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Schlagwort-Archive: England’s Newest Hit Makers
Brian Jones (28th February 1942 – 3rd July 1969)
Happy birthday to Mr. Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, who was born on the 28th February 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (UK)!
At the age of 17, Brian received his first acoustic guitar from his parents as a birthday present. After quitting school, Jones moved to London, where he he crossed paths with people like Alexis Korner, Paul Jones and Jack Bruce. In 1962, Brian Jones was searching for musicians to found his own band. First, pianist Ian „Stu“ Stewart came along and shortly after that, singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards joined. And the group was called after the Muddy Waters song „Rollin‘ Stone“. On the 12th July 1962, the first live performance took place at the Marquee Club in London. Beside Jones, Jagger, Richards and Stewart, the line-up was completed by bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Tony Chapman. On the 7th December 1962, Bill Wyman replaced Taylor and in January 1963 Charlie Watts took over the place from Chapman behind the drums.
Bill Wyman about Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones: „He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. Very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent – and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away.“
Brian Jones lost more and more the control of the band, because Jagger and Richards became the songwriting team of the Stones. Brian slipped into heavy drug problems over the years and in June 1969 he left the band and Mick Taylor became his substitute. Only one month later, Brian Jones was found dead in his swimming pool. On the 3rd July 1969 he passed away at the age of 27.
Get your ROLLING STONES stuff here (for Austrian customer):
Shop for THE ROLLING STONES here (worldwide):
Veröffentlicht unter Music Diary | Verschlagwortet mit 12X5, A Degree of Murder, Aftermath, Alex Melomane, Alexis Korner, Beggars Banquet, Bernard Fowler, Between the Buttons, Bill Wyman, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Bobby Keys, Brian Jones, Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka, Charlie Watts, Chuck Leavell, Cream, darryl jones, Decembers Children, Dick Taylor, Elmo Lewis, England's Newest Hit Makers, Eric Clapton, Five by Five, Glimmer Twins, Got Live If You Want It, Ian Stewart, Jack Bruce, Keith Richards, Let It Bleed, Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, Lisa Fischer, Manfred Mann, Melomane, Mick Jagger, Mick Taylor, Muddy Waters, Music Diary, Nicky Hopkins, Out of Our Heads, Paul Jones, Rolling Stones, Ron Wood, Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones No.2, The Rolling Stones Now, Their Satanic Majesties Request, Through the Past Darkly, Tony Chapman, William George Perks | 2 Kommentare
On the 18th March 1965, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones had an urgent necessity: The two Rolling Stones musicians tried to take a pee at a petrol station in Rumford, Essex (UK). As they were refused to access the toilet, Brian and BIll urinated against the wall of a garage. Shortly after that, a cop showed up and finally the two were fined £5 ($8.50) for urinating in a public place.
Keith Richards remembers:
„One night coming back from a gig in North London, Bill Wyman, who has this prodigious bladder, decided he wanted to have a pee. So we told the driver to stop. The car is full up with people and a few other people say: ‚Yeah, I could get into that. Let’s take a pee.‘ So we leap out and we had chosen a gas station that looked closed but it wasn’t. There we are, up against the wall, spraying away. And suddenly this guy steps out. And a cop flashes his torch on Bill’s cock and says: ‚All right. What you up to then?‘ And that was it. The next day it was all in the papers. Bill was accused and Brian was accused of insulting language. Because what they did them for was not peeing but for trespassing. The thing with Bill is – and this is one of the best kept secrets in the Rolling Stones – that he has probably got one of the biggest bladders in human existence. When that guy gets out of a car to take a pee you know you aren’t going to move for 15 minutes. I mean it’s not the first time it happened to him. To my knowledge, Bill has never done one in under 5 minutes.“ („Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews and Encounters“ by Sean Egan)
Shop for THE ROLLING STONES here:
Veröffentlicht unter Music Diary | Verschlagwortet mit 12X5, A Degree of Murder, Aftermath, Alex Melomane, Alexis Korner, Beggars Banquet, Bernard Fowler, Between the Buttons, Bill Wyman, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Bobby Keys, Brian Jones, Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka, Charlie Watts, Chuck Leavell, Cream, darryl jones, Decembers Children, Dick Taylor, Elmo Lewis, England's Newest Hit Makers, Eric Clapton, Five by Five, Glimmer Twins, Got Live If You Want It, Ian Stewart, Jack Bruce, Keith Richards, Let It Bleed, Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, Lisa Fischer, Manfred Mann, Melomane, Mick Jagger, Mick Taylor, Muddy Waters, Music Diary, Nicky Hopkins, Out of Our Heads, Paul Jones, Rolling Stones, Ron Wood, Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones No.2, The Rolling Stones Now, Their Satanic Majesties Request, Through the Past Darkly, Tony Chapman, William George Perks | Kommentar verfassen
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The Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health offers residency programs in Family Medicine. It currently has one program in operation at Lee Health in Fort Myers, Florida. For complete information, visit the FSU College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Program website.
• Family Medicine – Winter Haven
The Florida State University College of Medicine and Winter Haven Hospital recently announced plans for a new family medicine residency program in Winter Haven – a rural and medically underserved community east of Lakeland and about 45 minutes southwest of Orlando. It fits with the College of Medicine’s mission to be responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority and underserved populations. The program anticipates its first class of residents in July 2020.
• Family Medicine – Fort Myers
The program’s mission is to develop family physicians who are leaders in the community, committed to caring for the underserved; who will provide high-quality, affordable primary care which includes treatment, prevention and health promotion. We will train them to care for the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of patients, their families and the community.
The Family Medicine Residency Program is designed to fulfill the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies in Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, and Systems-Based Practice. The curriculum offers a balanced learning environment within various settings (hospital, ambulatory, emergency, home and long-term care) and rotations in a variety of areas and specialties: pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, and other electives. Residents will develop skills that will equip them to be competent family medicine physicians.
Affiliated Fellowship
• Family Medicine Global Health – Fort Myers
The program is a one-year fellowship committed to training physicians in global health. Our fellows spend 40-50% of their time overseas at mission hospitals and international Family Medicine Residencies in alternating three-month cycles. Time spent stateside is in Fort Myers, Florida where fellows work as junior faculty with much flexibility of schedule and time protected for learning.
For more information about the FSU College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education program, contact Connie Donohoe, MPH, Graduate Medical Education Program Manager at 850.645.6867 (office), 850.644.9399 (fax). GME also can be found on Facebook.
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Professor to give Eastern thought talk Oct. 1
September 29th, 2014 by Christine Billau
There are several parallels that can be found in Medieval Japanese art and contemporary American society; that concept will be explored in The University of Toledo Center for Religious Understanding’s annual lecture in Eastern thought this week.
University of Michigan Art History Professor and Associate Chair Kevin Carr will speak Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Center for Performing Arts Room 1039.
The free, public talk titled “The Limits of Compassion: Insights From Medieval Japanese Buddhism for Contemporary America” will be followed by a reception.
“One of the things I’ve been looking at in Medieval Japan are how people formed conceptual maps of the world and how they used art to shape what the world looks like,” Carr said.
He explained that the conceptual maps he is referring to are the images in our minds of the relationships and ideas on which we place high importance.
“Let’s say you’re new to The University of Toledo and you’re really into the sciences,” he explained. “To you, the science buildings will be larger than the art museum, for example.”
Carr said he will transition from the topic of Buddhist conceptual maps to a comparison of compassion in modern American society and what it means to us today.
“Ultimately, I want to connect something very esoteric, like 13th and 14th century Japanese ideas, with something much closer to home,” he said.
When asked what he’d like the audience to take away from his presentation, Carr said: “I’d like them to think about the shape of their world in their minds; to try and reflect on what their worlds look like, and how those images affect their actions, who matters and why, and how those maps in their head were created. I’m hoping they go away with a little more cognizance that they’ve created circles of compassion and those aren’t necessarily inevitable.”
Free visitor parking will be available in areas 12, 12S and 12W.
For more information, go to http://www.utoledo.edu/llss/philosophy/cfru/index.html.
This entry was posted on Monday, September 29th, 2014 at 2:30 pm and is filed under News Release .
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NHA@30: Funding for NHAs – Past and Present and What About the Future?
By Brenda Barrett March 2, 2014
On the Thirtieth Anniversary of the National Heritage Areas (NHA), one thing we can celebrate is that the program is still alive and still funded. In the 2014 federal budget, the 49 NHAs felt fortunate to receive an appropriation of $18.2 million as the administration’s FY 2014 request to Congress was for only $9 million. This demonstrates the resilience and political heft of the NHA idea. How many National Park Service programs can go to Congress and double their money?
Once upon a time there was much more alignment of interest in the budget process. The National Park Service’s (NPS) budget request for the NHAs and Congress’s give was (give or take a few across the board trims and special bonus dollars) approximately the same number. For example in the early 2000s the requested and enacted amounts were only 10% apart and a number of NHAs achieved the almost impossible – authorized funding of close to $1 million. Of course there were many fewer of them and the NHAs place in the budget was still being sorted out between the many arcane pots of money in the National Park Service (ONPS, Stat. Aid and NR&P). But for more than a decade this has not been the case. At one particularly low moment the NPS FY 2007 budget request zeroed out the whole program. The result – NHA leaders became even more skilled in advocating for their cause and Congress went ahead and put the money back. After that experience NPS reductions for the NHA budget have been hovering at a more modest 50%. And every year a great deal of energy is expended to refund the program.
Why has this happened? Over the years the NPS and its advisory bodies have consistently written glowing reports on the value of the program. Just take a look at the Charting a Future for National Heritage Areas and a Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship and Engagement. A recent evaluation of 12 longstanding NHAs concludes that they are focused on their mission, well managed, and cost effective, but, without continued NPS funding, may not survive. There are many rationales for this budgetary disconnect. The argument has been made that federal funding for NHAs was just start up money, that in hard financial times sacrifices must be made, that program legislation needs to be in place before the NHAs can be fully funded etc.… And yet still the NHA’s come. Today there are 49 areas and more are waiting in the wings.
So here is a 30th Anniversary idea. What if those planning the Centennial of the National Park Service made common cause with leaders of the NHA movement and harnessed their considerable advocacy skills and deep knowledge of the political process to help float everyone’s boat. What if everybody got on the same page? Emerging NHAs, National Scenic and Historic Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers and other partnership parks could all benefit from this approach. Then we could start building the kind heritage partnerships that will sustain the places we care about not just for one congressional cycle, but for the next generation.
March 2013 – Another Close Call for National Heritage Areas
September 2012 – National Heritage Areas on the Brink
national heritage area, National Park Service, nha@30
NHA@30: The Story of Heritage Areas in New York State » « See America in a New Light
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French Workers are on the Move
October 16, 2010 7:05 pm Published by Alan Woods Leave your thoughts
The magnificent movement of the French workers is an inspiration to the workers of all Europe. It shows the real face of the French working class. On Wednesday strikers were continuing their action for a second day running, following an impressive day of action on Tuesday.
Tuesday saw the biggest strikes and demonstrations so far in the campaign of the French unions seek to build pressure on the government over its pension reform plans, and some unions say they will continue their stoppages indefinitely. Rail services are still restricted, causing congestion and delays.
Strikes forced the closure of all six of the Total oil group’s refineries, threatening fuel shortages. Eleven out of the 12 refineries in France have now been affected by strike action. In the oil terminal port of Fos-Lavera near Marseilles, the strike went into its eighteenth day, leaving oil tankers stranded at sea unable to unload their cargoes.
Nationally, fewer than half of local and inter-city trains were running, according to the SNCF national rail company. The Eiffel Tower was closed to tourists on Tuesday after workers walked out. Airports have also been seriously affected by strike action as have hundreds of schools, with general assemblies being held in several universities to decide on what action they should take.
Although the strikes are overwhelmingly in the public sector; there has been an echo in the private sector. The main weakness of the movement is in the private sector, where it is more difficult to get workers to risk the sack in times of high unemployment.
According to the unions 3.5million people took to the streets all over France in the general strike on Tuesday. Here in Toulouse, according to the CGT, 145,000 people participated in the biggest demonstration for years, while in Paris the figure was 350,000.
Communist Party and CGT member Hubert Pr̩vaud underlined the massive scale of the demonstration that took place in Toulouse Рone of the biggest in the history of the city Рand also the fighting spirit of the demonstrators:
“One might have thought that after so many days of action, the workers would have become tired. But, on the contrary, they seem to be keener than ever. The general mood is one of deep anger. The workers say that the movement must now be taken onto a higher plane in order to defeat the government.”
Even in small towns there have been sizeable demonstrations. In the small town of Niort in the Department of Deux-Sèvres, 15,000 took to the streets, out of a total population of 60,000. This means that one quarter of the population was on the demonstration.
The general picture is one of profound social ferment and a rising tide of radicalisation which it will not be easy to quell. The mood on the demonstrations was one of confidence; cheerful, happy that the workers were on the streets, united and fighting back. However, there is an increasingly critical attitude towards the leadership. One worker in Niort told me:
“The demonstration was marvellous, but I cannot understand why there was no meeting at the end, no speeches of the leaders, no discussion about where we go from here. The people just dispersed and went home and the whole thing seemed to just fizzle out.”
Communist Party activist Joseph Coutant spoke to me about the mood of the demonstrators in Niort:
“The people were very happy. But under the surface there is a mood of anger. It has not yet reached boiling point, but it is there: a kind of simmering, contained anger that can explode at any time.”
Public sympathy
This was the fourth day of action since the beginning of September and each day of action has shown an increased participation compared to the previous one, rising from 2 million to 3.5 million.
The immediate issue of the protests is President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and to delay a full state pension from 65 to 67. The lower house of parliament has approved the reforms, which are now working their way through the Senate.
The government says the current pension arrangements are not sustainable and need to be reformed. On Wednesday Sarkozy told a meeting of MPs that he would “go no further” in terms of concessions, according to the AFP news agency.
On the Paris trains, the press reports that there was frustration among commuters but sympathy for the strikers. “It’s a bit annoying for those who work. But I completely understand their point,” Isma Belmiloud told Reuters. Eric Floresse said his commute had been disrupted, but for a good cause. “I think the reform is unjust, there are already lots of older people who are unemployed.”
These comments reported in the press are a faithful reflection of French public opinion. A whole series of opinion polls have consistently shown that an astonishing 70 percent of the public are in favour of the actions called the unions.
That means that all the living forces of the French nation are behind the workers. Even more significant is the fact that no fewer than 60 percent are in favour of escalating the protests:
A number of unions – particularly in the transport sector – say their strikes are open-ended, and will hold daily ballots on whether to extend their action for another 24 hours.
The mood of growing radicalisation is evident. In the meetings where I have spoken in the last few days, organized by La Riposte, the organ of the Marxist network in the Communist Party, one could see an enormous interest in the ideas of revolutionary Marxism, not only among the youth but also on the part of many older militants who are tired of the timid reformism of the leadership and who are seeking the genuine ideas of Communism.
Revolutionary traditions
Sarkozy has seriously miscalculated in picking a fight with the unions. He has forgotten that France is the land of revolution: the land of 1789-93, of 1848, of the Paris Commune, the general strike of 1936 and May 1968.
The more far-sighted representatives of the French ruling class can see the danger: Dominique de Villepin, a former prime minister, has warned that mass unemployment, falling living standards and the constant provocations of the Sarkozy government could provoke a new social revolution.
There is no doubt that the conditions are being prepared for a social explosion in France in the coming period. The French bourgeoisie cannot afford to permit the continuation of the concessions that were forced from them in the past. But the French workers are not prepared to remain with their arms folded while the social conquests of the last fifty years are destroyed.
The stage is therefore set for a period of intense class struggle in France. The French ruling class knows it will have a serious fight on its hands.
This article first appeared on Socialist Appeal.
This post was written by Alan Woods
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St. John’s Military School is a military boarding school in Kansas – therapeutic schools and special education.
St. John’s Military School
Address: 110 W Otis Ave, Salina, KS 67401
Website: http://www.sjms.org/
St. John’s Military School is a boarding military educational institution in Kansas. With the help of the President, Andrew England, as well as the Commandant of Cadets and the Academic Dean, the students are trained to enhance both their academic and leadership knowledge. Given the fact that this is a private military school, the students are educated in a “military environment” starting from late August to around the end of May.
Noteworthy Facts about the School
Having ranked first in JROTC program in the entire United States, St. John’s Military School (SJMS) is emphasized as a prestigious educational institution in the area of Salina, Kansas. For 125 years, the school has a great history of producing gentlemen who have become leaders in their chosen careers. Since the SJMS has a high ranking in Air Force Instruction (AFI), the school gets to have up to 15 endorsements of their graduates to the USA Military Academies.
The school was a setting in the movie entitled Up the Academy, which was filmed here in 1980. Most of the film was shot in the campus grounds. The movie was a spoof by MAD Magazine about military-type boarding schools.
History and Accreditations
In 1910, a troop called Troop 1 was organized by F. John Romanes. Today, this troop is known as the first ever Boy Scout troop in American history. Romanes was an instructor at the same military school which served as the home of the boy scouts. SJMS was already 23 years old when the troop was assembled, but this was the time when the school was influenced by English Boy Scouts.
St. John’s is recognized by the Kansas State Department Education as well as the North Central Association. It is also a member of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States and the National Association of Episcopal Schools.
The school has a wide range of athletics programs for males who would like to improve on their skills. The students at SJMS actively participate in different junior varsity and varsity level competitions with other public and private institutions. Among the sports that students may get involved in are football, cross country, golf, wrestling, and the rifle team.
The school team uses the colors orange and black and is symbolized by their mascot, the muleskinner.
As mentioned, the top-rating school has produced a great number of fine young men who excelled in their field. Two of them are Mark Cerney, a nonprofit organization founder and Dean Hargrove, a TV writer, producer, and director. St. John’s serves around 120 male cadets in its 10-acre campus, and their goal for the next two years is 280 cadets. Only male students are accepted and they can study here from grades 6 to 12. Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is not required for new enrollees.
Internationally, our total tuition and fees are $40,000. This includes tuition, room and board (including all meals), misc. fees, incidentals, uniforms, insurance, and a security deposit. Tuition alone is $23,180. I have attached the tuition and fees guide for your reference.
Domestically, our 2018 total tuition and fees are $34,100. This includes tuition, room and board, misc. fees, uniforms, and a security deposit.
Missouri Military Academy
Mexico, MO |MMA
Military School Information for Parents
What Makes Military School Different
Free Military School Options
Should you need help finding military schools for troubled teens, ranches for boys, and schools for troubled teens please let us know. Military schools offer structure, mentorship and a safe environment that limits distractions and temptations that can detract from academic and personal progress. Still, military schools are not always the right choice for every young person. While military schools offer structure, and academic and athletic discipline in a controlled environment, military schools are not intended to act as a rehabilitation program. Military schools want students who wish to prepare themselves for a future in a collegiate, military, or professional setting.
St. John’s Military School (Kansas)
St. John’s Military School is a military boarding school in Kansas
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The single version of the truth – Myth or Reality?
Imagine a zoom call where ten people are discussing the same topic, but everyone speaks a different language and has a different understanding of the subject. This will sound familiar to anyone involved in residential property transactions. We all know the process could be easier and quicker.
Is ‘the single version of the truth’ the answer to the problem? What does it mean, and can it be delivered?
The phrase originated in the computing industry where it’s used to describe a single centralised database that multiple parties can access. Recently, it’s begun to be used in the residential property sector where it describes all parties to a transaction, including buyers and sellers, having access to a single, true view of the chain.
In its simplest form, it’s a diagram that shows each property in the chain with graphics used to show how far along the transaction process, that property is. This is what the chain view looks like in the sales progression platform, mio.
Why do we need a single view of the chain?
Property transactions run in silos. Each party knows what they need to do and whether or not their tasks are completed but they don’t always know what everyone else is doing. That wouldn’t be a huge problem if there were only four tasks to complete in a pre-defined order but that’s not how property transactions work. There are well over twenty key tasks in each transaction; they run concurrently but some tasks must be completed in a certain order. Visually, it would look like a very complicated spider’s web built by lots of different spiders.
Everyone understands the challenges this creates:
Nobody has a clear idea of what’s happening.
Endless phone calls and emails are needed to keep buyers and sellers up to date.
Because buyers and sellers don’t really understand what’s happening, they worry; they’re more likely to pull out and they can’t plan for their moving date.
It’s hard to accurately predict completion dates so nobody knows when they are going to get paid and accurate financial forecasting is impossible.
Transactions take longer than they should.
An accurate view of the chain gives everyone a much clearer idea of what’s happening. Reimagine the last three months of lock-down with the entire industry having access to a chain view. It would have been much easier to continue progressing transactions, even with the majority of us working from home.
Is a single view of the Chain available now?
Agents can build and access a view of the chain, in mio. As we emerge from lock-down, it’s vital that sales are progressed quickly. A single view of the chain definitely makes that process easier and quicker, with data showing that consistent use of mio helps reduce transactions times by two weeks. The mio chain view is also available to buyers and sellers via the mio consumer app and it will shortly be accessible to other platforms, for example, mortgage broking and conveyancing platforms, via a simple integration. For the first time, all parties will have a clear view of progress in a chain.
Why isn’t a chain view more widely available?
The accuracy of a chain view, irrespective of where it’s hosted, is reliant on milestones being accurately updated. We have seen an increasing willingness amongst Agents to collaborate to ensure that the mio chain is accurate.
However, Agents should not be solely responsible for keeping the chain view updated. There are multiple parties involved in a transaction and it’s unrealistic to expect all of those parties, over 20,000 businesses in total, to use the same platform solely for the purpose of updating the status of a transaction. So, to be effective, a chain view has to be updated automatically via an integration with multiple platforms. To achieve this, will take time, but platforms, like mio, are already receiving multiple data feeds from across the residential property industry. These automatically update a milestone rather than relying on the agent to chase for a status update and then tick a box.
Aside from the challenges of delivering multiple integrations a lack of trust and an unwillingness to change will also pose a challenge. Agents, particularly, are concerned that if other Agents can see a full view of the Chain, they will poach their buyers or sellers. This objection should be easily overcome as the names of buyers and sellers are only revealed to the relevant Agents. Nonetheless, the level of competition between Agents means that many may take some convincing on this point.
An unwillingness to change is harder to overcome but, if the residential property sector doesn’t work collectively to improve transactions times, change will be thrust upon us and that change could sound the death knell for businesses unwilling to embrace a new way of working. The recent blockchain proof of concept led by Instant Property Network and facilitated by R3, demonstrated that transaction times can be reduced to 3 weeks with IPN stating that this “could equate to an annual saving of around $160 billion.” That saving cannot be ignored and whilst the IPN concept requires not just the sharing of milestone updates but a totally different approach to the data collection, validation and distribution, it shows what is possible in the mid-term. In the short-term Agents must embrace good technology and recognise that it’s not always a threat to people, it’s about empowering them to be more effective.
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Unfocom
Unfocom logo
Unfocom was a software company responsible for the creation of numerous text adventure games. It was founded in 1979 by Dave Nibelung, Mel Blanc, Al Jazeera and a member of the Green Berets known only as Joel.
For the religious among us who choose to believe lies, the so-called experts at Wikipedia have an article about Unfocom.
Unfocom was founded in the summer of 1979 by four teenagers who, one day, wrote a computer program that, when given a textual input, would write "Just for that, you have been eaten by a Grue." on the television monitor, and decided that it was such a pinnacle of modern technology that ought to be sold to the general public. This game, called "Deadly Dungeon Adventure" and packaged in unmodifed Lord of the Rings trilogy boxset boxes[1], sold every copy that was produced[2] and earned the quartet exactly $10 in profit, which, since 1979 was still far enough in the past that money was still worth something, enabled them to found a private business the very next day.
Though originally intended to be called "Infocom", Mel Blanc accidentally typoed the I while typing the copyright notice on the opening screen of Zork 1. Since the backspace key had yet to be invented, the name stuck.[3]
1 Text Adventures
3 Bitter, Shameful Failure
4 Selling Out
Text Adventures[edit]
Main article: Zork
Unfocom was most famous for its advancement in the text adventure genre of computer games, the most famous of which is the Zork series, released in 1980. Unlike earlier attempts at text adventure gaming, such as Microsoft Corporation's MS-DOS, the command parser in Zork 1 was far closer in complexity and user-friendliness to today's adventure games. While its competitors could only understand terse commands such as "dir", "man" and "rm", the Zork parser could handle entire English words such as "inv" and "xyzzy", and even whole sentences such as "go up".
Another advancement made by Zork was that its game world, the "GReat Underground Empire", was inspired by fantasy and Western mythology. This was a striking departure from most of the text adventures of its era, which were set in barren cyberspace locations such as "C:/". And while the descriptions of MS-DOS's locations (accessed by the "dir" command) were incredibly terse (often just a list of its modifiable objects), Zork provided each of its rooms with a unique description - even going so far as to intricately describe each room of its maze.
Although these innovations were welcomed at the time by many gamers, several rival developers greeted it coldly. The leading criticism of Zork's use of descriptive text was put forth by Tim Paterson, one of MS-DOS's writers. It went thus:
"Hey, the name of the place ought to give you more than enough description. Take MS-DOS's "C:/DOS/" room, for example. And no amount of flavor text can beat the greatest storyteller in the world - your imagination. Here's Zork: "You are in the kitchen. There are cupboards and a door that leads to the yard outside. On the counter is a butcher knife." Y'see? It leaves nothing to the imagination! But in the amazing cyberscape of MS-DOS, there can be anything there! A cow, a chest of Spanish gold, anything!"
Success[edit]
Unfocom's success lay ultimately in the rich storytelling of its games. The most lauded of its storylines was that of Zork 1, which told the tale of an unnamed adventurer who got repeatedly eaten by grues, exploded by magic runes, and crushed by dark gods, only to return again and again to attempt to overcome these challenges, until finally giving up and playing Bejeweled instead. Also held in high regard was the story of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which an Englishman in a bathrobe tries repeatedly to catch a small fish that gets fired out of a vending machine, while being constantly thwarted by tiny robots and small grates in the floor.
Bitter, Shameful Failure[edit]
"I will always remember that day. April, 1984 - I had just strolled into the office as usual only to find it eerily quiet. The music was off, the coffee cups were untouched, and nobody was engaged in beanbag fights or office croquet. Everybody in the company was sitting at the main table with a look of death on their faces. I started to ask Trish what was going on, but before I said anything she nodded and pushed the week's copy of Hobby Circuitry and Electronics across the table toward me. I knew even before I read the headline that our worst fear had come horribly true - graphics had been invented. I don't think any of us have ever been happy again."
~ Dave Nibelung
On a bright cold day in April, the Unfocom dream would be shattered forever by the alarm clock of progress. Electronic engineers around the country had discovered that if a computer could be taught to display words and letters on a television screen, then it would surely be possible for them to display rudimentary pictures as well. This discovery had become known as "Graphics" and had spelled the downfall of Unfocom and the livelihoods of its employees.
In no less than two hours after the discovery, Fantasy Picture Adventure: The Moving Image Television Game (in color) was released by rival video game company Atari. Although the game itself simply consisted of a yellow box moving sideways across a greenish-blue screen and did not have any means of player input, it still managed to sell well over 50,000 copies - a hiterto unprecedented figure which led to a nationwide shortage of punch-cards on which to encode the game. Sales of Zork 2, meanwhile, dropped from 200 to 0 in a matter of days. Within a week, all but the seven former employees of Unfocom had forgotten that the Zork series had ever existed.[4]
Selling Out[edit]
However, this wasn't the end of Unfocom or the fantasy world of its creation. Several weeks after the last of the Unfocom staff members had been forcibly removed from the former company building[5], a nearby cold, faceless computer entertainment conglomerate offered to purchase the ruined and accursed company, on the provision that all of the Unfocom staff members would work from a single terminal in an unused toilet cubicle in the company complex, would produce 10 Zork sequels a year (each one funnier than the last), and would be paid in raw meat.
After several hours of these new working conditions, every Unfocom staff member resigned, after being informed that the electricity used by their computer terminal was being rented out from Activision itself, with rent deducted from their own raw meat salary - such that after a month of the current conditions most of the programmers would have had to forfeit their fingers.
As a result of all of this, Activision ended up in possession of all of the intellectual property rights to the characters and themes of Zork (though, strangely enough, not to the name "Zork" itself - a caveat which allowed Dave Nibelung and Mel Blanc to complete and sell[6] the then-unfinished final game, Zork 3: The Dungeon Master, in 1985, albeit with many of the still-copyrighted aspects censored).
Titles[edit]
Zork 1: The Great Underground Empire
Zork 2: Gruel and Unusual Punishment
Zork 3: The Dungeon Master
Zork 4: Escape from Darkness
Zork Abridged
The Abyss 2
Grueslayer Abridged
↑ Not the DVD movie adaptation, of course, or even the book trilogy, but the 72-disk Viewmaster adaptation released in '78.
↑ One.
↑ He later joked in an interview that it maybe should have been called "Undocom". He then stopped smiling, muttered under his breath that he wished that he could "undo the last two decades of my life too," and began softly whimpering.
↑ With exception to the 200 nerds who had playtested Zork 1 at Dave Nibelung's university, and would later quote the idiosyncratic phrases of the Zork parser in a self-aware ironic fashion for the next 21 years in between games of NetHack.
↑ This was achieved by cutting off all power to the building, then waiting until nightfall. As the building grew dark, the lone unnamed staff member grew anxious and shouted "Frotz" several times before dashing out of the building, seemingly running from an unseen creature.
↑ One, if you're wondering.
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Game 6: This is why the Astros traded for Justin Verlander
Houston’s pitching has not been their biggest problem as they’ve watched their 2-0 series lead turn in to a 3-2 series deficit. It has not been good, mind you — Charlie Morton got rocked in Game 3, the bullpen collapsed on Game 4 and Dallas Keuchel was suddenly mortal in Game 5 — but even then it’s not been the biggest concern. The real problem has been the lack of offense.
The Astros led the majors in runs (896), batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.346) and slugging (.478) during the regular season and were second to the Yankees in homers. Despite that, they have scored just nine runs and have hit only one homer. The team’s ALCS batting line, those two wins included, is .147/.234/.213. As such, facing off against Luis Severino and a rested Yankees bullpen tonight can’t give them a ton of confidence.
They do have one thing going for them, however: Justin Verlander. The same Justin Verlander who received only two runs of support in Game 2 of the series but made it hold up thanks to his 124-pitch, 13-strikeout complete game victory. You can’t really expect a starter to do that sort of thing two times in a row, but that’s what the Astros acquired him for at the end of August. In a league where there are vanishingly few horses a team can ride to victory, Verlander stands as one of the few remaining old school aces. Expect A.J. Hinch to keep the bit in Verlander’s mouth for as long as this game is close and, even then, maybe an inning longer.
Is there any reason for optimism regarding the Astros’ lineup? Sure, of course. They didn’t suddenly all forget how to hit. Every team goes through a stretch of 3-5 games where the hits don’t seem to fall. There may, possibly, be some reason for hope in the man they’re facing too. Severino lasted only four innings in Game 2, having been removed early after taking a ground ball off his left wrist. Severino said he was fine and wished that Joe Girardi hadn’t taken him out, but (a) he was acting a little odd, shaking his arm out like he was trying to shake off some pain; and (b) starting pitchers almost always lie and say they’re better than they are. I’m certain Severino is healthy enough to go, but there’s at least a small chance that he’s vulnerable, somehow. At the very least Astros hitters can walk to the plate convincing themselves of it. Any edge you can either get or imagine, right?
Game 6 seems like it will have to be a matter of a small edge one way or another for both teams, really. The Yankees are rolling, but their assignment tonight is a tough one as they try to chase a guy who fancies himself — and has often shown himself — to be a rare throwback to those 1960s and 1970s aces who only seem to get better as the ballgame goes on. The Astros, meanwhile, are tasked with solving a young, fireballing stuff monster who has something to prove after his early exit in Game 2 and, even if he can’t prove it, a corps of relief aces who are among the most formidable in baseball. Add to that the notion that Major League Baseball, Fox and most commentators and casual fans outside of Houston want to see the 12th Yankees-Dodgers World Series matchup and the Astros have to be thinking everything’s against them.
Which is OK, though, right? Ballplayers love it when no one believes in them. That’s not better than six or seven runs of support, but the Astros will take anything they can get at the moment.
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Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit
Charles Vogel, Donald W. Paty, Robert F. Kibler
A comparison of the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and cyclophosphamide in the short-term treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis has been made in the rabbit. Both drugs proved to be effective. At a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide did not alter the clinical course of the disease but did significantly reduce the severity of the histological changes. At 20 mg/kg/day, it had a beneficial effect on both features of the disease. Methylprednisolone appeared to act more rapidly than cyclophosphamide. Side effects of either drug were minimal. Long-term treatment of the disease, judged on the clinical course alone, was achieved for periods of three to four weeks with an intermittent regimen of methylprednisolone administration without serious side effects.
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Rabbit Arts & Humanities
Cyclophosphamide Medicine & Life Sciences
Drugs Arts & Humanities
Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate Medicine & Life Sciences
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions Medicine & Life Sciences
Vogel, C., Paty, D. W., & Kibler, R. F. (1972). Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit. Archives of neurology, 26(4), 366-373. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1972.00490100096011
Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit. / Vogel, Charles; Paty, Donald W.; Kibler, Robert F.
In: Archives of neurology, Vol. 26, No. 4, 04.1972, p. 366-373.
Vogel, C, Paty, DW & Kibler, RF 1972, 'Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit', Archives of neurology, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 366-373. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1972.00490100096011
Vogel C, Paty DW, Kibler RF. Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit. Archives of neurology. 1972 Apr;26(4):366-373. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1972.00490100096011
Vogel, Charles ; Paty, Donald W. ; Kibler, Robert F. / Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit. In: Archives of neurology. 1972 ; Vol. 26, No. 4. pp. 366-373.
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title = "Treatment of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Rabbit",
abstract = "A comparison of the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and cyclophosphamide in the short-term treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis has been made in the rabbit. Both drugs proved to be effective. At a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide did not alter the clinical course of the disease but did significantly reduce the severity of the histological changes. At 20 mg/kg/day, it had a beneficial effect on both features of the disease. Methylprednisolone appeared to act more rapidly than cyclophosphamide. Side effects of either drug were minimal. Long-term treatment of the disease, judged on the clinical course alone, was achieved for periods of three to four weeks with an intermittent regimen of methylprednisolone administration without serious side effects.",
author = "Charles Vogel and Paty, {Donald W.} and Kibler, {Robert F.}",
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AU - Vogel, Charles
AU - Paty, Donald W.
AU - Kibler, Robert F.
N2 - A comparison of the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and cyclophosphamide in the short-term treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis has been made in the rabbit. Both drugs proved to be effective. At a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide did not alter the clinical course of the disease but did significantly reduce the severity of the histological changes. At 20 mg/kg/day, it had a beneficial effect on both features of the disease. Methylprednisolone appeared to act more rapidly than cyclophosphamide. Side effects of either drug were minimal. Long-term treatment of the disease, judged on the clinical course alone, was achieved for periods of three to four weeks with an intermittent regimen of methylprednisolone administration without serious side effects.
AB - A comparison of the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and cyclophosphamide in the short-term treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis has been made in the rabbit. Both drugs proved to be effective. At a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide did not alter the clinical course of the disease but did significantly reduce the severity of the histological changes. At 20 mg/kg/day, it had a beneficial effect on both features of the disease. Methylprednisolone appeared to act more rapidly than cyclophosphamide. Side effects of either drug were minimal. Long-term treatment of the disease, judged on the clinical course alone, was achieved for periods of three to four weeks with an intermittent regimen of methylprednisolone administration without serious side effects.
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Reviews, Smart Watches
Written by Rimsha Salam on January 8, 2017
The Apple Watch Series 2 is the newest smart watch by Apple. While the new watch doesn’t have a new design it still has quite a few new perks. The major changes under the hood are a faster processor and GPU, built-in GPS, increased water resistance for swimmers and a dramatically increased battery life. The Apple Watch Series 2 is also available in a new white ceramic finish as well. Now the main question that arises is that is the new Apple Watch 2 worth the upgrade. In this review, we are going to discuss if the new edition of the smartwatch is just another novelty gadget or could it be an essential wearable for daily use.
Apple Watch 2 Price & Release Date:
The Apple Watch 2 launched officially on September 16, 2016. Since then it has created quite the hype. The Apple Watch Series 2 is available at various different prices. The cheapest model, the 38mm version of the Apple Watch 2, is priced at $369 in the US, £369 in the UK and AU$529 in Australia. Apple has made the Apple Watch 2 quite expensive so it isn’t for everyone. The cost of the Apple Watch Series 2 rises in other models with the 42mm base model costing $399 / £399 / AU$579. This continues all the way up to the highest-priced ceramic Edition model, which is priced at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,799.
Furthermore, Apple is also selling the original Apple Watch as well. The manufacturer has upgraded with the same faster processor that’s in the Apple Watch Series 2, for a cheaper price. It is now called the Apple Watch Series 1, it will cost $269 (£269, AU$399) for the Sport-Edition.
The Apple Watch Series 2 is pricey so it will be a hard sell to anyone who isn’t a fitness fan and obsessed with getting that GPS chip in their smartwatch.
Apple Watch 2 Design:
When it comes to design the new Apple Watch Series 2 has a simple and minimalistic design. There aren’t many design changes compared to its predecessor. The same rectangular design is featured in the new watch so if you are a fan of a round dial then you might be disappointed. However, the watch is still a pretty stylish and attractive wearable.
Like all Apple devices, the new watch is of premium quality. It features the iconic curved edges and the quality of the spinning digital crown gives it a nice feel. Nonetheless, even the premium build of the watch doesn’t justify the hefty price of it, but it comes close.
The Apple Watch Series 2 is also not too light or too heavy. It is designed to fit comfortably in your hand and has a solid feel. When it comes to straps the standard ones are still pretty much the same. The strap release button is still too hard to press so changing the bands hasn’t got much easier.
Furthermore, the new smartwatch is equipped with a heart rate monitor. There is a collection of four LEDs that pulse light below your skin to work out how fast your heart is pumping.
Apple has not manufactured the pricey Gold Edition of the Apple Watch Series 2 like its predecessor. Instead, it has been replaced with the ceramic version, which is still three times the cost of the standard model at $1,299 / £1,299 at the cheapest point.
Apple Watch 2 Display:
The new Apple Watch series 2 has pretty much the same dimensions as the previous model of the smartwatch with only slight modifications. The new Apple Watch 2 is equipped with the same 1.65-inch display as its predecessor. The resolution is also the same 390 x 312 OLED. However, the key upgrade in the display of the new smartwatch is the brightness of the screen. The Apple Watch Series 2 can now generate the display with up to 1000 nits of brightness. This makes the Watch 2 significantly brighter than the original one.
Moreover, because of the OLED display, there is additional power saving since the black backgrounds are turned off when the smartwatch is not in use. This results in improvement of the brightness of other elements on the display and also saves battery life.
The Apple Watch Series 2 now also has been augmented with a “wet mode”. The mode locks the display and disables touch functionality so as to avoid accidental input when you are underwater. Because water can conduct electricity, the screen could sense the water as an input and order an Uber when you’re in the swimming pool. The wet mode ensures that no such thing ever happens. It is also set to turn on automatically when you activate swimming tracking.
Additionally, after you get out of the water the way the Watch 2 unlocks is also pretty cool. What you have to do is rotate the digital crown, and when it’s fully clear of water the speaker emits a pulse of a certain frequency that removes any water left in the speakers.
The display of the Apple Watch Series 2 isn’t the most intriguing thing about the new smartwatch. The resolution is still not as high as some of the best devices in the market but the display is still quite sharp and vibrant. The brightness improvement is also significant and makes the smartwatch viewability better in sunlight.
Apple Watch 2 Performance:
The Apple Watch Series 2 has gotten a big specification upgrade that highly affects the performance of the smartwatch. The Watch 2 is now equipped with an S2 dual-core processor inside. Combined with a half GB of RAM the new smart watch is leaps ahead of its predecessor when it comes to performance. However, the watch still isn’t as speedy as one would like. Switching between apps has gotten faster but, opening the dock with the apps could use a little more speed. That said the upgraded specifications really make a difference and the new operating system is also quite stable.
The new Watch also features the awake on raise. So, the action of raising your arm to fire up the screen. Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t added an always-on display feature to save battery life. The Watch 2 is also equipped with Haptic feedback engine. It is a vibrating system that feels more like taps on your wrist that simple buzzes. To modify the Apple Watch 2 you will need to pick your iPhone and open the immensely complex Watch app. You can modify a lot of setting from here but very little can be done on the watch itself.
WatchOS 3:
The WatchOS 3 is the latest platform that the Apple Watch Series 2 has been equipped with. It is just the right blend of hardware and software and comes with some amazing tricks and features that really make use of the additional hardware of the Watch 2. The Breathe app is also a great addition to an already amazing OS. Every few hours it prompts you to just focus on your breathing, and the haptic feedback will buzz as you need to breathe in, allowing you to exhale easily. After the breathing session is complete the app shows you your heart rate.
However, there are still quite a few annoying limitations. Mainly, you can’t see WhatsApp photos on the smaller screen, Facebook updates are just notifications that you need to look at your phone, and you can’t properly browse tweets.
While the app experience in the new Apple Watch 2 has improved it is still far from being indispensable. You can now order an Uber from you smartwatch but not all the third party apps are native. So you can’t open Google Maps, or message through Slack or order an Uber if your iPhone isn’t around, even when connected to Wi-Fi.
However, aside from all that the app experience is still great thank to Force Touch technology. It offers most of the stock apps some clever functionality when you hard press the display screen. Additionally, the WatchOS 3 also allows you to call an emergency SOS number that can be called right from the power-off screen.
Apart from the Breathe app and the dock the WatchOS 3 is pretty much just a clean-up of the previous operating system, with a few little tweaks to make it feel a bit more intuitive. Introducing Homekit to the Apple Watch will add some serious value to it.
GPS Tracking:
The main major upgrade of the Apple Watch Series 2 is undoubtedly the GPS tracking. The addition of GPS allows runners to track their runs without having to carry their smartphones wielded on their arms. Not only does the new smartwatch have GPS but it also hooks up to Glonass, the Russian variant of the global positioning satellite system. This allows more precise tracking of your location.
When it comes to heart rate monitoring not much has improved in the new Apple Watch Series 2. In the new smartwatch, the same technology has been used as the original one has been used. It is not very accurate, especially when running so if accurate heart monitoring is what you are looking for than the Apple Watch 2 might not be the one for you. But still comparing to other smartwatches, Apple Watch has the most powerful heart rate mechanism.
When it comes to distance accuracy and battery life the Apple Watch 2 is well off in that department. The GPS accuracy is amazing and the battery life is stronger than expected. As a running watch, the Watch 2 has a lot to offer. It might still not be perfect but it is on the right track.
Fitness Tracking:
While the Apple Watch Series 2 has gotten a lot better at tracking steps. Now it can also track other tasks and fitness activities as well. The new smartwatch is capable of tracking a wide range of activities from cycling to elliptical machines to ‘other’ workouts, which gives you the equivalent calorie burn to a brisk walk. The fitness-modes are limited but they are there. All these new changes make Apple Watch Series 2 among the best activity trackers.
Swimming tracking is the major addition to the Apple Watch fitness tracking. Now that the Watch 2 is swim-proof you can easily dive into the pool and track your swims. The tracking is only limited to telling you how far you swam and for how long but it is still quite useful. Apple has also coded the accelerometer and gyroscope to be able to tell when you’re changing lengths. After entering the length of your pool at the beginning of you swim the Watch 2 can easily track your workout.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of fitness dedicated apps in the Watch 2 adding in tailored programs designed to get you fitter or faster by varying the styles of workout you can do. There is already a variety of fitness tracking functionality in the new Watch so it would be beneficial if Apple had added a few apps that could analyze that data better. The Apple Watch Series 2 also features the ability to compete against your friends. While it is nothing new it is going to be a really exciting feature in the future if enough people sign up.
Smartwatches these days are mostly considered a novelty than an essential accessory. However, the new Apple Watch Series 2 might just change that. The waterproofing and GPS tracking makes it one of the best fitness trackers around. While it does not do anything exemplary it is still pretty amazing. Compared to its predecessor the Apple Watch 2 Series is a great upgrade. Unfortunately, it is only limited to Apple users.
Apple has also significantly improved the speed of the Watch 2 as well. It is a little pricey but if you can afford it then it is worth it. The Apple Watch Series 2 is ideal for the average Joe. Serious athletes or fitness fans might find it lacking in some aspects compared to a few other dedicated fitness options. But, as an all-rounder smartwatch, this is the best there is.
However, it is still not as good as it should be. It still lacks quite a few things. Mainly a better battery life, an always-on display, and a better design. But, it is still a significant step forward and by the looks of it, Apple is heading in the right direction.
While the smartwatch might not be something that you need it is still quite useful in several different aspects of your daily life. The best thing about the Apple Watch 2 is that it is an all in one device. You can track your fitness, operate your iPhone camera remotely, browse through your music, or just simply check the time. The Apple Series 2 has gotten a lot better and hopefully in time smartwatches will become an essential accessory.
Rimsha Salam
Rimsha Salam writes on the latest tech trends. She is a self-proclaimed tech geek, bookaholic, realist, introvert, and gamer.
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Unlimited Flights for One Flat Price: Could OneGo Be the Netflix of Air Travel?
by Patrick J. Kiger
New membership company OneGo offers unlimited domestic flights for a flat rate. Michael Krakowiak/Getty Images
Did you ever fantasize that airline travel could be like binge-watching "House of Cards" or "Orange is the New Black," with an unlimited number of trips for one monthly fee? Well, a startup named OneGo aims to make it that way — though you'll have to be a really frequent flyer to get your money's worth.
The Washington, D.C.-based company, founded by Lithuanian entrepreneur Paulius Grigas, offers an unlimited domestic flights on six carriers — JetBlue, Virgin, Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines — on more than 700 routes between 76 major airports in the U.S, from Albuquerque to West Palm Beach. The cost? Oh, a single flat fee of $2,950 a month. You can also buy less expensive memberships that allow you to fly unlimited times in just one region of the country — $1,500 a month for 14 airports spread across five states in the western U.S. for instance, or $2,300 monthly for flights to and from 39 East Coast cities.
OneGo membership is currently available only through an iPhone app, but plans to expand to other mobile and desktop devices.
OneGo
In addition to a one-time $495 setup fee, there are some restrictions: reservations have to be made a week in advance, with changes subject to a $100 fee and cancellations costing an extra $200 apiece. Also, the fee only covers the price of the basic ticket. Baggage fees and optional services as in-flight WiFi aren't included in the membership. So far, the service is available only through an iPhone app, but OneGo spokesperson Dina Binney says the company also plans to offer an Android app and a desktop PC version soon.
Those four-figure monthly fees are considerably heftier than what you pay to satisfy your craving for binge-watching TV shows and if you're an occasional vacation traveler, OneGo obviously isn't for you. It's a service aimed at hardcore business road warriors, the sort who spend so much time in hotels that they probably look for the complimentary mint chocolate on their pillow when they finally get back home.
Binney says the company sees a potentially lucrative market in small- and medium-sized companies who would realize savings and see chance to predict and stabilize their travel costs. "If they're paying a fee to OneGo, they could budget their yearly travel in advance," she says, "in an easy and efficient way."
OneGo also envisions another big attraction to its all-you-can-fly pricing. Companies who pay for OneGo memberships for employees could entice potential hires with the service because personal, non-business trips would be perk that wouldn't cost the business anything extra. If a company is trying to recruit someone, for example, "They can say, 'Whenever you want, you can fly on the weekend to see your mother in Wisconsin, and it won't cost you anything,'" Binney says. "It won't cost the employer anything either. With tech companies trying to one-up each other when it comes to benefits, this could be a really attractive one."
How OneGo will make money itself on this deal isn't yet clear. Binney would only say that the company did intensive research and analyzed the cost of flights across different airlines to figure out how much it needed to charge to make a profit.
But Binney emphasizes that unlike Netflix and other online streaming entertainment providers, who are poaching viewers away from cable and broadcast TV, OneGo isn't aiming to disrupt the airlines — it'll be purchasing tickets from the airlines in place of the companies, just like a conventional travel agency. It may not even take that much business away from existing online travel providers, such as Expedia or Travelocity, since its aim is to capture a very small niche of high-frequency business travelers.
If OneGo is successful, it might finally popularize flat-fee airline pricing, an idea that's been around for decades but has yet to catch on. As this CNN story details, back in the early 1980s American Airlines offered AAirpass, a plan in which fliers could buy unlimited lifetime first-class travel for a $250,000 fee. In the late 2000s, JetBlue experimented with offering three-month unlimited flying passes as well. And Surfair, an airline that provides executives with flights on smaller prop-driven planes to 12 destinations in the western United States, offers unlimited flights for $1,950 a month, plus a $1,000 membership fee.
According to online statistics portal Statista, people who travel at least once a month amount to only 6.7 percent of all U.S. travelers.
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What to watch for: 99th Indianapolis 500
By Tony DiZinnoMay 24, 2015, 8:45 AM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS – Today’s the day. It’s Indianapolis 500 race day.
Few further words need be said.
Alas, because you’re reading this and I wrote it last night, here’s some things to look for in today’s 99th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
From a purely numerical, percentage standpoint, a winner outside of the Team Penske (four cars), Chip Ganassi Racing (five) and Andretti Autosport (five) camps would be a surprise. Yes, the remaining eight teams have 19 cars, but the established “big three” have 14 of 33 cars – or a staggering 42.42 percent of the field.
But with Bryan Herta Autosport (2011) and KVSH Racing (2013) having won in the last four years, there’s proof it’s not impossible if all the dominos fall correctly.
FIRST-TIME VERSUS REPEAT? YOUTH VERSUS 30-PLUS?
The last two Indianapolis 500 champions have been first-timers in Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The previous four were repeat winners.
Meanwhile there hasn’t been a ‘500 race winner under 30 since Scott Dixon, then 27, in 2008. We touched on the generational divide in a preview piece this week. We’ll see whether it comes to fruition.
