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Tenaris supports Aberdeen Performing Arts redevelopment project
Tenaris is supporting Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) through sponsorship of the organisation’s redevelopment of Aberdeen’s Music Hall, a category A-listed concert hall in the heart of the city, which originally opened its doors as the County Assembly Rooms in 1822.
Tenaris will donate $6,600 (£5k) to the transformation project, which represents the most comprehensive work carried out in the venue’s history. The redevelopment includes restoration and renovation work to modernise the 200-year old venue.
According to APA’s Corporate Sponsor & Major Donor Campaign Manager Debbie Mackenzie, “The transformation will allow us to pass the Music Hall on to the next generation, as a contemporary, vibrant, cultural hub for the whole community. We are very grateful to Tenaris for supporting our plans to deliver enhanced cultural experiences here in the North-east of Scotland.”
“We have been a part of the Aberdeen community for decades and are proud to contribute and support such an historic revitalisation project,” said Gary Thomson, Tenaris Managing Director, UK.
“Tenaris has long been a supporter of education, arts and cultural programs, worldwide, as these experiences extend learning opportunities and foster values important to the company – innovation, diversity, growth, and development.”
In 2017, Tenaris invested about $9.5 million USD in education and community-based programs.
Last year, Tenaris expanded its presence in Aberdeen with the opening of a service centre to complement its existing commercial and industrial facilities locally and in the North Sea region, where the company has been serving oil and gas customers since the 1970s.
For more information about the Music Hall Transformation, please visit:
http://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/musichall
For more information about Tenaris, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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All Things Cloud
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Twenty-five years ago, I was in business school when a professor gave us the assignment of forecasting the global demand for drill bits fifty years into the future. My fellow students and I approached the problem in pretty much the same way, by making assumptions about how the world would be in that time, and what the impact would be on the drill bit marketplace. We’ll be off fossil fuels by then, so no more need for those kinds of drill bits. The population will be much larger, and that will drive demand for hand tools that rely on drill bits. After everyone took their turns providing a number and the rationale behind it, the professor informed us that we were all wrong. The answer, he explained, was that “fifty years from now, the world-wide demand for drill bits will be zero. However, the world-wide demand for holes will be enormous!”
The point of this lesson was twofold. First, that it is myopic to think that people need certain assets; rather what they need is the outcome of that asset. People don’t need cars, they need mobility. Cities don’t need street lights, they need streets that are safe to drive on and walk down at night. People don’t need drill bits, they need holes.
Secondly, that this shift from buying products to buying outcomes would require emerging digital capabilities that we were just beginning to catch glimpses of 25 years ago. These digital capabilities would enable companies to measure, analyze, and adjust their offerings in near real time in order to deliver and quantify their value. Such outcomes may range from guaranteed machine uptimes on factory floors, to actual amounts of energy savings in commercial buildings, to guaranteed crop yields from a specific parcel of farmland.
Half way in, and we certainly appear to be well on our way to realizing that prophecy. Enabled by increasingly rugged, low cost sensors, the physical world is becoming digitized. Over the last 10 years, the digital exhaust from these sensor readings has enabled greater efficiencies, safety, and revenue opportunities.
Companies like Union Pacific were early beneficiaries by analyzing 20 million daily sensor readings that described the temperature and sounds from train wheel bearings. Union Pacific can now predict a derailment with a high degree of confidence more than a week out, which has cut bearing-related derailments by 75 percent and reduced unscheduled maintenance-related delays. Quite an achievement considering that a train derailment can cost upwards of $40M and put lives at risk.
Valmet has traditionally been a manufacturer of pulp grinding machines that produce tissues, glossy paper, cardboard and other paper products. Valmet began instrumenting these machines - which are the size of a football field - to better understand what leads to unplanned downtime and inefficient consumption of machine consumables, such as belts, felts and chemicals. The resulting data and analytics have led to two new revenue opportunities for Valmet. First, they can deliver a service to clients on how to best optimize the machine for maintenance, which leads to higher uptime for their clients. Second, they are able to quantify the value of their higher priced (and higher quality, as a matter of fact) consumables with respect to life expectancy under actual client operating conditions.
What we are starting to see now is that the industrial IoT leaders are establishing board level goals that go beyond operational efficiencies, safety, and add-on revenue streams to something much more disruptive and fundamentally game changing by selling outcomes.
Companies like Monsanto are moving from selling products like seeds and fertilizers, to precision agriculture where crop yields are maximized. By connecting smart farm equipment such as tractors, tillers and seeders with data on weather, soil conditions, and crop health, Monsanto can measure, analyze, and adjust activities like when and how a farmer ploughs his field, how deep to plant the seed, and spacing of plants in a row. Crops have their best chance to reach their highest potential when data from billions of events, coupled with combinations of analytic techniques involving statistics, machine learning, and graph analysis aid farm management practices.
Spanish train operator Renfe was looking to take market share from airlines on the route between Barcelona and Madrid. Airlines at that time had 80% market share, due in most part to business travelers valuing the on-time performance of airlines compared to trains. Enter Siemens, which didn’t just sell Renfe a train and a warranty; rather they continually monitor and resolve issues before they happen in order to deliver on the promise of reliable mobility. A train developing abnormal patterns is dispatched for an inspection service to prevent failure on the track. This has resulted in only one out of 2,300 journeys being delayed by more than five minutes.
“That happens because we have data, we have analytics models, and we can actually predict certain failures,” said Gerhard Kress, Director of Mobility Services at Siemens. “There’s gearboxes, for example, on high-speed trains, it’s one of the things that is most tricky to monitor. We had a couple of cases where you could predict those things would be breaking in a few weeks. We had ample time to provide the spare parts, do the right thing, repair it, take the train out of normal circulation without harming the schedule, and work with the customer without having any problems for them.”
Now, the airlines are down to 30% market share. Siemens is increasingly selling more outcomes because they have the capabilities to measure, analyze, and adjust in order to deliver on the promise of that outcome.
Far from isolated case studies, we are seeing similar transformations based on outcomes at Boeing, Volvo, Maersk, and many others. What they all have in common is they are industries that rely on heavy, complex assets where those assets are used by others to play a part in a much larger outcome. That leads me to think that while my professor was prescient, Home Depot and Lowes will still sell simple hand held drills 25 years from now.
(Author):
Chad Meley
Chad Meley is Vice President of Solutions Marketing at Teradata, responsible for Teradata’s Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and CX solutions.
Chad understands trends in machine & deep learning, and leads a team of technology specialists who interpret the needs and expectations of customers while also working with Teradata engineers, consulting teams and technology partners.
Prior to joining Teradata, he led Electronic Arts’ Data Platform organization. Chad has held a variety of other leadership roles centered around data and analytics while at Dell and FedEx.
Chad holds a BA in economics from The University of Texas, an MBA from Texas Tech University, and performed post graduate work at The University of Texas.
Professional awards include Best Practice Award for Driving Business Results in Data Warehousing from The Data Warehouse Institute and the Marketing Excellence Award from the Direct Marketing Association. He is a regular speaker at conferences, including O’Reilly’s AI Conference, Strata, DataWorks, and Analytics Universe. Chad is the coauthor of the book Achieving Real Business Outcomes From Artificial Intelligence published by O'Reilly Media, and a frequent contributor to publications such as Forbes, CIO Magazine, and Datanami.
View all posts by Chad Meley
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Texas Myth #319
Anne Dingus
https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/texas-myth-319/
From the May 2006 Issue Subscribe
THE HORNY TOAD CAN SQUIRT BLOOD FROM ITS EYES.
Good horror-film premise, huh? Especially because it’s true—sort of. However, our state reptile can’t scuttle about emitting such opti-spurts just for fun. The ability is a last-ditch defense mechanism that kicks in only when the little lizard feels in mortal danger. Then its blood pressure rises so rapidly that gouts of gore burst through membranes in the corners of its eyes, spraying several feet and, ideally, distracting the fearsome roadrunner or first-grader.
Q: What is the most tornado-prone spot in Texas?
A: That would be a patch of Texas Panhandle some 4.6 miles northeast of Twitty (and, not surprisingly, only 10 miles or so west of what’s-its-name—you know, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain). Between 1950 and 2004, 67 funnels touched down or passed within 20 miles of the Wheeler County site. (That info blew in from the tornado-research firm VorTek, of Huntsville, Alabama.) Texas boasts the questionable distinction of experiencing more tornadoes annually than any other state—some 120—largely because of its size. Statistically, a tornado is most likely to hit in the month of May. Texas’s two deadliest in history hit on May 18, 1902, and May 11, 1953, in Goliad and Waco, respectively; each killed 114 people.
Q: I grew up in the town of Eagle Lake. I’ve heard that the lake the town was named for is the only natural lake in Texas, but I’ve also heard that Caddo Lake is. Can you clear up the confusion for me?
A: Naturally! First, let’s dive into an examination of the phrase “natural lake.” Although the first half seems self-explanatory—i.e., no dam cheating—the second means different things to scientists and regular folks. Depending on factors such as the shallowness of the water and the lack of waves, the former may dismiss what I call a lake as a lowly pond. Odds are that the ancient Eagle Lake would have been dubbed Eagle Pond by ancient limnologists (lake experts). Doesn’t matter, though, because in 1900 a private company built a dam and diverted water from the nearby Colorado River, an undertaking that made the lake bigger but less, well, real. (Think breast augmentation.) However, your hometown body of water does come with a nice romantic legend involving an Indian babe who dispatched her dueling suitors on an eagle chase. That’s how the lake got its name.
Then there’s huge, mystical Caddo Lake, covering 30,000 acres and dating back perhaps thousands of years. But a fate similar to Eagle Lake’s awaited Caddo, even though the East Texas jewel was widely hailed as Texas’ sole natural lake. In 1914 the Army Corps of Engineers built a dam for flood control, ending Caddo’s legitimate status as “natural.” Besides, since the lake straddles the state line, we’ve always shared the moss-draped region with Louisiana. That fact, however, didn’t keep the 2003 Texas Legislature from designating Caddo the First Lake of Texas.
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BBC and V&A collaborate on decorative arts programme
Iain Miller
30th September 2011 23:00 GMT
The BBC and the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) are to collaborate on a one-year season of programmes focusing on the decorative arts. “Handmade in Britain” will offer programming on a range of subjects such as ceramics, textiles, woodwork and stained glass. The first three-part series, on ceramics, will be broadcast in the second week of October, with further series and films to follow. The museum will host events and discussions around the programmes, using smartphone technology to enhance visitors’ experiences of objects featured throughout the season that are on display in the V&A.
Appeared in The Art Newspaper, 228 October 2011
More ArchiveTopicsCeramicsVictoria & Albert MuseumBBCV&ABroadcastingTelevision
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The History of the Oceans Is Locked in Whale Earwax
The massive plugs contain spikes and dips of stress hormones that perfectly match the history of modern whaling.
Ed Yong
Miguel Medina / Getty
Whales are big, whales are long-lived, and whales have paddle-shaped flippers instead of dexterous hands. These three traits inexorably lead to a fourth: Over time, whales accumulate a lot of earwax.
Whale earwax forms like yours does: A gland secretes oily gunk into the ear canal, which hardens and accumulates into a solid, tapering plug. In the largest whales, like blues, a plug can grow up to 10 inches long, and looks like a cross between a goat’s horn and the world’s nastiest candle. Fin whale wax is firmer than blue whale wax, bowhead whale wax is softer and almost liquid, and sei whale wax is dark and brittle. But regardless of size or texture, these plugs are all surprisingly informative.
Read: Why whales got so big
As whales go through their annual cycles of summer binge-eating and winter migrations, the wax in their ears changes from light to dark. These changes manifest as alternating bands, which you can see if you slice through the plugs. Much as with tree rings, you can count the bands to estimate a whale’s age. And you can also analyze them to measure the substances that were coursing through the whale’s body when each band was formed. A whale’s earwax, then, is a chronological chemical biography.
It’s Tough Being a Right Whale These Days
J. B. MacKinnon
The Lingering Curse That’s Killing Killer Whales
Giants of the Deep
Rebecca Giggs
Stephen Trumble and Sascha Usenko from Baylor University have worked out how to read those biographies. And they’ve shown that whale earwax not only reveals the lives of their owners, but the history of the oceans. Hunting, abnormal temperatures, pollutants—it’s all there. If all of humanity’s archives were to disappear, Trumble and Usenko could still reconstruct a pretty decent record of whaling intensity by measuring the stress hormones in the earwax of a few dozen whales.
Fin whale earwax (Stephen Trumble)
The duo first tested their idea of studying earwax by analyzing the plug from a single blue whale—a 12-year-old male that was fatally struck by a ship off the coast of Santa Barbara in 2007. They could tell that the whale became sexually mature when it was 9 years old, as that’s when testosterone levels in the plug shot up by 200 times. They showed that the stress hormone cortisol peaked a year before that, perhaps a sign of the creature’s changing body and mind. They found traces of pesticides and flame retardants that were especially concentrated in the whale’s first six months of life, and had likely been passed down in its mother’s milk. “I was surprised at how well [the technique] worked, not only for persistent chemicals but for hormones that typically rapidly degrade,” Usenko told me at the time.
Read: Baleen holds secrets to whales’ lives—and deaths
That was just one earwax plug, but it was surprisingly easy to get more. They just had to call curators at the right natural-history museums. “Museums are notorious for collecting everything, and waiting for the science to catch up,” Trumble says. “We called Charles Potter at the Smithsonian Institution, and he said, ‘It’s interesting you called because we have pallets and pallets of these ear plugs sitting around, and we’re thinking of throwing them away.’ Instead of being thrown away, those ear plugs are now objects of wonder.”
Trumble, Usenko, and their colleagues ended up measuring cortisol levels in the plugs from 20 blue, fin, and humpback whales, the oldest of which had been born in 1871. The team measured how this stress hormone varied over the lifetime of each animal, relative to the lowest levels found in each plug. They then combined these readings into a 146-year chronicle of whale stress, which they compared to a record of all whaling data from the 20th century. “We plotted the two together, and were like: ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” says Trumble.
A graph comparing whaling intensity with earwax cortisol. (Trumble et al, 2018, Nature communications)
The two data sets matched beautifully. When whaling increased, cortisol levels rose, hitting their peak during the heyday of whaling in the early 1960s. After moratoriums were adopted in the 1970s, whaling harvests fell by 7.5 percent a year and cortisol levels in earwax fell by 6.4 percent a year.
To an extent, that’s not surprising: Of course, whales would be more stressed if their pod-mates are being harvested. Still, it’s astonishing just how well the two data sets match. Trumble and Usenko could get a pretty good picture of global whaling efforts through the lived experiences of 20 whales.
There are a few discrepancies, and they’re telling. For example, whaling fell away during World War II while cortisol levels rose by 10 percent. The oceans may have been relatively free of harpoons, but they were instead filled with battleships, submarines, depth charges, and the sounds of warfare. Those indirect disturbances, it seems, were just as stressful to the whales as their hunters had been—and they continue today.
Since the 1970s, whaling has dwindled to negligible levels in the Northern Hemisphere, but if anything, cortisol levels have risen—slowly at first, and then more dramatically in recent decades. Trumble and Usenko showed that this rise correlates with the number of days when ocean temperatures were unusually high.
The team’s 146-year chronicle also has a gigantic spike in the early 2000s when cortisol levels seem to shoot through the roof. That’s because of the very first blue whale they studied. It was the only individual whose life spanned those particular years, and for whatever reason, it spent those years in an extreme state of stress. Was it reacting to the noisy shipping lanes that crisscross California’s waters? Was it suffering from the mercury, pesticides, and other pollutants in its body? No one knows, but its cortisol was hitting highs that haven’t been seen since the days when people killed whales in the hundreds of thousands. “When I look at that, I think: Here’s an individual that’s under stress levels as if it’s being whaled,” says Usenko.
“I think this is going to revolutionize our studies of whale biology,” says Kathleen Hunt from Northern Arizona University, who was not involved in the work. “Whale biologists are used to gleaning tiny bits of information from samples like a single blubber biopsy, one or two fecal samples, or a few photographs scattered over years. An earwax plug is more like 200 samples in a row, taken from the same animal, every 6 months, for its whole life.” They’re like the ice cores that climate scientists use to peer back into the Earth’s distant past.
The plugs are especially informative because whales are so long-lived. They can take a decade to mature, go for years between pregnancies, and spend much longer recovering from episodes of trauma. “We’ve never really had a way to track individual whale stress responses over those sorts of timescale before, and it’s very exciting,” says Hunt.
The team is now examining the wax for pregnancy hormones, chemical isotopes that reflect the whales’ diet, and other telltale molecules. “We’re getting tons and tons of data from these earplugs that we’ve only ever assumed,” Trumble says. And he’s not running out of material to work with. “The Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa has 4,000 ear plugs, and we had 100 shipped to us. We’re getting quite deep into this.”
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Social and Economic Life during the Later Vedic Period
November 15, 2017 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment
India is admired all over the world for it ancient civilization. Ancient Indian history is categorized into various periods beginning with the oldest Indus Valley Civilization, then Rig Vedic era followed by the Later Vedic era and then Mahajanapada, Mauryas, Guptas and many more Kingships. Later Vedic Era refers to the period from 1000 BC to 500 BC.
This period marks a significant era in Indian history as it shows the highest level of Civilization. This period is important from literary perspective as composition of three major Vedas along with Upanishad took place during this time. The three Vedas were Samaveda Samhita, the Yajurveda Samhita, the Atharvaveda Samhita.
Our two great epics were also compiled namely the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Upanishad of all four Vedas was also written. Scientific literature and medical marvel “Charaka Samhita” too belongs to this time.
Aryans settled from the Himalayas to the Vidhya’s and covered the upper gangetic basin of Northern India. They excelled in all kinds of work. Society consisted of small kingdoms like the famous Kurus, Panchalas, Kasis, Kosalas etc.
These were formed when the tribal groups of rigs Vedic period later turned into powerful kingdoms and rose to prominence. This led to struggle of supremacy among the kingdoms and politics came into picture.
Literature mentions about the sacrificial practices like Ashvamedha and Rajasuya- performed to signify imperial influence of monarchs over other states. Thus, change in status and title of leaders from “Rajan” in Rig Vedic era to “Samrat”, “Bhoja” and Kingship happened.
The king had absolute power and was immune from all punishment. He became the master of all subjects. He realized taxes like “bali”, “sulka” and “bhaga”. The Sabha or democratic group for consensus while taking any decision lost its relevance. King made a council of some members to seek aid and advice on matters like war, peace and revenue. This with time led to official monarchy and democracy got subsumed.
The society greatly evolved from traditional, simple and equally kind to a complex and unequal one. Changes were of far greater significance. In a family the father was the head of the property. In case of inheritance of property, the law of primogeniture was applied. Which means the eldest son would inherit the property of the deceased father.
Caste system was laid down and even sub castes got added to traditional castes. Rig Vedic times had only two categories among people the Arya and Dasyu. Whereas later four classes were identified based on work undertaken by people. The Brahmanas and Kshatriyas emerged as the two leading castes followed by vaisyas. The vaisyas were superior to the sudras but their position was steadily deteriorating.
The Brahmanas referred to the intellectual and priestly class. The Brahmanas retained a high standard of excellence and knew the details of the rituals. The kshatriyas were the fighting class in the society. War, conquest, administration of the kingdom was the principal duties of this class.
By their superior learning some kshatriyas raised themselves to the status of a Brahmana. They composed hymns and performed sacrifices and also challenged the supremacy of Brahmanas. Vaisyas were engaged in trade, industry and agriculture, and animal husbandry.
They are debarred from the privileges which were enjoyed by the Brahmanas and kshatriyas. The condition of the Sudras was very miserable. They had to serve the other three castes. They were untouchables. They had no right to perform sacrifice, or to read the sacred texts. They were further denied the rite of burning the dead body. Sadly, the structure of the caste system became hereditary.
The women lost their high position which they had in the Rig Vedic Age. Polygamy (more than one wife or husband) prevailed in the society. Many of the religious ceremonies, formerly practiced by the wife, were now performed by the priests. She was not allowed to attend the political assemblies. They were not allowed to study. The women lost their honored position in the society. Neither the women nor the shudras had any right to property. This led to increased disparity in society.
Education system was in place and very well planned in the later Vedic Period. The students had to learn Vedas, Upanishad, grammar prosody, law, arithmetic and language. Students were sent to the Gurukuls (ancient boarding schools) for their education.
They had to live in the house of the teacher (guru) and lead the chaste life of a Brahmacharya whose principal duties were study and service to the teacher. The students received free boarding and lodging at the house of the Guru. At the completion of their study they paid fees (guru-dakshina) to the teachers.
Religion was overshadowed with rites and rituals. New gods and goddesses emerged during this period. All gods lost significance and replaced by Prajapati, Rudra and Vishnu. Every Aryan performed a number of sacrifices under the supervision of the Brahmana priest unlike Rig Vedic times where Yagya(sacrifice) was a simple affair which every householder could do.
Economic Condition
The economic condition of the Aryans of the later Vedic period underwent changes. Due to the emergence of caste system various occupations also appeared. Agriculture was the principal occupation of the people. As the Aryans of the later Vedic period lived in the villages.
In the villages small peasant owners of land were replaced by big landlords who secured possession of entire villages. Iron was discovered and used. Iron made tools like plough helped improve agriculture which was widely practiced. Rice was grown and became staple food. Improved method of tilling the land by deep ploughing, manuring and sowing with better seeds were known to the Aryans.
More lands were brought under cultivation that led to permanent settlements. Eating of meat reduced. Wool was added along with cotton for clothing. The volume of trade and commerce had increased by leaps and bounds. Both inland and overseas trades were developed.
Inland trade was carried on by barter system. Exchange of herbs for clothes, mattresses and skins. The people became familiar with the navigation of the seas. The coins which were in circulation were “Nishka”, “Satamana” and “Krishnala”. Occupation like money lenders, chariot makers, dyers, weavers, barbers, goldsmiths, ironsmiths, washer men, bow makers, carpenters, musicians etc.
The art of writing probably developed in this period. The use of silver was increased and ornaments were made out of it. The means of transport and communication developed with the growth of trade and commerce. Mention may be made of wagons drawn by oxen, chariots for war and sport. Elephants and horses were also used. Ships and boats were also used as means of transport. Society was economically well to do.
The Aryans of Vedic age had reached the highest stage of civilization. This age had excelled in every walk of life. All the valuable things in man’s life—philosophy, religion, science and code of conduct were all developed in the Vedic age. In fact, Aryans served as the torch-bearers of Indian civilization throughout the ages.
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Reducing Deforestation And 'Digital Media Tree-Wash''
I‘ll be traveling to Copenhagen to cover the last week of the COP15 Climate Summit and report on how the decisions being made there are likely to impact the forestry, paper-making, printing, publishing and IT sectors that the graphic arts depend on.
Don Carli
10 Dec 2009 • 5 min read
Copenhagen on My Mind: Reducing Deforestation And "Digital Media Tree-Wash"
I‘ll be traveling to Copenhagen to cover the last week of the COP15 Climate Summit and report on how the decisions being made there are likely to impact the forestry, paper-making, printing, publishing and IT sectors that the graphic arts depend on. One of the most significant issues to be addressed in Copenhagen is protecting and restoring global forest ecosystems.
I hope to hear from all of you who have questions for the leaders convened in Copenhagen. I will do my best to track down the answers. Please send me your questions and follow me on Twitter: @dcarli Use the Hashtag: #COP15.
Most people will tell you that they care about saving our forests, but they tend to be uninformed or misinformed when it comes to knowing the causes of deforestation or some of the places being affected most significantly by land use change that kills trees, pollutes rivers and contributes to climate change. Until recently the conventional wisdom has been to demonize paper and print media as the major culprit behind “killing trees” and to idealize digital media as “green and groovy” alternative without consideration for the full backstory or life cycle footprint of either.
Pixels Don’t Grow on Trees
Paper and print media supply chains are far from being sustainable, but may be far less of a threat to forests than the “Tree-Wash” claims about how digital media saves trees or how pixels are greener than pages. “Tree-Wash” is my term for a special class of “green-wash” making false, misleading or unsupported marketing claims that ignore the causes of deforestation associated with digital media, or that fail to identify the actual trees and forests allegedly being saved or planted.
The Copenhagen Climate Summit is likely to play a major role in changing the status quo with regard to foot-printing forests, identifying trees and the calculating the climate impacts of coal-powered IT. From Dec. 7 to Dec. 18 representatives of 191 nations and at least 65 world leaders will attend the United Nations “COP15” Climate Summit in Copenhagen to seek agreement on a new global treaty to limit emissions of greenhouse gases.
Are You Seeing REDD yet?
Deforestation and the sustainable management of the world’s forests are serious issues that should be top of mind given the world’s focus on climate change. Trees sequester carbon equal to half of their dry weight, and scientists estimate that as much 20 percent of total emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) are emitted due to deforestation, land use change and forest degradation. For that reason, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is a major issue that will be addressed in Copenhagen.
Sustainable forestry will play an increasingly important role in supporting the literacy and sanitary existence of the world’s growing population. In addition to providing millions of jobs and providing the wood fiber used to produce over 350 million tons of paper per year, the world’s forests also serve as the planet’s “lungs” by converting or “sequestering” atmospheric carbon dioxide into woody biomass and providing other important environmental services. In addition, sustainably harvested forest biomass will increasingly be employed by a new generation of integrated bio-refineries to replace fossil fuel energy and petrochemical feed-stocks.
According to some reports just one day’s deforestation is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of eight million people flying to New York; in order to address such a serious challenge and provide a basis to monitoring the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation, an impressive array of Geo-locative and remote sensing capabilities are being developed to map the world’s forests and identify the location of individual trees with startling precision.
For example, as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its member countries and partners is undertaking a global remote sensing survey of forests covering the whole land surface of the Earth. FAO is also providing technical support for national forest assessments and the establishment of national forest monitoring systems. See: www.fao.org/forestry/fra/en/.
In addition to remote sensing sites, there are exciting new “crowdsourced” mashup projects like The Geo-Wiki Project, in which a global network of volunteers review hotspot maps of global land, cover disagreement and determine, based on what they actually see in Google Earth and their local knowledge, if the land cover maps are correct or incorrect. Their input is recorded in a database, along with uploaded photos, to create new and improved hybrid global land cover maps and augmented reality applications.
See: http://www.geo-wiki.org/ Another example is the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign that uses mobile phone or iPod input to locate GPS coordinates of trees planted by school children around the world. See: UNEP.
Do You See the Forest or the Trees?
Such remote sensing of forest biomass and Geo-locative tagging of trees will become increasingly important as the exemption of carbon dioxide emissions from bio-energy use will only be appropriate if there is a system that also counts emissions from deforesting land and land use activities that degrade forest ecologies. In that way, if biomass for energy use results in deforestation, emissions are counted as land use emissions equivalent to fossil fuel emissions. However, these new remote sensing and Geo-locative augmented reality applications will also be making it possible to stem the tsunami of “Go Digital, Save Trees” Tree-Wash marketing claims that many marketers of e-billing, e-books and digital media have been flooding the market with.
One of the little known but significant causes of deforestation in the United States related to digital media is the practice of "Mountain Top Removal" (MTR) employed to mine the coal that is used to generate electricity in the US. In 2008 over 41 million tons of coal were extracted by means of Mountain Top Removal in West Virginia. Coal provides the majority of electric power in 32 states, and 99 percent of the electricity generated in West Virginia comes from coal. (A website created by the Alliance for Appalachia provides an interactive tool that shows the connections between the energy generated in your community to coal that comes from Mountain Top removal in West Virginia.)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that by 2013 an area the size of Delaware will have been deforested to extract coal. In addition to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy consumed by digital media’s IT infrastructure, the deforestation, toxic air pollution and water pollution impacts associated with coal mining, coal combustion and coal waste need to be considered before making claims about digital media being greener than print or saving trees.
Truth in Augmented Reality
Deforestation, illegal logging and land-use changes that result in greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental damage are serious matters that billions of people care about. With today’s advanced remote sensing and geo-location capabilities consumers have every reason to expect marketers making claims about their offerings saving trees, or resulting in the planting of trees, to identify the trees in question and account for the life cycle impacts associated with their products. Even if the FTC does not yet prosecute such cases, that would not preclude a competitor from calling on the National Advertising Review Council to review the truthfulness and accuracy of a green marketing claim.
As we enter the “Post Madoff” trust-but-verify age of social-media powered transparency and climate awareness, it is becoming more possible and important than ever to monitor the green message content and supply chain impacts of advertising. Pixels may not grow on trees, but it is increasingly likely that remote sensing and augmented reality pixels can and will be used to hold marketers responsible for the carbon footprint of their media supply chains and the truthfulness and accuracy of advertising claims they make about saving or planting trees.
More in COP15
Paper Made from Red Algae Seaweed
A Cablecar Called Desire
COP15 Dispatch: Don Carli on Media Carbon
COP15: The "Hoping to Get In" Summit
After two consecutive days and over 14 ours of standing in the cold with thousands of members of the international press, delegates and NGO participants I was finally able to get through security and thaw enough to write a few words before heading into the content maelstrom that is COP15.
Don Carli 15 Dec 2009 • 1 min read
COP15 Copenhagen & what it means for print and digital media
You may know where Copenhagen is, but do you know what the COP15 Summit is and what it could mean to advertising, marketing, publishing, media and communication professionals?
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Home Football Jim McElwain turns to Malik Zaire to fix Florida QB issues
Jim McElwain turns to Malik Zaire to fix Florida QB issues
Ehsan Kassim
HOOVER – Jim McElwain has gotten the Florida Gators to the SEC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons in Gainesville, Fla.
McElwain is the only coach in SEC history to reach the league title game in his first two seasons.
In both games, Florida lost to Alabama.
“They’re (Alabama) at the top,” McElwain said. “And it’s up to us to go get ’em.”
McElwain owns a 19-8 record in his first two years at Florida, but is 0-2 against in-state rival Florida State.
If the Gators want to take the next step, they need to get improved quarterback play. Florida has gone through nine starting quarterbacks in seven seasons since Tim Tebow left Florida, with little success.
Graduate transfer Malik Zaire was allowed to transfer to Florida from Notre Dame earlier this summer when the SEC eased transfer rules for graduates. He will compete with redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks for the starting spot. Luke Del Rio started last season before going down with an injury, and will likely return to a backup role.
“It’s one of those situations that it doesn’t matter the position, we’re always looking to add,” McElwain said. “True competition breeds excellence.
“I know we’re going to be starting a quarterback.”
Whoever wins the quarterback job will have plenty of offensive weapons to work with.
Antonio Callaway, a junior wide receiver, is the biggest playmaker. He caught 54 passes for 721 yards last season, despite uneven play at the quarterback position. Callaway became the 21st FBS player since 1996 to score a rushing, receiving, passing, punt return and kickoff return touchdown in a career.
Callaway has run into some trouble off the field, and McElwain addressed his situation.
“He’s going through some things right now and has handled it well, McElwain said. “He’s a talented young man and a good person.”
Brandon Powell and DeAndre Goolsby, the second- and third-leading receivers will also return, along with sophomore receiver Tyrie Cleveland, who showed promise as a freshman.
Jordan Scarlett will be the lead running back for Florida after a strong sophomore season. He rushed for 907 yards on 179 carries last season, good for 5 yards a carry.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida lost eight starters to the NFL draft, including three defensive backs. Juniors Duke Dawson, Marcell Harris and Nick Washington will have to replace the trio of Marcus Maye, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson.
Harris leads returning players with 73 tackles from a season ago.
The Gators will have a much tougher time replacing linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone. Davis, a first-round selection by the Detroit Lions, was the leader of the Florida defense. Florida might have to depend on freshman linebackers to take on Davis’ role.
The Gators will open the season against the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Head coach: Jim McElwain
2016 record: 9-4 (6-2 SEC)
Returning starters: 18
Toughest question McElwain faced: You’ve seen them twice: What does Florida need to do to close that gap with Alabama?
McElwain’s reply: They’ve just done an outstanding job. I think closing the gap, as I go back to I guess the understanding here, each year is its own and certain things happen that you don’t have control over, and yet what you hope happens is you’ve taken care of a lot of the details along the way, that when something comes up, you can still be successful. That’s the great thing they’ve done in that program. And I don’t know the gap itself. You know, I do understand this. They’re right now at the top, and, you know, it’s up to the rest of us to go get them.
You need to know: Florida has lost to Alabama in two straight SEC Championships. The Gators return its leading rusher from a year ago, Jordan Scarlett (889 yards), and its top three wide receivers, Antonio Callaway (721 yards), Brandon Powell (387 yards), and DeAndre Gooslby (342 yards). The Gators lost eight players to the NFL draft, with six of those being on the defensive side of the ball, including three defensive backs. Marcell Harris will return, he leads the team in tackles, among players returning with 73.
Best player quote: The stadium itself feels like the fans are right on top of you. One of the memories I have is against Ole Miss where I was just telling everyone how I could hear the crowd, it was in me. At one point, it was so loud that I couldn’t hear nothing. It felt like the crowd was shaking me. We have a fan that sits right behind the O-Line and he always yells ‘Ah Ha’. We always make fun of him. As long as I live, I’ll never forget that moment. He’s always there. I can’t wait. It’s just so close, it’s real to me. -Sophomore offensive lineman Martez Ivey on the Swamp.
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Business Other Business Writing a Book
Get Your Children's Book (or Any Book) Published
Become a children's book author!
Created by Markette Sheppard
writing for any age
Get tips & tricks on how to get your children's book published. Learn the pros and cons of self-publishing versus pursuing a publisher, Plus, get advice on the writing process to make you stand out from the crowd.
In this course, you will learn:
Real advice from a literary agent
Real advice from a book publicist
How to perfect your manuscript
How to position yourself as a writer who stands out from the crowd
How to write a query letter
How to know if you need an agent
What to expect when submitting yourself to agents
Online course is taught by bestselling children's book author Markette Sheppard ("My Rainy Day Rocket Ship", "What Is Light?").
unpublished authors
children's book writers
1 section • 6 lectures • 47m total length
The Beginning, Middle and End6 lectures • 47min
How to get your children's book published
Part 2: How to get your children's book published video lecture
I was in my late 30s before I got my start
Advice from a literary agent & author
Advice from a literary publicist & agent
Be hopeful, but beware
Markette Sheppard
TV Host and Producer
Markette Sheppard is an EMMY award-winning journalist and bestselling author of the children's books, WHAT IS LIGHT? and MY RAINY DAY ROCKET SHIP (Simon & Schuster/Denene Millner Books).
Markette won an Emmy award for her role as host and moderator of a morning show on the CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. Markette has been featured on top-rated national morning shows as a lifestyle expert, including NBC's TODAY Show, VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live and ABC’s Live! with Kelly.
Markette is also founder of Glow Stream TV, a digital platform that empowers women and minority-led businesses to market their products and services through engaging videos hosted by Markette.
She earned her M.A. degree in interactive journalism from American University in Washington, DC and a B.A. in communications & French from California State University Dominguez Hills.
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Public Notices & Bylaws
281-289 College Street
IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER 0.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 281-289 College Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Reasons for Designation
The properties at 281-289 College Street are worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for their cultural heritage value, and meet Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation, under all three categories of design, associative and contextual value.
Located on the south side of the street, west of Spadina Avenue, the properties at 281-289 College Street contain five units of the original six-part row of commercial buildings that were developed in 1887 by Toronto builder Robert Sweet Crabb and his business associate, James Hewlett. According to archival records, the buildings were first referred to as the “Alexandrina Block” in the City Directory of 1912, and the westernmost unit of the group was removed during the interwar period. The properties at 281-289 College Street were identified as having potential heritage value in the College Street Study Official Plan Amendment (OPA), which was adopted by City Council in May 2017.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The properties at 281-289 College Street have cultural heritage value as well-crafted examples of late-19th century commercial buildings designed with elements from the popular architectural styles of the era, including the Italianate and Renaissance Revival. The Alexandrina Block is particularly distinguished by its triangular-shaped pediment and corbelled brick detailing, the symmetrical placement of the round-arched and flat-headed openings with the elaborate stone and brick trim, and the distinctive decorative detailing that includes bartizans at the east end and in the centre of the principal (north) elevation.
The Alexandrina Block has associative value for the role of the buildings in the evolution of College Street, adjoining Spadina Avenue. Following the development of the late-18th century “Park Lots” for the country estates of government administrator, Peter Russell, and his relative, Dr. William Warren Baldwin, their descendants subdivided the acreage for residential subdivisions adjoining the circular-shaped Spadina Crescent, the distinctive urban design feature north of the intersection of College Street and Spadina Avenue
(formerly Brock Street). College Street was extended west from the present-day University of Toronto to Spadina Avenue and beyond as the setting of highly visible institutional and commercial buildings that served the adjoining residential neighbourhoods and included the subject properties at 281-289 College Street.
