The type is san serif and open with consistent letter width throughout.
Unlike the true shade of blue that we all associate with the social network’s logo, the color of the new corporate logo will be fluid. The color will change depending on the environment such as the product it’s promoting. The corporate logo can be depicted as either solid colors or a gradient.
Facebook has been more than just a social network for a long time, now their logo can help them reflect that.
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