SIX-FOR-SIX
It’s easy to forget the Indianapolis 500 is part of the regular Verizon IndyCar Series season, especially given its points value is double any other race save for the season finale, and the prestige of winning makes a career and a lifetime. Alas, we’ve had five winners in as many races to start the year, and a sixth winner would keep the streak of no 2015 repeats alive.
While first- and second-starting Scott Dixon and Will Power have won this year, as has ninth-place starting Josef Newgarden, the remainder of the front third of the field is yet to win in 2015. Hunter-Reay won this race from 19th last year – proof that it can be done even without an excellent starting position.
FUEL WINDOWS
Watch these numbers very carefully: the estimated fuel windows for pit stops. Jon Beekhuis, who will be one of ABC’s three pit reporters on Sunday (and also will serve as an NBCSN pit reporter in the second half of the season), has these numbers outlined:
Estimated pit windows for @IndyCar #Indy500 Sunday 11am ET @ABCNetwork: 8-31 40-63 72-95 104-127 136-159 168-191
— Jon Beekhuis (@JonBeekhuis) May 23, 2015
Thus far it’s looked as though the Hondas will have better fuel mileage, but the more slippery Chevy offsets that edge. Full pit road trips – pit in to pit out, with stops – are estimated to take 39 seconds, just under the time it takes for a full lap.
As ever, you can save fuel under yellow… but yellows might be hard to come by. Last year’s race went the first 149 laps without a yellow.
HYSTERIA VERSUS REALISM
The angst and anxiousness of last week and last Sunday has, in recent days, simmered down.
The weather forecast has improved.
The stands will be packed.
The race is set to go on.
If you were to ask me who I want to win, I’d go full Gone with the Wind on you and reply, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Here’s what I do want: 200 mostly clean laps in the books with no injuries, 33 drivers and crews, and all officials and fans coming home clean as a whistle.
Let’s rock and roll.
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Mercedes-AMG confirms its IMSA program for 2017
By Tony DiZinnoNov 9, 2016, 11:18 AM EST
Photo: Mercedes-AMG
The long-awaited and expected news that Mercedes-AMG will run in next year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship became official on Wednesday, with at least two teams and three cars set to run next year.
Riley Motorsports, which had campaigned the Dodge Viper program through its GTS-R (American Le Mans Series GT and IMSA GT Le Mans) and GT3-R (IMSA GT Daytona) days, will run a two-car effort in GTD.
The longtime pairing of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen are in the No. 33 AMG-Team Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, and the WeatherTech Racing-backed pairing of Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette in the team’s No. 50 Mercedes. These two have tested at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.
“It’s really an honor to be aligned with AMG,” said AMG-Team Riley Motorsports Team Owner and Director Bill Riley. “The car looks so fast even standing still, and I can’t wait to start running it in anger. I was thinking the other day how many times a Mercedes-Benz has raced at Daytona and I can’t remember once. When I look at it that way, it’s pretty significant to be involved. There’s a lot of new teams in IMSA for 2017 but we are very anxious for the challenges.”
How do you like our new ride @IMSA 2017? Having fun with it at Daytona! pic.twitter.com/2iIGhDIPou
— Jeroen Bleekemolen (@jbleekemolen) November 9, 2016
WeatherTech Racing will campaign the No. 50 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the @IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Class for the 2017 season! pic.twitter.com/Sekuk9MNA3
— WeatherTech Racing (@RaceWeatherTech) November 9, 2016
A third program, Kenny Habul’s SunEnergy1 Racing, has also been announced with a third car for IMSA. Additional customer programs would figure to run in the Pirelli World Challenge series.
Mercedes-AMG will be on-site at each race throughout the 2017 race calendar to provide comprehensive technical assistance for all Mercedes-AMG GT3 Customer Sports Teams, which run the naturally-aspirated, 6.3-liter V8 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2017.
The debut of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car for the US market is accompanied by further development of the AMG Customer Sports Program. The focal point of this program is a specifically established technology and logistics center in Mooresville, North Carolina, which ensures a fast and reliable supply of parts and service for all teams in racing in North America. For direct assistance on-site, Mercedes-AMG will send its own service and parts transporter to all IMSA and PWC races.
“Our aspiration for expanding the AMG Customer Sports Program in the US is to provide the same level of comprehensive support that we have provided to teams in Europe for several years. This requires a close collaboration with the teams in terms of know-how and race track expertise, which we are now ideally positioned for. We are very excited for a thrilling and hopefully successful season,” Jochen Bitzer, Director of AMG Customer Sports Program, said in a release.
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mdigital » Pop » American Quartet - I Love It / A Bit Of Grand Opera
American Quartet - I Love It / A Bit Of Grand Opera download mp3 album
American_Quartet
American Quartet
I Love It / A Bit Of Grand Opera
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The String Quartet in F major, Op. 96, nicknamed the American Quartet, is the 12th string quartet composed by Antonín Dvořák. It was written in 1893, during Dvořák's time in the United States. The quartet is one of the most popular in the chamber music repertoire. Dvořák composed the quartet in 1893 during a summer vacation from his position as director (1892–1895) of the National Conservatory in New York City.
Earth Opera is the eponymous first studio album by the psychedelic folk band Earth Opera. It was recorded and released in 1968 on Elektra Records. The group featured Peter Rowan and David Grisman, who made their solo careers in much different genres than this record of mainly psychedelic music. All compositions by Peter Rowan, unless otherwise noted. The Red Sox are Winning" – 3:34. As It Is Before" – 7:25. To Care at All" – 3:35. Home of the Brave" – 4:51.
Album · 2008 · 38 Songs. By Gaetano Donizetti - Vincenzo La Scola, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra & Pier Giorgio Morandi. Aida, Act II: Grand March. By Giuseppe Verdi - National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland & Rico Saccani.
The debut album by the Aizuri Quartet is called Blueprinting. David Stith/New Amsterdam Records. The album's title alone connotes its socially conscious threads - "Niña," with a text by Mexican poet and diplomat Octavio Paz, captures the elemental power of children. The fevered love song "Tu y Yo" is set to words by the pioneering Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Other songs flash back to the nueva cancíon movement in Latin America in the 1960s, when songwriters paired socially poignant lyrics with folk-infused melodies. Before I fell in love with the crackling performances on this album, I'd never heard of the band Forma Antiqva.
A Night At The Opera album is a masterpiece. Everything from its title to the music, the whole pomp and circumstance of the entire package is majestic. Freddie’s often covered ‘Love Of My Life’ (written for girlfriend Mary Austin) is a quite beautiful ballad, embellished with May’s harp, Roger’s delicate cymbals and the predominant Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar – coincidentally purchased by Brian in Japan the previous spring. Brian’s ‘Good Company’ is one of his wise family pieces – a song full of sound values and mature reflection. Why not? But if he kept his reasoning private, the public response was amazing, especially when he cunningly gave a pre-release tape to DJ friend, Kenny Everett, with a winking, But you’re not allowed to play it on air in its entirety.
Read American Quartet's bio and find out more about American Quartet's songs, albums, and chart history. Get recommendations for other artists you'll love. Long before the rise of the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots in the 1930s, the American Quartet (also known as the Premier Quartet) reigned supreme as one of the definitive male vocal groups in traditional pop. The foursome (which should not be confused with a 21st century gospel group that has the same name) was not the only vocal group that was active during traditional pop's acoustical era, which ended with the introduction of electrical recording technology in the mid-1920s and the rise of the crooners.
Unfortunately, the rock opera is also a bit of a cheat, as any classical music fan knows. If you're used to kicking back with a little Verdi, and someone comes along and plays you Pink Floyd's The Wall, declaiming, "Behold! Here is another kind of opera to blow your mind," you might point out that a rock opera isn't really an opera at all, but more, maybe, like a cantata, or a suite. Or even a musical, without the choreography. The Kinks uncorked Arthur in 1969, an album that some fans argue is the rock-opera gold standard, never mind that it's essentially a collection of vignettes-albeit gorgeous and well-drawn ones. That other rock opera by the Who-1973's get the attention that Tommy does.
The beautiful Aizuri Quartet, Kaoru, and Satoshi our backbone and foundation of the show. I love singing with you guys. And, please consider donating to the Aizuri Quartet’s Indiegogo campaign to help support the making of this album by , unique album cover art by and two full length music videos for two of the pieces (one of them featuring Lembit’s work!).
Opera is a drama set to music. An opera is like a play in which everything is sung instead of spoken. Operas are usually performed in opera houses. The singers who sing and act out the story are on the stage, and the orchestra is in front of the stage but lower down, in the orchestra pit, so that the audience can see the stage. An opera is normally divided into two, three, four or even five acts. In older operas the music was mostly recitative and arias
A I Love It
B A Bit Of Grand Opera
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The Heartland Roots Band
It’s All Right Here - The Heartland Roots Band
The unstoppable force in UK Country music otherwise known as The Heartland Roots Band, release their 5th single, on True Authentic Records on August 31st.
The six piece band have already had a top 4 record in the country charts in 2020, a nomination for UK Country Group of the year in the bag, and upwards of a quarter of a million streams and downloads to boot.
This latest offering is sure to see them scale further heights.
Although the group have been together for almost 2 years, they have spent the majority of that time tirelessly rocking the mainstream circuit of pubs and small festivals, packing in the crowds for whom Country music is either an undiscovered delight, or a guilty pleasure.
For the Leicester-based band of troubadours, ‘It’s All Right Here’ is a new high-water mark in the craft of song-writing, arrangement and production.
South African-born lead vocalist Sam Hobson is joined by songwriter Adrian Causier on singing duties on this outing, and the irresistible soaring harmonies and melancholy steel guitar, at once, hint at both exuberance and sadness, as the song tells of moving on from past pain and frustration, to a place where all the ingredients for fulfilment, are truly already within.
The Heartland Roots Band are at the vanguard of the new wave of British country-rock acts currently attracting attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Formed in Leicester, England the six piece band play 'Heartland Rock', a genre which combines elements of country rock, folk, with other rootsy aspects such as blue-eyed soul and rhythm and blues.
Although musical and lyrical references are culled from a wealth of modern and classic country, the most common comparison that onlookers have commented upon is the apparent influence, both in instrumentation and use of layered vocal harmonies, of Fleetwood Mac. HRB have embraced this by cheekily throwing in the odd barnstorming rendition of ‘Go Your Own Way’ into the band’s legendarily blissful live performances!
The Heartland Roots Band self-released the EP ‘Back for More' before touring in Europe during 2018. In January 2019 the band signed to The Animal Farm label and their first three singles, 'Breaking Away’, 'Gasoline' and 'Hit Me Like A Freight Train' were released between August 2019 and February 2020.
Each new song has received airplay in the UK, Europe and the USA, and each track has also been streamed around 50,000 times.
The band's latest single, ‘Country Miles’ was released on May 31st 2020, and went straight into the top 5 of the iTunes Country chart.
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AUTOTELIC's "Ikaw" Music Video Is For Those Who Can't Get Over Their Past Love
The official music video of Autotelic's latest single "Ikaw" is now out! It conveys a splendid drama about someone who's still hung up on their ex even if they are already committed to someone else.
The Enzo Valdez-directed clip shows a guy who just can't seem to get over his past love while his present partner slowly but surely sees the signs. Can the girl continue moving forward with their relationship, knowing her lover's true feelings for his ex?
If there's a lesson that Autotelic fans can get from this music video, it's that you should not commit to a new romantic relationship if your heart and mind aren't that ready. Relate much? Watch "Ikaw" below:
Courtesy: autotelicmusic
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Indian Oil launches India’s first 100 Octane petrol for high-end ...
by NC · December 2, 2020
In a move that can be a potential game-changer in the petroleum fuel retail market in India, IndianOil has launched world-class premium grade Petrol (Octane 100) in the country today. Branded as XP100, the premium grade petrol was launched across ten cities by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel. Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Tarun Kapoor, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, and other senior officials of the Ministry and Indianoil were present in the virtual event.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that the technology for India’s first100 Octane petrol has been indigenously created by IndianOil R&D, and this is indeed a matter of pride. He said that this is yet another step in the direction of Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative which the Government is keenly implementing in energy sector, in line with our Prime Minister’s Energy Vision. The Minister said that the availability of XP100 puts India in an elite group of countries, having access to such high quality oil. It will provide high quality and power to the engine. The Minister said that Indianoil has been a leader in development and adoption of technology. He said that the competition among the Indian PSUs has benefitted the country and the people of India. He said that India has already adopted BS-VI category of fuel since April this year, and invested over Rs 30,000 crore in the technology. Pradhan said that the launch of XP100 shows that the Government is committed to Ease of Living for the people of country.
IndianOil plans to roll-out XP100 premium grade petrol in 15identified cities across the country in two phases. In the first phase, it has been made available at select ROs w.e.f December 1, 2020, in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Agra, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. In the second phase, the availability of this 100 Octane petrol would be extended to Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Kolkata. These cities have been selected basis their aspirational demographics and availability of high-end cars and bikes dealerships in these cities.
High-end premium vehicles equipped with the latest technology are fully geared to reap the full-throttle benefits of 100 Octane petrol. Worldwide, 100 Octane petrol has a niche market for luxury vehicles that demand high performance, and is available only in six countries like Germany, USA, etc.
Tags: BMW 3 SeriesDharmendra PradhanGovernment of IndiaIndian Oil CorporationLexus ESMinistry of Petroleum and Natural GasPorsche Boxster/Cayman
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Home » Blog » Raw deal for kids displaced by infrastructure projects: Study
Raw deal for kids displaced by infrastructure projects: Study
MUMBAI: Rarely has there been a study focusing on the impact of urban infrastructure projects on the lives of the children they displace. Simpreet Singh, urban researcher and member of the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements, has quantified the devastation wrought on children by the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).
Ironically, post-displacement, these children have gone from living in slums to flats. “This shows that simply transferring slum-dwellers to buildings where they are given security of tenure does not translate into security over other aspects,” says Singh, who is pursuing a PhD on slums at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
The World Bank has showcased MUTP’s rehabilitation efforts as among the best in the world. Yet Singh’s survey for 2013 shows that, on human development indicators such as health, education and sanitation, children have fared worse after rehabilitation. This, despite the directives of WB’s resettlement policy stating that whenever people are displaced, their standard of living and capacity to earn must improve or remain the same.
43% of children surveyed faced problems changing schools; 54% faced problems commuting to school after rehabilitation. These include crossing dangerous highways and railway tracks, and tiredness. 90% of parents said expenditure on children’s education had increased.
Most children reported a decline in health and sanitation. While 73% said cleanliness was worse than before, 67% spoke of the absence of health facilities near home. 56% fell sick at least once since relocation, one-fourth due to poor quality of water and 10 due to lack of hygiene in their environment.
The study also measured the less tangible consequences of displacement. Parents said they spent less time with kids because of the increased commute to work. So 58% of parents said they couldn’t take care of their children as well as they did earlier. 50% of children said they had lost contact with friends. And while 76% of children had watched their homes demolished, 60% said this gave them bad memories.
While the need for rehabilitation is indisputable, there’s no thought given to planning settlements, said Amita Bhide, chairperson of the Centre of Urban Planning, Policy and Governance in the School of Habitat Studies (TISS). “Rehabilitation sites are just buildings with no schools, health centres or access to livelihood. They are concentrated in areas poor in infrastructure. The process of rehabilitation often fragments communities and families,” says Bhide.
“Rehabilitation sites may not always have access to schools and health centres, as they are largely located in the less developed parts of the eastern suburbs. We have done our best to provide amenities at rehabilitation sites. In some areas, we have provided government schools near colonies, but parents would rather enrol their children in English medium schools located further away,” said an MUTP official, adding that people displaced by infrastructure projects, who earlier lived in slums, are being given flats free of cost.
Web: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Raw-deal-for-kids-displaced-by-infrastructure-projects-Study/articleshow/25346570.cms
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The Kindergarten Cast Learns Plenty in the Storytelling
April 16, 2019 April 19, 2019 ~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment
Jonathan Levine, Colleen Thompson, and Dave Benson in the rehearsal space.
Photo by Richard Mulligan.
The people putting on The University Wits‘ (TUW) presentation of All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum, might be many years past kindergarten, but there are enough firsts among them to keep things feeling almost as electric as that first year of school.
This production is Richard Mulligan’s directorial debut in Grand Rapids community theatre, Colleen Thompson’s first appearance on a stage in downtown Grand Rapids, Jonathan Levine’s first role in scripted theatre in Grand Rapids, David Wood’s first time in a University Wits production, Dave Benson’s first time singing and dancing on stage, and CJ Namenye Wood’s first time dancing on stage with her husband (David Wood).
Mulligan was sitting in the audience of TUW’s presentation of Jeffrey last year when he saw that they were looking for directors and that Kindergarten was on their schedule–a play he’d twice directed as head of the drama ministry at Genesis United Methodist Church. He’d been drawn to the play in the mid-2000s after seeing the Kindergarten Creed (a poem that appears in the play) in one of his son’s classrooms:
“It’s about how people should treat each other, how to treat the world, how to be a good person. The basis of the poem makes sense.”
The cast is finding a lot to relate to in the play on that basic, how to be a good person, level. When asked about their favorite pieces, Levine and David Wood both mentioned “Pigeons” (although Wood isn’t in that piece), which is about a grandfather watching his granddaughter chasing pigeons at the zoo. He wonders what she’d do if she caught them, and concludes that possessing the pigeons isn’t the point of it for her, just as possessing her isn’t the point of their relationship. Levine said, “Having two daughters that are very much their own persons and don’t belong to anyone, who are going to do what they want to do, I appreciate ‘Pigeons.'” David Wood finds spiritual meaning in the piece:
To love something and to possess it is not the same thing. This is true in human relationships and between us and God–we’re not just puppets. When you love something, it isn’t that you set it free, but you allow it to love you back on its own terms.
Like David Wood, Thompson’s favorite piece is also one she’s not in, “The Bench.” In particular, there’s one line that really speaks to her, about things going exactly as they’re supposed to go. Thompson said that, in her life, during times of change she often gets that feeling of rightness with what she called “waves of enlightenment” that encourage the change she’s making. She recently made the big life change of moving to a small apartment downtown, and is enjoying ticking off “appear at Dog Story Theater” from her bucket list.
For Namenye Wood it isn’t that she has a favorite piece, because “there are none I don’t relate to. There’s something in every vignette,” but when pressed, she, too named one she wasn’t in, “Problems and Inconveniences”:
There are problems, and there are inconveniences, and learning to know the difference between them is meaningful and necessary. Learn about the things that really matter and then recognize what is fleeting and let that go, because our energy is fleeting and we should put it into things that are meaningful and purposeful.
Benson likes his favorite piece, “Charles Boyer,” not because he had an immediate connection to it, but because he’s working with it as an actor in a different way: “Richard is having me talk more personally and picture my wife and make it personal to me and be more emotional than I’ve done in a play before.”
This aspect of bringing in the personal highlights something interesting about Kindergarten for the actors: it’s not a play with a beginning, middle, and end, and they are not each playing one character who only speaks to other characters while ignoring the audience. Kindergarten consists of about two dozen individual stories that the actors tell to the audience. Namenye Wood explains it this way:
We’re narrating, talking to the audience, sharing with them. We’re not characters, we’re who we are, telling stories–someone else’s stories, but we’re ourselves.
There are times when there are multiple actors on stage, acting out and telling a story, but their focus is on the audience. Thompson said that it reminds her of the Moth Radio Hour and other NPR storytelling shows.
It’s been over 10 years since Mulligan last directed this play, and he’s found different takeaways than he did the last time. The piece, “Christmas/Valentine’s Day,” which centers around how a wife deals with her aging husband’s repeated forgetting, is more poignant because, in those intervening years, his mother developed dementia and then Alzheimer’s. And these days he sees one of the pieces as nothing less than a rallying cry:
What resonates with me now is the story and song, “Reflect the Light.” One of our cast members is knocking the song out of the park, but more than that, it’s an important message for our times. If you think of light as being knowledge and truth and compassion and all the good–if you have a mirror, you can reflect that light into dark crevices of the world, dark places in people’s minds and hearts. It comes from the true story of a philosopher and theologian after World War II who was asked about the meaning of life. People laughed at the question, but he answered sincerely that the meaning of his life was to be a mirror and reflect light into dark places.
This makes it sound like the show is nonstop heartwarming. It definitely has pull-out-the-tissues moments, but there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, too; Levine describes it as “touching-funny.” There’s a man who ties balloons to a lawn chair and manages to take off, another who mishears “hallowed be your name” as “Howard be your name” in the Lord’s Prayer, and there’s an entire song made up of different iterations of the phrase, “uh oh.”
CJ Namenye Wood in the rehearsal space. Photo by Richard Mulligan.
The University Wits’ presentation of Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten is playing at Dog Story Theater at 7:30pm on April 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27, with matinee performances on April 27 and 28. Go to dogstorytheater.com for ticket information.
‘S wonderful, ‘S marvelous
A section of prairie grasses and big sky at Corkscrew Swamp in the Everglades.
Last week I did something wonderful and marvelous: at the tail-end of a polar vortex and in the middle of an ice storm, I went to Florida. It was the first time in my adult life that I’d gone somewhere warm during the winter–a glorious cliche–and I made the most of it.
Since I work four jobs, one of which takes place on Sunday mornings, I rarely have an entire day off, and I have to plan in advance for any weekends off. I hadn’t missed a Sunday since Labor Day weekend, and I was capital-t Tired. More than that, I was teetering on the edge of Burned Out. Even so, it was hard to commit to taking five whole days away. But I needed it.
Proof of how badly I needed it: I swore at my gentlest child when he objected to how I was driving when we were late to the airport. I’d never sworn at anyone like that before, and I never will again. It upset me to the very core of my being and dramatically showed me how I need to build in more time for rest and spiritual renewal so I can better manage stressors.
Once he granted me forgiveness (and thought it was funny how upset I was), I could bask in the sunshine and settle into all the new things I got to see and learn in Naples.
Like how prehistoric pelicans look. They are so pterodactylish.
A pelican with ruffled wing feathers, standing on a pier (photo by Richard Mulligan).
Ever cooler: a group of pelicans is called a squadron.
The local squadron at rest (photo by Richard).
That’s exactly what they looked like! I didn’t manage to get a photo of it, but I watched them fly low over the beach in a tight V, their big bodies, huge wingspans, and long beaks making them more imposing than other birds that fly in the same formation. And there’s just something about that folded-up neck when they fly that makes them look more aggressive. A squadron. Perfect.
Speaking of cool birds: the anhinga swims underwater to find food, poking its head up now and then to breathe. My boyfriend, his niece, and I spent several minutes at the Corkscrew Swamp watching one in a pond thick with water lettuce, squealing every time we spotted it coming up for air. Okay, maybe it was just me making the high-pitched noises, but I am not ashamed of how enthusiastic I get about things like this.
A tiny black head and neck of an anhinga poking through a thick matt of swamp lettuce.
But the anhinga has no protective oils on its feathers so it needs to dry off after it dives. Happily, this drying off is done by lengthy posing for photos.
An anhinga on a branch with its wings spread out, drying itself off.
I know, I know. The bird is a wild animal and not puposefully posing for photos, but it sure seemed that way: of all the places to sit and ways to face, it chose to face people and their cameras in a tree less than 10 feet from the boardwalk.
Of course, this being Florida, right near the bird was an alligator. According to the sign, this was a smiling alligator, but we saw no evidence of said grin.
The back of an alligator is just visible to the left of the tree where the anhinga dries itself.
Besides learning new things and seeing all kinds of wildlife (black rat snake, water moccasin, otters, limpkin, pileated woodpecker, egrets, little blue heron, racoons, lizards), we took time for whimsy. We watched two little lizards, a brown one and a green anole, and made up stories about why the green one was dancing around so much while the brown one stayed so still; we were unprepared for when the brown one pounced, but luckily the anole was, and skittered away safe and sound.
Not the green anole we told stories about.
And look at these lovely ladies in the swamp. They reminded me of debutantes in their cinched-waist dresses, so I call it the Cypress Swamp Cotillion. The tree in the foreground on the left wins poofiest skirt. At least two of those trees near the center don’t like each other at all and are gossiping about each other to the other trees. And the one in the right foreground is holding herself so straight and tall despite her low level of pouf, going for dignity instead of fashionableness, but winding up by herself. So much drama.
Cypress Swamp Cotillion
Nature and learning and whimsy restore my soul, but so does doing nothing. I made sure I got that in, too.
I highly recommend the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary if you are in the Everglades. It’s a three-or-so mile walk, all on a boardwalk, with ample opportunities for rest, and some great viewing platforms.
I also highly recommend not waiting until you are hovering on burn-out to take a serious rest. For heaven’s sake, I’ve written about the need for people in ministry to take rest seriously, both in terms of Sabbath and vacations, but I stopped being intentional about it. Which was a mistake.
So in January I joined a gym. I February I went to Florida. What cliche thing should I do in March?
Jesus was the Son of God, but he still had a mother
February 6, 2019 February 6, 2019 ~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment
I was reading the story of Jesus turning water into wine, his first miracle, in preparation for teaching it to the kids in Sunday school, when I saw something I’d never noticed before. I’ll give it to you first in Biblespeak; then I’ll make it more colloquial.
Biblespeak
There was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”
John 2:1-7 NLT
There was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother sidled up to him and said, totally passive-aggressively, “They have no more wine.”
“Mom.” Jesus dragged out the word in a sing-song. “Dad said I don’t have to.”
But his mother ignored his whining and told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Jesus might be the Son of God, but he still had to deal with his mother. He told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”
Maybe I exaggerated a little–but not much.
Unpacking the little family drama
How passive-aggressive was Mary?! She presented a problem to Jesus. She didn’t ask him to solve it. She didn’t even ask him to solve it miraculously. But she assumed he could and he assumed that she was asking for a miracle.
How did she know he could solve that problem in that way? Had he been turning things into other things at home? I mean, that’s a whole different level than saying, “It’s cold in here,” when what you want is, “Please close the window.” I don’t have too many passive-aggressive people in my life, but it seems like Mary’s game is up there with the best.
And then Jesus’s attitude? No matter how you interpret the tone of Jesus’s response to his mother, he’s essentially saying, “Don’t bother me.” Parents, how many times have your kids said this to you, either out loud or with their body language, when you ask them to do something they don’t want to do? I’m guessing that you’re like me and this is a familiar family dynamic.
I like to imagine Jesus a little whiny here, but staying respectful, because his brand-new disciples are close by and he can’t push back too hard without looking bad. And, you know, he’s God, so he’s not going to blast the dear woman for being a little annoying. The NIV gives us a little saltier of a Jesus than the NLT: “Woman, why do you involve me?”
Jesus even tries to invoke his heavenly Father with, “My time has not yet come.”
But Mary is such a mother.
She totally ignores him. Whether he is a little whiny or he’s irritable or he’s as calm and dignified as we’re supposed to imagine he is, she discounts his refusal and bypasses any further conversation about the matter and tells the servants to do what he tells them to do.
Just like many mothers do when their child doesn’t have a good reason for refusing to do the thing. No arguing, no negotiating. Jesus gets to talk to the hand while Mary goes around him and gives order to the servants.
I love seeing such utterly human and familiar moments in Bible stories. When the people are in situations I recognize, then I feel at home in the Bible. Then, despite every other context being different, I can find myself in the family drama, in the all-too-human interactions.
Jesus is our brother and our friend–maybe even to the point of being able to complain about overbearing mothers together. Well, if I’m being perfectly honest, I do not have an overbearing mother, but I might be one, so technically the person I relate to in this story is Mary.
You don’t have to do anything
January 28, 2019 January 28, 2019 ~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Two weeks in a row I got to tell the story of Jesus being baptized by John to two different groups of kids at church, and the same thing struck me each time: the line, “with him I am well pleased.”
You know what Jesus had done at this point in his ministry?
Okay, once, after traveling with his family to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover he stayed behind and talked with the teachers in the Temple court and amazed them with his understanding. But that’s it.
All it took for God to be well pleased with Jesus, was for Jesus to be. After all, Jesus was God’s son, God’s beloved child. And because we’ve been adopted into God’s family through Jesus, we have that same status.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
So all we need to do for God to look at us and say, “You are my child, whom I love. With you I am very pleased,” is nothing.
God will not love you any more if you fast every week, if you sit on five committees or serve in three ministries at your church. God will not be any more pleased with you if you give up alcohol and sugar or if you spend three hours a day in prayer and Bible study. Those may make a big difference for you and for your church family, but none of them will make God love you any more than he already does–which is enough to send his only son to die for you.
As a do-er, I need this reminder.
It also made me think of the opening lines of “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver, which has been much on social media lately:
My friend Ed Czyewski has a book entirely devoted to this subject, Flee, Be Silent, Pray, that is coming out next month (pre-order here). I’ve written before about the deep impact Ed has had on my spiritual life with this focus on being God’s beloved (Beloved), and now that I re-read the quote below that I highlighted a few years ago when he indie published Flee, it makes me laugh, because I literally typed it just now as if it were fresh to me.
“Whether you need a booming voice from heaven to shake you free from your anxious thoughts or you need a gentle whisper to call you back to your first love, God is speaking to you right now in this place…This message is for you if you can take it on faith, even right now: ‘You are my child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'”
This is why faith is the task of a lifetime: we need to hear the same stories, the same verses, the same ideas over and over and over, not only because we forget them over and over and over, but also because life changes us and we need them differently at different points.
Maybe you need this reminder now for different reasons than I needed it, so I’ll type it for a third time:
God says, “You are my child, whom I love. With you I am well pleased.”
Reading Paul with Children
December 18, 2018 December 19, 2018 ~ Natalie Hart ~ 1 Comment
It’s relatively simple to make a picture book for children out of the stories in the Old Testament–Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23. Likewise, the life of Jesus contains a wealth of simple, visual stories–Zaccheus climbing into the tree, feeding the 5,000, calming the storm, walking on water. But there’s not as much scope for child-level storytelling in the early years of the followers of The Way. Those letters from the apostles get pretty theological, and don’t lend themselves to visual storytelling.
But Chris Raschka has made a wonderful picture book out of all the letters of Paul! Each two-page spread contains a distillation of one letter along with an illustration of Paul writing, as well as some items he might typically have around him as he wrote. In some images he’s eating or drinking, in some he looks pleased and in others down,
in some he’s in jail,
in others he’s got company.
Usually, the messages are uplifting.
Sometimes, Raschka chooses one that scolds.
But his distillation shows something that I never noticed about Paul: how important friendship was to him. In many of the two-page spreads, Raschka takes room to note who Paul sends greetings from, and who he wants the readers to greet for him: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila. Come see me soon. Only Luke is still with me” (II Timothy). “Luke, the doctor, and Demas say hello” (Colossians). It makes Paul feel so human, and less like a Big Theologian. He was a person who travelled around and relied on his friends in this very young faith. And he was writing to friends, to people he knew and who knew him. The letters feel more intimate.
Which reminded me of listening to a friend read the entire letter to the Ephesians at a Bible study. Paul’s letters are so meaty that we rarely hear them as the early church did: out loud in one sitting. I was surprised at how positive the letter felt, and how cared for I felt after listening. The letter seemed like a long prayer, like Paul was pouring out his hopes and prayers for his friends in Ephesus, and telling them what they needed to hear in order to be encouraged and keep going. Raschka’s book inspires that same feeling.
I highly recommend Paul writes (a letter).
My help comes from Adonai
November 2, 2018 ~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment
Last night, I (and a few hundred other people) went to a candlelight vigil sponsored by Temple Emanuel, Congregation Ahavas Israel, Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids, and Chabad House of Western Michigan in response to the murder of 11 people at Tree of Life in Pittsburgh last week. As with the other outdoor candlelight vigil I went to this past summer, it was too breezy to keep my candle lit. But unlike the last time, I was prepared: I’d downloaded a flashlight app on my phone so I held the candle next to that light. One intrepid boy had brought a battery-powered candle. Some in the crowd passed out tin foil squares to put around the candles to protect them from the breeze, but they interfered with the sound system, creating feedback and causing it to go out for several minutes after the speakers began, so those had to go away. I watched Grand Rapids Police Chief David Rahinsky try to fix the speakers, with no luck. By the fourth speaker, the microphones were working, but I know I missed some good words. On the one hand, it was a beautiful event. Any time people come together to support one another in mourning and try to reach for hope is a good thing. But people are, well, people. There were mutterings about not being able to hear. The Jewish women I stood near had varying opinions about the speakers and what they had to say. I was impressed that each speaker spoke fully out of their religious tradition: the Imam told the story of Cain and Abel using names from the Koran (different from the Torah and Bible names), and the Hindu woman prayed to God as Mother and omm-ed (which echoed around Calder Square). Rabbi Michael Schadick of Temple Emanuel was the first to speak, his first words very simple: “We are here for shalom.” Shalom is one of those words that we can’t unpack with only one English word: peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, wellbeing, and tranquility. He spoke about the man who murdered 11 worshippers at Tree of Life Temple in Pittsburgh:
“He hoped to kill our spirit, but he strengthened it.”
The cantor of Temple Emanuel lead the crowd in a song of Psalm 133 (CJB). Read the words while you listen to the song:
Oh, how good, how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in harmony.
It is like fragrant oil on the head that runs down over the beard, over the beard of Aharon, and flows down on the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon that settles on the mountains of Tziyon. For it was there that Adonai ordained the blessing of everlasting life.
Rev. David Baak, executive pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church was the next to speak, and after him was Rev. Joe Jones, Second Ward City Commissioner. Jones quoted George Washington Carver:
Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.
Jones also spoke about forgiveness being integral to the ability to love, which is true, but the women around me were not ready to hear that. I’ve certainly had seasons when I was not ready to talk forgiveness, when I had to ask God to make me even want to want to forgive. But how do you forgive a man who hates your people enough to murder them in their place of worship? To scream his hatred of Jews while being cared for by Jewish medical professionals? How do you forgive a murderer when you know that there are others out there like him, and because of that, you have to have armed guards at your synagogue? It feels like forgiving the ideology and culture that spawned those beliefs and that hatred. Imam Morsy Salem of PLACE spoke next. It was such an interesting experience to listen to him unpack the story of Cain and Abel, aka Qābīl and Hābīl, but his message was clear: do not hate each other, do not kill each other. Rabbi Yosef Weingarten of Chabad House said about prayer that it isn’t merely an opportunity to ask for what you need:
Prayer provides us with the opportunity to align our body and our soul with the…God above. In these moments of unspeakable pain, as we search for answers, we take refuge in our traditions–[in our Jewish tradition, mourning is not just about pain], but hope and conviction.”
He encouraged all of us to add just one small act of kindness in our daily lives to build each other up. In honor of the members and police officers who were injured in the shooting at Tree of Life, Rabbi Weingarten and Chief Rahinsky read Psalm 121 (CJB) as a prayer, the Rabbi in Hebrew and the Chief in English:
If I raise my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from Adonai, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — your guardian is not asleep. No, the guardian of Isra’el never slumbers or sleeps.
Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand Adonai provides you with shade — the sun can’t strike you during the day or even the moon at night.
Adonai will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. Adonai will guard your coming and going from now on and forever.
Following him were Father Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute and Rev. Colleen Squires of All Souls Community Church. Rev. Squires is a regular attender at Grand Rapids Association of Pastor meetings, so I know her a little bit. I was moved by the emotion in her voice as she talked about the hospitality of Congregation Ahavas Israel, which has given All Souls the space to worship for the last 13 years, and how it was both right and weighty to walk into their mutual building for services the day after the shooting. Then came Teresa Thome of Self-Realization Fellowship (representing the Hindu faith) and Dr. Doug Kinshi of GVSU’s Kaufman Interfaith Center. Rabbi David Krishev of Congregation Ahavas put it in stark words:
The question, ‘Am I willing to give up my life for my faith,’ is a question we don’t want to hear, and don’t want to answer. It is a question we thought we’d left behind.
He went on to list the people of various faiths who are being killed due to their beliefs. His desire was simple: “We, as people who believe in the power of religious community, want to continue to gather at our places of worship openly…and safely.” Rabbi Schadick closed the event with a song from the end of the mourner’s Kaddish, lead by a soloist from Temple Emanuel:
He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
It was a wonderful event, full of talk of love and respect and standing together against hate. I loved the use of Adonai instead of “the Lord” in the passages read; if felt so intimate. My favorite part was the singing–listening to those ancient words being sung all around me, all known by heart, was powerful. Those words have been said and sung in that form for many thousands of years. Those words and those messages have survived. They’ve survived many attempts to eradicate them and those who speak them, and they’ll survive this one, too. I’ll add a few more from Psalm 95:7-8 (NLT) as my prayer for my fellow Christians who are consumed with fear and hate:
If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts…”
Sometimes I feel like these wet, shivering chicks
September 10, 2018 September 10, 2018 ~ Natalie Hart ~ 1 Comment
One of my favorite images for God in the Bible is the hen sheltering her chicks under her wings.
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him….
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
These are favorite verses of preachers and writers searching for more stereotypically feminine attributes of God, and one of the reasons I like them so much. They bring up images that are nurturing and cozy.
Sometimes we just need comfort and a little warmth, and those sheltering wings snuggling us close sounds just right. But life is not always cozy. Storms of all kinds descend on us (and sometimes we create them ourselves).
For those times, I like the image of God-as-hen from the video at the beginning. God is sheltering us under his wings, but we are wet and cold and suffering. It is far better to be with God than exposed to our storms on our own, but it isn’t necessarily going to be comfortable.
I am comforted by the assurance that my sadness or my misery in a stormy situation doesn’t mean that God isn’t with me, isn’t sheltering me: I am protected, but things are still kind of lousy.
Isn’t that just how life feels sometimes?
Permission Slips for the Resistance
July 3, 2018 July 3, 2018 ~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment
My Opa (Dutch for grandfather) worked in an underground/resistance group in German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. I’ve known this all my life, but I am still learning new stories and seeing new evidence as my uncles dig through their papers and unearth some gems.
At this year’s family reunion, my Uncle Henk pulled out some war-era papers that left me awed. He laid out this dark history on a peeling picnic table on a warm and sunny day. I am now even more grateful that Opa undermined the occupying Nazis any way he could–and that he survived. Here is the story in brief, told by my uncle:
The leader was our family doctor, Oostenbrink. This work was already beginning when our family arrived in Velp in September of 1941 and Rev. Klaas Hart joined in soon after arriving. As a result at some time he also became a wanted person and had to find a safe place to live. In July of 1944 the Germans entered Oostenbrink’s and our home to search for evidence of illegal activity, which resulted in the dismantling of the resistance group and that, in turn, led to our flight by horse and wagon to the safer home of the Holtrusts in Ermelo in September of 1944. His work was utterly dangerous and a number of his group’s co-workers were arrested and either executed or sent to a concentration camp where they died.
And here is the story of a resistance worker, told in a series of permissions, notes, and newspapers.
A letter from a fellow Dutchman in the Press and Propaganda department of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands, telling Rev. Hart that there were ministers who were preaching dangerous sermons and they should be careful. My uncles characterized this is a funny letter, because Opa was the minister in question and this was a very roundabout way of warning him. May 30, 1942. Dutch.
Permission to keep his bicycle–technically “exempt from the obligation to surrender bicycle.” August 27, 1942, Velp. Dutch.
Permission to travel from Velp in Gelderland to Groningen between August 21-24, 1943. German. The uncles remember that he said this was to provide pastoral care for his previous congregation.
Note from the mayor informing them that the Germans want their house, so they have to move. “In connection with the claim of your home, I inform you that as soon as your home has been vacated, you must notify the Ommerschofschelaan office as soon as possible. You will be notified when the house is taken over by the German opposition from you. An inventory list of the goods left behind will then be drawn up. The keys will then have to be handed over to the German authorities.” December 4, 1943. Dutch.
Sickness transport. Permission to take Henrik Hart (the oldest child, 9 years old) and Peter Hart (my father, 20 months old) somewhere because they were sick. The thing is, nobody remembered them ever being this ill, so the assumption is that this was a ruse to move someone/something else. October 8, 1944. Dutch.
Handwritten note from Red Cross for this mysterious illness of Hendrik and Peter Hart. October, 1944. Dutch.
Permission from the Red Cross to go out after air raids to help anyone who needed help. October 21, 1944. This is after they moved to Ermelo, in the province of Gelderland. German.
Appointment from the Red Cross to “provide spiritual assistance to evacuees in these areas.” Because of this, he was able to wear a Red Cross armband while he went around doing his underground work. October 21, 1944. Dutch.
A note in code from a courier in his resistance group. Dutch.
Permission from the Interior Military Forces of the Netherlands to travel between Ermelo and Velp on April 21, 1945. (The Netherlands was liberated on May 5.) Dutch.
Permission to travel on all the roads in Velp. May 3, 1945. Dutch.
A very early edition of Trouw, the newspaper of the resistance. Trouw means faithful.
A Google translation: “Our country sits, let’s just confess it, at the moment heavy in the stuffy hero. The whole life of every day bears witness to it. Also many articles in this issue of our magazine talk about it. We are overwhelmed, we are heavily enslaved and we can not resist it. Such is the conclusion of many. And others think and share their opinions in the misery of this during the striking hand of God. However, it is not good to stand by. Nothing is more dangerous than Lydelykhied. Lydelyke people, they are just the kind that the [Germans] can use.” (In Africaans, Lyde means suffering and lyke means corpses, but beyond that, Google translate cannot go.)
A later edition of Trouw, the underground newspaper. December 1944.
A different resistance/underground newspaper: Je Maintiendrai.
Seeing these tiny permission slips really brought home how restricted any movement was during occupation: being on the road, owning a bicycle, and trying to help people were all grounds for arrest. They needed permission for every little thing, and often double permission: once from a Dutch authority, once from the Germans. Their home could be taken. From other family stories, we know their food and livestock were confiscated by the German soldiers, and they were left with fish heads and oats to turn into a barely edible gruel that final winter of the war.
With all of these permissions, he would have travelled as himself: Rev. Klaas Hart. At least one of the permissions said it only counted if the person also had their ID on them. However, he also traveled under a different identification card, that my father has (my only image of it is on a CD and my computer has no CD drive). When they moved from Velp to a relative’s house in Ermelo, it meant a two-day walk for the family of 7, including a newborn. They had to beg a farmer for a place to sleep–everyone slept on fresh hay in the barn except for my Oma and the baby, who were welcomed into the house.
Yes, this was dangerous work. My Opa used his status as a minister to enable his wartime activities. He left the Netherlands for Canada after the war because there was no work for him, and no prospects for his six sons and one daughter.
I am the daughter of an immigrant, and granddaughter of a resistance worker. I descended from people who had to flee for their lives. The pull of the family legacy of working for justice and against injustice is strong and I answer it as best I can by writing letters and emails and calling my elected representatives, writing blog posts for myself and for the Grand Rapids Association of Pastors, and attending prayer vigils. It doesn’t feel like much when compared to what my family went through in the 1940s, but it’s something. #Resist
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Challenger 1000 Series: A Ground-Breaking, Game-Changing Tractor
With the power of an articulated-frame tractor and the efficiency of a fixed-frame machine, the Challenger 1000 Series is a rethinking of what a tractor can do.
By Boyce Upholt | Photos By Rory Doyle
David Wildy remembers marveling at the automatic-shift or powershift tractors that debuted in the late 1960s, thinking that would be one of the last great innovations. But David, a row-crop farmer in northeastern Arkansas, calls the advances that have debuted since “mind-boggling. [It’s] changed more rapidly than anything I would have ever imagined,” he says.
Now, as a reward for being named the 2016 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year, David gets to enjoy another major breakthrough: use of a Challenger® 1038 tractor—one of four models in the Challenger 1000 Series, the largest fixed-frame tractors ever produced.
David’s home territory, the alluvial lands just west of the Mississippi River, is known for highly productive farmland, and he has long used AGCO® products to meet his particular needs on his family’s 12,000-acre farm. With variable soil types on the same fields, David was a relatively early adopter of precision-agriculture methodology.
To ensure the proper application of fertilizer on each patch of soil, David uses a RoGator® 1100B self-propelled applicator. And now, as Challenger dealers begin to move into the region, he’s been impressed with the brand’s commitment to service and reliability.
“It’s supposed to be the best of the best,” David says of the Challenger 1038 when it first arrived on the farm this fall. The four models in the 1000 Series range from 396 to 517 HP; and by combining the power of an articulated-frame tractor with the efficiency of a fixed-frame machine, the series is not just an update—it’s a rethinking of what a tractor can do. Rather than needing one tractor for grueling ground-engaged jobs and another for more intricate row-crop operations, a farmer can invest in just one efficient, high-performing machine.
During harvest season, Wildy had only begun to experiment with the new tractor, but was already impressed. On the other hand, Paul Harris, Wildy’s son-in-law, has spent considerable time in the cab and has liked what he’s seen, saying, “It’s a hoss.
“It’s built really well,” he continues. “When it’s pulling and you’re really using all of its power, the RPMs are lower than [the other tractors] we’ve got now. It’s using less power and less energy to pull the same stuff.” Paul says he’s enjoyed the cab comfort, too, as well as the color-coordinated controls that have made it easy to learn a new system.
What David has seen so far makes him think the new technology will be a hit. “At the end of the day,” he says, “if the operator is less fatigued, and the tractor has burned less fuel, that’s what we’re looking for.”
Science on the Farm
Using leading-edge technology and research techniques, this Southeastern Farmer of the Year works constantly to improve his farm and contribute to the advancement of agriculture.
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by BusinessWire | May 7, 2020 | BusinessWire
Pilot a heavily-weaponized Gravcycle as you fight to save the remnants of humanity in this new sci-fi, first-person shooter
Watch the new story trailer and pre-order today
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Private Division and V1 Interactive today announced that Disintegration, the debut title from the 30-person independent studio founded by Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of Halo, will release digitally for $49.99 on PC, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®4 Pro and across the Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X on June 16, 2020. Players who pre-order the game will receive bonus cosmetic digital content for multiplayer gameplay, including a unique Lost Ronin Midnight crew skin, Flex emote, Disintegration Medal Gravcycle attachment, and platform-exclusive animated player banners. Pre-orders for Disintegration are available now for Xbox One and PC via Steam.
Disintegration is a sci-fi, first-person shooter that blends real-time tactical elements to create an entirely new experience. Set in a world ripped apart by famine, scarce resources, and the planet on the brink of destruction, humanity has developed a process to survive its harsh reality known as Integration, in which a human brain is transferred to a robotic armature. From the ensuing chaos, an aggressive, militaristic legion, known as the Rayonne, gain control and begins to impose the once optional process of Integration onto the rest of humanity to consolidate their power.
Players command Romer Shoal, an incredibly-skilled Gravcycle pilot, who leads a small band of outlaws to fight back against an overwhelming Rayonne force. Over the course of a thrilling single-player campaign, players will control a Gravcycle loaded with weaponry, leading Romer and his team across a series of diverse missions packed with action, explosions, and plot twists, to beat back the Rayonne forces and give the last vestiges of humanity hope to prevail.
To learn more about the single-player campaign, watch the new Disintegration Story Trailer on YouTube now.
“I’ve always been a gameplay-driven storyteller, and with Disintegration, I wanted to create a compelling narrative built around mechanics that haven’t been done before,” said Marcus Lehto, President and Game Director at V1 Interactive. “It’s in my DNA to create memorable characters and rich worlds that go beyond a standard FPS experience. I’m so excited that players get to be a part of it soon.”
In addition to the full single-player campaign, Disintegration features frenetic PVP multiplayer where pilots and their crews compete in three game modes and six distinct maps. Players can select from nine highly-stylized “Crews” which lend themselves to different playstyles.
“The gameplay mechanics and exciting lore from the campaign are cranked up a few notches in Disintegration’s competitive multiplayer, and it’s an absolute blast,” said Kari Toyama, Lead Producer at Private Division. “The team at V1 Interactive are putting a ton of fun and personality into the multiplayer through the different Crews, each of which have their own look and approach to combat.”
Multiplayer provides a host of cosmetic customizations that can be purchased or earned in-game, including pilot and crew skins, cosmetic Gravcycle customizations, and a variety of banners. In addition to the multiplayer content at release, the team at V1 will be supporting the game post-launch with seasonal content drops.
Disintegration will launch digitally on June 16, 2020, for PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC on Steam and other digital storefronts for $49.99. Disintegration is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. For more information, subscribe on YouTube, follow on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, join the Discord community, and visit www.disintegrationgame.com.
Private Division is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).
About V1 Interactive
V1 Interactive rests within the gorgeous Pacific Northwest near the Seattle area. Founded by the co-creators of Halo and SOCOM: US Navy SEALs, the team is comprised of AAA tempered veterans and emerging talent. V1 is a small and agile studio of about thirty talented and passionate developers dedicated to making great high-quality games.
About Private Division
Private Division is a developer-focused publisher that empowers independent studios to develop the games that they are passionate about creating, while providing the support that they need to make their titles critically and commercially successful on a global scale. The Label publishes the Kerbal Space Program franchise, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey from Panache Digital Games, The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment, and Disintegration from V1 Interactive, with future unannounced projects in development. Private Division is headquartered in New York City with offices in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Munich. For more information, please visit www.privatedivision.com.
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. We develop and publish products through our labels Rockstar Games, 2K, and Private Division, as well as Social Point, a leading developer of mobile games. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.
The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," “should,” "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks summarized in the section entitled "Risk Factors," the Company’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Jeremy Gumber
press@privatedivision.com
Alan Lewis (Corporate Press)
Corporate Communications & Public Affairs
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Report: Roy Hibbert’s ‘selfish dudes’ comment late in the regular season was directed at Lance Stephenson
By Brett PollakoffMay 28, 2014, 11:30 PM EDT
At the end of March when the Pacers were right in the thick of their second-half struggles, Roy Hibbert lashed out at his teammates following a loss to the Wizards.
“Some selfish dudes in here,” Roy Hibbert muttered. “Some selfish dudes. I’m tired of talking about it. We’ve been talking about it for a month.”
“We play hard, but we’ve got to move the ball,” Hibbert said. “Is it obvious, or what? I don’t know whatever our assist ratio, or whatever it is, is in the league, but it probably isn’t up there. I’m really trying hard not to spaz out right now, but I don’t know. We’ve been talking about it for a month. I’m not handling the rock. I don’t know. I’ve made suggestions before and we do it for, like, one game, and then we revert back to what we are. I don’t know. I’m not the one to answer that question. It directly affects me and the bigs. We’re just out there and it makes us look bad.”