Contextually, the properties at 281-289 College Street support the historical character of College Street adjoining Spadina Avenue as it developed in the late 19th century as an important “Main Street” serving the adjoining residential neighbourhoods of present-day Harbord Village (north) and Kensington Market (south). Identified by its landmark institutional buildings, including at Bellevue Avenue the heritage designated St. Stephen’s-in-the-Fields Church (1858) and No. 8 Hose Station (1878, which was reconstructed a century later), College Street was the setting of highly-decorated commercial edifices that included the Alexandrina Block. The commercial buildings at 281-289 College Street are historically, visually and physically linked to their setting on College Street, west of Spadina Avenue, where they adjoin the complementary Steward Block (1890) at 271 College Street.
Heritage Attributes
The heritage attributes of the Alexandrina Block at 281-289 College Street are:
• The placement, setback and orientation of the buildings on the south side of College Street, west of Spadina Avenue
• The scale, form and massing of the group of five three-storey buildings, with all rectangular-shaped plans
• Covering the buildings, the flat roofline with the cornices, the corbelled brickwork, the modillion blocks and, over the units at 285 and 287 College, the triangular pediment that incorporates the stone nameplate inscribed “Alexandrina Block 1887”
• The materials, with the red brick cladding and the brick and stone detailing (the brickwork has been painted)
• The principal (north) elevations where the five units are organized by brick piers with stone corbels, with the decorative bartizans at the east end and near the centre
• On the north elevations, above the first (ground) floor storefronts (which have been altered), the fenestration with the pairs of round-arched openings in the second storey with the brick hood moulds with the stone keystones, corner blocks and sills, and the pairs of flat-headed openings in the third storey with the brick flat arches and string course and the continuous stone sills
• The east side elevation of the building at 281 College, which is viewed from College Street and has flat-headed window openings
Note: no heritage attributes are identified on the west side elevation of the building at 289 College Street where the adjoining unit at 291 College was removed, or on the rear (south) elevations and wings.
Notice of an objection to the proposed designation may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Ellen Devlin, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of December 15, 2017, which is January 15, 2018. The notice of objection must set out the reason(s) for the objection, and all relevant facts.
Dated at Toronto this 15th day of December, 2017
Ulli S. Watkiss
Notice of December 2018 Meetings of City Council and Selected Committees
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Friday | September 26th, 2014
Insuring Against Unemployment
Unemployment insurance isn’t exactly top-of-the-pile material. But with unemployment claims reaching record highs after the Great Recession, some new rules — and potential changes — it should be on your radar.
The federal Unemployment Insurance Integrity Act was spawned from incorrect payments made through unemployment insurance of as much as $4.5 billion during 2013, roughly 11 percent of payments. It wasn’t always a result of fraud but some was because of basic errors and some because employers were not always reporting information on a timely basis.
In some cases, claims that were awarded were overturned when an employer offered information that was not provided in the state’s initial request.
Employers historically have been inclined to respond to or protest only claims that were considered inaccurate, according to global credit rating agency Equifax. Now they will be required to “respond to all claims, regardless of perceived legitimacy, to remain compliant with emerging state regulations and minimize their financial exposure.”
As part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011, the Unemployment Integrity Act went into effect Oct. 1, 2013, requiring employers to provide information for all unemployment claims in response to a state’s initial request.
Nonprofits can opt out of paying state unemployment taxes and instead reimburse actual unemployment claims through a trust. The two largest trusts for nonprofits are the Unemployment Services Trust (UST) and 501(c) Agencies Trust, but there are others.
For organizations with stable employment and 10 to 15 employees, a trust can be a good option, said Donna Groh, UST’s executive director. If an organization has less than 10 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs), it probably should stay in the safety net of the state tax system. “One bad claim could wipe out their reserves,” she said. “When you leave the state tax system, you become completely liable for all claims,” she said. If an organization recently has gone through layoffs, they will have very high claims, Groh said, which could be a good time to leave the state system.
Organizations where there are high claims on an ongoing basis because of the business model – maybe there is seasonality or a high churn rate – probably are being subsidized by other employers in a state’s risk pool and would not be a good fit to be in a trust, she said. On the other hand, nonprofits where there are fewer claims are subsidizing other employers and could save money by leaving the state system, Groh said.
Unemployment reimbursement has been a “mixed bag” since the economy improved, according to Groh. “There’s certainly a higher level of awareness of being a direct reimburser,” she said, noting market research by UST a few years ago that fully one quarter of nonprofits didn’t even know the option was available to them. “Now that’s more the exception. Most organizations do know it’s an option, they just have to figure out if it’s right for them,” she said.
The federal government sets certain basic rules for how states need to run their programs and states have a fair bit of leeway, Groh said. In California and Minnesota, once an organization is out of the system, it must stay out for two years.
California is among the few states that uses the federal minimum taxable wage base of $7,000, meaning employers must pay 1.5 percent tax on the first $7,000 of wages for each employee they have. In Minnesota, the state applies rates on a minimum wage base of almost $30,000. Fewer than 20 states have a base of less than $10,000, according to Equifax.
Most other states that went into debt during the recession imposed surcharges or raised rates or done something to address it, Groh said. Some states have not really addressed their deficits from the recession and are still trying to rebuild their funds, with as many as 14 currently maintaining insolvent trust funds, according to Equifax. “It’s scary when you look at how much money some states are in the hole,” Groh said, adding that projections for some states indicate they won’t be able to rebuild their funds in time for the next recession.
Doug Sauer, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON), expects unemployment insurance costs to increase about 20 percent this year for his organization but he fears others might face increases of as much as 100 percent. To address structural problems in its unemployment system, New York state boosted the minimum taxable wage base from $8,500 to $10,300 – and about $250 annually for the next decade – on top of an increase in the tax rate. NYCON has been out of the state unemployment system for at least a decade, Sauer said, using Chicago-based First Nonprofit Group.
Florida and North Carolina made what Groh described as some interesting changes to address their deficits, including limiting the amount of benefits or the number of weeks that individuals can receive benefits. Others have imposed surcharges and/or changed rate schedules. Those are things to consider for charities considering moving out of the state tax pool, Groh said.
There’s been talk of doubling the federal minimum taxable wage base to $14,000. That would double the amount of money paid into the unemployment pool.
Darren Bowman, president and CEO of 501(c) Agencies Trust, has been expecting the federal minimum taxable wage to be increased since 2010, so it remains to be seen whether it will occur this year.
If it finally is acted upon and raised, he expects the biggest impact in aggregate dollars would be in California where the state has been running about a $10 billion negative balance with the federal government. “Many states made good progress repaying unemployment debt,” Bowman said, adding that some state legislatures take that minimum taxable wage base and index it up automatically. “The bottom line is, tax rates have been going up and will continue to go up — whether the federal government is going to play a role, that’s tough to predict,” he said.
Generally, it’s a good time to consider trusts because tax rates are high and the economy improved, Bowman said. “I’m not going to say it’s great but OK,” he said, adding that most nonprofits feel financially stable and have built up a rainy day fund.
“When you become a reimbursing employer, you’re taking a bit of a gamble that over the long run, you’ll pay less reimbursing the cost than participating in state system,” Bowman said.
An unemployment insurance fund going into a recession has rather low tax rates, then gets hit by payments, then raises those tax rates to recoup those funds over the next several years. “If you’re a reimbursing employer, the payments look similar,” Bowman said.
The best time as a nonprofit employer to look at becoming reimbursing employer is right after a recession. “That’s when you’re paying the highest taxes but running pretty lean, having made cuts that need to be made, funding sources are stable for the moment and you’re not looking at imminent layoffs,” he said. E
« Jumpstarting Your Program
Survey: Secular, Religious Boards Aware Of Governance Distinctions »
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Join us online to remember the pilot who sacrificed himself to save a town
By Chris Lloyd echochrislloyd Chief Features Writer
AN airman who sacrificed his own life to save a town is going to be remembered in a Zoom ceremony on Wednesday night at the moment he crashed 76 years ago.
In normal times, at 8.49pm on the anniversary of Pilot Office William McMullen’s death, a crowd gathers near the spot where he made the ultimate sacrifice to remember his heroism. McMullen could have jumped from his stricken bomber but instead stayed at the controls to steer it away from the houses of Darlington.
Last year, on the 75th anniversary, the nation was battling Storm Brendan but still well over 100 people turned up at the monument in McMullen Road to pay their respects.
However, this year, with the nation in lockdown battling the coronavirus pandemic, The Northern Echo has joined forces with Darlington Historical Society to create an online ceremony which everybody is invited to attend.
It will begin at 8.30pm with opening remarks by the mayor of Darlington, Cllr Chris McEwan.
Cllr McEwan said: “Even in these dark and challenging times, it is important that we continue our traditions and we as a town should do our utmost to commemorate and remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those from previous generations in our community.
“McMullen in all likelihood saved countless lives through his selfless action, and so it is right that we acknowledge him.”
The town’s MP, Peter Gibson, will be involved in the ceremony, and it is hoped that Geoff Hill, of the Middleton St George Memorial Association, will be able to display the propeller from McMullen’s Lancaster that was retrieved from the crash site and which has, until recently, been in a private collection in Northumberland.
The Echo’s Chris Lloyd will tell the story of McMullen’s sacrifice.
The Zoom gathering is being hosted by the Historical Society. To join, email echo@nne.co.uk with the word “McMullen” in the subject field. We will then send you a link to click on which should take you straight into the ceremony.
We ask people to join at around 8.20pm on Wednesday ready for our ceremony to start at 8.30pm. It will conclude with a minute’s silence at 8.49pm, which is when McMullen crashed into farmland on January 13, 1945.
A FATEFUL 14 minutes turned William McMullen into a war hero.
One moment 76 years ago, he was at the controls of his Lancaster bomber, returning to RAF Middleton St George after a routine training flight; the next, his engine was on fire, his crew were baling out and he had a split second decision to make: should he follow them out of the hatch and parachute to safety, or should he stay with his stricken craft and attempt to steer it away from the hundreds of houses beneath him?
"It's only me for it," he said to the last crew member to jump. "There are thousands down below."
In his last minutes, Pilot Officer McMullen succeeded in guiding his plane over the rooftops of the east end of Darlington before crashing into a field, killing himself instantaneously.
The mayor of Darlington wrote to his widow, Thelma, at home in Canada with their five-year-old daughter, Donna. He said: "For sheer self-sacrificing heroism, your husband's action will be remembered and honoured by the people of Darlington for years to come.”
McMullen had been born in Toronto in 1912 and had come over to fight for the British Empire in 1944, and was posted to fly bombers at RAF Middleton St George – now Teesside airport.
On Saturday, January 13, 1945, with his all-Canadian crew, he was sent on a three-hour cross-country navigation exercise as bad weather had grounded them for the previous three weeks.
They set out at 5.47pm, just as the daylight was fading, aboard Lancaster KB793. It was all routine radar stuff carried out at 10,000ft over the North York Moors. At 8.35pm, exercise over, McMullen called Goosepool for “joining instructions”. He was told visibility was 3,500ft, that there was a thin layer of cloud at 1,800ft and there was an 11mph North-North-East wind on landing – good conditions and he’d be touching down within ten minutes.
He instructed his engineer, Sgt “Lew” Lewellin, to keep the engines at 1,950rpm so the descent speed would be 200mph, and Lewellin wrote in his log: “All temperatures and pressures normal. All four engines running evenly.”
But there was a fault developing in the outer port Rolls Royce Merlin engine. Flight Sgt Steve Ratsoy, the wireless operator who was further down the fuselage, reported that it was emitting a shower of sparks and was glowing red. McMullen ordered Lewellin to press the feathering button to close it down.
As he did so, Ratsoy reported that a sheet of flame shot from the engine, that the red glow was spreading along the wing and that there now appeared to be flames licking at the engine cover.
It later transpired that the feathering pipe was not protected against fire and had already burned away. Therefore, when Lewellin pressed the button to shut the engine down, he was actually forcing oil out of the pipe so that it fell onto the red hot surfaces, causing the sheet of flame. Rather than stopping the fire, he was pouring oil onto it...
At 2,500ft over Acklam, with three engines still working and McMullen still in control of the plane, he gave the order to abandon the aircraft. Jump, jump, jump...
The crew baled out in order and landed, plop, plop, plop, along the line of the A66 between Elton and Sadberge.
At 600ft, engineer Lewellin was last to leave the stricken aircraft. As he stood by the main door, he looked over to McMullen at the controls. Whether McMullen really did utter the heroic last words that were ascribed to him in the following Monday’s Northern Despatch newspaper –"It's only me for it. There are thousands down below" – is known only by the propaganda department at the Air Ministry.
But in that split second, the pilot would have seen Darlington - population 80,000 - laid out before him. He stayed with the plane as it headed towards the town centre, and fought with its controls to steer it towards the farmland.
Hundreds of Darlingtonians saw it blazing brightly in the dark night sky as, at about 600ft, it cleared the last of the rooftops of the Eastbourne area and then plunged to earth. It cartwheeled 150 yards across the field of Lingfield Farm, losing various bits of flaming fuselage as it went, its fuel tanks exploding vividly and its bullets dancing like firecrackers across the top of the soil.
The pilot was dead, killed on impact. He'd been catapulted, still strapped to his seat, 120 yards out of the windscreen, but his flying boots were found later in the aircraft, still attached to the rubber pedals in the cockpit where he had remained in those dying seconds.
All Darlington was convinced McMullen hadn’t jumped because he wanted to save them. Because his name was not released for some weeks, they christened him the “Gallant Airman”, and they wrote to the local papers praising him.
The official accident report into the accident said: “It is also noted that the pilot retained control of the aircraft sufficiently long enough to avoid crashing into the built-up area of Darlington."
The town collected £1,000 for its Gallant Airman and, when his name became known, offered it to his widow and young daughter back in Canada. Thelma refused it, saying it would be best put to use in war-ravaged Britain.
The money was used to endow two children's cots at the Memorial Hospital, and the road near the crash site was named in the pilot’s honour.
Mayor Jimmy Blumer told her: "By his actions, the pilot realised that he was steering himself to certain death. Not only Darlington, but the whole of the district was stirred to profound admiration and gratitude which could not be expressed in words at this act of supreme sacrifice."
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Ukraine and Jordan Expand Agricultural Cooperation
Equipment & innovation Markets and economics Government and regulatory
UKRAINE & JORDAN - Ukraine and Jordan have strengthened bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, reports the press service of Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Policy.
The two countries have signed an agreement regarding construction of elevator facilities in Jordan, which would increase the supply of grain in the country as well as the neighbouring states.
The agreement was reached during the state visit of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych to Amman, Jordan.
Ukraine also reached an agreement with the Kingdom of Jordan to increase its supply of poultry meat and by-products.
In addition, both countries have settled to boost cooperation between their scientific and research institutions. The parties were particularly enthusiastic to create joint programs for studying hazardous diseases in poultry and animals; sharing breeding materials. Scientists from both countries are also interested in mutual introduction of plant protection technology.
Jordan and Ukraine set out to develop national economies through mutual projects, said the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych at the bilateral business forum in Amman, Jordan.
The leaders of Jordan and Ukraine expressed their commitment to enhance bilateral partnership through economic, political, military, technical, legal and humanitarian cooperation.
The second meeting of the Joint Jordanian-Ukrainian Committee on trade and economic cooperation (2-3 April 2012, Amman) helped activate the relations between the two countries and both Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, King of Jordan, and the Ukrainian president expressed their satisfaction over its outcomes.
President Yanukovych noted that construction of power plants that run on alternative energy sources - solar, wind etc. - could be a field for cooperation.
He mentioned that Ukrainian energy engineering companies were reputable in Jordan and therefore could be selected to participate in similar projects.
As for other areas of possible cooperation, Jordan has a lot of potential to involve highly experienced Ukrainian engineers in the grain storage facilities construction projects, as well as metallurgy, goods manufacturing, production of food and agricultural produce. Ukrainian considers Jordan an important Middle Eastern Partner. The President of Ukraine also said that the country was interested in bilateral cooperation in the areas of aviation, space, engineering, electricity, transport, agriculture, as well the military, scientific and technical areas.
Weekly poultry digest: bird flu culls roil global poultry industry
The latest Weekly poultry digest shows the impact of continued avian influenza outbreaks and highlights the plant-based meat trend emerging in China.
What challenges and opportunities should be on your radar in the year ahead? At Hamlet Protein, we’ve put together a checklist for the feed industry.
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New generation blockchain will transform financial markets from analogue to digital
Hirander Misra, Chairman of GMEX Group & SECDEX Group & Partner of Digital Partners Network discusses how the new generation blockchain will transform financial markets from analogue to digital.
GMEX started as a FinTech company focused on supplying technology to traditional exchanges with a partnership driven approach. Over the last few years, we’ve heavily focused on the blockchain side of things, working closely with IBM and the underlying Hyperledger framework as well as other partners.
We’ve worked to provide a whole hybrid construct for exchanges, custodians and banks focused on both traditional and digital assets. Our footprint is very much global, so we have clients and partners all over the world. We have also used our technology and business expertise to enable our ventures, including digital exchange ecosystems, such as SECDEX Group to facilitate token issuance, exchange trading and digital custody as well as tokenised regulated funds such as Digital Investment Fund PCC, which is part of Digital Partners Network.
Blockchain 2.0
We’re moving towards the second generation of blockchain in financial services. We went through an initial pilot phase with projects in areas such as trade finance endorsed by the big banks. Now we have moved into a second phase, which is more exciting. It’s going to lead to a bigger future. The second generation of blockchain now looks at much more multi-node activity across tiers, across jurisdictions, and across business activities as well. We at GMEX are very excited about that because we’re at the forefront.
As an industry, we’re in a state of flux. If we look at FinTechs now, I would argue it’s the most exciting time ever because so many new technologies are emerging. You’ve got blockchain on the one hand, with AI and quantum computing on the other hand. From being more nascent, many of these are now starting to grow as well as integrate. With all that technology around, the opportunity for innovation is immense. But that’s balanced by the inertia in existing legacy platforms, existing processes and legacy mindsets. The key challenge is this: the opportunity with this new technology is immense, but how do we get it working from a small base and scale it in the first place?
How can banks and exchanges enter the digital assets space?
New FinTechs often struggle because in the early stages they might be innovative, but actually, there’s a lot of “if you build it, they will come.” Strictly speaking, we ask ourselves, is there a need to do something and how can we do it differently before we embark upon doing it from a technological standpoint. Technology can act as an enabler, but it needs business validation.
Banks and exchanges have been used to a range of asset classes for a while, but now many are wondering how to enter the digital asset space, in what capacity, and how they can integrate that with what they already do? This whole construct with Bitcoin came about in a decentralised fashion and, obviously, financial market infrastructure, the central banks, are more centralised. So, the biggest challenge is, how do you marry up that decentralised ethos with that centralised ethos? How can central banks embrace this technology, keep control of monetary policy and move forward cohesively? Equally, traditional banks face the same issues.
To GMEX, this presents an opportunity because the right answer isn’t status quo on the traditional side and it isn’t the decentralised Wild West. The right answer is somewhere in between, and that presents opportunity to create new products, new asset classes, new revenue streams. To get that competitive edge, innovation is key.
Why blockchain?
We looked at blockchain as an opportunity to reinvent the way that markets traded, cleared, and settled. And for the whole market infrastructure value chain and participants along that space, we wanted to do it differently, not just by automating something and putting it onto a blockchain that existed today. We looked at a range of different blockchains and distributed ledger technology. They all said they did fantastic things, but when you opened that tin, in most cases what was in the tin wasn’t what the label said.
When we looked at what IBM was doing with IBM Blockchain Platform and the underlying Hyperledger Fabric, we found that it did what it said it did. Combined with that, we were heavily focused on Java development and it integrated seamlessly. It was a good combination of the ability to leverage the open source environment and the knowledge that’s out there–that communal effect in terms of expanding knowledge and products–combined with our own intellectual property. We got the best of both worlds.
What does moving from analogue to digital mean?
We know how the smartphone revolutionised the way that we communicate online and in every fashion. Even 10 years ago, we couldn’t have envisioned where we’re at now and the extent that it’s developed. This is where we are in financial markets. We don’t necessarily see it right now, but there are many silos out there, they don’t talk to each other effectively. Of course, there are networks that join them up, but they’re incredibly inefficient, they’re very expensive, they don’t facilitate the types of cross border activity we could achieve if there were more seamless integration. Blockchain working with the right use cases can revolutionise that, so that we move from an analog financial market to the smart financial market we need, one that will facilitate more opportunity.
What does that mean in practice? At the moment, whether in the US, Europe or Asia, there are multiple exchanges and trading venues, but they don’t talk to each other and they can’t seamlessly facilitate client interaction and flows between them. Now, let’s consider a blockchain enabled multi-node world. For example, you may be trading Bitcoin in Abu Dhabi, but it may be difficult to get banked over there. You could then do an automatic swap between there and the UK. Also, clients in one jurisdiction can now seamlessly trade in another while dealing with digital custody aligned to where their assets like gold or crypto are physically stored. That can be well aligned with what’s happening on the digital side.
The immense opportunities
Now, all of a sudden the opportunities are immense. There was a survey in 2015 by the World Economic Forum that said that by 2027, 10% of global GDP was going to be on a blockchain. That accounts for about $24 trillion of assets. It’s a huge opportunity for FinTech firms, but also a big opportunity for financial markets firms and those that provide financial services because ultimately the FinTech firms will enable that business to happen.
This article was previously published by GMEX, a client of The Realization Group, HERE
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Justin Trudeau boots all senators from Liberal caucus
By Susan DelacourtNational Columnist
Wed., Jan. 29, 2014timer6 min. read
OTTAWA —Justin Trudeau has declared Liberal senators to be an extinct species in Canadian politics, cutting 32 of them loose from his caucus and removing them from future partisan duties on the fundraising and campaign trail.
“They are no longer part of our parliamentary team,” Trudeau announced on Wednesday after sending a formal letter to the Senate Speaker. “There are no more Liberal senators.”
The bombshell news was delivered to the senators at a pre-caucus meeting Wednesday morning, and the move was effective immediately.
The shocked, now independent senators huddled for a couple of hours before emerging to proclaim they still viewed themselves as big-L Liberals and party supporters. And they did not publicly voice dissent over the surprise move, promising to keep working together as a team against Conservatives in the Senate.
Sen. Serge Joyal, a longtime Liberal advocate of exactly this sort of reform, said while he wholeheartedly backed the proposals, “I am sad to a point” he said. I remain a Liberal, I still have my membership card in my wallet.”
“I had a pit in my stomach,” said Sen. Jim Munson, who said he was still in a bit of shock a couple of hours after the announcement. An entire range of emotions were on display when Trudeau spoke to the senators, Munson added. Some said they felt abandoned; turned loose. Their names were even erased from the Liberal Party website before the morning was over.
“Had I been an adviser to the leader, I would have advised him to do this,” said Sen. Dennis Dawson. “But I would have advised him to do it in a more elegant way.”
Dawson, who had been helping to put together the Liberals’ caucus meeting in Quebec City next month, put an immediate stop to that organizing.
It is the boldest decision Trudeau has made so far in his eight-month long reign as Liberal leader — an “out-with-the-old” move that he will use to demonstrate he’s a new and different kind of politician.
The decision, according to Trudeau’s officials, comes directly from the long-running scandal and controversy over the Senate — and particularly, the revelations of deep PMO involvement in trying to manage the expense problems of errant senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau.
Trudeau and his advisers reportedly are convinced that much of those Senate problems are rooted in fundraising and partisan activities by the Conservatives — using the red chamber as an arm of the party. And so, as they held some strategic reviews at the end of 2013, they went looking for a dramatic and decisive way to show that Liberals would not use the Senate for partisan or political activities themselves.
“The Senate of Canada is a private institution. It should not be run like the prime minister’s club,” Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday. He said the senators were free to keep their Liberal convictions, but they would no longer be asked to suit up for partisan duty.
“Any individual is free to take out a membership or to keep a membership in the Liberal Party of Canada, but as far as political operatives, these senators will no longer be Liberal organizers, fundraisers, activists in any form.”
Trudeau said he would be advocating a non-partisan Senate as a key policy plank in the next election, with senators also selected in a non-partisan fashion. He challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other political rivals to do the same.
Harper, however, mocked Trudeau’s move as little more than a stunt, joking in the Commons about how the exiled senators wanted to remain as Liberals.
“I gather the change announced by the leader today is that unelected Liberal senators will become unelected senators who happen to be Liberal,” Harper joked.
Indeed, this decision to remain Liberals in name only fuelled some confusion in the Senate in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.
Sen. James Cowan, who is to remain as leader of the band of exiled senators, said they were “comfortable” with Trudeau’s decision and told reporters: “We have agreed that we will style ourselves as the Liberal Senate caucus.”
In the chamber, parties on both sides of the floor attempted to work through what Trudeau’s gambit actually meant in practice.
On the one hand, Conservative Senate leader Claude Carignan argued that the senators formerly known as Liberals did not amount to a unified opposition party at all, pointing to Trudeau’s letter indicating they’d now be “independent.”
On the other, Cowan — who presented his Liberal Party card — argued his side of the aisle still formed a Liberal caucus, albeit an independent one that no longer meets with their elected colleagues in the House of Commons on a weekly basis.
Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella, himself appointed as a Conservative, ruled that the opposition still formed a caucus and Cowan remains the leader of the Opposition in the Senate. But Carignan told reporters outside the Senate that he still wants a written declaration from the newly independent senators that they will continue to sit under the banner of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Trudeau’s announcement also comes as the auditor general is preparing to release more widespread audits of individual senators, and Conservatives accused the Liberals of trying to make a pre-emptive move to avoid embarrassment from their own senators.
The Conservatives’ democratic reform minister, Pierre Poilievre, told reporters: “I think the reality is Mr. Trudeau defended (retired senator Mac) Harb previously and now he’s looking for a public relations manoeuvre in order to avoid accountability which the auditor general will deliver.”
Poilievre then shifted his attack, saying the move does not strip the now-independent Liberal senators of their partisan leanings. “The only change is that they wouldn’t attend one caucus meeting a week,” he said. “He’s made a proposal that would make the Senate far worse than it already is, if you can imagine such a thing.”
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair denounced the move as an about-face by Trudeau, whom he noted rejected an NDP suggestion last fall to force all senators to sit as independents.
Whether in practice Trudeau’s move changes much, it shifted the political debate Wednesday.
“If the Senate serves a purpose at all, it is to act as a check on the extraordinary power of the prime minister and his office, especially in a majority government,” Trudeau said.
“The party structure in the Senate interferes with this responsibility. Taken together with patronage (appointments), partisanship within the Senate is a powerful, negative force. It reinforces the prime minister’s power instead of checking it.
“At best, this renders the Senate redundant. At worst — and under Mr. Harper we have seen it at its worst — it amplifies the prime minister’s power.”
Trudeau has proposed that if elected prime minister, he would set up a more open transparent process to allow public input before naming “worthy” candidates, pointing to the way Supreme Court of Canada judges and Order of Canada recipients are named.
The move by Trudeau has no impact on the Supreme Court of Canada reference case. The Conservative government has asked the court to advise whether it can require term limits or set up consultative elections through a unilateral legislative move, or whether it requires a constitutional amendment and the consent of provinces; if so, how many.
The Conservatives have also asked whether outright abolition of the Senate requires provincial consent.
The high court heard the case in November and is expected to rule sometime within the year.
With files from Alex Boutilier
Read Justin Trudeau’s statement
The mystery diplomat at the heart of Mac Harb’s case
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The savvy freelancer: Being clever about recycling extra material. Tips from Rose Eveleth.
by Lesley Evans Ogden
Rose Eveleth shares sage advice about freelancing over breakfast in Calgary. Photo by Lesley Evans Ogden
Successful freelancers need a diversity of skills. One specialized skill that has always intrigued me is the ability to repurpose similar material in multiple places. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, mainly because I’ve realized I’m not very good at it. As a feature writer who frequently conducts long interviews with interesting experts, I’m forever collecting intriguing extra tidbits that make me think “wow, cool, that’s a great story in itself.” Sadly, the vast majority of those ideas are never used, so lately I’ve been wondering how to make better use of that bonus material.
That skill of successfully “recycling” material is one of the things that intrigues me about Rose Eveleth, an incredibly prolific freelance journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the producer of the podcast “Meanwhile in the Future,” for Gizmodo, a podcast editor for Story Collider, a columnist at BBC Future, the founder and creator of Science Studio, an editor at Smithsonian Magazine, and a contributor at a myriad of other places. Lately I’ve seen her stories on prosthetics and body implants pop up in BBC Future, Nova on PBS, Motherboard, Mosaic, Gizmodo, The Atlantic, and Modern Farmer to mention just a few. When I contacted Eveleth by email to ask about her skill of cleverly repurposing new aspects of the same topic, she said, “It’s something I think about constantly.”
I had the pleasure of meeting Eveleth this weekend at a reunion in Calgary celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Banff Science Communications Program. Eveleth has been a faculty member with that program since 2014. She majored in genetics in her undergraduate degree, then completed a Master’s in science reporting at NYU in 2012. “I’ve been freelancing ever since,” Eveleth says, “and I love it. I would not do anything else.”
While sitting down with me over breakfast, Eveleth generously shared some tips on how she ingeniously makes use of the “extras” from one story as material for the next.
(Me): You seem to be very good slicing off different angles of the same topic to place in different venues. I’m curious to know how you approach that?
(Eveleth): I have not always been good at it… As a freelancer, sometimes you can be scared of doing it because you don’t want editors to get mad at you for reusing stuff.
The thing that I always think about is that you want to pitch stories, not topics. (Note: That’s something I’ve previously talked about for Storyboard here) I think that’s really the key. You’re writing about the same topic all the time but you’re not writing about the same story.
For me… as most journalists probably find, you interview somebody and they tell you something for that story. But they also tell you four or five other things that make you think, “Oh, that’s really interesting.” So I make note of that. I have a system for doing that because for a while I would do interviews, and I would have all this stuff, and I would never go back to it.
So what is your system?
At the end of every interview, instead of going on to the next task, which is actually what I want to do, I stop, and I go through and I code my interview… I will put little asterisks next to anything I need to listen to again to make sure it’s right. I bold anything I definitely want to use. And then I will copy and paste anything I would like to research for another story into a big document that I use in Evernote. I just put the person’s name, and the various things they said that I want to look into. Once a week I will revisit that file and look into stuff. That’s the key, for me at least — making sure I actually write those things down… In the moment is the best time to do it, when it’s fresh.
Then, as long as I feel like it’s a different story, even though it may be the same topic, I will try to pitch it. Often at the end of the pitch I will say, “I’ve talked to this person before. Here are the things that I’ve written about involving this person.” I like to be clear to editors that this is something I’ve written about. Often that’s appealing to them because they know that I know what I’m talking about, and am aware of the issues… That way I really don’t feel like I’m trying to pull one over on them.
How frequently do you actually revisit those story “extras”?
I carve about an hour to two hours every Monday… to spend time with that document…
During that time, she explains, she might do a quick Google search based on one of those notes, or drop a quick email to a source to follow up on something. She also keeps an eye on the news to look for potential news hooks for stories that might not be ‘ripe’ quite yet, but will be timely if the right news hook pops up.
How do you organize those notes?
I am very obsessive about keeping track of things. So I have a spreadsheet of all the sources that I’ve ever interviewed. For every story, I have their name, what we talked about, and if they’re good for the radio or not. Also I have a column for follow-up, and a date… Plus keywords, affiliation (university, etc). She also explains that she can then sort her spreadsheet by date, and make sure that if a source mentions that they have a paper coming out, that she follows up later at an appropriate time.
I do a lot of this because I’m really paranoid that Gmail is going to go down, and I’ll lose everything… I regularly go through that [spreadsheet] and make sure I’m following up with people who I think are interesting… And that can generate even more ideas.
Tell me more about that spreadsheet.
It’s just Excel. I have a script that scrapes all of my emails with a “sources” tag on Gmail… It puts it into a Google spreadsheet and I basically clean that up and put it into an Excel spreadsheet, just to reduce the amount of manual input that is required… I taught myself how to write Google script, which I highly recommend… It helps to take a lot of data from Google – whether that’s maps, or Gmail, or whatever — and put it into a format that you can use. There are a lot of tutorials online for how to do it… It’s not very complicated, and it’s extremely useful!
So how do you actually phrase it to make it clear in a pitch that the story is fresh, but that it’s an area you’ve reported on before?
I think there are two versions of that. One is that it’s a new story. The other is that it’s a new angle on the same story. If it’s a new story, I say something like, “I’ve interviewed this person before for this story. Here’s a link. This is different because…” And I’ll just say, “in that story I talked about this, [but] in this story I want to talk about that. They’re related but different.” That’s easier, because it’s pretty clear to most editors that this is a different story.
If it’s the same kind of thing but a different angle, I will often say something like, “I’ve written about this for this publication. I think that I could write about it in a very different way for your publication, for your audience.
For example I did a piece for The Atlantic about why it’s bad that so many futurists are white dudes. And all of the futures they are imagining aren’t related to the majority of the world’s problems. Then I pitched the story to Eater about that same thing, basically, but specifically about kitchens – kitchens of the future — and why [mainly male] designers are inventing things that no one needs… that don’t make any sense.
So it’s the same idea, where you have this monolithic group of people [providing a biased view], and that’s bad, but it’s a different angle for a different audience… The people reading Eater might be reading The Atlantic, but it’s a more focused version [of the story]. So I just said, “I came across this when I was reporting for this other story. It’s a more focused view of this topic and it has some really good examples of specifically how this plays out.” And it wound up being fine.
Have you ever had a problem with editors/producers being upset about your story for them being similar to someone else’s?
I’ve never had a conflict with an editor over it… So as far as I know, unless there are editors who are secretly angry at me, I’ve never had a problem…
Sometimes editors do reach saturation on certain topics, she explains.
Because I write so much about prosthetics, I’ll pitch stories to my editors and they’ll say, “ahh, we’ve done too many prosthetic stories…”
But it’s never been [a response suggesting that] “it’s too similar to something else you’ve written.” There are a million stories… There’s always a way to write about it…
If you wrote about something two years ago, for example, there’s always the possibility of an update, she explains.
In Internet years, that [two years] is like forever! It’s basically like you’ve never written about it.
Having worked as an editor of the Atlantic [where she filled in for another editor’s maternity leave], as long as writers are honest about it,…they [editors] are much more likely to say, “Okay, that’s fine.” And then you can nod to it in the piece. You can say, “As I reported on here…” So it’s not like you’re trying to fool anybody. I think that’s where you run into problems. I’ve had people pitch me things that later I found out that they’ve written elsewhere, and that’s annoying… So be straightforward about it.
Good advice!
Lesley Evans Ogden is a nerdy bird scientist turned freelance writer-producer based in the burbs of Vancouver, Canada. She enjoys writing about freelancing for Storyboard, and is a regular contributor at New Scientist, Earth Touch, Natural History, and BBC Earth (where she recently had fun writing about the penis spines of bats). When not working on her next story, Lesley can be found trail running, hiking, cycling, and spending time with her family, preferably in the outdoors. Say hello on Twitter @ljevanso.
Posted on September 24, 2015 at 9:00 am by editor · · Tagged with: Advice, reselling
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Olympics funding diversion 'will hit smaller groups hardest'
25 February 2008 by Ben Cook
Small London-based voluntary groups are suffering more than larger groups in the capital as a result of National Lottery funding being diverted to pay for the 2012 Olympics, according to a new report.
The London Assembly study said that, of the £2.2bn of lottery good cause money being diverted to the Olympics, £440m will be taken from London, with the diversion “felt disproportionately by those organisations that rely on smaller grants”.
The report said that although London receives 24 per cent of all lottery good cause money despite having a UK population share of only 14 per cent, its share of lottery grants worth £10,000 or less is only 10 per cent.
It added that voluntary organisations in receipt of grants of £10,000 or less already had a poor record of attracting lottery money, and were less likely to have alternative sources of funding available.
“London’s small voluntary and community organisations need to be shielded from the harm that diverting lottery money to pay for them can cause,” the report said. “We therefore recommend that the proportion of lottery good cause money spent on grants worth less than £10,000 should be monitored and protected from the effects of the diversion by lottery distributors.”
The decline in funding for small organisations will also make it less likely that the Olympic Games will fulfil some of its key objectives, according to the report.
“We are also concerned about the effect that the diversion will have on the 2012 games themselves,” it said. “Two key promises made in London’s bid were that the 2012 games would include a participatory cultural festival, the Cultural Olympiad, and would be used as a catalyst to increase grass-roots sport participation. Small community and voluntary organisations will be needed to deliver both of these promises.”
The report added that with such organisations short of funding, the diversion of lottery money was jeopardising the prospect of fulfilling these objectives.
Dee Doocey, chair of economic development, culture, sport and tourism committee at the London Assembly, said: “Many of the promises London made in its bid, for example about increasing participation in sports, cannot be realised if the local organisations that support these goals are no longer able to deliver – or are even forced to close down completely.”
Fundraising Infrastructure Policy and Politics
Scottish Government fails in bid to reclaim Olympic cash
Entries open for National Lottery Awards
Councils call for Olympic caution
Highs and lows of a decade in the hot seat
Government to reconsider lottery tax change
Critics hit out at Olympics scheme
Small voluntary groups will be worst hit by cannibalisation
Charities offered grants of up to £70,000 to develop digital services
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The Wild Life (1984)
The Wild Life stars Christopher Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Jenny Wright and Ilan Mitchell-Smith as teens on the verge of adulthood who discover that playing grown-up can be a confusing game. Older men, singles apartments, all-night parties and falling in love bring heartbreak and hilarity. Also featuring Randy Quaid in a special appearance as a Vietnam vet who teaches one the kids an important lesson and Rick Moranis as a wacky nerd-on-the-make, this coming-of-age story is a humorous,...
Heartbeeps
Get ready for a futuristic love story like no other as Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters star in this charming, offbeat romantic comedy. While standing on a bleak factory repair shelf, ValCom 17485 (Kaufman), a robot valet, and hostess robot AquaCom 89045 (Peters) strike up a conversation. What starts as an instant connection soon transforms into love, and the two decide to override their programmed lives and explore the forbidden world beyond the factory window. With the police on their trail...
The Ice Harvest
John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton lead an all-star cast in this hilarious and unpredictable thriller that critics are calling, "very funny stuff" (Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper). When lawyer Charlie (Cusack) and his partner Vic (Thornton) steal from a mob boss, they think they've pulled off the perfect crime. But when they race through a night filled with mayhem, lust and lethal surprises, they realize that the biggest risk they'll take will be trusting each other. From the director of...
Winner of three Academy Awards®, including Best Director, Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications, joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged, remarkably moving performances in "a movie that is destined to become one of...
The Choirboys
The raunchy, hilarious exploits of ten metropolitan policemen explode on the screen in this fast-moving black comedy, based on Joseph Wambaugh's best-selling novel. James Woods, Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr., Perry King, Randy Quaid and Burt Young lead a group of rank-and-file policemen from the Los Angeles Police Department, who look for ways to cope with the pressures of the job. Dubbed "choirboys" for their after hours revels, they meet for "choir practice", periodic relaxation sessions...
Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid and Robert Duvall headline a star-studded cast in this stop-the-presses comedy about the fast-paced, cutthroat, often hilarious world of newspaper journalism. Directed by Ron Howard, this smash hit has been hailed by US Magazine as "One of the most entertaining movies to come out of Hollywood in years."
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
Everyone's favorite moose and squirrel, Rocky and Bullwinkle, are back in an all-new live-action adventure! Those ruthless spies, Boris (Jason Alexander) and Natasha (Rene Russo), have wrangled their way into the real world...while their Fearless Leader (2-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro) is plotting to take over America. Only Rocky and Bullwinkle can save us, but first it's up to squirrel and moose to foil Fearless Leader's scheme to destroy the world! This fun-filled, pun-filled comic...
Focus Features Spotlight Collection (Brokeback Mountain / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / Atonement)
Brokeback Mountain: This sweeping epic explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand (Heath Ledger) and a rodeo cowboy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind in this romantic comedy unlike any other. Atonement: Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an...
Focus Features 10-Movie Spotlight Collection
Since its founding in 2002, Focus Features has been synonymous with innovative and critically acclaimed filmmaking. The iconic studio presents their renowned films that illuminate some of Hollywood's greatest writers, directors and actors in the Focus Features:10-Movie Spotlight Collection ! Totaling an impressive 7 Academy Award® and 11 Golden Globe® wins, the film set includes Lost in Translation (Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Jim Carrey and Kate...
Animal Friends 8-Movie Collection
Animal Friends 8-Movie Collection includes Babe: Pig in the City, Beethoven's 5th, Beethoven's Big Break, Evan Almighty, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Ed, Flipper and Two Brothers .
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Baha’i International Development Organization board of directors meets
The members of the board of directors of the Baha’i International Development Organization were appointed for a five-year term beginning in November. The directors are (from left) Sina Rahmanian, Lori McLaughlin Noguchi, Maame Brodwemaba Nketsiah, Elisa Caney, and George Soraya. They recently held their first board meeting at the Baha’i World Centre.
The board of directors of the Baha’i International Development Organization has convened for the first time. The establishment of the new institution was announced by the Universal House of Justice in its 9 November message to the Baha’is of the World.
A five-member board of directors, appointed in November for a five-year term, met at the Baha’i World Centre and began consulting on the Development Organization’s aims and work.
Regarding the new institution’s mandate, the House of Justice writes that its “primary purpose will be to facilitate learning about development by fostering and supporting action, reflection on action, study, consultation, the gathering and systematization of experience, conceptualization, and training—all carried out in the light of the Teachings of the Faith.”
Rapid advances in Baha’i communities have helped make possible the establishment of the Development Organization, representing a new stage in the work of social and economic development in the Baha’i world.
Since the Faith’s early years, Baha’is have striven to apply Baha’u’llah’s teachings to improve the material and spiritual aspects of their societies. In 1983, the House of Justice created the Office of Social and Economic Development (OSED) to assist it in promoting and coordinating the Baha’i community’s social and economic development efforts. OSED has now evolved into the Baha'i International Development Organization.
Over 35 years, Baha’i endeavors in this field have strengthened markedly, and a framework for social action has taken shape. Worldwide, there are scores of nongovernmental Baha’i-inspired social and economic development organizations as well as tens of thousands of development activities and projects undertaken by Baha’is and other collaborators. These efforts fall along a spectrum of complexity and address an array of challenges in areas related to education, literacy, health, the environment, support for refugees, the advancement of women, empowerment of junior youth, elimination of racial prejudice, agriculture, local economies, and village development. The Development Organization will carry forward this work on an expanding scale and at higher levels of complexity.
The board of directors will draw on the newly inaugurated Baha’i Development Fund, to which Baha’is may contribute, to assist both long-standing and emerging development efforts worldwide.
The 9 November message announcing the Development Organization’s establishment coincided with the 199th anniversary of the birth of the Bab. The House of Justice announced the establishment of OSED 35 years earlier, also on the anniversary of the Bab’s birth.
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Update given on wind projects
Buckeye Wind spokesman details plans for 2019, 2020
By Amanda Rockhold - arockhold@aimmediamidwest.com
Jason Dagger of Innogy speaks to Champaign County citizens about Ohio wind energy projects as part of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s winter speaker series Thursday at the Champaign County Community Center.
Amanda Rockhold | Rural Life Today
Wind energy was the topic of Thursday’s installment of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s winter speaker series at the Champaign County Community Center. In this file photo, a wind turbine is shown at a wind farm near Van Wert in 2012.
Brenda Burns | Urbana Daily Citizen file photo
Champaign County citizens had the opportunity on Thursday, Feb. 7 to ask questions and hear updates about the Buckeye Wind project.
Jason Dagger of Innogy spoke about Ohio wind energy projects as part of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s Winter Speaker Series. The event was held at the Champaign County Community Center. During the event, Dagger discussed the amended Buckeye Wind project, which now includes 30 to 50 wind turbines in Champaign County, most of them north of U.S. Route 36.
“This project is very unique. It’s unique because it’s the first (wind project) sited in the state,” said Dagger, Innogy project manager. “It’s unique because it probably has the highest wind performance in the state, arguably because we sit on a glaciated ridge. We have available transmission — that’s unique.”
Innogy, a large German utility, acquired EverPower in June 2018 from parent company Terra Firma. The company has about 1,900 employees and is acquiring several wind energy projects throughout Ohio.
Dagger noted that the United Kingdom is 20 to 25 years ahead of the United States in terms of wind energy.
A citizen at the meeting asked Dagger about the political challenges regarding the Buckeye Wind project, saying “Is this going to happen or not?”
Construction of the Buckeye Wind farm, a $300 million project, will begin later this spring, according to Dagger, and full construction will commence in 2020.
However, political and public resistance among Champaign County citizens have caused delays for the Buckeye Wind project since it was first introduced at the state level nearly 10 years ago. Construction was meant to begin much sooner, but has been delayed due to opposition from various affected parties as well as a local citizens group. These delays have included appeals. The first was filed by a local citizens group known as Union Neighbors United and the other was filed by Champaign County, Goshen Township, Salem Township and Union Township. The case later moved to the Ohio Supreme Court, which upheld the approval provided by Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).
“Litigation is certainly challenging,” said Dagger. “We, as a company, this is an asset to us … (but) we certainly understand the downside of it.”
Phase I of the project received approval from the OPSB in March of 2010. Phase II with 56 turbines was approved in 2013. In late December 2017, EverPower filed with the OPSB for an amended certificate that combines the two project phases – Buckeye Wind I and II – previously approved by the OPSB, but reduces by more than half the number of wind turbines that could be constructed. The amendment includes updates to collection lines, access roads and newer turbine models, which Dagger said are quieter.
“We’re at the Ohio Power Siting Board’s mercy,” said Dagger. The amendment also caps the total wattage to 100 megwatts for the Champaign County project.
“We have not made any definitive decisions on PILOT versus non-PILOT with the Buckeye project,” said Dagger. PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, is a payment made to compensate a government for some or all of the property tax revenue lost due to tax exempt ownership or use of real property. A PILOT application would be filed with the Champaign County Commissioners because it covers local taxation.
Dagger said Innogy does not yet know which model of turbines will be used.
“In 2006 there were only four wind turbines in Ohio,” said Dagger, adding they were located in Bowling Green. Currently Ohio has 729 megawatts on operating wind farms. Dagger said that during the next 24 months, Ohio will see about 500 more megawatts come online. During the last yearly quarter of 2018, 47 new wind projects were implemented in Ohio, and 5,944 throughout 17 states.
“The other challenge is that the legislature has put in setback requirements that basically have stopped any future wind development,” said Dagger. “There’s not a lot of projects that can come on and can meet the demands that are out there in the marketplace. That’s why (the Buckeye Wind Farm project) has life left in it.” Setbacks define how close turbines can be sited next to adjacent inhabited structures and neighboring property lines.
A citizen at the meeting was concerned about the length of the turbine blades and how close they reach toward the ground. Dagger assured the citizen that the blade tips’ ends will be 160-200 feet above the ground.
Innogy is operating under a power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement. A PPA is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity and one which is looking to purchase electricity. No specifics are yet available about the purchasing party involved in the Buckeye Wind project.
Solar vs wind
One meeting attendee asked Dagger if solar or wind is more economical. Dagger said that wind is still more economical, but solar is catching up.
“You’re going to see a lot of growth with solar energy in the next three to five years,” said Dagger.
Dagger said there’s a limiting factor for solar, but “there’s not an answer whether it makes more sense to use solar,” answering the citizens’ question directly if it would make more sense to use solar instead of wind energy.
“Today it’s still wind. Five years ago it was clearly wind,” said Dagger, adding that new solar technologies are being developed. Eight acres of flat land are needed for one solar megawatt, while half an acre is needed for one wind megawatt.
“There’s a couple things with solar that limit us a lot. We’re still in the northern hemisphere and the farther north you go, the less sun you get in the year. The answer’s not there completely today, to say which is going to be better. I can tell you technology has gotten better with solar, as has wind” said Dagger.
Other wind farms in Ohio, besides Buckeye Project
Regarding Scioto Ridge Wind Farm in Hardin and Logan counties, which will include 76 wind turbines, Dagger said that Innogy started “pushing dirt” on that project in December 2018 and will start full construction in the fall of 2020.
Scioto Ridge will include about 250 wind turbines. Construction is set to begin this year. Hardin County approved PILOT for turbines sited in that county. In Logan County, turbine construction will begin without PILOT after commissioners there rejected it.
There are also two privately-operating wind turbines at Honda Transmission Plant in Logan County.
This event was part of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s winter speaker series, which has several other events planned in early 2019.
Agriculturists and community members are invited to the Champaign County Community Center at 11 a.m. for another event, March 7 with details to be determined.
For more information about the speaker series or other educational events, please contact OSU’s agriculture and natural resource extension educator, Amanda Douridas, at Douridas.9@osu.edu or call 937-484-1526.
http://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2019/02/web1_JasonDagger.jpgJason Dagger of Innogy speaks to Champaign County citizens about Ohio wind energy projects as part of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s winter speaker series Thursday at the Champaign County Community Center. Amanda Rockhold | Rural Life Today
http://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2019/02/web1_wind-3.jpgWind energy was the topic of Thursday’s installment of the Champaign County Agricultural Association’s winter speaker series at the Champaign County Community Center. In this file photo, a wind turbine is shown at a wind farm near Van Wert in 2012. Brenda Burns | Urbana Daily Citizen file photo
By Amanda Rockhold
arockhold@aimmediamidwest.com
Hi! A visitor to our site felt the following article might be of interest to you: Update given on wind projects. Here is a link to that story: http://www.urbanacitizen.com/news/67724/update-given-on-wind-projects
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Nathalie Montille
From victimhood to empowerment. Facilitation of healing and awakening, as well as empowerment and transformation on all levels, using two of the most powerful tools that I know of, namely, Transformational Breath(R) and The Journey.
Based in London, Nathalie also travels in the UK and internationally. Lately, she has worked in London, France, Switzerland, Dubai and Mauritius.
Nathalie was always aware of something missing in her life, something she was not accessing. she later identified it as unconditional joy. Over the years, life, her greatest teacher, she says, started to awaken her to another dimension of itself. That's also when the 'tools' started appearing in her life over 15 years ago, and she began to understand that the true joy that she felt had been missing was actually her very own Essence. "I am that" she says.
"This journey within changed my life" she says "in that it made me more aware, and empowered me to take responsibility for me and for my life. I did not have to be a victim anymore, and, through clearing out my own emotional and physical blockages, it opened me to the truth of who I am. Now, my aim, my mission really, is to empower you to find within you the joy, the love, the freedom that you have been seeking, and to realise that, healing, be it emotional, mental or physical, has the potential to become a powerful by-product of this journey within."
Nathalie came across Transformational Breath in 1998 when she was living and working in Geneva, Switzerland. In what now feels like a past life, she was an international civil servant, working for the International Labour Organisation. She is an international and UK Senior Trainer, as well as the UK Liaison officer with the Transformational Breath Foundation. Although based in the UK, she has had many years' experience of sharing this work internationally, giving talks, running workshops as well as training levels for facilitators.
Her invitation to you today is that you commit to you, is that you invest in you, in your own healing path, and, "on my part" she says, "I commit to partnering you by offering you:
"The highest quality of care and commitment, and my ability to listen to you.
"The length and depth of my experience of working in this field for many years, including working on my own issues, a fact which helps me truly empathise with you.'My experience as an international practitioner, workshop leader and trainer, working with hundreds of people in multiple countries." The excellence of my rigorous training with Judith Kravitz and Brandon Bays, and the experience gained whilst serving with them at multiple events both in the UK and abroad. 'Taylor-made individual sessions to suit your needs.' "I work in both English and French.
"The safe embrace of non-judgment and total confidentiality.
"An open-hearted welcome, compassion and understanding."
Over the years, countless numbers of individuals have reported that their work with Nathalie has inspired them to take responsibility for transforming their lives. "My commitment to you" she says "is to facilitate an opening for you to go within and find the answers you are seeking right inside of you, and help you access your full inner potential".
Transformational Breath® Seminar (Levels 1-3)
thehoa@europe.com
www.innerjourneyclinic.com
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L.A. City Council Drops ‘Columbus Day’ for ‘Indigenous Peoples Day’
Sam Mire, September 9, 2017 9:17AM
Did nobody inform progressive leadership of the phrase ‘give an inch, take a mile’?
Progressives’ reliance upon gender and race politics, their embrace of political correctness, and their general lack of either a backbone or common sense has created a system of rule-by-outrage that, to the rational observer, is nothing short of frightening.
It is a system which necessitates that one giant leap toward political correctness will necessarily be outdone by the next, edging further and further toward the vision which the most radical progressives have for America. It is a vision of a nation which pretends white men have contributed nothing to the freest, most welcoming, and socially mobile nation the world has ever seen. Forget that, you know, white men wrote into law the foundation of the nation’s principles, the same principles that have allowed for countless immigrants to prosper under its venerable Constitution.
“But….they owned slaves!” the progressives cry with a vitriol found only in mobs of jobless gender studies majors. “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!” they holler as they attempt to whitewash their nation’s history, a blueprint for all that is considered civilized and just in a system of rule.
They cite ‘cultural relativism’ as reason to refrain from calling honor killings, female genital mutilation, and other forms of barbarism what it is… barbarism. These imports from the Middle East and other primarily Muslim nations must be tolerated, they say, because the context of that culture says that they are tolerable, necessary even.
These groups decry those who point out that approximately 513,000 young girls at risk of having a portion their genitals forcefully removed is despicable and cause for reciprocal treatment of the offender. “How dare you criticize the medieval, torturous beliefs of another culture?” they ask, foam oozing from their pink-haired heads.
Parents alleged to have served up their daughters to a doctor with the express purpose of having their genitalia irreparably mangled are placed right back in the custody of these monsters by American courts. Not just any American courts, however. These courts are, without exception, courts governed by judges representing progressive America, in this case the ruin we call Detroit.
Because… cultural relativism (aka progressive idiocy-turned-child-endangerment). For progressives, any culture is acceptable so long as it is not the culture that, in truth, resulted in America as we know it. Increasingly, it seems more honest to face the reality: America as we knew it.
Culturally intolerant. Lacking in the application of context. These are two of the most common allegations levied against those who denounce unspeakable violence against women and children. In progressive speak, this denouncement is called “Islamaphobia”, or an irrational fear of Islam derived from deep-seated xenophobia.
Yet, for people who are willing to go to such great lengths to overlook child torture in the name of cultural context in 2017, they sure as hell leave little room for cultural differences when it comes to the Founding Fathers. They aren’t even willing to extend this cultural relativism to the man who sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
Barbarism in 2017 is an acceptable cultural difference of opinion. Barbarism 525 years ago?
Now that is unacceptable. That must be universally condemned. That is something to get riled up about.
This is not hyperbole. This is the implication made by the Los Angeles City Council when it decided to replace Columbus Day on the city calendar with Indigenous Peoples Day. It seems like we say it every third day now, but you really can’t make this up.
Give an inch in the form of a Confederate Statue or two, and you’ve given up your mile in the form of Columbus Day. This is the problem with any form of progressive appeasement. It never stops. It was never going to stop at Robert E. Lee, and it won’t stop at Columbus either. Washington, Jefferson, you are next.
Perhaps more concerning is the moralistic determination which progressives, and in this case the LA City Council, feel qualified to dictate to the world. Not only was Chris Columbus a despicable figure representing evil, indigenous peoples are inherently a virtuous, unequivocal figure of good. Not only will progressives tell you what not to believe, who not to celebrate, but also what to believe, who to revere.
It is what President Obama attempted to do when he proposed replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with Harriett Tubman. This stark dichotomy was no accident. Powerful white man who played a critical role in America’s history: bad. Black, decidedly not-powerful yet admirable woman: good.
It plays all too well into the Obama administration’s dedication to racial division to be dismissed as coincidence. In many ways, it was a prescient indicator of further division to come, division which the Obama administration willfully kicked into overdrive. To think this division was not a means to a greater end, the reorientation of America’s history, is naïve. What else could they have hoped to accomplish through such a stark dichotomy between white and black, man and woman, ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’?
It is the definition of revisionist history, and it is nothing short of historical whitewashing draped in unfathomable hypocrisy. It is modern progressivism, also known as historical revisionism.
White men not included.
Sam Mire writes about US politics and US foreign policy for TrigTent.
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U.S. Picked One Side in Egypt All Along
Egypt River
Barack Obama today said the U.S. hasn't picked sides in Egypt's crisis. Ali Gharib on why the president was so clearly wrong.
Ali Gharib
Updated Jul. 12, 2017 2:04AM ET / Published Aug. 15, 2013 4:30PM ET
Barack Obama spoke to the nation today about the crisis in Egypt. He didn't take my advice—mirrored in the editorial pages of the Washington Post and New York Times, and countless other fora for leading opinion-makers—to cut off Egypt's aid. Instead, he took the mild-mannered step of suspending joint Egyptian-American military exercises (that'll teach 'em!).What was most stunning about his remarks, though, was that Obama seemed to not acknowledge at all that we even give Egypt a massive military aid package of more than a billion dollars. Going beyond even that, Obama made comments that made it seem the U.S. had no link at all to any of the factions in Egypt engaged in yesterday's devastating and brutal violence. Here's what he said:
We don't take sides with any particular party or political figure. I know it's tempting inside of Egypt to blame the United States or the West or some other outside actor for what's gone wrong. We've been blamed by supporters of Morsi; we've been blamed by the other side as if we are supporters of Morsi.
But the fights in Egypt yesterday were between the Muslim Brotherhood and security forces of its military government, and that is a split on which we most certainly do take sides. Money talks, after all, and the U.S. pays for almost a fifth of Egypt's military budget. That's precisely what the whole debate about aid since the military's July 3 takeover has been all about, and yet Obama just ignored it. "Unfortunately, this manages to combine a bad policy of supporting the Egyptian military regime with the insulting pretense that the U.S. is merely a passive observer instead of a patron of the offending government," wrote Daniel Larison. It ain't, apparently, just a river in Egypt.
It's worth mentioning, in fairness, that the Obama administration was wrongly accused by some anti-Morsi zealots of siding with the Brotherhood. In reality, the administration was doing what any responsible world government would: working with the duly elected rulers of Egypt, at the time. Even throughout that period, generous American aid did continue to flow—not to the Brotherhood, but rather to the Egyptian military. When the army seized power last month, the aid wasn't transferred back to their government, but simply kept flowing to the military as an institution.
The most dispiriting thing about Obama's seeming denial was that it underscored what's been so wrong about U.S. policy for decades, especially in Egypt: the U.S. does fund unsavory regimes that brutalize and oppress their own people. That's what makes Egypt so different from, say, Syria or Iran, where the U.S. isn't tied directly to any faction by its bountiful support. And this, in turn, is exactly what makes Obama's failure to take decisive action amid Egypt's crisis all the more feckless. The president can not mention, if he so chooses, that the U.S. overwhelming supports one side of the current crisis, but it doesn't make it any less true.
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National parks at 100National parks
'I was born to do this': national park rangers on their triumphs and tragedies
Andrea Lankford poses with her Yosemite Valley night shift colleagues in 1994. Photograph: Courtesy Andrea Lankford
As the National Park Service turns 100, longtime rangers reflect on tasks ranging from teaching rescue missions – and the sexism many female rangers face
Nicole Puglise and Sam Levin
Sat 27 Aug 2016 11.27 EDT
Last modified on Fri 14 Jul 2017 14.49 EDT
Andrea ‘Andy’ Lankford
Andrea “Andy” Lankford often came close to death during her twelve years as a ranger for the National Park Service. But there was nothing quite as horrific as the time she ended up with parts of a human brain in her hand.
Lankford, now 52 years old and retired from the park service, was in the Grand Canyon in the 1990s, responding to the calls of a woman who was “very precariously clinging for her life at the edge of the canyon”. The young woman, who worked nearby, had been walking along a rock wall and slipped, launching a tense rescue mission and “real-life cliffhanger”, the former ranger recalled.
Other rangers arrived before Lankford and risked their lives to save the woman – but they were too late. She wanted to make sure the staff who had the traumatizing experience of watching the woman fall did not have the grim task of recovering the body.
In my career, it would get rather dark. I would deal with tragic, violent things
Andrea Lankford
“In my career, it would get rather dark. I would deal with tragic, violent things,” she recalled.
With gloves on, she helped put the woman into a body bag – and ended up carrying parts of her brain that had splattered during the fall. It was difficult, but she had learned to remain calm in crisis. “We were very gentle and professional.”
Being a park ranger wasn’t always so harrowing. Lankford first fell in love with the job when she began rescuing baby sea turtles at Cape Hatteras in North Carolina from hazardous ATVs or hungry seagulls.
Lankford also thrived on the adrenaline-inducing adventures the wilderness – and its human visitors – thrust upon her.
Andrea Lankford, right, with a colleague in front of a rockslide in Yosemite Valley. Photograph: Courtesy Andrea Lankford
At Zion national park in Utah, she had to confront a group of white supremacists who claimed they were going to take over the park, warning that they would shoot any law enforcement who tried to stop them.
“Skinheads waiting for war at Zion,” blared one newspaper headline that Lankford keeps on file.
'We need to preserve this beauty': your memories of US national parks
The ranger wasn’t scared. At one point, she even managed to pull one of the leaders over, citing a busted headlight.
“He didn’t shoot me.”
Then there was the time she helped arrest bank robbers who had gotten lost in the middle of the night and became so frightened that they were pleased to be taken into custody.
At Yosemite national park in California, Lankford learned how to de-escalate human-bear conflicts, though dealing with humans was typically the harder part. One time, she had to rescue a cub without upsetting the nearby mother. A crowd of onlookers watched as Lankford tried to remove the cub from a dumpster, and the tourists ignored Lankford’s repeated demands that they step back.
During one failed attempt, the mama bear charged in her direction, prompting Lankford to deploy her pepper spray. Lankford did not, however, hit the intended target. The coughing visitors learned their lesson.
By the end of her career, however, it was some of her male colleagues who caused her the most grief – forcing her to confront sexism, discrimination and harassment, she said.
Whether supervisors were telling her jobs were too dangerous for women or colleagues were making sexual remarks, Lankford refused to be intimidated.
“I fought fire with fire. When one of the guys made a joke about showing me his penis, I said, ‘Well, wait, let me get a microscope,’” she recalled. “It was so part of the culture. You knew if you complained you were going to be retaliated against.”
Lankford learned how to demonstrate she was more than capable of handling the duties that were once exclusively the domain of men – whether life-threatening rescues or arresting criminals.
“I survived – and I did a good job.”
Mary Hinson
“We’re getting rescued by a chick?”
Those were the first words park ranger Mary Hinson heard when, after waiting patiently for years, she was finally given the opportunity to do a rescue mission at El Capitan at Yosemite.
A favorite destination for experienced rock climbers, El Cap rises more than 3,000ft above the floor of Yosemite Valley and regularly requires rangers to save visitors in near-death predicaments.
I felt like I was born to do this, and it’s my chance, and I’m going to prove myself.
Hinson, now 51 years old and a police chief in Nevada, was an experienced rock climber and trained emergency medical technician when she was hired in 1993. But despite her qualifications, supervisors initially didn’t give her a chance to do a high-stakes rescue mission. It took time for any new ranger to break into the rescue teams, but as a woman, Hinson felt particular pressure to prove herself. It was especially frustrating given her skill set.
“There would be all these big technical rescues going on ... and I would get a great assignment to do administrative duties and clean up.”
During one particularly bad winter storm, however, two rescue teams had struggled to reach the stranded climbers, and Hinson was called in.
“It was pretty dicey conditions,” recalled Hinson, who put on a bright yellow suit and helmet headed out with as much confidence as she could muster.
Mary Hinson and her colleagues. Photograph: Courtesy Mary Hinson
She was the first to reach the climbers, who had lost their sleeping bags and were screaming for help as it snowed and rained on them. She shouted back that she would be throwing a rope in their direction. The men were shocked to hear a female voice and one immediately whined about a “chick” saving them.
Another man, however, interjected: “I prefer to look at it as they sent an angel from above.”
They all laughed – and the mission was ultimately a success. Hinson believes she was the second woman to ever complete an El Cap rescue.
Celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service: readers' photo and stories
She rose in the ranks and eventually became chief ranger at Lake Mead national recreation area in southern Nevada. But she had to confront rampant sexism along the way. Male coworkers joked about her mascara running during a mission. She said she felt forced to hide her pregnancy to avoid discrimination. Supervisors suggested she find a safer line of work.
As a woman in the field, she said, all you can do is “climb better, run faster and jump higher”.
Despite the struggles – Hinson said sexism in the field played a big part in her decision to leave – working for the park service was a dream come true, she said.
“Being a park ranger is probably one of the coolest possible jobs anyone can have.”
Billie Patrick
Billie Patrick worked hard to earn her nickname, “horse patrol queen”, as a park ranger at Yosemite from 1983 to 2012.
Patrick, now 60 and retired from the park service, quickly learned that in many ways, her mode of transportation – by horse – was far superior to her colleagues’ cars or bikes.
“Put it this way: how many people have you see walk up to a patrol car and pet it and then have a conversation with the police officer inside?
Billie Patrick earned the nickname ‘horse patrol queen’. Photograph: Courtesy Billie Patrick
“The horse was the conduit and the connector to the public,” she added.
It wasn’t just that the public responded better to a ranger on horse. Patrick’s horse, Danny, could speedily gallop on certain terrain where motorized vehicles could not travel.
One time, she and another ranger on horse patrol were able to chase after four young men who had shoplifted from a park store.
“We ran across the meadow to get them.”
The men gave up and sat down on the ground for questioning, with the horses standing nearby.
You're a teacher. You're a law enforcement person. You're search and rescue. You're a confidante
“When you have a 1,000lb horse, they don’t want to mess with you,” she said. Horses are “able to de-escalate a volatile situation because of their size”.
Patrick also fondly recalled the process of teaching her horse how to chase bears – training that involved horses playing with giant stuffed bears.
“People thought we were crazy,” she said.
Her best Danny memory was a quiet moment. One day, a young boy with cerebral palsy approached the horse and wanted to pet him, she said.
What happened next felt magical to her: “Danny laid his head in this little boy’s lap in his wheelchair. It just amazed me how this horse knew that this little boy needed him to do that ... It’s not anything earth-shattering, but it was really touching.”
One thing Patrick loved most about the job was the diversity of her assignments, she said.
“You’re a teacher. You’re a law enforcement person. You’re an emergency medical person. You’re search and rescue. Oftentimes, you’re a coroner. You’re a confidante. You’re a peer counselor,” she said. “You wear all of those hats.”
Don Stanko
Don Stanko is often asked: ‘Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?’ Photograph: Nicole Pugliese/The Guardian
The largest unofficial mausoleum in North America is in New York City’s Riverside Park. The General Grant national memorial, the final resting place of Ulysses S Grant and his wife, Julia, is colossal – a pristine, pillared mass of white marble and granite that stands 150ft tall.
On a hot Wednesday in July, a handful of tourists wandered its cool interior, perusing civil war-themed artwork as they circled the Grants’ red granite sarcophagi. Ranger Don Stanko answered their questions (and mine) about the oft-maligned president.
“Wasn’t Grant an alcoholic?” asked one. “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?” asked another – the reference to Groucho Marx’s 1950s quiz show, You Bet Your Life, is a frequent inquiry.
Through his job as an interpretive ranger with the National Park Service, Stanko has become something of a history expert, and not just about the 18th president. In his 12-year career, the 40-year-old has worked at parks all around the country – from Montezuma’s Castle in Arizona to Independence Hall in Philadelphia to Cape Hatteras national seashore in North Carolina – absorbing stories from each place. “Each park is its own master’s degree,” he jokes.
The most common thing I've heard is: 'I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve never visited'
In 2008, Stanko was stationed at the National Mall in Washington DC. Once, he took Sarah Palin on a tour of the Jefferson memorial. He did crowd control while then senator Barack Obama visited the Lincoln memorial with a young Malia and Sasha Obama. “You could see him reading the second inaugural and the Gettysburg address to his older daughter,” Stanko recalled. “His younger daughter just wanted to bounce around.” At the end of Stanko’s time in the capital, the Martin Luther King Jr memorial was just being built, and Stanko helped to research the training manual for the site.
Though he has lived in eight different regions of the country so far, Stanko said he thinks people are the same everywhere, just with different scenery. He even hears a lot of the same comments. “The most common thing I’ve heard at every single park I’ve worked at is: ‘I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve never visited,’” Stanko said.
Dan Stevenson
Wrangell St Elias, in Alaska, is America’s largest national park. At 13.2m acres, it measures about the size of New Hampshire and Vermont put together – or Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Switzerland combined.
When it opened nearly 40 years ago, “the park service really didn’t know what was out there, as far as trails and cabins and old mines”, said Dan Stevenson, who has worked as a park ranger since its inception. Rangers were sent in conservation units to document small areas, Stevenson said. “You name it, we were trained to document it.”
10 of the least-visited US national parks
Stevenson arrived at Wrangell not long after the park was signed into legislation as part of the the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. He left his home of Fairbanks, jumped on a bus and arrived with little more than a backpack and enthusiasm.
Stevenson and a partner, Pat Flanagan, would go out and explore the unknown terrain for two weeks at a time, their heavy packs filled with freeze-dried foods and a radio to connect them to the outside world. Sometimes Stevenson’s boss, Jim Hanna, would fly overhead to check in and drop down a loaf of banana bread, baked by Hanna’s daughters. With no trails to follow, the two backcountry rangers hiked or floated rivers. “It was incredible. I thought: ‘I should be paying them,’” Stevenson said of the experience.
The rangers had one major animal-related problem: poaching. The Dall sheep, fluffy and white with curved brown horns, was seen as a “trophy animal”, Stevenson said. One of the rangers’ jobs was to stop the poachers – a difficult task in an area the size of Wrangells. The rangers went out in teams for 10 days or so, watching for illegal activity, sometimes working with Canadian rangers in Kluane park, just across the border.
It was incredible. I thought: 'I should be paying them'
Search and rescue was part of Stevenson’s job when planes, hunters or hikers would go missing – usually due to bad weather. He and other rangers, along with Alaska state troopers, would be dispatched to find them – searching with planes, helicopters or people on the ground.
There are no roads leading to the nearby town of Kotzebue, where Stevenson is based with his wife, but Stevenson said it was pretty easy to catch a flight up from Anchorage. The town has one road that it is “pretty proud of”, but most people get around by boat or by snowmobiles once the ocean freezes.
The ranger has divided his time between Alaska, where he was born, and Montana, where he went to high school, college and worked during the 90s. He’s a fourth generation National Park Service employee – his great-grandfather was one of the first rangers at Glacier national park in Montana, he said. “Maybe it’s in my blood,” he joked.
National parks at 100
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This article is more than 11 years old
'We don't have to sell Ryan Shawcross' says Stoke manager Tony Pulis
• Manchester United and Liverpool target central defender
• Buy-back clause gives Ferguson first refusal on Shawcross
Stoke City are under no pressure to sell promising 21-year-old defender Ryan Shawcross. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images
Tue 18 Aug 2009 17.30 EDT
Tony Pulis has insisted that Stoke City are under no pressure to sell Ryan Shawcross amid reports that Manchester United, who have a buy-back clause that gives them first option on their former player, and Liverpool are considering making a move for the central defender.
Shawcross has impressed since swapping Old Trafford for the Britannia Stadium in January 2008, with Pulis predicting that the former United trainee will go on to represent England at senior level. The 21-year-old's performances have impressed a number of leading managers, particularly during last season when he appeared comfortable in the Premier League, but Pulis claimed that Stoke have no desire to sell and revealed that United would have first refusal because of a clause that Sir Alex Ferguson inserted at the time of the £1m transfer.
"We are under no pressure whatsoever to sell Ryan Shawcross and that's from the chairman," said Pulis, before outlining the agreement that was struck with Ferguson, the United manager. "Manchester United have [a buy-back clause] and they have the first option on Ryan at any price or bid we receive. So if we get a bid for him, we tell Sir Alex and then it's up to him. I think that Alex is being very astute and clever and experienced and you would expect no less from the man."
Although Pulis expects Shawcross to play at the highest level, he believes that Stoke, where he will command a regular starting berth, is the best place for him to develop. "He's been smashing," said the Stoke manager, who hopes that his side can frustrate Liverpool for a third time tomorrow after two goalless draws against Rafael Benítez's side last season. "He's still got a long way to go. But he's a hard‑working kid and he'll improve.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he will one day play for England. He's only 21. He's a determined character and, as he gets more confident, he will become a more rounded player. He needs three or four years of regular Premiership football to become a top player. But as long as he keeps his feet on the ground he's got everything."
Stoke travel to Anfield in optimistic mood, with Dean Whitehead, the £3m summer signing from Sunderland, claiming that Xabi Alonso's departure to Real Madrid has given them further encouragement. "I think Xabi Alonso is going to be a massive miss for them," Whitehead said. "Alonso used to dictate games and he'll be hard to replace. He's a world-class player and he always seemed to find space. I'm very surprised that Liverpool let him go and he will be a big gap to fill."
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How Should We Then Live
The Five Women in the Lineage of Jesus
History is in God’s Hand
The Battle for the Soul of America
Unfolding Drama of Redemption Series
“Ruth: A Woman of Love” Matthew 1:1-17, Ruth 4:1-22
Date:December 13, 2020
Author: Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
Why did God send His Son to save us?
He delights to display the glory of His grace, and the wonders of His love, to and through those the world considers worthless.
Download the following translated Sermon guides:
Old Testament Readings: Psalm 126:1-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20
New Testament Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
“Ruth: A Woman of Love”
Matthew 1:1-17, Ruth 4:1-22
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
In his genealogy of Jesus, Matthew included four women with tainted reputations and one whose reputation was temporarily tainted by Jesus.