As it turns out, Hibbert wasn’t taking down a group of players with these remarks. Instead, they were directed solely at Lance Stephenson.
From Mike Wells and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com:
Hibbert didn’t come out and identify the player directly to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, but he was talking about Lance Stephenson on March 28 after a loss in Washington, when he said “there’s some selfish dudes” in the locker room. …
After Stephenson missed out on the All-Star team, he changed. He started a bit of a personal vendetta against East coaches, wanting to personally send a message in those games, which took him further out of the flow on some nights, sources said. Overall, the team noticed a shift in Stephenson from a more team-oriented approach to a more self-oriented focus, where he started obsessing about his statistics. People within the team believed his upcoming free agency was also a motivating factor for Stephenson, who wanted to enhance his value, something he believed suffered when he didn’t get an All-Star nod. …
Stephenson’s act had long worn thin by late March. When the players had meetings to address issues with the sudden struggles, Stephenson sometimes wasn’t involved. Occasionally he appeared to be unaware they were even happening. Most players on the team, now that they were losing, shared similar feelings about Stephenson, but did not vocalize their problems publicly.
Stephenson is a wild card to be sure, and on the court that had worked in Indiana’s favor over the first half of the season, when he was a nightly triple-double threat while playing within the team’s offense.
But everything in that ESPN piece is well-researched and valid, and if general managers around the league are paying close attention, it shouldn’t bode well for Stephenson when he hits the open market in free agency this summer.
This Pacers team is talented, but has struggled with immaturity issues essentially since the All-Star break. Most recently, we saw Stephenson needlessly give LeBron James additional motivation by talking trash through the media, while his teammates blamed the officials for a loss that had zero to do with the fouls that were or were not called.
Stephenson has been the personification of that, and it appears as though he might be better-suited playing for a team with some veteran personalities that can help him focus on the task at hand. The Pacers were once the favorites to retain his services as a free agent, but the way things have continued to unfold simply must have the organization questioning if indeed that would be a wise decision.
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Human Rights, Legitimacy, and the Use of Force
Allen Buchanan, Human Rights, Legitimacy, and the Use of Force, Oxford University Press, 2010, 332pp., $74.00 (hbk), ISBN 9780195389654.
Reviewed by Helena de Bres, Wellesley College
This richly rewarding book brings together thirteen articles that Allen Buchanan has published over the past ten years on the topics of the content and justification of human rights, the legitimacy of international law-making institutions and the use of force in international relations. The articles collected here together constitute a major contribution to the underdeveloped field of the philosophy of international law, a field in which Buchanan has been a leading light over the past decade. The philosophy of international law, as distinct from international political philosophy, is characterized by close attention to the norms currently embedded in treaty-based and customary international law, and to the moral standing of the institutions through which those norms are specified and interpreted.
While Buchanan would, I think, accept this characterization, he would also warn against exaggerating the distinction between such topics and those that animate neighboring fields, such as the ever-expanding body of philosophical work on global distributive justice. This is because one of the central take-home points of Buchanan's book is the need to embed philosophical theorizing about international law within a more comprehensive moral-political theory. This theme is one thread in a more general resistance on Buchanan's part to what he sees as the excessive compartmentalization of recent moral and political philosophy: the sequestering of theorizing about domestic justice from theorizing about global justice; the tendency of work on human rights, institutional legitimacy and the morality of war to proceed in isolation from each other; and -- a point that receives special emphasis -- the failure of philosophers to integrate their analysis of moral norms with an empirically robust comparative evaluation of the institutions that might specify and enforce those norms. The value of this refreshing book lies as much in its function as a general model of how to fruitfully escape these tendencies as in the many penetrating insights that its individual chapters offer into specific questions of international morality.
The first section of the book focuses on human rights, a topic to which, as Buchanan notes, mainstream political philosophers have until late paid surprisingly little attention. The first two chapters involve intensive critical exegesis of Rawls' Law of Peoples. The first examines the way in which Rawls' use of the political liberal notion of "reasonableness" functions (for Buchanan, illegitimately) to truncate his list of human rights, and the second critiques Rawls' rejection of the conventional idea that human rights are grounded in characteristics that all humans share. These articles constitute an important contribution to intra-Rawlsian debates about how to extend political liberalism to the international sphere, but the clarification that they provide is arguably just as useful for those of us who are not Rawlsians, and who therefore (perhaps I am projecting) can't always muster the sustained effort ourselves to attempt to understand the more obscure passages in that frequently obscure book.
That said, I found the most interesting chapters in this section to be those in which Buchanan develops his own alternative conception of human rights, which he terms the "Modest Objectivist View". On this attractive conception, human rights specify the conditions necessary to protect basic human interests against standard threats to those interests. The view is modest because it focuses on the requirements for a minimally decent life; it is objectivist because it grounds human rights in morally relevant features that all humans are assumed to possess. Buchanan is highly sensitive to the risk of parochialism involved in the task of specifying the interests and threats that underlie human rights. He argues, however, that the proper response to this risk is not to retreat to relativism or extreme minimalism about human rights, but instead to work to ensure that the institutions that articulate human rights possess certain "epistemic virtues" -- for instance, an ability to take into account changing factual circumstances and to include and accommodate diverse perspectives (pp. 89-91). The key methodological point here is that political philosophers cannot answer the parochialism challenge purely by means of abstract moral reasoning; instead they need to get their hands dirty, by thinking in a serious and empirically informed way about institutional design.
This theme carries through into the first two chapters of the second section of the book, which contains four essays on the legitimacy of international law-making institutions. The first two chapters propose a global public standard for the legitimacy of global governance institutions, essential to which is the idea that such institutions "must possess certain epistemic virtues that facilitate the ongoing critical revision of [their] goals, through interaction with agents and organizations outside the institution" (p. 106). Buchanan considers renewed attention to the relationship between justice and legitimacy (roughly, the right to rule) to be the second great revolution in political theory that Rawls has bequeathed us (p. 13) and these chapters do an excellent job of further clarifying that relationship by fleshing out what legitimacy might substantively require in the domain of international law. The second two chapters in this section explore the challenge to the legitimacy of international law that is posed by the potential conflict between it and domestic democracy, the first chapter by means of a critical review of the rational choice position taken in Eric Posner and Jack Goldsmith's The Limits of International Law, the second by means of a systematic examination of four distinct claims of incompatibility. Buchanan concludes that, although charges of inherent conflict are overblown, cosmopolitans committed to the project of bringing international relations under the rule of law have underestimated the scope for tensions between this goal and constitutional democracy, and need to address this neglected issue if their accounts of global justice are to be persuasive.
The final section of the book treats several central problems in contemporary philosophical/legal scholarship on the morality of war. Chapter 9 addresses the neglected question of which conditions must be satisfied if state leaders are to be able to justify "pure" humanitarian intervention (i.e., the kind that works against the interests of the intervening state) to their own citizens, as opposed to other states or international actors. Buchanan argues that, on what he takes to be the dominant philosophical understanding of the moral function of the state -- according to which "the state is a discretionary association for the mutual advantage of its members" (p. 204) -- such interventions are impermissible. He then suggests that, on closer examination, this view of the state turns out to be incoherent, and advocates replacing it with an alternative view, according to which the state should be viewed in part as an instrument for promoting global justice. This alternative position has what Buchanan considers to be the attractive effect of rendering humanitarian intervention not only permissible but obligatory in certain circumstances.
Chapters 11 and 12 consider the permissibility of preventive war and forcible democratization. The structure of argument here is similar to that which Buchanan employs in the earlier chapters on human rights. Departing from the traditional norm according to which war is permissible only in response to actual or imminent attack involves serious risks of error and abuse on the part of intervening states. However, Buchanan argues, these risks can in principle be alleviated by the creation of new institutions, such as a "multilateral accountability regime" (p. 286) that subjects intervening states to an ex post evaluation of their actions and has the power to impose costs in the event of a negative assessment.
Chapter 10 is the most comprehensive and accessible attack that I have yet come across on Realism (the position that states are morally free to direct their foreign policy exclusively in accordance with the national interest), and would be an excellent addition to an undergraduate or graduate syllabus on global justice. The final chapter is a well-chosen capstone to the book as a whole, bringing together a number of issues treated separately in earlier chapters, including the moral value of the rule of law, the nature of legitimacy, the relevance of state consent, the importance of "epistemic responsibility" as a condition of reasonableness, and the need for philosophers to consider alternative "packages" of norms and institutions. This chapter considers another barely explored question: that of whether it is permissible to violate existing international law with the aim of ameliorating the system of international law (a question to which Buchanan offers a qualified "yes"). A particularly valuable feature of this third section of the book is its engagement with real-world public controversies, including the NATO intervention in Kosovo (Chapter 13) and the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq (Chapter 11).
The general moral vision for international law and politics that emerges from these papers is one of considerable attractiveness. Buchanan displays a strong commitment to the project of extending the reach and strength of global governance institutions, tempered by an equally robust sense of the moral risks and practical difficulties involved in that project. His approach to the issues that he discusses is not mired in the stale dichotomies between cosmopolitan and statist positions on global justice or consequentialist and deontological positions on ethics that litter much contemporary work on international justice, which should increase the breadth of its appeal.
The book's general picture of philosophy's relation both to other disciplines and to public debate is similarly appealing. In the task of developing norms for the creation of a legitimate and just international order, philosophy is to play an essential but restricted role. Philosophers are urged to abandon their habit of constructing "a list of abstract norms to be supported or debunked by free-floating philosophical argumentation" (p. 96), and instead draw on the resources of social science as well as the views of those whose lives are at stake in this project.
The way in which Buchanan philosophizes will also be familiar and congenial to those who work in analytic political philosophy. Buchanan's writing throughout is characterized by careful, serious attention to detail. He frequently operates by means of exhaustive surveys of the argumentative terrain, such as his examination of the four distinct arguments for the incompatibility of international law with democracy in Chapter 8 (pp. 184-193), and the four different Rawlsian arguments for human rights minimalism discussed in Chapter 2 (pp. 33-48). (As usual, the price one pays for the clarity thus achieved is that the book is not a summer beach read; the prose is sometimes burdened by digressions, a plodding structure and a fondness for acronyms.) The conclusion of such sustained analyses is generally balanced and moderate. A characteristic Buchanan move is to argue that: 1) yes, contra some theorists, there is a tension between x and y, but, contra some other theorists, not a strict incompatibility; 2) we need to get clearer on the nature of the tension at issue in order to resolve it; and 3) this will involve reframing the debate, in part by situating it within a broader normative and empirical perspective. (See, e.g., Chapters 8, 12 and 13.)
Perhaps the necessary flip side of all of this attractiveness and moderation is that the conclusions of the essays collected here are not always of the kind to set one's soul on fire. Several of the theses that Buchanan defends -- that human rights must have some connection to human nature (contra Rawls), that the rule of international law is not inherently incompatible with domestic democracy, that preventive war cannot be categorically ruled out -- are, when stated in a self-standing fashion, not startling. Some of the opponents that Buchanan selects for himself -- Posner and Goldsmith, Realists -- will come across (to philosophers, if not to legal scholars or theorists of international relations) as too easy a target. In addition, the passage of time since the original publication of these papers has remedied some of the gaps in the philosophical literature that Buchanan identifies. The concluding sentence of Chapter 3, for instance, which states that philosophers must "abandon the assumption that one can develop an adequate theory of equality for the domestic case without theorizing about global justice" (p. 68) reads as somewhat dated, now that every theorist of domestic justice and his dog seem to be developing a position on global justice.
A more troubling contributor to the unsurprising nature of some of Buchanan's conclusions is the minimalist moral agenda that Buchanan sets himself. There is a striking lack in these papers of the egalitarian impulse that animates other self-described "cosmopolitans". According to Buchanan's Modest Objectivist View, honoring human rights requires that everyone have the opportunity, although not the equal opportunity, for a minimally decent life (p. 55). This requirement then becomes the central moral touchstone guiding assessments of the legitimacy of global governance institutions (p. 116) and the core of Buchanan's critiques of Realism (Chapter 10) and the "discretionary association view of the state" (Chapter 9). Achieving the universal protection of human rights, thus understood, is not a moral goal to be sniffed at. But it quite clearly falls short of the robust concern with relative (as opposed to absolute) position that characterizes the views of philosophical egalitarians.
Buchanan argues in section 4 of Chapter 3 that the minimalism of human rights is, in principle, compatible with the egalitarianism defended by prominent philosophers of equality, once we appeal to the distinctions between domestic and global principles of justice, and ideal and non-ideal theory (pp. 65-66). But Buchanan provides nothing here in the way of a substantive explanation for why global principles of justice actually should differ from domestic principles, or why concerns of feasibility really do count against more extensive ambitions at present. The point I am making here can be interpreted in a Buchanan-esque light. Coming to a definitive assessment of Buchanan's position on the content of human rights, and on the role that they play in the legitimacy of international institutions and justifications for the use of force in international relations, is difficult in the absence of a broader theory of global justice and global politics in which to situate that position. Without that broader theory, worries will linger that Buchanan has set his sights too short.
Human Rights, Legitimacy and the Use of Force mounts a convincing case for the claim that the three topics featured in its title cannot be fruitfully theorized in isolation from each other. Along the way it raises many questions that have hitherto been unrecognized or under-addressed by philosophers. Can a commitment to the rule of law require violating existing international law? Whether or not a state's engagement in humanitarian intervention violates the rights of other states, does it violate the rights of the state's own citizens? How might the character of global governance institutions serve to justify moral norms rather than to simply enforce them? It is hard to imagine anyone who finds such problems compelling coming away from this excellent book without a barrage of new insights and a renewed sense of the extent and scope of work that remains to be done in this exciting field.
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The Crucible (Penguin Modern Classics)
Author(s): Arthur Miller
"The Crucible" is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists. Miller himself was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of "contempt of Congress" for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. It was first performed at the Martin Beck Theater on Broadway on January 22, 1953. Miller felt that this production was too stylized and cold and the reviews for it were largely hostile (although The New York Times noted "a powerful play in a driving performance"). Nonetheless, the production won the 1953 "Best Play" Tony Award. A year later a new production succeeded and the play became a classic. It is a central work in the canon of American drama.Fuji Books' edition of "The Crucible" contains supplementary texts:* "Tragedy And The Common Man", an essay by Arthur Miller.* Excerpts from Nathaniel Hawthorne's magnus opus "The Scarlet Letter", a narrative of the Salem Witch trials.* A few selected quotes of Arthur Miller.
Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915 and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1963), Incident at Vichy (1964), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972) and The American Clock. He has also written two novels, Focus (1945), and The Misfits, which was filmed in 1960, and the text for In Russia (1969), Chinese Encounters (1979), and In the Country (1977), three books of photographs by his wife, Inge Morath. His most recent works include a memoir, Timebends (1987), and the plays The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (1991), The Last Yankee (1993), Broken Glass (1993), which won the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season, and Mr. Peter's Connections (1998). He has twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and in 1949 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Author : Arthur Miller
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Home North America Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States 1 Dollar 1965
1 Dollar 1965, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
in Krause book Number: 13e
Years of issue: 1965 - 1985
Edition: 11 162 592
Signatures: Squires, Maurice Charles Salles-Miquelle, Gregoire, Jacobs (Signature 8)
This widely used portrait of the Queen is adapted from a painting by Pietro Annigoni. HM standing regally with a distant, but lonely aspect. The portrait is regarded by many as one of the finest portrayals of the young Queen.
It was privately commissioned by the „Worshipful Company of Fishmongers” in 1954, but not completed until 1956. The Queen displayed in white portrait room at Buckingham Palace. The painting is now displayed in Fishmongers Hall, in London.
The engraving on banknote made from this portrait.
HM depicted in Mantle of the Order of the Garter.
One of the most distinctive pieces of the wardrobe of the Most Noble Order of the Garter - England's highest chivalric order - is the Mantle, sometimes referred to as a robe, cloak, or cape. The Mantle has been used in one form or another, with varying fabrics and colors, since the 15th century. The current version is made of dark blue velvet lined with white taffeta and is accented by a red velvet hood (also lined with white taffeta), elaborate cords for closure, and white ribbons at the shoulders. The Garter Collar, with the Great George as a pendant (not visible in the portrait), is draped over the Mantle across the shoulders. (Her Majesty’s Jewel vault)
Various legends account for the origin of the Order. The most popular legend involves the "Countess of Salisbury" (either Edward's future daughter-in-law Joan of Kent or her former mother-in-law, Catherine Montacute, Countess of Salisbury). While she was dancing at a court ball at Calais, her garter is said to have slipped from her leg. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the king picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming: "Honi soit qui mal y pense," ("Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it."), the phrase that has become the motto of the Order.
A representation of a blue garter adorned with the motto of the Order of the Garter (Honi soit qui mal y pense, "Shame on he who thinks ill of it") can be seen on various items worn by members of the Order, but a far more rare sight today is the actual Garter that comes along with the rest of the insignia. The Garter is made of a blue fabric embellished with the Order's motto and closed with a buckle. The materials and design can vary (blue velvet and diamonds or blue silk and gold, for example). (Her Majesty’s Jewel vault)
On the left shoulder of Her Majesty is the Order of the Garter Star.
This star was given to The Queen (when Princess Elizabeth) by King George VI at the time of her investiture with the Order of the Garter in 1947. The star (and accompanying badge) were originally a present from the Royal Navy to the King (when Duke of York) at the time of his wedding in 1923. The Queen wore the badge and star with the Coronation Dress during her Commonwealth tour of 1953-1954.
The Queen, as Sovereign of the Order, has a fancier Mantle than the rest of the members: hers has the longest train, which requires two Pages of Honour to manage, and a Garter Star. The rest of the members wear a Mantle with a sewn on patch depicting the heraldic shield of St. George's Cross encircled by the famous blue garter which bears the Order's motto, “Honi soit qui mal y pense” ("Shame on he who thinks ill of it"). The Queen's Mantle has a bejeweled Garter Star of metal. (The Royal Tour)
Centered are two Atlantic spadefish, swimming in different directions.
The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) is a species of marine fish endemic to the western Atlantic Ocean. They are commonly found in shallow waters off the coast of the southeastern United States and in the Caribbean.
Denominations in numerals are in three corners. In words centered.
The image of coconut palm tree and Caribbean landscape. In lower left corner are the branches of banana tree.
Right of coconut palm tree is flower Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as rose mallow, Chinese hibiscus, China rose and shoe flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to East Asia. By Bermuda guests mistakenly counted as endemic.
On the right side are the flowers Plumeria rubra.
It is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus Plumeria. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, it has been widely cultivated in subtropical and tropical climates worldwide and is a popular garden and park plant, as well as being used in temples and cemeteries. It grows as a spreading tree to 7-8 m. (20-25 ft.) high and wide, and is flushed with fragrant flowers of shades of pink, white and yellow over the summer and autumn.
In top left corner is sea shell Lobatus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family of true conches, the Strombidae. This species is one of the largest molluscs native to the tropical northwestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, reaching up to 35.2 centimeters (13.9 in.) in shell length. L. gigas is closely related to the goliath conch, Lobatus goliath, a species endemic to Brazil, as well as the rooster conch, Lobatus gallus.
The queen conch is herbivorous and lives in seagrass beds, although its exact habitat varies by development stage. The adult animal has a very large, solid and heavy shell, with knob-like spines on the shoulder, a flared thick, outer lip and a characteristic pink-coloured aperture (opening). The flared lip is absent in younger specimens. The external anatomy of the soft parts of L. gigas is similar to that of other snails in its family; it has a long snout, two eyestalks with well-developed eyes, additional sensory tentacles, a strong foot and a corneous, sickle-shaped operculum.
The shell and soft parts of living L. gigas serve as a home to several different kinds of commensal animals, including slipper snails, porcelain crabs and cardinalfish. Its parasites include coccidians. The queen conch is hunted and eaten by several species of large predatory sea snails, and also by starfish, crustaceans and vertebrates (fish, sea turtles and humans). Its shell is sold as a souvenir and used as a decorative object. Historically, Native Americans and indigenous Caribbean peoples used parts of the shell to create various tools.
International trade in queen conch is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agreement, in which it is listed as Strombus gigas. This species is not endangered in the Caribbean as a whole, but is commercially threatened in numerous areas, largely due to extreme overfishing.
Denomination in numeral is in left lower corner, in words in right lower corner.
De La Rue version of the portrait. In this version, the darker shading on the side of The Queen's face below her temple has a distinct edge, highlighting her cheekbone. In addition, the braid on her cloak is drawn more simply and regularly.
Bradbury Wilkinson version of the portrait. The distinguishing features of this portrait are the even shading on side of The Queen's face, below her temple, and the distinct highlights given to the braid on the front of Her cloak, which originates from the bow on Her left shoulder.
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Studies on antifreeze proteins
Kristiansen, Erlend
Dr. Scient. (Locked)
Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are produced by a variety of so-called freeze-avoiding animals, ectotherms that adaptively allow their body fluids to supercool as a response to subfreezing temperatures in their environment. AFPs are defined by their ability to prevent the growth of ice. The separation between the melting -and freezing temperature of ice is referred to as thermal hysteresis, and its strength is called the antifreeze activity. Thermal hysteresis results from the AFPs adsorbing to the ice surface, and the antifreeze activity is dependent on the ice surface density of adsorbed AFPs. The antifreeze activity may be elevated when the AFP interact with other proteins, so-called enhancers. The enhancers do not themselves have the ability to cause thermal hysteresis. Certain observed characteristics of thermal hysteresis seem to be in conflict with predictions from the current theoretical explanation to the phenomenon. This investigation consists of five individual studies (I – V) with two overall aims: First, to expand the theoretical description of how AFPs cause thermal hysteresis to explain the apparent inconsistencies between theory and observations. Second, to study the causes and effects of AFPs interacting with other proteins, expressed as enhancement of the antifreeze activity.
The AFP used in this investigation was isolated from the hemolymph of the longhorn beetle Rhagium inquisitor (I). This AFP, denoted RiAFPH4, is only one of at least six AFP forms within the hemolymph of this species, and is found in much higher levels than the other forms (I). Its primary sequence is quite different from any other insect AFPs in several respects (II): It contains seven repeats of a unique thirteen residue pattern. The repeat regions are not connected in series, as seen in other insect AFPs, but spaced apart by a varying number of residues. The repeat pattern is palindromic, i.e. similar when read in either direction. The structure contains only a single disulfide bond, as opposed to other insect AFPs that contain a number of such bonds. Each repeat region potentially contains three ice - binding motifs. The significance of the palindromic character of the pattern and the absence of central disulfide bonds may be to allow the protein chain to make turns. This would make possible the arrangement of different ice-binding motifs, spaced irregularly apart in the primary sequence, into an internal ice binding site similar to that seen in other insect AFPs.
RiAFPH4 was used in the experimental part of the investigation that was concerned with the antifreeze mechanism (I, II, IV) or the causes and consequences of AFP – protein interactions (IV, V). Study III was an examination and expansion of the theoretical explanation to thermal hysteresis based on available literature data. The antifreeze mechanism AFPs are assumed to cause thermal hysteresis by adsorbing irreversibly to the ice surface, thereby causing the ice to grow as convex growth zones at the exposed areas between the adsorbed AFPs. This is referred to as the adsorption inhibition mechanism. According to this view ice growth inhibition is caused by ice surface water molecules acting as an energy barrier to ice growth. Study III relates thermal hysteresis to ice - water vapour pressure equilibrium. Surface curvatures affect the vapour pressure, referred to as the Kelvin effect, and the convexity of the ice fronts postulated by the adsorption inhibition mechanism elevates the vapour pressure of the ice to that of the surrounding supercooled solution. In this manner an ice – water equilibrium is maintained within a temperature interval below the equilibrium freezing temperature, and the ice crystal consequently does not expand visibly. Thus, study III modifies the theoretical basis for the ice growth inhibition. Irreversible adsorption of the AFPs to the ice surface is a fundamental presupposition of the adsorption inhibition model. If the AFPs desorbs from the ice surface, then the antifreeze effect will disappear. There are a number of apparent inconsistencies between the premise of irreversible adsorption and observations (III). All of these inconsistencies may be explained by assuming that the process that results in the observed antifreeze activity consists of two steps (III). At the melting temperature of the crystal, the AFPs are “melted off” the ice, and an equilibrium distribution of AFPs is established between the ice surface region and the surrounding solution. As the temperature is lowered the AFPs become “frozen” irreversibly to the ice surface. Consistent with this, RiAFPH4 is only reversibly associated to the ice while the antifreeze activity is determined (IV).
The establishment of equilibrium distribution of AFPs while at the melting temperature of the crystal must be affected partly by the solubility of the AFPs in solution and partly by their ability to remain within the surface region. Hence, these two properties of the AFP are assumed to determine the antifreeze activity. Characteristics known to affect the solubility of proteins in solution also affect the antifreeze activity (III). The ability of RiAFPH4 to induce antifreeze activity depends on the pH of the solution (I, V). The hydrophobic character of proteins depends on their charge, and protein charge is pH - dependent. The observed effect of pH on the antifreeze activity is consistent with a pH – induced change in the solubility of the AFP that affects the equilibrium distribution of RiAFPH4 between ice and water. RiAFPH4 appear to be the most potent AFP discovered to date (II). Its primary structure suggests that it contains about twice the number of ice binding motifs as seen in other insect AFPs (II). These ice - binding motifs may cause RiAFPH4 to remain within the interfacial region prior to irreversible adsorption by forming transient hydrogen bonds with the more solid-like deeper part of the ice surface region. This would shift the equilibrium distribution of this AFP further towards the ice and hence, result in increased antifreeze activity. AFP - protein interactions
Current theory as to how enhancers cause an elevation of the antifreeze activity is that they reduce the spacing between the adsorbed AFPs on the ice surface by increasing the size of the adsorbed structure. It was shown in study IV that the observed enhancement of RiAFPH4 by albumin is consistent with the enhancer reducing the solubility of the AFP in solution, thereby shifting the equilibrium distribution of AFPs more towards the ice surface. This would in turn result in greater surface densities of adsorbed AFPs and hence increase the antifreeze activity, in accordance with the concept of equilibrium distribution of AFPs between the ice surface and solution proposed in III. Hence, an alternative explanation to the phenomenon of enhancement is provided.
The hemolymph AFPs of R. inquisitor appear to be enhanced in vivo (V). Chemical interaction between an AFP and other proteins will in principle take place only if they are not repelled from each other by having similar electrical charges. This implies that interactions can occur only when the pH value of the solution is between the isoelectric points of the AFPs and the enhancer. RiAFPH4 (isoelectric point ~ 8.5) was enhanced by both albumin (isoelectric point 4.8) and carbonic anhydrase (isoelectric point 5.6), but only within a pH - interval corresponding quite closely to that between their respective isoelectric points, suggesting that the net charge of AFPs and enhancers is an underlining determinant for the AFP – enhancer interaction.
All hemolymph AFPs of R. inquisitor seem to be cationic at physiological pH (6.7), with isoelectric points > 8 (I). This is also the case for the bulk of the hemolymph proteins (V). Hence, the hemolymph AFPs of R. inquisitor seem to be inhibited from interacting with the majority of hemolymph proteins by its net electric charge in vivo.
In addition to the requirement of opposite net charge, the interaction between AFPs from R. inquisitor and enhancers seem to depend on specific surface charges (V). Hence, the AFP – protein interaction could be avoided by the AFP not having the required charged residues for the interaction to occur. The observed enhancement of hemolymph AFPs of R. inquisitor (V) is therefore a strong indication that the AFP – enhancer interaction is functional.
The apparent dependency of the AFP – protein interaction on specific surface charges may provide an explanation to the high number of AFP isoforms seen in insects (e.g. I), their differentiated expression (e.g. I) and specific distribution within body fluid compartments; different AFP forms may have different arrangement of surface charges to optimize interaction with specific proteins. Thus, the primary function of the AFP – enhancer interaction may not be the observed enhancement effect, but be directed towards the protein the AFP interacts with, such as stabilization of protein structure during exposure to low temperature (V). This would be analogous to the role played by heat shock proteins. The AFP – ice interaction is independent of the net charge of the AFP (I, V). Hence, the charge features of AFPs seem to be a functional property of their structure, separate from their ability to adsorb to ice.
Fakultet for naturvitenskap og teknologi
Doktoravhandlinger ved NTNU, 1503-8181; 2005:98
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State Record Snapshot - Mary Cain Fills Out Tally with 5K
State Record Snapshot
While there might not be much track going on in New York State, there is plenty of history to pore through. In our time off, we are looking to revisit all of the State Records for the Outdoor Season. Who these athletes were, where their marks came from, and where are they now. We're releasing "Snapshots Of A State Record," where you can learn what it takes, to put your mark on history. Tune in!
We are now looking at the records in a few events that are not at the outdoor States meet but definitely need to be highlighted. We look here at the longest distances ever run by the girls as we conclude the State Record Snapshot series for the outdoor events. Enjoy!
The 5000 meter distance is done pretty rarely by the girls, and it's usually at New Balance Outdoor Nationals that any NY girls get a shot at it. Early in the last decade it was not a big favorite for the NY contingent following a 3rd for Nicole Irving of Shenendehowa in 2010. But then Arlington's Bella Burda copped a 6th at 2014 Nationals, East Aurora's Sophia Tasselmyer took 8th in 2015, and then it was off to the races. Corning's Jessica Lawson followed up a 3rd in 2016 with a win in 2017, as Webster Thomas's Amanda Vestri got 2nd. In 2018 Niskayuna's Abigaill Spears was 2nd, and then in 2019 Saratoga's Kelsey Chmiel finished 2nd to Marianapolis CT's Sydney Masciarelli while running what would have been a state record of 16:18.57 if another runner hadn't decided to raise a little Cain a few years earlier in a meet that was not the NBON.
While we are at it, we also give a nod to the longer 10,000m race and a Saratoga runner who was a legend back in the 1990s, setting the 10K record as a freshman. As with the guys, getting a time in the 10K was dependent on the Empire State Games which were a big event in New York during the mid summer decades ago.
She's back, and just as the State Record Snapshot series finishes off. And there is no better athlete to end it with than the runner who was featured already for the 800m, 1500m 3000m, and now the 5000m. And if you are wondering whether Mary Cain could also extend her range down to the 400m, the answer is yes, she was undefeated in three races for the the one-lap event at Bronxville, and we have one of them on film. Outside of XC, Cain has run only one 5K, and it came at the Portland Track Festival on June 8, 2013. Running officially unattached at that point though under the coaching guidance of the Nike Oregon Project, she had set a HS record of 4:04.62 in the 1500m at the Oxy High Performance meet in May. Cain's previous race was at the 800m distance two weeks earlier when she set the HS national record of 1:59.51. She was training to earn a place on the US team for IAAF World Championships in the 1500m (got that with a 2nd in a very slow tactical race at the USATF championships) and all of her races from mid June on were in the 1500m. So why do a stretch for the 5K at that point?
Cain's well-known coach at that time said that she was doing the 5K to attempt to get a qualifying mark in that event at the USATF championships in case anything got messed up in her 1500m quest. The USATF 5000m was one of the last events run on the final Sunday, but six runners would finish in that race with a much better time than Cain ran in Portland, and her training was devoted to the 1500m. Whatever the case, the national HS record for the 5K of 15:48.91 by Emily Sisson of Parkway Central MO in 2010 was a few seconds short of the qualifying mark Cain would need in Portland. Cain's 12 1/2 laps around the track brought her around to the finish among a big pack of pro runners in 6th place in a 15:45.46, a half second better than the qualifier she would have needed at USATF. Besides setting an all-time US record that has only been bested indoors by Katelyn Tuohy's 15:37.12 in 2018 at the VA Showcase, Cain also of course broke the NY mark of Saratoga's Nicole Blood of 16:30.90 from 2005 when she took 1st at US Juniors. Blood went on to finish 2nd at the Pan American Juniors championship.
Cain finished off her 2013 season at the IAAF Worlds as one of two Americans to get through prelims and semis in the 1500m. She finished 10th in the finals at 4:07.19 as US teammate and reigning champ Jenny Barringer Simpson took 2nd.
And the outdoor state record holders story would not be complete without a nod to yet another Saratoga distance legend besides Chmiel and Blood. Erin Davis was a four-time States and Federation XC champ starting with her wins as an 8th grader in 1992 and then in 1993, 1994, and 1996; a States winner indoors in the 3000m in 1993; and an outdoor champ in the 3000m in 1993, 1994, and 1997. She was the second NY winner at Foot Locker XC Nationals, following Mepham's Chris Curtin's 1982 win, when she captured the national title as a Saratoga freshman in 1993. She also placed 4th in 1994 and 7th in 1996. She is the only runner to chalk up four States XC titles in the largest class (Laura Whitney of Stony Brook got four, three in B and one in C, Brooke Rauber of Tully took four in D) and also the only one to win Feds four times.
As with all of the top times in the 10,000m for NY runners, Davis's top mark after her freshman season came at the Empire State Games when on August 4, 1994 she did 35:24.97 to win the race by almost four minutes. However, Davis might have been pushing it a little harder at the end to break the NY record of 35:25.78 set the year before by three-time States XC Class C winner Kate Landau of Tri-Valley. After graduation from Saratoga, Davis's career was beset by injuries she attributed to inconsistent training and a lack of motivation while at Penn State, but in later years she was back in running, doing no-pressure marathons upstate for the fun of it. She remembers her favorite times in HS as being in her senior year in 1996 XC with a fun group of Blue Streaks runners that repeated the double States crown of team and individual champion that Davis had won with Saratoga in her freshman 1993 season.
Watch Videos of Mary Cain
Mary Cain Explains What's Important May 26, 2020
Mary Cain on Pain, Gain, and Fame in Comeback Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge Jan 25, 2020
Kate Murphy after 1500m semis U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Jul 8, 2016
Former teen prodigy Mary Cain after 1500m prelim U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Jul 8, 2016
Mary Cain -3k Champ USATF Junior National Outdoor T&F Championships Jul 6, 2014
Mary Cain New Balance Grand Prix Feb 2, 2013
Mary's Athlete Profile
State Record Snapshot - Josh McDougal Masters the 5K Aug 28, 2020
State Record Snapshot - Lauren Harris Walks Off on Top Aug 25, 2020
State Record Snapshot - Katelyn Tuohy Tops in Distance Marks Aug 21, 2020
State Record Snapshot - 1500+3000 - Centrowitz and Trautmann Aug 20, 2020
State Record Snapshot - Javelin - Villegas and Wheeler Aug 13, 2020
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Cannabis bill on front burner for Parliament in 2021
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi AYANNA KINSALE
THE Cannabis Control Bill 2020 to regulate the marijuana business in TT will be the subject of public consultations in the coming year, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has told Newsday.
Both Houses of Parliament had sent the bill to a joint select committee (JSC) chaired by the AG and set up on November 9, due to report at year-end, but which in mid-December had sought a three-month extension.
“In the next year we have a lot to look forward to in Parliament on the agenda,” Al-Rawi said.
“The Tobago self-governance issue comes to the front, you’ll see campaign finance reform come out of its JSC, you’ll see the further operationalisation of the public procurement laws, you’ll see a return to anti-gang legislation in a different format, you’ll see the gaming legislation, the Revenue Authority, the National Statistical Institute, the Cannabis Control Bill.”
Of the latter, he said, “You will see some very significant public consultations come into the mix, as we begin very early in the New Year. There are further issues we have to dive into, which will involve a lot of what the country has to say in response to these issues.”
He said he was not confident the Opposition would act differently than before in Parliament, but he said he will persevere despite any such opposition.
“I think the best of our days are ahead of us.”
The AG anticipated other bills.
“As we bring digitisation into the forefront by looking at our data protection, cyber crime and electronic transaction arrangement while we digitise the public sector, you are going to see us get some very quick results come into the mix.”
He said the Beverage Container Bill and Whistle-blower Protection Bill will resurface in Parliament.
“We expect it to be a very busy year as we continue the process of reform.
“My good wishes to TT include having faith, not losing hope, understanding that productivity comes from an honest day’s work including accepting that you don’t need to find perfection but you just need to start. The trick is to just start, take your wins one step at a time.
“From my years in martial arts, I learnt you can’t become a black belt in one go but one step at a time.”
He promised to spend much time in his San Fernando West constituency and be a champion of its development.
“I thank the Prime Minister for his courage to lead this country in the manner he has and for reposing the faith that he has in several of us to do our jobs in the manner we must.”
Al-Rawi was highly satisfied with the past year in parliament which, despite the severe economic challenge in TT, had seen significant legislative operationalisation. He boasted of coordination and connectivity in law-making.
“We have managed to connect everything from the decriminalisation of marijuana, to the abolition of child marriage, to road traffic, right down to anti-kidnapping and prison reform. There has been a whole of system improvement, and it has given me immense pleasure to be part of a Government that can connect all aspects of governance in the manner we have.”
The decriminalisation of marijuana for personal use by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill had removed 8,500 cases from the magistrates court, the AG said, with unclogging also aided by the removal of thousands of traffic cases and preliminary inquiries.
Opposition senator Jayanti Lutchmedial was unimpressed with the Government’s past year in Parliament.
She said despite her raising an alarm in the budget to say procurement legislation must not be watered down, the Government did in fact do so in the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill 2020.
“It is a real blow to accountability and transparency. It is unfair.”
She said the bill had undone years of work by MPs and civil society.
Lutchmedial was also concerned about anti-crime measures which could be seen as draconian in reversing people’s constitutional right to a presumption of innocence.
“Unless you see these having a drastic impact on crime, they are not justified.”
Lutchmedial stoutly objected to bills removing a judge’s right to exercise his/her discretion in sentencing, such as in the Bail (Amendment) Bill.
She said the Opposition has supported the 2019 amendments to the Sexual Offences Act which created a national sex offenders’ register.
Lutchmedial supported the fact that in line with the advice of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), it was not a public register like those in the US so as to avert victim identification and stigmatisation.
Most of TT's socially activist NGOs had opposed the publicising of the register, as cited in the Report of the Senate Special Select Committee on the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019, laid in May 2019.
CAISO had said a public register could be used for criminal networking, and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies of the University of the West Indies suggested listed offenders were more likely to re-offend. The police supported publicising, and the judiciary took a middle road to urge judicial discretion in whether to list an offender.
Lutchmedial, supporting privacy of the register, told Newsday, “It (a public register) could also stymie efforts to rehabilitate offenders, as the label would make them unemployable.”
However, she said the register should be used to ensure sex offenders do not conduct certain types of activities, such as taxi driving, teaching and coaching.
“The tragic murder of Ashanti Riley and the brutal attack of Stefani Flores are just two of many cases that highlight the need for better regulation and enforcement of laws against working motor vehicles for hire.
“The ‘PH taxi’ phenomenon provides an easy access mechanism for sexual predators, even though most drivers are just hard-working individuals who are trying to make a living.”
Lutchmedial said the right balance must be found.
“Apart from placing the burden on women to verify who are offenders, we have to also take steps to promote a culture shift and attack root causes of gender-based violence. Emotionally and mentally wounded men attack women.
“We have to create avenues for them to seek help and normalise the concept of men processing emotions instead of resorting to violence. We cant keep telling women how to not get raped. Its time to start telling men to not commit rape.”
"Cannabis bill on front burner for Parliament in 2021"
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Latest News / News From States | By News Investigators
CRA Alleges Genocide Against Christians Plateau State
News Investigators/ The Christian Rights Agenda (CRA) has raised the alarm over the resurgence of mass killings, saying it is a deliberate plot aimed at exterminating indigenous Christians in Plateau state in north central Nigeria.
In a statement issued by its interim director of publicity, Tom Chiahemen, the group noted that in the last two to three months, indigenous Christian communities have been targeted by bandits and armed Fulani herdsmen in what appeared to be well-planned and calculated efforts geared towards exterminating the people.
In the last few years, no fewer than 60 villages and communities have been displaced in Plateau state, taken over and renamed by Fulani herdsmen with such impunity.
These Christian communities have been left defenseless as there seems to be no genuine effort by relevant authorities to protect them, end the killings and return the seized lands to them.
The CRA is worried by the seeming silence of Nigeria’s President General Muhammadu Buhari, who as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces, has not only failed to protect the Christian communities but has remained silent over these killings.
To date, no Fulani herdsmen have been arrested and prosecuted over the killings, a development that has helped to embolden them.
The CRA, is worried that the invaders have intensified attacks in recent weeks during the lockdown and restriction of movement occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. This raises the following fundamental questions:
How are they able to move freely?
Where are the security agencies?
How comes not a single attacker has been arrested so far?
Why has President Buhari remained silent and unconcerned?
Why has he not ordered massive security operation in and around the affected areas?
For how long will be continue to watch as citizens he swore to protect are being massacred day-in-out?
The CRA is calling on the international community, the especially the United Nations, European Union, governments of United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and the International Criminal Court (ICC), to take note of the ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
The pattern, mode and intensity of the massacre is reminiscence of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The CRA is worried about the failure of the Nigerian government to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of these killings over the years, which has emboldened them the more.
Consequently, the CRA, will liaise with the affected communities to, among other things, institute actions at the International Criminal Court against the Nigerian government for war crimes.
The CRA is urging all affected communities to be more vigilant and guard themselves against possible extinction. In this regard, they should organise themselves and establish community vigilante outfits charged with the responsibility of monitoring and quickly reporting strange movements and attacks to the Police and other law enforcement agencies of government, with documented evidence of lodgement of such complaints.
From the records available to CRA, the following attacks that were carried out in Plateau state in recent days and weeks can be outlined:
1) Between 2016 and 2019, there have been 358 incidents of attacks on Irigwe Chiefdom, with 561 deaths, 210 injuries,
4,720 houses burnt, 2892 farms destroyed and 123 cattle rustle;
2) From January 1, to April 19, 2020 alone, 22 Irigwe Communities attacked, with
40 deaths recorded, 15 persons injured, 1105 rooms with property burnt, 104 farms destroyed and 67 Food storage barns destroyed.
3) Between January 1, 2020 and April 19, 2020, there were 33 attacks. 22 Communities attacked, some attacked more than once; 40 people killed with an additional 2 persons missing till date, 15 persons injured and hospitalized, 1105 residential rooms burnt down including all the properties in those rooms, 104 farms destroyed and, 67 food storage barns burnt.
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Industry CEO Panel Focuses on Workforce & Safety Issues
October 3, 2018 | Economics, Meetings, Members
Left to right: Greg Kelly, president & CEO, WSP USA; Bob Alger, president & CEO, Lane Industries, Inc.; Jean Vidal, president & CEO, Colas USA; Steve Morriss, president, Design and Consulting Services, Americas, AECOM; Richard Cavallaro, president & CEO, Skanska USA Civil. ARTBA Senior Vice President, Policy, Rich Juliano, at podium, moderated the panel.
By Mark Holan and Eileen Houlihan, ARTBA
Workforce recruitment and retention, and safety, are top concerns for the senior executives who opened ARTBA’s 2018 National Convention in apanel discussion on the “State of the Transportation Construction Industry.”
“There has to be culture change about how people think about the construction industry,” said new ARTBA Chairman Bob Alger, president & CEO at The Lane Construction Corp.
He addressed the importance of encouraging more young women and minorities to enter engineering and other industry-related programs in college, or seek careers in the skilled trades. If they are not in the pipeline, the industry will continue to have problems attracting them.
Richard Cavallaro, president & CEO of Skanska USA Civil, said it is “absolutely essential” to diversify the industry’s workforce. It’s not just the right human reason, he said; it also makes good business sense because it spurs more innovation.
Steve Morriss, president of Design and Consulting Services, Americas, at AECOM, said fostering a culture of workforce diversity is as essential as promoting safety.
Greg Kelly, president & CEO of WSP USA, noted that most workplace rules have been created by older, white men. Compensation packages and other aspects of the workplace need to reflect diversity and contemporary needs.
Younger workers are more focused on work-life balance than past generations, which were more willing to sacrifice family and personal time, he said.
The panelists agreed the transportation construction industry needs to do a better job of marketing itself, including the fact that it uses new technology extensively.
On the topic of safety, the executives also agreed they are on the same journey of getting to “zero” work zone deaths and lost time as their ultimate goal.
Jean Vidal, president & CEO of Colas, said his company continues to look to science for answers.
“We’re not at zero yet, but we are improved,” he said. “We recently won a job because of our safety record and our management team realized the importance of the issue even more.”
Alger said Lane is passionate about safety, but individuals also need to be compassionate about their coworkers.
“When you’re on a job site, look to your left and look to your right and make it your responsibility to make sure both those people and yourself go home at the end of the day,” Alger said.
WSP USA’s Kelly noted he was in attendance at the ARTBA launch of the Safety Certification for Transportation Project Professionals™ program in 2016. The personal stories told by co-chairmen Ross Myers, CEO & chairman of Allan Myers, Inc., and David Walls, president & CEO of Austin Industries, help humanize the program’s mission.
Skanska’s Cavallaro may have put it best, noting, “This is work, it’s not war. People come to work, they should go home.”
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2 Pinay workers killed in Australia car crash
Posted on May 27, 2018 May 26, 2018 by Jiann Padillo
DAVAO CITY (May 27) — Two Filipina nurses were killed in a car accident in Canberra, Australia Friday, May 25.
The Department of Foreign Affairs extended its condolences to the families of two Filipina nurses who were killed in a car accident but did not disclose their identities.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the loved ones of two of our own who lost their lives in this tragedy,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said after receiving the initial report from Ambassador Minda C. Cruz of the Philippine Embassy in Canberra.
“We join the Filipino Community in praying for the quick recovery of those injured,” Secretary Cayetano said, adding that the DFA is ready to extend any possible assistance that the families of the victims may require.
In her report, Ambassador Cruz said the pharmacist-husband, three children and a relative of one of the fatalities were injured in the car crash.
The two fatalities, who were active members of the Filipino Community in Canberra, were on their way to Melbourne to attend an El Shaddai anniversary event when the accident happened.
Cruz, who visited the injured victims in the hospital, said the victims were on board a Dodge Journey that collided head on with a Toyota Land Cruiser being driven by a 65-year-old man.
The crash, which took place along a stretch of highway in Wallaroo, about an hour from Canberra, is under investigation by authorities.-Jiann A. Padillo/Newsline.ph
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Supreme Court To Revisit Alleged Racial Bias In Jury Selection
A Georgia case from the 1980s will be reexamined by the Supreme Court after it was revealed African-Americans were allegedly kept off the jury.
The discovery of racially coded notes taken by prosecutors during jury selection is forcing the Supreme Court to take a second look at this murder trial, The Washington Post reports. In 1987, Timothy Tyrone Foster (who is Black) was convicted by an all-White jury in the murder of elderly White woman Queen Madge White. Prosecutors claimed Foster broke into White’s home in Rome, GA and sexually assaulted her before strangling her to death.
After being turned in by his girlfriend, Foster “acknowledged” the crime, but defense wondered if he acted alone and questioned the status of his mental health. Furthermore, Foster’s attorney came across the prosecutors’ jury selection notes in 2006, revealing a possible bias agenda to eliminate Black jurors from the trial.
The names of the black potential jurors were “marked with a ‘B’” and highlighted in green. Their race on juror questionnaires was circled. All were at the very top of a list labeled “Definite NOs,” and each was compared with the others in case, according to the notes, “it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors.”
Marilyn Garrett, who is African-American, was rejected partly because her age was so close to the defendant’s, Lanier told the judge. Garrett was 34, and Foster was 19. The prosecution accepted eight white prospective jurors who were 35 and younger, including a man who was two years older than Foster.
A total of five Black jurors were turned away from the case. Race was reportedly not mentioned in the case, which is why attorneys are questioning why it was a determining factor in the jury process. Prosecutor Stephen Lanier also allegedly told the all-White jury to make an example of Foster in order “to deter other people out there in the projects.”
During the Supreme court case of Batson v. Kentucky, it was deemed unconstitutional to turn away jurors because of their race. But the case of Foster v. The State isn’t the only trial that has raised eyebrows over racial bias. Studies have shown that Black and White jurors are treated differently during peremptory challenges by prosecutors.
In the North Carolina study, prosecutors used 60 percent of these challenges to strike black jurors, who constituted only 32 percent of potential jury members. Defense attorneys used 87 percent of their strikes against white jurors, who made up 68 percent of the jury pool.
“Race discrimination in juror selection cannot be condoned,” said a group of federal and state prosecutors, including the District’s former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova and former Prince George’s County state’s attorney Glenn F. Ivey, in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court on behalf of Foster. “Indeed, this court has long recognized that such discrimination causes serious and widespread harm: to the defendant, whose constitutional rights are violated; to the juror, who is excluded from the judicial process; and to our justice system, which is undermined by such inequality.”
At the time of Foster’s trial, Batson was essentially new, giving his attorney an advantage in securing a retrial now.
The Supreme Court is set to hear from lawyers on Nov. 2.
SOURCE: The Washington Post, Law Skills | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
President Obama Defends Black Lives Matter, Says Activists Have “Legitimate” Issues
Malia Obama Receives Apology From Brown University Students For Leaked ‘Beer Pong’ Pics
Court , Criminal Justice System , Jury , Jury duty , justice system , race , Racism , Supreme Court , Washington
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Franz Bardon, the greatest Hermetic teacher of all times, was born on December 1, 1909, in Troppau (now Opava) in the current Czech Republic. His father was a student of esoteric Christianity. In 1924, the spirit of a high Hermetic adept entered the body of fourteen-year-old Franz. His personality changed dramatically and with great suddenness; in time he became one of the most remarkable Hermetic magicians of the 20th century.
Taking the stage name of Frabato, (Franz-Bardon-Troppau-Opava), he often performed throughout Europe as a stage magician although little did audiences suspect that his tricks were, in fact, quite real. But for the most part, he lived a seemingly ordinary life as an industrial mechanic in Opava, though he was certainly regarded there as the local sage.
Like other workers for the Light, Franz Bardon attracted the notice of Adolph Hitler. He was incarcerated in a concentration camp for three and a half months. In 1945, shortly before the war ended, he was sentenced to death. However, before the sentence could be carried out, Bardon's prison was bombed. He was rescued from the badly damaged building by some Russian soldiers and succeeded in finding his way back home.