Tamar – a Gentile widow, who seduced her father-in-law into a sexual union, from which Perez was born, through whom came:
Rahab – a Canaanite harlot, who hid the spies Joshua sent into Jericho. Rahab married Salmon, and gave birth to Boaz, who married:
Ruth – a Gentile widow from Moab who risked her life to remain with her mother-in-law. God arranged for her to marry Boaz, and she gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David, who had an adulterous affair with:
Bathsheba – the wife of Uriah, the man David arranged to be killed so he could marry Bathsheba. Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, who continued the seed-line of the Messiah down to Jesus, who was born to:
Mary – the mother of Jesus. While a devout woman of God, and devoted to Joseph, Mary lived with the shame of her untimely pregnancy until the day Jesus revealed Himself to the world as the Savior God had sent Him to be.
“God delights to display the glory of His grace,
and the wonders of His love, to and through those the
world considers worthless.”
The life-stories of these five women confirm the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. That God was able to accomplish His will, in spite of their life choices and circumstances show us:
God’s plan of redemption will be carried out in His way, in His time, and for His glory – Isaiah 46:9-13
Considering the sinful lives of four of these women, one might conclude the seed-line of the Savior would have been lost.
However, 2000 years ago, God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and David, as Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Promised Messiah.
God’s plan of redemption is not dependent upon our righteousness – Romans 11:33-36
In spite of the sinful act of Abraham, Judah, David, Solomon, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, God’s eternal plan of redemption was not deterred.
Even in His lineage, Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us, that we who knew nothing but sin could become as righteous as Him.
“We are either justified by a righteousness in us,
or by a righteousness that is apart from us;
there is no third way.”
Background to the Book of Ruth:
Most likely written by Samuel, Ruth is one of only two Old Testament books that received their name from women, the other book being Esther.
Ruth, which means friendship, is not mentioned outside her book in the Old Testament, and once in the New Testament regarding her place in the genealogy of Christ.
While the Book of Ruth is about the love of a daughter-in-law for her mother-in-law, its main purpose is to illustrate God’s plan for the redemption of lost man.
1. The Curse of Moab –
Ruth was from Moab, a barren desert on the Eastern side of the Dead Sea.
Lot fathered a child through his oldest daughter whose name was Moab.
In addition to that curse, God placed another curse on Moab, because of their rejection of Him as the One, True God, and their worship of the false god of Chemosh, including child sacrifices.
In Isaiah 15-16, the prophet said the glory of Moab would come to an end, and few of the people would survive.
The prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos record the devastating judgment God brought upon Moab, and according to Deuteronomy 23, the curse extended to the 10th generation.
Ruth was born near the end of the curse but still separated from those who could be redeemed.
According to Isaiah 56, God said those who were separated from the covenant could be included if they turned away from their false gods and joined with the One True God.
2. The Conversion of Ruth –
Because of a famine in Israel, Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, moved to Moab to survive.
Within a few years, Elimelech died, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, and both men died, leaving Naomi, a Jewish widow, with two Moabite widows, Orphah and Ruth.
Hearing the famine in Israel had ended, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem to live with her family and told her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab with their families.
Naomi discerned that the hand of the Lord had gone against her, and if her daughters-in-law remained with her, then God would be against them as well.
Orphah decided to return to her family and to her gods, but Ruth wanted to know more about the true and living God.
“Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you;
for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
Ruth 1:16
Naomi and Ruth made the 60-mile journey from Moab to Bethlehem, which would require two full days.
As only God could have arranged it:
The women entered Bethlehem on the first day of the barley harvest.
Ruth was allowed to glean in a field that belonged to Boaz, a relative of Elimelech, her father-in-law.
Naomi realized what God was doing and advised Ruth what she must do according to the custom of the day.
Boaz realized what God was doing and assured Ruth he would do what was necessary to become her “kinsmen redeemer,” and to take her as his wife.
3. The Conception of Obed –
Boaz and Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed, who not only carried the seed-line of his father, but the seed-line through which King David would descend, and through which the King of Kings would descend.
The person and actions of Boaz pictures the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who gave His life to redeem us from our sins, and to take us to be His Bride.
The love story of Ruth provides another illustration of:
God’s sovereignty – God rules in the affairs of men.
God’s providence – God turns mistakes into miracles.
God’s purposes – God works all things together for good, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Heritage Baptist Church
257 Lake Joy Rd.
Perry, GA 31069
Pastor Phone: 706-599-3966
Email: heritage@comsouth.net
In Times Like These, We Need an Anchor A Prayer for the New Year January 2, 2021
Advent–Friday, December 25 December 25, 2020
Advent–Thursday, December 24 December 24, 2020
Advent–Wednesday, December 23 December 23, 2020
Advent–Tuesday, December 22 December 22, 2020
© Heritage Baptist Church | All rights reserved 2021
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Working in Partnership with Multiple Stakeholders on Global Policy Processes: Disability and Inclusive Education
Image credit: © Jorge Martin 2020
Given that policies, programmes, and research focusing on disability in relation to other forms of disadvantage has never been higher on the agenda, it is an opportune moment to identify how new evidence being generated can inform policy and practices locally, nationally, and internationally. This working paper is a reflection on the lessons learned from the work on disability and education issues under the aegis of the Impact Initiative. It also captures insights and quotes from education policy actors and researchers who were brought together in a webinar in September 2020 to discuss what it means to work in partnership with multiple stakeholders on global policy processes related to disability and inclusive education.
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B.C. Premier John Horgan on a conference call with religious leaders from his B.C. legislature office, Nov. 18, 2020. (B.C. government)
B.C. considers provincial COVID-19 bubble as visitors come in
Horgan skeptical on bending Canada’s freedom of movement
B.C. is attracting winter visitors from other provinces, but Premier John Horgan is skeptical that a Maritime-style travel ban is either practical or legal for the province.
The issue of inter-provincial travel was discussed at last week’s conference call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers, particularly as Ontario and Quebec grapple with sharply rising coronavirus cases, Horgan said Thursday. He noted that Canadians have a constitutional right to travel within the country, and the government is seeking legal advice on what, if any, options they have.
“On the surface it would seem an easy thing to do, to just tell people not to come here,” Horgan told reporters from the legislature Jan. 14. “That’s not part and parcel of who we are as Canadians. Other premiers have expressed a similar view. We want people to stay home, stay in place until we get through this. I’ve appealed to other provincial premiers to make the same case, and they’re doing that. But despite that, British Columbians, Canadians are free to travel within the borders of Canada.”
RELATED: Yukon could be first to herd immunity, doctor says
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In addition to the legal issues, B.C. is far larger and has longer land borders than the Atlantic provinces that unilaterally declared themselves closed to visitors to the rest of Canada early in the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Maritimes population is not as large as that of British Columbia,” Horgan said. ‘There’s only a few ways in and out, and it’s easier to manage than it would be here in B.C.”
Horgan was asked about a doctor in Whistler who raised concern about the number of out-of-province visitors who were coming to the resort community’s medical clinic. He said the problem is occurring at many places in B.C. where tourists come from other parts of Canada, and the government will consider legal advice at a cabinet retreat this week.
“I want to put this either to rest, so that British Columbians understand that we cannot do that, and we’re not going to do that, or there is a way to do it and we’re going to work with other provinces to achieve it,” Horgan said.
BC politicsCoronavirus
Sea to Sky Gondola plans to reopen in late spring, early summer
Search called off for kayaker missing near Sooke, officials say
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All about military bases and the Army
Military base
Helping the military
Chinese military base in djibouti
How many Chinese troops are in Djibouti?
The base is 0.5 square kilometres (0.2 sq mi) in size and staffed by approximately 400 personnel. The base has a 400m runway with an air traffic control tower. The base also houses the PLA Support Base Hospital in Djibouti . A pier finished construction in December 2019.
Does China have a military base in Djibouti?
How many military bases are in Djibouti?
five military bases
Where does China have military bases?
China Argentina – A base in the province of Neuquén in Patagonia. Djibouti – Chinese People’s Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti . Myanmar – A naval SIGINT base in the Great Coco Island. Tajikistan – A military base in South-eastern Gorno-Badakhshan.
Is Djibouti owned by China?
DJIBOUTI — Above ground in this tiny but strategically located country, signs of China’s presence are everywhere. Chinese entities have financed and built Africa’s biggest port, a railway to Ethiopia and the country’s first overseas naval base here.
Why does China have a military base in Djibouti?
The Chinese government justified its military facility in terms of international obligations, specifically China’s willingness to contribute to humanitarian relief, peace and stability in Africa, and “ Djibouti’s socio-economic development.” A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson cited Chinese participation in Gulf
Do we have military bases in China?
Under a compact of free association signed with Washington in 1994, the United States is responsible for its defense; however, it does not maintain any permanent military presence there.
You might be interested: Military base near savannah georgia
Are there military bases in China?
China just built its first overseas military base —in Djibouti, right on one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
How many Chinese troops are in Africa?
Today, some eight years later, the presence of Chinese soldiers has become commonplace, at least in parts of the African continent. For example, some 2,000 Chinese troops are currently involved in UN peacekeeping missions in African countries like South Sudan and Mali.
Which country has most military?
In 2020, China had the largest armed forces in the world by active duty military personnel, with about 2.18 active soldiers. India , the United States , North Korea, and Russia rounded out the top five largest armies respectively, each with over one million active military personnel.
Why is US military in Djibouti?
The U.S. military has about 4,400 troops stationed in East Africa, mostly in Djibouti , to advise regional counterterrorism efforts against the Somalia-based al-Shabab terrorist group.
Does the US have a military base in Djibouti?
Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base , situated next to Djibouti –Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). It is the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa.
Do any countries have military bases in the US?
While there are no freestanding foreign bases permanently located in the United States , there are now around 800 US bases in foreign countries . Hundreds more dot the planet in around 80 countries , including Aruba and Australia, Bahrain and Bulgaria, Colombia, Kenya, and Qatar, among many other places.
You might be interested: Cheyenne wyoming military base
What is the largest US military base in the world?
Where does Russia have military bases?
Current bases Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri and the Russian 3624th Airbase in Erebuni Airport near Yerevan. Since 10 November 2020, Russia deploys a peacekeeping force in the breakaway region of Artsakh. The Hantsavichy Radar Station, the Vileyka naval communication centre near Vileyka.
Austin military base
World’s largest military base
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Our district is governed by a 5-member board of directors who are elected by District Residents to serve 4 year terms.
.Read Miller
Director Miller is the President of the Vista Fire Protection District. He has lived in the District since 1946, serving 18 years as a Director A graduate of Vista High School, Pomona College, and George Washington University, he has played an active role in the community as president of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Optimist Club, and Board of Realtors. After service in the Coast Guard, he founded a local real estate firm and a flower farm in Gopher Canyon.
Rob Fougner - President
Rob Fougner lives in the Elevado neighborhood and has served as a Director of the Vista Fire Protection District for over 14 years. He also served as District President for four years and is currently Vice President. He has been a Vista resident for 18 years. Prior to moving to Vista he served as vice president in a California based network security company protecting large, high value communications.
Jim Elliott - Vice President
Jim Elliott has almost 40 years of local government experience first serving the City of Phoenix, AZ, and then the City of Carlsbad, CA. In Carlsbad, he served as Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services Director, and Finance Director, among other positions. During his career Mr. Elliott has been heavily involved in organizational management and leadership, finance and budgeting, information technology, organizational change efforts, and system improvements. Mr. Elliott also provided leadership on key city projects such as the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Project where he served as Carlsbad’s team leader and chief negotiator from 2000 through 2010, and as the lead negotiator with key developers to develop a plan for financing the costs of growth.
Although Mr. Elliott has devoted his career to local government, he also brings an understanding of business to the Fire Protection District Board of Directors. Mr. Elliott has an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and an undergraduate degree in accounting from Arizona State University. He also has 13 years experience in the management and leadership of a small Midwestern manufacturing business.
Mr. Elliott has lived in the North San Diego County area since 1974.
Danny Gomez
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Second escaped inmate captured in Simpson County
Angela Williams
The second of two inmates who escaped from a jail in Simpson County was captured Wednesday morning, authorities said.Shawn Dennis Bratcher, 26, was arrested about 7:45 a.m. on Athens Road in Mendenhall, Simpson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Bryan Buckley said in a news release.Cutrell Varnado, 28, was captured about 30 minutes after the Tuesday morning escape from the Simpson County Adult Detention Center. "Varnado is currently incarcerated for capital murder and kidnapping," Buckley said.Bratcher was jailed on charges of receiving stolen property, Buckley said. Mendenhall schools were locked down Tuesday morning during the search. The Simpson County School District lifted the lockdown at about 12:30 p.m.22758298
MENDENHALL, Miss. —
The second of two inmates who escaped from a jail in Simpson County was captured Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Shawn Dennis Bratcher, 26, was arrested about 7:45 a.m. on Athens Road in Mendenhall, Simpson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Bryan Buckley said in a news release.
Cutrell Varnado, 28, was captured about 30 minutes after the Tuesday morning escape from the Simpson County Adult Detention Center.
"Varnado is currently incarcerated for capital murder and kidnapping," Buckley said.
Bratcher was jailed on charges of receiving stolen property, Buckley said.
Mendenhall schools were locked down Tuesday morning during the search. The Simpson County School District lifted the lockdown at about 12:30 p.m.
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Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender students
(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
By Sandhya Somashekhar ,
Sandhya Somashekhar
National correspondent
Emma Brown and
Moriah Balingit
Reporter covering national education issues
The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked federal guidelines specifying that transgender students have the right to use public school restrooms that match their gender identity, taking a stand on a contentious issue that has become the central battle over LGBT rights.
Officials with the federal Education and Justice departments notified the U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday that the administration is ordering the nation’s schools to disregard memos the Obama administration issued during the past two years regarding transgender student rights. Those memos said that prohibiting transgender students from using facilities that align with their gender identity violates federal anti-discrimination laws.
The two-page “Dear colleague” letter from the Trump administration, which is set to go to the nation’s public schools, does not offer any new guidance, instead saying that the earlier directive needed to be withdrawn because it lacked extensive legal analysis, did not go through a public vetting process, sowed confusion and drew legal challenges.
The administration said that it would not rely on the prior interpretation of the law in the future.
[Read the Trump administration’s letter to schools]
(McKenna Ewen,Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)
The departments wrote that the Trump administration wants to “further and more completely consider the legal issues involved,” and said that there must be “due regard for the primary role of the States and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” Although it offered no clarity or direction to schools that have transgender students, the letter added that “schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that his department “has a duty to enforce the law” and criticized the Obama administration’s guidance as lacking sufficient legal basis. Sessions wrote that the Department of Justice remains committed to the “proper interpretation” of the anti-discrimination law known as Title IX but said deference should be given to lawmakers and localities.
“Congress, state legislatures, and local governments are in a position to adopt appropriate policies or laws addressing this issue,” Sessions said.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos echoed that sentiment, saying that this is an issue “best solved at the state and local level. Schools, communities, and families can find — and in many cases have found — solutions that protect all students.”
DeVos also gave assurances that the department’s Office for Civil Rights “remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools,” and she noted that she considers “protecting all students, including LGBTQ students, not only a key priority for the Department, but for every school in America.”
The decision — delayed in part because DeVos and Sessions hit stalemates regarding timing and specific language — drew immediate condemnation from gay and transgender rights advocates, who accused President Trump of violating past promises to support gay and transgender protections. Advocates said the withdrawal of the federal guidance will create another layer of confusion for schools and will make transgender students, who are already vulnerable, more so.
“Attacking our children . . . is no way to say you support and respect LGBTQ people,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Others said the practical effect on the nation’s schools would be muted, in part because a federal judge already had blocked the Obama guidance in response to a lawsuit from 13 states that argued it violated states’ rights. And it is possible the U.S. Supreme Court could settle the matter soon, as it plans to consider a Virginia case involving a transgender teenager who was barred from using the boys’ bathroom at his high school.
[Gavin Grimm just wanted to use the bathroom. He didn’t think the nation would debate it.]
The Trump administration’s move drew cheers from social conservatives who oppose the idea that a student can identify as a gender that differs from their anatomy at birth.
Vicki Wilson, the mother of a child at Fremd High School in Palatine, Ill., said she sympathizes with children who have “difficult personal issues” to deal with, but thinks that “young men shouldn’t be permitted to deal with those issues in an intimate setting like a locker room with young women.”
School district officials in Palatine, bowing to federal pressure, allowed a transgender girl to change in the girls’ locker room at her school. “No school should impose a policy like this against the will of so many parents,” Wilson said during a news conference organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal organization.
[Illinois group sues Obama administration over transgender students’ bathroom access]
The administration’s letter was the source of some disagreement between the two issuing departments, with Sessions eager to rescind the Obama administration’s guidance as court proceedings in related cases approached, and DeVos keen to leave it in place. Unlike Arne Duncan, Obama’s education secretary for seven years, DeVos does not have a close personal relationship with the president she serves; she also lacks the experience and political capital Sessions garnered as a Republican senator.
Sessions is widely known to oppose expanding gay and transgender rights, and DeVos’s friends say she personally supports those rights. The new letter is sure to ignite another firestorm for DeVos, who is fresh off her contentious nomination fight and has drawn protests from parents and teachers who believe she is unqualified for the job.
The letter also puts Trump squarely in the middle of the civil rights debate: Despite a flurry of activity in the early weeks of his presidency, Trump had not previously waded into the issue of gay and transgender rights.
[Trump: Rescind Obama’s transgender directives, but ‘protect everybody’]
Trump declined to sign an executive order last month that would have dramatically expanded the rights of people, businesses and organizations of faith to opt out of laws or activities that violate their religion, such as same-sex wedding ceremonies. Many took it as a sign that he would take a more liberal approach on gay issues than his Republican cohorts.
But in an interview with The Washington Post last year, then-candidate Donald Trump had indicated he would rescind the guidance based on the belief that it was a matter best left up to the states.
In the daily news briefing Wednesday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer played down the reports of disagreement within the administration — saying the debate came down to timing and some specific wording — and reiterated the states’ rights argument.
“The president’s made it clear throughout the campaign that he’s a firm believer in states’ rights,” Spicer said.
The Obama administration’s guidance was based on the position that barring students from bathrooms that match their gender identities is a violation of Title IX because it amounts to sex discrimination.
Many advocates contend the guidance merely formalized what courts have increasingly recognized: That discrimination against gay and transgender people is a form of sex discrimination because it is rooted in stereotypes about men and women. As a result, they believe transgender people already have the right under Title IX to use their preferred bathroom.
The new letter scrambles the calculus for a number of lawsuits working their way through the courts, particularly the case of Gavin Grimm, a transgender Virginia teen who sued his school board for barring him from the boys’ restroom. The case is scheduled for oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court next month. A lower court cited the Obama administration’s position on transgender student rights in siding with Grimm.
Grimm said he was disheartened that the Trump administration is withdrawing the guidance. The Gloucester, Va., school board continued to bar him from the boys’ bathroom even after the Obama guidance was issued, but Grimm said the directive was “incredibly empowering.”
“It certainly bolstered hope that the future for transgender students was looking up in a way that it hadn’t been previously,” Grimm said.
Amber Briggle, the mother of a 9-year-old transgender boy in Denton, Tex., said she views the Trump administration’s position as a temporary setback and hopes that the Supreme Court will affirm transgender students’ rights. But the withdrawal of the Obama directive is a blow, she said, because the guidance made her feel that Washington cared about children like hers and understood the support they need.
“I just don’t think my family matters to the Trump administration,” she said.
Catherine Lhamon, who headed the Obama Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, said in a sworn declaration that the administration developed the guidance after receiving discrimination complaints from parents of transgender children and questions from teachers and administrators who were having to develop policies with regard to their transgender students.
In 2011, the Education Department received two complaints of discrimination against transgender students in schools. By 2016, that number had leapt to 84, according to the declaration filed in federal court.
In a kindergarten class where students line up by gender to go to the bathroom, “a student has to decide which line to get into, and the teacher has to decide which line to accept that student into, and both of them have to field questions from other students in the class,” Lhamon said in an interview. “Any of those choices raises potential for discrimination and potential for harm that all of the students and teachers in a school have to navigate. It’s not an abstraction for the people who live it every day.”
Lhamon said the withdrawal of the guidance and the notion that the federal government needs more time to consider the issue of transgender accommodations creates chaos in schools and sends a damaging message to children.
Without federal guidance, schools are likely to look to their state governments for clarity, said Francisco Negron Jr., chief counsel for the National School Boards Association.
That could open up battles across the country similar to one last year in North Carolina, when the legislature voted to require people in public buildings to use the restrooms that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificates.
Fifteen states have explicit protections for transgender students, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group; lawmakers in several other states are working to restrict bathroom access for transgender students. The American Civil Liberties Union, which tracks the legislation, said legislators in 14 states filed 20 bills that could lead to restroom restrictions for transgender people, with some proposing that states penalize schools that violate those restrictions. So far, five of those bills have failed.
Many school districts held off on writing restroom policies as they waited for the outcome of the Grimm case. Among them was Fairfax County, Va., one of the largest districts in the nation, which was preparing to draft regulations on restroom access for transgender students to reflect its nondiscrimination policy.
Elizabeth Schultz, a Fairfax County School Board member who opposes expanding the protections, said she hopes the new Trump administration action will lead the district to abandon its efforts.
If the threat of revoking federal funds “is no longer wielded against our local authority, there’s no precipitating reason to continue,” she said.
Obama administration directs schools to accommodate transgender students
Gavin Grimm just wanted to use the bathroom. He didn’t think the nation would debate it.
Supreme Court takes up school bathroom rules for transgender students
Parents of transgender children speak out as election results put LGBT advocates on defense
Trump could reverse Obama’s actions on college sex assault, transgender rights
Robert Barnes and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
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President Trump has made more than 10,000 false or misleading claims
The Fact Checker is keeping a running list of all of President Trump's false or misleading claims. Here's what you need to know.
Glenn Kessler,
Glenn Kessler
Salvador Rizzo and
Salvador Rizzo
Reporter for The Fact Checker
Meg Kelly
Video reporter, Visual Forensics
April 29, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. UTC
It took President Trump 601 days to top 5,000 false and misleading claims in The Fact Checker’s database, an average of eight claims a day.
But on April 26, just 226 days later, the president crossed the 10,000 mark — an average of nearly 23 claims a day in this seven-month period, which included the many rallies he held before the midterm elections, the partial government shutdown over his promised border wall and the release of the special counsel’s report on Russian interference in the presidential election.
This milestone appeared unlikely when The Fact Checker first started this project during his first 100 days. In the first 100 days, Trump averaged less than five claims a day, which would have added up to about 7,000 claims in a four-year presidential term. But the tsunami of untruths just keeps looming larger and larger.
As of April 27, including the president’s rally in Green Bay, Wis., the tally in our database stands at 10,111 claims in 828 days.
In recent days, the president demonstrated why he so quickly has piled up the claims. There was a 45-minute telephone interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News on April 25: 45 claims. There was an eight-minute gaggle with reporters the morning of April 26: eight claims. There was a speech to the National Rifle Association: 24 claims. There was 19-minute interview with radio host Mark Levin: 17 claims. And, finally, there was the campaign rally on April 27: 61 claims.
The president’s constant Twitter barrage also adds to his totals. All told, the president racked up 171 false or misleading claims in just three days, April 25-27. That’s more than he made in any single month in the first five months of his presidency.
About one-fifth of the president’s claims are about immigration issues, a percentage that has grown since the government shutdown over funding for his promised border wall. In fact, his most repeated claim — 160 times — is that his border wall is being built. Congress balked at funding the concrete wall he envisioned, and so he has tried to pitch bollard fencing and repairs of existing barriers as “a wall.”
Trump’s penchant for repeating false claims is demonstrated by the fact that The Fact Checker database has recorded nearly 300 instances when the president has repeated a variation of the same claim at least three times. He also now has earned 21 “Bottomless Pinocchios,” claims that have earned Three or Four Pinocchios and which have been repeated at least 20 times.
Trump’s campaign rallies continue to be a rich source of misstatements and falsehoods, accounting for about 22 percent of the total. The rally in Green Bay on April 27 was little different, with claims that covered a range of issues:
— He exaggerated the size of trade deficits with Japan, China and the European Union and falsely claimed the United States loses money from such deficits.
— He said he had “nothing to hide” from the Russia investigation but refused to testify under oath.
— He continued his practice of inflating the jobs created under his administration by starting the count from the election, not his inauguration.
— He launched a series of exaggerated or false attacks on Democrats, including claiming the Green New Deal will require every building in Manhattan be replaced (no) and saying Democrats support the killing of healthy babies that have been born (no).
— He overstated the possible impact of the new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico in myriad ways and trashed the North American Free Trade Agreement, even though the differences are modest.
— He took credit for funding a program — the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative — his administration tried to eliminate.
— He made a series of false claims about immigration, such as “open borders bring tremendous crime” (there is no documented link between illegal immigration and crime).
— He claimed he passed the biggest tax cut in history (no) and he said he had cut the estate tax to “zero” (no).
— He said he was one vote away from repealing Obamacare (no).
— He falsely said the United States paid for “almost 100 percent” of NATO (no), that Saudi Arabia inked $450 billion in deals with the Trump administration (no) and even that the United States subsidizes the Saudi military (U.S. aid amounts to $10,000 a year).
— He even claimed that he insisted the new embassy in Jerusalem be made of Jerusalem stone even though ever since the British mandate in then-Palestine, municipal laws have required that all buildings must be faced with this local form of limestone that has a warm, golden hue.
Note: The Fact Checker welcomes academic research into the Trump claims database. Recent examples include Erasmus University, University College London, and University of California at Santa Barbara. You can request our data files with an explanation of your research plans by contacting us at factchecker@washpost.com.
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The Book of James: Walk the Line
The Truth About Slander and Silence
In the context of the book of James, Todd reminds us of the importance of being a doer of the word and not just a hearer. Today, we learn from James 4:11-16 about how we should rightly consider one other and our own lives. God's word teaches us to not judge or make distinctions, but to see ourselves rightly, in light of eternity.
Todd Wagner • Sep 7, 2014
James 4:1-17
Truth About Prayer and Healing
Todd Wagner • Oct 5, 2014
The Truth About Suffering and the Believer
Todd Wagner • Sep 28, 2014
The Truth About Wealth and the Joneses
The Truth About Conflict in Our Lives and Communities
Todd Wagner • Aug 24, 2014
The Truth About Transformed People
The Truth About the Tongue
The Truth About Genuine Faith
Todd Wagner • Aug 3, 2014
The Truth About How to Treat People
Todd Wagner • Jun 22, 2014
The Truth About the Believer and the Word
The Truth About Temptation and How True Believers Respond
Todd Wagner • Jun 8, 2014
The Truth about Troubles and Trials
Good morning. Can I tell you all I love what I have the privilege of doing? I really do. I want to thank you for letting me be your pastor and for letting me be a guy who gets to, every week, stand here with you and open God's Word and run with you throughout the week, to be encouraged by you, to watch your faithfulness in this community and this city and this world, to watch you give generously, to watch you intensely make disciples, to watch you grieve your sin, take new ground, love others, and welcome people.
I hear all the time that people connect here not because of what I say but because of the way you love them as you walk in this place, sit next to them, and engage with them throughout this city. I want to thank you, because of your faithfulness, the joy I get and the affirmation I get from others when they hear I'm a part of this body. When people say, "Wagner, you have a beautiful church," do you know what I say? "Who do you mean?" Because what makes this place beautiful is y'all who know the Lord and love the Lord.
If you're a guest here this morning, we're glad you're here. I'm just one of the gang here who has been saved by grace and who, by the privilege and calling of God and the encouragement of these people, gets to serve this body by just opening God's Word. I love doing it, so I want to thank you. I mean that. Thank you. What I want to do right now is pray. Fort Worth, we love you. We're glad you're here. Our friends up there in the Loft are heading to Plano. That's awesome. We're glad to be part of this community together. Let me pray.
Father, would you just teach us something this morning? We came in here because we need to be reminded how great you are, because we have little slippery souls that want to run away, but we thank you that you have a firm grip. We're no little fish that can squirt out of your hands. When you have caught us you have caught us indeed, but we do want to be wooed back to you this morning.
We want to see your majesty, your greatness, the awesome beauty of who you are, your kindness, and we don't want to take it lightly. We want to respond to it fully as a way that the world might know that we have fully understood. We don't want to be just mere professors who know about you; we want to be lovers who know you fully and completely and abide with you. I thank you for the privilege of getting to spend these next few minutes with my friends in Dallas and Fort Worth looking at the Word of God.
I pray it would radically affect us and would go deep into our hearts, be implanted into our souls, and bear fruit and people would see your kindness and goodness on us, our lives changed, our marriages renewed, our kids parented well, our dating relationships be pure and godly and filled with hope and selflessness so that people would want to know our Father and it would please you, that they would too come home, people you have died for and long to see forgiven and redeemed. You have work to do in our hearts this morning, Father, and we expectantly make ourselves available to your Word. Do your work for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.
James is a pastor himself. That's what the word elder means. He is writing to his friends who are gathered in Jerusalem about 10 to 15 years after the resurrection of Christ. You understand that the very first church was largely Jewish people, almost exclusively individuals who were part of the nation of Israel who had collectively rejected Jesus as their Messiah, but now individuals began to see no, Jesus was the Messiah, and their eyes were opened.
Early on, those individuals, underneath that state where the Pharisees and rabbinical leaders had rejected Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Scripture, were deeply persecuted. All Jews were being persecuted. All Israelites were suffering under oppressive Rome that ruled over them, so they were getting doubly worn out, first by their national enemy Rome, who treated them as a vassal state and servants and slaves, and their own fellow Jewish racial people who rejected the revelation of God through Jesus Christ.
So they were being dispersed and scattered. Now here's what was crazy. Even within the church there was a class system that was set up, and there was not peace and there was not unity, so as a matter of absolute first importance, the very first epistle, the very first time God is going to send a letter to the church, he addresses the issue of love, of unity, of care for one another, of what pure and undefiled relationship with God looks like.
It is not just an understanding that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. People can know that. It's not just knowledge about his death, his burial, and resurrection. It is a full response to that. It is an intimate relationship with God, where his Spirit indwells you and you are one with him and you desire to be conformed into his image and no longer led by the way of the world and the flesh, which easily entangles you.
James is going to say, "Look, you guys have trouble with Rome. You have trouble with Jews who don't know Jesus. Why would you all cause trouble amongst yourselves?" The answer is because the church is not yet glorified. If you're here this morning and you wonder why… If you hang out with us here at Watermark, you're going to still run into people who sin. We are not sinless people. We are not yet glorified.
What's going on in our lives is having been declared by God righteous… We have been justified by him because Jesus is our sufficient offering. The death we deserved and the wrath we deserved God poured out on himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Now we are justifying or vindicating… We are showing that we have, in fact, believed in Jesus and are reconciled to God by the way we live our lives. That's called sanctification. We are being made more and more like he intended all of us to be.
The Scripture says, "All men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's not a verse that is there to tell you the reason God is going to judge you is because you don't look right. It's a verse that is there to tell you you don't look right because you are not in relationship with God. In other words, just like a guy who drinks is a less effective lover, daddy, traveler on the highway… He is dissipated. Nobody becomes a better person when they're drunk.
Some guys are so violent and angry and worthless they're a better person when they drink until they pass out. We like that, but it's miserable getting them there, and they always wake up angrier and more filled with self-loathing and venom toward others than when they passed out the first time. The Bible is saying guys who are not operating with sobriety are really dysfunctional people. Our society says those folks have to be off the road. Those people can't shepherd kids.
In a much greater way, what God is saying is, "Anybody who's not living in relationship with me is less than the man I intend them to be." That's why you see men who are abusive toward women. That's why you see men who are racist. That's why you see men who are self-exalting and envious. They are separated from God, so they're living in a way that is less than a godly person would live.
We are people who have been justified, declared righteous by God because our sin has been paid for through Jesus Christ. We are vindicated when we believe in Jesus and have been reconciled to God by beginning to learn his ways and humble ourselves underneath him, and we are being sanctified, but we're not home yet. So when we mess up, what we have to do is confess our sins to one another. In other words, agree, "That wasn't what a godly person should do. That was the spirit of Todd working there, not Todd dying to self and letting the Spirit of God live in him."
When I do that, I seek your forgiveness, I make amends, I forsake that way, and I begin to rebuild trust and walk again with God. We're not a perfect people. We are not sinless people, but what James is going to say is, "Folks, if you know Jesus, you ought to sin less because you're seeing the goodness and the beauty of God."
There is a series of reminders all throughout the book of James. We're going to see it intensely next week. There was in the early church this kind of class system, typically between some of the more well-funded or rich people or people who were doing well in the world circumstantially and people who were suffering, maybe who were impoverished or sick, and there wasn't a love for one another.
Watch a few of these verses as we make our way through James. He says in James, chapter 1, right out of the chute, "But, brother, you of humble circumstance, glory in your high position." In other words, the high position is you are well aware that this world is not your home and that you don't have your hope in this world, so you're dependent upon God.
It is why every time somebody from Watermark goes overseas to a third world country, they come back and go, "Man! These people who have nothing are more in love with God and more satisfied with life than I am in the midst of my abundance." It is why we should pray for the persecuted church, but I want to tell you something. The persecuted church is praying for you.
The church typically grows in a time of great persecution. Why? Because it is weaned from all worldly things. All of the distractions that pull us away from God… During times of persecution they're gone. Sometimes the ability to make a living, sometimes the ability to live… It makes you put your hope in the right thing. So persecution almost always leads to greater godliness. Do you know what doesn't? Prosperity. Right here, 75251. That is really a hard zip code to live in and be faithful.
The persecuted church marvels at your faithfulness, when you have every means to look around you and think you can kind of cut God in on your deal, but you choose not to cut God in on your deal. You make your deal about God, and everything you do you do for him. You know you are a steward of everything he has given you. Your life, your beauty, your talent, your education, your 401(k), your retirement fund, your salary, your stocks… They aren't yours.
You're a steward of them, and you know that, and you live accordingly. That is a source of marvel to the world. It says in James, chapter 1, those of humble circumstance are to glory in their high position, and it says in verse 10, the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because all he has that makes him comfortable in the world's eyes you know is fleeting. It's not going to be around very long.
He's saying, "Both of you guys should be for each other," because in some ways, the poor and the circumstantially suffering are in a bad way but in a good place to seek God, and those who are in a comfortable place are in a good way but in a bad place to seek God. You need each other. That's James 1. Do you see that? He comes back to that idea in James, chapter 2. He's not going to let us run away from it.
"If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well." In James 2, he's going to say, "You guys ought to love one another, and that's the whole law. That's Leviticus 19, the royal law: 'Love your neighbor because you love God.' God cares for people. If you love God, you ought to care for what God cares for."
He was reminding them not to be a respecter of persons. In James 3 he says, "Don't use your tongue to tear your brother down." Then James 4. We looked at it last week. I'm going to read it to you again, because verses 11-17 is one of those little passages of Scripture you come across and kind of go, "Why is this here? Why is this inserted?" Here's the reason why. James is a good pastor.
Whenever you study God's Word, you don't ever study it just to know something. It is not an intellectual exercise. It is a chance to snap the plumb line again and say, "This is the line you should walk." The plumb line when you're doing carpentry is that thing you hang down that helps you get a perpendicular line. What James is doing is he's just popping that chalk line and saying, "This is the way you should go."
Don't say you're interested in knowing and loving God and not walking the line. Thus the title of the book of James. Now we're not believing we are saved because we walk the line. We are saved because of Jesus walking the pan of sin and death and judgment for us. But if you have received him, James says, you will then walk with him and know him. That is the expectation, and the very first thing you should do, where it should be evidenced most of all, is in your relationships.
I've said it before; I'll say it again. The very first casualty of sin in the Scripture is relationships, and God wants a relationship with you. When you sin, it breaks that relationship. You have to be reconciled. Because he's holy, he can't have fellowship with an unholy creature. Therefore, he, in his lovingkindness, also satisfies his justice by paying your debt, offering you mercy and grace, and becomes the justifier of those he loves and still remains just, and then you're brought back into relationship.
Next week you're going to see in James, chapter 5, "Don't complain against one another," but watch what's going to happen here. Here is the application. Let's read all of James 4:1-4, and I'm going to focus on verses 11-17. This is some really great stuff. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?" We taught this all when we were together last time. "Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?" It's sin in you.
I love what one guy said. He said we must picture hell this way: a place where people are perpetually concerned about their own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, where everyone lives the deadly, serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment. Is that not a good description of hell or Lower Greenville? It's the same thing. Everybody is down there angry at somebody, trying to drink it away, or they're concerned with their own dignity and self-advancement and their own lust and pleasure. That's why they're there.
They're not down there looking to meet somebody they can serve; they're down there looking to meet somebody they can exploit. It isn't just down there in Lower Greenville. It's in Wall Street. It's sometimes in offices in downtown Dallas. Here's the question…Is it in the church? Is there envy? Is there concern? This morning, when you came in here, were you concerned about your dignity and self-advancement?
As you prepared to come here this morning, did you spend more time trying to get yourself all coiffed up so people would look at you and go, "What a beautiful creature" than you did looking at the beauty of God and desiring to seek him? That's what James wants us to focus on right here. He goes on to say in the early part of this chapter that your problem is you're seeking life where you can't find life: apart from God. In verse 4 he gets our attention. "You adulteresses…" It's where he hearkens back.
Anybody who is after the things the world offers, who pursues the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, or the boastful pride of life is not a lover of God but a lover of this world. What do you call somebody who makes a covenant commitment to somebody and pursues and sleeps with and follows somebody else? An adulterer. What James is going to say is we don't want to be a group of adulterers. That is an emotional shock to get our attention. Like, "What? Hey, I'm just struggling." No, you're not. You're an adulterer.
Listen, guys. When you drift off on porn; women, when you drift off in self-infatuation and body image; when you are cantankerous toward people because things aren't working out well for you and you choose to follow the prompting of your flesh; when you seek to become wealthier for your own comfort as opposed to using all of your gifts for the glory of God, bringing all of the resource you can, that you might move it where God wants it as you seek his will, you're not just struggling with materialism, you're not just struggling with lust; you are an adulterer.
Now here's the good news. God loves adulterers. What he says to you is, "I just don't want you to be that way. I don't want you to be wracked with sin, guilt, and shame. I'm not going to tell everybody else to throw stones at you. I'm just going to tell you what you're doing is a problem. Everybody struggles with this adulterous wandering. Neither do I condemn you." But then what does he say? "Go and quit committing adultery. Go and sin no more." What James is trying to do is bring the church back.
That's why we're here today. We don't forsake our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, because we know we're prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love, so we ought to sing songs about the greatness of our God. "Yes! Yes! That's the great one." Greatness is not having a Fantasy Football team and the season starts today. Greatness is not having a college program that's doing well so you can boast in your team colors. Greatness is not living in that house you always wanted. Greatness is intimacy with God.
Look, man. Enjoy your Fantasy Football team. I hope your college team won yesterday. I hope your wife is beautiful and your kids are having great success in their over-obsessed select sport leagues, but I want to tell you something. I hope you pursue greatness with God. If you're not, there's only one reason you wouldn't be doing that: you don't know God. Your God is too small. You haven't seen him for all he really is.
So what do you do in the midst of that? Verse 7 says, "Submit to God. Resist the Devil." Know his schemes. He always tries to distract you and put something bright and shiny and give you immediate payback here, but part of being an adult is you're not a person who is constantly tempted by the Twinkie at the checkout counter. Yeah, it would taste good for a moment, but it would take 46 years to digest through your system.
It's just not worth the 99 cents. For kids, it's always worth the 99 cents. They have to have the Slurpee, but you're supposed to walk away from that stuff and say, "No. People are throwing things at me, telling me I need those things, but I know the wisdom of delayed gratification." So resist the Devil and his schemes.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep…" Of your futility of just trying to find life apart from God, that you've done it again. "…let your laughter be turned into mourning…" This rejoicing that this is a really great time and I'm finding life apart from God. No, mourn over that thought. "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."
What a great message. We covered that in about 45 minutes last time we were together. Check it out. Now James is going to say, "Now let me apply what humility looks like." That's what great pastors always do. You don't read your Bible as an intellectual exercise so that you might know facts about God. You read your Bible so you would do one thing.
"What does God say I should do? God is good, his Word is true, and I don't want to miss it, so I am desperate. Father, instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. I don't want to be like the horse or mule who needs bit and bridle that jerks him around. I know you're good. I love you. Teach me. Give me a word." When you go to read your Bible, that's the way you ought to look at your Bible.
This is the Word of God. Think about that, guys. What if I told you God would speak to you in kindness and love and direct you and tell you how to live? You would go, "Can I get a moment with him?" You can have all the time you want, bro. Do you guys know this? If you start in Genesis and read the Bible out loud, you can read every word God has sovereignly chosen to preserve for us in about 78 hours.
Some of us have never read through the Bible in a lifetime. There are about 8,600 hours in a year. If you spend 1/100 of your time reading the Bible out loud, you'll get through it every year. When we read it, we don't just read it so we know the story; we read it because the Bible says God loves us and he wants it to go well with us.
Part of the way God is glorified is people who listen to him have hope and joy that don't fit the circumstance of this world, because we know why this world is in the condition it's in and we know who our God is, and it changes everything about us, including the way we treat one another. Humility.
Let me just say this. So many of us are spending so much of our time like people who make up the citizenship of hell. We're filled with the deadly and serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment, and people go, "This doesn't look very heavenly." God is saying, "It shouldn't be that way with my body." We try to exalt ourselves through appearance and funding and fame.
I love the statement here. " God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble ." In other words, our job is to humble ourselves; God's job is to exalt us. Mark my words on this: if you try to do God's job, he will do yours. Our job is to humble ourselves; God's job is to exalt us. If we try to do God's job, he will do ours. James is saying, "Church, don't make God humble you."
Look one last time in the first section. In verse 5, he says, "Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'?" In other words, God cares about his name. He wants his church to be beautiful. So, church, just pay attention to Daddy. He's going to lead you in a beautiful way. He's going to take your ashes and make them beautiful. He's going to restore the dignity you have lost.
I heard a couple of things that are kind of funny. One guy said, "I have a great sermon on humility. I'm just waiting for a bigger, more important crowd to preach it to." That's kind of funny, isn't it? There was a young seminarian who had done really well in his studies. He was all excited about the very first time to preach. He knew he had a message that was a humdinger that was going to impress the heck out of people.
He walked up to that pulpit all prideful. He got up there. He kind of lost his way, didn't do a great job. He came down kind of moping. "Dadgummit! I don't think the people are going to think I'm impressive." He sat down. Some old lady walked up to him and said, "Young man, had you gone up on that pulpit the way you came down, you'd have come down the way you went up."
That's what Jesus is saying to us right here. Just humble yourself underneath the Word of God. Let me teach you how it's going to look. James 4:11: "Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law…" What law? The royal law, Leviticus 19. "Don't bear false witness. Don't be a slanderer. Love your brother."
What it's saying here is if you judge another member of the church of Jesus Christ as not worthy of being a part of that church because they're despicable poor people or because they're well-funded rich people who think they're better than you… In other words, there was this class distinction that was going on in the church, and they were saying, "Rich people can't love God. Poor people must not love God or God wouldn't leave them in that circumstance."
James is saying, "That's crazy!" Do you know what else is crazy? What else is crazy is that people would mindlessly read the Bible and think we are never supposed to call evil evil because of verses like this. We are called to speak the truth in love, but it's not our love of self and our self-exaltation that makes us speak what we speak. In other words, I'm not to talk about you in terms of your standing with God.
What I should do, though, is lovingly… When there is something in your life that dishonors God, damages your relationship with me, is damaging or could be hurtful to other people, or that is detrimental to your witness for the King, I can't remain silent about that. Silence in the midst of sin is a sin. James 4:11 and Matthew 7 are not teaching you to not be discerning. Jesus tells us we're going to know a tree by its fruit. That means you make a judgment. "That wicked fruit would not come from a good tree."
What it's talking about here is looking at people in the church whose life circumstance is different than yours and saying, "There's no way that person could really be a lover of God," and then kind of factioning up. "Hey, people who really love God don't live in that zip code. People who drive that kind of car to church… There's no way they're a serious student of the Word." That's nonsense.
What James is going to say to us is, "Don't go around being divisive and slanderous." Can I tell you an amazing fact? The biblical word for slanderer is diabolos. Do you know what the biblical word for the Devil is? Diabolos. Dia is a prefix we have in English that we bring across from the Greek that means through. Ballo is to cast out or throw. When you act diabolically, you are casting dispersions at another person. You're throwing darts through them, accusing them.
The word for Satan in Spanish is Diablo. The word for a person who tears down a brother in English is diabolical. The word in Greek for slanderer is diabolos. The word in Greek for devil is diabolos. When you are throwing dispersions at another brother because they don't look like you think they should look, not in terms of sin but in terms of life circumstances and choices, and you're doing it in a very self-exalting way… "They don't love God like me or they wouldn't look like that." That is Devil's work. That's what the Devil is. He's an accuser of the brethren.
In fact, we get the word devil from that. They shortened diabolos to diabol, and then they took the D-I-A and just made it D-E. They took the B and made it soft into a V, and you have devol, devil. That's where we get the English word devil: from this idea that you are judging other people and saying, "There is no way you're as good as me." This is what Jesus said to us in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Pharisees, don't you go around judging other people that because of the way they look there's no way I could save them."
Jesus went on to say, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, you won't get into heaven. None of you are going to be saved." Then he says, "Don't judge lest you be judged." In other words, "If you want to judge other people as not fit for God to redeem them because they don't fit into your little legalistic box, then I will judge you by the law. But here's a reminder: you have to be perfect."
That's why he says, "Unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees, you won't get into the kingdom of heaven." There is not a maximum square footage for a godly person. There is not a minimum square footage. People who teach health, wealth, and prosperity, who say, "If you really loved God, you wouldn't be sick, you wouldn't be poor…" That is nonsense. People who say you have to take an oath of poverty if you really love God… That is nonsense.
Let me tell you something. If you're rich, you'd better be rich in good works. You'd better use what God has given you well. You're going to have to give an account. If you're poor, you'd better make sure you're not that way because of your laziness, self-destructive ignorance, and lack of diligence to study and do the right thing, but let's care for one another. He says, "Don't speak against the law and judge the law." "…but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it." That is a problem.
What's he teaching us right here? How to (what verse 10 says) humble yourself in the presence of the Lord. The way you humble yourself in the presence of the Lord is not by comparing yourself to other people. The way you humble yourself in the presence of the Lord is you look at the Word of God and respond to it. The Word of God says, "Don't slander your neighbor." The Word of God says, "Don't bear false witness about your neighbor." The Word of God says, "Love your neighbor."
If you say, "I'm not going to love my neighbor, but I'm going to speak poorly of them to other people…" By the way, when you go to somebody who's stuck in sin, you're not slandering them. You're doing exactly what the Bible says. When you go to somebody who is sinning and say, "I love you. I'm coming to you. I'm not telling 20 other people why I'm better than you. I am going to you…" There are really only three things you should do when you see a brother in sin.
The first thing to do is you talk to God and say, "God, give me wisdom. Help me to first look to myself so I'm not tempted." In other words, "So I don't think I'm better than them or so I don't go in an unworthy manner. Maybe I'm part of the problem. Get the log out of my own eye." That's Galatians 6. The second thing would be you talk to them. Matthew 18 says, "Go to your brother first before you tell a bunch of other people and slander him."
The third thing you might do is go to somebody who's part of the solution if you don't know how to approach the person. You'll just say, "I'm going to tell you something, but the second I tell you this, you're now obligated by the law of God to go with me to this person, either to clear up my misunderstanding or to help me work through this conflict with this brother."
We taught about this a lot in the early days of Watermark, and this is one of the most unpopular things I do with people. This has made more people angry at me than anything else I do. When somebody comes up to me and starts to tell me something about somebody else, I go, "Uh-oh. Here's the deal, man. You just came to me, and I think you must have told me that because you're looking for counsel.
What you just said about that person over there… I want to ask you. Have you told them what you just told me about them? By the way, when you told me that, it made me feel like, 'Gosh, you must like me more because you don't think I'm like that person.'" Which is always ignorant. You do know that people who talk to you about other people talk to other people about you, don't you?
By the grace of God, what I do consistently when folks come to me and say that is go, "Hey, listen. While in my flesh that felt really good because, like I said, it made me think you must like me more than you like them, which I love in my self-exalting, envious lifestyle…" That's why the Bible says in Proverbs 18, "The words of the gossip are like dainty morsels. They go down to the innermost being."
It's like a small cupcake. You can pop it right down. Not a big one that'll make you sick right away. Just a little one, a little sprinkle. Just that little bad boy down there, and it's awesome. It's gone. You feel like you hardly ate anything. It's a doughnut hole, not a whole doughnut. Let me just tell you something. If you eat six or seven doughnut holes, you have eaten yourself a doughnut, and you're going to look like the old Elvis. It won't be long.
What's deceitful about the doughnut hole is that you think you just get a little one. The words of a gossip, a slanderer, are like a dainty morsel. It just goes in. You go, "That tasted kind of good." If I don't go, "Wait, I don't eat that stuff…" Because you can't just have one doughnut hole. I don't have one doughnut hole. I deceive myself that I'm not eating a doughnut when I eat a dozen doughnut holes.
The Bible says what you have to do is say, "Look, we have to go. I'm going to ask you to go to that person and tell them what you just told me about them, and I'm going to ask you in 24 hours, 'Have you been to them yet and shared with them your concern?' Because the reason you must be speaking about this is God has shown you there's something in their life that is not as it should be." They go, "Don't you dare tell somebody I told you that. If you do that, I'll never tell you something like that again."
I'm like, "Perfect. Less doughnut holes. Meanwhile, you just fed me, and I'm going to purge that so I can stay lean and loving." I'll do it. Anytime somebody comes to you about anybody at Watermark, a pastor, a fellow person who's seeking God here, a family member… I don't care. You say, "You have to go tell them what you just told me, because God might use you to lead them out of sin, if what you're saying is true. If not, then you need to go ask their forgiveness that you're out there being a devil, running through them with slanderous words."
There is going to be unity if we do that here, and we're not going to be going around feeding each other little juicy bits of gossip. James is saying if that's going on in your church, you are no church of Jesus. We're really serious about that here. Don't say God's Word isn't worthwhile, because what I just shared with you is very biblical.
You might go, "Todd, I've never heard anybody who does that." Well, first, you haven't been around Watermark very long, and second, you haven't been paying attention to your Bible. The reason people don't do that is they put themselves over the law of God. "God's Word…eh. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We're not going to do that." Anytime the Bible is not your authority, conscience, and guide, you have a church that's in trouble.
Verse 12 says, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?" Cut it out. Again, this is not meaning we should not call sin sin. This is talking about slanderously speaking about other people. "There's no way they could love God or they wouldn't look like that." You go to them.
Let me ask you a question. Do you think the Devil goes to you and says, "Hey, I need to tell you something. You're drinking a little too much. Hey, you know what? Everybody takes a couple of glances at the girl when she walks by, and everybody clicks on that stuff when it pops up. They weren't really looking to go to a porn site, but when it is right there they go there. But hey, I don't want you to do that. I don't want you to let it get running away from you."
Do you think the Devil does that to people? Do you think the Devil ever confronts somebody in their sin? Say no. If you see somebody in sin and you're not lovingly going to go to them… If what they're doing is dishonoring to God, damaging relationships, hurting other people, or hurting their reputation, don't be a devil by not speaking up. Similarly, in a biblical way, don't be a devil by talking to everybody else about what's wrong with them, because they can't change if they don't know what's wrong with them.
So don't make the mistake of thinking you can't talk to somebody about sin. You must. Devils are the ones that don't speak up when rebellion against God is happening. Devils are also the ones that speak up about what someone is doing to everybody but the person who can change if they just were, by the grace of God, lovingly and kindly sharpened by you. Think about what our church would be like if we did this.
People would go, "Man, you guys love each other. You say hard things to each other. You say it kindly, but you say it, and guess what? People change." Do you know what kind of church never changes? When everybody just kind of looks the other way and goes, "That woman talks way too much. I can't believe she dresses like that. Man, that guy is self-absorbed. That brother is materialistic." Well, you aren't the only one who sees it. The whole world sees it. God says, "Love one another. Help each other."
Verse 13: "Come now…" We're kind of jumping categories. What James is doing is helping you apply God's Word. This is a so what. When you read the Bible, it's not just an intellectual exercise. He's telling you what it looks like if you're a humble person. "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.'" He said, "Careful. Bite your tongue."
The writer of Proverbs said, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." James is going to say, "You who are doing well, don't brag about what you're going to get to do tomorrow." In fact, the Bible only has two groups of people God himself calls fools. First, in Matthew 7, people who hear the Word of God and don't apply it are fools. They build their house on the sand. Even though they have a Bible, it is far from their heart.
The other people are people who because of great success have built barns for themselves, and they say, "Eat, drink, and be merry. I shall live this way for a long time." The Bible says, "You fool! You do not know that maybe this very night your soul may be required of you." You don't know that you're going to have until next year to give away what God has given you. Be a good steward of it right now. Be faithful right now. Don't say, "I'll do that tomorrow after I do this, because I have plenty to do this and that." You don't know if you have another day.
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." Folks, that is a very sobering verse, but it is true. "Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"
The Bible says words matter, and whenever you're making plans you ought to say, "If the Lord wills. This is what I think we're going to do. If the Lord wants us to, that's what we're going to do. If we're still around, this is what we'll do, but I want to make sure I am faithful today." All James is doing is teaching you what Jesus said in his most famous message. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will take care of itself." Don't talk about what you're going to do tomorrow. Be faithful today.
There's a great story about Louis XIV. I don't know if you know who Louis XIV is, but he is an interesting bird. He became a monarch in France, which was the most powerful country in Europe at the time, at the age of 5. Can you imagine that? A preschool absolutist monarch? For the first 17 years he had some help, and then at 22, for the next 55 years, this brother reigned. He lived in the castle at Versailles.
He was so beautiful we made a movie about him, The Man in the Iron Mask. Leonardo DiCaprio played Louis XIV. This is Louis when he was a little bit older. Look at that. His clothes are like a comforter from Bed Bath & Beyond. That guy would wake up every single morning and be dressed by nobles. They used to trim his toenails and encrust them with diamonds and send them out as gifts. It's true.
What happened is Rome used to have an iron grip over the entire world because of the idea that you could only get to heaven by being rightly related to God through Rome. There was this Protestant Reformation that was happening, so what happened is there was a break apart of Rome's rule, and there was a lot of anarchy that happened. So what people said was, "The only way we can bring peace and order is to have monarchal absolutism," which is, by the way, what always happens.
Mark my words. Stamp it. September 7. Go back and look when you see increasing moral chaos in America. We have something we call martial law. In other words, you lose your rights as a people. There's so much anarchy, there's such a lack of order because we have no morality, because we say everybody gets to do what they want to do, so what all of a sudden happens is people will trade their freedom for a tyrant.
It's coming, America. You're giving away your right to rule yourself, because people will always take a dictator over lawlessness. God says, "I don't want you to have a dictator. I want me to dictate the order of your lives." As I will teach you here in the coming weeks, as I go through my little series called Declaration, God declares to you, "This is the way you should go. If you don't, this is what's coming." I'll tell you what's coming: absolute monarchism, if you cannot live civilly.
What Louis would do is he and his buddies… There were thousands of people who lived at that castle of Versailles with him, 4,000 servants. They would spend their days in dances and balls and concerts and receptions, gambling and hunting. They'd spend the rest of their time gossiping and in lechery. That's what the guy did for 55 years. He was called the Sun King. That was his moniker. His emblem was the sun because he was the center of the world.
His preferred name was Louis the Great. He used to say, "I am the state." "Years from now they'll make a movie about me, and Leonardo DiCaprio will play me." As he got older, he realized that sun was going to set. There was a quiet Catholic priest who lived in that town who Louis started to listen to. This priest kind of ascended his way up because he taught the Word of God the way James did. He was asked to give the Advent messages in 1699, just a few short years before Louis died.
Louis would say this about this particular priest: "When I hear most preachers I am contented with them, but when I hear Jean-Baptiste Massillon I am discontented with myself." That, my friends, is a good preacher. I'm not here to give you tips and techniques and make you be contented that you just had a happy life. You can get that five hours south of here. (I am judging that teaching as errant, lest you think I've violated verse 11. Where they are with the Lord I'll let God shake out, but what they're doing in his name I will speak to.)
Louis died, like all men do, and they asked this young preacher to come do his message. He was in Notre Dame, this great cathedral. They darkened the entire place because sadness and gloom had come over the land because the Sun King was dead. There was a single candle by his casket right by his face. This preacher walked in there, and everybody wondered what he was going to say.
He walked into that great cathedral with all of France and all nobility around there, and he walked right up to that casket and blew on it. Then he stood up and said, "Only God is great. Louis isn't great. He is a vapor. Louis is gone. There is only one grand monarch. All flesh is grass. The Word of the Lord will endure forever." He preached it. That is right out of James 4. Our lives are a vapor.
I was thinking about this last night as I laid in bed. I thought, "What is the most evil character in movie history?" Just think about it for a second. I thought to myself… I guarantee you they didn't think about this when they did it, but I did, and I hope every time you hear this guy the rest of your life you are reminded why you don't give yourself over to evil.
This is what it says in Psalm 37. (In a second I'll tell you who I think it is.) In Psalm 37, it tells us, "Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers." I don't care if they are elevated throughout the entire universe. They are a vapor. "For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb."
Who am I thinking about when I talk about the person who, over the entire solar system, is the epitome of evil? This guy. Listen to him. Darth Vader. I was lying in bed and thinking about that, and I thought, "How awesome that every time that guy shows up you are reminded, 'I'm just a vapor. I'm just a breath. I know it looks like I'm the king and the Vader and never going to go, but he is gone.'" All men are but just a vapor.
James is saying, "Quit popping off about what you're going to do for God. Just be faithful today, church. Stop popping off about one another. Love one another. Speak the truth in love to one another. Deal with sin in each other's lives, but humble yourself under the Word of God. Don't put yourself over the Word of God and tell God what you're going to do. Don't say, 'I'll take this part of the Bible. I'll leave this part of the Bible aside.'"
That is a bastardized church. That is a godless, dead church. Study that book not so you can know it. Study that book and ask, "What must I do?" I have so much I wish I could do with you today. I'll take you to Hebrews 10. This is what made Jesus who he was. Have you ever thought about what it was about David that made him a man after God's own heart? David, after all, made some pretty spectacular mistakes. He was an adulterer. He was a murderer. He treated himself like the Sun King at a certain point.
But what David did is in the midst of that he was approached by a guy who rightly understood James 4:11 and knew he had to judge David's sin by speaking the truth to David. Here's the truth. Everybody knew Louis was not the grand monarch. Few people cared to think about it. Even fewer cared to speak up about it, because it cost them their head. You need a Nathan in your life who will come to you and speak the truth to you.
David was called a man after God's own heart. Do you want to know why? Here's why. In Hebrews, chapter 10, it's talking about the Messiah. This is Jesus. "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." But Jesus can. "Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering You have not desired …'" This is the Messiah. This is attributed to Jesus.
"… but a body You have prepared for Me; in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure." He is using the words of David after David sinned. It's what's said of the Messiah. " Then I said, 'Behold, I have come…to do Your will, O God.'" This is what is attributed to Jesus. The Messiah came and said, "I have come to do your will, O God." David, even in the midst of his sin, repented of his sin, dealt with his sin, and said, "This is why I'm here. I am here to do your will. What I just did was not God's will."
The Messiah never said that, but the reason David was considered a man after God's own heart is he wrote in Psalm 40:6-8, "Behold, Lord, I'd give you a bunch of bulls and sacrifices if that would get you off my back, but that's not what you want. What you want is a repentant and contrite heart that acknowledges when it doesn't live according to your Word and that purposes to live today according to your Word, who doesn't put himself above the law, like I just did with Bathsheba and Uriah, who repents, takes the consequences of it, but who commits himself today to do your will, O Lord."
God said, "That's my boy. That's my man." This is what James is saying in James, chapter 4. "You want to be God's man? This is what you do. If you know the right thing to do and don't do it, it's sin." James is saying, "You're the church. You have the law of God. You know the right thing to do. Don't sin."
I close with this. What's the right thing to do? Listen to the Word of the Lord. Don't delude yourself by being hearers of the Word and not doers. That's what fools do. Be humble men who read their Bible every day (it's the Word of God) and ask, "What does it say for me? What should I do today? How should I redirect my course today based on that book?"
There's a story (it's a fable, it's not true; it was told for a long time like it was a true story) of a US Navy vessel that was sailing along, and in the middle of a foggy night, all of a sudden it saw right there in its course, directly in front of it, the light of another ship. The captain quickly got on the radio. He didn't know how it didn't show up on the radar. He said, "Divert your course 10 degrees to the north!"
Right back over that radio came back, "No, divert your course 10 degrees to the south!" The captain said, "I am a captain! Divert your course 10 degrees to the north." The voice came back, "I am a petty officer third class. Divert your course 10 degrees to the south." The captain said, "I am the captain of a battleship in the United States Navy. Divert your course 10 degrees to the north." The voice came back and said, "I am a lighthouse. Divert your course 10 degrees to the south."
Let me tell you something, captain. When you go to the Bible, you ought to divert your course, because it's a light to your feet and a lamp to your steps. If you do anything but that, you're putting yourself above the Word of God, which is to say you are not a follower of God and you're not his church. We are people of the Book. We are firm where it's firm and flexible where it's flexible. Divert your course humbly, that he may exalt you.
Father, we need you every hour. We don't want to just sing those words. We want that to be true in every aspect of our lives. So we ask that you would today, having brought us together, remind us of these things. If there's anything in our lives that is inconsistent with your will, and we're sure there are many…
If we're just here catting around, listening, moving on, thinking that was a good message or it wasn't a good message, and we're not fellowshipping with your people, I pray we'd repent and begin to walk with others intimately and practice the "one anothers" and ask people to speak into our lives and we would speak humbly into their lives and we'd care for each other and love one another, just like we should.
I thank you for these friends, as I started this morning, who love me and give me the privilege of just looking at the Word with them, that we might follow you. Father, we ask that the Word would be implanted in our souls now and it would bear much fruit for your glory and the good of others, that we might be your church, your beautiful people. In Christ's name, amen.
As you leave and hear that song, "Lord, I need you," I pray it's not just a song in your ear. I pray it's a statement of your life. Divert your course. Let us know how we can serve you, and have a great week of worship.
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COVID-19 Sweeps Through Cook County Jail
It’s nearly impossible to practice social distancing at the Cook County Jail. Inmates and guards are getting sick at an alarming rate.
May 5, 2020, 1:56 p.m. CT
Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
More than 800 inmates, guards and medical staff have contracted COVID-19 at Cook County Jail. Experts say it’s nearly impossible to practice social distancing behind bars.
Reset checks in with a reporter who interviewed 12 people about their experiences at the jail, including correctional officers and current and former detainees.
GUEST: Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ criminal justice reporter
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What’s on the ballot across SE Louisiana?
Updated: 11:02 PM CDT Oct 14, 2017
WDSU Digital Team
WEBVTT A PORTION OF THE WESTBOUND LANE OF BRITANNIA STREET WILL ALSO BE CLOSED.>> ELECTION DAY IS FINALLY HERE AND WE ARE FOLLOWING SOME BIG RACES FOR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.IT IS A PRIMARY ELECTION BUT A LOW VOTER TURNOUT IS EXPECTED.OFFICIALS SAY EARLY VOTER TURNOUT IS AT 6%.THAT'S 14,000 VOTES AND THE LASTMAYORAL ELECTION IN 2014, ONLY 35% OF REGISTERED VOTERS WENT TOTHE POLLS.THE POLLS ARE NOW OPEN AND WILL CLOSE AT 8:00 P.M. IF YOU ARE IN LINE AT 8:00, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO VOTE.BRING YOUR PHOTO ID AS WELL AND NINE POLLING LOCATIONS HAVE CHANGED.YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE ON YOUR SCREEN OR OUR WEBSITE wdsu.com FOR MORE INFORMATION.>> AND HERE'S A REMINDER WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE ON THE BALLOT.MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS.ALL THE PARISH COUNCIL SEATS AREOPN.A, B, C, D AND E.OTHER IS CORONER, ASSESSOR AND ANUMBER OF AMENDMENTS.THE FIRST IS A PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT PRESENTS MATERIALS DELIVERED TO A CONSTRUCTION SITE FROM PROPERTY TAXES.AND AMENDMENT TWO APPLIES TO THESPOUSES OF POLICE, FIRST RESPONDSERS THAT DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.IT WOULD MAKE THE SPOUSES EXEMPTFROM A PROPERTY TAXMENTS AND THEAMENDMENT MAKES SURE ANY NEW FUEL TAX GOES TOWARD IMPROVING LOUISIANA INFRASTRUCTURE.LATER IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR WE WILL LOOK AT WHO THE MAYOR IS ENDORSING THIS ELECTION AND WDSUWILL HAVE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF
New Orleans saw low voter turnout Saturday for the primary races for mayor and City Council. As of Saturday morning, officials said voter turnout was about 6 percent, or 14,000 votes. In the last mayoral election in 2014, only 35 percent of registered voters went to the polls. There’s a lot at stake in Saturday’s election, with several big-impact positions up for grabs.There’s no front-runner in the race for the city’s mayor.Eighteen people are on the ballot as New Orleans voters choose a successor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat who leaves office next year because of term limits.There appears little chance of anyone getting a majority in Saturday's race, meaning the top two finishers would meet in a November runoff. Three people have led pre-election polls: Former state civil court Judge Michael Bagneris, City Council member Latoya Cantrell and former municipal court Judge Desiree Charbonnet. Similarly, all of the seven Orleans Parish Councils seats are open, including both at-large seats. Other races to watch include several judgeships, coroner, assessor and a number of amendments. Let’s take a closer look at the proposed amendments. The first is a proposed amendment that exempts materials delivered to a construction site from property taxes. Proposed Amendment 2 applies to the spouses of police, firefighters and first-responders who die in the line of duty. It would make those spouses exempt from a property tax. The third proposed amendment makes sure any new gas or fuel tax goes toward improving Louisiana’s infrastructure. Polls close at 8 p.m., and WDSU will have live election results online and in the WDSU mobile app.
New Orleans saw low voter turnout Saturday for the primary races for mayor and City Council.
As of Saturday morning, officials said voter turnout was about 6 percent, or 14,000 votes. In the last mayoral election in 2014, only 35 percent of registered voters went to the polls.
There’s a lot at stake in Saturday’s election, with several big-impact positions up for grabs.
There’s no front-runner in the race for the city’s mayor.
Eighteen people are on the ballot as New Orleans voters choose a successor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat who leaves office next year because of term limits.
There appears little chance of anyone getting a majority in Saturday's race, meaning the top two finishers would meet in a November runoff. Three people have led pre-election polls: Former state civil court Judge Michael Bagneris, City Council member Latoya Cantrell and former municipal court Judge Desiree Charbonnet.
Similarly, all of the seven Orleans Parish Councils seats are open, including both at-large seats.
Other races to watch include several judgeships, coroner, assessor and a number of amendments.
Let’s take a closer look at the proposed amendments.
The first is a proposed amendment that exempts materials delivered to a construction site from property taxes.
Proposed Amendment 2 applies to the spouses of police, firefighters and first-responders who die in the line of duty. It would make those spouses exempt from a property tax.
The third proposed amendment makes sure any new gas or fuel tax goes toward improving Louisiana’s infrastructure.
Polls close at 8 p.m., and WDSU will have live election results online and in the WDSU mobile app.
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Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe celebrated at White House as 'Champion of Change'
WASHINGTON D.C. – Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe was honored Monday during a White House ceremony that celebrated his 40-year career in criminal justice and recognized him as a “champion of change” in the area of inmate rehabilitation.
Ashe was one of 15 people being recognized under President Obama’s “Champions of Change” program in the category of Expanding Reentry Employment Opportunities.
Ashe was singled out for his work establishing a program at the Hampden County Correctional Center that helps inmates re-adjust to society after their release from incarceration.
As part of his re-entry effort, Sheriff Ashe has utilized some 300 community partnerships to help offenders find 523 jobs in 2013, and over 10,000 jobs in the past 20 years, having an impact on recidivism and public safety.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
Each of the people being recognized was singled out for their work in aiding former inmates adjust to a life on the outside after incarceration.
Attorney General Eric Holder praised the award recipients, saying their work demonstrates re-entry programs are a critical part of the criminal just agenda.
“ Sound reentry policy is much more than an economic and budgetary necessity. It’s also a moral imperative. After all, at some point, 95 percent of all incarcerated people will be released,” Holder said.
Ashe was congratulated by, D-Springfield, Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, and by Governor Deval Patrick.
Neal said he was pleased to nominate Ashe, his long-time friend for the award.
“In my opinion, there is no-one in law enforcement more deserving of this special recognition from the White House than Sheriff Ashe. It is a fitting tribute to a remarkable career in public service,” Neal said.
“Sheriff Ashe is one of the most passionate and innovative public officials in the country, and this recognition honors his nearly four decades of exemplary service to the people of Massachusetts,” Markey said.
Warren said “Sheriff Ashe has done an outstanding job growing innovative, successful, and nationally recognized corrections and reentry programs based on his values of strength, decency, firmness and fairness.
Governor Patrick said “His remarkable record of achievements and his outstanding commitment to the field of criminal justice makes him truly deserving of this honorable recognition.”
To view the original article, please click here.
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Duty dating is what you need to start doing ASAP!
By Tlhabo Kgosiemang
If you’re feeling trapped in singledom, you need to try duty dating. That means going on dates with any guy that asks, no matter whom he is and whether or not you think you are actually into him. Say yes anyway and get out there- you will be glad you did when the right one finally comes along.
Seriously, say yes to everyone. It doesn’t matter what he looks like, how old he is, or what he does for a living. If he asks you out, you have to say yes. Don’t get it twisted, though- this isn’t about settling or even about finding the perfect guy. It’s really about boosting your confidence and figuring out what you truly want. You need to fill u your calendar with as many dates as possible. In order to get the most out of duty dating, you should be actively trying to fill up your social calendar with as many dates as you can handle. Go every night if you can! Dating will now be your main source of social entertainment.
You don’t have to take it seriously- in fact, you probably should not. Duty dating is a way for a woman who has been single for a long time to ‘’get back out there,’’ sure, but it’s hard to do that when you have spent so long on your own. The best way to counteract the awkwardness you’re feeling about getting back out into the dating field is to see duty dating as practice. You are not expecting it to go anywhere; if anything, you are hoping it won’t go anywhere. What you will find is that the more practice dates you go, the less nervous you will be about dating in general.
Use dating apps to your advantage. These apps have made duty dating extremely easy. Just say yes to the first few guys who ask you out or to meet up for drinks or dinner and you are set for the week. You will have to deal with flaky dudes here and there, of course, but assuming you are getting twenty plus messages a week, there will always be another guy who is happy to take you out, again and again. Awesome, right?You should date at least three people at a go. Not only should you schedule as many dates as possible, but you should be dating at least three guys at the same time.
You will find yourself feeling and acting more confident and won’t get so upset when one of the dates doesn’t work out because in the back of your mind, you know you will get another chance with someone else tomorrow.Even if the date goes horribly wrong and you really don not want to see the guy again, give him two more chances. Everyone is human and a lot of people get first date jitters. A really awesome part of his personality could be hiding nervousness, so give him a chance to let his true personality shine through. Remember you are playing the numbers game.
Dating has turned into a numbers game and if you are not playing it, you are not serious about getting into a relationship. When you duty date, you are going on so many dates as you can possibly handle. You are putting your judgemental side to bed and giving every guy who approaches or messages you an equal chance. Who knows what your millions of dates will eventually lead to? Chances are, one of them is going to stick!Accept that it is going to be boring at times. It will feel exciting at first, but after a while, it’s going to feel more like an actual duty (pun actually not intended) than something fun to do.
It will almost feel like work, but just know that the deeper you get into it, the better you will get at dating. It’ll have a profound effect on your future love life. A huge reason you should be duty dating right now is because it gives you a sense of fulfilment in your life, especially your love life. Even if the dates are going nowhere, at least you are getting out there and giving it a shot. That way, when a really awesome guy asks you out, you can actually feel like you have got a bunch of other dates in the works and not put all of your attention on him.
Duty dating is good for people who have avoidant personalities. Maybe you will rather spend your evenings alone, doing whatever you want than waste a night with a guy that you know isn’t right for you. That is fair enough, but duty dating forces you to blast past those feelings of doubt and judgement and follow through with the date. It’s just one date- you don’t have to marry the guy, just give him an hour or two of your time. You never know what might come of it. So, girl, the time is now!
Home Coming Concert headed for a grisly CRASH!
Thabiso Tshwenyana is certainly a bright spark. He has been hitting the books, at the same time pushing hustle on radio! Well, you may not know who I’m talking about right now unless I refer to him as ‘Lerapo’, or ‘Bundle of Joy ya Radio’, as he is commonly called by his aficionados on radio.
Lerapo is resolute on taking over the entertainment and broadcasting space, of course wearing many hats as a radio host, content producer and a socialite. Not only that, he is a fresh Real Estate graduate currently functioning as a property analyst.
One may wonder how this young lad (currently 23-years-old) managed to be on radio, at the same time pursuing his Degree in Real Estate. Well, he says it took grit, time management and really doing what one likes. And he is right, because in today’s world anyone can call themselves a presenter. But it takes unparalleled skill, unbreakable determination, and heaps of talent to captivate an audience of millions.
Whether or not you think he’s the best, there’s no arguing that Lerapo is possibly the most prominent young radio presenter to hail from the Botswana. Initially starting his career in 2017, Lerapo earned himself a reputation as ‘Bundle of Joy ya Radio’ by consistently pushing the boundaries of what could be said and done.
His shows consists of outrageous humor and youthful content that’s shocking the radio establishment, and taking young people to cloud 9. The show is called The Youth Café on Duma FM, and airs every Saturday between 2PM and 2PM, broadcasting in vernacular.