After the war, Franz Bardon lived a quiet life in Opava, working as a naturopath and graphologist. He often traveled to Prague to teach, and his teachings formed the basis for his famous books on Hermetics, Initiation into Hermetics, The Practice of Magical Evocation, and The Key to the True Kabbalah. Franz Bardon's Hermetic work was interrupted forever in 1958, when Bardon was arrested during one of Czechoslovakia s notorious Communist purges. Bardon was falsely accused of not paying taxes on alcohol used in the production of his spagyric remedies. He was further accused of treason for allegedly making unfavorable comments about his country in a letter to Australia. On July 10, 1958, Franz Bardon died under "unusual circumstances" in a prison hospital in Brno, Czechoslovakia.
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Corrections, Mental Health, National Security, NZpols, Politics
Educating Prisoners: “Soft on Crime” Approach Reduces Repeat Offending
Date: 27 May 2018Author: Heather
It’s quite something seeing a hulk of a man – tough, heavily tattooed, shaved head – burst into tears. It’s certainly not what I expected when visiting a prison for the first time. I was being shown around Auckland Central Remand Prison (now Mt Eden Remand Prison) and was in the audience at a prizegiving for several inmates who had successfully participated in an education programme teaching them to read and write. They were due for release he following day, and it was deemed fitting to acknowledge the progress they had made in this programme. When asked by the tutor what the problem was, the prisoner explained, through sobs, that he’d never been presented with a certificate before.
His comment immediately took me to the door of my fridge, where magnets with the phone numbers for the emergency services were fighting for space with multitudes of teacher’s and prinicpal’s certificates for spelling, story writing, punctuality and goodness only know what else that had been awarded to my kids over the preceding weeks. That moment and the stark contrast of this man in his thirties having never received recognition for anything in his life was the point at which I became “soft on crime” and recognized that there must be a better way of balancing punishment and rehabilitation of many who had committed crimes.
Voters reward politicians who are tough on crime. It’s easy to ignore criminals when they’re locked away in prison and little if any thought is given to decreasing reoffending when they leave – until the prisons don’t have enough beds, and funds need to be diverted from health and education just to deal with the overcrowding. The short term approach is to build more prisons. The long term, smart solution of reducing recidivism and crime is much harder, but not mission impossible.
For example, here’s a novel approach to our burgeoning prison numbers: We should educate prisoners, it works This article by Stacey Shortall, partner at law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts (and formerly a lawyer in New York) is refreshing. It shows that educating prisoners isn’t new or novel, it’s been working overseas for many years. Stacey uses the New York example where, between 1999 and 2012, the prison population dropped by 26 percent, when elsewhere in the US it rose by around 10 percent. NZ Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis could actually achieve the 30% drop in prison muster over 15 years he’s been talking about – but not by building more prisons and calling that reform.
One of the reasons our prisons are bursting at the seams is because people keep coming back. Reoffending is most likely in the 12 months post prison release and amongst those with mental health and substance abuse issues. It’s not easy to find up to date New Zealand data but a March 2009 analysis of the previous 60 months, showed that 70% of prisoners reoffend within two years of being released from prison and 52% return to prison within five years, some multiple times. Even with the small drop in recidivism noted over the past couple of years, reoffending figures will still be in the same ball park.
The government allocated nearly $200 million in Budget 2018 for 600 pop-up prison beds. The Minister noted at the same time that reform of the Corrections landscape is imminent. For too long political parties have reacted to the public pressure to take a tough line on crime. Well, it’s not working. Crime hasn’t abated, and more people are being sent to prison.
I’ve been advocating for some time for dedicated facilities – a Rehabilitation Prison that treats those with mental illnesses and provides rehabilitation for those with substance abuse issues. And yes, educating those who can’t read, write or do maths. Releasing people from prison who aren’t equipped to cope in a world requiring these skills merely sets them up to fail, to reoffend and then to be sent back to prison.
There’s plenty of research and evidence of what could be done. In her article Stacey Shorthall noted “Decades of research in the United States has shown that prisoners who participate in prison education programmes are far less likely to land back behind bars. Their rates of reoffending are dramatically lower than rates for prisoners denied these opportunities. In fact, as New Zealand struggles with a record-high prison muster, prisons are currently being closed and sold off in New York.”
Some work has also be done on the New Zealand environment. The Salvation Army published this report in 2016: Beyond the Prison Gate
Let’s hope the government, in putting together its reform of the Corrections landscape, puts to one side the tough on crime brigade and takes an evidence based approach. Will this government have the courage to adopt the measures it will take to reach its own target?
CorrectionsEducationKelvin DavisNZ Prison systemNZpolsprison educationRehabilitation prisonstacey shortall
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The Silent Quran and the Speaking Quran pdf
The Silent Qur’an and the Speaking Qur’an: Scriptural Sources of Islam Between History and Fervor
The Silent Quran And The Speaking Quran
Eric Ormsby, Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi
THE SILENT QURAN AND THE SPEAKING QURAN – Book Sample
Introduction – THE SILENT QURAN AND THE SPEAKING QURAN
The very first centuries of Islam were marked by two ma- jor and inextricably linked events which have determined the historical and spiritual evolution of this religion up to our : the elaboration of scriptural sources—the Qur’an and the Hadith—and a chronic violence manifest mainly in the form of civil wars.
With regard to the scriptural sources, according to the Sunni tradition which eventually comes to be considered as “orthodox,” matters trans- pired simply enough. The divine revelations, quite faithfully and inte- grally collected by the two first caliphs Abu Bakr and cUmar, were brought together in a unique Qur’an by a council of scholars during the reign of cUthman, the third caliph (reg. 23/644–35/656)—in other words, less than thirty years after the death of the Prophet Mul,ammad (d. 11/632).1
Parallel Qur’anic recensions, deemed untrustworthy, were destroyed and the official version, the so-called vulgate of cUthman, was rapidly accepted by the entire community of the faithful apart from a scattering of heretics.
Moreover, as regards the Hadith, i.e., the prophetic traditions in their thousands, these were subjected to a stringent critical examination by the learned in order to distinguish those that were authentic from those that were false—a process that led to the elaboration of a large and reliable cor- pus established in accord with the strict rules and criteria of the science of Hadith.
Now critical research, subjecting Islamic and non-Islamic sources of all sorts to historical and philological examination for over a century and a half, offers a far more complex and problematic picture of the history of the redaction of the sacred Scriptures of Islam. A significant body of statements going back to Mul,ammad was quite gradually distinguished in the Qur’an and the Hadith, i.e., identified as the Word of God and pro- phetic traditions, respectively.3
The official Qur’an, assigned a posteri- ori to the caliphate of cUthman, was established later, probably during the caliphate of the Umayyad cAbd al-Malik b. Marwan (reg. 65/685 to 86/705). Moreover, it bears all the characteristics of a protracted editorial task probably carried out by a team of scribes and qualified scholars.
Merely a few decades separate the rules of the two caliphs, but these few dozen years have the force of several centuries given that between the two periods, the immeasurable effects of ceaseless civil wars and vast and dazzling conquests overwhelmed history, society, and the mindset of the first Muslims. Furthermore, even when completed and declared official, the state-sponsored vulgate took several centuries to be accepted by all Muslims.
Among the scholars and tendencies opposed to the Umayyad state, a number of important figures would not accept the authenticity of “cUthman’s Qur’an” and considered it a falsified version of the revelations accorded the Prophet; of these, it is the Shi’ites who articulate both the most systematic and the more numerous critiques with respect to the official Qur’an.
Other recensions of the Qur’an, often quite different in form and content—as, for example, that of cAli, the cousin and son- in-law of the Prophet and the fourth caliph, or those of the Companions cAbd Allah b. Mascüd and Ubayy b. Kacb—remained in circulation at least until the fourth/tenth century. Likewise, endless discussions over the authencity of hadiths set scholars against one another for centuries.
And even when Sunnis toward the fourth/tenth and fifth/eleventh centuries came to increasing agreement in accepting the corpus of what they termed the Sums of Accepted Traditions, Shi’ites established their own corpus in which the very definition of the term hadith diverged from that of the Sunnis.
For the latter, Hadith is the totality of traditions traced back to the Prophet (and in some rare instances to certain of his Companions), whereas for Shi’ites the term applies to traditions going back to prophet, to his daughter Fatima, to cAli, and to the imams descended from them.
As for the endemic violence in which Islam was born and took shape, it is enough to recall certain historical facts which appear settled in their broad outlines. Immediately following the Hijra, the Prophet’s final years were strewn with battle after battle.
Of these, the battle of Badr in the year 2/624, the first great victory of the Prophet over his Meccan opponents from his own tribe of Quraysh, seems to have left traces which those same opponents found hard to forget even after their own conversion to Islam. After Mul:ammad’s death—by poison according to some rare traditions— the succession to him launched a wave of violence to which I will return later.
Under Abu Bakr, the first caliph, the bloody “Wars of Apostasy” (ridda) broke out because he blocked newly converted Arabs from revert- ing to their ancestral religion after the death of the Apostle of God. Accord- ing to most accounts, Abu Bakr died a natural death, but according to others he too was poisoned. The period of cUmar b. al-Khattab, the second caliph, was that in which the wars of the great Arab conquests occurred.
He too was killed, apparently by a Persian slave. cUthman b. cAffan, the third caliph, was swept away by what is usually called the first great civil war between Muslims. The brief rule of the fourth caliph, cAli b. Abi Talib, consisted of an uninterrupted succession of civil wars: the great Battle of Şiffin pitted him against Mucawiya, leader of the powerful Umayyads, his perennial enemies;
it was a battle which followed upon the Battle of the Camel (Jamal) against cA’isha, the Prophet’s widow, allied with two of his Companions; and it was preceded by the battle of Nahrawan against the Kharijites, old allies who had become cAli’s bitterest enemies. In the end it was one of these who assassinated cAli. Umayyad rule was one long series of ghastly suppressions and massacres of their adversaries, most particularly the Alids, “the people of cAli,” who would come to be known as Shi’ites.
The hellish cycle of bloody suppression and armed revolts was thus set in motion for a considerable length of time. The most momentous instance is the massacre of al-I:usayn, the Prophet’s beloved grandson and the son of cAli, along with amost all his family, by order of the second Umayyad caliph, Yazid I, mere decades after the Prophet’s death.
The Umayyads themselves were violently overthrown by a huge armed revolution, that of the Abbasids, under whom the fierce suppression of adversaries, especially of Alids of all stripes yet again, continued intermittently for centuries.
The establishment of a religion, accompanied by violence, notably stemming from the complicated process of its institutionalization or from
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The Cross and the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants
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Indy Lights – Éirinn go Brách
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, O2 Racing Technology announces that they have signed the winningest driver in Star Mazda Championship history, Dubliner Peter Dempsey. Dempsey competed in the Star Mazda Championship for Andersen Racing in 2008 and scored wins at Road America, Trois-Rivières, Mosport, and the New Jersey Motorsports Park against the likes of John Edwards, Alex Ardoin, and Joel Miller. He would finish 3rd in the championship that year. In 2009, Peter raced for AIM Autosport and improved on his results scoring five race wins at Iowa Speedway, two at Autobahn Country Club, Road Atlanta, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The strong end of 2009 lead Dempsey to a runner-up position in the championship, but it wasn’t quite enough to overtake Adam Christodoulou for the title. 2010 was a lean year for the Irishman, competing primarily in various Formula Ford events while looking for a full-time ride. It looks he has that full-time ride now, and will be competing in the Firestone Indy Lights series for O2 Racing Technology, driving the #36 entry sponsored by Pulse, a braking technology company.
Dempsey and O2 Racing Technologies will be on track at Barber Motorsports Park today for the Firestone Indy Lights open test from 0915-1200 and from 1300-1700 CDT. Follow live timing and scoring at IndyCar.com.
You can follow Peter Dempsey and O2 Racing Technology on Twitter: @peterdempsey, and @O2RT.
Featured, Indy Lights, INDYCAR2011, Dempsey, FIL, Indy Lights, Indy Lights, indyblog, INDYCAR, O2 Racing, O2RT, Pro Mazda
Star Mazda – Barber Testing: Day 2 Wrap-Up
Star Mazda – Barber Testing: Final Session
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Biology for AP® Courses29.1 Types of Skeletal Systems
What are the characteristics of the different types of animal skeletal systems?
What are the roles of the various components of the human skeletal system?
Much of the information in this section is not in scope for AP®. However, as a student of biology you should have a fundamental understanding of how the muscular and skeletal systems work together to provide support and protection while allowing for a range of movement. Bones provide a storage area for calcium and phosphorus salts and also are the site of blood cell formation. In a later section, knowledge of the nervous system will be used to understand the musculoskeletal system because muscle contraction depends on neural input. Events occurring at the neuromuscular junction are similar to events occurring at synapses between neurons as discussed in the chapter on the nervous system. Humans, and most animals depend on movement for daily activities. From an evolutionary perspective, the transition of animals onto land required changes in body design as locomotion on land presented a number of new challenges for animals that were adapted to movement in the water, such as the effect of gravity and lack of buoyancy. Literally step-by-step, these adaptations accumulated. Exploring the evolution of the musculoskeletal system in animals would provide information on this history.
Information presented and examples highlighted in this section are not within the scope for AP® and do not align to the Curriculum Framework.
A skeletal system is necessary to support the body, protect internal organs, and allow for the movements of an organism. There are three different skeleton designs that fulfill these functions: hydrostatic skeleton, exoskeleton, and endoskeleton.
Hydrostatic Skeleton
A hydrostatic skeleton is a skeleton formed by a fluid-filled compartment within the body, called the coelom. The organs of the coelom are supported by the aqueous fluid, which also resists external compression. This compartment is under hydrostatic pressure because of the fluid and supports the other organs of the organism. This type of skeletal system is found in soft-bodied animals such as sea anemones, earthworms, Cnidaria, and other invertebrates (Figure 29.2).
Figure 29.2 The skeleton of the red-knobbed sea star (Protoreaster linckii) is an example of a hydrostatic skeleton. (credit: “Amada44”/Wikimedia Commons)
Movement in a hydrostatic skeleton is provided by muscles that surround the coelom. The muscles in a hydrostatic skeleton contract to change the shape of the coelom; the pressure of the fluid in the coelom produces movement. For example, earthworms move by waves of muscular contractions of the skeletal muscle of the body wall hydrostatic skeleton, called peristalsis, which alternately shorten and lengthen the body. Lengthening the body extends the anterior end of the organism. Most organisms have a mechanism to fix themselves in the substrate. Shortening the muscles then draws the posterior portion of the body forward. Although a hydrostatic skeleton is well-suited to invertebrate organisms such as earthworms and some aquatic organisms, it is not an efficient skeleton for terrestrial animals.
An exoskeleton is an external skeleton that consists of a hard encasement on the surface of an organism. For example, the shells of crabs and insects are exoskeletons (Figure 29.3). This skeleton type provides defence against predators, supports the body, and allows for movement through the contraction of attached muscles. As with vertebrates, muscles must cross a joint inside the exoskeleton. Shortening of the muscle changes the relationship of the two segments of the exoskeleton. Arthropods such as crabs and lobsters have exoskeletons that consist of 30–50 percent chitin, a polysaccharide derivative of glucose that is a strong but flexible material. Chitin is secreted by the epidermal cells. The exoskeleton is further strengthened by the addition of calcium carbonate in organisms such as the lobster. Because the exoskeleton is acellular, arthropods must periodically shed their exoskeletons because the exoskeleton does not grow as the organism grows.
Figure 29.3 Muscles attached to the exoskeleton of the Halloween crab (Gecarcinus quadratus) allow it to move.
Endoskeleton
An endoskeleton is a skeleton that consists of hard, mineralized structures located within the soft tissue of organisms. An example of a primitive endoskeletal structure is the spicules of sponges. The bones of vertebrates are composed of tissues, whereas sponges have no true tissues (Figure 29.4). Endoskeletons provide support for the body, protect internal organs, and allow for movement through contraction of muscles attached to the skeleton.
Figure 29.4 The skeletons of humans and horses are examples of endoskeletons. (credit: Ross Murphy)
The human skeleton is an endoskeleton that consists of 206 bones in the adult. It has five main functions: providing support to the body, storing minerals and lipids, producing blood cells, protecting internal organs, and allowing for movement. The skeletal system in vertebrates is divided into the axial skeleton (which consists of the skull, vertebral column, and rib cage), and the appendicular skeleton (which consists of the shoulders, limb bones, the pectoral girdle, and the pelvic girdle).
Visit the interactive body site to build a virtual skeleton: select "skeleton" and click through the activity to place each bone.
List three bones that form plantar joints.
ribs, humerus, sacrum
humerus, patella, sternum
C1/C2, sacrum, sternum
tarsal bones, patella, carpal bones
Human Axial Skeleton
The axial skeleton forms the central axis of the body and includes the bones of the skull, ossicles of the middle ear, hyoid bone of the throat, vertebral column, and the thoracic cage (ribcage) (Figure 29.5). The function of the axial skeleton is to provide support and protection for the brain, the spinal cord, and the organs in the ventral body cavity. It provides a surface for the attachment of muscles that move the head, neck, and trunk, performs respiratory movements, and stabilizes parts of the appendicular skeleton.
Figure 29.5 The axial skeleton consists of the bones of the skull, ossicles of the middle ear, hyoid bone, vertebral column, and rib cage. (credit: modification of work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal)
The bones of the skull support the structures of the face and protect the brain. The skull consists of 22 bones, which are divided into two categories: cranial bones and facial bones. The cranial bones are eight bones that form the cranial cavity, which encloses the brain and serves as an attachment site for the muscles of the head and neck. The eight cranial bones are the frontal bone, two parietal bones, two temporal bones, occipital bone, sphenoid bone, and the ethmoid bone. Although the bones developed separately in the embryo and fetus, in the adult, they are tightly fused with connective tissue and adjoining bones do not move (Figure 29.6).
Figure 29.6 The bones of the skull support the structures of the face and protect the brain. (credit: modification of work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal)
The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of three bones each: the malleus, incus, and stapes. These are the smallest bones in the body and are unique to mammals.
Fourteen facial bones form the face, provide cavities for the sense organs (eyes, mouth, and nose), protect the entrances to the digestive and respiratory tracts, and serve as attachment points for facial muscles. The 14 facial bones are the nasal bones, the maxillary bones, zygomatic bones, palatine, vomer, lacrimal bones, the inferior nasal conchae, and the mandible. All of these bones occur in pairs except for the mandible and the vomer (Figure 29.7).
Figure 29.7 The cranial bones, including the frontal, parietal, and sphenoid bones, cover the top of the head. The facial bones of the skull form the face and provide cavities for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Although it is not found in the skull, the hyoid bone is considered a component of the axial skeleton. The hyoid bone lies below the mandible in the front of the neck. It acts as a movable base for the tongue and is connected to muscles of the jaw, larynx, and tongue. The mandible articulates with the base of the skull. The mandible controls the opening to the airway and gut. In animals with teeth, the mandible brings the surfaces of the teeth in contact with the maxillary teeth.
The Vertebral Column
The vertebral column, or spinal column, surrounds and protects the spinal cord, supports the head, and acts as an attachment point for the ribs and muscles of the back and neck. The adult vertebral column comprises 26 bones: the 24 vertebrae, the sacrum, and the coccyx bones. In the adult, the sacrum is typically composed of five vertebrae that fuse into one. The coccyx is typically 3–4 vertebrae that fuse into one. Around the age of 70, the sacrum and the coccyx may fuse together. We begin life with approximately 33 vertebrae, but as we grow, several vertebrae fuse together. The adult vertebrae are further divided into the 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and 5 lumbar vertebrae (Figure 29.8).
Figure 29.8 (a) The vertebral column consists of seven cervical vertebrae (C1–7) twelve thoracic vertebrae (Th1–12), five lumbar vertebrae (L1–5), the os sacrum, and the coccyx. (b) Spinal curves increase the strength and flexibility of the spine. (credit a: modification of work by Uwe Gille based on original work by Gray's Anatomy; credit b: modification of work by NCI, NIH)
Each vertebral body has a large hole in the center through which the nerves of the spinal cord pass. There is also a notch on each side through which the spinal nerves, which serve the body at that level, can exit from the spinal cord. The vertebral column is approximately 71 cm (28 inches) in adult male humans and is curved, which can be seen from a side view. The names of the spinal curves correspond to the region of the spine in which they occur. The thoracic and sacral curves are concave (curve inwards relative to the front of the body) and the cervical and lumbar curves are convex (curve outwards relative to the front of the body). The arched curvature of the vertebral column increases its strength and flexibility, allowing it to absorb shocks like a spring (Figure 29.8).
Intervertebral discs composed of fibrous cartilage lie between adjacent vertebral bodies from the second cervical vertebra to the sacrum. Each disc is part of a joint that allows for some movement of the spine and acts as a cushion to absorb shocks from movements such as walking and running. Intervertebral discs also act as ligaments to bind vertebrae together. The inner part of discs, the nucleus pulposus, hardens as people age and becomes less elastic. This loss of elasticity diminishes its ability to absorb shocks.
The Thoracic Cage
The thoracic cage, also known as the ribcage, is the skeleton of the chest, and consists of the ribs, sternum, thoracic vertebrae, and costal cartilages (Figure 29.9). The thoracic cage encloses and protects the organs of the thoracic cavity, including the heart and lungs. It also provides support for the shoulder girdles and upper limbs, and serves as the attachment point for the diaphragm, muscles of the back, chest, neck, and shoulders. Changes in the volume of the thorax enable breathing.
The sternum, or breastbone, is a long, flat bone located at the anterior of the chest. It is formed from three bones that fuse in the adult. The ribs are 12 pairs of long, curved bones that attach to the thoracic vertebrae and curve toward the front of the body, forming the ribcage. Costal cartilages connect the anterior ends of the ribs to the sternum, with the exception of rib pairs 11 and 12, which are free-floating ribs.
Figure 29.9 The thoracic cage, or rib cage, protects the heart and the lungs. (credit: modification of work by NCI, NIH)
Human Appendicular Skeleton
The appendicular skeleton is composed of the bones of the upper limbs (which function to grasp and manipulate objects) and the lower limbs (which permit locomotion). It also includes the pectoral girdle, or shoulder girdle, that attaches the upper limbs to the body, and the pelvic girdle that attaches the lower limbs to the body (Figure 29.10).
Figure 29.10 The appendicular skeleton is composed of the bones of the pectoral limbs (arm, forearm, hand), the pelvic limbs (thigh, leg, foot), the pectoral girdle, and the pelvic girdle. (credit: modification of work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal)
The Pectoral Girdle
The pectoral girdle bones provide the points of attachment of the upper limbs to the axial skeleton. The human pectoral girdle consists of the clavicle (or collarbone) in the anterior, and the scapula (or shoulder blades) in the posterior (Figure 29.11).
Figure 29.11 (a) The pectoral girdle in primates consists of the clavicles and scapulae. (b) The posterior view reveals the spine of the scapula to which muscle attaches.
The clavicles are S-shaped bones that position the arms on the body. The clavicles lie horizontally across the front of the thorax (chest) just above the first rib. These bones are fairly fragile and are susceptible to fractures. For example, a fall with the arms outstretched causes the force to be transmitted to the clavicles, which can break if the force is excessive. The clavicle articulates with the sternum and the scapula.
The scapulae are flat, triangular bones that are located at the back of the pectoral girdle. They support the muscles crossing the shoulder joint. A ridge, called the spine, runs across the back of the scapula and can easily be felt through the skin (Figure 29.11). The spine of the scapula is a good example of a bony protrusion that facilitates a broad area of attachment for muscles to bone.
The Upper Limb
The upper limb contains 30 bones in three regions: the arm (shoulder to elbow), the forearm (ulna and radius), and the wrist and hand (Figure 29.12).
Figure 29.12 The upper limb consists of the humerus of the upper arm, the radius and ulna of the forearm, eight bones of the carpus, five bones of the metacarpus, and 14 bones of the phalanges.
An articulation is any place at which two bones are joined. The humerus is the largest and longest bone of the upper limb and the only bone of the arm. It articulates with the scapula at the shoulder and with the forearm at the elbow. The forearm extends from the elbow to the wrist and consists of two bones: the ulna and the radius. The radius is located along the lateral (thumb) side of the forearm and articulates with the humerus at the elbow. The ulna is located on the medial aspect (pinky-finger side) of the forearm. It is longer than the radius. The ulna articulates with the humerus at the elbow. The radius and ulna also articulate with the carpal bones and with each other, which in vertebrates enables a variable degree of rotation of the carpus with respect to the long axis of the limb. The hand includes the eight bones of the carpus (wrist), the five bones of the metacarpus (palm), and the 14 bones of the phalanges (digits). Each digit consists of three phalanges, except for the thumb, when present, which has only two.
The pelvic girdle attaches to the lower limbs of the axial skeleton. Because it is responsible for bearing the weight of the body and for locomotion, the pelvic girdle is securely attached to the axial skeleton by strong ligaments. It also has deep sockets with robust ligaments to securely attach the femur to the body. The pelvic girdle is further strengthened by two large hip bones. In adults, the hip bones, or coxal bones, are formed by the fusion of three pairs of bones: the ilium, ischium, and pubis. The pelvis joins together in the anterior of the body at a joint called the pubic symphysis and with the bones of the sacrum at the posterior of the body.
The female pelvis is slightly different from the male pelvis. Over generations of evolution, females with a wider pubic angle and larger diameter pelvic canal reproduced more successfully. Therefore, their offspring also had pelvic anatomy that enabled successful childbirth (Figure 29.13).
Figure 29.13 To adapt to reproductive fitness, the (a) female pelvis is lighter, wider, shallower, and has a broader angle between the pubic bones than (b) the male pelvis.
The Lower Limb
The lower limb consists of the thigh, the leg, and the foot. The bones of the lower limb are the femur (thigh bone), patella (kneecap), tibia and fibula (bones of the leg), tarsals (bones of the ankle), and metatarsals and phalanges (bones of the foot) (Figure 29.14). The bones of the lower limbs are thicker and stronger than the bones of the upper limbs because of the need to support the entire weight of the body and the resulting forces from locomotion. In addition to evolutionary fitness, the bones of an individual will respond to forces exerted upon them.
Figure 29.14 The lower limb consists of the thigh (femur), kneecap (patella), leg (tibia and fibula), ankle (tarsals), and foot (metatarsals and phalanges) bones.
The femur, or thighbone, is the longest, heaviest, and strongest bone in the body. The femur and pelvis form the hip joint at the proximal end. At the distal end, the femur, tibia, and patella form the knee joint. The patella, or kneecap, is a triangular bone that lies anterior to the knee joint. The patella is embedded in the tendon of the femoral extensors (quadriceps). It improves knee extension by reducing friction. The tibia, or shinbone, is a large bone of the leg that is located directly below the knee. The tibia articulates with the femur at its proximal end, with the fibula and the tarsal bones at its distal end. It is the second largest bone in the human body and is responsible for transmitting the weight of the body from the femur to the foot. The fibula, or calf bone, parallels and articulates with the tibia. It does not articulate with the femur and does not bear weight. The fibula acts as a site for muscle attachment and forms the lateral part of the ankle joint.
The tarsals are the seven bones of the ankle. The ankle transmits the weight of the body from the tibia and the fibula to the foot. The metatarsals are the five bones of the foot. The phalanges are the 14 bones of the toes. Each toe consists of three phalanges, except for the big toe that has only two (Figure 29.15). Variations exist in other species; for example, the horse’s metacarpals and metatarsals are oriented vertically and do not make contact with the substrate.
Figure 29.15 This drawing shows the bones of the human foot and ankle, including the metatarsals and the phalanges.
Evolution Connection
Evolution of Body Design for Locomotion on Land
The transition of vertebrates onto land required a number of changes in body design, as movement on land presents a number of challenges for animals that are adapted to movement in water. The buoyancy of water provides a certain amount of lift, and a common form of movement by fish is lateral undulations of the entire body. This back and forth movement pushes the body against the water, creating forward movement. In most fish, the muscles of paired fins attach to girdles within the body, allowing for some control of locomotion. As certain fish began moving onto land, they retained their lateral undulation form of locomotion (anguilliform). However, instead of pushing against water, their fins or flippers became points of contact with the ground, around which they rotated their bodies.
The effect of gravity and the lack of buoyancy on land meant that body weight was suspended on the limbs, leading to increased strengthening and ossification of the limbs. The effect of gravity also required changes to the axial skeleton. Lateral undulations of land animal vertebral columns cause torsional strain. A firmer, more ossified vertebral column became common in terrestrial tetrapods because it reduces strain while providing the strength needed to support the body’s weight. In later tetrapods, the vertebrae began allowing for vertical motion rather than lateral flexion. Another change in the axial skeleton was the loss of a direct attachment between the pectoral girdle and the head. This reduced the jarring to the head caused by the impact of the limbs on the ground. The vertebrae of the neck also evolved to allow movement of the head independently of the body.
The appendicular skeleton of land animals is also different from aquatic animals. The shoulders attach to the pectoral girdle through muscles and connective tissue, thus reducing the jarring of the skull. Because of a lateral undulating vertebral column, in early tetrapods, the limbs were splayed out to the side and movement occurred by performing “push-ups.” The vertebrae of these animals had to move side-to-side in a similar manner to fish and reptiles. This type of motion requires large muscles to move the limbs toward the midline; it was almost like walking while doing push-ups, and it is not an efficient use of energy. Later tetrapods have their limbs placed under their bodies, so that each stride requires less force to move forward. This resulted in decreased adductor muscle size and an increased range of motion of the scapulae. This also restricts movement primarily to one plane, creating forward motion rather than moving the limbs upward as well as forward. The femur and humerus were also rotated, so that the ends of the limbs and digits were pointed forward, in the direction of motion, rather than out to the side. By placement underneath the body, limbs can swing forward like a pendulum to produce a stride that is more efficient for moving over land.
Which of the following changes evolved in the animal skeletal system as animals moved from water to land?
decreased ossification of bones
increased attachment between pectoral girdle and head
rotation of femur and humerus to point to the side
placement of limbs under the body
Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/biology-ap-courses/pages/29-1-types-of-skeletal-systems
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37.12 Policy for Old Capitol Flagstaff
Requests for flags to be flown over Old Capitol. Three different flags may be flown from the Old Capitol flagstaff at The University of Iowa. These are the flag of the United States of America; the flag of the State of Iowa; and, on home football game days, the University of Iowa "Hawkeye" flag. The only exception to these limitations would be special flags flown as directed by proclamation from the President of the United States or the Governor of the State of Iowa.
Requests to lower the American flag and the State of Iowa flag to half-staff. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of Iowa are to be lowered to half-staff exclusively on orders from the office of the President of the United States or the office of the Governor of the State of Iowa.
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July 31, 2017 by adminpacso
Why was this “child sex gang leader” released from prison 17 years early?
A quick one to start the week. I was asked about this last night, and rather hoped that it was obvious on its face that this tale has more to it than the headlines in the local press would have the reader believe. However some of the nationals are now this morning plugging the story of the “child sex gang leader released from prison 17 years early”, so a brief explainer might help.
The story started smouldering last Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions, when MP for Telford, Lucy Allan, raised the case in the House of Commons. And in fairness to Ms Allan, her primary concern, entirely properly, was that the victims of serious sexual offending did not appear to have been informed of the perpetrator’s release on licence and his impending return to the local area.
But the story has quickly become, certainly in the national media, another…
Source: Why was this “child sex gang leader” released from prison 17 years early?
New season of AJC’s Breakdown podcast covers the Devonia Inman case
After finishing her shift and locking the premises up, restaurant manager Donna Brown walked across the car park to her car late one night carrying the day’s takings. Before she could get into the car, a masked assailant shot her in the face, took her money, took her car, and escaped.
Days later, with no physical evidence, no forensic evidence, no blood evidence and no fingerprints to tie him to the crime, police arrested and charged 20 year old Devonia Inman with the murder. To counter the lack of evidence the police produced three eye witnesses to the shooting – one of Brown’s colleagues, who saw the murder; Inman’s girlfriend’s sister, who said that he came back to their house that night covered in blood and with a sackful of money; and a prisoner who shared a cell with Inman after his arrest, to whom Inman admitted the murder. With…
My cousin Vinny – or a model for how, in a better world, we could do things
suesspiciousminds
I’m going to take the unusual step of publishing a judgment in full, because, well, you will see why. It is written by Mr Justice Peter Jackson, who I think is as absolutely good as it gets. (there’s a short preamble that explains that this was a private law hearing, both parents representing themselves, and that the young person met with the Judge before the decision was made)
There’s a lot that is wrong with family law, and I write about that all of the time. And people write comments telling me other things that are wrong with family law, and sometimes they are right. Family law hurts. If you have a decision in family law that doesn’t go your way, it hurts you, for a long long time – maybe even forever, and that’s genuinely an awful thing. We forget that, sometimes. Or perhaps we have got good at…
Source: My cousin Vinny – or a model for how, in a better world, we could do things
July 7, 2017 by adminpacso
Guest Post by Simon Myerson Q.C.: An alternative proposal concerning sexual offences and consent
In March 2017, Harriet Harman proposed a legislative amendment to section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, which would have the effect of prohibiting at criminal trials any questioning or evidence concerning the previous sexual behaviour of a complainant alleging a sexual offence. This week, Ms Harman reportedly confirmed that she was pursuing this amendment, and I provided my thoughts on why this is a dangerous and ill-thought out idea here.
Back in March, criminal silk Simon Myerson Q.C. took the time to correspond with his MP, Anna Turley, over the planned amendment. He has very kindly permitted me to republish his note, in which he addresses the flaws in Harman’s Law, and offers his own proposal on how perceived shortcomings in the prosecution of sexual offences involving the issue of consent might be addressed. I understand that Anna Turley MP has yet to respond.
Source: Guest Post by Simon Myerson Q.C.: An alternative proposal concerning sexual offences and consent
Discredited Offending Behaviour Programmes
Source: Discredited Offending Behaviour Programmes
Appeals Barrister
If you are a long-term prisoner and you want to be released more quickly, you will need to satisfy the Parole Board that your risk has been reduced. If you are a “lifer”, then if you want to be released at allyou will need to show that your risk has reduced. The usual means of showing the Parole Board that your risk has been reduced is by the completion of ‘accredited’ offending behaviour programmes (OBPs), run by the Prison Service on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). One of the most familiar OBPs is the sex offender treatment programme (SOTP)
I first encountered the SOTP whilst a pupil barrister. I was instructed to attend at a high security prison for a parole hearing. My lay client, serving a life term, was told that he needed to do the SOTP, but that he could not do it because he…
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The Grammys Have Been Postponed—Here's Everything We Know About the 2021 Show and How It Will Be Different
By Alexandra Hurtado Parade @alimariehurtado
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(Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)
While the 2021 Golden Globes and Academy Awards have been postponed due to COVID-19, music’s biggest night, the Grammy Awards, were still a-go for their originally scheduled date. With an increase in the amount of music that was released during the pandemic, it was decided that the 63rd annual Grammys would not be delayed. Then, as COVID cases increased in Los Angeles, where the Grammys were to be held, the Recording Academy had to rethink that decision. Variety confirmed Jan. 5 that the award show has been postponed.
The decision was made based on health and travel concerns, sources told Variety.
Originally, the show would go on as planned, in part because of the abundance of music released throughout the quarantine. “The amount of music released has actually increased during the pandemic, so we would not want to delay our date with so much great music coming out,” the Recording Academy’s Interim President and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Variety in June. “I also think it’s important and helpful to have shows like this, when there’s been so much uncertainty and unrest—to have something you know is coming around every year and to know there’s a time when we all sit down together and watch great entertainment and art.”
In September, Mason teased to Variety, that the upcoming ceremony is “going to be a spectacular show.” “Obviously, this is a very unique year. We’ve been looking at all of the shows really closely and I’ve been talking with some of the people who put them together—the creative and also the business side,” he said. “I think there have been some great examples of how to present music and awards at these shows, and I think there’s some other things that we’re gonna do pretty differently.”
Ahead of the big show, here is everything we know about the Grammy Awards 2021, including the new date and nominees!
Related: 6 Things You Didn’t Know About the Grammys
When are the Grammy Awards 2021?
The awards show was slated for Sunday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. ET. It’s unclear when the Grammys will air now. Multiple outlets report hearing that the show may be moved to March.
Grammy nominations 2021
Dua Lipa, Sharon Osbourne, Gayle King and more announced the nominees Nov. 24. Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Meanwhile, first-time nominees include Megan Thee Stallion, BTS, Harry Styles and the Strokes.
Related: Complete List of 2021 Grammy Nominees
Where and how to watch or stream the Grammys 2021 on TV or online?
The 63rd annual Grammys will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS. Viewers can also stream the ceremony on CBS All Access.
Will the 2021 Grammys have a live audience?
Probably not. Mason previously revealed to Variety that the goal is for the show to be 100 percent live without pre-recorded elements. “We’re looking at Staples with a limited audience, although that seems increasingly unlikely; Staples with live performances and no audience; or something a little more virtual, with some elements from different locations,” he said. “We’re still waiting to hear back from our partners at the network and the venue and our medical experts, because obviously we want this to be safe for everyone.”
Related: The 13 Most Epic Award Show Acceptance Speeches of the 2010s
Who is the 2021 Grammy Awards host?
Trevor Noah is set to host the Grammys for the first time. “Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the GRAMMYs® have refused to have me sing or be nominated for best pop album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event,” the host of The Daily Show said in a statement. “I think as a one-time GRAMMY® nominee, I am the best person to provide a shoulder to all the amazing artists who do not win on the night because I too know the pain of not winning the award! (This is a metaphorical shoulder, I’m not trying to catch Corona). See you at the 63rd GRAMMYs!”
Who is performing at the Grammys 2021?
Check back for updates on performers!
Next, see which stars won at the 2020 Grammy Awards!
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Funnier in Five Minutes! Easy Expert Tips to Get More Laughs
August 27, 2018 – 9:24 AM – 0 Comments
Not everyone wants to be funny. But if you wish you had the wit of the person who is always the life of the party, there’s a good chance you can add a little more humor to your personal routine.
Legend and master of comedy writing Gene Perret believes that your funny bone can be fine tuned. He’s written over 50 books that tackle the topic of humor, including instruction and joke books.
“Everybody is born with certain talents, certain things…some people know comedy or use comedy a little bit better than others. But still in all, if you have an inclination to it, if you feel compelled to do it, it can be developed. That’s the way I feel about it,” says the three-time Emmy Award-winning writer who would often crank out 200 to 300 jokes a day when writing for Bob Hope.
I asked a few more comedy and humor experts to get their tips for amping up the funny in your daily life. Try them out and see if you can bring a little more laughter to the scene.
Humor doesn’t always require role-playing. Says Donna Cavanagh, founder of HumorOutcasts.com and HumorOutcasts Press and author of How to Write and Share Humor: Techniques to Tickle Funny Bones & Win Fans, “The No. 1 rule for me on being funny is being authentic. People will pick up when you try too hard for a joke. It comes through when your humor reaches too far. For beginners, the best funny is building on your own experiences. You can use puns, exaggeration, sarcasm—so many different ‘tools’ to get the laugh, but everything is built on the fact you are being authentic.”
Humorous content is all around you. “The key to being funny in the real world is being able to recognize what is funny about the real world. Observe offbeat behaviors. Keep your ears peeled to the unlikely things people say. You will shake your head and tell yourself, ‘You couldn’t write this,’” notes hit sitcom writer/producer Bruce Ferber whose keen observational skills can also be detected in his novels including the award-winning Cascade Falls.
Being funnier might involve interacting with others, but those conversations you have with yourself can generate plenty of content, says comedy/joke writer and producer Linda Perret. “My favorite tip for others, as well as myself, is to ‘find the funny.’” Perret, who likely got some of her funny genes from dad Gene (The father-daughter duo even have a free joke website to help others get in the comedy groove.), has written for legendary comics and produces stand-up comedy events where she witnesses the impact of humor in action. “When you find yourself in a stressed out or uncomfortable situation ask yourself, ‘What’s funny about this?’ It forces you to focus on what’s funny, and there’s funny all around us.”
If you want people to tune into your sense of humor, you have to tune into yourself. “We talk to ourselves all the time, but do we listen? When I find myself laughing, I write down my thoughts. At least some people will find them funny, too,” says character comedian, comedy legacy and actress Karen Knotts (She is the daughter of legendary funnyman Don Knotts.).
Consider Props
Stand-up comic, late night television veteran and America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Wendy Liebman makes a living out of making people laugh. So it’s hardly surprising that she would take her suggestion to the next level. And what’s not to love when it involves a sugar rush?
“When I want to make someone laugh in real life (as opposed to when I’m on stage where I tell one-liners) I tend to do prop comedy. For example, if I’m at the supermarket with my husband, I might put 16 bags of marshmallows in our cart when he’s not looking, or if I’m trying to make a kid smile I’ll put my glasses on crooked,” says the stand-up star of Wendy Liebman: Taller on TV.
Knotts concurs on the power of props and believes these tools can help you find your funny side. “Put on a clown nose. Wear a Mr. Potato hat. Carry a sign: ‘God speaks to me.’ Write down the jokes he tells you,” says the woman behind the heartwarmingly hilarious one-woman show Tied Up in Knotts.
Superstar singing ventriloquist and top Vegas entertainer Terry Fator blends comedy into his sell-out shows every night. He’s always prepared to hit the stage like a pro, but Fator says being proactive can help make you a little funnier.
“By proactive I mean that in any situation where you are giving a presentation or even in ordinary conversation, have a story in your back pocket about yourself or something you saw that day which allows you to be an outside commentator on yourself or the incident. Think of yourself as a martian who has arrived on earth and is trying to tell what he or she saw—‘What is funny stupid about that moment?’,” explains the entertainer and America’s Got Talent Season 2 winner.
One of the most important parts of preparation? Don’t go into comedy clueless. Fator has put in the hours delighting audiences to be an expert on this one. “Know your audience,” stresses Fator.
Liebman agrees. “Bottom line, think about what might delight the people around you!” And that could mean recycling the funny. “If something makes your family laugh, like if your grandmother drops the turkey, remind them of it the next year—that’s called a ‘call-back’ and you’ll get them going again!”
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Home » News » Morgellons: Expert Says Awareness and Early Treatment are Paramount
(NaturalNews) Morgellons is a terrifying disease reaching pandemic status. Yet because the symptoms of the disease are so bizarre, people who have it tend to withdraw and become isolated from society. With mysterious fibers and parasites coming through lesions in their skin, Morgellons sufferers often live in fear. As a result there is no pressure on the medical establishment to become educated about the disease, and most practitioners continue to view it as isolated instances of delusional parasitosis. Because Morgellons affects cognitive functioning and the ability to communicate, its victims are often unable to advocate for themselves, and few are knowledgeable or willing to advocate for them. Trisha Springstead, a former surgical charge nurse and clinical educator who now works as an advocate for patient’s rights, has stepped in to fill some of this gap. Both knowledgeable and experienced with Morgellons, Trisha agreed to be interviewed to provide the kind of insight into the disease that can only come from direct experience.
Barbara: Trisha, thank you for doing this interview. It’s time for information about this disease to become widely available. Hopefully this is a start. Is incidence of Morgellons confined to the U.S.?
Trisha: Morgellons is everywhere. It’s in Australia, England, Germany. The only country where people have not reported cases of Moregllons is Iceland. Dr. Neculai Dulceanu, Head of the Department of Parasitology in Romania just scraped these from the skin of a 75 year old woman there [shows slides of fibers and parasites]. He found Rotifers and Collembola in her skin using a needle aspiration biopsy. As you can see, this shows how the fibers and parasites are intermixed. When you look deep enough into the skin, this is what you find.
No one truly knows how many people have this disease, as many of the persons I have spoken with have not reported to any database. Most people with Morgellons seem to think they are the only ones who have it, so awareness is paramount. It is so important for me to let new patients know they are not alone, and that there are thousands and thousands of people with this disease.
What I have seen is that so very many people are isolating themselves. With increased awareness and validation, I am beginning to get phone calls from isolated people who have only had this disease for a short time, like five months. These people get referred to me by word of mouth and my name is all over the internet. When people with the disease peruse the internet they find my name and email me or call me. This is the best time to get patients, because at this point they just have the crawling and biting sensations. The disease is not yet full blown. Last week I had 30 calls. I have a phone number that is in my lab, and young people in their twenties and thirties are calling. This is because they are internet savvy.
I’ve set up an internet reporting site where people can report that they suspect they have Morgellons. I send those reports to my Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite. Congresswoman Waite sent a letter to the head of the CDC in May of 2007. Now there is a new head at the CDC and we are back and square one tying to get them to understand what is going on.
Barbara: Tell me some numbers so we can get a feel for the scope of the disease as it is now.
Trisha: The Morgellons Research Foundation has over 13,561 reported families. Not persons, but families. Oklahoma State University has over 20,000 families registered. About 600 people have reported their disease to me, and some have reported to the CDC. My source at CDC told me that this is the most reported disease entity since the reports of HIV/AIDS. And yet so many people have not reported out of fear. The CDC wants to keep it quiet because they are afraid of mass hysteria and mass pandemonium.
There is a huge concern among many sufferers that they are going to be rounded up and put in a camp like lepers, so they don’t report.
My husband is an orthopedic surgeon. He has seen six Morgellons partients come into his office, in a very small town, Brookville. These people just happened to come to him for their joint problems, and I have taught him what to look for to diagnose Morgellons. Barbara, if he has seen six right here, it means there is a huge epidemic. And since it is world wide, it is a pandemic.
The sufferers are frenzied, and scared. I can tell you with utmost certainty, at this point in the syndrome there is not a state large enough to hold all these sufferers. Look at the numbers from Oklahoma State University. The people with this disease are so secretive and opaque that this 20,000 is just the tip of the iceberg in my estimation.
I have a teleconference call every Tuesday evening with nurses from Florida to Alaska who are working with Morgellons sufferers. Last evening we went from 9 pm to 12:30 in the morning. I spoke to them regarding advocacy and how to help raise awareness. If you are interested I will see if they wouldn’t mind getting you in on the next phone call. It is the nurses that are the ones who are giving out information and trying to help others and teach the doctors about this emerging pandemic.
Barbara: I’m almost afraid to ask this, but is the disease contagious?
Trisha: The jury is out on that as far as I am concerned. Many of the nurses caring for these people in hiding do not have the disease. I believe some can be contagious but I truly believe that would be the exception and not the rule. Do I believe that some were exposed to something else at the same time they contracted this…absolutely. I interviewed the captain of a boat on Monday and I spent five hours in their home. They were the most kind and decent people. The husband has the disease, but the wife and children do not. I hugged them all and did a very in depth assessment. Dr. Randy Wymore does not have the disease, and all the doctors I work with except two of them do not have the disease. Hundreds of people I have spoken with have one or two family members that have the disease, and the rest do not.
Barbara: What happens to people who are so reluctant to come forth?
Trisha: Since doctors are so unresponsive to these people, they have gone to the internet. There are boards all over where people talk about this disease. There are many videos on YouTube. They are giving each other advice and there are no medical professionals there to tell them whoa…hold on…please don’t bathe in bleach, ammonia or toxic chemicals. Hold up on the dangerous advice. People who listen to this type of advice are going to have to make a decision in a few years about what type of lung cancer treatment they want. Or they will be looking for a liver transplant, because they have poisoned themselves. People with Morgellons become very desperate and understandably so, but treating themselves with chemicals they don’t understand is so dangerous. Some take de-wormers and Ivermectin or Albendazole for the weight of a horse because they don’t know how to calculate kilograms of body weight, and they get the stuff from a vet or a feed store.
Barbara: What is the knowledge about how Morgellons is transmitted?
Trisha: No one knows for certain how it is being transmitted. GMOs certainly have not been ruled out. Actually, nothing has been ruled out. I keep going back to water, soil, mold and pesticides. Water, soil, mold and pesticides, but I haven’t as yet been able to get beyond that to a true understanding. I personally believe that it is man’s misuse of the earth with Frankenscience, GMOs, and thinking they can rearrange natural ecosystems of the earth that has created this mess. I believe the disease is also vector borne in many cases. Some of the people I have spoken with distinctly remember a bite, then a red, raised area on the skin. Then it became a rash, ulcers and full blown lesions all over their bodies. Then the bugs. The bugs are the progression of Morgellons. No doubt about it. The sicker the patients become, the more the parasites build up in the body, the deeper the brain fog, and then they begin purging out bugs.
Vitaly Citovsky at Stonybrook in New York studied the fibers of 10 patients and said they hadAgrobacterium Tumafaciensin their bodies (the bacterium that causes crown gall disease in plants), but what amazed him the most was that he found a biofilm on the skins of these people. It is almost like a pseudo skin. We have to penetrate that biofilm and draw this stuff out of the body or these people will never get better. If you don’t, it will stay in the skin and get worse.
Dr. Kalani said the fibers from Morgellons patients were fungal. Because the body becomes like soil, fungus is attracted. The fibers are coated with theAgobacterium, which is a pathogenic fungus also known as Agent Green. Whether it is getting in the lungs, being ingested, or is vector borne or transmitted sweat to sweat is the big question.
I took slides to my friend who is an entomologist and we found fungal hyphae, alternarium, and pathogenic funguses on the slides. These are not things that grow in humans. They are organisms that grow in plants. So the human bodies of these sufferers are becoming like soil and that does that attract? Fungus, mold and parasites.
The bodies of people with Morgellons become very acidic and so we are working with pH buffers. Johns Hopkins and even Harvard have proven that many chronic diseases, especially cancer, cannot survive in a perfectly alkaline body. So, just as we raise soil alkalinity to make it more hospitable to plant life, we must alkalinize the body to fight these pathogens. If you look at my website, there is an alkaline chart and an 80% alkaline, 20% acidic diet is on there. But if you can’t do it with diet, you can buffer your pH safely. There are websites that have great pH buffers and teach sufferers how to check their urine twice a day. If they are too acidic, they can take two buffers and not the whole bottle, and check their urine again in the evening.
We have so many people who worked at the Aberdeen Proving grounds (site of munitions testing in Maryland) that now have Morgellons. They were truckers for a multimillion dollar company called Horvath. I called the owner of Horvath and told her, “Do you not understand that you have truckers who are very sick because they were exposed to soil contaminants at Aberdeen?” This woman, Sheila Horvath, said, “[S]peak to my lawyer”. No one wants to go up against this company in Maryland because they have power and money. The people with the disease and I want to know what was in that soil.
There are Morgellons sufferers in the Poconos and I speak with them when I can. They are having a hard time getting lost wages and disability, and have been called delusional. Barbara, they are the salt of the earth, just good, kind people. They are not delusional. I am beginning to think the doctors who label them only say “delusional” because they don’t want to look at this.
Then, as you know, there are doctors with this disease. Dr. James Matthews in Maryland almost lost his license because he was trying to help people. I saw where you commented on Dr. Beverly Drottar in your earlier article. They are the tip of the iceberg. How many biologists have this disease? I know that nurses are the number one reported sufferers, and that teachers are number two. Is it because they are reporting their disease and not hiding? That is a question I have been asking in this political quagmire, but I have no answers.
I just spoke with a woman in Tampa whose husband has had Morgellons for three years. She has a drawer full of anti-psychotic prescriptions. Their home in Grand Cayman was flooded. When they went back to it two months after the storm, he contracted Morgellons. She told me you could smell the mold from the street. Now he is a full blown case because they searched for three years to get help before they finally found Dr. Susan Kolb in Atlanta. Now he has lesions all over his legs, moving into his abdomen with bugs coming out of his body. I got him in to see Dr. Cheryl Reed in Tampa. I just spoke to her and she said he is a mess. She is getting labs to determine his liver enzymes, and is doing other studies. The jury is still out on him.
Fusarium Osysporum is a pathogenic fungus that we have seen in skin scrapings from patients. This is being sprayed on crops in the war on drugs. I have guys coming back from Afganistan with the disease. What is the biggest crop there? Opium.
BREAKING: The cure for Morgellons is here!
Morgellons: Expert Says Awareness and Early Treatment are Paramount2020-01-162020-05-15/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pci-white.pngPCI Wellness Storehttps://pciwellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/morgellons.jpg200px200px
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August 25, 2019/ Evan Kirkwood / Mobile, Wireless / 0 comments
An LTE capable phone has the hardware and operating system software required to connect to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular network. LTE is a “4th Generation” (4G) wireless communications standard designed to provide up to 10 times the speeds of “3rd Generation” (3G) networks for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks and wireless hotspots.
LTE capable phones have been available to consumers for some time. For example, the first LTE capable phone introduced by Apple was the iPhone 5 released in 2012, and all iPhone models since are LTE capable phones. LTE capability varies with other manufacturers, but many popular Android brands including Samsung, HTC and Motorola, have been shipping LTE capable phones since 2011. Availability of LTE capable phones varies around the world, but virtually all new phones released in North America in the last 5 years are LTE capable.
Having an LTE capable phone does not mean that you will always be connected to an LTE network, however. LTE works on different physical network hardware than older 3G and EDGE networks. Cellular network operators have had to roll out new equipment to support LTE. In a recent report from Opensignal, Canada’s nationwide operators – Bell, Rogers and Telus – all had LTE availability around 87%, meaning testers were able to connect to an LTE network in nearly nine out of 10 attempts. But according to the CRTC, many Canadians, particularly those in rural and remote areas, do not have adequate access to LTE service. And even in areas with LTE coverage, local interference may prevent your phone from connecting to an LTE network.
So, while nearly any cellphone purchased in recent years is LTE capable, it’s important to know that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll always have LTE service, which is a requirement for receiving wireless public alerts from Canada’s national emergency alert system, Alert Ready. To help ensure you receive emergency alerts, even if your phone is LTE capable, you can download the Alertable app, which works over any cellular or WiFi data connection.
Tags AndroidiPhoneLTE
While most cellphones purchased in recent years will be LTE-capable, when and where you purchased your phone may determine whether it is able to receive emergency wireless alerts. When...
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The Penn Group News
H > Skechers shoe store is joining Marlton shopping center
Skechers shoe store is joining Marlton shopping center
Celeste E. Whittaker, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
Published 6:25 a.m. ET Oct. 19, 2018
(Photo: Skechers)
EVESHAM – Skechers is coming to town.
It will open a location at The Willow Ridge Plaza, where Famous Footwear used to operate a shoe store at 744 Route 73 South.
A company spokesperson said it will be a warehouse store, which is very similar to an outlet store but can carry more of a variety. The store is expected to open later this year.
Skechers USA Inc. is based in Manhattan Beach, California, and designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for adults, according to its website. It sells shoes in the U.S and more than 170 other countries and territories.
There are Skechers Factory Outlets at the Gloucester Premium Outlets in Blackwood; the Jackson Premium Outlets in Jackson, Ocean County; the Atlantic City Outlets; and Philadelphia Mills.
A Skechers warehouse store is set to open at the Willow Ridge shopping center in Marlton in late 2018. (Photo: Jim Riccioli/Now News Group)
The Willow Ridge shopping center is between Commonwealth and Ardsley drives. Other stores in the center include Marshalls, Rastelli Market Fresh, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Ulta Salon, Five Below and Lane Bryant.
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J&J builds case for HIV vaccine ahead of pivotal trial readout
Johnson & Johnson has moved a step closer to the goal of developing a vaccine that can help prevent HIV infection, thanks to positive data from a phase 1/2a trial.
The results are the first data to emerge from the TRAVERSE study of J&J’s tetravalent HIV vaccine Ad26.Mos4.HIV in HIV-negative volunteers, and show that – as well as being well-tolerated – the vaccine significantly improves immune responses compared to an older, trivalent candidate (Ad26.Mos.HIV). The study is one of the featured studies at the HIV Research for Prevention (HIV4RP) conference that is taking place in Madrid, Spain this week.
Antiretroviral drugs can keep HIV under control in people already infected with the virus, but there’s still no cure and therefore a critical need for a vaccine that can prevent new infections. Despite more than 30 years of research, the tendency of the virus to mutate means that classical approaches to vaccine design have been ineffective, and at least four prior vaccine candidates have failed in clinical trials to date.
J&J’s Janssen Pharma unit is trying to develop a universal vaccine that could be deployed against any strain of HIV, and the latest iteration of that effort is a ‘mosaic’ vaccine that combines immunogens created using genes from a wide variety of HIV-1 subtypes.
The immunogens are delivered through viral vectors, including Janssen’s AdVac technology based on adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26). The viral vectors are combined with other components such as soluble proteins to create regimens that first prime and then boost the immune system, with the aim of producing stronger and longer-lasting immunity to HIV.
The three protein immunogens included in the trivalent version – Env, Pol and Gag – are accompanied by a fourth Env-related protein in Ad26.Mos4.HIV that aims to boost its immune-boosting potential. It is now in the large-scale Imbokodo efficacy trial to see if it can prevent HIV in 2,600 young women, with results due in 2021. According to UNAIDS, women and girls account for nearly 60% of people living with HIV in eastern and southern Africa.
Initial clinical results using the trivalent mosaic vaccine were reported at the International AIDS Society (IAS) conference earlier this year, but the new TRAVERSE data is the first to show the potential of the tetravalent version, which aims to improve the breadth and functionality of immune responses to the virus.
Daniel Stieh, senior biomarker lead for HIV at Janssen, told an HIV4RP press conference yesterday that the trial involved around 200 patients in the US and Rwanda, who receive four doses of the vaccine over a 12-month period.
The new data come from patients who have received three of those shots and – while both the trivalent and tetravalent candidates elicit cell and antibody responses in all study participants – this was much more pronounced with the latter, he said.
The new data add to the weight of expectation on the Imbokodo trial, but Ad26.Mos4.HIV isn’t the only vaccine efficacy study in play at the moment.
Another study, HVTN 702, is currently underway in South Africa to evaluate a vaccine comprised of one HIV candidate vaccine each from Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline, combined with GSK’s adjuvant MF59, and is also due to generate results in 2021.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to sidestep the lack of a vaccine, two late stage trials are also assessing a passive immunisation approach using a broadly-neutralising antibody (bNAb), called VRC01, that was discovered at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US.
Finding resilience after an HIV diagnosis
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Climate change threatens future astronomical observations
Cloudy skies Auxiliary telescopes at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. (Courtesy: J C Muñoz-Mateos/ESO)
Rising global temperatures could worsen seasonal El Niño events and cause telescope images to lose their quality. That is the finding of an interdisciplinary team of researchers in Germany, who predict that climate-change-induced alterations in temperature, wind speed, humidity and “seeing” – atmospheric turbulence that causes blurring in images – will reduce the clarity of observations at ground-based telescopes around the world. The researchers, led by Faustine Cantalloube of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, argue that climate change therefore needs to be taken into account when building new observatories such as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is currently under construction at Cerro Armazones in Chile’s Atacama desert.
In their study, the researchers focused on the European Southern Observatory’s facility at Cerro Paranal, which is about 20 km from Cerro Armazones. There are three critical parameters for operating astronomical instruments: integrated water vapour (IWV), relative humidity and cloud coverage. They found that high IWV levels at Paranal, which affect astronomical observations in the infrared, were associated with high central equatorial sea surface temperatures during El Niño events. Although such events are a natural, periodic phenomenon, increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration could make them more vicious, thanks to the associated global rise in humidity. A rise in humidity could also cause previously rare catastrophes such as the March 2015 flooding of the Atacama region to become more frequent.
Atmospheric turbulence affecting images
The study also examined the direct effects of increasing temperatures on the four telescopes that make up Paranal’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) array. The dome enclosures that house these telescopes are kept cool during the day so that when the dome opens at sunset, the telescopes are at a similar temperature to the outside air. This cooling is necessary because any temperature difference between the inside of the dome, where the telescopes are found, and its environment can cause air turbulence. The air turbulence distorts the starlight that reaches the telescopes, much like how stars appear to twinkle to the naked eye thanks to turbulence in the higher atmosphere.
The VLT’s current thermal active control system, however, cannot exceed target temperatures of over 16 °C. Since the build-up of atmospheric CO2 is already linked to an increase of 1.5 °C in average temperatures at Paranal to over the past 40 years – 0.5 °C more than the global average – additional local increases in surface temperature could further impair observations.
The researchers used worst-case climate change scenarios on models such as the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) multi-model ensemble to determine climate projections for the region. The results suggest that by the end of the 21st century, Paranal could experience a further 4 °C increase in average temperatures. This would cause a greater difference between the temperatures inside and outside of telescope domes, and generate more air turbulence.
Adaptive optics can help correct for atmospheric turbulence. However, the time lag associated with these corrections creates an imaging artefact known as a wind-driven halo. Such halos are caused by winds from the southern subtropical jet stream, they are visible in ~30-40% of images, and they dramatically reduce the image’s contrast. Many wind-driven halos occur during El Niño events, which are likely to become more frequent as well as more intense as global temperatures rise.
Mitigating the impact of climate change on research
On a global level, Cantalloube notes that increased humidity and worse seeing are far from the most pressing threats to astronomy. “Fires in the US and in Australia already destroyed or were about to destroy observatories,” she explains. “This is the most imminent threat that is a consequence of climate change.” Cantalloube adds that hurricanes in Hawaii, which have become stronger in recent years “could also threaten the Hawaiian-based observatories.” As for Chilean observatories, she says, “the effects are there”.
Disaster-proof astronomy?
According to Cantalloube, interdisciplinary teams like hers will become more prevalent over time as scientists seek to understand the many ways that climate change could impact research capabilities. She notes that her team’s paper, which appears in Nature Astronomy, is a preliminary study, focusing solely on the effects of climate change on observations conducted in Chile. Since climate change will likely affect different regions of the globe in different ways, the team hopes to extend its analysis to cover additional sites. In the meantime, Cantalloube urges members of the astronomy community to “investigate whether climate change and/or environmental signals are also detectable in the observations of other observatories/others fields of research” and “convince political leaders to act now against climate change”.
Chaneil James is a freelance science communicator based in Barcelona
Physics World Jobs
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Germany | Excellence Cluster ORIGINS
ORIGINS Vera Rubin Fellow in Astrophysics, Cosmology, Nuclear, Particle Physics or Biophysics
ORIGINS Research Fellow (m/f/d) in Astrophysics, Cosmology, Nuclear, Particle Physics or Biophysics
Condensed matter | Virtual event Virtual School and Workshop: waiting for the conference on Highly Frustrated Magnetism (wHFM21) 21—27 January 2021
Particle and nuclear | Workshop NuFact 2020 21—26 June 2021 | Cagliari, Italy
Astronomy and space | Conference Physics and Astronomy World Forum 2021 2—4 December 2021 | Frankfurt, Germany
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Ravens Tor, Dovedale
Image ref DCBM200050
Credit Jackson, J W
photographer Jackson, J W S
ImageDate c 1930s
Town Dovedale
Raven's Tor is the first startling feature of Dovedale as one enters the gorge from Milldale and marks the gateway into the dale. The River Dove (from the old British word dubo meaning dark) rises on the high moorlands of Axe Edge and its clear tumbling waters run southwards for 45 miles to join the River Trent. For much of its course, the River Dove runs with one bank in Derbyshire and one in Staffordshire. It follows a meandering course, past Longnor and Hartington and through a series of spectacular limestone gorges, Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, Milldale and Dovedale. The Dove is most of all a walker's river, with its tantalising curves unfolding to show steep wooded sites and white rocks carved into fantastic towers, caves and spires. Around 350 million years ago, the whole of what is now the Peak District was covered with a shallow tropical sea, with deep lagoons fringed by coral reefs. The fossilised remains of sea creatures and corals make up what we call limestone. This rock forms much of what is now Dove Valley. Over the next 50 million years, the Peak District became part of a vast river delta. The sands and mud washed down by the river former the gritstone and shale rocks which lie under the northern part of the Dove Valley. Movements in the earth's crust pushed the rocks upwards and the River Dove was formed, flowing off the moorland. Natural erosion gradually removed the layers of shale and gritstone leaving the limestone dome exposed. At the end of each of the Ice Ages (during the last 2 million years), vast quantities of melting water, carrying rock debris, cut through the layers of limestone, like a knife through butter, to produce the steep and craggy gorges of the Dales. Water erosion formed caves (such as Dove Holes and Reynard's Cave) which were left dry as the river cut an even deeper course. Some of the limestone formed very hard reefs, like those round tropical islands. These were left standing as hills and peaks while the less resistant rocks around were worn down by erosion of wind and water. Reef limestone can be seen in the steep, spear-like Chrome and Parkhouse hills at the northern end of the Dove Valley, Raven Tor, Pickering Tor and the Tissington Spires in the middle and further south, the shapely reef knolls of Bunster Hill and Thorpe Cloud. Caves in the Dove Valley were used as shelters by hunters during the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. The valley has been used continuously since then. Early farmers, about 4,500 - 5,000 years ago, used caves like Reynard's Cave to bury their dead. By Roman times, the caves were in use again, probably as shelters for shepherds. Place names like Thorpe reflect a Scandinavian influence in the area before the Norman Conquest - Thorpe is mentioned in Domesday Book in 1086. Pilsbury Castle was probably built by William the Conqueror and its remains brood above the valley to the north of Hartington today. During Medieval times, pack-horses bringing goods across the country followed a route which crossed Viator's Bridge at Milldale. It is just wide enough for horses to cross and with low parapets to avoid the panniers. Enclosure of the land around the beginning of the 19th century led to more intensive farming, particularly sheep farming. From about a century ago, there was a reduction in the intensity of sheep grazing, as dairy cattle became more important with the coming of cheese factories and railway links to the cities. Dovedale was made famous by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton who wrote The Compleat Angler in the 17th century. The fishing lodge they used is still standing (but not open to the public). Many of the weirs across the river were built to increase the feeding area for trout and so improve the fishing. The river also powered several mills. The conservation value of the Dove Valley was recognised by the National Trust through its acquisition of the South Peak Estate, much of which lies in Dovedale and Wolfscote Dale. North of Hartington, the river Dove follows the boundary between the limestone (on the Derbyshire bank) and the shales (on the Staffordshire bank). This affects the vegetation and wildlife, so that different species can be found on each side of the river. North of Hartington, the river Dove follows the boundary between the limestone (on the Derbyshire bank) and the shales (on the Staffordshire bank). This affects the vegetation and wildlife, so that different species can be found on each side of the river. South of Hartington, it is in the limestone dales that the most varied and interesting wildlife is found. The whole dale system of the Dove Valley is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology flora and fauna. Three habitats are of particular interest: Dovedale Wood is one of the best ashwoods in the country (but not open to the public). Ancient woodlands like these have much more wildlife value than plantations or other new woodland. Rocks and screes which have resulted from the effect of frost on the cliffs above, have developed specialised flora with mosses, lichens and flowers such as Herb Robert. If movement stops, eventually screes become flower rich grasslands, or woodland, with a great variety of attractive flowers. The flowers encourage a range of insects including butterflies and moths. The best grassland has been maintained by sheep grazing. The reduction in sheep grazing in some dales over the last 100 years has allowed scrub (shrubs such as hawthorn) and long grasses, to grow. The National Trust have cut back shrubs which hid famous rock features and have re-introduced sheep grazing. One area that has recently been cleared is around the Twelve Apostles (famous rocks). On the shale area north of Hartington, the cuckoo flower is common on the grassland. This provides food for the caterpillars of the orange-tip butterfly. Herons often feed in the quiet, northern stretches of the river. Trout, dippers, grey wagtails, moorhens and water voles can be seen in, on and by the river. The river has long been associated with tourism. In the 18th century and later, a popular summer activity with visiting gentry was to visit the beauty spots of Dovedale and Ilam. As road transport improved and the arrival of the railways brought easier travel, Dovedale continued to grow in popularity with visitors. Dovedale was proposed as a separate National Park in the 1930s. It was eventually included within the Peak District National Park when it became Britain's first National Park in 1951. In the Peak National Park Visitor Survey on 1986/87 it was found that distinctive landscape was the characteristic most appreciated by 66% of visitors to the Peak Park - and Dovedale is rightly famous for its distinctive landscape. Of the 22 million visits made to the Peak Park every year, a high proportion of people stop in the Dove Valley. Over 2 million visits are made each year to the Dove and Manifold Valleys. Of these visits, 9% of the people come for sightseeing along and a further 21% visit the area to walk (Peak National Park Visitor Survey 1986/87). There are popular walks for both the serious and the casual walker - the most frequent trodden being that along the river bank between the car parks at Dovedale and Milldale. Fishing is another popular activity and some of the fishing rights are owned by the Izaak Walton Hotel (itself part of the Duke of Rutland's estate). A footpath count in Dovedale on a typical August Sunday in 1990 notched up 4421 walkers on the Staffordshire bank of the river and 3597 on the Derbyshire bank. It is the enormous popularity of the Dovedale area and the pressures brought by the many thousands of pairs of feet, that has caused serious problems of congestion and erosion. In 1976 a Plan was drawn up to try and identify the main problems and do something about them. Much has been achieved through co-operation between the various landowners. Car parking was becoming unsightly and causing congestion and damage to the ground: By 1991 car parking on the prominent slopes of Bunster Hill had been removed. The main car park at Dovedale (205 spaces) had been landscaped. An overflow car park (190 spaces) had been provided at the foot of the hill. A new car park at Milldale (60 spaces) had been provided. Parking arrangements at Thorpe, Ilam and Blore Pastures had been improved. The footpath along the river from the Stepping Stones to Hartington had become eroded and muddy: By 1991 the whole of this footpath from the Stepping Stones through Wolfscote Dale and Beresford Dale had been repaired to provide a firm and long-lasting surface for walkers. Both Bunster Hill and Thorpe Cloud had serious erosion problems: By 1991 areas of Bunster Hill suffering from erosion had been restored. The foot of Thorpe Cloud had been fenced to stop visitors scrambling up the hillside. Facilities for staying visitors were good, with Youth Hostels at Illam and Hartington as well as camp and caravan sites at Wetton and Alstonefield, but facilities for day visitors were limited: By 1991 toilets at Dovedale had been improved and provided facilities for the disabled. Further toilet facilities had been provided. A footpath from the coach layby to the car park has been constructed so that people can avoid the road. The road beyond the car park has been closed to traffic and is now suitable for wheelchairs and prams. A full-time Ranger Service, and the National Trust Warden Service based at Ilam Hall, offer help and advice to visitors, There is also a National Trust Information Centre and shop at Ilam Hall. The National Trust have a small Information Centre and car park at Milldale, in a converted barn. An Information Centre for Dovedale has been discussed, but so far a scheme has not been implemented. The Peak District National Park Environmental Education Service (in conjunction with the National Trust and Youth Hostels Association) has set up a base for educational visits, either on a day basis or a residential basis. (All of the above information is extracted from 'The Peak District National Park web site: Fact Zone 8)
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Essentials of Hijab
As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu
Essentials of Hijab – Significado del hijab. ¿Porqué se cubren las mujeres musulmanas?
A Detailed Exposition of the Fiqh of Covering One’s Nakedness (awra)
SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 BY EDITOR (From questions asked at Seeker’s Hub) Answered by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam
Question: Can you please explain in detail the awra of a woman in different situation, in front of men, women, unmarriagable kin and so forth?
Answer: The covering of one’s nakedness (awra) is of utmost importance for a male and female in Islam, thus the Qur’an and Sunnah have laid great emphasis with regards to this. We also see the various books of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) discussing the issues relating to the Awra of both the male and female in great detail. In this brief article, I will attempt to shed some light and look comprehensively as to what is a woman’s Awra.
Awra is an Arabic term the plural of which is Awrat. Linguistically, it means a hidden and secret place, and a person’s Awra is that which must be kept hidden. It also refers to everything that causes shame when exposed, thus, the Awra of an individual is the area of the body which (normally) causes embarrassment if exposed. (Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, 9/370).In the terminology of Islamic Jurisprudence, Awra refers to the area or part of the body that must be covered with appropriate clothing. In the English language, it is normally translated as ‘nakedness’ or ‘area of the body that must be concealed’. Many people (normally form the Indo/pak) refer to it as ‘Satar’. For the purpose of simplicity, I will use the term ‘Awra’ in this article, Insha Allah.The Awra of a womanA woman’s Awra can be initially divided into two categories:1) Inside prayer
2) Outside prayer
The latter is then divided into further sub-categories:
a) In seclusion
b) In front of the husband
c) In front of Muslim women
d) In front of Mahram males (unmarriageable kin)
e) In front of non-Mahram males
f) In front of non-Muslim women
g) In front of non-Muslim Mahram males
1) Awra inside prayer (Salat)
A woman’s Awra whilst performing Salat consists of the whole body except the face, hands and feet. Allah Most High says: “O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel (zeenah) at every time and place of prayer.” (Surah al-A’raf, 31)
The majority of the Companions (Allah be pleased with them all), their followers (tabi’un), Jurists and exegetes of the Qur’an have deduced from this verse (along with the other evidences) the obligation of covering one’s Awra in prayer. (See: Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur’an, 4/205, Ma’arif al-Qur’an (English), 3/565)
Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who experiences menstruation (i.e. who has reached puberty, m) except with a head cover (khimar).” (Sunan Abu Dawud, no. 641, Sunan Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah and others)
The great Hanafi jurist, Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) states in his renowned Durr al-Mukhtar:
“The Awra for a free woman (i.e. not a slave, m) is her full body including her descending hair according to the correct opinion, except for the face, hands……and feet”. (See Radd al-Muhtar, 1/405).
Therefore, a woman must cover herself properly when performing Salat. Everything besides the face, hands and feet must be covered. The face must be covered properly so that no hair is exposed. Also, care should be taken that no part from above the wrists and ankles is exposed.
It must be remembered that the Awra whilst performing Salat must be covered regardless of another person being present or otherwise, and regardless of whether one is performing Salat in dark or light. (Maraqi al-Falah, 210)
The feet, according to the more correct opinion, is not regarded as part of Awra. However, due to the difference of opinion with regards to it, it would be more precautious and advisable to cover them, as it will be explained in detail later.
With regards to the area below the chin, it should be remembered that the limit of the face in length starts from the point where the hairline usually begins to the bottom of the chin, and in breadth the portion between the two earlobes. (Maraqi al-Falah, P. 58)
Keeping this in mind, it becomes clear that the area below the chin is not included in the face, thus it would fall within the legal definition of Awra, and one should try to cover it. However, because of the difficulty in covering it, if a little part of it became exposed, there should not be a problem.
Finally, (in this section), the Awra must be concealed from before entering into Salat and must remain concealed until the end. If quarter of a part/organ that requires concealment is exposed before initiating Salat, then Salat will not be valid from the outset. If however, quarter of the organ which is included in the Awra becomes exposed during Salat, then, if this remains to the duration of reciting Subhan Allah thrice, Salat will become invalid, otherwise, it will be valid. (See: Maraqi al-Falah, P. 242)
Note) One should consult a scholar with regards to how the parts of the body are categorized and divided, for at times, one may regard a organ of the body to be one part, whereas, legally, it may be considered to be two parts.
2) Awra outside prayer
a) Awra in privacy and seclusion
It is necessary (wajib) (and recommended according to another opinion) in the Hanafi school, to cover one’s minimum nakedness (between the navel and knee for both men and women) even when alone. The exception to this is when there is a need, such as taking a shower, relieving oneself, or changing one’s clothes. Even in such situations, it is recommended to minimize the exposure.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Modesty is part of faith (iman).” (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)
Ya’la ibn Umayya reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Verily Allah is modest and discreet and He likes modesty and discretion. When one of you takes a bath, one should cover one’s self.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Nasa’I & Musnad Ahmad). This is a command of recommendation when alone.
Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) said in his Durr al-Mukhtar:
“(And to cover one’s Awra), this is a general obligation, even when alone, according to the correct opinion, unless it is for a valid reason.”
Allama Ibn Abidin (Allah have mercy on him) writes whilst commentating on the above in his Radd al-Muhtar:
“(al-Haskafi’s statement “Even when alone”) That is: Outside of prayer, it is obligatory to cover one’s Awra in front of others by scholarly consensus, and even when alone according to the correct opinion…..
Now, the apparent meaning of covering one’s Awra when alone outside of prayer (in this context) is that only which is between the navel and knees, such that even women do not have to cover other than that (when alone) even if it is of their Awra in front of others….
(al-Haskafi’s statement “According to the correct opinion) For Allah Most High, even though He sees the covered just as He sees the naked, sees the one with their nakedness uncovered leaving proper manners and sees the covered exhibiting proper manners. These proper manners (here) are obligatory whenever there is ability to exercise them.
(al-Haskafi’s statement “Unless it is for a valid reason”) Such as, using the toilet or cleaning one self (istinja)”. (See: Radd al-Muhtar, 1/405, matlab fi satr al-awra).
Therefore, (according to the more correct opinion), a woman must cover even in privacy between her navel and (including) knees except when there is a need, such as relieving herself, showering, changing her cloths, etc…
b) Awra in front of the husband
In principle, it is permissible for the spouses to look at any part of each others body. As such, there is no Awra in front of the spouse (for this will be exempted from the ruling of concealing in privacy due to need).
Scholars mention however, that although it is permissible for the spouses to look at any part of the partner’s body, it is disliked that they become completely naked during cohabitation. A cover or sheet over the naked bodies would be sufficient.
Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allah’s (Allah bless him & give him peace) private parts”. (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith no. 662)
c) Awra in front of Muslim women
The Awra of a woman in front of fellow Muslim women is the same to that which is a man’s Awra in front of other men, i.e. from the navel up to and including the knees.
It is stated in al-Hidaya:
“A woman may see of another (Muslim, m) woman that which is permitted for a man to see of another man, due to them being from the same sex, and the non-existence of desire (shahwa) between them normally…..Similarly, due to the need and requirement of them exposing amongst themselves”. (See: al-Marghinani, al-Hidaya, 4/461).
Therefore, a woman must cover from the navel up to and including her knees in front of other Muslim women.
d) Awra in front of (Muslim) Mahrams (unmarriageable kin)
The Awra of a woman in front of her Mahram men (those with whom marriage is permanently unlawful), such as the father, brother, son, paternal uncle (father’s brother), maternal uncle (mother’s brother), father in-law, grandson, husband’s son (from another marriage), son in-law, etc consists of the area between the navel and knees, and also the stomach and back.
Thus, it will be permissible for a woman to expose the following parts of her body in front of Mahram males: head, hair, face, neck, chest, shoulders, hands, forearms, and legs from below the knees. It will not be permissible to expose the stomach, back or any area which is between the navel and knees. (See: al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5/328 & al-Hidaya, 4/461).
This ruling is based on the verse of the Qur’an in Surah al- Nur:
“They (believing women) must not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their sons, their husband’s sons, their brothers, their brother’s sons, their sister’s sons or their women…” (24-31).
It will also be permissible for a Mahram to touch those parts that are permissible to expose in front of them, provided there is no fear of temptation or desire.
Imam al-Quduri (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“There is nothing wrong in touching those parts that are permissible to see” (Mukhtasar al-Quduri).
However, it should be remembered that if there is a fear of temptation (fitna), then it will be impermissible to expose these parts even in front of Mahrams, neither will it be permissible to see or touch those areas of a Mahrams body. (See: al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab, 3/218).
e) Awra in front of non-Mahram males
The Awra in front of non-Mahram males (those with whom marriage is unlawful), which includes cousin brother, brother in-law, paternal uncle (one’s father’s sister’s husband), maternal uncle (one’s mother’s sister’s husband), husband’s uncle, husband’s nephew, etc) consists of the whole body except the face, hands and feet. It is similar to that which is considered Awra in prayer (salat).
Imam al-Marghinani (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“It is impermissible for a man to look at the whole body of a non-Mahram woman (due to it being part of Awra, m) except for her face and hands, for Allah Most High says: “Women must not display their beauty and ornaments except what appear thereof” (al-Nur, 31). Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) interpreted this verse with the face and hands… This is textual evidence on the impermissibility of looking at her feet (for it is awra, m), but Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) said that it is permitted to look at her feet due to need”. (al-Hidaya, 4/458).
Imam al-Tumurtashi (Allah have mercy on him) states in Tanwir al-Absar:
“A woman’s Awra consists of her whole body except her face, hands and feet. However, she will be prevented from exposing her face in amongst men due to the fear of temptation (fitna)”.
Therefore, a woman’s Awra in front of non-Mahram men is her whole body except her face, hands and feet.
It must be remarked here that there is a difference between Awra and Niqab or Hijab. Due to the failure of distinguishing between the two, many people become victims of misinterpreting Islamic law in one way or another.
The face according to the scholars is not part of the Awra, yet, as we have seen in the text of Imam al-Tumurtashi, it will be necessary to cover it due to the fear of temptation and incitement. Ibn Abidin states: “(A young woman will be prevented from exposing her face), not because it is part of Awra, rather (for the fear of temptation)”. (Radd al-Muhtar, 1/406)
Thus, our discussion is solely regarding Awra, and not Hijab or Niqab. As far as the decisive ruling with regards to the covering of the face or otherwise is concerned, we leave that for another time.
It is also worth mentioning here that although the Fatwa position in the Hanafi Madhab is that the feet are not included within the Awra, but there is another strong opinion (within the madhhab and according to other Madhabs, such as the Shafi’is), that they are part of Awra, and must be covered. As such, legally, one will not be sinful for exposing them, but it would be advisable as a precautionary measure to cover them.
Moreover, (according to the Fatwa opinion), it is only allowed to uncover the feet up to the ankles. Anything above the ankles is from the Awra without a doubt. Many women wear veils, Burqas and Jilbabs that normally cover the ankles, but reveal the leg area above this while walking (especially in the wind, sitting and coming out of a car, etc), thus they commit the sin of exposing What is considered Awra according to all.
Therefore, we need to emphasise the importance of covering the feet. Covering the feet is just as important as covering the face if not more, for the face is not considered part of Awra, whilst, there is a strong opinion in the Hanafi Madhhab (and the Fatwa opinion in the other madhhabs) that the feet are.
Those who strongly call for and emphasise the necessity of covering the face (not that I object to them) must also realise that the feet are just of the same importance. At times, all the emphasis is laid upon the face, whilst the woman is seen to expose the area above the ankle while walking and there is no realisation that a sin is being committed.
f) Awra in front of non-Muslim women
The Awra of a woman in front of non-Muslim women is, strictly speaking, the same that is in front of non-Mahram men, i.e. the whole body besides the hands, face and the feet.
The verse of Surah al-Nur that we quoted earlier details the list of people besides whom a woman is not allowed to expose her beauty. Such people (as explained earlier) are known to be her Mahrams (unmarriageable kin). Also, in that verse, Allah Almighty states: “their women” (al-Nur, 31) indicating that a woman must only expose herself to her woman and not others.
The exegetes of the Qur’an differ with regards to the interpretation of this statement of Allah. Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“With regards to the statement of Allah “or their women”, there are two opinions. The first is that it refers to those women who are on the same religion (din) as them (i.e. Muslims, m). This is the opinion of the majority of the predecessors (salaf). Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) states: “It is impermissible for a believing/Muslim woman to uncover herself in front of non-Muslim women, and she is only allowed to expose that what is allowed in front of non-Mahram men… Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah (Allah be pleased with him) to stop non-Muslim women from entering bath areas (hammam) with Muslim women.
The second opinion is that, it refers to all the women (i.e. she may uncover in front of all the women, m). This is the adopted opinion, and the opinion of the predecessors is based on superiority (istihbab)”. (See: Tafsir al-Kabir, 8/365).
As we have seen, that Imam al-Razi (Allah have mercy on him) adopted the second view in that a woman may uncover in front of non-Muslim women to the extent of what she is allowed to uncover in front of Mahram men.
However, many scholars chose the first view, and it is the view that is adopted by the Hanafi School. Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“An unbelieving woman is similar to a non-Mahram man according to the correct opinion. Thus, she is not allowed to see the body of a Muslim woman”. (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/371)
“It is impermissible for a Muslim woman to uncover in front of a Jewish, Christian or a atheist woman except if she is her slave…It is also disliked that a corrupt woman (fasiqa) sees the body of a pious woman, for she may describe her to the men, thus she should avoid taking off her outer garment (jilbab) or scarf (khimar)”. (ibid).
It is evident from the text of Ibn Abidin that the main reason for the impermissibility of uncovering in front of a non-Muslim woman is that she may describe her to other men. If this is feared from a corrupt Muslim woman, then one should avoid uncovering in front of her also.
Therefore, the Awra of a woman in front of non-Muslim women is all her body except her face, hands and feet. Thus, a woman should cover in front of non-Muslim women whenever reasonably possible. However, scholars say that if this is difficult, then it will be permissible to expose some part of the body in front of them.
The ruling of covering in front of non-Muslim women is not as strict as the other situations, for, firstly, there is a difference of opinion between the scholars regarding it, and secondly, it may be at times very difficult to cover in front of women. The great exegete, Imam al-Alusi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“This opinion (of not covering in front of non-Muslim women) is more appropriate these days, for it is almost impossible to cover in front of them”. (Ruh al-Ma’ani)
In conclusion, a woman should cover whenever reasonably possible in front of non-Muslim women, especially when there is fear that she may describe her to other men. Also nowadays, Fitnahs such as lesbianism have become so wide spread that it has become necessary for women to observe caution with non-Muslim women. However, if it is difficult to fully cover, then one may take the concession on not covering and minimising it to the minimum.
g) Awra in front of non-Muslim Mahrams
With regards to a woman’s Awra in front of her Mahrams who are non-Muslim, such as a non-Muslim father, brother, son, etc, I could not find an explicit ruling on the issue in the Hanafi School.
However, it seems that non-Muslim Mahrams are similar to other Mahrams in that a woman may expose herself besides from the navel to the knee and the stomach and back, provided there is no fear of temptation (fitna).
There are two reasons for this:
Firstly, the verse of the Qur’an and the statements of the jurists (fuqaha) are general when discussing Mahrams. They don’t distinguish between a non-Muslim and Muslim Mahram. The Qur’an permits a woman to expose herself (to a degree, as explained above) in front of her father, brother, son, etc without specifying that he be a Muslim.
Secondly, the Fuqaha explicitly mention that a Mahram with whom a woman may go on a journey of Hajj includes also a non-Muslim. Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“A woman may travel for Hajj with her husband or a Mahram, even though if he (Mahram) is a slave or a non-Muslim or (he is considered a Mahram, m) due to breastfeeding. He must have reached puberty and is sane, and a boy who is close to puberty is like the one who has reached puberty, except a fire worshipper and an immoral and corrupt person”.
“The reason why travelling with a Mahram who is a fire worshipper is impermissible, is that they (fire worshippers, m) consider marriage with a close relative to be permissible”. (Radd al-Muhtar, 2/464)
Imam al-Kasani (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“A Mahram is one with whom marriage is permanently unlawful… whether this Mahram is a free person or a slave, for slavery is not contrary to the close relationship (mahramiyya), and whether he is a Muslim, a non-Muslim or an atheist (mushrik), for a non-Muslim Mahram normally safeguards her, except that he is a fire worshipper, for he considers marriage with her to be permissible”. (Badai’i al-Sana’i, 2/124).
It is stated in Fath al-Qadir:
“It is permissible for her to travel with all types of Mahrams except a fire worshipper, for he believes marriage with her to be permissible”. (Ibn al-Humam, Fath al-Qadir, 2/422).
In the Shafi’i Madhhab, we have a clear text permitting the uncovering in front of a non-Muslim Mahram. Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“It is not permissible to look at what lies between the navel and knee of one’s close relative (mahram); everything else is permissible, provided there is no desire (shahwah), and even if he is a non-Muslim, because the close relationship (mahramiyyah) makes marriage unlawful, so it is as if they were two males or two females”. (Tuhfat al-Muhtaj ala al-Minhaj)
Therefore, it would be permissible for a woman to uncover besides the area between the navel and knees, and the stomach and back in front of her non-Muslim Mahrams, provided two conditions are met:
1)That there be no desire (shahwah) or fear of temptation (fitna), especially when we live in a age where evils such as incest among the non-Muslims is becoming common,
2)That the non-Muslim close relative not be from among those who believe that it is permissible to marry close relatives,
Finally before parting, I would like to mention in relation to our discussion three points.
Firstly, it should be remembered that all the parts of the body that need to be covered (in the various situations discussed above) must be covered with clothing that is loose and opaque. The clothing must not be close-fitting whereby the figure of the body is visible or transparent by which the colour of the body is able to be seen. If this is not taken care of, then it will not be regarded to be sufficient covering of the Awra.
Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“Clothing that is considered to be sufficient covering is such that, it is not possible to see thorough them”.
“(It is not possible to see thorough them), meaning in a way that the colour of the skin can not be visible. This exempts thin and other see-through clothing… However, if the clothing is thick in a way that the colour of the skin is not visible, but it is tight to the body, then this should not prevent the validity of Salat… However, it is still impermissible to see that part of the body”. (See: Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, 1/410)
This excerpt of Ibn Abidin explains that if the skin of the body becomes visible in prayer, Salat will become invalid. However, tight clothing would not prevent the validity of prayer, yet it is still necessary not to wear tight-fitting clothing.
Secondly, in all the foregoing occasions where it is permissible to uncover and expose the body, if there is a fear of desire (shahwa) on either side or there is fear of temptation (fitna), then it will be necessary to cover. A woman may make this decision herself in accordance with the surroundings she is in.
Thirdly, it will be permissible to uncover and expose parts of the Awra in cases of extreme need and necessity, such as medication. However, care should be taken that this is limited to only the part that needs treatment. If treatment is needed on the actual private parts, then it would be better to receive treatment from someone of the same sex. However, if this is not possible, then it would be allowed to receive treatment from a specialist of the opposite sex, with taking due care of the injunctions and guidance of Shariah.
Allama Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
“It is permissible for a male physician to view the affected area of a woman for the purpose of medication, provided it is minimised to only the area that actually needs treatment, for necessity is restricted to only the actual need. If the private parts need treatment, then a female should carry out the treatment, as seeing someone of the same sex is less of an evil.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/261)
The above was a comprehensive look at the Awra of a woman. The extent of the Awra differs from one occasion to another and from one person to another. The whole concept and idea behind this is that Islam desires its followers to live a life that is chaste and free from any type of corruption or immorality. This is a basis for every sound and pure society. May Allah guide us all to the straight path, and that we are able to act upon the injunctions of Shariah in a manner that is most pleasing to Allah Almighty.
/ Fundamentos del hijab. ¿Porqué se cubren las mujeres musulmanas?
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Factors I Hate Bestlatinawomen
Thus, it’s important to acknowledge not only the overall contributions of women in tech, but specifically those of women who must overcome systematic disenfranchisement to succeed. Mental health and delay in health care are important health disparities issues among Latinos. The literature also suggests that the mental health field has a dearth of CPBR research models for working with Latino populations, especially in new Latino destinations. Yet researchers and funding agencies, such as Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have promoted the use of CBPR to address health disparities (Viswanathan, Ammerman et al. 2004). At the research field level, using a CPBR approach will move the Latino mental health field forward by providing a participatory model that other researchers can use to successfully involve their communities in research. Although this study had many strengths, including the unique population, the use of a CBPR approach, and the use of standardized variables, it had some limitations. We used a convenience sample based on snowball sampling, which limits generalizability of the findings, because it was the only feasible and affordable option to survey this hard to reach population .
«I think there’s a lot of performative wokeness happening,» Jasmine Tucker, NWLC’s director of research, tellsCNBC Make Itabout the Latina pay gap and why it’s barely improved over the last 30 years. «I think people are saying they care about this issue, but they’re not actually taking steps to address this issue.» Browse 148,827 beautiful latina women stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images.
Latinas are women of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, South American, or Spanish origin. Though Brazil is part of Latin America, it is not a Spanish-speaking country, and is excluded from the category of Latinos by the United States Census office. Then when you tell people you’re Afro-Latino they think you made up a new race and you have to explain. «My Latin roots are very strong. Being Latin is part of who I am and I bring that part to every role,» Cameron Diazhas said. And aside from all of her famous films, her seriously fit figure has also taken center stage—something she inspires us with through her “The Body Book.” In it, she shares her formula for becoming happier, healthier, and stronger through diet, exercise, and positive thinking.
Age and family structure play important roles in women’s labor force participation, as well as employment opportunities. In addition to finding that unexplained wage gap for Hispanic women is greater than the aggregation of the absolute ethnic and gender effects, we also identify particular groups of Hispanic women at an even greater disadvantage. NWLC reports that Latinas who work full-time, year-round jobs and also have a bachelor’s degree generally only earn about $52,037 per year. A White, non-Hispanic man with only an associate’s degree, on the other hand, generally makes $54,620.
Top Guide Of Latin Women
Dubbed the “Voice of Hispanic America” by The New York Times, Salinas has become a figurehead for the Latino community. Born Selena Quintanilla on April 16, 1971, in Texas, the artist known as ‘Selena’ was a pop superstar who brought Mexican Tejano music to the masses. She’s one of the most influential Latin artists of all time, winning a Grammy award in 1993 and a gold record in 1994 with Amor Prohibido.
Learning about her culture will help you know how to treat her better. Especially with interracial relationships, showing that you’re interested with her culture is the same as wanting to know her better — more so when you want to impress a woman in Mexico. Being somewhat fluent will come handy when you want to communicate with her friends and family.
This set the tone for many Latino and Latina immigrants to create works in American society. There are various Latina women involved in organizations and programs that aim to aid Latina women affected/victimized by human trafficking or domestic abuse. Some of these influential women include Maria Jose Fletcher, Laura Zarate, Rosie Hidalgo, Olga Trujillo, Susan Reyna. While Latina women face a multitude of issues in immigrating into the United States, perhaps the most significant ones revolve around basic human rights.
She’s also the face behind her Lopez Family Foundation helping women and kids. We take care of a lot of people, and we can’t forget to take care of ourselves,” she’s said. I’m now the founder of a Los Angeles based startup called BUENA, helping people make the most out of their free time — and setting a tone for creatives and women in the startup community. I am always open to criticism on an article, however, if you’re going to hold such a strong opinion — you should read the full article. You’re saying that I don’t see myself as a human being and that you feel sorry for any Latina that would date me proves that you didn’t read the entire article, my personal story or my blog post addressing identity — how stereotypes are and are not fulfilled.
The largest explained causes of the white-men-to-Hispanic-women gap include the segregation of Hispanic women into lower-paying occupations and lower-paying industries and the disparity in access to education and skills training for many Hispanic women . This has disastrous consequences for the Latino community by denying them monetary resources that would ultimately benefit them. The National Women’s Law Center estimates that the gender wage gap amounts to a loss of $26,095 a year. That amount can mean a lot to a working family attempting to pay its bills, put food on the table, and provide for their children.
The Dirty Truth on Best Latina Women
Much of this trafficking is hard to detect, as it is not usually visible to the public or governmental eye. These wage gaps in the workforce affect Latinas at every socioeconomic status, not just the working class. latina mail order are the most likely group to be paid at or below the minimum wage, with 5.7% of wage and salary workers earning this amount. Of women in the workforce with advanced degrees (master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees), Latinas earn the lowest median weekly earnings of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Despite discrimination in the workforce, Latina participation is on the rise.
From 1970 to 2007 Latinas have seen a 14% increase in labor force participation, which the Center for American Progress calls «a notable rise.» 70.451 latina women stock photos, vectors, and illustrations are available royalty-free. Jennifer Lopez went from anonymous background dancer to international superstar. Working hard and dreaming big, she became the first actress to have a movie and an album (J. Lo) top the charts in the same week.
Dubbed the “Voice of Hispanic America” by The New York Times, Salinas has become a figurehead for the Latino community.
Indeed, Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history.
Born Selena Quintanilla on April 16, 1971, in Texas, the artist known as ‘Selena’ was a pop superstar who brought Mexican Tejano music to the masses.
Raised in a single parent household in the Bronx, Sotomayor went on to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton, go to Yale Law School, and from there become, first a U.S.
With more than 30 years on our screens, Maria Elena Salinas is the longest running female news anchor on U.S. television, and is the first Latina to receive a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.
She’s also an actress, songwriter, author of two New York Times best-selling children’s books, and a humanitarian.
Using Latin Women
Unfortunately, Hispanic women are subject to adouble pay gap—an ethnic pay gap and a gender pay gap. And, this pay gap widened over previous year when it “only” took until November 1 for Hispanic women catch up to non-Hispanic men. Our findings suggest that a large proportion of Latina women in this study may have experienced depression and/or anxiety (46%), which appeared to be substantially related to delaying health care even in the presence of a chronic physical health condition . Overall, the results suggest that mental health concerns were prevalent at the time of this study, even after controlling for acculturation, education, and age in this sample. It is also noteworthy that having achronic physical health condition was associated with delayed care after controlling for all other factors in the model. This finding has implications for adequate monitoring and management of chronic health conditions among Latinas. It is known that Latinos with chronic conditions report poorer management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and they are likely to delay care .
The river is sacred to the Lencas people and her efforts protected her tribe’s access to water, food, and medicine. Her assassination in 2016 sparked global outrage and brought attention to the high rates of environmentalist deaths. The Venezuelan fashion designer has one of the most celebrated careers in the industry. Her elegant dresses have been worn by many First Ladies including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama.
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Addition is Part of Continued Expansion of Leadership Team
Sunrise, Fla., Feb. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MDLIVE Inc., which is focused on delivering high-quality, convenient, cost-effective online medical, dermatological and behavioral healthcare, today announced the appointment of Dan Monahan as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Monahan is a finance executive with more than 20 years of extensive experience driving strong performance and growth across a variety of ownership structures. In his role, Mr. Monahan leads all aspects of finance, accounting, treasury, tax, revenue cycle management and analytics as well as the operational aspects of MDLIVE, including oversight of the company’s Call Center operations and Professional Services business.
“The MDLIVE team is passionate about improving healthcare for consumers and clinicians while driving material outcomes for our clients,” said Rich Berner, Chief Executive Officer of MDLIVE. “Dan brings that passion and track record of financial and operational excellence. He will play a key role in building on our significant growth in member visits, revenue and consumer and client satisfaction in 2019 to enhance and execute MDLIVE’s business strategy and company operations. We warmly welcome him into the MDLIVE family.”
“I feel privileged to join such an elite team of individuals who are unified in their mission to provide the highest quality of online healthcare to as many patients as possible,” said Monahan. “MDLIVE is poised to take the telehealth industry by storm through its innovative product offerings and intelligent online care platform, and I look forward to contributing to MDLIVE’s continued success.”
Prior to MDLIVE, Mr. Monahan was the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations for the Imaging business within Change Healthcare, formerly McKesson, leading initiatives across multiple countries including the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., Ireland and Israel. In this role, he helped drive growth through financial partnerships as well as key operational functions such as sales operations, continuous improvement and logistics. He has also held several key financial and operational leadership roles with Sprint, Nortel Networks, SITA, CDC Software and EMS Technologies. Mr. Monahan’s strength has been in driving business value by fostering a results-oriented environment supported by best-in-class Finance teams and identifying key elements of operations for improvement.
Mr. Monahan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.
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Found: Dinosaur Embryos
By Stephen Green Apr 12, 2013 12:11 PM ET
Paging John Hammond:
Dinosaur embryos wiggled around in their eggs just like the embryos of modern birds, scientists have found. The boffins made the discovery after a cache of fossilised dino bones and eggs were dug up in southwest China.
The scientists are hoping to find out more about the Jurassic-era creatures by analysing remnants of complex proteins found in some of the 190-million-year-old fossils.
The researchers studying the oldest dino-embryo fossils ever found have hypothesised that they moved within the egg to exercise muscles and encourage their bones to grow.
DNA’s half-life is about 500 years, though fragments of incomplete degrading DNA remain as the proteins slowly dissolve over hundreds of thousands of years. These remains are 190 million years old. Nevertheless, one of the scientists found it necessary to explain, here, that “resurrecting a dinosaur is out of the question.”
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Honorary Degree Policy
To honor individuals who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in scholarship, the professions, or other creative endeavors.
To honor alumni and other individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the welfare and development of VCU or the communities of which it is a part.
To recognize exceptional acts of philanthropy to the University.
To elevate the University in the eyes of the world by honoring individuals who are widely known and highly regarded for achievements in their respective fields of endeavor.
Candidates for Honorary Degrees shall be persons of great accomplishment and high ethical standards who exemplify the ideals of Virginia Commonwealth University. Factors to be evaluated in awarding degrees include:
Qualified candidates are considered regardless of race, sex, creed, or national origin.
Intellectual distinction in a particular field.
Extraordinary achievement, which the University wishes to acknowledge.