When sharing with Weekendlife his startling life on radio and how he will be turning it down this year, he says the journey started back in 2017 at RB2 where he hosted a 30-minute feature. “I am definitely a go-getter. I love radio and this has been my childhood dream! I held onto this dream and survived against all odds. I am happy to be on radio because after all the knockings, snubs and distressing coercions, I persisted nonetheless. Sometimes it was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time.”
Before joining Duma FM in 2019, he was a content producer at yet another youthful urban radio station Yarona FM. At the age of 23-years old, Lerapo has worked at three radio stations, both government and private urban stations. Remarkable! For someone aspiring to be on radio, I can confidently say he is the pluq for inspiration and familiarity.
He continued to dish more on what radio really needs, saying “Taking time to perfect the craft, being open to learn from others and just digging down on books and the internet on how radio works did magic to me. It became easier to comprehend fully what I needed and how to go about getting it.”
Being a radio presenter means having a whole team prior to going on air. This means having a show prep, and reflecting on how the show went down with your producers or programs manager. Programs manager handles the business of the radio station and leave the voice and personality to the presenter.
Presenters have to follow rules of the programs manager even if they may not see eye-to-eye. They may prefer to play safe and repeat music even though sometimes a presenter prefers to take a risk and make changes to the music. Nevertheless, the success of the radio station lies in programs manager’s hands.
“After a show I usually have a reflection on how it went then I plan for the next show. On Tuesdays I have what we call an ‘air check’ with either the programs manager or his assistant to identify hiccups on the previous show and see how best to work on them to have a great delivery on the next show. Since I produce my own show, I give them a preliminary show prep. Once approved, I start contacting guests to be featured on the show and later share the final show prep a day before the show airs with the bosses.”
Still on his show, he does live reads. These are paid adverts that he discusses with the marketing department prior to his show going live. Well, as for a sizzling playlist, the music compiler knows how to serve him right.
He says a great radio hosts listens, reads and makes a show about the listener. ‘A common mistake we make as radio hosts is that we make the show about us and tend to feel that we know more than the listener. We also ought to respect the listener, these are our clients after all. Radio hosts should also refrain from relying on social media for content, most of it is fake and unverified by relevant authorities.”
Tlhabo Kgosiemang
December 2019 was the time a case of the contagious Corona-virus was first identified in Wuhan, China. The world has never been the same again, as the deadly virus swept across countries and killed many people.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include fever, cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste. African countries felt the heat too, as the first case reached the continent through travelers returning from hotspots in Asia, Europe and the United States. The first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on 14 February. Since then a total of 52 countries have reported cases.
Most African countries took swift action early on, and it is largely thanks to these efforts to limit gatherings and strengthen public health capacities. Governments introduced back-to-back lockdowns, curfews and the compulsory wearing of masks in public places.
Some countries suspended forthwith cross-border trading, save for commercial and transit cargo related to essential and critical services. Air transportation, tourism and social events were at one point shelved to mitigate the spread of this virus. For many countries, this mechanism helped reduce infections, however, numbers don’t lie. COVID-19 in Africa has since taken a drastic turn, with numbers now surging at an alarming rate.
The neighboring South Africa has from the onset, been the only country in Africa with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. As of Monday January 4th 2021, there were over 1 Million (1 113 349) infections after the country recorded 12 601 new cases post festive season.
The number of Corona-virus deaths in South Africa has now surpassed the 30 000 mark, the highest in the entire continent. Gauteng province continue to record most cases of the COVID-19, now leading with over 301 thousand cases.
Reports from South Africa say mortuaries have ran out of space as COVID-19 bodies’ pile up. Funeral parlor owners say they are under immense pressure and are battling to cope with the high number of burials they have to perform due to deaths from the contagious Corona-virus.
The country is currently under level 3 lockdown. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during an address that there will be a nationwide curfew from 9PM to 6AM, subsequently banning the sale of alcohol from retail outlets and the on-site consumption.
In Botswana, President Mokgweetsi Masisi extended a curfew until January 31st 2021. In his address to the nation this week, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Edwin Dikoloti said there shall be no movement of people between 8PM and 4AM until month end while the Presidential COVID-19 Task Force team continue to assess the complexity of the virus.
Botswana currently have over 13 thousand (13 613) confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, with a significant number of recoveries that stood at over 12 thousand (12 481), as of Monday this week. The Corona-virus claimed over 45 Batswana lives. There were 563 new cases confirmed on Monday.
According to COVID-19 Case Report, there are 553 859 total tests conducted, 407 055 of which were local tests, while 1827 were transferred out. Zimbabwe has 15,829 confirmed Corona-virus cases and 384 deaths as of January 5, 2021. In response to increased COVID infections, the government instituted a new nationwide lockdown on January 5. Curfew is in effect from 6PM to 6AM. International air travel is still permitted, subject to testing requirements, while international land travel and inter-provincial/inter-city travel are largely prohibited.
As of December 1, the government of Zimbabwe requires all new arrivals to the country to present a negative COVID-19 test result issued within the previous 48 hours. The government provides no option for testing upon arrival for such travelers.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, COVID-19 has found its adventure playground. Tunisia and Egypt are two countries with most cases and deaths recorded, with 139 140 and 138 062 cases. From both countries combined, there are over 10 thousand deaths related to COVID-19.
My Star Botswana has consistently been keeping people glued to their screens every Sunday evening to watch their favourites battle it out for the cash price. This has been the case since the show started back in 2007.
The winners of the controversial competition are usually taken to the United Kingdom for sightseeing and benchmarking.
The whole purpose of My Star was to unearth raw talents and flair from the grass-roots. The show Producer and Director, Keabetswe ‘Master Dee’ Sesinyi, together with his team would scout talent from across the country, including rural areas.
Well, things took turns and twists this time around, as the show failed to attract the much desired attention. Many loyal viewers were not aware that the show had started and to my surprise, the grand finale was way too shallow for a show of its magnitude. Even the show producer didn’t like the turn out. My Star 2020 totally lost touch.
Master Dee made no bones about lack of sponsorship harming the plan to throw an over-the-top grand finale. He says despite him being on his feet every time trying to source sponsors, he ran around in circles and was left out in the cold many a-times. One may wonder how tables turned so drastically.
This is extremely unscrupulous for a protuberant talent show. My Star was considered an A-list show, but more than ten years now and the show is still held at Gaborone Technical College hall, it’s scandalous that the venue cannot be upgraded to match the talent and prestige they are looking for.
“I thank you so supporting the arts. I know everyone came here with a goal to see his or her contestant win. Today we doing things in a different way. It won’t be the usual My Star show that we know because of the COVID-19. The arts have been the hardest hit by this pandemic. The fact remains arts are the foundation of all jobs,” said Master Dee.
He hit the nail on the head. This sector has seen dust this pandemic year. It was the first to be shut, and to date, it has been opened in a phased manner. Well, for social events that mount up larger crowds, the story has not changed. This is because the virus spreads easily when many people get together without health protocols being adhered to.
Master Dee, however, expressed discontentment at how My Star ran without a single sponsor. “I personally know what it is to be artistic, and I understand the passion that each contestant has. But do people understand this passion like we do? It is very sad that we are here to see the reality TV show that comes on the national TV channel every Sunday without the main sponsor. Very sad!”
He gave the small team he was working with a pat on the back for helping him see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“These guys make me see the need to try further. When push comes to shove, they assure me that someone will realize the potential of this project. Through this COVID-19, we have sent more than 28 Batswana youth to Universities. And who doesn’t see that>? What is it going to take for people to understand that this project is not about me, and that it is for Batswana?”
“Sometimes when I speak like this I feel like I could shed a tear. But it is painful sometimes when people don’t see what you see. When I go around looking for sponsors, they say I want to enrich myself. I mean who doesn’t want to be rich? It’s just a fuss,” he said.
Nonetheless, Master Dee showed gratitude to the Youth Ministry for making it possible for young people to be admitted at the Universities. I believe education is key, so I had to fight to see them being admitted in educational institutions, he told few guests at the grand finale.
“I will be naïve if I cannot actually echo the sentiments of government assisting in this manner going forward. But enough can be done. We need corporate companies’ to stand up and not just take from us.”
Meanwhile, Neelo Gopolang was crowned the winner of My Star Season 14. She walked away with P100 000 after garnering herself over 70 000 votes from the general public. First runner up, and people’s favourite Queen Garekwe managed to secure only 2000 plus votes, earning P10 000 from the competition. Justice Nyathi was announced as the second runner up, going home with P10 000 as well.
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MP wants UDC investigated over Motswaledi Report
By Jason Ranthatsa
The outspoken legislator for Francistown West, Ignatius Moswaane says he will table a motion in the coming session of Parliament, which starts next week, calling for government to investigate the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) regarding the party’s delayed release of the Motswaledi report.
Moswaane argues that the report belongs to the nation and not the party as it was the public that was used to contribute money for the investigation.
“I am not interfering in opposition politics. If my memory serves me right, UDC leadership appealed to the nation requesting for financial assistance and a bank account was opened in the name of the late Gomolemo Motswaledi for the investigations surrounding his death to be carried out,” he explained.
Moswaane told this publication that by virtue of being the representative of the people, he was merely trying to speak on their behalf as they now demand to know the truth of the matter. He went on to say that the release of the report cannot be determined by the UDC central committee.
Moswaane also told this publication that UDC must release the accident expert report since it is complete.
“I understand that three reports are complete; two reports from the pathologist and the one from accident expert. The satellite report is the one that is still in progress. So I am curious to know why the three reports cannot be released as they are complete especially that of the pathologist since he is the one who can reveal to the nation as to what caused the death of our beloved brother,” he pointed out.
In response, a UDC Member of Parliament who doubles as the Vice President of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Wynter Mmolotsi dismissed Moswaane as an attention seeker.
“I am aware of that motion and all I can say is that it is ill-conceived as we are not even sure about the Minister who will respond to it. I don’t even think that Moswaane has the support of legislators from the ruling party and as usual his motion will be defeated” remarked Mmolotsi who is also opposition chief whip.
BMD is a party member of the UDC.
Asked about the progress of the report, Mmolotsi said that they are only waiting for the satellite report and as soon as it is complete, they will release a detailed and comprehensive report.
“We cannot release this report in parts as each report must be corroborated with others,” he said.
He also indicated that the public was satisfied with the progress they were making towards the release of the report.
Mmolotsi further took a swipe at Moswaane saying the latter should be investigated for forgery and his bogus petition which led to the postponement of a bye election in Francistown instead.
“The government has no locus standi to investigate UDC since the money to carry the exercise was not from its coffers. Instead it is Moswaane who must be investigated because the government spent much money on that bye election because of his bogus petition,” he explained.
Botswana Congress Party (BCP) spokesperson, Dithapelo Keorapetse told this publication that his party does not have an official position regarding the report on Motswaledi’s death.
He also said that he was disturbed by individual party members making public comments on Motswaledi’s report. Lately, former BCP President, Gilson Saleshando joined the bandwagon of politicians calling for the release of the report warning that failure to do so will result in Batswana losing trust in opposition parties. Earlier this year, BCP youth league President told this publication that as the government in waiting, they need accountability and UDC must therefore release Motswaledi’s report.
Motswaledi died in a freaky car accident two months before the 2014 general elections. UDC would then plead with the public to contribute towards an investigation exercise which was to be carried out thereafter. Banking details were provided for people to deposit their donations. The Botswana Police on behalf of the government later on released a report stating that the former BMD leader died in a car accident uninduced by any foul play. To date, UDC has not released its own independent report, with the ruling BDP accusing it for seeking sympathy votes using Motswaledi’s death.
VP saves deputy F/town mayor’s scalp
BNFYL shudders at 1998 Palapye congress déjà vu
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Good Essay About The Future Of Artificial Intelligence: Looking Forward 50 Years
Topic: Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Human, Future, Vehicles, Innovation
Consistent research efforts by technology experts have led to the birth of artificial intelligence innovations. Artificial intelligence also referred as AI is a science field that focuses on developing machines that exhibit high levels of intelligence (Minsky, p.12). Initially, thought to be a pipe-dream, scientists have made major breakthroughs in the artificial intelligence field. For instance, artificial intelligence has positively contributed in the health sector through the production of technological tools that aid in health care. Like most researchers, artificial intelligence scholars aim at developing innovative ways of reducing human being efforts. Researchers want to enhance productivity of doing things and hence, making human beings lives easier. This paper is interested in forecasting how the artificial intelligence will look in the future.
First, the road to super-intelligence, as targeted by artificial intelligence stakeholders, looks both threatening and promising (CBS). On the promising side, artificial intelligence inventions will enhance the productivity of many firms. Many firms will adopt for new inventions that boost their productivity and hence making them competitive in the market. Firms will thus boost the quality of their products and services. Besides that, many organizations will realize efficiency and, increased revenues since artificial intelligence inventions will boost their overall productivity capacity.
Apart from firms, other sectors will be positively impacted by artificial intelligence inventions. For instance, the medical field will receive a huge boost if scientists develop products that enhance the quality of healthcare. Other sectors that will benefit from artificial intelligence future inventions will include; hospitality, agriculture and even, education (CCTV-America).
Many proponents of the artificial intelligence revolution believe AI will change how man interacts with machines. Proponents believe AI will create a collaborative environment where machines and, human beings depend on each other for survival. For instance, human beings will rely on machine to process enormous or complex data faster and effective. Current innovations have put limited interaction between man and machines, but future innovations will enhance interaction to a level similar to human-human interaction.
Although artificial intelligence provides promising things in the future, it will also lead to many problems (Harris, 24). First, many people believe the AI revolution will lead to the end of mankind. Ideally, technologically advanced machines that have higher intelligence than mankind will compete for survival with human beings and this may lead to conflicts. Similar to a human-wildlife conflict, people will experience a machine-human beings conflict where it is highly probable human beings will be adversely affected since they will be less intelligent than machines.
Apart from machine-human beings conflict, artificial intelligence will affect other aspects of a normal life such as lifestyles and work environments. For instance, people will have poor lifestyle where they do not engage in physical activities since machines will have replaced most effort-requiring activities (CCTV-America). AI will also have adverse effects on the welfare of many people since they will not have jobs. Firms will shift to machines for labor hence rendering many workers redundant. This effect will affect the living standards of many people. Firms will also be affected since they will realize fewer sales or customer growth even though production will be increased. Normally, firms rely on customers for growth but most of their customers will not have the spending power due to lack of jobs.
Not every person sees the positive side of a good venture. Some people may utilize the advancement in artificial intelligence to develop sophisticated weapons that may pose harm to others. For instance, in the race to achieve military superiority many governments have heavily invested in research on technologies that can deliver sophisticated weapons that inflict serious injuries to potential enemies. Some people especially with ill motives of crime or terrorism may use the advantage of AI to acquire tools that may place earth a very insecure place. Instead of making people enjoy the benefits of Artificial Intelligence I inventions, people will live in fear of having attacks.
Similar to the industrial revolution era, the future functioning of the artificial intelligence society will bring many challenges to the social functioning of the society. The society will continue to abandon the traditional aspects of life that define the cultural background of people (Margulies, 36). Moreover, the artificial intelligence era will reduce human-human interactions but enhance machine-human interactions. This means that growth of future human generations will be at stake. Unlike currently, where population is on a growing trend, the future artificial intelligence era will observe a decline in human population.
Based on the paper’s analysis of future effects of artificial intelligence, it is important especially for experts and stakeholders in the artificial intelligence fields to have a critical look on the future effects of artificial intelligence. It is important for these stakeholders to develop policies that monitor the progress of positive inventions while discouraging innovations that may pose a danger to humanity. For instance, there should be a national or global body that controls the artificial intelligence developments, and which guides scientists into developing products that help the world.
CBS. "Carnegie Mellon CoBots Are the Future of Artificial Intelligence - CBS News." CBS News - Breaking News, U.S., World, Business, Entertainment & Video. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
CCTV-America. "The Future of Artificial Intelligence is Shaping Up." CCTV America. N.p., Jan. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Harris, Michael C. Artificial Intelligence. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2011. Print.
Humphrys, Mark. "The Future of Artificial Intelligence." Robot Books.com - Robot Kits, Robotics, and Toy Robots. University of Edinburgh, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Margulies, Phillip. Artificial Intelligence. San Diego: Blackbirch Press, 2004. Print.
MARKOFF, JOHN. "Study to Examine Effects of Artificial Intelligence." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Minsky, Marvin L. The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of the Human Mind. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Print.
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Facts about Lady Godiva
Died: c. 1070
Birthplace: Near Coventry, England
Best known as: The woman who rode through town naked on a horse
A retelling of the tale, with editorial asides
Lady Godiva: The Naked Truth
2001 BBC report attempts to set the record straight
Legend of Lady Godiva
As told by the modern-day Coventry city council
Godgyfu: Godiva of Coventry
Historical background and historical fiction
Lady Godiva Biography
Protesting Equestrian
Lady Godiva (Godgyfu or Godgifu in its original spelling) was married to Leofric, the Earl of Mercia, in what is now the United Kingdom. Around the time of 1057, she and Leofric got in a dispute over the taxes he had levied on the growing city of Coventry, and he challenged her to ride naked through the marketplace, promising to ease the tax burden if she did so. Lady Godiva took the challenge and became a local legend. At least, that’s how the story goes, a story that began to circulate a century after her death. In the 17th century, the detail was added that Lady Godiva had instructed the townsfolk to stay indoors during her ride, but that a man named Tom peeked at her anyway, hence the term "peeping tom."
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T-Mobile and Orange merger approved
Ross Logan
Published: 1:07 PM March 3, 2010 Updated: 8:07 PM November 3, 2020
A MERGER between two of the UK’s largest mobile phone companies has been approved – but it is not known what that will mean for 3,000 workers in Hatfield.
The proposed joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange was approved by the European Commission this week, giving the green light for the two phone giants to form one operator serving around 30m customers.
It will make the new company the UK’s largest provider with 37 per cent of the market, eclipsing current leader 02 by 10 per cent.
Tim H�ttges, CFO of Deutsche Telekom, which operates T-Mobile said: “This is excellent news, for our customers, for our highly committed teams in the UK and for our shareholders.”
But the joint venture also raises questions over the future of the 3,000 workers at T-Mobile’s national headquarters in Hatfield Business Park.
So far, neither company has given details on potential job cuts.
And a spokeswoman for T-Mobile said it was too early to say where the company would be based after the merger, which is not expected to be completed for at least the next 18 months.
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Welwyn Garden City fitness firm celebrates 15 years going strong
Published: 2:07 PM April 26, 2009 Updated: 7:58 PM November 3, 2020
BUCKS Fizz was popped open this month to celebrate the 15th birthday of a get fit class in WGC. Fitness Foundation was started in 1994 at Creswick School in Sir John Newsom Way, and today, even with the moving of the school, it is still going strong. Foun
BUCKS Fizz was popped open this month to celebrate the 15th birthday of a get fit class in WGC.
Fitness Foundation was started in 1994 at Creswick School in Sir John Newsom Way, and today, even with the moving of the school, it is still going strong.
Founder Dawn Willis said: "When I started Fitness Foundation, I didn't think I'd still be teaching 15 years later, but here we are.
"It's the people who make the class friendly and fun - some have been with us since the beginning.
"The team at Creswick School has been very supportive and let us keep going during school holidays."
The Oaklands woman added: "We concentrate on fat-burning exercise to help with losing weight and use a simple pay-as-you-go system to offer complete flexibility
"Exercise should be fun - we continue this theme with a social programme."
Sessions run every Monday from 7.15pm for an hour.
For more information call Dawn on 01438 840040.
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Birding Ecuador and Jocotoco
Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel
Top components of a winter birding getaway are often a warmer climate and seeing new and endemic birds. I have made a number of trips to Ecuador, but I have made a number of trips to Ecuador, but one of the most interesting was when I visited several of the jewel-like reserves of the Jocotoco Foundation — an NGO which was founded over 20 years ago to preserve the habitats of globally endangered species and endemics. Apart from the stunning beauty of some of these reserves, you are almost ensured to add new birds to your list. But more importantly, your visit helps make it possible for those birds to continue to exist in their natural habitat.
The discovery of a new species of bird on a critically endangered habitat was the beginning of the Jocotoco Foundation, when in 1998 Robert Ridgely was doing research in Ecuador and discovered an
Masked Flowerpiercer
antpitta unknown to science and teetering on the brink of extinction. With the help of Nigel Simpson, the remnant of this bird’s habitat was purchased and made into a reserve, protecting it from future development. The bird was named the Jocotoco Antpitta (the featured bird at the top of our newsletter this month), and this successful method of protection set in motion the beginning of what is now a baker’s dozen of stunning reserves in Ecuador of varying sizes – each one benefiting birds which are globally threatened and local endemics. In fact, currently 36 of the 51 globally threatened birds in Ecuador exist in Jocotoco reserves which cover over 22,000 hectares, protecting more than 900 species of birds, of which more than 100 species are regional endemics or species of restricted geographical distribution. And if this isn’t enough nature for you, the reserves are awash with 200 species of amphibians and reptiles, many of which are threatened and several newly discovered; and they protect large and rare mammals such as the Spectacled Bear, Mountain Tapir, Chocó Tapir, Puma and Jaguar. In short, these reserves are treasure-troves.
On the trip I took with some friends, we visited three of the 5 reserves which have lodges – all in the south of Ecuador. Not each reserve has facilities, but those that do provide comfortable digs with hot water, private baths, often wifi and excellent food. We stayed at the Casa Simpson at Tapichalaca Reserve where you are guaranteed excellent views of the Jocotoco Antpitta. It is also home to other globally threatened birds like Bearded Guan, Coppery-chested Jacamar and Masked Mountain Tanager, and is an important migration corridor for Andean Tapir, Spectacled Bear, Puma, Andean Paca, Red-Sprocket Deer and Andean Coati. At nearly 7000 feet, this location can be a bit cool at night but you will be plied with tasty soups and lots of tea, and there is a very warm fire in the common area! The habitat is stunning – lush forest with beautiful birds and equally wonderful natural surround sound. It’s a jewel of a location and every trip to Jocotoco Foundation reserves should include this one.
We also visited The Umbrellabird Lodge at Buenaventura which is in the same general area but at a lower altitude and is a tropical rainforest. In 1980 Robert Ridgely discovered the El Oro Parakeet here and this reserve was created to preserve the remnant forest in which this species lives which is now surrounded by pasture. There are 330 species of birds including 15 globally endangered species and 34 endemics, lots of hummingbirds at feeders around the lodge and of course, there are Umbrellabirds, and loads of Coatis wandering around in plain sight. Capuchin Monkeys and Two-toed Sloths are among the other animals seen here and it’s a wonderful tropical experience. Urraca Lodge which is in Jurupe Reserve is Tumbesian dry forest with 190 bird species including all the endemic Tumbesian dry forest birds – 15 of which are globally threatened. If King Vultures are on your list of go-to birds, this is the place to find them.
Using these three lodges, it’s also possible to easily visit some of the other Jocotoco Foundation reserves which do not have their own lodges, such as Utuana which is a small remnant reserve which supports 100 species including some spectacular hummingbirds and tanagers.
Ecuador offers a wide variety of birding and nature opportunities, but the Jocotoco Foundation offers a dozen beautiful locations around Ecuador where you can be in the wilderness and see rare and endemic birds and fabulous wildlife fairly easily. And because the lodges are small and remote, you will have a real wilderness experience. To find out more about how to book a trip to their lodges, check out their ecotour site Jocotours and get ready for some spectacular sightings!
Categories: Birdwatching TipsTags: where to watch birds, Hummingbirds, Birdwatching, Travel, Endangered Birds, Neotropical Birding, Latin America Birding
3 Billion Birds Gone – What Else Can I Do To Help?
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Brotherhood Rises
Assassin's Creed Origins gets a riveting launch trailer
Assassin's Creed Origins is almost here and it looks visually stunning. The game focuses on the birth of the Assassin's Brotherhood and how they formed out of a turbulent time in Egypt's history.
Asher Madan
The launch trailer focuses on all aspects of gameplay and is rather action-packed. It looks like the game contains everything from political intrigue to deception and betrayal. However, what's most striking about the title are its visuals. The game is striking, and should serve as a visual showcase for the power of the Xbox One X.
Assassin's Creed Origins is a new beginning as you take on epic enemies with a whole new combat system. There's also loot and other elements which are hallmarks of the role-playing genre. The game's season pass expands the game by introducing new areas and missions. However, there's a lot of lot of free content coming which Ubisoft hopes will keep players coming back for more. For example, just like Destiny and Destiny 2, there are daily challenges which may task you with killing a certain enemy.
The Assassin's Creed franchise definitely needed a shift in direction because the previous games, especially Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Syndicate, lacked thrill. For some, the inching towards the modern era caused Assassin's Creed to lose their majesty and wonder. The Ancient Egyptian setting is definitely a breath of fresh air and not only is it good for Ubisoft because it has captivated a lot of players, but it's also good for fans because they've been requesting it for a while.
Assassin's Creed Origins launches this week on October 27, 2017 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The base version is priced at $59.99. For those worried about loot crates, be sure to check out how they work here.
See at Microsoft
Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!
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Home News Local News CEOM Deems St. Vincent & the Grenadines General Elections Free and Fair
CEOM Deems St. Vincent & the Grenadines General Elections Free and Fair
S Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The CARICOM Election Observation Mission for the November 5 2020 General Elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has concluded that the elections were free and fair and free from fear and that the outcome reflected the will of the people.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party won nine of the 15 seats contested in the elections, with the other six going to the opposition’s New Democratic Party led by Lawyer Dr. Godwin Friday.
The Observation Mission, led by Mr. Anthonyson King of Antigua and Barbuda, issued a Preliminary Statement on the elections on Saturday (November 7).
The Mission’s assessment of Election Day was that there were no incidents of intimidation of voters inside or outside of the voting precincts. The agents of the parties also testified that there were no irregularities and that the process was generally peaceful and orderly.
All members of the CEOM agreed that the process was conducted according to law and was done without any intimidation or fear. They also reported that there was adequate security at each location and that the officers displayed a very professional approach to their duties.
Previous articleLocal Boxing Association Barred From Voting In International Congress Following Accusation of Corruption
Next articleSt. Kitts & Nevis Commemorates 102nd Anniversary of the End of First World War
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The Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park & Wildlife Area: A Brief Story
Erected by the Friends of the Marsh
Elkhart Lake, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
43° 50.986′ N, 88° 2.881′ W
The Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park & Wildlife Area
— The Marsh, The Tower, The Friends & The Mission —
The Mission: Promote the Increased Use and Appreciation of the Unique Beauty of the Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Through Education and Recreation
The Marsh
The Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park and Wildlife Area is the prominent feature in a 133 square mile watershed of the Sheboygan River. This pristine area contains about 14,000 acres of land and surface water, of which 7,414 acres are owned by Sheboygan County and an additional 752 acres are owned by the State of Wisconsin. The balance is under private ownership.
The Marsh exists due to the retreat of the last glacier that covered the region. Melt waters and successive flows were blocked by a prominent rock outcropping which served as a dam.
Over thousands of years, the original glacial lake formed behind the rock outcropping and filled with decaying plant matter to form the present day Marsh. In fact, up to 100 feet of marl and peat fill the basin.
The Marsh is home to whitetailed deer, wild turkeys, coyotes, fox, great blue herons, sandhill cranes, ruffed grouse, red-tailed hawks, sora rails, yellow-headed blackbirds, rabbits, raccoons, muskrats, and mink. The Marsh is an important waterfowl nesting and staging area. Fish species include northern pike, bass, black bullhead, and panfish. In addition to these widely known animals, the Marsh is also a biological repository for countless other creatures and organisms, many of which may never be seen by the casual observer.
Most people would probably agree that preserving the Marsh is a good idea, but that was not the case from about 1870 to about 1930. During those years, there were several schemes to drain the Marsh and convert it to farmland. An enormous steam-powered dredge was used to dig ditches, and more than 20 miles of those drainage ditches can still be seen and traversed in the Marsh today.
Large parts of the Marsh actually were drained by these attempts, but the personal fortunes of investors were squandered as sales of the drained lands never materialized. Instead of the “Utopia” proponents had hoped for, draining the Marsh resulted in environmental devastation, and large areas of the Marsh became wastelands instead of wetlands.
Beginning in 1927, conservation - minded citizens began attempts to restore the Marsh. These efforts were led by Charles E. Broughton and the Sheboygan Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. Mr. Broughton started by donating 80 acres of the land to Sheboygan County. The County subsequently purchased 6,349 acres at a public foreclosure. In 1938, a dam was constructed by the Federal Works Progress Administration. The new dam quickly reflooded the area, and the Marsh once again flourished as it does to this day.
The Tower & The Friends
Continuing with Mr. Broughton's vision, the Friends of the Marsh formed in 2005 to help protect and promote the Marsh. The Friends set their sights, literally, skyward.
In 2006, soon after formally becoming an entity, the Friends started to raise money to construct the State of Wisconsin's tallest wooden observation tower, the tower you now stand beneath.
The kickoff began by hoisting local media and interested citizens up 100' in a fire truck bucket. Fundraising started by collecting spare change in buckets at local events. However, progress soon began in earnest when many large donations from local foundations and employers became a reality.
In 2008, the Friends applied for and were granted official non-profit status to help further the fundraising efforts, but soon after, the economic downturn of the time period took its toll on donations. Fortunately, the local construction company, Jos. Schmitt & Sons, found it in their heart to build the Tower with the promise of the Friends repaying them as they could.
With much fanfare, the Tower opened to the public Christmas Day 2009 and stands at an impressive 80' above the surrounding landscape offering expansive views of the jewel that is the Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park & Wildlife Area.
The marker is located at a parking lot adjacent to the Sheboygan River, at the Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park & Campground, located at the southernmost end of County Road N R, south of its intersection with County Highway J, at or near the 8000 block of County Road N R, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 53020.
Examiner.com (December 27, 2009): State's tallest wooden tower at Sheboygan County Marsh opens to the public
Friends of the Sheboygan Marsh
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area
Wisconsin's Elkhart Lake: Broughton Marsh Park
Sheboygan County: Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park & Campground
The marker is visible at the base of the tower.
An identical marker at a different location.
The markers are located at The Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park &
Wildlife Area in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Labels: Sheboygan County Wisconsin Historical Markers
Location: 8600-8698 County Rd N R, Elkhart Lake, WI 53020, USA
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Lotto player living the dream after big win
9th September 2020 7:02am
Lottery News » Lotto player living the dream after big win
A lotto player from North Carolina is literally living the dream after winning $100,000 on a Gold Rush scratch-off ticket she purchased for $20.
Kaila Moore of Durham who had previously never played the lottery decided to take a chance on the game after dreaming that she had bought a winning ticket.
"I've never bought a lottery ticket ever in my entire life," she said. "I literally had a dream that I bought a scratch-off. So, when I woke up, I went and bought one."
"I was with my mom, she was more excited about it than me!"
The young winners' dreams are now made of going to medical school, investing and saving for her future.
"I plan to go to medical school, and medical school is not cheap!" she went on to say. "I'm going to invest some of it in a mutual fund and the rest I'm going to save."
After collecting her after-tax prize of $70,756 from the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday Moore must now be pinching herself to check if it is all one big dream or real!
A lottery official has since confirmed there are three of six second-tier prizes of $100,000 remaining in the $4,000,000 Gold Rush instant game and two of three top prizes of $4,000,000 left to claim.
Sweet Dreams World Lotto Players!
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Clemson sweeps UNLV
Updated: 12:12 AM EDT May 6, 2014
Brad Fralick
Junior righthander Jake Long pitched seven effective innings in No. 24 Clemson’s 5-2 victory over UNLV at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Monday night to sweep the two-game series. Long (3-3) tossed 7.0 innings, the most in his brief career as a Tiger, to earn the win. He allowed six hits, two runs and three walks with two strikeouts. Drew Moyer pitched the ninth inning to record his second save of the season. Rebel starter Kenny Oakley (3-5) suffered the loss despite yielding only three hits in 6.1 innings pitched. Garrett Boulware’s base-loaded walk scored the first of two runs in the first inning for the Tigers (29-19). After UNLV (29-18) scored a run in the top of the third inning, Tyler Krieger’s run-scoring double and Chris Okey’s sacrifice fly gave Clemson a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Boulware’s double in the seventh inning plated Krieger to increase the Tigers’ lead to 5-2.Article Courtesy: www.clemsontigers.com
CLEMSON, S.C. —
Junior righthander Jake Long pitched seven effective innings in No. 24 Clemson’s 5-2 victory over UNLV at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Monday night to sweep the two-game series.
Long (3-3) tossed 7.0 innings, the most in his brief career as a Tiger, to earn the win. He allowed six hits, two runs and three walks with two strikeouts. Drew Moyer pitched the ninth inning to record his second save of the season. Rebel starter Kenny Oakley (3-5) suffered the loss despite yielding only three hits in 6.1 innings pitched.
Garrett Boulware’s base-loaded walk scored the first of two runs in the first inning for the Tigers (29-19). After UNLV (29-18) scored a run in the top of the third inning, Tyler Krieger’s run-scoring double and Chris Okey’s sacrifice fly gave Clemson a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Boulware’s double in the seventh inning plated Krieger to increase the Tigers’ lead to 5-2.
Article Courtesy: www.clemsontigers.com
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Technology Rules The Waves At America’s Cup
The America’s Cup will not only see holders New Zealand battle Italian challengers Prada for one of the oldest trophies in sport but also determine who has the latest and best in a multi-million dollar technology race.
Millions of dollars have been spent on designing and building better yachts since Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup off San Diego in 1995. It will all come to a head when the first race starts tomorrow on the Hauraki Gulf.
Eleven challengers from seven nations started out in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series last October, each with an average budget of about $US20 million (about $NZ41). Prada, which threw anywhere between $US50 million and $US100 million into their challenge, emerged as the best boat and will take on New Zealand in the America’s Cup match.
Blake’s syndicate has invested $US20 million in their defence after they won in 1995 to become only the second country after Australia in 1983 to take the Cup away from the Americans. Much of each syndicate’s budget has been invested in the technology race, with teams of experts focusing on the design and construction of hulls, rigs, the sails which hang off those rigs and even on methods of measuring the performance of the boats. The intensity of the hi-tech battle means that competitors will look for technology that gives them even the tiniest of advantages in speed and strength.
While the International America’s Cup Class yachts must meet minimum and maximum limits for length, sail area and weight, designers look for crucial advantages in such areas as sail composition and the design and shape of hulls, bows and keels. Yacht designers have spent thousands of hours studying computer simulations of hull designs, putting models in test tanks and rigs in wind tunnels in a bid to produce the best boat.
With so many small differences between the boats, New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts believes it will be hard to know which is the fastest boat. “Even after one or two days of racing we probably still won’t know because the performance might vary in the different conditions,” Coutts said. “We’ll probably know at the end of the regatta — maybe.”
The consensus among observers after the challengers’ series and watching New Zealand in practice is that the two boats are evenly matched for speed. “What you have got to realise is that we test boats for hours on end out here, trying to test small differences, and often can’t come up with a solution,” Coutts said. “So if there is a big difference in the boats we’ll know, but if there is a small difference in the boats it could take quite some time to establish.”
Most of the research in recent years has gone into development of the rigs which hold up the sails and of the keel and rudders which hang below the hulls. Team New Zealand’s design team headed by Tom Schnackenberg have come up with a deeper keel with a flattened lead torpedo-shaped bulb on the bottom and narrow winglets off the side to provide stability.
Prada’s design team led by German Frers and Doug Peterson have gone for a slightly shorter keel with a bigger bulb at the bottom with sloping winglets off the back. The Italian boat also has a longer and thinner rudder while New Zealand’s black-hulled boat has a more raked bow. The America’s Cup is not only a race to improve technology but also to control it.
Prada has purchased a whole year’s supply of a particular kind of high-tech sail cloth used to make spinnakers, effectively shutting ccompetitors out of the market. The cloth was first produced for Bill Koch’s successful 1992 US defender America Cubed and has become known as “cuban fibre”. It is made of an ultra-strong artificial fabric known as Spectra with a quarter of a millimetre of Mylar laminate over it. Each sail costs about $US60,000.
The cloth gave Prada a clear edge in reliability and strength during the challenger series but their decision to buy all of the 1999 production run angered o
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Editor in Chief: Henry Jacob
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Henry is a senior in Saybrook majoring in History and pursuing a Certificate in Spanish. Henry’s scholarly interest lies in Panama. He is conducting research on Panama’s role as a cynosure of imperial designs across centuries and empires. Now that Henry cannot travel to the archives, he has made his parent’s third floor his academic garret. When not meeting writing deadlines or responding to emails on the YHR account, Henry tries to convince his mom and dad to adopt a COVID cat. Henry promises that he will be diligent in cleaning the litter box.
Co-Managing Editor: Oona Holahan
Oona Holahan is a senior English Major from Los Angeles, CA. She focuses on Modern Poetry, with a particular interest in the work of Elizabeth Bishop. She loves studying literature and has recently developed an interest in Food History.
Co-Managing Editor: Sally Ma
Sally Ma, Pauli Murray ’21, is from Shanghai. She curated the inaugural exhibit of Center for Women’s History at New-York Historical Society. Her research on Betty Friedan won the Negley Prize.
Treasurer: Christopher Sung
Christopher is a senior history student in Grace Hopper College and a proud native of Montgomery County, Maryland. At Yale, his research interests include both intellectual and East Asian history. With the guidance of Professor Valerie Hansen—for whom he has now worked two years as a research assistant—Christopher plans to write his undergraduate thesis on the controversial historiography of the Ming treasure voyages. His inquiry will focus primarily on British author Gavin Menzies' pseudo-academic, and yet commercially successful research on the maritime journeys of Chinese explorer Zheng He and seek to answer questions regarding the public's willingness to adopt dubious information against scholarly consensus. When at home, Christopher enjoys hikes at the Shenandoah Valley and visits to local Civil War battlefield parks. He lives with his mother and thirteen-year-old brother
Senior Editor: Morgan Baker
Morgan (she/they) is a senior Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major in Jonathan Edwards College. Her academic work explores how marginalized Americans have employed alternative spirituality as a means of negotiating the disappointments of citizenship, and asks further how we might use embodied spiritual practices to imagine a more just world. In addition, Morgan is a yoga teacher, an inspired home cook, and a member of the Whiffenpoof Class of 2021!
Senior Editor: Nathalie Beauchamps
Nathalie is a senior in Jonathan Edwards college at Yale. She is a political science and economics double major and has a love for the French language, which took her to Paris in the spring of 2020. Her academic interests center around the educational achievement gap in America which is the central focus of her thesis. Her favorite things to do at Yale include playing violin for the Davenport Pops orchestra, going on runs, lounging on cross campus with friends and, ironically, studying abroad. She’s also proud to be serving as a first-year counselor during her last year here.
Senior Editor: Daniel Blatt
Daniel is a senior from Washington, D.C. He lives in Silliman College and is majoring in History and Classical Civilization. While Daniel is not reading Tacitus or Thomas Jefferson, he enjoys birding, running, skiing, traveling, and walking his goldendoodle, Jackson.
Senior Editor: Grace Blaxill
Grace is from Princeton, NJ and is a junior in Pierson. As a Classics and English major, she studies how languages offer insight into the cultures which produce them. She’s also an aspiring writer.
Senior Editor: Lydia Burleson
Lydia is a senior English major at Yale, with an interest in American class-focused literature. She hopes to complete a writing concentration in nonfiction and is passionate about exploring and combatting the boundaries of classism in America. Fun fact: Lydia has driven 24 hours cross-country from her rural hometown in Texas to New Haven two times (and hopes to never do it again!).
Senior Editor: Ale Andres Campillo
Ale Andres Campillo (They/Them/Theirs) is a senior in Jonathan Edwards College from Los Angeles, California. Pursuing a double major in Theater Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, Ale has performed in over a dozen productions all the while leading intercultural protests to amplify BIPOC & Transgender voices in the arts. Their thesis is looking to explore Latino history through the lens of sonic resistance in the late 20th early 21st pop music industry. As a proud first generation Mexican-Cuban American, you can catch Ale cooking Latinx food at La Casa Cultural where they used to work as a student coordinator. Ale recently released independent original music on all streaming platforms in August 2020 and is deeply infatuated by Lorde, Empress Of, and ABRA (they may have run a fan account for Lorde at one point).
Senior Editor: Serena Cho
Serena is a senior double majoring in Humanities and Ethics, Politics & Economics. She is interested in exploring ways to cultivate a healthy public sphere and how journalists can contribute to that endeavor. More broadly, she studies political communication, the role of the media and the function of public language. Serena also enjoys reporting and serves as the managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
Senior Editor: Jisoo Choi
Jisoo is a junior in Davenport from Ellicott City, Maryland. Her research interests include contemporary art history and postcolonial theory. Her favorite hobby is trying green tea-flavored snacks.
Digital Director: Rodrigo Chousal Cantu
Rodrigo is an international sophomore from Mexico in Pauli Murray College. He is currently studying Computer Science as well as Architecture. He listens to all kinds of music in his spare time.
Senior Editor: Gage Denmon
Gage Denmon is a senior in Timothy Dwight majoring in Comparative Literature with a focus on the Russian language and was raised in the swamps and pine forests of Southeast Texas. Hoping to understand just how well creative writing can represent consciousness and the human psyche, Gage's primary area of interest is the intersection of literature and psychology, particularly in the works of Dostoyevsky and Southern Gothic fiction. On the side, he has a passion for learning about the development of political and philosophical ideologies and how they changed the material, cultural, and psychological environments they occupied. When he’s not reading, Gage spends his time outdoors, either lounging under a tree or rock climbing.
Digital Director: Lane Fischer
Lane Fischer MC ‘23 grew up in rural Ellis, Kansas where he lived and worked on his family farm. Lane is interested in American history and politics, with a focus on the American community.
Digital Director: Rebecca Goldberg
Rebecca Goldberg is a senior English major who loves graphic design and writing science fiction. She has designed for dozens of publications and small businesses, and works as an assistant curator at the Beinecke Library. The thing she misses most in quarantine is live concerts, but she's currently trying to make up for them by learning electric guitar.
Senior Editor: Emma Gray
Emma Gray is a senior in Saybrook from New York City. She is interested in both religious and intellectual history. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and playing with her puppy.
Senior Editor: Meghanlata Gupta
Meghanlata Gupta (Morse College) is a rising senior majoring in Ethnicity, Race & Migration from Ann Arbor, Michigan. As a citizen of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, her research and organizing work focuses on Indigenous histories, archival practices, and storytelling techniques through journalism. One fun fact is that she recently adopted four comet goldfish and has enjoyed setting up their new home.
Senior Editor: Jacqueline Hayre-Pérez
Jaqueline Hayre-Pérez is a senior from Boston double-majoring in Political Science and Religious Studies. She is writing her RLST thesis on U.S. military chaplains and her PLSC thesis on the ethics and efficacy of negotiating with terrorists. She remains president of Yale Students of Mixed Heritage, which bridges all four (now-remote) cultural houses. Before the pandemic, she contributed to the New Haven community through RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Student Education), New Haven Legal Aid, and No Closed Doors. Her hobbies include an affinity for medieval warfare, and she is proficient in (roughly) six types of medieval European weapons. It is no surprise that she was a walk-on to varsity fencing and a member of club archery at Yale. Someday, she would be eager to combine her horseback-riding and spear-throwing experience to have a whack (literally and figuratively) at a real jousting quintain.
Senior Editor: Greg Jany
Greg is a senior History and Economics major in Jonathan Edwards College from Jakarta, Indonesia. Greg specializes in Asian history, and he is currently researching the social lives of Chinese labourers across the British and Dutch empires of Southeast Asia. He enjoys trying out new recipes and recreating old ones.
Senior Editor: Sharmaine Koh
Sharmaine Koh (Silliman College '22, History) hails from sunny Singapore, so it's no surprise that she kindles a keen interest in East and Southeast Asian study, as well as conflict studies. Outside of the YHR, she is an armour officer in the Singapore Army and also Co-President of the Malaysian and Singaporean Association at Yale. Sharmaine is also currently part of STAND at Yale, where she marries her academic interests with her belief in the need for historical justice, women's and human rights. She also loves to play soccer, sing and explore nature, and cannot live without at least 2 cups of kopi o kosong a day (black coffee, no sugar, in Singaporean speak).
Senior Editor: Lica Porcile
Lica is a senior double majoring in History and Political Science, so she is very interested in political and legal history, as well as the history of social movements. She was born in Brazil, but lived many years with her family in Chile before coming to Yale. While she loves Netflix documentaries and historical fiction series, her guilty pleasure is reality tv (she watched all of Selling Sunset in a day).
Senior Editor: Alexandra McCraven
Alex is a senior in Jonathan Edwards from Cheshire, CT. She is interested in the impact of slavery on modern systems and societal relations in the United States. She is also a member of the women’s soccer team.
Senior Editor: Mary Clare McMahon
Mary Clare McMahon is a senior history major in Ezra Stiles College. Her research focuses on early 20th century Cuban history, but she is also interested in postcolonial political history from across the Global South. Her favorite TV show is The Office and her favorite food is ice cream.
Senior Editor: Miranda Papes
Miranda is a senior in Pauli Murray College. She is from Frisco, Texas and enjoys researching France and German involvement in World War II. In her free time, Miranda also enjoys traveling the world to scuba dive among some of the most famous reefs.
Senior Editor: Kaley Pillinger
Kaley Pillinger is a native New Yorker and senior in Ezra Stiles majoring in History (BA/MA) and Economics. Within the History major, Kaley focuses on urban history and specifically relationships between real estate and community construction in her home city. Outside the classroom, Kaley is the Editor in Chief emerita of the Yale Politic, served on the board of the Yale College Democrats for two years, and was selected as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow to work for an affordable housing developer in New Haven. As is fitting for any good student of the city of New York, Kaley still can't drive and has an unshakeable love for bagels.
Senior Editor: Alex Reedy
Alex is a senior in Branford College and hails from Marietta, Georgia. Alex is a history major whose main interests lie within economic history, social change and movements, and urban studies. At Yale, his main pursuits have included research at the Yale School of Medicine as well as writing for other publications. On campus, he is most likely to be found walking briskly, either to make it to a class he overslept for or to return to his suite in Branford to retrieve a forgotten notebook. Outside of academics, Alex enjoys running, playing golf, and writing. A fun fact about him is that as of this writing, he has eaten Chipotle for dinner for the past 22 days in a row (and ordered the same thing every time).
Senior Editor: Brian Reyes
Brian Reyes is a senior in Berkeley College majoring in History. He is interested in race, capitalism, and politics, especially concerning the rise of neoliberalism since the 1970s. His senior essay discusses the racial politics of labor organizing in post-1975 New York City. During his time at Yale, he has done research at the University of Chicago, currently conducts research as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, and has worked on several legislative and community campaigns with the state advocacy organization Connecticut Students for a Dream.
Senior Editor: Gabriel Roy
Gabriel Roy (TD’21) is a senior from Newark, DE. They have a special research interest in North African colonial history, and are currently writing their senior thesis on the French civilizing mission in Tunisia.
Senior Editor: Harry Rubin
Weighing in at 150 pounds, with a lifetime record of 0-0, out of St. Louis, Missouri, is Harry. When he returns from a semester off, Harry will be a Senior in Timothy Dwight College. As this is the site of The Yale Historical Review, it should come as no surprise that he is majoring in History.
Senior Editor: Matthew Sáenz
Matthew is a senior in Davenport College from Riverside, California majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Development Biology. When he's not conducting RNA biology research, he's particularly interested on American intellectual history and religious studies. Fun fact: he is 1/2 Korean and 1/2 Mexican!
Senior Editor: Varun Sikand
Varun Sikand is a junior in Branford College from Colts Neck, New Jersey studying History and Philosophy. He is most interested in political theory, intellectual history, and the ancient world. Outside of class, Varun enjoys golf, watching hockey, and playing chess.
Senior Editor: Jeremy Sontchi
Jeremy is a senior (Class of 2021) in Trumbull College from Hockessin, DE. He is a history major specializing in military history; his senior thesis being written this year will examine the evolution of performative gender in post-revolutionary Connecticut. Jeremy’s primary research interests concern the intersection of gender, economic, and military history to examine how the stresses of war impact and shape social and economic power structures in the modern world. Alongside these private research interests, he also works as a research assistant for the Yale Nile Initiative examining the interactions between civil conflict and climactic disruption in Ptolemaic Egypt. Outside of academia, Jeremy can often be found in the kitchen, where he particularly enjoys bread making and cake decorating, hiking with his dogs, or playing quizbowl.
Senior Editor: Mary Tate
A native of Vladivostok and Auckland, Mary Tate is a senior pursuing a joint BA/MPH degree in History of Science, Medicine and Public Health, and in the Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Mary's academic interests lie in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region. Her previous research has focused on labor migration, people living with HIV, and injecting drug use in post-Soviet spaces. Apart from research, Mary also volunteers with the Community Health Care Van and New Haven Syringe Service.
Senior Editor: Alvin Winston
Alvin is a Senior in the History department. He studies American history with a focus on the history of black people in America. Before Yale, Alvin was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. With his mom serving as a teacher and many of his early childhood memories being created in public school buildings, he is deeply passionate about improving the American education system. After graduation, Alvin hopes to earn his JD/PhD with the aspirations of serving as a professor.
Senior Editor: Isabella Yang
Born and raised in the historical city of Nanjing, China, Isabella came to the U.S. at the age of fifteen and has been residing on the East Coast ever since. She is a senior in Saybrook college, and, because of her background, has always been interested in the history of cross-cultural exchanges between East Asia and the Western world. She double-majors in History and History of Art, and recently has been focusing her studies on the material culture of maritime trade in the early modern period. One fun fact about her is that during the coronavirus pandemic, she became part of a team in Yale's History of Science & Medicine department that built a website called "Epidemic Histories," and wrote two articles on historical folklore and propaganda elements in visual representations of pandemics - themes she otherwise would have never explored before!
Digital Director: Kelly Zhou
Kelly Zhou is excited to be a part of The Yale Historical Review team. In addition to history, she is deeply interested in interdisciplinary work and is majoring in Computing and the Arts with a concentration in graphic design. Along with computer science and fine arts, she loves exploring a variety of disciplines and art fields, including music, film production, and ornithology.
Associate Editor: Chloe Adda
Chloe Adda is a Junior at Yale University where she is simultaneously pursuing her bachelor's and master's degrees in Political Science. Her studies are primarily centered around law and human rights. When she is not writing for YHR, she can be found volunteering, taking a hike with friends, or drinking lots of coffee.
Associate Editor: Nadean Alnajjar
Nadean Alnajjar (she/her) is a junior in Jonathan Edwards, majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, with the intent to study medicine. From Brooklyn, New York, she is interested in exploring the history of medicine in the United States, particularly as it pertains to minority groups. Nadean loves languages: she has studied Spanish for nine years, and is currently learning Arabic.
Associate Editor: Fiona Benson
Fiona Benson is a Junior in Saybrook College, majoring in American Studies. She is interested in women’s history, formations of political parties, and the history of music and theater. She is also a member of The New Blue a cappella group!
Associate Editor: Mathis Bitton
Mathis Bitton is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College studying philosophy and political theory. Hailing from Rabat, Morocco, his research interests include modern intellectual history, French and British political history, Jewish history, and African-American history. Mathis loves playing French Tarot, and began a collection of French Tarot-decks at the age of 12.
Associate Editor: Rachel Blatt
Rachel Blatt is a sophomore in Silliman College from Washington D.C. She is majoring in history and is interested in American, European, and Middle Eastern history. In her free time, Rachel loves to knit sweaters.
Associate Editor: Joe Boland
A sophomore History major in Ezra Stiles, Joe Boland is currently a Research Assistant at the Program in Grand Strategy as well as within International Security Studies at Yale. A native of Washington, D.C., and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he has spent time working for Georgetown University, National Defense University, the Aspen Institute, and the Department of Justice. At Yale, he is the Vice-President of the Sophomore Class Council and is a Senator on Yale’s College Council. In the end, his academic interests lie within questions of self-autonomy, territorial sovereignty, international relations, and economic development.
Associate Editor: Jared Brunner
Jared Brunner is a junior in Pauli Murray College from Fairfield, New Jersey. He is majoring in philosophy, and enjoys studying medieval literature and intellectual history. In his spare time, he can be found writing poetry, fixing vintage cars with his brother, or spinning records with his roommate.
Associate Editor: Calvin Chai-Onn
Calvin is a sophomore in TD from Newport Beach, CA. At Yale he studies political science and history, with a special interest in political theory, medieval Europe, and American legal history. He enjoys telling anyone who will listen why the Star Wars prequels are not that bad.
P&D Consultant: Lee Chen
Lee is a sophomore in Branford College majoring in computer science and studying design. She is passionate about making technology intuitive and accessible for people of all ages and educational levels. When she is not designing, she would be at the beach, looking for baby sea turtles or little crabs. Outside of YHR, she is involved with YHack and Y Fashion House.
Associate Editor: Emilia Fernández
Emilia Fernández is a history major from San Francisco interested in social change and social movements. Emilia is in Benjamin Franklin college and enjoys painting and hiking when not studying.
Associate Editor: Sadikshya Ghimire
Sadikshya is a sophomore in Jonathan Edwards College majoring in political science and pursuing a Certificate in Spanish. She hopes to become a concentration major focusing on race, ethnicity, and politics and plans to study civil rights or human rights law in the future. Outside of YHR, she is involved with YULAA and the South Asian Society.
Associate Editor: Julianna Gross
Julianna Gross is a sophomore in Davenport College from Olney, Maryland. She is most interested in studying 20th and 21st-century literature. Even though she is an English major, she plans to pursue a career in medicine!
Associate Editor: Zachary Groz
Zachary Groz is a sophomore in Jonathan Edwards College, double majoring in History and Classics. His research interests include early modern intellectual history and Atlantic history. Outside of the Review, he is an associate editor at the New Journal.
Associate Editor: Alex Halberstam
Alex Halberstam is a junior in TD from Ann Arbor, Michigan! She is majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. Alex loves to run, sit outside, learn new things, and explore New Haven’s many parks. She works with the Health Justice Lab at the School of Medicine, researching the relationship between incarceration, communities, and health. On campus you can find her exploring, playing trumpet in the Davenport Pops Orchestra, talking about voter registration with the Yale College Democrats, or tutoring with the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project.
Associate Editor: Margaret Hedeman
Margaret Hedeman ’23, from Concord, Massachusetts, is majoring in History on the World Economy tract. She is particularly interested in the effects of globally significant economic events.
Associate Editor: Julia Hornstein
A New Yorker born and bred, Julia is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles double majoring in History and English. In addition to the Yale Historical Review, Julia serves as a Print Associate Editor and Head Communications Director for the Yale Politic and also leads incoming first-years on FOOT trips. When she isn’t running late for her history seminar, you can probably find Julia working the ski lifts, reporting on rodeos for the Jackson Hole News&Guide or walking her two dogs with her twin sister. While quarantining with her family this past spring, Julia perfected her chocolate chip cookie recipe (and only burned two batches in the process).
Associate Editor: Iman Iftikhar
Iman(she/her/hers) is a Sophomore in Morse College double majoring in History and Economics. On campus she is involved with Yale Debate Association, Yale Women's Center, and the South Asian Society to name a few. In her free time Iman likes to make long-winded lists of ideas she can write about which occasionally surface in her work with the Yale Daily News and The Politic, put together quarantine outfits or fuss over how much she misses home cooked meals on campus.
Associate Editor: Maya Ingram
Maya is a sophomore in Morse college from Roanoke, Virginia. Her favorite areas of history include American colonial history and Russian history. In her free time, she loves painting to Bob Ross.
Associate Editor: Nick Jacobson
Nick Jacobson, Trumbull '23, is from Lewisburg, PA. He has written on health in 20th-century Southeast Asia and honor in the early modern Germanic states. Occasionally, Nick likes to tell stories.
Associate Editor: Aaron Jenkins
Aaron Jenkins is a Junior from Anchorage, Alaska. A student in Saybrook College, he studies modern imperial and colonial history, and plans to follow a career in public defense. He dreams to one day have a Five Star Island in Animals Crossing.
Associate Editor: Yuhan Kim
Yuhan Kim (Berkeley, Class of 2023) resides in Hudson, Ohio. His primary research interests are Military and Political History, particularly relating to the Napoleonic Era and European History from 1618-1918. In his spare time Yuhan enjoys running, reading, painting miniatures, and occasionally dabbles in the dark arts of card magic.
Associate Editor: Sarah Li
Ruoqi Li (Sarah) is a current junior at Davenport College majoring in Comparative Literature. Her academic interests include French and Russian literature of the 19th century, and she is passionate about studying languages. In her spare time, she is most likely to be found hanging out with her cat, playing minesweeper or trying to cook.
Associate Editor: Cynthia Lin
Cynthia Lin, a sophomore in Pierson College, is a prospective Literature and Comparative Cultures Major. She is interested in researching Chinese history and its connection to the tensions between the East and the West. She is from Boulder, Colorado, but loves to spend most of her free time indoors drinking tea and reading or watching Chinese dramas.
Associate Editor: Louie Lu
Louie Lu (BR ’23) is a prospective History and Classics major hailing from Vancouver, Canada. His academic interests encompasses many aspects of the humanities, but he holds an obsession with the history of classical antiquity and the long 19th century. Personally, Louie believes that the French Revolution is the most important and possibly one the greatest moments in all of human history. Thus, it comes as a surprise for his friends that he is a self-avowed monarchist.
Associate Editor: Frank Lukens
Frank Lukens is a junior in Ezra Stiles College from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He is currently excited about modern European imperial history and how it impacted the world. He also loves art history and the history of his family's home country of Guatemala. Frank cannot live without cherry yogurt or Yorkside's addictive Mozz Sticks.
Associate Editor: Daniel Ma
Daniel Ma (BF ’23) is from New York City. His interests include historical geography, Native American History, Chinese History, and ancient history/archaeology. In his spare time, he enjoys composing music.
Associate Editor: Eva Magyar
Eva Magyar is in Davenport college in the class of 2022. She is from London, UK, and is a history major specializing in European history. Eva loves theatre and ballet.
P&D Consultant: Ziming Mao
Ziming is a sophomore at Yale college majoring in Computer Science and Philosophy. He was born in China and studied in Singapore for secondary and high schools. He is interested in software engineering, intellectual history, and astrophotography.
Associate Editor: Charlie Mayock-Bradley
Charlie (he/him/his) is a sophomore in Pierson College from Lexington, Virginia, hoping to major in Political Science and Spanish. Outside of his work with the YHR, he volunteers as a tutor with Bridges ESL and works on the Immigrant Rights Project of the Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid Association. Although Charlie isn't living on campus this year, you might be able to spot him going for runs around New Haven or coming out of any of the city's many coffee shops - if you do, feel free to stop him and say hi!
Associate Editor: Marcus McKee
Marcus is Junior in Trumbull College from Chevy Chase, Maryland. His main research interest is in pre-Industrial history, especially Edo Japan. In his free time, he enjoys going on bike rides.
Associate Editor: Endure McTier
Endure McTier is a junior Saybrugian from Atlanta, Georgia. She is interested in the lives of leaders throughout history, with a regional emphasis on France and Russia. Outside of school, she enjoys movies by Nolan, Anderson, and Tarantino as well as traveling and learning about new cultures.
Associate Editor: Daniyal Mirza
Daniyal is a sophomore in Saybrook College double majoring in History and Biology. Though he currently resides in Indiana, Daniyal was raised in Saudi Arabia and is very interested in the history of the MENA region and colonialism. He hopes to better understand the region of his childhood through his undergraduate education. Outside of the classroom, Daniyal is a FOOT Leader, an active member of the Dwight Hall SRI Fund and the Yale Muslim Student Assocation, and a Premier League aficionado.
Associate Editor: Hubert Pach
Hubert is a Junior at Yale studying History and Economics, hailing from Chicago, Illinois. He is in Saybrook. His research interests include Ancient Societies, Late Antiquity, and Medieval Eastern Europe. When he's not reading about the Augustan era, he enjoys writing short stories, poetry, and screenplays.
Associate Editor: Katie Painter
Katie is a sophomore in TD from Stow, MA. Her research interests include the history, language, and culture of the Classical world. She has solved almost 2000 New York Times crosswords to date!
Associate Editor: Valerie Pavilonis
Valerie is a junior from the South Side of Chicago studying English. When she's not doing her class readings, she's writing for the Yale Daily News about Yale's administration, working out, painting or figuring out new ways to make smoothies. Valerie historical interests lie in religious and military history, and she thinks pre-industrial Russia is quite the interesting time period.
Associate Editor: Cecile Ramin
Cecile is drawn to the concept of freedom. From the post Civil War Reconstruction Era to De Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’, she is continually intrigued by what it means to different people and the different ways it is achieved. She was born and raised in London, although her parents are American (from Oregon) and French (from Paris and Martinique). She is a sophomore in Pauli Murray and a likely English and/or History major. When not studying you might find her baking something overly complicated or trying to learn how to roller skate.
Associate Editor: Esther Reichek
Esther Reichek (BR ’23) is a Classics major from Seattle, WA. Her research interests include antiquity, classical reception, and intellectual history. She likes grammar.
Associate Editor: Noah Robinson
Noah Robinson is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles from Bangor, Maine. His interests include Ancient Greece and Rome, and he is an avid fire dancer.
Associate Editor: Emiliano Salomón
Emiliano is a junior from Los Angeles studying philosophy. He is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow researching the link between aesthetic philosophy and conceptions of race in early 20th century Mexico, especially as it relates to mestizaje. Beyond The Yale Historical Review, he participates in Bridges. In his free time, Emiliano can be found listening to music and watching Youtube.
P&D Consultant: Emma Sargent
Emma Sargent is a junior in Trumbull college who is originally from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Since coming to Yale she has taught as a Community Health Educator, performed with Danceworks, and joined The Globalist’s layout team. She is a Humanities major, and she loves to read.
Associate Editor: Maayan Schoen
Hailing proudly from Atlanta, Georgia, Maayan is a sophomore in Davenport, major yet to be determined. She is interested in studying the Civil Rights movement, as well as genocides of the 20th century, especially the Holocaust. Maayan was fortunate to spend a gap year in Israel, where history is very much alive and part of daily happenings. From there she visited concentration and death camps in Poland, which is something she can’t really bring up in that many other forums but always wants to talk about. She also likes to talk about things other than genocide.
Associate Editor: Meera Shoaib
Meera Shoaib is a junior in Benjamin Franklin college. Research-wise, she enjoys learning about empire and nationhood –– she has lived in London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, and am particularly interested in the concept of a “national character”. A fun fact: back home, she has three parrots who attend most meals and know enough words to add to the conversation.
Associate Editor: Natalie Simpson
Natalie Simpson is a sophomore in Grace Hopper College from Orange County, CA. Her research interests include Russian and Eurasian history, national identity formation, and disinformation and propaganda. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing.
P&D Consultant: Lance Tan
Lance is a Yale University student studying computer science in the simultaneous BS/MS program. He's a rising senior from Edison, NJ and is currently taking a gap semester. Fun fact: in middle school, Lance was once attacked by a monkey (fortunately, both the monkey and Lance survived).
Associate Editor: Dexter Webster
Dexter is a sophomore in Davenport College hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is planning to double major in History and Economics. Outside of the YHR, he serves as president of the Yale Chess Club, is a member of Yale Club Tennis, and helps as a peer tutor in the Economics Department. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, playing board games with his suitemates, and doing some late-night reading in Bass Library.
Associate Editor: Kevin Xiao
Kevin Xiao is a sophomore in Pauli Murray College. Growing up just outside Philadelphia with all its history, he fell in love with American political history, especially the early American republic. Outside of remote classes and endless Zoom meetings, he loves kayaking.
Associate Editor: Yassi Xiong
Yassi Xiong is a junior in Pierson. She is from Beijing, China and is interested in quantitative history research and forgotten histories. One of her first languages was Finnish, but she forgot every single word of it and will forever live in regret... unless?
Copy Editor: Taylor Barton
Taylor Barton is a first-year in Timothy Dwight College from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In high school, she enjoyed doing historical research and creating documentaries for National History Day competitions. She placed second at nationals last year and won Ken Burns‘ Next Generation Angels Award. In her free time, she enjoys twirling baton and making new friends!
Copy Editor: Ellie Burke
Ellie Burke is a Silliman first-year originally from Kansas City, Missouri. Growing up with a historian for a mother, family dinners at Ellie's house revolved around the successes and failures of the French Revolution, and car rides to soccer practice were spent analyzing the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation. Having harbored this family-mandated love for history her entire life, Ellie was eager to join the Yale Historical Review as soon as she arrived on campus. When not working for the YHR, Ellie enjoys singing, acting, seeing her dog Heidi over FaceTime, and binging episodes of Parks and Recreation with friends.
Copy Editor: Rosemary Chen
Rosemary is a first-year in Benjamin Franklin College. Born and raised in Shanghai, she spent her past two years at a 12th-century castle in Wales, United Kingdom. Rosemary is a prospective History and Political Science double major, with deep interests in intellectual history, cultural history, political theory, development and peacebuilding. In her free time, she enjoys making various kinds of bubble tea, baking, hiking and growing plants and flowers.
Copy Editor: Lucy Gilchrist
A native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Lucy is a first year in Morse interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary major that combines her deep interest in the biological sciences and humanities. Lucy is especially curious about the intersection of science and religion, the rapport between mind and body, the psychology of saviorism, and cycles of cultism in American history. During COVID times, Lucy became a budding plant mom, allowed her sourdough starter to dictate her schedule, and developed an affinity for Gregorian chants.
Copy Editor: London Johns
London is currently at home in Chicago, Illinois on a gap year. When they aren't writing or ranting about Shakespeare, you can find them reading poetry, playing the flute, or poring over the letters of whichever Romantic poet they admire at the moment. They are excited to officially start at Yale next fall.
Copy Editor: Gamze Kazakoglu
Gamze Kazakoglu is a freshman at Pauli Murray, planning to major in psychology and history. She was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. There, she volunteered in various historical foundations, which investigates the Ottoman, Mediterranean, Turkish culture, society, and history. As she’ll go online for the semester, Gamze is trying to find ways to reduce her screen time right now. Unfortunately, her decision of obtaining Directed Studies books in the pdf version didn’t turn out to be a nice one.
Copy Editor: Tiana Luo
Tiana Luo (Ezra Stiles '24) has experience in nonprofit organizations, startups, and economics education in the Chicago area. She is looking to major in economics and study wealth inequality. Tiana is a fan of great books and timeless music, and is always up for a conversation about religion, Russian literature, and/or reptiles.
Copy Editor: Daevan Mangalmurti
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Daevan Mangalmurti is a first-year and likely EP&E major in Trumbull College with a specific interest in South Asia. He’s excited to be on-campus and exploring Yale this semester. When he’s not staring at a Zoom screen, Daevan can often be found loudly debating the merits of dining hall food with friends.
Copy Editor: Michelle Medawar
Hailing from South Orange, New Jersey, Michelle now calls Jonathan Edwards college her new home. She intends to major in history and she is hoping to participate in the Education Studies program. Michelle plans to focus on Middle Eastern history and she is especially interested in exploring the role of religion in the region. She also has a keen interest in archives and is looking forward to spending lots of time in the Beinecke library over the course of the next few years. When she's not thinking or writing about history, Michelle enjoys listening to great music, watching hockey, and hiking.
Copy Editor: Matthew Meyers
Matthew Meyers is a first year student in Berkeley College. Born in Boston MA, he has lived for the last sixteen years in southwestern Connecticut. He is particularly interested in American history, especially that of American government. He has researched Roger Sherman’s contributions to the Constitutional Convention and his skill in forging compromise. Aside from history, he enjoys playing sports, biking, board games, and simply spending time outside.
Copy Editor: Lucas Miner
Lucas Miner is a first-year student at Silliman College. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from the Ransom Everglades School in 2020. Lucas has been a lifelong student of history. He is particularly interested in military history and the lessons history contains for the future. Lucas’ passion for history drove him to participate in quizbowl events during high school, culminating in a television appearance on the 2019 Jeopardy Teen Tournament. Aside from reading history, Lucas also enjoys practicing the piano, playing sports, and spending time on mountains (whether it be climbing them or skiing them). He plans on majoring in East Asian Studies and Political Science.
Copy Editor: Chanwook Park
Chanwook Park is a current first-year in SayBROOK college. He was born in the Republic of Korea and immigrated to East LA at the age of three. He has lived in almost all four corners of the United States, having lived in California, Georgia, North Carolina—and currently—Washington. Chanwook is planning being an EP&E major, but frankly, he has no idea. In his spare time, he enjoys playing Tetris and consuming Altoids.
Copy Editor: Caroline Parker
Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Caroline is a freshman in Branford College. While she is undecided about her major, Caroline is interested in history and languages. In her spare time, Caroline enjoys reading, doing crossword puzzles, and traveling (and she cannot wait until it is safe for her to go somewhere new).
Copy Editor: Aryan Seghal
Aryan is a first year in Pierson (thinking about) majoring Economics and Math. The question, "where are you from" makes him very nervous: as he has lived in 5 different states, 4 different countries, across 3 different continents. Aryan is hoping to pursue interests related to international affairs. When Aryan isn't catching up on his Directed Studies reading for finishing math problem sets, he enjoys participating in unproductive debates about the nature of basically everything.
Copy Editor: Isabella Smeets
Born and raised in New York City, Isabella Smeets is a freshman in Morse College planning to double major in Classics and History. Isabella’s last research project delved into an Austro-Hungarian diplomat and his Latin translation of the Persian poems of Hafez. Isabella enjoys going for bike rides, writing creatively, and spending time with her family and friends.
Copy Editor: Rachel Sragovicz
Rachel is a freshman in Timothy Dwight college and is a prospective history major. She is originally from San Diego, California and spent a gap year living in Israel. Her primary interest within the scope of history is military history, but is looking forward to broadening her interests through future classes. When not in online class, Rachel enjoys anything that involves nature and going outside. She is very excited to be starting Yale and the YHR.
Copy Editor: Tianyi Wang
Grew up in Shenzhen, China, Tianyi Wang is a freshman in Trumbull, but he is enrolling remotely this fall. Tianyi has a wide range of academic interests, humanities and STEM alike, of which he is particularly passionate about history, economics, and data science. Wherever Tianyi travels, he has the compulsory need to visit the local museum if it has one. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Tianyi bought five plants at a time and put all of them into his study: he now has to water them every day, which has become one of his major sources of relaxation.
Copy Editor: Zahra Yarali
Fatemeh Zahra Yarali is a first-year student in Silliman College. She enjoys watching biopics and listening to classic film scores, and she considers cooking and baking two of her favorite creative outlets. As an Iranian-American Muslim woman who lives in rural Kentucky, Zahra is dedicated to uprooting the structures within our country’s social systems that continue to define our identities by false ingrained narratives. In her academic pursuits, Zahra hopes to study Humanities and Cognitive Science to better understand the modern and historical human condition from as many perspectives as possible.
Senior Thesis Edition Advisor: Ivano Dal Prete
Ivano Dal Prete’s research explores various aspects of the interaction of science, religion and society between the late Middle Ages and the early 19th century. His first book (2008) reconstructs the scientific culture of the Venetian mainland in the 18th century, focusing on social and political repercussions of local controversies on the history of the Earth and on human generation. He has since published numerous articles on early modern embryology, scientific communication networks, and on the visual and material culture of 18th- and early 19th-century astronomy.
Senior Thesis Edition Advisor: Fabian Drixler
Fabian Drixler teaches Japanese history. He is particularly interested in cultural history and historical demography, approaches that converge in his dissertation, Infanticide and Fertility in Eastern Japan: Discourse and Demography, 1660-1880 (Harvard 2008). This study charts the rise and destruction of a premodern society in which couples raised only two to three children. Highlighting the role of contingency and individual agency in demographic history, it connects population patterns with changing understandings of human life, political space, and the nature of time.
The Stacks Advisor: Basie Gitlin
Basie Gitlin ’10 has served as Director of Development for Yale University Library since 2015. He holds a B.A. in history from Yale College, where his senior essay on the subscription book trade in America was awarded four prizes, and an M.Phil. in early modern history from Pembroke College, Cambridge, where his dissertation examined English philanthropy for the colonial-era Harvard and Yale libraries. While building an academic focus on book history in college, he worked as a curatorial assistant at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and catalogued Americana for the William Reese Company. He is an avid collector himself, focused on books and manuscripts relating to the history of Yale and the history of books, libraries, and printing.
The 1701 Project Advisor: Ferentz Lafargue
Dean Lafargue is a native of Haiti and grew up in New York City. Along with being a devoted #NBAtwitter follower and bibliophile, Dean Lafargue is the author of Songs in the Key of My Life. His writing has appeared in such venues as 215mag, Americas Quarterly, The Huffington Post, Next American City, Social Science Research Council and Social Text: Periscope.
YHR Mentorship Program Advisor: Mark Peterson
Professor Mark Peterson, a specialist in early North America and the Atlantic world, joined the Yale History Department in July 2018. He earned his Ph.D. in History at Harvard University, and taught previously at the University of Iowa from 1998 to 2007, and at the University of California, Berkeley, from 2007 to 2018, where he was Chair of the History Department from 2015-2018. His most recent book is The City-State of Boston: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Power, 1630-1865 (Princeton University Press, forthcoming 2019), and he is also the author of The Price of Redemption: The Spiritual Economy of Puritan New England (Stanford University Press, 1997).
Senior Thesis Edition Advisor: Carolyn Roberts
Carolyn Roberts is a historian of early modern medicine. Her research and teaching interests broadly concern medicine, race, and slavery in the Atlantic world. Her current book project, To Heal and to Harm: Medicine, Knowledge, and Power in the Atlantic Slave Trade, is the first full-length study of the history of medicine in the British slave trade. The project studies the pharmaceutical and medical labor performed by a largely unknown group of African and British women and men, both enslaved and free. Roberts’ research has been supported through numerous fellowships and awards—most recently from the John and Elizabeth Armstrong Fellowship, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and the Consortium for the History of Science, among others. She holds degrees from Harvard University, Andover Newton Theological School, and Dartmouth College.