Extraordinary contribution to the University, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, the world, and society.
A recipient of the degree is forever associated with the University and must be of sufficient stature to bring additional prestige to the University.
There are a number of people who, because of positions held, should not be considered for Honorary Degrees. This group includes members of the Board of Visitors and present employees of the University. In addition, Emeriti Faculty and former members of the Board should only be considered for Honorary Degrees on an exceptional basis.
Recommendations are made to the Executive Assistant to the President and Board of Visitors or the President of Virginia Commonwealth University. Nominations should be accompanied by the following:
A vitae
Letter(s) of endorsement
Additional pertinent information
Honorary Degrees are awarded by the Board of Visitors upon recommendation from the President of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Normally three (3) Honorary Degrees will be awarded within a one-year period.
TIME OF AWARDS
Conferral of Honorary Degrees normally will be made at Commencement.
Public announcement of the award is to be handled exclusively through the Office of the President.
Approved by Eugene P. Trani, President -March 2001
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The electorates with the highest rental stress are probably not where you think they are
Traditionally affordable areas like western Sydney, and regional parts of NSW and southeastern Queensland dominate the 20 electorates with the highest rates of rental stress in Australia, new research shows.
Maggie Coggan | 1 May 2019 at 5:11 pm
Seat by seat analysis, by researchers from the University of NSW for the Everybody’s Home Campaign, has revealed rental stress is being concentrated in outer suburban and regional seats.
The Labor-held seat of Fowler, which includes the western Sydney suburbs of Cabramatta, Wakeley and Canley Heights, topped the list with 44 per cent of renters living in rental stress, or a total of 8,117 households.
It was followed by McMahon in outer-western Sydney (43 per cent), Richmond, which covers the Queensland and NSW border (43 per cent), Blaxland, also in outer-western Sydney (42 per cent), and Watson in Southern Sydney (42 per cent).
Rental stress refers to households with an income in the lowest two income quintiles (the bottom 40 per cent) of Australia’s income distribution who are paying more than 30 per cent of their income in housing costs.
Kate Colvin, the national spokesperson for the Everybody’s Home Campaign, told Pro Bono News the analysis busted the myth that housing affordability was an issue only faced by inner-city renters.
“Traditionally affordable areas of western Sydney, regional NSW, and southeast Queensland actually have more renters doing it tough than areas we often think about as high rent like Melbourne and Sydney,” Colvin said.
“It’s because they are locations that both have increasing rents, but also lots of low-income households.”
Comparatively, inner-city electorates in Sydney ranked 137, Melbourne, 117 and Brisbane, 115, which Colvin said was because the higher incomes of inner-city renters allowed them to better absorb housing costs.
Colvin said that marginal regional seats such as Richmond have the highest rates of low-income earners struggling in the private rental market, which should be a wake-up call to all parties.
“They can’t afford to ignore housing as an issue,” she said. Out of the top 20 electorates, just one was outside of QLD and NSW – Kingston in South Australia which ranked 20th and had 38 per cent rental stress.
Colvin said while NSW and QLD had a high number of people living in poverty, areas like Byron Bay and beachside areas of southeast QLD were becoming increasingly popular for wealthier people.
“It’s a bit of a picture of gentrification,” she said.
She said this could also mean more people falling into homelessness.
“If people are paying so much of their income in rent that they can’t afford other costs, then an emergency like medical bills or food on the table can push people into homelessness,” she said.
Anglicare’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot also revealed on Monday that less than 0.5 per cent of properties were affordable for singles on the Disability Support Pension (DSP), while virtually no properties were affordable for a single person on Newstart.
The Everybody’s Home Campaign has been calling on the government to develop a national strategy to provide 500,000 social and affordable rental homes by 2030 since launching in March 2018.
Colvin said Everybody’s Home was about to release a “candidate action” form to make it easier for the public to have a conversation with their local candidates about the issue of housing and rental affordability.
“This analysis is showing that rental affordability is not really a top priority issue, and so we want those candidates to be making sure that their party has a solid platform that commits to social housing investment,” she said.
Tags : Everybody's Home, Housing Affordability, Rental Stress,
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Transgender girl says it was change sex or die
My life has become a battle with my husband, my mother and my daughter
By Hannah Richardson
BBC News education and social affairs reporter
One week she went to school dressed as a boy, the next she returned in a dress. Ellen was one of the first primary school children to transition in the UK. But her story runs far deeper than simply wearing the right clothes. For her, transitioning was a matter of life or death.
“For a young boy, I was always flamboyant, I don’t want to use the word camp, but… camp.
I think people around me just thought I was going to grow up a very sensitive and interesting gay young man.
And that’s what I thought too, for a really long time.
School was the main point where I really found it hard to deal with life because at home I could be my complete self.
If I wanted to dress up, I just dressed up, and my family didn’t have any qualms about it.”
Other young people began to notice a difference and were very vocal about it.
“I was branded as the weird, queer, gay boy in my school.
Internally, I think I did know that I wasn’t just gay, but at the age of five you don’t really know how to express those feelings.
It was constant bullying every day, and it was people telling me I was different from them, and that I should be isolated.
A balance of that, mixed with my own thoughts telling me, ‘well if I am not this…
‘I definitely don’t feel right in my body right now, and there’s something in my brain that’s not correlating… what do I need to do to find out who I am?’
I realised that dressing up and living a different life was when I was happiest.
It would get to a point when I would come home from school and I would have my whole mini-wardrobe of girl clothes.
I would come back from school and hang out in a dress.”
She soon realised dressing in girls’ clothes wasn’t just child’s play. It was the way she wanted and needed to live.
“Inside the house I just got to be me. I could be Ellen.
Outside the house, I was the angry and sad boy who showed almost no positive traits.
I would still have to wake up every day and be tormented walking to school.
I remember saying to my mum, like: ‘what can I be when I am older?’ And my mum said, ‘you can be anything that you want to be.’
My face lit up, apparently, and I said; ‘Oh can I be a girl? Full time?’
And my mum said; ‘Oh no, no, no don’t be silly,’ just brushing it off, because that was the unknown at the time, trans wasn’t a big thing in the media at the time.
But living my sad version of me definitely took its toll.
I became very depressed, I was refusing to leave the house, I was having scary panic attacks at the tiniest of things, that I couldn’t really explain.
I attempted to take my own life at the age of seven with a kitchen knife, and I came very close to really harming myself.
I was confused, I just wanted everything to end, I wanted everything to be peaceful.
I felt it was easier for me not to be a burden for everyone and have all my problems become everyone else’s.”
It was at this crisis point that Ellen’s parents realised they had to do something to try to help their son. They researched the issue and discovered the condition gender dysphoria.
“They sat me down and they told me what they had read online, and I was like; ‘That’s everything that I’ve been feeling inside, but haven’t been able to articulate’.
The fact that I wasn’t showering or bathing because I didn’t ever want to be fully exposed.
My self-esteem issues, and the fact that playing a girl wasn’t playing a girl in my head – it was me being my true self.
They started to look into it and they found a charity called Mermaids. This was 10 years ago and they were the biggest lifeline.
I honestly believe that if I had continued going the way I was going, then I wouldn’t necessarily be here, because I wouldn’t have been able to keep on living the lie I was living.
After a lot of thought and research, my parents decided to have a conversation with me about letting me socially transition.
This is where I would go to school one day as a boy and the next as a girl, and I could change my name, and I could be the child I was inside the house and bring her outside.
This was an incredibly scary decision for me to make, and for my entire family – they were concerned for my safety and my happiness.”
The family began preparing for the moment of truth.
“My parents spoke a lot with my school, I was in primary school and I was about 11, and my school was actually quite accepting.
But it was a very new thing – they didn’t have any resources or training.
They allowed me to take a week off to get prepared and mentally ready, and then I went in as a girl.
It was the scariest day of my life, my mum said I didn’t have to do it, that there was absolutely no pressure.
I was like: ‘No I have to do this,’ there was no question that I had to do this.
So the last months of primary school I got to go to school as a girl.
I was almost branded the youngest transsexual in Britain because at the time I was the youngest to socially transition – to go to school as a boy and then go to school as a girl.
It sparked media interest because it was more of a novelty.
We’d kind of heard about trans people – what the media thought of trans people you know… grisly men dressed up in dresses and it was a freakish thing – a lot of people thought it was a fetish, you know about sexuality, and people got very confused about the two.
It was very weird to suddenly have a child do this.”
Ellen and her family soon became the centre of a media circus and she found herself on tabloid front pages before reaching secondary school.
“At secondary school, I had a few friends.
I had legally changed my name and I was living as a female. It was an OK transition from primary school.
The only downfall was the new pupils, because almost every one from my old primary school went to my secondary school, so they knew that I was trans.
As soon as I went to secondary school I dismissed any rumours. It was like: ‘No I am not trans, I am a girl.’
So it sparked loads of rumours and it started me being isolated again.
School became a place where I felt like I had to avoid it again, because people were constantly taunting me again.
It got to a point when I couldn’t be in school any more. I was admitted as an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital, I’d had many suicide attempts.”
This, and further intrusive and inaccurate media reports, sparked another mental health crisis. Ellen left school and spent a year in a psychiatric ward. But a few weeks ago, aged 20, she came out as transgender on YouTube.
“I had an operation that was incredibly life-changing for me at the age of 18. It was the beginning of me saying: ‘I am an adult now.’
I think I am trying to let go of the paranoia. I had always had that fear that someone would find out my secret.
Looking behind my back in case someone’s going to out me.
It kind of got to the point where: ‘This is who I am, This is what I’ve been through. But it doesn’t define me.’
I am still a human being with interests and creativity. I am more than my story.”
9 Dos and Don’ts For Living With A Partner
Love in the Time of Tinder: Chris Sherwood Interview
Nurturing Positive Mental Health In Teens And Children
RELATE CENTRE VACANCIES
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RPLG Maps Out Pension Options for Attorneys at LOCC Conference
Spanning May 2 to 4, the 2018 League of California Cities (LOCC) City Attorneys’ Spring Conference provided training on cutting-edge issues in municipal law, including comprehensive updates on litigation affecting cities. Titled “PERS’ Path Forward: Risks, Opportunities, and Options,” the session focused on strategies for California cities to address alarming increases in CalPERS pension costs. Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) Partner Jon Holtzman was joined by Mary Beth Redding of Bartel Associates. Christine Dietrick (City Attorney of San Luis Obispo and President of the LOCC City Attorney Department) served as the panel moderator.
The group began with an overview of three California Supreme Court cases that are presently touching on this issue: Cal Fire Local 2881 v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (2016) 7 Cal.App.5th 115 (Cal Fire), Alameda County Deputy Sheriff’s Association et al. v. Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association, et al. (2018) 19 Cal.App.5th 61 (Alameda), and Marin Association of Public Employees’ Retirement Association (2016) 2 Cal.App.5th 674 (Marin).
All three cases stem from changes to pension plans affecting current employees. All three also involve ancillary benefits that are not part of the core pension formula. Cal Fire involves “air time.” The other two cases involve benefits that “spike” the final compensation that is used to calculate pensions — such as cash out of vacation pay at the conclusion of employment. All of the cases arise from changes made by the state legislature under in 2013 under PEPRA.
In these cases, the Court may clarify a few critical issues: (1) the circumstances under which pension benefits other than the pension formula itself become vested; (2) the extent to which benefits for current employees, for service not yet rendered, are subject to change; (3) whether employers are required to offer a “comparable benefit” when such benefits are changed; and (4) the employer’s burden when benefits are changed due to economic reasons.
Holtzman said that the Court will almost certainly address whether the intent to vest benefits must be “unmistakable.” As all three cases involve “ancillary benefits,” rather the pension formula itself, Holtzman said the court may simply decide the benefits were not vested and put off consideration of the thornier issues involved in clarifying the so called “California Rule.” However, Holtman argued, the California Rule, as currently articulated by the unions, makes no sense. “It does not make sense to conclude that a benefit such as air time is a perversion of basic pension principles that led to a windfall, on the one hand, but that, in order to discontinue it, the employer must provide a “comparable benefit.”
The panel concluded its discussion with the actions cities can take to address the known and as-yet-unknown increase in PERS contribution rates. RPLG will continue to closely track updates in these cases.
Sara Madsen2020-07-23T10:35:17-07:00May 7th, 2018|
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Exclusive Streaming, Premiere
Exclusive Premiere: The Folk – Subtle Play
Rock’n’roll or not, that’s out of the question. Canada has fostered The Folk. They’re an unusually interesting rock’n’roll band, at least if you’d enter the premise of “rock” ‘n’ “roll” with the ambition of some post-rock and no-waveish influences every now and then. Having released “You Say, I Say” in the midst of Winter in 2011, and the year after that putting out “Say It Again” – both of them being three-tracked releases – they’re now back with their first debut-LP. A full-length album with eleven tracks. Marking their departure from their earlier medium, entering their new self. They’ve just gone out of their shell and are going into the world of the newly-hatched. However, there’s something about their rather mellow rock’n’roll that makes you take another breath, and not huff out the words of “this is some generic rock’n’roll“. It’s solely because of their unique departure into the incomprehensible beauty of their melodies, and their complex rhythm which branches out into a multitude of territories. Mixing both the joyous and rather depressive melodies, with the more upbeat and energetic ones. Accompany that fact with a female vocalist who gives her all. This will certainly be a rather interesting output, into the world of rock’n’roll. Some parts you enjoy, other parts you don’t. That is how it should be.
But we’re more then glad to be giving you a track from their forthcoming album “We All Say“. Which is going to be released on 11th of March for the digital version of the album, and the 15th of March for the LP-version of the album. The track that we’re about to give you is “Subtle Play“, one of their longest tracks on this album. We think it gives a comprehensible representation in sound, and it represents them and what this album is all about. So you can stream this track to your own delight down below, and be sure to check them out and their album. There are other tracks that are available to be played on their album, and they’ll come in handy if you’re getting tired of “Subtle Play“. But we hope you’d rather not, since this is a great track. Stream it as you well please. The Folk is Emma BV, Sara BV, Mark Ferrari, Liam Magahay and Patrick Rody.
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Read, J., Cartwright, Claire and Gibson, Kerry
More than 10% of adults are prescribed antidepressants annually in some countries. Recent increases in prescribing can be explained more by repeat prescriptions than new patients. This raises the question of whether antidepressants are addictive. A total of 1829 New Zealanders who had been prescribed antidepressants completed an online survey; 44% had been taking antidepressants for more than 3 years and were still taking them. Withdrawal effects when stopping medication were reported by 55%, and addiction by 27%. Paroxetine had particularly high rates of withdrawal symptoms. Only 1% of participants recalled being told about withdrawal effects when prescribed the drugs. Such high rates of withdrawal symptoms suggest that all concerned, including mental health nurses, need to help people considering antidepressants to understand that it can be difficult to withdraw from them. It will also be beneficial to closely monitor people already taking antidepressants and who are at risk of long‐term usage.
27 (6), pp. 1805-1815
Antidepressants - Addiction and Withdrawal. Read et al. 2018 IJMHN REVISION.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12488
© 2018 Wiley. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Read, John and Cartwright, Claire and Gibson, Kerry (2018) ‘How many of 1829 antidepressant users report withdrawal effects or addiction?’, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27 (6), pp. 1805-1815, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12488. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/847xz
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HomeGangstarrGang Starr ft. Nice & Smooth – DWYCK
Gang Starr ft. Nice & Smooth – DWYCK
From 1994 Album: “Hard to Earn”…..
Gang Starr’s Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/gangstarr
DJ Premier’s Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/djpremier
Guru’s Myspace:
Get Gang Starr’s Music:
http://www.amazon.com/Gang-Starr/e/B000AP80OS/ref=ntt_mus_dp_pel
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=112111
“Gang Starr is a reflection of the heart and soul of hip-hop culture and music. They are one of my favorite groups and one of the groups I’ve been most influenced by. I love Primo and Guru.” – Common
Hollywood, California October 9, 2006 – Critically acclaimed hip-hop duo Gang Starr first hit the scene in 1989 and more than a decade of chart hits followed. Mass Appeal: The Best Of Gang Starr, to be released December 26 by Virgin/EMI Music Catalog Marketing, gathers 20 of their best tracks for their first ever single-disc hits collection, including six Top 10 hits and two songs originally released on film soundtracks. The new package includes liner notes by music journalist and author Soren Baker and a Deluxe Edition CD/DVD, to be released the same date, adds 11 music videos to the collection.
Gang Starrs DJ/producer, Premier (Primo) and MC/lyricist, Guru, experienced their first critical embrace with the release of 1991s Step In The Arena. The album, an upfront sociopolitical departure from the prevailing style of the time, reached #19 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #121 on the Top 200. The title track and Just To Get A Rep both hit #5 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, while Lovesick reached #11.
Through the 1990s, Gang Starrs chart success improved steadily with each new album release. 1992s Daily Operation peaked at #14 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and reached #65 on the Top 200, fueled by the #1 Hot Rap single Take It Personal and the #5 single Ex-Girl To Next Girl. 1994s harder-edged Hard To Earn took the #2 position on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #25 on the Top 200, with the chart-crossing hits Code of the Streets, Mass Appeal, and Dwyck.
Four years later, Gang Starr returned with what would become their sole #1 album, 1998s Moment Of Truth. The album topped Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and reached #6 on the Top 200, and The New York Times praised it as classicism of the best kind. Moment Of Truths radio hits found success across Billboards Rap, R&B, Dance, and Hot 100 Singles charts.
In 1999, a 2-CD hits collection was released and Gang Starr toured across the U.S. with Rage Against The Machine. The Gold-certified Full Clip: A Decade Of Gang Starr reached #11 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #33 on the Top 200.
Gang Starrs most recent studio album, The Ownerz, followed in 2003, peaking at #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #18 on the Top 200. The Austin Chronicle praised the duos career in an album review: For more than a decade, Gang Starr has presented itself as one of the most dependable staples of the hip-hop universe.
Throughout Gang Starrs run and beyond, both DJ Premier and Guru have enjoyed great solo success. Throughout the 1990s to today, Premier has been one of the most important producers in hip-hop, with Jay-Z, Mos Def, Christina Aguilera, Common, DAngelo, Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg, and Notorious B.I.G. among the artists he has produced, in addition to his own Gang Starr recordings with Guru. Hell create a completely new sound, Christina Aguilera told journalist Soren Baker of DJ Premier in a February 2006 interview, excerpted for Mass Appeals liner notes. The acclaimed singer had DJ Premier produce several songs on her chart-topping 2006 album, Back To Basics. Hell make a song out of bits and chops and pieces, Aguilera continued, I know a lot of producers do it nowadays, but hes so clean and so creative when it comes to that. I have so much respect for him.
Since 1993, Gurus jazz roots have been showcased in his acclaimed solo recordings and performances. For his own album releases, Guru has collaborated with a whos-who of jazz, hip-hop and soul luminaries, including Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, the Roots, Erykah Badu, Macy Gray, and Isaac Hayes. The longevity comes from being in touch, connected with the streets, being a fan, Guru told Baker in a July 1999 interview also referenced in Mass Appeals liner notes. “Premier and I are fans of the music. We listen to everything. We maintain that hunger, that same energy that we had when we first started in the game.”
Lets take it back to when the water was clear and not contaminated. Gang Starr is like a fresh glass of water… They hit the spot every time! Primo is my brother from another mother 4 real, and Guru just sets the lyrical content straight as usual. This kinda music you can find in Pete Rock’s CD changer, no doubt!” -Pete Rock
Extended & updated info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_starr
Gangstarr – Piece of mind (Produced by DJ Premier)
Gangstarr – I’m The Man
Gangstarr feat. M.O.P – Half and Half
Gang Star – Militia
Gang Starr – In This Life (Feat. Snoop Dogg) |HQ|
Gang Starr – The Planet
Gang Starr – My Advice 2 You HD
GangStarr – Who Got Gunz (Feat. Fat Joe & M.O.P.)
Gang Starr – “Next Time”
Gang Starr – Speak Ya Clout
Gang Starr – Words I Manifest
Check The Technique – Gang Starr
Gang Starr – Moment Of Truth [HQ]
Gang Starr – Robbin’ Hood Theory
Gang Starr – Step In The Arena
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Tax cuts proposed in the recent Federal Budget were passed in parliament on Friday 9 October, and you might see some of the benefits before Christmas.
The government has brought forward tax cuts originally planned for 1 July 2022 and backdated them to 1 July 2020. Plus, low and middle-income earners are still able to benefit from existing tax offsets.
Has my marginal tax rate changed?
The upper thresholds have increased for some tax brackets, as highlighted in the table below.
(*excluding 2 % Medicare Levy)
Can I benefit from the tax offsets?
If you earn up to $126,000 per year, you may be eligible for the low and middle income tax offset (LMITO). This was previously introduced as a temporary measure and scheduled to end when the 1 July 2022 tax cuts kicked off. But the good news is that despite bringing forward these tax cuts, the government has kept the LMITO for the 2020–21 financial year.
And, if you earn less than $66,667 per year, you may be eligible for an additional tax offset called the low income tax offset (LITO). As part of this package of tax cuts, this tax offset was increased from $450 to $700.
How much will I save from the tax cuts?
The below table shows indicative tax cuts, based on the legislative changes for an individual in 2020-21, to the tax rates, thresholds, and offsets that were applicable for 2020-21 (before these changes):
When will I receive the new tax savings?
Your take-home pay should reflect the new rates before Christmas. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has given employers until 16 November to make changes to payroll processes and systems.
As you’ll have already paid personal income tax at the original rate since 1 July this year, you’ll receive your entitlement to the reduced tax payable for the entire 2020–21 income year when you lodge your income tax return.
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Reducing Inflammation Without Lowering Cholesterol Cuts Risk of Cardiovascular Events
Inflammatory hypothesis confirmed: Landmark randomized clinical trial of high-risk patients finds that a drug targeting inflammation reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) announced results of a clinical trial culminating from 25 years of cardiovascular research work. At the European Society of Cardiology meeting and in a paper published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, Paul M. Ridker, MD (pictured), director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH, and colleagues presented findings from CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study), a trial designed to test whether reducing inflammation among people who have had a prior heart attack can reduce risk of another cardiovascular event in the future. The team reports a significant reduction in risk of recurrent heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death among participants who received a targeted anti-inflammatory drug that lowered inflammation but had no effects on cholesterol.
"These findings represent the end game of more than two decades of research, stemming from a critical observation: Half of heart attacks occur in people who do not have high cholesterol," said Ridker. "For the first time, we've been able to definitively show that lowering inflammation independent of cholesterol reduces cardiovascular risk. This has far-reaching implications. It tells us that by leveraging an entirely new way to treat patients -- targeting inflammation -- we may be able to significantly improve outcomes for certain very high-risk populations."
CANTOS, designed by Ridker and his colleagues, is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the drug canakinumab, which targets inflammation. The research team enrolled more than 10,000 patients who previously had a heart attack and had persistent, elevated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of inflammation. All patients in the trial received aggressive standard care, which included high doses of cholesterol-lowering statins. In addition, participants were randomized to receive 50, 150, or 300 mg of canakinumab (or a placebo for the control group), administered subcutaneously once every 3 months. Patients were followed for up to 4 years.
The team reports a 15 percent reduction in risk of a cardiovascular event -- including fatal or non-fatal heart attacks and strokes -- for patients who received either the 150- or 300-mg dose of canakinumab. They also saw a 17 percent reduction in a composite endpoint that further included hospitalization for unstable angina requiring urgent cardiovascular procedures. The need for expensive interventional procedures, such as bypass surgery and angioplasty, was cut by more than 30 percent in the trial. Importantly, these reductions are above and beyond the reduction in risk seen after taking statins alone. No effect was observed for the lower 50-mg dose.
In the general population, about 25 percent of heart attack survivors will have another cardiovascular event within 5 years, despite taking statins or other medications.
The drug used in this study -- canakinumab -- is a human monoclonal antibody that neutralizes interleukin-1β. Interleukin-1is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that, if overexpressed, results in increased inflammation throughout the body as well as increased levels of hsCRP. Overall, the drug was found to be safe in the CANTOS population, but the researchers did note an increase in fatal infection among approximately one in every 1,000 patients treated. On the other hand, cancer deaths were cut in half by canakinumab such that there was a non-significant reduction in death from any cause.
As Ridker will present in his address to the ESC, CANTOS participants who achieved greater-than-average reductions in hsCRP with canakinumab experienced the largest clinical benefit, a nearly 30 percent reduction in the risk of a recurrent heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death. These data suggest that it will be possible to target canakinumab to those in greatest need and, simultaneously, reduce toxicity for others.
"CANTOS represents a milestone in a long journey implicating interleukin-1 in cardiovascular disease," said Peter Libby, MD, also of Brigham and Women's Hospital. "The results not only establish the role of innate immunity in human atherosclerosis and make actionable decades of research, but they also usher in a new era of therapeutics."
Ridker is also serving as a principal investigator for CIRT (Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial, sponsored by the NHLBI), an ongoing clinical trial testing the effectiveness of low-dose methotrexate in cardiovascular disease. In contrast to canakinumab, low-dose methotrexate is a generic, inexpensive drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Results of CIRT are expected in 2 to 3 years.
"These clinical trial results build upon decades of basic and translational science that has provided mechanistic insights into the key role that inflammation plays in clinical events such as heart attacks and strokes," said Gary H. Gibbons, MD, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). "Although this trial provides compelling evidence that targeting inflammation has efficacy in preventing recurrent cardiovascular events, we look forward to findings from additional trials, such as the NHLBI-funded Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial, to further refine the best therapeutic strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease."
In the future, the research team hopes to study patients with sudden plaque ruptures and to look at additional biological agents that take aim at inflammatory pathways. "Cardiologists will need to learn about inflammation today, the same way we learned about cholesterol 30 years ago," said Ridker. "CANTOS is a demonstration of how personalized medicine will occur in the future, as we now need to distinguish those heart disease patients who have 'residual cholesterol risk' from those who have 'residual inflammatory risk.' These two groups will require different interventions."
Previous studies by Ridker and colleagues helped build the case that hsCRP is both a marker of inflammation and a predictor of heart attack risk. After making initial observations in the Brigham-led Physicians Health Study and Women's Health Study, Ridker and colleagues continued to unearth evidence of a connection between higher hsCRP levels and greater risk of atherothrombosis through a series of additional Brigham-led clinical trials, including Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE), PRINCE, LANCET, PROVE IT -- TIMI 22, and JUPITER. The compelling evidence from these previous trials led to the development of the Reynolds Risk Score, which, in addition to the traditional risk factors of age, gender, cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking, also includes hsCRP levels. Elective hsCRP testing is currently part of most international prevention guidelines for cardiovascular risk detection in primary prevention. The current data may extend this concept to patients who have had a heart attack or stroke in the past.
"In my lifetime, I've gotten to see three broad eras of preventative cardiology. In the first, we recognized the importance of diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. In the second, we saw the tremendous value of lipid-lowering drugs such as statins. Now, we're cracking the door open on the third era," said Ridker. "This is very exciting."
Illustration: Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital News Release (08/27/17)
Abstract (New England Journal of Medicine; 2017.)
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British Military Commanders, Henry Clinton, Thomas Gage, William Howe
The Harshest Critic – British Major James Weymss
Date: May 3, 2019Author: Gene Procknow 1 Comment
Serving in both the northern and southern theaters of the American War of Independence, Maj. James Weymss (1748-1833, pronounced “Weems”) has recently been labeled as the second most hated British officer during the war. Arriving in Boston just after the Battle of Bunker Hill in summer 1775, Weymss participated in the massive and controversial Battle of Brooklyn during which he witnessed Lt. Gen. William Howe’s crucial decision to stop the British attack on the verge of overrunning of the Rebel battlements on Brooklyn Heights. This controversial decision provided Washington an opportunity to escape. Wemyss also participated on the raid of Danbury, CT, and the Battle of Brandywine, receiving wounds in both engagements. However, it was in the southern campaigns that Wemyss garnered his reputation for waging total war on the enemy including indiscriminately destroying civilian property. In the South Carolina countryside, local inhabitants and later historians accuse him of stealing horses, burning churches and hanging Rebels. However, much of Wemyss’s reputation comes from early 19th century American historians who sought to burnish the reputations of the equally brutal Rebels and to demonize the British. Probably, Wemyss’s behaviors were no different than Rebel commanders during this period of intense neighbor on neighbor civil war.
After several skirmishes and battles throughout the Carolinas, Rebel forces surprised Wemyss’s British regulars and Loyalist militia at Fishdam Ford, South Carolina. In the encounter’s early moments, the Rebels severely wounded Wemyss, and his command disintegrated and left him on the battlefield. After a long period of convalescence, Wemyss was paroled and sent back to New York City. However, after being exchanged, the wounds did not permit him to return to active campaigning. He could only serve in staff roles.
Despite local lore and historian allegations of brutal atrocities, Wemyss emigrated after the war from Scotland to live on Long Island, New York the remaining thirty years of his life. During this period, he penned a document revealing his blunt and condemnatory assessments of the performance of the British General Officers who served in North America during the war. Wemyss is highly critical of the 3 Commanders-in-chief (Thomas Gage, William Howe, and Henry Clinton), twenty-one Major Generals as well as numerous other subordinate officers. Not mincing words, he described many generals as “without abilities,” “vain,” “Ill-tempered” and “useless.” Even officers he thought were “well-meaning” were deemed unfit for their commands.
Wemyss is particularly critical of British North America Commander-in-Chief Sir William Howe’s efforts to quell the rebellion. He accuses Howe of making terrible military decisions which allowed George Washington and the Continental Army to escape New York City, regroup and attack and defeat the British forces widely distributed in New Jersey. In a bit of 18th century “Monday morning quarterbacking,” Wemyss recounts a discussion among British officers debating which general – Howe or Washington made the worst military decisions.
While Wemyss’s criticisms are acerbic and blunt, he saves his most disparaging assessments for the officers that led supply and provisioning commands. Most damning, he accused these officers of committing “every species of fraud, plunder, and rapacity and described them as “carrying a successful war on the Treasury of their country.”
Several factors led to Wemyss’s harsh criticisms. First, it is natural for the losing side to blame poor leadership rather than the righteousness of their cause or strength and veracity of their opponents. Secondly, British leadership bypassed Wemyss in the selection for independent commands including be replaced as commander of the Queens Rangers by the more famous John Graves Simcoe and named the infamous Banastre Tarleton to head an independent legion that Wemyss thought should have been given to him.
While many later historians have cited Wemyss’s characterizations of British generals, I am cautious in doing so given that he had a substantial “ax to grind.”¹ However, Wemyss’s allegations of fraud and abuse by supply and commissary officers are highly likely and deserve more attention from investigatory historians.
To judge for yourself, there are two easy ways to read Wemys’s views and form your own conclusion on his veracity. Jared Sparks, historian and former President of Harvard University copied several of Wemyss’s papers which can be found in the Harvard Libary² and online. I transcribed Spark’s copy into text which can be found on this site. Enjoy reading and respond with your thoughts on Wemyss’s characterizations of the British generals!
¹For example John Shy quotes Weymss’s description of Thomas Gage without describing his potential bias and motives. George Athan Billias, ed., George Washington’s Generals and Opponents: Their Exploits and Leadership, 1st Da Capo Press ed (New York: Da Capo Press, 1994), p. 32. More appropriately, Nick Bunker posits that Weymss’ provided his assessment of Gage with the benefit of hindsight. Nick Bunker, An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America, First edition (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014), p. 288.
²Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866, collector. Gates Selected papers; papers from the Public Offices in Massachusetts; Major Wemy paper; diary of Lieut. Obadiah Gore. MS Sparks 22. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Banastre TarletonBrandywineBrooklynHenry ClintonJames WemyssThomas GageWilliam Howe
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Fortune is rolling out a three-tier membership program
In January 2020, Fortune will finally launch a paywall it has wanted to build for more than two years.
That paywall will provide the foundation for a tiered membership program that will allow Fortune to further diversify away from advertising, sponsorship and events revenues. The first tier, priced at $49.99 annually or $5 per month, will give readers full digital access. The second tier, for $11 per month, will also include the print magazine as well as quarterly investment guides and early previews of Fortune’s list franchises. And the highest tier, at $199 per year or $22 per month, adds in access to the premium section of a new video hub filled with exclusive interviews with executives, business insights and instructional content, as well as a weekly research newsletter and a series of monthly conference calls hosted by CEO Alan Murray or reporters with specific subject matter expertise.
It won’t be a hard paywall though. While there isn’t going to be a distinct split between how much content is behind the paywall versus free, the company said that all features and long-form journalism will be paywalled, as it is more expensive to produce. Additionally, stories that are popular for the site, like conference coverage, will be paywalled, but the edit staff has the ability to pick and choose articles they feel would drive readers to the paywall.
Non-paying readers will still be able to access news and second-day takes, wire syndications, sponsored content and Fortune’s list of franchises.
Michael Schneider, Fortune’s publisher and chief revenue officer, estimates that 60% to 70% of Fortune’s revenue comes from advertising and sponsorships, with the remaining amount coming from consumer revenue, in the form of magazine subscriptions and its conference business. A representative said that Fortune is still on track to be profitable this year, though the company wouldn’t disclose specific numbers. The company expects memberships to account for approximately 20% of its overall revenue in three years and reach up to 30% of its revenue in five years.
“We don’t want to give up ad sales, but we want to diversify the revenue,” said Jonathan Rivers, Fortune’s chief technology officer.
Fortune wanted to launch a paywall years ago, but its former parent, Meredith, limited Fortune’s ability to invest in projects that wouldn’t deliver incremental revenue almost immediately, according to Schneider. Since gaining independence from Meredith Corp. at the end of 2018, Fortune CMO Michael Joseloff said Fortune’s leadership spent the better part of a year collecting information through reader surveys to see what its audience would be willing to pay for. Then, the product and edit team created variations of those new offerings and sent around a survey again to see how readers ranked the value of the prototypes. From there, they were able to decide which tier had which new content offerings, Schneider said.
In quarter three, Joseloff said there are plans to roll out more community-focused membership tiers, called the professional membership, which will include exclusive, interactive experiences for members, such as community events and possibly invitations to conferences, in addition to access to the content.
An exclusive, inside look at what’s actually happening in the video industry, including original reporting, analysis of important stories and interviews with interesting executives and other newsmakers.
Fortune also had to hire to build the paywall. Rivers, who was hired in March this year to lead the paywall, has since built out a tech team of 16 full-time staffers — something that Schneider said the publication never had while it was under previous ownership.
“As part of Time Inc., we essentially had zero technology staffers dedicated to the brand. Most of it was shared or outsourced, and I can tell you from history that it took a long time to get something fixed. It was so important for this brand to hire a tech team,” said Schneider.
The editorial team has also been expanded by 44% over the past year with 13 new full-time editors and writers in the U.S., two in Europe and an entire editorial team of 11 added in Asia, which now has a total staff of 46. Fortune now has a total of 206 employees, and while the effort has been to move toward more consumer revenue, the sales team has also expanded and reassembled to focus more on platform agnostic selling, something the brand didn’t have under previous owners.
“I don’t think people realize the complexities of taking something that’s 89 years old and making a new company out of it,” Rivers said.
Elizabeth Hansen, a research fellow at the Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, said that in her research, there tends to be a lot of confusion from publishers around what membership means. “It’s a term that covers a lot of different models. A subscription can look more transactional than a membership. A membership is a more engaged and participatory.”
Paired with its new membership program will be a site redesign designed to make its ads less obtrusive, as well as a print redesign, a new mobile app and a video hub filled will have premium content, like business insights and longer interviews with executives.
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Battlefield 3 Essentials PS3
In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines. As the first boots on the ground, players will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations including Paris, Tehran and New York. As a U.S. Marine in the field, periods of tension and anticipation are punctuated by moments of complete chaos. As bullets whiz by, as walls crumble, as explosions force players to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before.
Beetle Adventures
Take control of a collection of the latest Volkswagen Beetle “2.0” models, from street type to off-road designs, and race across varying road types that will test your speed and endurance!
Find shortcuts or use nitro boosts to finish first in order to move on to the next track. If the computer AI is to easy for you, battle against a friend in two player race mode or challenge up to 4 people in a special Battle Mode, with added abilities including weapons, from mines and rockets to magical elements, while collecting the flag and finding the exit!
Cruis’n Usa
Cruis’n USA is an arcade racing game originally released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo. It is the first game in the Cruis’n series and features locations around the United States.
Duke Nukem 3D Big Box
Aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles and it’s up to the Duke to bring the pain and show them the door. After the initial entries of side-scrolling platform games, Duke Nukem 3D introduces a first-person perspective to the series and turns the game into a full-fledged shooter with 2.5D graphics.
Duke’s arsenal includes pistols, pipe bombs, laser trip mines, Nordenfelt guns, a chain gun and various rocket launchers, but also his mighty foot to kick enemies. The game sports a high level of interactivity. Many objects in the environment can be broken or interacted with, such as pool tables, arcade machines, glass, light switches and security cameras. The protagonist is also able to hand strippers a dollars to have them remove their top.
Grand Theft Auto San Anorras
Returning after his mother’s murder to the semi-fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), Carl Johnson, a former gang banger, must take back the streets for his family and friends by gaining respect and once again gaining control over the streets. However, a story filled with crime, lies and corruption will lead him to trudge the entire state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada) to rebuild his life.
Just Cause 2 Essentials BBFC PS3
In a lawless open-world paradise, use whatever means necessary to achieve your objective. Use land, sea and air to your advantage and use a wide range of weaponry to cause as much chaos as possible.
Need for Speed Hot Persuit 2
Become Seacrest County’s top cop or most wanted racer!
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Carol Ballenger
Instruments Taught: Viola, Violin
Carol runs the string group and teaches the violin at SAMM. Before moving to Devon in 1980, Carol worked in London as a professional violinist. She is an Associate of the Royal College of Music and studied music at Dartington College of Arts, Converse College, SC, USA, The Royal College of Music, London and the Institut des Hautes Etudes Musicales, Montreux.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: String Group
Contact: Click here to send me an email
Simon Barron
Simon Barron is a professional guitarist and singer specialising in English folk song. Since 2001 he has toured nationally both with his partner Ros Brady and now as a solo performer, performing at all the major folk festivals and venues. He has taught his style of guitar in workshops up and down the country to great acclaim.
‘I think he’s a really, really fine guitarist and an even finer interpreter of traditional and contemporary folk songs.’
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Songwriting and Music Composition, Beginners Guitar
Sue Baxter
Instruments Taught: Piano
Sue is a multi-instrumentalist specialising in piano, voice and steel pan. In her early twenties Sue had a cabaret act singing and playing trumpet in Mallorca where she lived for approximately three years. Later she studied at Dartington and Bath College for her BA(Hons) and PGCE before being Head of Music in a local school for a number of years.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Junior Choir
Clare Devenport
Instruments Taught: Flute
Clare Devenport graduated from the Birmingham School of Music in 1985 with diplomas in flute teaching and performing. She was appointed to the ILEA wood wind panel and spent the next few years teaching flute and recorder in Primary and Secondary Schools. Clare’s interest in music and psychology influenced her choice in training and qualifying firstly as a music therapist and then as a Child psychotherapist working in the NHS. Since moving to Devon Clare has renewed her teaching practice working privately and in South Brent primary school.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Recorder Group
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Senior Ensemble, Senior Musicianship
Sam Massey
Instruments Taught: French Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba
Sam is thoroughly committed to music education and has over seven years of experience of individual and group brass, music theory, aural and composition tuition, both privately and in primary and secondary schools.
He is in his eighth year as Brass Tutor at SaMMS, and is currently director of its Wind Band and Music Theory groups. In addition, he enjoys composing and arranging music, especially for jazz, brass and wind ensembles.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Beginners Ensemble, Jazz Band
Instruments Taught: Clarinet, Flute, Piano, Recorder
Rachel Miller is the Sing and Play teacher. She studied at Oxford University and then as a post graduate at Dartington College of Arts, Devon and at Bristol University where she trained as a Music Therapist. She studied flute with Ingrid Culliford, Trinity College of Music and has taught flute since 1986 in private practice and in institutions including Dartington College of Arts, SaMM Totnes, Ivybridge Community College and several other schools. She has worked professionally as a flautist in several different genres including classical, jazz, folk and experimental music.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Sing and Play
Steve Verge
Instruments Taught: Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Ukulele
SaMMS has always been a venture that welcomes the “everyman”, the untutored and that’s what I love about it. I fell into guitar teaching by being asked and I start each week thrilled by the knowledge that that’s what I’m going to be doing all week . I also get a buzz from knowing I have so much to learn myself. I have learnt my musical trade the hands-on way as a jobbing musician since 1973 . I have played various types of musics from Pub Rock to Traditional Folk via Jazz , Strict Tempo Ballroom and Electronica .
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Instruments Taught: Saxophone
Andy is a professional jazz saxophonist and singer. He also has a long history with choral music going back to 5 years with the National Youth Choir, and then various chamber choirs and large choruses. He currently directs the Bristol Jazz Festival Chorus, Ashburton Arts Centre Community Choir, leads the Big Buzzard Boogie Band, plays in a regular Klezmer/swing band and various other ensembles.
Courses Taught by this Tutor: Junior Choir, SaMM Youth Choir, Street Band
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You are at:Home»Combat»2,000 Tomahawks and counting
The Navy today commemorated its 2,000th Tomahawk cruise missile combat launch during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk aboard the destroyer Barry, which took part in the March air strikes on Libyan military facilities in support of U.N. Resolution 1973 and was credited with the 2,000th launch. Check this great pic of a launch from Barry the night the milestone was reached:
The destroyer Barry launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn on March 19, 2011. This was one of approximately 110 cruise missiles fired from U.S. and British ships and submarines that targeted about 20 radar and anti-aircraft sites along Libya's Mediterranean coast. // U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician Fireman Roderick Eubanks
We don’t know if that is THE 2,000th or not, but you get the idea. Even better: Check the video.
The commemoration honored the Barry crew members for their role in the milestone launch.
Tomahawks have been around for more than 30 years and have been used in every major U.S. combat operation since the first Gulf War in 1991. It can be launched from Navy ships and submarines, as well as Air Force bombers. It’s also used by the Royal Navy.
Here’s a Tomahawk close-up:
A Tomahawk cruise missile launches from the forward missile deck aboard the destroyer Farragut during a 2009 training exercise. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Leah Stiles
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Regal Will Close All Of Its U.S. Theaters Due to Coronavirus
With new guidance from the White House about social distancing — urging people to avoid crowds and gatherings larger than 10 people — essentially making it impossible to stay open, Regal Cinemas will reportedly be closing its theaters completely after initially instituting plans to keep customers safe by limiting the number of people permitted inside each screening.
Regal is the second-largest theater chain in the United States after AMC Theatres; they operate 543 theaters around the country. In a statement to THR, the CEO of Regal’s parent company, Mooky Greidinger, said "At this time, we have made the difficult decision to close our theaters. We value our movie-loving customers and have no doubt we will be serving them again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters.”
The news of the closure comes hours after the news that NBCUniversal would test releasing some of its current and upcoming theatrical releases on demand simultaneously this week and in the months ahead. The plan is expected to begin Friday, with current theatrical films like The Invisible Man available to rent for 48 hours for $19.99. By this Friday, that will possibly be the only way to see that or any movie in America, a shocking turn of events from just a few days ago.
Gallery — Five Ways to Improve Disney+:
Filed Under: Coronavirus, Theaters
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Long Ball Ends Women’s Basketball National Tournament Run
by Matt Kopsea | Mar 11, 2018 | RRSN News | 0 comments
SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The undefeated season came to an end in the national quarterfinal for the second year in a row.
Dakota Wesleyan connected on a season-high 15 3-pointers to come away with a 78-64 victory over Southeastern and advance to Monday’s semifinal.
The Tigers (30-6) shot 42% from the field, and 44% from 3-point range, making 10 of their 18 second half 3-point attempts.
“When a team hits 15 3’s on you, it’s a tremendous effort on their part,” said coach Tim Hays. “It was a great battle and they got the best of us today with a great effort on their part.”
A jumper by Anissa Toumi with 2:03 left in the first quarter tied the game at 14. DWU then went on an 11-0 run spanning 4:06, and resulted in SEU facing its biggest deficit of the season of 11 with 7:57 left in the second quarter.
During the run, the Fire (31-1) were 0-for-3 from the field, and committed five of their 16 turnovers on the night.
“We knew coming in it was going to be a physical battle inside and outside” said Hays. “We’ve worked through it in the past, but if your passes are off and you don’t hit your shots early, and they come down and knock down their shots, it can snowball quickly.”
With 3:33 to play in the half, the Fire trailed by 17 following one of Kynedi Cheesman’s four 3-pointers in the game. But, the Fire closed the half on a 7-0 run to cut the halftime deficit to 10 (35-25).
Southeastern got as close as six, following a Jaycee Coe 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the third, but Ashley Brey, who connected on eight triples in her 30 minutes of play and Cheeseman quickly stretched the lead back to 12 within a minute, and never looked back.
Bray finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with six rebounds.
Ana Richter was one of four Fire players in double-figures, posting a team-best 12 points, and added four boards and three assists. She finished the tournament 19-of-22 from the field, and posted 52 total points in three games.
Coe added 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Halee Printz also had 11 with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Marlena Schmidt finished a rebound short of a double-double, with 10 points, nine boards, an assist, and two blocks. The sophomore totaled 15 blocks in three games.
“You’re bound to have a bad night, and we did not for 31-straight games,” reflected Hays. “Even when we did, our girls found a way to dig in and get the win.
“That’s a testament to these girls and to what they’ve given and how much they love each other and played for each other this year.”
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What's the purpose of the Access Log Manager? What kind of information will it supply you with?
An access log is a comprehensive list of all the files which were accessed by the visitors of a given website. Any file that was requested for whatever reason will be listed, so if you have one page with three embedded images, one video and one embedded text file, as an example, the access log will contain a total of six entries - one for each of the 6 files which were accessed when the site visitor opened the webpage. A log normally contains the file name and path, the date, along with the visitor’s Operating System, Internet browser and IP address. Occasionally you could also find the referrer websites that sent the visitors to your site. The data which an access log file contains is in human-readable plain text format. It could be processed by special software on a personal computer and used to prepare reports on the efficiency of a website, aside from the web stats which your web hosting server may have created.
Access Log Manager in Cloud Hosting
Our in-house built Hepsia CP features a section dedicated to various logs and the access logs are among them. Once you sign in to your cloud hosting account and navigate to this section, you will find a list of all the domains and subdomains which you have. All it takes to permit the generation of access logs is to press a button that'll be available next to every domain/subdomain. If the option is active, you'll see a download link together with the file size so far, so you shall be able to save the file to your computer and examine it or process it with some app. Enabling or disabling the logs becomes effective immediately, so if you don't need one, you'll be able to stop it with a mouse click from the same exact section of the CP. You will still have the ability to access the already developed content by simply clicking the Download link.
Access Log Manager in Semi-dedicated Hosting
You'll be able to see detailed access logs for any Internet site that you host within a semi-dedicated server account set up on our groundbreaking hosting platform. Our cutting-edge Hepsia hosting CP will enable you to activate the feature for each domain or subdomain within the account individually, which means that you can get logs only for the websites you need. After you sign in, you can go to the Access/Error Logs section where you will find a list of all the domains and subdomains that you've added or created and an On/Off button on the right side of each one of them. Initiating or deactivating the generation of access logs is as easy as clicking on that button and the change will take effect at once. You may save the logs in .txt format by clicking on the Download link located in the same exact section. The latter shall be available at all times, even after you deactivate the function for a certain domain address or subdomain.
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Hyper-converged tips
Does hyper-convergence live up to the hype?
Seven ways to evaluate a hyper-converged system
The essential hyper-converged checklist
Defining a hyper-converged storage infrastructure
Hyper-converged storage can be a good fit for virtual desktop infrastructure
Deep dive into hyper-convergence
Examining the converged and hyper-converged landscape
Renewed interest in hyper-converged storage infrastructure
The many advantages of a hyper-converged infrastructure
Hyper-converged products show their value
Risks and rewards of a hyper-converged infrastructure
This content is part of the Essential Guide: The rise of hyper-converged architecture for storage
The hyper-converged hype isn't going away soon
Hyper-converged products have shown their value and the vendor competition is just starting to heat up.
While hyper-converged infrastructure may be a young concept, the stage is quickly crowding with would-be lead actors. This is a technology concept that is going to stick.
As vendors began to collaborate on data center designs, the need quickly emerged for detailing the elements of these designs. This allowed a consumer to navigate the complicated mess of interoperability and hardware/software compatibility in these solutions. This resulted in reference architectures, a sort of blueprint on how to combine these technologies to create a single solution.
In 2009, VMware, Cisco and EMC took the reference architecture a step further, creating the Virtual Compute Environment (VCE). Through VCE, the entire stack of compute, storage and networking was bundled in a converged architecture, called a Vblock. Though this was, in essence, a reference architecture, it introduced new management practices that allowed a customer to treat the Vblock as an entire data center in a box. It would arrive pre-configured and ready to go. It would also be managed and maintained as a single product, updating and patching all components at once instead of treating each element as its own point of management. This meant that a Vblock environment was not only fully compliant with each vendor's interoperability requirements on the day it was delivered, but that it would remain compliant throughout the lifespan of the Vblock.
The concept of converged architecture took hold, and VCE has been very successful in maturing and adapting the Vblock over the last six years. However, many customers were still looking for a smaller, more granular solution. They wanted to be able to start smaller than a rack, and scale out over time. In 2011, Nutanix began shipping its hyper-converged product. Not only were the technologies in the stack compliant (as with a reference architecture) and delivered as a single product (like a converged architecture), but Nutanix was delivering their product in a footprint as small as 2U of rack space. This solution bundled computer hardware, virtual storage and virtual networking with a VMware hypervisor to shrink a converged solution into an incredibly small footprint. Nutanix's software, the Nutanix Distributed File System, groups the local drives from each of the servers to create a virtual storage array with enterprise-class features. This shook the market and started a new trend.
Not long after Nutanix hit the market, Simplivity followed with its own hyper-converged product. While Nutanix initially packaged its software on Super Micro hardware, and Simplivity initially released on Dell hardware, both have since adjusted their hardware bases. Nutanix has formed an OEM partnership with Dell, and Simplivity has established an OEM partnership with Cisco. While I like what Simplivity and Cisco are working on, I liked Nutanix better on their original Super Micro hardware platform. That said, neither of these hardware changes have significantly changed the core offerings from Nutanix and Simplivity. Both continue to gain momentum and drive demand for hyper-converged infrastructure products.
Not to be outdone, VMware has stepped into the hyper-converged market space. However, they are playing the role of "enabler" rather than competitor. VMware developed its EVO:RAIL platform, and then opened the door for hardware vendors to OEM the product. In less than a year, EMC, NetApp, Fujitsu, Hitachi Data Systems, Dell, HP and Super Micro have all signed on to sell EVO:RAIL products. That is a very impressive list of OEM partners. While this is a new foray into the compute space for EMC and NetApp, EVO:RAIL will also serve as a direct competitor to solutions that have been built on Dell and Super Micro platforms. I am sure that will lead to some interesting theatrics in the future.
In the meantime, you may be left wondering why your IT group should consider hyper-converged infrastructure technologies for future data center strategies. These solutions promise to lower the barrier of entry for new data centers, and to ease the burden of growth. These are two areas that provide immediate value to most organizations.
Do hyper-converged products solve all of your IT woes? No. But they can make life easier and address pesky capital expense issues that are often tied to ongoing support of more complex hybrid solutions. While I am not ready to rip and replace existing deployments in favor of hyper-converged products, I am looking for ways to begin testing them. I am still not convinced that, just because I "can" add storage capacity every time I add compute power, I "should." Sometimes I only need to grow one or the other, and few hyper-converged infrastructure products allow that. However, if the cost savings are great enough, maybe that imbalance in supply versus demand is not an issue.
I believe that hyper-converged technologies will prove to be a pivot point -- a paradigm shift -- that will serve as a catalyst to change how technology products are designed. If you are not at least considering them in your long-term IT strategy, you should be.
How hyper-convergence tackles server and storage strain
How the hyper-converged market stacks up
Top-notch storage sends hyper-converged system interest soaring
HCI market 2016: Nutanix goes IPO, server vendors go all-in
Theme park company rides with Simplivity hyper-converged
Gauging whether hyper-converged vendors' ages matter
By: Robert Gates
Mark Vaughn asks:
Do you think the hyper-converged trend will be a long-term success?
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Tag: Graeme Macrae Burnet
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
This novel by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet attracted a lot of attention after being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize last year. Of all the books on the list, I remember thinking that this sounded like the one I would be most likely to enjoy, so I had a lovely surprise when I received a nice hardback copy from my sister for Christmas.
His Bloody Project is fiction but presented so convincingly as non-fiction that there were times when I wondered if I’d misunderstood and I was actually reading a true story after all! Subtitled Documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae, the case in question is that of a triple murder committed in August 1869 in Culduie, a remote village in the Scottish Highlands. In his preface, the author explains that he came across the documents contained in this book while researching his own family history at the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness.
Following a collection of statements given by the residents of Culduie, we proceed to the longest section of the book: Roderick Macrae’s memoir which he was instructed to write by his advocate, Andrew Sinclair, during his imprisonment at Inverness Castle awaiting his trial. Roderick, only seventeen at the time of his arrest, never tries to deny that he killed his neighbour, Lachlan Mackenzie, and two other members of the Mackenzie family – we know this right from the beginning of the book – but what we don’t know is what caused him to do such a thing. Roderick’s memoir provides some insights, giving some background information on what life was like in Culduie and describing the events leading up to the murders.
Next, we have the opportunity to read the medical reports on each of the three murder victims – and this is the first real indication we get that maybe Roderick has not been entirely honest with us. A study by a doctor who visited Roderick in prison follows, raising and answering questions about the prisoner’s state of mind, and finally we arrive at the trial itself. As judge, jury and spectators try to understand the motive behind the crime, witnesses are called who give statements both to confirm Roderick’s own account and to contradict it. A verdict is finally reached, but whether it is the right one or not is up to each individual reader to decide.
While I was reading Roderick’s own story, I had a lot of sympathy for him and I was so angry with Lachlan Mackenzie (or Lachlan Broad, as he is usually known) that I could understand why Roderick felt driven to take revenge. However, when I read the rest of the documents, particularly the report of the court proceedings, I began to wonder how much Roderick had omitted from his memoir and whether Lachlan Broad’s actions were really as provocative as they had at first seemed.
Another interesting aspect of the novel is the portrayal of life in a tiny Scottish community in the middle of the 19th century. Roderick Macrae’s mother dies in childbirth just before the events described in the novel, leaving Roderick and his siblings alone with their father, a crofter trying to earn his living from the land. Culduie (a settlement of only nine houses) and the surrounding villages are the property of the Laird, who rules through his factor and a network of local constables. Lachlan Broad is elected the constable for Culduie and this is what brings him into conflict with the Macraes.
The writing style and the language used throughout the novel feels appropriate for the time period and increases the sense of authenticity; as I’ve said, at times I could almost have believed I was reading genuine historical documents. Dialect is used sparingly and a glossary is provided if you need to look up any unfamiliar Scots words (there were a few that were new to me, but these were mainly the names of farming implements such as croman and cas chrom). Maybe Roderick’s narrative voice isn’t entirely convincing given his age, but we are told that he is an exceptionally bright, intelligent boy – and the author does address this issue in the preface too.
I loved His Bloody Project; although it’s not a traditional crime novel and there’s never any mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer, it’s the sort of book that leaves you with more questions at the end than you had at the beginning. I think a re-read might be necessary at some point!
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Dragon Ball (3-in-1) Vol. 2 (4, 5, 6)
Author(s): Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama's groundbreaking, iconic, bestselling series now in an omnibus edition
A seminal series from a legendary creator. Dragon Ball, a wry update on the Chinese "Monkey King" myth, introduces us to Son Goku, a young monkey-tailed boy whose quiet life is turned upside-down when he meets Bulma, a girl determined to collect the seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and to get them she needs the help of a certain super-strong boy...
Son Goku has made it to the Tenka'ichi Budo-kai, the world's number-one martial arts tournament, where the competitors vie for the title of "Strongest Under the Heavens." Goku may have strength on his side, but even the training of martial arts master Kame- Sen'nin hasn't prepared him for what he's about to face.
Only seven finalists remain, each with their own special moves. Will the champion be Goku? His fellow student Kuririn? Yamcha, the master of "Fist of the Wolf Fang"? Fighting woman Ran Fuan? Giran, a rubbery monster who's part dinosaur? Namu, an Indian mystic? Or Jackie Chun, the mysterious old man who may be the toughest fighter of all?
Renowned worldwide for his playful, innovative storytelling and humorous, distinctive art style, Akira Toriyama burst onto the manga scene in 1980 with the wildly popular Dr. Slump. His hit series Dragon Ball (published in the U.S. as Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He is also known for his design work on video games such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tobal No. 1, and most recently, Blue Dragon. His recent manga works include COWA!, Kajika, Sand Land, Neko Majin, and a children's book, Toccio the Angel. He lives with his family in Japan.
Author : Akira Toriyama
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by The Pink Controller
Manage a...Jessica Jones
Season 2 launched globally on Netflix on International Women's Day, March 8, 2018.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones stars Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. The cast also features Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker, Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth and Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse.
The series is executive produced by showrunner Melissa Rosenberg along with Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 93 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
← Back to #WhoRunTheWorld
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Collection of birds from West Pakistan, #483837 - 484011
Field book of bird, mammal and reptile collections made by Roy C. Tasker and S. S. H. Rizvi in West Pakistan, 4 October 1959 to 10 April 1960. The following bird information is recorded: cmmon name; sex, age, date, description (mostly color) of eyes, beak, and feet; measurements of head and body, wing, tail, [?], and beak. Birds collected from 14 December 1959 to 10 April 1960, and numbered #1 to #184. "All reptiles ... sent to American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), NYC" Lizards and snakes collected in 1960. Information includes locality and description for 3 specimens. Mammals also sent to AMNH. Numbered #1 to #25, and collected 4 October 1959 to 23 March 1960. Mammal notes include common name, date, sex, age, and measurements of total, tail, and foot. Localities only recorded for reptile entries: Mohenjo-daro; Hyderābād.
Roy C. Tasker and S. S. H. Rizvi Field Book, 1959-1960, from the Division of Birds
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Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford. The college is on the site of the earlier Brazenose hall. It is not known when Brasenose Hall became Brasenose College. The college uses the year 1509 as the date of its foundation as a college. That is the earliest written record of the college. A royal charter was issued for the "King's Hall and College at Brasenose" on 15 January 1512.[1]
The original Brasenose College doorknocker
The name of the college is believed to refer to an ornate brass doorknocker in the shape of a nose, that was once on the door of its main hall. The name was in use at least as early as the 1330s. It is believed that the original doorknocker was removed by students in the 14th Century and taken to Stamford in Lincolnshire. In 1890, the college purchased a house in Stamford. The house had been referred to as "Brasenose" since the 17th Century. The house had a 12th-Century doorknocker, believed to be the doorknocker removed from the college. The college had the doorknocker returned to the college, and it now hangs in the college's main hall.[2]
↑ "A brief history of Brasenose College"
↑ "The oddest name in Oxford" Brasenose College
Colleges of the University of Oxford
All Souls • Balliol • Brasenose • Christ Church • Corpus Christi • Exeter • Green Templeton • Harris Manchester • Hertford • Jesus • Keble • Kellogg • Lady Margaret Hall • Linacre • Lincoln • Magdalen • Mansfield • Merton • New College • Nuffield • Oriel • Pembroke • Queen's • St Anne's • St Antony's • St Catherine's • St Cross • St Edmund Hall • St Hilda's • St Hugh's • St John's • St Peter's • Somerville • Trinity • University • Wadham • Wolfson • Worcester
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brasenose_College,_Oxford&oldid=6103256"
1500s establishments in Europe
16th century establishments in England
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Name: Bretton Rodriguez
Location of Study: Spain
Program of Study: Catalan
15 thoughts on “Rodriguez, Bretton”
Bretton Rodriguez on August 1, 2013 at 5:25 pm said:
Journal Entry 1:
Before I leave to study Catalan at the University of Barcelona, I want to set down a couple of my goals as well as a concern.
My primary goal is to improve my ability to read and work with texts in Catalan. While I have never taken a class in the language, I have tried to teach myself to read and to work with texts in Catalan, with mixed results. For instance, after reading Ramon Llull’s “Llibre d’amic e amat” (part of his larger “Blanquerna”) in a Spanish translation, I tried to read it in Catalan. Although I could translate parts, I was frustrated by my inability to really understand the text. I hope that this course will give me the linguistic knowledge I need to work more quickly and easily in Catalan.
I also intend to use this course as an introduction to the spoken language and as a means of better understanding Catalan culture. Catalonia has an incredibly rich history. As a political entity, for instance, it has existed for over a thousand years. However, it features not just a rich past – including an innovative literary tradition – but also a vibrant and exciting contemporary culture. Over the last century, Catalonia has given birth to such innovative thinkers as Antoni Gaudí, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí, amongst many others. It has also overcome the oppression it faced under Franco’s government.
One of my main concerns is how thoroughly I will be able to immerse myself in Catalan in Barcelona. Despite being the largest city in Catalonia, and one of the primary centers of Catalan culture, Barcelona is also a Spanish city and people generally are able to speak Spanish. I think it will be a challenge to put myself in situations where I will be forced to think and to live in Catalan.
One of the most important holidays in Catalonia is the “Nit de San Joan,” or the Night of St. John. Every year, Barcelona celebrates this holiday on June 23, the day before the official feast day. June 23 is also the Summer Solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year.
Since my course at the university began on June 25, I decided to get to Barcelona the week before in order to acclimate myself to the city. I am very glad that I did as it gave me the chance to experience this wonderful holiday in person.
As soon as I arrived in Barcelona, I began hearing about the “Nit de San Joan” and seeing a number of signs and posters. Since I was curious, I asked in a tourist office for more information. They told me about the holiday’s supposed pagan roots and how the holiday was traditionally represented by three symbols: fire (purity), water (healing), and herbs (remedy). However, they told me that the most obvious and important of three was fire. For this reason, the “Nit of San Joan” was also referred to as the “Nit del Foc,” the Night of Fire.
I also spoke with my roommate – a graduate student at the University of Barcelona – about the holiday and the best way to celebrate it. She told me that it was traditional for people of all ages to head to the beaches where they would build huge bonfires and watch fireworks that were set off over the sea.
She also told me about a traditional dish that was associated with the holiday, “coque,” which is a type of cake. While these cakes are made in a variety of styles, can be either savory or sweet, the one thing that they all have in common is that they contain anise. This accounts for the distinctive flavor that they all have in common. Taking her advice, I made sure to try the cake during the day. While I enjoyed the coque, I still don’t understand why it is considered to be the traditional food of the “Nit de San Joan.”
One of the most important social issues facing Catalonia today is the question of independence. Many Catalans are very eager to break away from Spain and form their own, independent country. One of the ways that they imagine this happening is that, upon separating from Spain, they would immediately join the European Union.
In support of independence, between one and two million people took to the streets of Barcelona in 2012. While this rally was a strong show of support, it does not prove that a majority of the people in Catalonia supports independence. In fact, many people in Barcelona are strongly against any type of separation from Spain.
I spoke with a few different Catalan speakers about this topic, and their views were surprisingly similar. In short, the overwhelming opinion seemed to be that it was a complicated issue and that, whether or not Catalonia should become independent, many people are going to be unhappy.
My Catalan professor, despite having participated in the march last year, was quick to bring up the large number of immigrants who have flocked to Barcelona from all over the world. These people see Barcelona as their home, and they see it as a part of Spain. Most of these immigrants, particularly those who come from other parts of Spain, would be very unhappy if Catalonia was to break away.
A colleague of mine at the library, meanwhile, predicted that things will probably come to a head near year, 2014. For Catalans, the date September 11, 1714, is incredibly important. This is the day that Castilian and French forces, in support of placing a Borbon king on the Spanish throne, defeated Catalan forces and stormed Barcelona. This date also marked the end of Catalonia being governed separately from Castile under their own laws and customs. September 11, 2014, will be the 300th anniversary of that event.
Finally, a bartender that I spoke to near my apartment predicted that Spain would never let Catalonia break away. He believes that, if Catalonia goes, all of the different regions of Spain would want to break away as well. It would signify the end of Spain as we currently know it. Moreover, he cited the threat of Catalonia becoming independent as one of the principal reasons for the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939.
One of the interesting things about my Catalan class is that it is made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds (I am the only student from the United States). In particular, there are a number of students from South America who have immigrated to Barcelona to work and now want to learn Catalan in order to better assimilate into the community.
As one would expect in a class made up of a number of different nationalities, the topic of cultural stereotypes has come up on a number of occasions. It is always interesting to see what people think of the US. On one occasion, we were studying adjectives and the professor asked the class to think of what adjectives they associated with the nationalities of people in the class. I was able to anticipate many of the adjectives they assigned to people from the US: rich, proud, arrogant, isolationist, amongst others. However, one of my classmates from Argentina also proposed that people from the US liked to travel, which I had not expected. Since I know that a large percentage of people from the US never travel outside of the country, I tend not to think of people from the US as travelers. Yet, for someone from Buenos Aires – or Barcelona – who sees thousands upon thousands of tourists from the US every year, the perception is entirely different.
This same student also asked me what I thought about George Bush. It’s funny, even though many people are fascinated by President Obama, it seems as though an equal number are still fixated on George Bush and the decisions he made during his time in office, particularly the war in Iraq. When I expressed a negative view of President Bush, he agreed with me, but seemed a little disappointed that I hadn’t supported the former president.
I have also had a number of conversations about the role that “American” culture (culture from the US) plays in Europe. Speaking with my roommate, I recalled how disappointed I was the first time that I travelled to Spain when I kept hearing music from the US in all of the stores and restaurants. She told me how common it was for Spaniards to be heavily invested in music in English, especially from the US, even when they couldn’t understand any of what the artists were saying.
Another topic that seems to come up frequently is the role of movies from the US in the European marketplace, especially with France taking steps to try to protect and nurture its own cinematic tradition. I spoke with another student in my class who, although he had been born in Uruguay, grew up in Sweden, about this issue. He sees the issue in a slightly different way. While he is less worried about American movies replacing or blocking their European counterparts, he is interested in the role they play in the acquisition of English. For him, one of the major reasons that such a large percentage of the population in countries like Sweden can speak English is their refusal to dub any of the cultural products from the US – be they movies or tv – into Swedish. Therefore, unlike in Spain, where dubbing is incredibly common, Swedish youths are continually exposed to English from the time that they are quite young.
One of the things that attracted me to studying Catalan in Barcelona was the number of cultural activities that the city promotes to raise awareness and interest in the language. Along with these events, the University of Barcelona also promotes a number of events that celebrate the Catalan language and culture.
Possibly my favorite event was “els vespres de la UB,” the evenings of the University of Barcelona, in which the university hosted free concerns featuring a number of different Catalan musicians and performers throughout the month of July (http://www.ub.edu/vespres/). These shows were held in the gardens behind the main university building in the center of Barcelona. It was great to be able to sit outside in the evening and discover new groups who performed in the language that I was studying during the day. While I was not able to understand every word that the artists sang, I was able to understand more than I expected.
It was also a great opportunity to see how vibrant and alive Catalan culture is. One of my concerns in studying Catalan in Barcelona was whether or not I would be able to find situations in which I was forced to use the language and would not be able to substitute Spanish for Catalan. By attending events like “els vespres de la UB,” I was able to join native Catalan speakers in celebrating their culture and their language. I was also able to force myself to live and survive in Catalan.
Bretton Rodriguez on August 22, 2013 at 6:51 pm said:
Earlier today, I was asked, “d’on ets,” which means, “where are you from” in Catalan. It is an incredibly common question, but it resonated with me today for a number of reasons. First, it made me think about how important a role the U.S has played in my own identity. Being in Barcelona, I am frequently forced to confront how many of my views have been determined by growing up in the U.S.
The question also stayed with me because it is often so complicated to answer here in Barcelona, as well as throughout Catalonia. If you were born in Barcelona, or Girona, or Figueras; are you from Spain? Or, are you from Catalonia? What about if you were born outside of Catalonia, or even outside of Spain, but grew up here? Are you Spanish? Catalan? Other?
Now that I have finished my Catalan course at the University of Barcelona, and as I get ready to leave the city, I find myself thinking more and more about my time here. I really enjoyed my class, and am glad that I had a chance to study at the university rather than at a language school. I am amazed at the amount of Catalan that I managed to learn in a month. For instance, even the fact that I was able to immediately understand the question stated above, posed by a native Catalan speaker, and to respond seems to me to be an achievement. That said, I think there are ways that the course could have been better organized and taught.
One of the main things that stand out about my time here, however, is the deep complexity of so many of the issues faced here in Barcelona. Issues like identity and languages seem not only to be complicated, but also to create conflicts between different segments of the population. I have met native Catalan speakers whose families have lived here for generations who passionately want independence. I have also met all matter of immigrants who want nothing more than for things to stay the way that they are. Moreover, I have been addressed in public in Catalan, in Spanish, in French, and, on more than one occasion while in the center of the city, in English.
Barcelona is one of the most amazing and special places that I have ever had the privilege of getting to know personally. It has a rich history, a vibrant culture, and seems to be moving forward in a number of ways. However, it is also profoundly divided.
I am extremely grateful that I have had the chance to begin to study this language and its culture, and I plan to continue working with both throughout my career. I am also glad that I have had a glimpse of a very special, unique, and complicated part of the world.
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Gidon Kremer: To serve the arts means not to yield to the industry’s sharks
Here is the text that the great violinist read before the Japanese Royal Family on receiving the Praemium Imperiale award in Tokyo this week, the first violin player to be so distinguished. He used the occasion to resume his assault on the false priorities of the music business. Here is the original text, exclusive to Slippedisc.com:
Message of thanks
Your Imperial Highness, Prince and Princess Hitachi, Chairman of the Japan Art Association, Mr Hieda, Excellencies, International Advisers, Distinguished Members of the Selection Committee, dear Friends,
It is an honour for me to be given an opportunity to say a few words on behalf of ALL the laureates of this year’s Praemium Imperiale.
Being singled out for this distinction in the field of music means a great deal to me personally – and I am sure that each of us here would echo my sentiments. In acknowledging our life’s achievements, the Praemium Imperiale brings us close to the MANY outstanding artists who have been its FAVOURED recipients over the 28 years since the award was first established.
For me, it means being accepted into a “family of wonderful personalities”, people for whom I have always had profound respect and admiration or with whom I have even had the occasional good fortune to work.
As the first violinist in the family, I am keenly aware of the importance of today’s ceremony and am certainly not alone in wishing to express my deepest gratitude for the privilege that has been bestowed on us. Each of us enters this world and later departs from it. What we leave behind is what we manage to create in the time in between.
The arts are probably one of those facets of life that outlive us and last, if they are exceptional – “forever”. In a way, it might be said that art – unlike politics – has an “eternal” life. However, that is not a “licence” for indifference to injustice or lies.
These days, the whole arts industry is more market oriented than ever. “Value” is measured in terms of money, income and statistics. All too often we are tempted to believe that the primary goal of art is to entertain people.
How refreshing it is to see that past and present laureates of the Praemium Imperiale include those artists who have been able to resist that temptation! As I see it, a true artist is called to swim against the waves of popularity, to dive into the deep waters of human souls and to rise to the challenge of achieving the impossible.
The supporters of the great Ludwig van Beethoven wanted him to write compositions that were stylistically different from those of an artist who was very popular at that time – Gioachino Rossini. How many of today’s supporters or sponsors see artists in that way and give them that kind of encouragement?
I suspect that there are very few of them.
The potential revenue figures overshadow any real attempts at creativity.
To serve the arts and not to give in to the industry’s “sharks” by sacrificing one’s own ideals and vision is far more important than providing entertainment because the arts are able to expand our horizons, to make us visionaries.
In the past, the Praemium Imperiale has been awarded to many great personalities, whose “signatures” -their own individual identities – have thus been granted prime public recognition. They command our respect not merely because of their achievements; we realise that, like the great composer Luigi Nono, they knew that there was no path, but had to go on…. all the same.
Because they were willing to take risks, we can continue to explore the unknown.
That is why it fills me with joy and pride to be surrounded today by distinguished artists who have chosen not to follow the crowd. In one way or another, we have all fought to remain true to the values that we believe in. We are not finished yet!
Long live the arts! In many ways, they are the best support given to those of us who are seeking more and who desire to share what we find with others.
(c) Gidon Kremer
(c) Angie Kremer/Lebrecht Music&Arts
Did he really say that ?
Yes, he did. Long live the arts, maestro Kremer!
such incoherent rambling.
MIlka is very helpful. You just go to the very opposite of what he/she says and you will find meaning.
Thorcs says:
I think Gidon Kremer hate the modern world more than what I do. Love that man.
This should cause the flock of sheep to stir a little. But enough to stand upright and see what their masters are really doing? Probably not. Go on sheep, bleat about the next young, naked “star” of the industry.
A good speech. But it should not be forgotten that at many, really many places: concert halls and orchestras and opera companies, things are being run well, and musical quality is achieved, for musical reasons. But that is not in the media. Good news is no news.
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Payment Terms for an Engineering Consultant Partnership
Small Business Financing Options
By Tracey Sandilands
Seller Concession vs. Seller Financing
What Is a Purchase & Sales Agreement?
How to Structure a Buyout of a Partner Company
Corporate Sales Agreements
What Is a Professional Surety Bond?
An engineering consultant partnership can be sold in its entirety to a new owner, but it is more common to sell the share or interest of one partner, either to the remaining partners or to an external party. In all cases, payment terms need to be agreed before signing a letter of intent between buyer and seller. The terms should cover what is being sold, such as assets including premises and equipment, as well as marketing collateral and goodwill. In an engineering consulting firm, it is unlikely that the firm will have a sizeable inventory to take into account.
The best option for the seller is to find a buyer who has sufficient cash to pay for his partnership interest outright. Business sales are commonly financed by means of a down payment of a percentage of the sales prices, and the financing of the balance through various channels. The down payment is calculated on the seller’s cash flow needs, and the equity required by the commercial finance institution before agreeing to finance the balance. Most lenders will insist on an investment of between 25 and 30 percent by the buyer to provide financing. The down payment also needs to cover any broker commissions or attorney’s fees.
Earn-Out
An earn-out payment agreement means that the seller agrees to accept a portion of the sale price annually for a specific period. This is a high-risk agreement because it depends on the performance of the company under the new partnership, so most sellers demand a large down payment. The partner selling his share of the engineering consultant partnership may insist on being involved in the management of the company during the period of the earn-out, to ensure that the decisions taken are in the best interests of the firm.
Seller financing is a common method of selling a share or partnership in an engineering consulting business. This type of payment is similar to an installment sale and is beneficial to both parties, because it enables the buyer to purchase the share with a small down payment and the rest over time without paying the high fees and interest rates charged by commercial lenders. In addition, it ensures that the seller remains in contact to help both the new partner and the firm to maintain its level of success.
The sale of a partnership in an engineering consulting firm can be financed through escrow, in much the same way that real estate sales are financed. The buyer places the funds, which may be acquired through a lending institution or belong to him, in escrow with a legal officer. The sales agreement is compiled and signed, and once the filing period for complaints and problems expires, the funds in escrow are released to the seller. This is an ideal method of handling the sale of a partnership between parties that are strangers, as the funds are secure at all times and are only released once all conditions of the sale are met.
Inc.com: Selling a Business
Entrepreneur.com: Selling Your Business with Seller Financing
Lawyers.com: The Process of Buying or Selling a Small Business
Tracey Sandilands has written professionally since 1990, covering business, home ownership and pets. She holds a professional business management qualification, a bachelor's degree in communications and a diploma in public relations and journalism. Sandilands is the former editor of an international property news portal and an experienced dog breeder and trainer.
How to Sell a General Partnership Business
What Happens When an LLC Is Foreclosed by a Bank?
How to Buyout a Business Partner
Business Partnership & Contract Selling of Art Paintings
How to Liquidate a General Partnership
How to Dissolve an Informal Business Partnership
What Is a Profit & Loss Partner?
Abrogation of Sales Agreement
Distributor Agreement Vs. Agency Agreement
1 How to Sell a General Partnership Business
2 What Happens When an LLC Is Foreclosed by a Bank?
3 How to Buyout a Business Partner
4 Business Partnership & Contract Selling of Art Paintings
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Bellaire ER 24 Hour Service Reduces Local Emergency Room Wait Time In Bellaire, Texas
Dr. Mario Quintanilla (Dr. Q), owner of Bellaire ER, said that waiting times in some of Houston’s area hospital are exceeding 10 hours. Even a 5 hour wait is torturous if you are feeling sick and miserable. Independent emergency rooms, which usually have wait times of under 15 minutes, can help lessen the workload on the often over-burdened and under-staffed emergency rooms of large hospitals.
Long emergency room wait times are not an exclusive Houston area problem but rather a national problem. It is also an a problem with our neighbor to the north, Canada. A 2012 article in the online publication TheSpec.com stated that Canada’s ER wait times are among the worst of any developed country in the world. The article also mentioned that the average wait time in Ontario’s emergency rooms was 7 to 9 hours.
Dr. John Maa, assistant professor of surgery at the University of California at San Francisco, wrote about the delays his mother encountered when she went to a hospital emergency room with an irregular heartbeat. She was told she would have to wait almost four days before she would get the medical procedures she needed. Unfortunately, she died the next day. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine he said, “A lengthy wait for elective surgery can be irritating, but it is rarely deadly.” He also said that wait times have the greatest impact on those who need emergency treatment, such as heart attacks, serious infections, and traumatic injuries.
“I have talked to many patients in my 15+ years as an emergency room doctor and their primary concern is the waiting time and the secondary concern is convenience or location,” said Dr. Q. He has seen many changes and improvements in medical care and medical devices during his medical career but one thing that has not changed are the long waiting times.
Part of the problem is that many hospitals have closed during the most recent decades. And other causes are chronic underfunding and under staffing of existing hospitals and their emergency rooms. California Congressman Gary Miller said “Hospitals must provide emergency treatment to all who walk through the door, regardless of their citizenship status or ability to pay.”
Bellaire ER seems to have found a niche in the heart of Houston by delivering medical service to the residents nearby. Stewart Hoffer wrote, “Just 5 minutes from my house. I have taken my son here twice – once for dehydration (very scary experience) and once for an ear infection. Both times were at night, and both were FANTASTIC. No wait.” And Julieta Davidson wrote, “I didn’t even have to wait for hours to be seen! The facility was super clean which is always something I look forward to when thinking healthcare.” Bellaire ER is located at 5302 Bellaire Blvd in Bellaire, Texas and their website is found at BellaireER.com.
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Recognizing and Honouring that we are on Unceded Territory
By acknowledging the complexities that exist around living on Unceded land, we can start a lifetime of work to decolonize ourselves. Get to know the place where you live by learning about the history of the place, the People of that place and about all of the beings who lived on that land and who still do. Do this all slowly, and with care, so as not to perpetuate colonialism and the taking and stealing of land and knowledge.
Place-Based Knowledge
By having strong relationships with the bio-region that surrounds us we can better understand our role within it. Our curriculum includes wildlife tracking, edible and medicinal plants, bird ID and understanding bird language, naturalist skills as well as survival skills. All of these situated within the bio-region that we are in.
We honour that each person learns in different ways and we honour all of the different ways that we can mentor. Our staff all have various and diverse backgrounds with many combined years of being teachers and nature mentors. We also have a myriad of backgrounds and experience within the families that come to our programs. and no one has ever been turned away from one of our programs for lack of funds.
Reverence and Gratitude
Our teachings are grounded in gratitude, deep respect and reverence for the earth. Our learners become grounded in this practice. Through gratitude and reverence for the natural world, we can begin to see the strengths and gifts in each child and enable them to discover and share their gifts with the rest of the world. We foster the individual expression of each child, allowing them to be honoured for who they are.
Curiosity and Student Driven
When immersed in our own passions and curiosities, learning can be effortless, like an eagle soaring. We teach using passion based learning and follow the lead of our students.
Traditional/Ancestral/Land-Based Skills
By having strong ties to the land around us, we begin to see and feel the countless interdependencies and inter-connections of all the beings around us. By using and creating tools and crafts that we have made with our hands from the natural world, we begin to see how we are woven into all the beings around us. Our wisdom comes from the earth, from our ancestors, and from our own unique creativity.
Creating Culture
We want to create an intergenerational community of naturalists from children through elders. We are working to create a culture where our students become mentors of future students. Our hope is that this generation of children will be so strongly connected to the natural world that they will fully understand their place within it.
Emotional and Social Awareness
When we are able to express our feelings and feel safe doing so, we begin creating self-awareness and showing empathy for others. We can regulate our emotions, name them, and ask for the support we need. We can address conflict constructively and consider other people’s feelings. Role modeling this for children, and giving them opportunities to put this into action will enable their emotional literacy and connection to their emotions to flourish.
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Donald Trump: Narcissist in Chief
He's selling racism, and he's winning.
Donald Trump is a real estate mogul for whom the word "egomaniac" is an understatement. But when America’s narcissist in chief says he also wants to become commander in chief, the country pays attention. And that’s what Trump wanted to have happen. Here is what Trump said in his announcement that he is running to add the presidency to his list of successes:
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. ...They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
When challenged on the inaccuracy, outrageousness, and viciousness of his remarks, "The Donald" characteristically doubled down and claimed to be the nation’s only truth-teller, then attacked everyone who dared to challenge him.
Nice of Trump to assume, I thought, that some of the 11 million undocumented immigrants who live such vulnerable lives in this country might be good people. But obviously Trump doesn’t know any of them.
Jesus talks about immigrants when he refers to welcoming "the stranger," and says that how we treat them is how we treat him (Matthew 25:31-46). But everything about Donald Trump’s life indicates that Jesus is a stranger to him, too. (Parenthetically, could somebody ask why Liberty University, a Christian school, asked this lover of money, luxury, and power — and hardly an exemplar of sexual morality — to deliver a convocation address in 2012? I still can’t understand that.)
In a long and remarkable interview with Trump on Wednesday, NBC’s Katy Tur pointed out some real truths — including that undocumented immigrants in America actually have much lower crime rates that our natural born American citizens. Trump just insulted her, telling the journalist that she was "naïve" and didn’t know what she was talking about.
Donald Trump is selling racism. And he is winning.
It was hard to keep count of the number of individual people Trump attacked during this insane interview, including the other Republican presidential candidates, conservative columnists who were embarrassed or dared to raise questions about the facts of all his "truth-telling," or the businesses that are severing ties with Trump one after another for his idiotic, vicious, and divisive comments. Trump called all of his opponents "stupid" and kept saying that nobody else can compare to his astounding "success."
Trump’s ethics are very clear here — or rather, his non-ethics. Trump’s pride in his own success literally "trumps" everything else — shutting out reason, respect, experience, maturity, truth, civility, and certainly any sense of human compassion or empathy.
While it is unlikely that Donald’s favorite word ("TRUMP") will ultimately be painted on the side of Air Force One, there are some important political questions to raise about the "success" Trump is having in the Republican and primary state polls — second only to Jeb Bush at the latest reading.
Why did it take weeks for the other Republican presidential candidates to distance themselves from — much less denounce — Trump’s ugly words about Mexicans? Late and tepid at first, Republican pushback is slowly growing stronger from some, while others like Ted Cruz are "saluting" Trump for focusing on "illegal immigration" and smiling over his "colorful language."
Republican courage and conviction in response to Trump’s clearly racial comments has been sadly lacking, as has the party’s alleged concern to become a bigger tent that can reach out to racial minorities and American Hispanics in particular. Why?
Because Donald Trump is a salesman. And that’s really all he is. And the only product Trump really sells is the only thing he really believes in — himself. He’s made another calculation, another deal, that he can have success with a certain political segment of America. I think Trump has decided to reach down, and I do mean down, to the hard core of the Republican base, which is white, angry, and very right-wing — a constituency that is especially active and indeed overrepresented in the primary phase of every presidential campaign.
Trump reached out to that same group in the last presidential election campaign when he decided to lead the "birther" movement challenging whether Barack Obama was an American or was really an "other" and not one of "us." That racial appeal against a black president was the very worst of American sentiments — and is consistent with Trump’s latest attack on immigrants from Mexico and other "foreign" people not like "us."
Trump certainly acts and sounds like a racial bigot. But whether he really is or not, there is a much deeper issue here — Donald Trump is a salesman who sees that racial bigotry still works with a core base of the Republican Party.
Ever since the Democrats lost the south to the Republicans because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Republican Party, which dominates the entire south, has faced a very deep ethical crisis and has some difficult choices to make. That hardcore white southern base of the Republican Party wants to be a white party, and the leadership of the Republican Party still panders to it. What’s also clear is that Republican presidential candidates are afraid of that hardcore right-wing white base of their party—especially in the primary season.
That is exactly what happened to immigration reform, which passed in a bi-partisan way in the Senate in 2013 but was vetoed in the House of Representatives by the many Republican districts that have now been "white-washed" — meaning designed to have no significant minority voters.
When members of the House Republican leadership met with several evangelical and Catholic leaders in 2014, they promised to our faces that they would bring serious immigration reform to the House floor for a vote. They failed to live up to that promise, deciding instead to cave to their white-washed right wing base. Some Republican members admitted to us that many of their constituents were expressing clear racial biases.
I believe Donald Trump is deliberately and directly appealing to that white racist core of the Republican Party, and that’s why he is currently number two in the Republican polls. He is selling racism and he is winning.
I know and trust Republicans and conservative friends who reject such racism — want to purge it from their party — and long for a wider, more diverse Republican Party for the future. Indeed, the Republican votes, and even impassioned speeches, to take down the Confederate flag in South Carolina show a tale of two Republican parties — and that is a hopeful contrast to the racist elements of the party to which Trump is selling himself.
It is time for them to stand up to Donald Trump and what he is selling.
They not only have my challenge — they have my prayers.
Image via Andrew Cline/Shutterstock
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Watch Starsky & Hutch (2004) Online
Join uptight David Starsky and laid-back Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson as they’re paired for the first time as undercover cops. The new partners must overcome their differences to solve an important case with help from street informant Huggy Bear and persuasive criminal Reese Feldman.
Actors: Ben Stiller, Fred Williamson, Jason Bateman, Juliette Lewis, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn
Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down…
Alienated teen Pauline struggles with the pressures of fitting into high school, pleasing her mother and a burning desire to lose her virginity. With a grotesque curiosity for the darker…
Antonia’s Line (1995)
After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia’s late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down…
Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands, UK
After a big-time country singer brags that she can turn anybody in to a country-singin’ star, she’s out to prove she can live up to her talk when she recruits…
Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal server at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
After being released from jail, the son of a con man joins his father on the road.
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain…
The film centers on a successful author who is forced to confront an unrequited high school crush when he returns home to deliver a commencement address to graduating seniors. Shasta…
When Travis, the mouthy son of a criminal, disappears in the Amazon in search of a treasured artifact, his father sends in Beck, who becomes Travis’s rival for the affections…
When happy family man Joe Dirt finds himself transported to the recent past, he begins an epic journey to get back to his loved ones in the present.
Trailer: Starsky & Hutch (2004)
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in Archival, Article, Digital Humanities, Mixtapes, Music, Noise, Nostalgia, Place and Space, Sound Studies, Theory/criticism, Vinyl
What Mixtapes Can Teach Us About Noise: Reading Shannon and Weaver in 2010
One of the most consistently fascinating aspects of sound culture studies is an exploration of the redemptive characteristics of noise. Instead of assuming a dismissive attitude toward the role of noise in society (See our exposé on John Leicester and vuvuzelas), or an uncritical but positive stance (Marianetti, 1909, “The Futurist Manifesto“), sound culture scholars work to provide a reflexive perspective which contextualizes the various nuances of noise in all aspects of society. In a recent seminar, focusing around communication, media, and information science, I was provided with an excerpt from Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver’s 1949 book, The Mathematical Theory of Communication. This was a dry but exciting read; it was a very influential text. Not only did academics specializing in communication theory explore it because of how well it helped to define transmission model communication, but Bell Labs funded Claude Shannon and used his research to help establish the global information networks on which we rely today. Telephone wires, cellular transmissions, modems and even instructional manuals all owe this work a debt of gratitude. Simply put, Shannon and Weaver explain that less noise results in a better transmission, so several mathematical algorithms are posited to reduce noise in communication technology.
The Mathematical Theory of Communication, pg.7
The present day information society has defined itself, and has even been constructed upon technologies which require noise reducing mathematical algorithms. These algorithms are so prevalent that we rely on them every day without necessarily noticing or understanding them. As a researcher, I wonder where people embrace noise, as these sites provide clues to the limits of information’s value. Although I can think of many, in light of our recent Blog-O-Versary Mix!, I choose to examine one of my most treasured – the mixtape. The mixtape exemplifies a site of resistance specifically because it is 1)a measureably inferior sonic format to CD, MP3 and vinyl, and 2) often mixtapes are used to encode messages meant for an ideal listener. The communities, couples and individuals who circulate mixtapes embrace its status as an obsolete technology, – they perceive its affiliations with noise as a strength, a contour, definition. Mixtapes are a form of symbolic currency where the message is often secondary to the communal connotations encouraged by its form. Noise can be read as a tactic, a space of densly coded inferences which resist traditional modes of authority. To understand a mixtape is to understand the community and contexts within which it circulates; no other explanation could ever prove adequate.
Shannon and Weaver constructed noise as a problem for communication in 1949, and this has certainly had a strong impact on the term’s meaning, supporting its negative connotations even today. Noise is a space of social resistance and identification, an organic model of social encoding and decoding where authority is subverted to a subcultural set of rules and rituals. Reading Shannon and Weaver makes me question the sociological: how indebted is today’s society to information, and does noise truly serve as a foil?
Here’s the essay Claude Shannon Submitted to Bell Labs: A Mathematical Theory of Communication.
Cassette From My Ex is a site which explores some sites of identification in information resistance.
Tags: Aaron Trammell, authority, cassette from my ex, cassingle, Claude Shannon, lucksmiths, Mathematical Theory of Communication, mixtape, Noise, resistance, Sounding Out!, subculture, Warren Weaver
10 responses to “What Mixtapes Can Teach Us About Noise: Reading Shannon and Weaver in 2010”
Rob says : August 6, 2010 at 4:25 pm
First off, I like that you describe Shannon and Weaver as “a dry but exciting read.” It’s funny to me that it can be both at the same time.
I am interested in what you say about noise and mix tapes as “resistance” because I’m not completely on board with this. Perhaps in some ways this is true. For example, the use of feedback as an aesthetic choice; here I’m thinking of Hendrix being interviewed by Dick Cavett who referred to his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner as “unorthodox” to which Hendrix replied that he thought it was more beautiful than unorthodox.
And the mixtape can be an act of resistance in the sense that the audience is “playing” with the way in which they consume music, perhaps becoming “more than” an audience by doing an end run around choices made by artists, producers and record labels about song sequence, and creating a sort of gift economy with those tapes, among other things.
But even as mixes are an act of “playing with” the consumption process while becoming a producer of a new artifact, even if that artifact only has meaning to a small number of people (as small as one or two), they are still part of a consumption process. They are a way of taking greater control over the consumption process, but they are consumption nonetheless. You are still participating with the music industry, although you aren’t buying when you make a mix tape.
There is also the industry’s ability to “fold back in.” I am thinking here of Deleuze and Guattari and “reterritorialization” or of Fiske’s example of ripped jeans. D&G write:
“There is a rupture in the rhizome whenever segmentary lines explode into a line of flight, but the line of flight is part of the rhizome. These lines always tie back to one another. That is why one can never posit a dualism or a dichotomy, even in the rudimentary form of the good and the bad. You may make a rupture, draw a line of flight, yet there is still a danger that you will reencounter organizations that restratify everything, formations that restore power to a signifier, attributions that reconstitute a subject…” (A-O, p. 9)
So now we have iTunes giving you the option to “gift” music to a friend; to send them multiple separate tracks; you can still make a “mix” in the digital sense of the concept, which is a sort of resistance to a top-down song sequencing, but now you have to pay $1 per song.
I think more than resistance, mix tapes are “sites of antagonisms,” to use Lazzarato’s words.
I do like the idea of “noise” as resistance in music production (i.e. feedback). I think my favorite example here is Ween and lo-fi aesthetics in general; using a small four track recorder to write and produce your own music, outside of a corporate system, having a small distribution, etc. The most important part is the lo-fi quality, the warmth of some of those old tapes I still have in shoeboxes. They are little acts of resistance against slick production and they are good because they aren’t “good.” But now I’m just being nostalgic.
Great post Aaron; got me thinking about some things.
Aaron Trammell says : August 6, 2010 at 1:19 am
Stuart Hall is, in fact, extremely pertinent to this discussion as he did try to reconcile this cross section between the social and technological. It’s interesting to consider that for Hall, deciphering or decoding is an act of negotiation on the part of the listener, and therefore the a point where social “noise,” is introduced. Hall’s cultural studies approach also coincides discursively with some other important breaks from the transmission communication model, like “A Cultural Approach to Communication,” by James Carey. This is a bit of an academic feint away from some of the concerns you raise above regarding information discourse and Bell Labs. No longer does the perspective of “noise as problem” hold the theoretical sway that it once did in the academy.
That said, I’m not sure there is a common sense perspective outside of academia that reflects the consideration which has been placed into this theoretical scaffolding. I’m fairly confident that “noise” is still laden with negative connotations, and these are often constructed as obstacles which people struggle to overcome. This is reflected in network design, acoustical engineering, domestic engineering and even behavioral patterns. These patterns manifest in actions as simple as searching for a new bar because the prior haunt got too “noisy.” Noise problems are frequently solved with legal sanctions and scientific development. Because these institutions concern themselves with objective measurement, I feel a duty to give these factors a critical weight that is not outright dismissive.
For me, this critical weight manifests in an attempt to look at the ways people embrace noise, especially in instances where many perspectives come into play. Mixtape revivalists exemplify this sort of convergence specifically due to the cross-play of both the social and technological. Certainly, I could explore Sterne’s perspectives regarding the technological, by exhuming grammaphone revivalists who embrace an obsolete technology, or Attali’s perspective by examining the cultural circulations of mix-CD’s, blogs, and podcasts. I choose mixtapes however, because there is something poetic about how well they address both the social and technological. There is a certain spirit which travels with a mixtape, and tells stories all its own. These days – when I listen, I hear a lonely tale about some songs which couldn’t be forgotten through the crackle, hiss and drone of a medium that could.
Aaron Trammell says : August 5, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Thanks for all the great feedback! Nick – I appreciate your trepidation over some of my word choices, I maintain a strong social constuctionist perspective within which I work to undermine traditional understandings of things like “measurement,” due to their ultimate socially relative natures. Also, I understand that information/noise is just one way to approach mixtapes, but it is so interesting! I’m working a lot within information science circles right now, and the constructions of Shannon and Weaver are extremely pertinent to the epistemics which ground that field’s work. Transmission model communication is rarely interrogated, and things like social rituals often slip through the cracks. I hope that helps a little in contextualizing these ideas.
As far as mix-tapes go, I think it is amazing that people still make and identify with them, even though they have become inconvenient. It’s no longer easy to make a mix-tape, and it’s rare that you can find a player to listen with anymore. They are still traded, however, and in many circles given a bit of ‘cred.’ I love mix-tapes dearly, and for years I tried to explain myself through them. In many ways this was the seed for this idea: what rituals and social values still surround these artifacts?
Nick says : August 5, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I had no idea that mix tapes were still made in any significant number—that’s very interesting, and certainly something to interrogate. I imagine there is quite a bit that is different, w/r/t obsolescence etc., in these tapes as opposed to those of the 1980s.
I also wanted to name-check Stuart Hall in here. His encoding and decoding model does seem to be the link between Shannon, the comments JSA made above, and media/cultural studies. Does the endorsement by Hall take away my worry about the universalizing tendencies of information theoretical discourse? I’m not sure.
Nick says : August 5, 2010 at 5:30 pm
I’m fascinated by Shannon-Weaver model mostly because it so plainly describes an intrusive “other”—look at noise, over there, getting in the way!—as if “noise” comes from somewhere other than the very conditions of our mediatized communication. The more traditionally-defined “noise” in the case of the physical mixtape—hum, wow, flutter—is native to the medium and perhaps more “naturally” present than the communication itself. I wouldn’t say that Shannon and Weaver are the source of “noise as problem”—check Attali for that—but they are definitely a source of the contemporary usage of “noise as informational problem.”
The other half of this, which you incorporate as “noise” and JSA elaborates on in her comment, is the idea of “social noise” or “discursive noise” et c. I think connecting the Shannon-Weaver model to attempts to eliminate this social noise is the right move, but I’d be wary of defining the noise in terms of their model: The military simplicity of Bell’s desires (see how Shannon discriminates between regular, easily removed interference and the irregular, more insidious because it looks like data noise) runs counter to the academic preference for thick descriptions and intricate, local understanding. Talking about mixtapes as noise in this context strikes me as similar to the universalizing cybernetic discourse that arises in the 20th century, treating all as information, or the regular historical tendency to reconsider the world by analogy with novel technologies (the world is a stage, the world is an engine, etc.)—approaches that grow stale rather quickly in their over-simplifications.
I’d love to read more of your thoughts on mixtapes (you don’t get to them until relatively late in the post, and I actually read it thinking of “mixtapes” in a more general sense, divorced from tapes themselves, which made your assertion that they are “measurably inferior” a head-scratcher). Actually, I would be careful with the “measurably inferior” thing too—inferiority is primarily a social and historical situation (they certainly weren’t “inferior” to mp3s before mp3s, and their inferiority to vinyl is debatable, even in terms of frequency response), and the conditions that produce “measurably” emerge in conjunction with the media themselves. Sterne’s book, especially the chapter on the social construction of fidelity, gets at this quite well.
drjsa says : August 4, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Very interesting post. . .i guess i had never thought of mixtapes as “noise” quite in this way. It is interesting to think about them from the perspective of the listener as well. The makers of mixtapes often embed a narrative within the mixtape for a particular listener to receive. Sometimes the message is received, loud and clear, and other times, not so much! I think “noise” for the listener can arise when songs are included that are very very new –until repeated listening makes them familiar–and/or songs are included that grate on the listener’s sensibilities (how many times have we all gotten the mixtape from that friend who is hell bent on introducing you to a band/genre/label she loves. . .but you don’t?). It is especially “noisy” when fast forwarding is difficult. You can’t unstick or erase that song, so you must endure it. One’s changing relationship with the producer also can produce “noise”–if things go awry, certain tapes just simply become unlistenable. You are dead on with the idea of noise being dependent on context and community–and it keeps on changing.
“Share your story” – but who will listen? | Sounding Out! - August 22, 2016
The Noises of Finance | Sounding Out! - April 22, 2013
SO! Reads: Jonathan Sterne’s MP3: The Meaning of a Format « Sounding Out! - November 5, 2012
Pushing Record: Labors of Love, and the iTunes Playlist « Sounding Out! - October 3, 2011
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“To be the best, you gotta beat the best” – Sfairopoulos, Roll, O’Bryant, Kane, & DiBartolomeo Unplugged! Maccabi captures the Championship!
Jun 14, 2019 | 2018-19 Game Reviews, Game Reviews, Holyland Hoops
1) Congratulations to Maccabi Tel Aviv for winning the Israel Basketball Super League Championship. There’s no doubt that the Yellow & Blue was at the head of the class all season long in the Israeli league from the get go. They were dominant game in and game out while also competing in the Euroleague and rightfully deserved to take home the title. When Eilat had Maccabi on the ropes in the semifinals, all of the non-Maccabi fans were cheering the Red Sea City side from the Jerusalem to Rishon and to of course Eilat. However, one thing that the Jerusalem and Rishon fans have to understand is that as Ric Flair said, “To be the best, you gotta beat the best”. I’m Jerusalem’s case they couldn’t get past Rishon in the semifinals while as much as Guy Goodes knew the Maccabi roster, the Yellow & Blue’s talent was superior. Michael Roll who won his second championship had this to say while soaked and smiling in the hallways of Yad Eliyahu, “Back to back Champions. We know what it was all season; best team. We had to handle business and we came out and did it. I’m very proud of our team and we played great.” What were the keys to the win after the first half in which Maccabi was only up by two points, “Just stick to the plan, they’re going to wear out as they didn’t have very much depth and were 12-13 players. We had more talent and it showed.”
2) There were a number of players who won their first championships from Tarik Black to Johnny O’Bryant. The Sports Rabbi had a chance to catch up with one of Maccabi’s big men right outside of the lockerroom following the game as he spoke about the excitement of capturing the title, “It feels great man. It’s actually my first ever championship so it really feels great. We fought hard all year and over the last two months we really picked it up. We won the championship as a team effort because everyone played hard, everybody’s scoring, were passing the ball and sharing the ball. It was cool.” Coach Sfairpoulos spoke to the team at the half about what Maccabi needed to do in order to take the win, “We got to look at their second chance points and that was keeping them in the game. We also had to keep them out of the paint and we did that and were able to pull out the win.” And where will O’Bryant be next season with Maccabi, the NBA and EFES as being some of the reported options? “That’s a great question. Right now I’m enjoying this championship and when we get to the summer we have to negotiate and see where it goes. I like Tel Aviv but basketball is a business. I got to talk to Maccabi and talk to my agent and see where it goes.”
3) Michael Roll has been a rock for Maccabi over the past two seasons and was really excited after winning his second league title with the team. Roll had undergone a bit of change with the roll he plays on the team but he also understands what kind of great people and team he has around it, “You don’t get many moments like these in your career. To win a championship, that’s huge no matter where you are or what you’re doing.” Where does Roll’s future lie after he plays with Tunisia at the World Cup in China this coming September, “I don’t know my future. I hope to stay, I really do. I love this place and I was taking it all in. The fans are absolutely incredible. I enjoy coming here every single day so I would like to continue it.” It’s clear where Roll wants to be next season, it will he continue? That’s an open question.
Another player who would like to come back is DeAndre Kane. #7 is a player that leaves it all on the floor every minute he’s on it. He will defend his teammates, stick up for what’s right and of course is one of the most colorful characters in Israel today. He is also what I’d call a player that likes to stir it up after covering him for two seasons. During the game I tweeted out that Kane is a player that Hapoel Jerusalem could have used and former Hapoel Gilboa Gali Star D’Angelo Harrison gave it a like. Every team needs a DeAndre Kane and after last night’s Sports Rabbi MVP performance he basically all but sewed up a contract for the 2019/20 season. Here’s what he had to say about his special relationship with Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos who according to reports would like Kane to continue next season, “Coach is my guy. I respect him and he respects me. He’s an even better. He taught me a lot and he’s a guy you want to play for, who you want to lay it on the line for because he’s going to lay it on the line for you. That’s my guy and hopefully I can play for him again.”
And One And Some
A) Now onto Coach Sfairpoulos. It’s not easy to come and work in a foreign country and it’s certainly not a simple task to take over a team that had such a poor European start. I asked him if in his wildest dreams he thought he would be here celebrating an Israeli League Championship last summer after completing four seasons at Olympiacos. “From the first moment I arrived at Maccabi I felt not only welcome but privileged to be the coach of a club that has has so many great coaches on the past. When you’re a foreign coach it’s not easy to integrate into a system but the management gave me the opportunity to lead the club. This is the beginning of a project and I hope we can continue to build the team for next season. We have a plan to improve the team and to take it to the top.
B) Last but not least here’s an interview with the Final Four MVP John DiBartolomeo who was chosen as the Most Valuable Player over the two games. “I’m happy we were able to come out with the win. We had a lot of ups and downs during the season and the fact that we are finishing it on a good note means a lot to us.”
Back to Back and Belly to Belly:
“It’s a great feeling to capture back to back championships. We come to Maccabi to win championships and I’m happy we were able to come out on top tonight. That’s a good Rishon team and they deserve a lot of credit. They had an amazing year and gave us a lot of trouble throughout the season and it was a tough one again tonight.”
On being named the MVP:
“It’s a great feeling to win the MVP. But our team is so deep and we have so many different players and so many stepped up at different times. But once again individual accolades speak more to the team than anything else.”
Focusing on defense first:
“We want to be the best we can on defense and that’s where our focus lies and that’s where we need to be the best at all times. When we play good defense it makes it much easier for us in the offensive end.”
Looking ahead to next season:
“There’s always turnover from year to year and it’s not something you can worry about it because you can’t control it. Right now we’re going to enjoy tonight and the off time a bit and come back next season and get to work like we always do.”
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Kohli rates Adelaide knock higher than Edgbaston
Virat Kohli single-handedly kept India in the first Test with his maiden hundred in England but the captain would still rate the memorable knock second to his 141 in a lost run-chase against Australia in Adelaide almost four years ago.
Birmingham 03 August, 2018 14:33 IST
Virat Kohli salutes the Edgbaston crowd after scoring a ton on Thursday. - Getty Images
“I don’t know. This could come second to Adelaide. Adelaide remains very special to me. It was second innings and we were chasing a target (364) on day five,” Kohli told bcci.tv after his masterful 149 on the second day.
“I had total clarity in my mind that we were going for the target. That was a beautiful zone to be in. About this innings, I am very happy and grateful,” he added.
Kohli had scored two hundreds in the game at Adelaide in December 2014 but lack of support led to India losing the game by 48 runs. It was tough in the middle yesterday with the ball moving around but Kohli overcame the challenge to register his first 40-plus score in England. His 149 was 15 more than the sum total of his 10 innings in England four years ago.
Kohli was the last wicket to fall, taking India to 274 all out from a precarious 182 for eight. The effort was just 13 shy of England’s 287 in the first innings. The skipper said he was disappointed at not being able to take a lead.
“It was not only about getting to the three-figure mark but to continue from there on. I was very disappointed when I got out because we could have taken a 10-15 run lead. But in hindsight we would not have been able to bowl at them. I am just happy with my preparation and not worried about the world,” he said.
His nemesis on the previous tour, James Anderson, tested him to the hilt but this time Kohli came out on top.
“It was difficult. I told myself it was important to enjoy this, take it upon me as a challenge to take the team far,” said Kohli when asked about his mindset in the middle where the other batsmen struggled.
“It was a test of physical and mental strength but I am glad we could come close to their total and we are pretty much in the game. When you can help the team that way it feels great.
“I have to commend the tail as well. Hardik Pandya batted really well and Ishant and Umesh too applied themselves at the end. The support from them was outstanding,” Kohli added.
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Walter Straus
Walter L. Straus, M.D., MPH, is the Associate Vice President, Clinical Safety and Risk Management 2, Merck & Co, Inc. He has involvement in issues ranging from molecular epidemiology and development of patient-reported outcome measures for use in clinical trials, through to assessment of the safety and effectiveness of marketed products. While much of his work is done in support of clinical research, his group is also involved in basic research. Additionally, since so much of the burden of vaccine preventable diseases falls on developing countries, Dr. Straus' team is also involved in epidemiologic assessment of disease in areas of the world normally outside of the sphere that has historically characterized pharmaceutical development. This activity has led to his active involvement in internal discussions about ethical considerations for research in developing countries. Dr. Straus is a former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and other non-governmental organizations. His primary medical ethics focus is upon ensuring appropriate research protection for vaccine research in developing countries. His team is active in scientific presentations and publications. He serves as a Technical Consultant to the AHRQ Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics at the University of Alabama, and holds an adjunct appointment with the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Straus serves as a member of the Finance and Nominations and Elections committees and has been on the PRIM&R Board since 2004.
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Chip Scoggins: 'It's time': College Football Playoff should expand to 8-team field
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune
Fans are seen outside of the stadium prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images/TNS)
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America/TNS
College football will crown a new national champion Monday night, as the strangest and most tenuous season on record ended in a familiar place.
Alabama played Ohio State in the title game. Shocker!
College football has a problem. A freshness problem. A problem that exists because the system that decides a champion has created a monotonous spin cycle.
I love college football more than any other sport, and I worry about it becoming less appealing in the eyes of the general public because the College Football Playoff has morphed into Groundhog's Day.
Since its inception, the playoff has become an exclusive club of only a select few blueblood programs that maximize the sport's absence of parity.
The CFP is in its seventh year, which equates to 28 bids. Only 11 teams have participated so far. Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma alone have accounted for 20 of the 28 spots.
No school outside of the Power Five has scaled the wall. Cincinnati went 9-0 with a Top-10 defense this season and was treated like an outsider by the selection committee.
The Pac-12 has not appeared in the CFP since 2016 and has fallen off the radar to such a degree that the conference almost feels like an afterthought within the power structure.
This can't be good for the overall interest in the sport.
Don't blame teams who keep getting selected. Tweak the system.
As much as I resisted this idea before, the CFP needs to expand to eight teams as quickly as possible. I would even welcome a 16-team field at some point. Eight is a logical next step.
The model that I support features an eight-team field with automatic bids to Power Five champions, an automatic bid to the highest-rated Group of Five team and two at-large bids.
Realistically, a 16-team playoff is a long way down the road (and might even be a pipe dream), but imagine the interest, excitement — and financial windfall in TV revenue — that a bracket of that scope would produce.
ESPN's contract for the CFP runs another five seasons, so it's unclear how soon change could happen. But do stakeholders in those deliberations honestly believe that the sport's best interest is tied to five more years of Alabama-Clemson rematches and only a small fraction of schools having true access to the playoff?
Open it up. Give more teams a shot. Move closer to a real playoff.
"It's time," said Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference Commissioner and University of Minnesota graduate. "I think it's somewhere in the two-to-five-years timeframe. It might not have to go through the end of the contract."
Thompson said he believes there is an appetite for playoff expansion among his fellow conference commissioners. Thompson's primary objective is to maintain college football's popularity post-pandemic.
"There were a couple of very special undefeated teams this year in Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina," Thompson said. "That wouldn't have brought the industry to a screeching halt if they were to play [in the playoffs]. They were good teams, entertaining teams, teams where people go, 'I've never seen them before. I'm going to tune in.' "
Expanding the playoffs by four teams won't devalue the regular season or strip it of drama, which has long been my concern. Saturdays in the fall would remain a thrill ride.
One knock on expansion is the likelihood of more blowouts. Guess what? The semifinals with only four teams regularly produce lopsided scores too. At least fans in more areas of the country will have more incentive to emotionally invest, knowing their team has a chance at something above a bowl game.
The king-of-the-hill nature of college football is a product of recruiting versus drafting talent. The worst professional teams get first dibs on picking the best players. In college football, the best teams typically sign the best recruiting classes. So that cycle is hard to break. The result is a playoff that features the same few teams every year.
Alabama and Clemson will still be safe bets to win the trophy in a larger playoff. Inviting more teams to the party would create more interest and fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Ohio State rides Justin Fields’ toughness, leadership to championship game
Immediately after Clemson’s James Skalski speared Justin Fields on New Year’s Day – we dress it up as “targeting” these days – Pablo Fields took a phone call. A friend of the family, a doctor, was reaching out to Fields’ father, bearing a scrap of cold comfort. “She said he should be fine, the spleen is on the other side,” Pablo recalled. Plenty of other internal parts were still in play, ...
DeVonta Smith caps his Heisman season by leading Alabama to yet another national title
DeVonta Smith ran into the end zone at Hard Rock Stadium untouched — again — and pointed his right index finger toward the sky.
Shannon Ryan: A complicated college football season — filled with exasperation and exhilaration — is over. Was it all worth it?
The most pressing questions heading into the 2020 college football season was whether the season would start at all and, if it did, would it be able to finish.
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“Underworld Evolution” is Explosive
I’m about to let you in on one of my deep, dark secrets: I love vampire and werewolf movies. I realize that there is no accounting for taste. It’s just the way it is. So obviously the movie “Underworld” and its sequel “Underworld Evolution” were right up my alley.
If you didn’t get a chance to see the original film, it centers on the war between vampires and lycans (werewolves). The battle began hundreds of years ago when one brother – – a vampire – – and another brother – – a lycan – – began the feud. The vampires are aristocratic and sophisticated which is a major contrast to the brutal lycans. The two races have sworn to wage war until only one of them is left standing. Of course, humanity is blissfully unaware of the existence of either race. They are nothing more than myths relayed in stories from generation to generation to scare children into acceptable behavior.
“Underworld” sets the stage for a union between vampires and lycans through the joining of a vampire warrior named Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale) and a lycan-vampire hybrid named Michael (played by Scott Speedman). The union, which is taboo because it could result in a new invincible species of predator that combines the strengths of both races with the weaknesses of neither. This, of course, threatens to tip the balance of power in favor of the werewolves, who have heretofore been the underdog; something the vampires cannot allow.
“Underworld Evolution” takes up where the original movie leaves off. The war rages on with the beautiful death-dealer, Selene on the run with her hybrid (half vampire and half werewolf) lover Michael. The focus of this film is vengeance. Selene now seeks vengeance on the vampires after finding out that they, not the lycans, were responsible for the death of her family as she was led to believe. The new vampire leader, Marcus (played by Tony Curran), also seeks vengeance because of Selene’s union with the lycans which ultimately led to the death of the race’s former leader Vicktor. The audience is treated to flashbacks that set up the war between the vampires and lycans and finds out that Marcus was not happy about the eternal imprisonment of his brother which he now seeks to release. Together, he fancies the two of them to be unstoppable and equal to the strength and power of the hybrid Michael. However, Selene is intent on stopping Marcus from releasing his brother, especially now that she realizes she knows where he is imprisoned. It turns out that the reason her family was killed those many years ago was because her father built the prison that now holds the leader of the lycans. What results is madness, mayhem, gun battles and sword fights along with the discovery of mysterious artifacts, secret crypts, and catacombs. But who will win; the vampires or the lycans? Or will an even greater hybrid enemy now plague the world? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you that. You’ll have to see it for yourself.
This story is a sharply written, well-crafted, and tightly woven retelling of age-old mythical creatures. It is edgy, dark, and sexy. The screenplay written by Danny McBride is imaginative and clever while still remaining true to the basic myth of these two supposed races. Director Len Wiseman creates a believable world where these creatures rule with cruelty and arrogance. Using a largely British cast, he wove an uncanny European realism into the film. He keeps the action moving at a break neck pace and the blood flowing as is necessary in this particular type of tale.
Curran, as Marcus, brought to life the legendary evil vampire ruler. His show no mercy, take no prisoners attitude set the stage for the final showdown. Bill Nighy’s flashback turn as Viktor the former vampire leader, was every bit as terrifying and disturbing. Although never seen totally out of makeup, William Steele’s portrayal of the imprisoned werewolf brother was bone chillingly realistic. And Sir Derek Jacobi as Alexander Corvinus, the father of the two evil brothers, was both powerful and moving. Speedman’s Michael was credible but not spectacular. However, Beckinsale commanded this movie from its opening scene until its inevitable conclusion. Her mere presence on screen caught and held the eye of every audience member. Of course, for the men out there, it doesn’t hurt that she looks great with her jet-black hair, skintight leather catsuit, ruby red lips, and luminescent blue eyes. She is nothing short of mesmerizing on the screen.
I liked this movie. I didn’t love it. I have definitely seen better films of this genre. However, I appreciated its edginess and I felt that it was appropriately dark where other movies of the same genre attempt to be something much less. Let’s face it. This isn’t a lighthearted film. It isn’t meant to be. However, it is good entertainment for the those who love horror films. I give it three out of five stars.
“Underworld Evolution” is a Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment Production in conjunction with Len Wiseman Films. It is 106 minutes in length and carries an R rating for graphic violence and some sexual situations.
Plyometrics: The Basics of These Explosive Exercises
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing : An Explosive Film That Continues to Spark Questions About Racism in America
Explosive Mail in Britain
Home Churches Show Explosive Growth
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Prosecutors Issue New Subpoena in Abramoff Case:
by Paul Blumenthal Feb 14, 2006 12:39 pm
Justice Department prosecutors issued subpoenas for the records of the U.S. Family Network, a non-profit started in 1996 by Ed Buckham, then-chief of staff to Tom DeLay (R-TX). According to the National Journal, of particular interest to prosecutors is a $15,600 payment by the U.S. Family Network “to Liberty Consulting, a firm run by Lisa Rudy, the wife of Tony Rudy, who was a deputy chief of staff to DeLay before becoming a lobbying colleague of Abramoff’s.” Tony Rudy has subsequently been named in Abramoff’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Named in the subpoena of the U.S. Family Network are Tony and Lisa Rudy; Ed Buckham and his wife, Wendy; “several dozen other individuals and groups that have been linked to Abramoff by investigators and news reports;” and Abramoff associates Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist.
Tags: Ed Buckham, Grover Norquist, Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed, Tom DeLay, Tony Rudy, U.S. Family Network
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It’s time to celebrate, and complicate, the meaning of Pride Month
Words: Cayleigh Bright | Photographs: Jonathan Kope | Styling: Mavuso Mbutuma
If there’s one party to which everyone should be invited, it’s Pride. Whether as a celebration of how far we’ve come in recognising LGBTQIA+ rights, a protest to raise awareness about what still needs to be achieved, or just a place to be yourself, there’s no doubt that Pride Month is important. As the month draws to a close, we spoke to people looking for, and working towards, safe spaces in which to thrive.
Nash Mariah and Mavuso Mbutuma, founders of monthly party Anything Goes, started the event out of frustration that Cape Town’s social scene hasn’t so far produced much in the way of places where everyone’s welcome. “We didn’t really have a place that we could go that was “gay friendly” that we felt comfortable in,” says Nash. “The scene in Cape Town felt really segregated, and as if it was for one type of gay person, instead of being open. It’s not a space where everyone can be free to be whoever they are. Our friends had the same issue with gay clubs in Cape Town, so we always ended up at ‘straight parties’ where we were in the minority again.” When they’re asked what the party’s about, Mavuso and Nash say that it’s all in the name – that when it comes to what to wear or who’s included, there are no restrictions.
"It's about making spaces for people who do not fit the perceived norm to feel comfortable around people that care about them and accept them," Gia Sivitilli says. "without those parties, I guess there would be nowhere for us to feel accepted. If you go to the typical gay clubs, you sort of have to fit a certain mould as a gay man or gay woman to even be looked at."
A lot of the problems with exclusionary nightlife, in general, are reflected in criticisms of Pride Month. It’s been a time to celebrate steps forward in achieving basic rights, but it also serves as a moment to realise and recognise how far we’ve got to go. Adopted as a flag of LGBT Pride in the 70s, the rainbow design has undergone a few aesthetic changes since then but is widely recognised as a symbol of solidarity. This month it appeared as a react option for Facebook users, and enjoyed the addition of two new colours, brown and black, by campaigners hoping to achieve more recognition for often-marginalised LGBTQIA+ people of colour. But even with a more intersectional approach, the symbol has its problems, and they reflect real-life issues.
Tarryn Naude suggests that the problem begins where, “The flag assumes that we all have the same struggles. I don’t have the same struggles that trans people do, or that asexual people do. Just banding “others” into one big ‘thing’ is problematic.”
For Dee Geyser, it all starts with awareness. “Presence in media, in art and film, is a big thing. It’s only ‘boy-and-girl’. It’s a good step to include anyone who identifies otherwise because it definitely perpetuates a heteronormative culture if that isn’t there. If people see a picture of girls holding hands they’re like, ‘Ah, best friends!'.”
So are we finally coming to understand that there are multiple ways to stay true to your identity – and that each is as valid and useful as the next? "I think that the idea of Pride being something that you’re obligated to show is dated," Yann-Xavier Horowitz tells us. "You can celebrate Pride in your own way, whether that’s in an open forum or with your family and friends. Pride can be anything from being as loud and proud as you want to be, or expressing it in your own subtle ways, in the clothes you wear, the people you associate with, the places you’re interacting in."
“If I think back to my experience of Pride back from the 90s, so much has changed,” says Malibongwe Tyilo. “It’s become such a huge part of mainstream culture, which is a great indicator of how far we’ve come. But it’s mainly those of us who live in cities who can experience the freedoms that come with Pride. There are people who still can’t live their truths, and be free and be unapologetic.” Groups who are marginalised – geographically, racially or economically – quite literally can’t come to the party. But what’s so important about being able to let loose?
“I think that when there are so many spaces that are unsafe, it’s essential for people’s mental health and wellbeing to be with people who they’re close to and just feel okay as a human being, says Lara Evans. "I know that for a lot of people now Pride’s a party, and it’s that feeling of a release from a lot of pain. It’s a party because you need that sometimes."
For Mziyanda, “Safe spaces are most definitely important. At a gay bar, not everyone is necessarily out. There are people who are still closeted, or still not sure, or just want to see what it’s like – and to have a safe space where there’s no judgement really helps a lot. Safe spaces are an essential part to a club – because in most clubs, you don’t find that. You need people cheering you on, not making fun of you or laughing at you.” Or, to put as Qiniso van Damme does, “You should just be able to flourish and go where you need to go, and those spaces should be the places where for once you feel free.”
A choice between party and protest is both besides the point and central to the problem: for one thing, there’s no need to choose between the two. For another, if everyone is entitled to the release of letting loose in good company, then the personal is more political than ever. Part of the problem with Pride is that it struggles to acknowledge this. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not getting anywhere.
After all, “The norm is almost to not be the norm. It’s not shocking to walk into the street and see someone dressed outrageously cos it’s kind of something that’s almost expected." That's what Adam Kent Wiest has to say while expressing his faith in the local scene's ability to evolve and flourish. "There’s all of this diversity and boldness that people have. Obviously, it can keep going further and further – there’s potential there, and that’s amazing. In Cape Town, there’s enough creativity and originality to actually fuel something that’s beyond.”
As the creators of Anything Goes, Mavuso and Nash find themselves in a unique position: instead of being the kind of party promoters who hope that their event remains the only one of its kind, they'd love to see more of what they're doing replicated elsewhere. Nash says, "I think that the sentiment – of all different types of people going to a party and just enjoying themselves – that definitely needs to be copied by everyone."
“South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world," Tarryn points out. "But one of the most traditional ways of living. The legislation is there. We just need to fight for more conversations.”
With thanks to Mavuso Mbutuma, Nash Mariah, My Friend Ned, Malibongwe Tyilo, Keith Henning, Jody Paulsen, Christopher Starr, Brandon Browne, Lara-May Evans, Katie Thomas, David West, Adam Kent Wiest, Yann-Xavier Horowitz, Daniel Walton, Mziyanda, Alis Kotze, Qiniso Van Damme, Taryn Naude and Gia Sivitilli.
Makeup: Roxanne Sayers
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Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game featuring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. Created by Doug TenNapel and designed by David Perry, the game was developed by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive Entertainment. It was released for the Sega Genesis in 1994, and subsequently ported to a number of other video game consoles. The game was noted for its fluid, cartoon-like animation. It was well-received by critics, and received a sequel, Earthworm Jim 2, in 1995. Fifteen years later, Gameloft developed a high definition remake for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, titled Earthworm Jim HD, in 2010.
Tetris Attack is a 1996 puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the S…
Pitfall The Mayan Adventure
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a 1994 video game developed and published by Activision. A sequel to Activisio…
Captain America and the Avengers (キャプテンアメリカアンドジアベンジャーズ Kyaputen Amerik…
Sailor Moon R was a video game released for the Super Famicom by Bandai in 1993. As the title implied, the gam…
Outlander is an action driving video game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed and published by Min…
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View Robert Howard's Biography
Alabama Celebrates 2018-19 Season with Postseason Awards Dinner
Robert Howard is a competitive swimmer who represents the United States internationally. Coming into college, Howard was a AHSAA State champ in the 50 and 100 free, two-time USA Scholastic All-American (2013 and 2014), and Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 50-meter freestyle. College (Alabama) 2015-2016 Howard was an immediate impact freshman for the Tide. He placed 12th in the 100 free (43.78), 15th in the 50 free (19.90) and 30th in the 200 free (1:37.74) at the SEC Championships, and also swam on the third place 400 free relay at the conference meet. Though he didn't swim individually, Howard was a member of the sixth place 400 free relay at the NCAA Championships. At the end of the season, he was named as a member of the First Team CSCAA Scholar All-American. 2016-2017 Howard improved in his sophomore year, and it showed at the big meets. He finished seventh in the 100 free (42.96), ninth in the 50 free (19.52) and 17th in 200 free (1:35.07) at the SEC meet, and was a member of the runner-up 400 free relay, third place 200 free relay and fifth place 800 free relay teams. Playing a bigger role at the NCAA Champs, he was part of the …
The Crimson Tide celebrated a season which included a top-10 NCAA finish for the men, a top-35 finish for the women and a combined nine men and women earning All-America honors.
149 Men, 232 Women Swimmers, Divers Named to SEC All-Academic Teams
A total of 705 student-athletes were named to the 2018-19 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll, including 149 men and 232 women swimmers and divers.
SEC Names 2018-19 Postseason Award Winners
The Southeastern Conference announced its annual men’s and women’s swimming & diving awards to cap the 2018-19 season.
Men’s Recruiting Class Ranks Revisited: Top 12 Schools For 2016-2019
Our recruiting class ranks for the current crop of graduating seniors, all the way back in 2015: #1 Texas, #2 Cal, #3 USC. How did those classes (and the rest of our top 12) turn out after four years? And what would a revised top 12 list look like? We have the answers – and the data – here.
Alabama’s Howard Named Finalist for SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Robert Howard of the Alabama men’s swimming and diving team and Emma Welch of the Crimson Tide soccer team have been nominated for the Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Postgraduate Scholarship by The University of Alabama.
Top 25 Quotes from the 2019 Men’s NCAA Championships (Video)
This year was all about 2nd chances for 1st times
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships: Final Prelim Session Photo Vault
SwimSwam’s Jack Spitser was on deck to capture all of the prelims excitement on the final day of competition.
2019 M. NCAA Finals Preview: Seliskar Chasing 3-For-3
Cal’s Andrew Seliskar has always been a versatile force to be reckoned with, but until 2 days ago, he had never won an individual NCAA title.
Robert Howard: “Coach Saban was in my ear on that last 15” (Video)
Robert Howard surged home with a clutch 18.22 anchor leg to seal the win for Bama in the 200 Medley relay
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 3 Finals Photo Vault
SwimSwam’s Jack Spitser was on deck to capture all of the Friday night emotion.
2019 M. NCAA Championships: 3 More Texas Pool Records Fall, 3 Survive
The Alabama Crimson Tide broke the Texas pool record tonight in the 200 medley relay, one of three pool records set today.
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap
Cal had a huge morning, with top qualifying spots in 3 of 5 swimming events. That includes Andrew Seliskar, searching for his first-ever individual NCAA title after becoming the fifth man ever under 1:40 in the 200 IM this morning.
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships Pick’em Contest: Day 1&2 Update
How did your picks perform on Day 2? Did you beat your friends?
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 2 Finals Preview
The Cal bears look to bounce back from their 3rd place finish in the 800 free relay, with Andrew Seliskar and Ryan Hoffer leading the charge with top seeds.
2019 Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
Fresh off the fastest relay-start 200 free in history, Townley Haas will look to defend his NCAA title in the 500 free, battling top-seeded Felix Auboeck for position this morning. The two should swim in the same prelims heat.
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I don’t want to ruin your favourite Christmas movie. I want to make that clear, right off the bat. That is not my intention; instead, I want to highlight something to you that took me far too long to realise. Because I have been watching Love Actually for over a decade, and I only just comprehended that Natalie isn’t fat.
Natalie, the secretary/ PA of the Prime Minister, is repeatedly referenced as being fat, chubby or larger than she should be. She is described to have “thighs the size of tree trunks”, be the “chubby girl” and have a “sizeable arse”. But Natalie is not above average sized for a woman, in fact, she’s even below it. The average British woman is a UK size 16, and Natalie is certainly not that. So let’s take a look at why the film felt the need to include the tired ‘fat girl’ trope, and more importantly, why they thought Martine McCutcheon would be the right choice for that?
Photo: Insider / Universal
The intention
Whilst researching this article, I came across something that I never expected: the role was written for Martine. They liked the actress so much that they wanted to create a role for her in their upcoming film, the part of Natalie. How could someone look at this actress and think a fat girl role is the best choice? Martine was considered unusual for being ‘curvy’, despite still being smaller than average and not fat. They somehow saw her and wrote a role for her that had her described as having “thighs the size of tree trunks” and a “sizeable arse”.
During an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2017, Martine was asked about the controversy regarding her role and said the following:
“Every woman thinks there’s something wrong with them when in actual fact, as Hugh has said in other films, they are perfect and lovely as they are. She was meant to be the embodiment of that and I think sometimes people have missed that point.” - Martine McCutcheon, Cosmopolitan.
I understand her intention, and perhaps even the filmmakers, but the execution is where it fails. Indeed women are perfect and lovely as they are, but the role doesn’t promote that, it promotes a man somehow falling in love with a larger woman, who isn’t even fat. She isn’t the embodiment of insecurities; she is perpetuating them for others as if she is fat, what must actual average-sized women be? I like the idea of tackling female insecurities and the negativity regarding being fat, but you can’t do that without an accurate representation of it. Her being called ‘fat’ doesn’t comfort us, it makes us more insecure as she is a stunning, slightly curvy woman, and so what are we rendered as then?
Making David ‘unique’ for still liking her
“He said no one’s gonna fancy a girl with thighs the size of tree trunks” - Natalie.
Natalie expresses that her ex-boyfriend ended their relationship due to her weight, which is highly toxic but not unheard of. David agrees that he sounds awful, but no one seems to register how insane the ex-boyfriend’s claims even are. I’m not sure that any of these characters have seen tree trunks, as her thighs certainly don’t qualify. It’s strange, writing this article almost feels like skinny-shaming her for not being fat enough, which certainly isn’t my intention.
By portraying Natalie as the fat girl, they manage to build on the character of David, as he still fancies her. It shows him to be considerate and open-minded because he could actually love Natalie ‘despite’ her size. This is a common theme amongst partners of larger women, as those women are made to feel like they’re lucky to have found someone who will still want them. That being attracted to a fat woman is rare and unusual, and it must result from her great personality instead. Everyone has subjective taste, and despite the media promoting thin women, plenty of people are attracting to different sizes. A woman isn’t ‘lucky’ if someone is attracted to her, and it isn’t unusual or something you can attribute to his character. It’s taste, attraction and subjective.
Instead of making a character a good person by having them like someone ‘traditionally unattractive’ (I can’t even call Martine that with a straight face), take the effort to actually create an interesting and positive character. David isn’t special for liking the ‘plumpy’ girl because she’s incredibly beautiful.
Women who were written by men
“the chubby girl” + “sizeable arse and huge thighs” - Annie
As women, we’re positioned to turn on one another and use patriarchal requirements against each other. An example of this is upholding societal expectations of weight as if we no longer play into their specific beauty requirements, a billion-dollar industry is lost, and women might actually start liking how they look. This is evident in how the character of Annie, another employee, refers to Natalie. When viewing the film, we probably laughed at this line, but after taking a step back, we can see just how detrimental it actually is. Firstly, for a woman to be saying this about another woman. Secondly, to be saying such things about a colleague. It is inappropriate to refer to her in this manner, particularly in the workplace. And thirdly, she doesn’t even have “huge thighs”, so it just shows how inaccurate the portrayal of Natalie as the fat girl trope is.
It’s hard to consider a woman tearing another down, but especially in a workplace such as this one. It truly highlights the effects of a man writing female characters, assuming how they act to one another and perpetuating this bitchy stereotype.
Parental triggers
“Plumpy” - Natalie’s father
The majority of us have navigated the minefield around relatives commenting on our weight. My family continues to refer to me as the ‘Michelin Baby’ for being born chubby, based on the Michelin logo, but rather than tires it refers to fat rolls. The holidays are ripe for this, so it seems almost fitting that our favourite Christmas movie includes such a comment. But despite how relevant it is, that doesn’t negate how painful it still is. Natalie’s father refers to her as “plumpy”, such terms are almost worse than outright attacks as they’re intended to be affectionate. It leads to you doubting yourself; am I overreacting? But you’re not the issue here, for the problem lies in people who reduce you to your weight or use such a societally judged theme against you.
This rings especially true given that Natalie expresses that her boyfriend broke up with her due to her size, showing that it is something she has been confronted with in the past. This is true for most women, but given that we expressly know this insecurity of Natalie’s, it highlights just how inconsiderate her father’s comment is. To have her own parent label her as such is painful, to have them say it to her employer/the Prime Minister/a potential suitor, is just too far.
Fat isn’t a bad thing, but it is a cheap shot
When we say that we want an accurate representation of different sizes in films and TV shows, we don’t mean Natalie from Love Actually or Bridget Jones. We don’t want you to take someone a few sizes above 0 and label them as ‘fat’ and have their entire storyline revolve around it; we mean that we want women who are actually larger or fatter. Name one fat main character whose storyline wasn’t all about that. These women are not fat; they’re just below the average size most likely.
The issue is not in having a fat character or even calling her that. Fat shouldn’t be an insult, as being fat is not necessarily a bad thing. The issue is that in calling an average-sized woman fat, you’re making everyone who is actually above that an extreme version. In labelling her pejoratively as chubby or plumpy, you’re making everyone larger than that even more self-conscious. As if she is fat, what the hell are the rest of us?
To summarise, the issues lie in:
1. Having an average-sized woman cast for a character continuously labelled as fat. Either cast someone who is a relevant size for such comments or don’t have the character. Given that the character was written for Martine, it’s even more shocking that is the storyline they produced.
2. Having her entire storyline dedicated to being fat. I’m aware that in multi-plot films like ‘Love Actually’, you have to trim down each story to the bare minimums, but this was excessive. We didn’t need to hear it that often and from that many characters. Hearing what her boyfriend said about her was enough.
3. Having a fellow woman pull her down with such unnecessary comments. Don’t turn us against each other like that.
4. The fact that it took so long for us to realise that she is not fat, not at all.
I watch ‘Love Actually’ every year in the week leading up to Christmas, and I don’t plan to change that. I understand the time in which the film was made, which doesn’t excuse their choices but shows how they thought Natalie could ever be the ‘fat’ character. So I’ll continue to watch this film, but now I’ll watch and laugh at the idea that she is their overweight character. I’ll recognise it as ridiculous and not allow it to impact how I view myself. Awareness is a priority in such cases, and knowledge is always power.
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MRIs predict which high-risk babies will develop autism
By Chukwuma Muanya, Assistant Editor
20 February 2017 | 3:53 am
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in infants with older siblings with autism, researchers from around the country were able to correctly predict 80 percent of those infants who would later meet criteria for autism at two years of age.
The study, published in Nature, is the first to show it is possible to identify which infants — among those with older siblings with autism — will be diagnosed with autism at 24 months of age.
“Our study shows that early brain development biomarkers could be very useful in identifying babies at the highest risk for autism before behavioral symptoms emerge,” said senior author Joseph Piven, MD, the Thomas E. Castelloe Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “Typically, the earliest an autism diagnosis can be made is between ages two and three. But for babies with older autistic siblings, our imaging approach may help predict during the first year of life which babies are most likely to receive an autism diagnosis at 24 months.”
This research project included hundreds of children from across the country and was led by researchers at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) at the University of North Carolina, where Piven is director. The project’s other clinical sites included the University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Other key collaborators are McGill University, the University of Alberta, the University of Minnesota, the College of Charleston, and New York University.
“This study could not have been completed without a major commitment from these families, many of whom flew in to be part of this,” said first author Heather Hazlett, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine and a CIDD researcher. “We are still enrolling families for this study, and we hope to begin work on a similar project to replicate our findings.”
People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD) have characteristic social deficits and demonstrate a range of ritualistic, repetitive and stereotyped behaviours.
autismMagnetic Resonance Imaging
Climate change or fluctuations? - Part 1
1 day ago Science
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Ambiguity—The Unknown Unknown
Unlike the typical political figure, the one who speaks undeclared soundbites Rumsfeld adopted an almost professorial tone. The most famous example occurred in a press conference in February 2002.
Donald Rumsfeld on the unknown unknown
Donald Rumsfeld was one of the more controversial US cabinet members of the past few decades. He served terms as a Secretary of defense in both the 1970s and to thousands, becoming the civilian administrative leader of the US military in several wars in many smaller conflicts.
During those turbulent times there were many opportunities for controversy, many difficult decisions that Rumsfeld had to justify to a skeptical public, but Rumsfeld won’t be remembered just for controversial decisions themselves he’ll also be remembered for his manner of explaining those decisions, a way of speaking that was unique in recent politics.
Unlike the typical political figure, the one who speaks undeclared soundbites Rumsfeld adopted an almost professorial tone. The most famous example occurred in a press conference in February 2002. Rumsfeld was pressed by a question about whether there was any evidence that Iraq had supplied terrorist organizations with weapons of mass destruction or even any evidence of the Iraqi government any link to those terrorist groups.
He began his answer in typical politician speak “reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me because as we know…” and then he suddenly says something remarkable “…there are no notes there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know”. What an amazing quote!
The nature of uncertainty
Let’s unpack his quote into three parts. First there are known knowns the things we know we know. That one is straightforward, “known knowns” are certain events, those for which we can confidently predict what would happen. Second there are known unknowns things we know we don’t know.
Knowledge that we know we don’t have, that sounds like risk. We don’t know what’s going to happen when we bet on the roulette table our move money from bonds to stocks, but we know that we don’t know. That sort of uncertainty can be managed using strategies like those from the last lecture. Okay now to the third and key part.
There are unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know. What could that mean? By definition an unknown unknown isn’t risky because we don’t know and can’t estimate the probabilities. It is something else but what? Will consider exactly what this can mean in today’s article.
As an epilogue Donald Rumsfeld was pilloried in the media for this quote. A British group even recognized him with its annual put in the mouth award, and several online sites reorganize this statement into a sort of political free verse poetry, but in the end it became a defining quotation form he even use an excerpt as a title of his autobiography “Known an Unknown”.
Balancing goals in decision-making
Now let’s move back in time to the year 1921. The United States had recently exited World War I and was suffering for a brief but acute economic depression.
Economics as a field at that time had the great challenge of balancing two disparate sets of goals: it’s off the elegance and mathematical clarity of the hard sciences like physics but it also sought to be applicable to real-world policies and institutions like the other social sciences.
The economist Frank Knight sought to bring these two goals together at least conceptually in his book: Risk, uncertainty and profit. Knight’s key insight was that there were actually two distinct types of uncertainty: measurable uncertainty, decisions where the probably some potential outcomes are known or could be estimated was called risk.
That’s the same definition I used in the previous lecture, but there was another type of unmeasurable uncertainty. Knight argues that there are decisions that we know could lead to different outcomes, but for which we do not know the probabilities and, importantly cannot estimate those outcome probabilities, we don’t know and cannot readily estimate what we don’t know.
Knight referred to this second type of decision as involving uncertainty and economists sometimes call it Knightian uncertainty, but we’re gonna call it ambiguity.
← Managing Risk → Risk, Ambiguity and Uncertainty
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Lion cub tortured by his captors in Russia, will be flown to African wildlife refuge
URALS, Russia, Nov. 20. /PRNewswire/. The future is bright for Simba, the lion cub who was used as a prop for photo shoots in Russia. The lion was near death when he was rescued from a barn in Dagestan, Russia in March 2020; he was tortured, emaciated, and unable to walk. Local residents told authorities his captors used the cub to make money, charging tourists to take selfies with Simba, and that his legs were broken to prevent his escape. He was also malnourished and his body was covered with wounds. Reports of the abuse reached animal rights activists in the Urals. Veterinarian Dr. Karen Dallakyan and others were able to rescue the cub and bring him to Dallakyan's nonprofit animal rescue centre SAVE ME Foundation in Chelyabinsk, Russia. For seven months, Dallakyan and his team provided medical treatment and cared for Simba. Says Dallakyan, "Many devoted people worked to save Simba. Witnessing the transformation of this magnificent animal makes it all worthwhile. I am relieved and thankful that businesses, organizations, and individuals have banded together to allow this animal to thrive in his natural habitat in Africa."
The lion cub's difficult rehabilitation will end with a unique repatriation to Tanzania in late November 2020; an effort that is sponsored by the Russian Copper Company. Simba will be flown to the Kilimanjaro Animal Crew Rehabilitation Centre in Moshi, Tanzania, where he will live in a separate enclosure at a dedicated centre for rehabilitated lions under round-the-clock supervision. The lion will have a large, beautiful space in which to roam.
Russian Copper Company Spokesman Kirill Irkha says, "When we heard of Simba's plight and the need for funds to repatriate the animal to Africa, we were happy to cover the costs. The abuse suffered by Simba is unconscionable. The world has watched as Simba has regained his health thanks to dedicated professionals and volunteers. We are looking forward to seeing Simba in his natural habitat and are glad to be playing a role in getting him there."
This is the first official repatriation of wild animals in the history of Russia.
CONTACT: Barbara MacLeod, Barbara@CrossCurrentCommunications.com
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Tag Archives: Larry Csonka
SUPER BOWL VII CHAMPION 1972 MIAMI DOLPHINS
June 9, 2014 by The Chancellor of Football
Undefeated season…17-0 and a win in Super Bowl VII 14-7 over the Washington Redskins and still regarded by many as the best team of all time. They have the argument in their favor…1 season everyone vanquished…no one else can make that claim.
Yet going into Super Bowl VII the Dolphins were a 3 pt underdog. Why? George Allen was completing a rebuilding with old veterans and hadn’t won any big games as a head coach. His Rams couldn’t leapfrog the Packers in the western conference in 1967. He was the Defensive Coordinator for George Halas’ last champion in 1963, but how does that rate better than Shula’s club who had just gone to the Super Bowl a year before?
Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris (both 1,000yd rushers), Kiick ran solidly and Manny Fernandez dominated the Super Bowl from his defensive tackle spot. Back in 1989 NFL Films came up with a fictitious playoff of the greatest teams ever and the last game was the ’72 Dolphins v. the ’78 Steelers. Could the 72 Dolphins handle the ’78 Steelers? Would Terry Bradshaw outsmart Jake Scott or Dick Anderson? After further review, The Chancellor doesn’t think so.
Under the same systems in 1973 when the Steelers played Miami, S Dick Anderson picked off the Steelers 4 times returning them for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was the signature game of a Defensive Player of the Year campaign for Anderson. The No Name Defense was rarely out of position and would make even a more mature Bradshaw make some mistakes. In Super Bowl VII, Jake Scott fooled veteran Billy Kilmer into 2 ints as he went on to become the MVP.
During the 1972 season, they were masterful with 3 shutouts and allowing 10 points or less in 6 games.
The 78 Steelers were giving up some candy to running games and I think the Dolphins would move the ball on them. They gave up 192 yards rushing to the Rams, 181 to Kansas City, 169 to Houston and 155 to the New York Jets. So to think 2 – 1,000 yard rushers would be able to run on the Steel Curtain isn’t far fetched. Csonka was a Hall of Famer.
I think the 72 Dolphins would beat them. Bob Griese wouldn’t turn the ball over either. By the way in 1973 Pittsburgh was a playoff team and to make it to Super Bowl VII a season prior, Miami beat Pittsburgh in Three Rivers to get to the Super Bowl. Don’t look now but Miami doesn’t get the respect their due. Are there stronger teams…its debatable…but I think they would handle Pittsburgh in a mythical match-up.
Further evidence to this would be the ’72 AFC Championship game where the Dolphins had to win in Pittsburgh to make it to Super Bowl VII. Or in court terms – Exhibit A:
By the way, I used the 78 Steelers instead of the 79 Steelers because in 1979 the Steelers led the NFL with 52 turnovers. That team doesn’t beat the mistake proof 72 Dolphins. No way.
Posted in Ring of Champions. Tagged 1972 Miami Dolphins v 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, Dick Anderson, Don Shula, Jake Scott, Larry Csonka, NFL History, Super Bowl, Super Bowl Ring, Super Bowl VII, The Perfect Season, The undefeated Miami Dolphins
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Home Authors Posts by Scott Miccio
Scott Miccio
Women’s soccer upset in conference finals
Scott Miccio - November 10, 2004 0
The College's women's soccer team tied Montclair State University 0-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship game on Saturday, but Montclair claimed the title 3-1 on penalty kicks. It is the first NJAC championship win for the Red Hawks and it gained them an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.
Men’s soccer ends season with another NJAC loss
Scott Miccio - November 4, 2004 0
The College's men's soccer season came to a disappointing close last week with the Lions' 2-0 loss to Kean University last Wednesday night. If they had won, the Lions would have had a chance to qualify for the upcoming conference postseason tournament. The loss to Kean came as many others did in the Lions' season, as they were unable to score at critical points during the game yet again.
Lions come back in second half against Colonials
Scott Miccio - October 20, 2004 0
The College's football team did not disappoint a packed Lions' Stadium on Saturday in its homecoming game against Western Connecticut State University. Trailing by 12 points at halftime, the Lions stormed back and won 34-26. The Lions didn't start off their Homecoming game the way they had hoped.
Lions finally find the net but still lose twice
The College's men's soccer team finally put an end to their seven-game scoreless streak last week, but still suffered two rough defeats to non-conference teams. Last Wednesday, the College took on Drew University, the 2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III National runner-ups.
Men’s soccer fails to score, again
Scott Miccio - October 6, 2004 0
For the third straight week, the College's men's soccer team was held scoreless in two straight games. This week, however, the team paid dearly as it suffered two defeats, a 2-0 loss to Rowan University and a 1-0 loss to Rutgers University-Camden. Although, two weeks ago the Lions were able to get by with two scoreless ties, their luck ran out last week against the two New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponents.
Soccer ends week with two scoreless games
Scott Miccio - September 29, 2004 0
Although the College's men's soccer team did not score a single goal in two games last week against Ramapo College and Richard Stockton College, they were able to get through the week without losing either. Both games ended in 0-0 ties and much of the credit for those two ties must be given to freshman goalkeeper Michael Cladek.
Men’s soccer falters after undefeated start
The College's men's soccer team did not kick off its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) schedule the way it had hoped. Last Saturday, the Lions suffered their second loss of the year, 3-0, at undefeated Montclair State University. In the first half, the College's defense was staunch and did not allow a goal.
Lions remain undefeated with two overtime wins
Living in a country halfway across the world can be intimidating, especially in a college environment. But freshman midfielder Kolja Mueller, who is at the College because of an international exchange program, is adjusting just fine. He proved this when he led the men's soccer team to victory on Friday with his overtime game-winning goal against DeSales University in the Osprey Classic at Richard Stockton College.
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Birth name: Billie Eilish Pirate Baird
December 18, 2001- Present
Years Active: November 18, 2015- Present
By age 17, Billie Eilish had already made an impact on pop music history. In March 2019, she became the first artist born after 2000 to hold a #1 album, after her debut LP When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, shot to number one on the Billboard charts in Spring 2019. A few months later, Eilish would become the youngest artist in history to have been nominated for the “Big Four” Grammy Awards, consisting of Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. By the end of the year, Eilish was named the Billboard Woman of the Year and the Guardian artist of 2019.
Eilish was born in Los Angeles. The daughter of struggling actors, she and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, were homeschooled and surrounded by the arts. Their parents filled the house with instruments, and as a child Eilish would regularly create movies, sing in choirs, stage photo shoots, and write and perform music. As her mother, Maggie Baird, remarked, “We kind of had a rule in the house that no one would ever make you go to sleep if you were playing music– music trumped everything.”
As an adolescent, Eilish was passionate for dance, and it was through dance that she achieved musical stardom. In 2015, Eilish’s dance teacher inquired whether she could provide an original song to accompany a dance routine. Together with her brother, she produced the ballad “Ocean Eyes,” which O’Connell originally wrote for his band.
Once complete, they uploaded it to Soundcloud so that Eilish’s teacher could access it, and seemingly overnight, the song became a viral hit. A year later, she produced a video for “Ocean Eyes,” signed a contract with Darkroom and Interscope Records, and released a second single, “Six Feet Under.” Release through Darkroom and Interscope, Eilish’s 2019 EP Don’t Smile at Me featured collaborations by Khalid and Vince Staples. The EP reached the top 15 in charts in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
In 2019, Eilish and O’Connell produced the LP When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, much in the same way they produced “Ocean Eyes”: in their bedroom with minimal equipment. By June that year, the album became certified Double Platinum and was the best-selling record at that point of the year in the United States.
Musically, Eilish and O’Connell’s work has been termed “weirdo-pop,” “haunting,” “disruptive,” “creepy,” and “eccentric.” Eilish’s voice has been described as “whispery” and “ethereal” and compared to the work of Lorde and Lana Del Rey. While dismissing the comparison, Eilish has cited Lana Del Rey as an influence, in addition to Justin Bieber, SBTRKT, Aurora, Avril Lavigne, The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, My Chemical Romance, Daniel Caesar, Frank Sinatra, Tekno, Biig Piig, Scotty, The Killers, Zhu, Marina and the Diamonds, The Cardigans, Linkin Park, Rihanna, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and Childish Gambino. Live and in recordings, she has also covered songs by Drake, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Carla Morrison, Robyn, Labrinth, Rob Dickinson, Frank Ocean, and Phantogram.
Lyrically, Elish and O’Connell’s work has been recognized for its frank discussion of issues affecting adolescents that largely go unaddressed by industry-created teen-pop acts, such as mental health, addiction, and the climate crisis. Diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome and Synesthesia, Eilish has been an advocate for mental health, joining Aminé, Lindsey Sterling, Christina Perri, and Hayley Kiyoko in the mental health awareness Seize the Awkward Campaign. Eilish is also an advocate for addressing the climate crisis, marching with Greta Thunberg at student-led climate strikes and providing “Eco-Villages” at her concerts, where fans can learn more about becoming active in the fight against climate change.
Elvis and Race in 1950s America
The Beatles Confront American Segregation
The Beatles as Studio Musicians
The Beatles in Hamburg & Ringo Starr
The Beatles in the Studio
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show
The Beatles’ Breakup
The Beatles’ Early Years
The Beatles’ Stadium Tours
“Four Votes” : The Unity of The Beatles
Discussing The Beatles
Please, Please Me: The Beatles’ American Fanbase
The “Prehistory” of The Beatles
The Breakup of The Beatles and Rumors of a Reunion
Early Beatles Recording Sessions
The Early Beatles and George Martin
Return to Tupelo
Press Conference, ABC News Archives
Love Me Tender Trailer
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