Senior Thesis Edition Advisor: Edward Rugemer
A historian of slavery and abolition, Ed Rugemer grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from Fairfield University in 1993. He received his doctorate in History from Boston College in 2005 and joined the faculty at Yale in 2007. His first book The Problem of Emancipation: The Caribbean Roots of the American Civil War (Louisiana State University Press, 2008) explores how the abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean shaped the coming of the American Civil War. The book won the Avery Craven Award from the Organization of American Historians for the most original book on the Civil War era; the Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize from Yale University; and was co-winner of the Francis B. Simkins Award of the Southern Historical Association for the best first book in southern history.
Rally Point Advisor: Edward Wittenstein
Edward (“Ted”) Wittenstein is Deputy Director for Leadership Programs and a lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. Ted also serves as Executive Director of Yale’s Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy, a foreign policy studies program founded upon the donation of Dr. Henry Kissinger’s papers to Yale. A lecturer in Global Affairs and Law, Ted teaches undergraduate, graduate, and law courses on intelligence, cybersecurity, and national security decision-making.
How to Submit/Get Involved
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Rebirth of Wright
👤Andrew Qi and Carrie Cao March 29, 2015
Printing Skin: Generating Multilayered Vascularized Human Skin Grafts 0 14.Mar
A Breakthrough for Quantum Communication
let-7 miRNA Helps Suppress Lung Tumor Cells
Tucked beneath the corner of Whitney and Edwards, the Wright Lab is a hidden landmark on Yale’s Science Hill. Little of its bunker-like exterior gives away the centerpiece lying behind the locked bay doors — a massive, 100 foot-long particle accelerator that was, at one point, the world’s most powerful atom smasher of its kind. On Monday mornings for more than 50 years, the building rumbled to life, as teams of engineers and technicians scrambled to ready the device for a new week’s slate of experiments. For 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, the machine rattled and screeched as researchers anxiously awaited solutions to the great mysteries in nuclear physics.
Today, the lab is in a state of transition. Boxes are strewn across the concrete floor, half-filled with instruments to be shipped away or discarded. The various target rooms that once housed millions upon millions of nuclear collisions now lie completely empty, save for a few stacks of concrete shielding blocks. Workers armed with Geiger counters walk among the blocks, checking for any lingering radiation.
The accelerator itself has been partially dismantled, with some of its components salvaged, but its bright blue hull still imposes upon the center of the room. The machine has been dormant since its last run in 2011, but it has indelibly shaped the story of physics at Yale and beyond.
Revolutionizing particle physics
The Wright Lab began with a vision. In 1962, Professor D. Allan Bromley and other faculty sought to transform Yale into a world leader in the field of nuclear physics, and the most direct way to achieve that was to build a state-of-the-art particle accelerator. Construction of the first version of the accelerator — the MP (Emperor) tandem — began in 1964. Simultaneously, lab facilities were built to house the accelerator and the complex data acquisition and control systems needed to run experiments. Founded as the Wright Nuclear Structure Lab (WNSL), the building was a hub of activity as researchers from around the world came to conduct their experiments. In 1967, the first graduate student, current Professor of Physics Richard Casten, earned his PhD studying the structure and behavior of osmium nuclei.
The Extended Stretched TransUranium (ESTU) tandem accelerator came to Yale in 1988. Photo by Holt Sakai.
Since its inception, the Wright Lab’s tandem accelerator has continually been the “best of its kind in the world,” as Casten put it. In a typical electrostatic particle accelerator, a standing electric field is used to propel positively-charged ions, or cations, from a high-voltage terminal. These ions are accelerated to incredible speeds — up to 20 percent of the speed of light depending on the accelerator and the ions’ masses. Magnets placed around the accelerator chamber guide and filter the particles, sending a beam of one billion ions per second surging towards the target. Typically, only one in a million ions actually collides with the target nuclei, but the interactions that do occur produce gamma radiation that can be measured by researchers.
Tandem accelerators take advantage of the ability to remove negative electrons from particles in motion. By stripping ions as they fly through the machine, physicists are able to reverse their polarity, from negative to positive, as they proceed from one stage of the device to the next. In this manner, the same electric potential could essentially be used to accelerate the particles twice, radically increasing the possible output energies.
Until the MP tandem was completed in 1966, nuclear physicists were mostly limited to studying light nuclei, or nuclei with low masses, since existing machines were not powerful enough to accelerate heavier particles to the high energies necessary for effective collisions. Because the protons in nuclei are positively charged, a beam of cations hurtling toward a target of nuclei will slow down due to the electrostatic, repellant force between them. “If you roll a ball up the hill, if you don’t roll it hard enough it’s never going to get past the top,” said Casten. “So when you want to study heavier and heavier nuclei that have more and more protons in them, you’re going to need more and more energy to get over that barrier. With the tandem, that was the beginning of a new era in heavy ion science. It revolutionized everything.”
With the success of Yale’s tandem, six or seven identical accelerators were built around the world. For the first time, scientists could study nuclei at excitation states that were previously unattainable. Research flourished, and Yale became an epicenter of work in nuclear physics. In the mid 1980’s, under Bromley’s leadership, the MP tandem was upgraded with the installation of new stainless steel acceleration tubes. With the change, scientists could achieve even higher energies for their accelerated particles. Later, in 1988, the new and improved ESTU, or extended stretch transuranium, tandem began operations. Two years later, it achieved a benchmark terminal potential of 22.4 million volts, and remained the most powerful stand-alone tandem accelerator in the world until its closing in 2011.
By 1995, however, the Wright lab was caught in a midlife crisis. Bromley had left his appointment as director of the lab to serve as science advisor to the Bush administration. In subsequent years, activity in the lab gradually declined to a point where the Department of Energy — the umbrella organization that funds the bulk of nuclear physics research in the nation — sent in a committee to evaluate the situation. At that time, the committee had two choices: close the Wright lab, and with it, the accelerator, or try and rejuvenate it. Against all odds, they chose the latter.
The first order of business was to appoint a new director, someone who could lead the Wright Lab into the 21st century. Coincidentally, Casten — who had continued on to work at Los Alamos and Brookhaven National Laboratory — happened to be visiting Yale around the same time. With his soaring enthusiasm and long-standing ties to the Wright Lab, Casten was the ideal successor to lead it back to prominence.
Reconstruction was not easy. “When I came in there was one graduate student and one postdoc working with the tandem, and that was it,” Casten said. “Back in the early 70’s there were probably 50 or 60 people on the staff. It was huge!”
With renewed funding, creative ideas for new experiments, and a fresh influx of graduate students recruited from around the world, the Wright Lab began to flourish again. Over the course of the next 15 years, the lab made a number of significant contributions to modern nuclear physics. One of the simplest, yet most important developments was the effect of compounding the number of detectors measuring the gamma radiation output of a specific nuclear interaction. By assembling an array of 11 individual detectors within the main instrument, researchers were able to achieve enough sensitivity to study a whole new class of experiments — the effects of fusing nuclei together.
During this period, researchers also began to explore a phenomenon termed “quantum phase transitions,” changes in nuclear structure predicted by J.W. Gibbs professor of physics Francesco Iachello. Similar to physical phase transitions such as water freezing into ice, Iachello’s theoretical work described shape-shifting nuclei, from spheres to footballs to Frisbees and everything in between. These altered shapes resulted from changes in the number of neutrons. Taking advantage of the accelerator’s capabilities, researchers were able confirm the existence of these oddly-shaped nuclei in 1999, providing the first empirical basis for a field that has remained consistently active ever since.
Art by Hannah Yang.
“The accelerator itself was only expected to have a 10 year lifetime,” said Jeffery Ashenfelter, associate director for operations at the lab. “We ran for 23 years.”
Ashenfelter arrived at Yale together with the current ESTU accelerator and fondly recalls the enthusiasm and champagne that accompanied the early successes. Nowadays, he is primarily involved in decommissioning the machine and seeing the lab through its transition. “Over time, the combined progress in the field of nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics created the need to go, just as this machine did, to higher energies.”
Over the course of the accelerator’s lifespan, it found some of its roles supplanted by larger, more powerful accelerators elsewhere. Moreover, in the past decade, the focus in nuclear physics has shifted to studying increasingly exotic radioactive nuclei that call for a new class of accelerators. These types of radioactive beam accelerators require specialized detectors and beam producers capable of handling extremely rare, unstable interactions of interest. They also require hundreds of staff members working to monitor and contain the radiation. Yale decided that its interests lay elsewhere, and without the resources necessary for an upgrade, the accelerator’s fate had all but been decided.
The last days of the accelerator in 2011 presented a unique challenge to the staff. As part of his thesis work, current associate scientist Ke Han sought to discover evidence of strangelets — superheavy oxygen atoms composed of yet-unobserved strange matter. “We were looking for oxygen with mass of 54, which is really, well, strange,” Han said. “This kind of matter can exist in the early universe and travel along with cosmic rays everywhere, including Earth and the Moon.”
Working with lunar soil gathered by the Apollo 11 mission, the team fired particles from the sample at a gold foil in an attempt to isolate traces of this exotic oxygen. Although the researchers did not observe any interactions at their chosen level of specificity, the test guided future explorations for strange matter aboard the International Space Station and served as a final demonstration of the old machine’s capabilities.
As Yale set its sights elsewhere, the accelerator went quiet one last time.
Karsten Heeger is the face of a new direction in the Wright Lab. As a physics professor and lab director since 2013, he wants to put a spotlight on what he terms “the invisible universe,” an enigmatic class of particles made up of neutrinos and dark matter.
“One of the big outstanding questions in physics is: why do we live in a universe of matter and not one of antimatter? The idea was that at the beginning of time there was a Big Bang, we got particles and antiparticles, and if this happened 14 billion years ago, all of it should have been annihilated by now. And we shouldn’t be here. But we are here, and the question is, why are we here?” Heeger said.
Heeger believes that neutrinos — tiny, almost massless particles traveling throughout the universe near the speed of light — may hold the answer to this question. A related field is the search for dark matter, an invisible class of particles theorized to compose more than 80 percent of matter in the universe. Undetectable by instruments in conventional laboratory settings, neutrinos and dark matter particles can usually only be studied by researchers conducting sophisticated experiments in far-flung locales, typically deep underground. Wright Lab personnel currently work in collaboration with projects worldwide, from China to Italy to the South Pole.
In these fields, the most significant challenge is to build devices sensitive enough to detect these otherwise imperceptible particles. Heeger’s plan is to make the Wright Lab a center of technological innovation, a hub for the development of more specialized equipment. Recently, Wright Lab staff built a detector functioning at temperatures close to absolute zero capable of detecting rare nuclear decays — the kind that produce neutrinos. Data collected from these experiments may provide new insights into the nature and behaviour of these elusive particles.
Following extensive renovations of the Wright Lab building, slated to be completed by the spring of 2016, Heeger envisions a transformation of the lab space and its role on campus, with additional workshop, laboratory, and teaching areas. “We can’t change the building completely, but one of the goals is to make it transparent and accessible,” he said. “We have all sorts of plans for new labs, and instead of a closed bunker, make it an open, collaborative space. We have a new concept of an integrated machine shop for teaching, so people can learn how to build instrumentation. There will be an advanced prototyping shop, somewhat similar to what the CEID is doing.”
With the shutdown of a once world-renowned particle accelerator, the university is looking towards the future, which includes furthering an emphasis on science research, participation, and education. “This will be another resource for science at Yale,” Heeger said.
To the long-time veterans of the Wright Lab, the transition is bittersweet. Technician Frank Lopez, who operated the accelerator for 11 years, recalled the long nights and camaraderie of working with the team. “It was definitely fun to work with the machine … There’s talk of preserving certain aspects of the accelerator,” Lopez said, gesturing to the boxes of timeworn instruments. “Right now, we’re kind of just saving everything that we think is historically significant, but most things you just can’t save. Some of this stuff really tells a unique story about what went on here.”
“There was a time for it, sure,” said Ashenfelter. “You can look at the accelerator and see the last 25 years of my life here — I built it, did a lot of work on it, and now we’re around to take it apart. Sure, there are moments of sadness, but I’m ready to move on.”
About the Authors: Andrew Qi is a senior biomedical engineering major in Morse College. He previously served as the News Editor of the Yale Scientific Magazine. Carrie Cao is a senior in Morse College majoring in molecular biophysics & biochemistry. She is the former Production Manager of the Yale Scientific Magazine.
Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Karsten Heeger, Richard Casten, Ke Han, Frank Lopez, and Jeffery Ashenfelter for taking the time to share their inspiring stories and experiences.
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Self harm: major road safety issue for young drivers
admin November 27, 2009 November 27, 2009 Media
Australia’s largest study of young drivers has revealed the significant impact of self-harm on young driver road safety. Of the 20,000 young drivers enrolled in the study, 4% reported self-harm. Researchers at The George Institute showed that self-harm behaviour was associated with a significantly increased risk of car crash compared to other young drivers in the study who did not engage in self-harm.
“Self-harm is a significant issue for young people in Australia. We now know that this also impacts considerably on young driver safety, as we found that those drivers who engaged in self-harm were at a 40% increased risk of a crash”, said author Dr Alexandra Martiniuk, The George Institute.
Self harm is the deliberate injuring of oneself and includes cutting, attempted hanging and poisoning. Internationally, research shows that up to 17% of people aged 14 and 25 years self-harm, although there is known to be significant under-reporting of self-harm behaviours.
The study reports that self-harm was more common among those study participants who were female, Australian-born, lived in rural or regional areas, spent more time driving per week, slept fewer hours compared to other drivers and those who reported high levels of drug and alcohol use.
According to Dr Martiniuk, “A particularly worrying trend shown in our findings is that most of the self-harm related crashes involved multiple vehicles. This amplifies the danger from these crashes, as it is not only the safety of young drivers who engage in self-harm at an increased risk, but the safety of all road users”, she added.
The results of this study highlight an important need for programs managing road behaviour in young people with poor mental health. Further research on this topic will be essential. In the interim, the authors of this study (including psychiatrists and youth psychologists) believe the first step is raising awareness of the increased risk of crash for this sub-group by informing general practitioners, teachers, parents and youth groups, so that they can help identify self-harming behaviour and help young people seek appropriate treatment for this behaviour.
These results are part of a series of analyses from the DRIVE study, which is the largest study of young drivers ever undertaken and was funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, NRMA Motoring and Services, and NRMA-ACT Road Safety trust and the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW. The DRIVE study recruited over 20,822 young drivers holding red P-plates in NSW aged 17-24 years and prospectively examined their crashes reported to police for a two year period. The overall aim of the DRIVE study is to investigate the risk factors in motor vehicle-related crashes and injuries among young drivers and to find ways to improve the safety of young drivers and help make roads safer for all users.
This particular analysis investigated the risk that intentional self-harm poses for motor vehicle crashes among young drivers. Additional results due to be released from the DRIVE study during 2009/2010 include: rural and socioeconomic risk factors for young drivers, pre-licensing driving experience, training and education, poor mental health and subsequent crash risk, and sleep habits.
Emma Orpilla – Public Relations Manager, The George Institute for International Health
Tel: +612 8238 2424/ Mobile: +61410 411 983
Fax: +612 9657 0301/ email: eorpilla@george.org.au
www.thegeorgeinstitute.org
The George Institute is a world renowned health and medical research institute, focused on the prevention and management of chronic disease and injury. The George conducts high-impact research across a broad health landscape and is a respected voice among global policy makers. The George has conducted major global applied research projects and innovative community-based programs from bases in Australia, China and India. In 2009, the Institute celebrates a decade of discovery, innovation and impact. www.thegeorgeinstitute.org
← Alexandra Martiniuk talks about self-harm and young drivers
Distress does not increase young driver crash risk →
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Students interested in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Mechanical Engineering)
Check profiles and test scores (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS ...) of students who are interested in applying to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Mechanical Engineering) for Fall 2021 and Spring 2021
AdithyanathKuyandathil1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mechanical Engineering
8.528 CGPA
RudranPillay
SaurabhMor
Find people who are interested in applying to UIUC for Mechanical Engineering
Find students who have been admitted and rejected for Fall 2021 / Fall 2020 and Spring 2022 / Spring 2021. See the average scores like SAT,GRE,GMAT,ACT & IELTS/TOEFL of students who have been admitted. Confused how much you should aim to get an admit in a University? Choose a University, for eg: UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and your interested course, for eg: Mechanical Engineering with Level - Master's or Bachelor’s and you will find the profile of students that have received an admit or a reject in the past. Connect with them on our mobile app to get guidance on preparing for the application process.
How to Use Admits/Rejects to your benefit - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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AMI hosts top human rights journalists from Uganda
Posted on September 7, 2015 June 1, 2020 by AMI
Top human rights journalists from Uganda visited the African Media Initiative’s headquarters in Nairobi as part of an East African peer exchange exercise aimed at building synergies between Ugandan journalists and media organizations.
The one-week program was organized by the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U) under the theme “Upholding journalists’ rights in Uganda through legal, electoral and governance empowerment”. As Uganda prepares for its general election to be held in 2016, the journalists were keen to exchange ideas with colleagues in Kenya, civil society as well as other institutions involved in the electoral process.
Kenya held its general election in 2013 amidst fears that the country might experience another spate of post-election violence as witnessed during the 2007 elections. The Kenyan media was largely credited with playing a part in ensuring that the elections were conducted in a peaceful manner.
However, the media also received criticism for what may saw as self-censorship aimed at maintaining peace in the country, at the expense of truth and democracy. The Ugandan delegation therefore sought to find out any key lessons learnt by their Kenyan counterparts on electoral coverage, as well as best practices on election monitoring.
The delegation comprised Ugandan journalists Julius Esegu (Board Chair, HRNJ-U); Moses Magoola (Programmes Manager); Ssempala Robert (National Coordinator); Enid Ninsiima (correspondent, Daily Monitor); Francis Tumwekwasize, (AFPTV); Sadab Kitatta (The Observer); Ernest Wisdom Kiyonga (NTV Uganda); Bahati Remmy (NBS Television); Mulindwa Mukasa (stringer APTN) and Emmanuel Magambo (Media Officer, HRNJ-U).
Programmes manager Magoola noted: ‘’Kenya has made a lot of strides and we feel there is much to learn from their experience in covering hotly contested elections. Mistakes made during the 2007 elections informed the Kenyan media’s coverage of the 2013 elections, and those are the experiences that we hope our peers will share with us.”
AMI CEO Eric Chinje urged the journalists to strive to make meaningful contributions to Africa’s development agenda. He noted that the African Media Initiative was working to reposition the continent’s media as an intrinsic part of development efforts. “When you focus on driving the development agenda, your coverage of all issues, including elections, will be more meaningful as it will be guided by your efforts to make the continent a better place,” he told the team.
The delegation also met with the Media Council of Kenya, the National Police Spokesperson, HIVOS East Africa, and the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders.
HRNJ-U is a national network of journalists and media practitioners. Its mandate is to protect and promote media freedoms and the rights of journalists through advocacy, capacity building, legal defence, documentation and research. The Network has laboured to agitate for a suitable working environment in which journalists and media can thrive as a way of contributing to an improved environment of freedom of expression and fundamental human rights that are key principles of democracy and good governance.
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FAO country rep lauds Guyana’s efforts to stop illegal fishing »
« To all Employees of Guysuco.
NAREI working to eliminate red palm mite
The National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is working with farmers to reduce the effects of the red palm mite while at the same time, looking at means of eliminating it completely.
This pest feeds on the leaves of over 30 species of palms including the coconut, and bananas, ginger and other crops. It is about one-hundredth of an inch in length, bright red in colour, and are found on the underside of leaves.
NAREI is currently conducting studies, research and experiments to create natural enemies which are environmentally friendly insects that will feed off of the palm mite. Research Assistants are currently grooming and mating these insects in the entomology labs, to create an environmentally friendly control method for the mites. On completion of the experiment, an evaluation exercise is carried out in a shade house.
NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Oudho Homenauth, told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that “late last year the Government…following our visit to the Pomeroon and meeting with the farmers would have made available $49M to assist coconut farmers in managing the red palm mite.”
He explained that, “the focus was on ensuring that all farmers would have access to the chemicals to manage the mite. Also training was provided on how to apply it …. We would have gone a far way in this exercise, not only in the Pomeroon, but in all other coconut growing areas.”
The exercise includes the use of these chemicals to kill the mites; however, the process takes a long period to show its effect. Farmers are advised not to apply treatment on their own because it can affect their health, damage crops and the environment as well.
Farmers have been praising NAREI’s efforts saying they have helped to “increase production, while the mites had reduced significantly.” An average farmer has seen a reduction of over 500 coconuts per acre due to the mites’ infestation.
All farmers who observe their coconut tree leaves falling off, or a find a red substance on their fingers or tissue after wiping the underside of the coconut branches are asked to contact NAREI, or an extension officer who will investigate and then provide assistance.
The red palm mite was first located in the Middle East and South East, Asia and is now establishing itself in the Caribbean.
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Tag: The Wild Bunch
Posted on July 7, 2020 July 5, 2020 by PHIL19
It’s all classic comedy, classic television and classic movies on this week’s show! The truly legendary Carl Reiner gets celebrated. Then, Dean and Phil compare the years in film 1982 and 1974 with 1962 to see which year they think was the best year ever for movies!
Tagged 174, 1962, 1982, 2000 Year Old Man, 48 Hrs., A Woman Under the Influence, acting, Agnes Varda, Airport 1975, Akira Kurosawa, Alan J. Pakula, All of Me, An Officer and a Gentleman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Annie, Benji, Bette Davis, Black Christmas, Blade Runner, Blazing Saddles, Bob Clark, Broadway, Burt Lancaster, California Split, Cape Fear, Carl Reiner, Carnival of Souls, Chinatown, Chris Marker, Cleo From 5 to 7, comedy, Conan the Barbarian, Das Boot, Day of the Triffids, Days of Wine and Roses, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, Dean Haglund, Detroit, Dick Van Dyke, Diner, directing, disaster movies, Diva, Dr. No, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, earthquake, Fellini’s Amarcord, filmmaking, First Blood, Fitzcaralldo, foreign language films, Foxy Brown, Fracis Coppola, Gandhi, Gregory Peck, Gypsy, Hara Kiri, Hatari!, High Concept, horror films, How the West was Won, independent film, Ivan's Childhood, James Bond, James Stewart, Joan Crawford, John Cassavetes, John Ford, John Frankenheimer, John Wayne, Jules and Jim, Knife in the Water, L'Eclisse, La Jetee, Larry Gelbart, Lawrence of Arabia, Lenny, Lily Tomlin, Lina Wertmuller, Lolita, Luis Bunuel, Mark Harmon, Martin Scorsese, Mel Brooks, Michelangelo Antonioni, movies, Murder on the Orient Express, Mutiny on the Bounty, My Dinner with Andre, My Favorite Year, Neil Simon, Ocean's 11, Ocean's Trilogy, Oh God!, Parallax View, Paramount Pictures, Patrick O'Sullivan, Phil Leirness, Poltergeist, Porky’s, producing, Richard Pryor, Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip, Ride the High Country, Robert Aldrich, Robert Mitchum, Rocky III, Roman Polanski, Sam Peckinpah, Sanjuro, sci-fi, Sid Caesar, Sophie’s Choice, stand-up comedy, Stanley Kubrick, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Steve Martin, Steven Soderbergh, studio films, Summer School, Swept Away, television, That Touch of Mink, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Birdman of Alcatraz, The Conversation, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Exterminating Angel, The Godfather Part II, The Jerk, The King of Comedy, The Lone Gunmen, The Longest Day, The Longest Yard, The Man From Snowy River, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Man With Two Brains, The Manchurian Candidate, The Music Man, The Phantom of Liberty, The Road Warrior, The Sunshine Boys, The Towering Inferno, The Verdict, The Wild Bunch, The X-Files, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tootsie, Tron, Turlock, Victor/Victoria, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Woody Allen, writing, Yojimbo, Young Frankenstein, Your Show of Shows, Zatoichi
Posted on August 14, 2017 June 1, 2020 by PHIL19
In many ways, this week’s show is a sequel to last week’s episode #534, with the promised celebration of Jeanne Moreau’s life and career, an email from a listener about Tom Jones’ “The Young New Mexican Puppeteer” and more from the British Film Institute List of “the 50 films you should see by the age of 14”.
Unlike most sequels, however, this show is even more irreverent, insightful and informative than last week’s!
The festivities commence with a clip of Dean on Australian television telling a (bestiality?) joke, and then after a special opening (a tribute to Glen Campbell), Dean comes out guns blazing, ranting about the internet speeds of his adopted land. After Phil calms him down, they discuss the news of David Letterman’s new show, they urge people to save the Salem Cinema (a jewel of the Pacific Northwest), they talk about an interview they did with the late Jim Marrs and they continue their discussion about the “death of discernment”, this time focusing on an appalling memo crafted by a then member of the National Security Council.
From there, it’s onto “Celebrity Deaths”, where, in addition to the Femme Fatale of the French New Wave and Glen Campbell, your friends in podcasting remember a Tony-winning star of Broadway’s “The Music Man”, the star of an early television western series turned right-wing anti-government activist, and the man inside the Godzilla costume.
Finally, Dean and Phil discuss a 1982 Australian western, a 1954 western that influenced the likes of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah, the original King Kong, and the Will Rogers comedy Life Begins at 40.
https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/28835596/chillpak_hollywood_hour_535.mp3
Tagged acting, Arizona Patriots, Australia, Barbara Cook, bestiality, BFI, British Film Institute, Broadway, Bronco, Burt Lancaster, Cheyenne, conspiracy, conspiracy theories, David Letterman, Dean Haglund, directing, discernment, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Elvis Presley, Fay Wray, filmmaking, Francois Truffaut, Frank Sinatra, French New Wave, Gary Cooper, Gentle on My Mind, George T. Miller, Glenn Campbell, Godzilla, guitar, H.R. McMaster, Haruo Nakajima, Jeanne Moreau, Jim Marrs, King Kong, Kirk Douglas, Life Begins at 40, Loretta Miles, movies, music, musicals, National Security Council, Netflix, Orson Welles, Pet Sounds, Phil Leirness, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, puppets, Rhinestone Cowboy, Rich Higgins, Ricky Nelson, Riptide, Robert Aldrich, Salem Cinema, show business, singing, Southern Nights, spaghetti westerns, Studio 10, suit actor, Sydney, television, The Beach Boys, The Lone Gunmen, The Man From Snowy River, The Most Dangerous Game, The Music Man, The Seven Samurai, The Wild Bunch, The Wrecking Crew, The X-Files, The Young New Mexican Puppeteer, Tom Jones, True Grit, Ty Hardin, Until the End of the World, Vera Cruz, westerns, Whichita Lineman, Will Rogers, Wim Wenders, writing
Posted on October 17, 2016 June 29, 2020 by PHIL19
The great film theorist André Bazin described the genre of the movie western as “the American film par excellence.” Your friends in podcasting could not agree more! That’s why on this week’s show (their 2nd of 10 “Top Ten” shows commemorating this, the 10th year of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour), Dean and Phil count down their Top Ten All Time Westerns.
What films will make the list? What films won’t? Will Dean have difficulty numbering 10 to 1?
These questions and many more will be answered during the next 75 minutes. Enjoy!
Tagged 3:10 to Yuma, Alan Ladd, American Film Institute, Anthony Quinn, Australia, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blazing Saddles, Brad Pitt, Burt Lancaster, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Canada, Casey Affleck, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Cleavon Little, Clint Eastwood, Cowboy, Dana Andrews, Dean Haglund, Dean Martin, Delmer Daves, directing, Edmond O'Brien, Eli Wallach, feminism, filmmaking, Fred Zinneman, Gary Cooper, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder, Glenn Ford, Gregory Peck, Hell or High Water, Henry Fonda, Henry King, High Noon, Howard Hawks, independent film, individual vs. society, Jack Elam, Jack Lemmon, Jack Palance, James Coburn, James Stewart, Jason Robards, Jeffrey Hunter, Jesse James, John Ford, John Sturges, John Wayne, justice, Karl Malden, Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, Leigh Brackett, Marlon Brando, Mel Brooks, Mexico, Morgan Freeman, movies, mythology, National Film Registry, No Country For Old Men, Once Upon a Time in the West, One Eyed Jacks, Paul Newman, Phil Leirness, producing, race relations, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Ralph Bellamy, Richard Brooks, Richard Harris, Richard Jaeckel, Ricky Nelson, Rio Bravo, Robert Ford, Robert Redford, Robert Ryan, Rod Serling, Sam Peckinpah, screenwriting, Sergio Leone, Shane, show business, Sight and Sound, spaghetti westerns, Stanley Kubrick, Steve McQueen, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, The Gunfighter, The Lone Gunmen, The Magnificent Seven, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Professionals, The Searchers, The Seven Samurai, The Wild Bunch, The X-Files, top ten, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Unforgiven, United States, Van Heflin, violence, Walter Brennan, westerns, William Holden, William Wellman, Woody Strode, Yul Brynner
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Pickwick Theatre
2621 Washington Avenue,
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Firms: Peabody & Stearns
Styles: Neo-Classical
Previous Names: Star Theatre
New Criterion Theatre
Barretts Theatorium
Roosevelt Theatre
New Movie Theatre
Star Theatre
The Pickwick Theatre was opened May 13, 1880 with a production of “Bells of Corneville” by the National English Opera Company. It was designed by the Boston based architectural firm Peabody & Stearns with 800 seats and the auditorium was located on the second floor of the building. It was briefly renamed Star Theatre and went over to presenting vaudeville (with movies?) and closed in 1904. In 1906 became a warehouse for the St. Louis Brass Company.
The October 27, 1890 issue of the Elkhart Daily Review reported “the most exciting event in the history of the Pickwick Theatre.” Apparently, there was a public seance, led my multiple “noted mediums.” Nearly 1,000 people attended the event. They called up a volunteer from the audience and asked them to tie up one of the mediums, “Professor” Johnson, “17 different ways” with a piece of rope. The idea was the spirits would untie the ropes for Johnson for everyone to see. Instead, the volunteer tied up the medium up in such a way it caused Johnson to collapse. The volunteer then walked to the edge of the stage and admitted to the audience that he was actually a slight of hand performer hired by Johnson to be a plant in the audience. The audience quickly became enraged and turned into an angry mob, even attempting to lynch the one of the organizers with the rope. The police arrived just in time, saving the man. The two supposed “mediums” apparently got away in the commotion.
Contributed by Holly Westerfield
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
Trolleyguy on May 4, 2018 at 9:17 am
Did this theatre ever show movies?
JAlex on May 4, 2018 at 11:47 am
Charles Crawford, one of the sons of Lester Crawford, leased the theatre in 1904 and embarked on a policy of stock, then vaudeville. Apparently unsuccessful, ads for the theatre ceased at the end of the year. Crawford had renamed the theatre STAR (not to be confused with the STAR at 14 S. Jefferson).
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Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H) reported its earnings for the third quarter on Wednesday, November 4. The company reported revenue that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hyatt posted revenue of $393 million for the third quarter. This was down from $1.2 billion during the same quarter last year.
"Third quarter results reflect Hyatt's ability to adapt to a continuously changing and uneven demand environment," said Hyatt's CEO Mark Hoplamazian. "In the third quarter, we doubled the number of room nights sold compared to the second quarter of 2020. I am exceptionally proud of our hotel teams who gained transient demand market share in the segments and geographies of strongest demand globally as they continue to discover and secure demand from many different sources."
Net losses for the quarter came in at $161 million. This was down from net income of $296 million during the prior year's quarter.
Hyatt opened 27 new hotels in the quarter, a record for the third quarter. The company experienced a sharp drop in revenue from its Owned and Leased Hotels segment, down 81.4% to $80 million. For the third quarter, Hyatt's Owned and Leased Hotels segment revenue per available room (RevPAR) decreased 83.1%. The significant decrease is attributed to hotel closures and restricted travel from the coronavirus pandemic.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H) shares ended the week at $56.36, up 1.9% for the week.
AMC Networks Reports Results
AMC Networks Inc. (AMCX), owner of several cable TV channels, announced its third quarter results on Monday, November 2. Although the company saw its quarterly profit decrease, it surpassed analysts' expectations.
AMC Networks reported third quarter revenue of $654.0 million, a 9% decrease from the $718.6 million reported during the same period last year. Analysts had expected revenue to be $606 million.
"With the addition of our new AMC+ premium SVOD offering, we expect to have 5.0 to 5.5 million total SVOD subscribers, in aggregate, by the end of the year," said AMC Networks' CEO Josh Sapan. "Our strong content also continues to resonate with viewers, with AMC home to four of the top six cable dramas in 2020 among adults 25-54, including our newest series in The Walking Dead Universe, The Walking Dead: World Beyond ranking as the #1 freshman cable drama of the year."
Net income for the quarter was $61.6 million. This fell 47% from $116.9 million during the comparable period last year.
AMC Networks increased its subscription video service, AMC+ through launches on Comcast, Amazon Prime and Apple TV platforms. The company's goal of over four million subscribers was set for the end of 2022. Based on the launch of AMC+, the company now expects to exceed the subscriber count by the end of 2020. The company repurchased 10.8 million shares for $251 million in October.
AMC Networks Inc. (AMCX) shares ended the week at $23.89, up 8.6% for the week.
Red Robin Reports Third Quarter Results
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (RRGB) announced its third quarter earnings on Thursday, November 5. The casual-dining restaurant chain's results were heavily influenced by operation shifts and dining room closures.
The company reported revenue of $200.5 million during the quarter. This was a decline of 31.9% year-over-year from $294.2 million.
"The third quarter was an inflection point for the brand with robust sequential sales improvement throughout the quarter, closing the traffic gap to our casual dining peers," said Red Robin CEO Paul J. B. Murphy III. "This, in conjunction with prudent restaurant and overhead cost structure enhancements in place, drove better-than-expected cash flow performance."
Red Robin reported a net loss for the quarter of $6.2 million. This was an increased net loss from the prior year's quarter of $1.8 million.
The company primarily attributes its losses to closed restaurants in the quarter stemming from COVID-19. Comparable restaurant revenue for the quarter decreased significantly due to limited capacity in reopened restaurants and take-out only structure for restaurants with closed dining rooms. The company reported take-out sales increased 127.2% in the quarter, totaling 40.7% of its total food and beverage sales.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (RRGB) shares ended the week at $14.00, up 14.8% for the week.
The Dow started the week at 26,691 and closed at 28,323 on 11/6. The S&P 500 started the week at 3,296 and closed at 3,509. The NASDAQ started the week at 11,010 and closed at 11,895.
Treasury Yields Buoyed by Jobs Report
U.S. Treasury yields recovered from mid-week lows late this week as employment data was better than expected. The yields were impacted early in the week due to uncertainty with election results.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor released its Employment Situation report for October. The economy gained 638,000 jobs in October. Unemployment decreased to 6.9%, from 7.9% in September.
"It's better than expected, but we're starting to see headwinds," said Diane Swonk, chief economist with Grant Thornton. "The drop in the unemployment rate is welcome news, but there are still over 11 million unemployed workers."
On Wednesday, the 10-year Treasury note had its largest daily drop since April. The significant movement was attributed to uncertainty surrounding the U.S. Presidential election results.
"Regardless of who wins the election, the market is certainly anticipating more fiscal aid," said AmeriVet Securities Head of U.S. Rates Gregory Faranello. "And that aid may not arrive until 2021."
The 10-year Treasury note yield closed at 0.82% on 11/6, while the 30-year Treasury bond yield was 1.60%.
Mortgage Rates Decline
Freddie Mac released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey on Thursday, November 5. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to its lowest rate yet.
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 2.78% this week, down from 2.81% last week. Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.69%.
This week, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 2.32%, unchanged from last week's average. During the same week last year, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.13%.
"Mortgage rates hit another record low, the twelfth time this year, due to economic and political ambiguity," said Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac. "Despite the uncertainty that we've all experienced this year, the housing market, buoyed by low rates, continues to be a bright spot."
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The People Side Of GMO Crops: Part I
As with any new technology, the development and commercialization of biotech crops is a story about people. Its a story about people with ideas and vision; people who did hard and creative work; people who took career or business risks, and people who integrated this new technology into the complex business of farming. By various artifacts of my educational and career path, I've been in a position to know many of these people as friends and colleagues over the last 36 years. Their story is important, but it tends to get lost in much of the conversation about biotech crops.
Many narratives about "GMOs" leave out the people side, presenting it instead as some faceless, monolithic phenomenon devoid of human inspiration, intention and influence. Thats not how it happened. Other narratives about "GMOs" demonize those who made biotech crops a reality. Such portrayals are neither fair or accurate. The real stories of these people matter, because trust in a technology is greatly influenced by what people believe about those behind it.
That is why I'd like to write about what I have observed about these real and trust-worthypeople over the years. I'll start with the period 1976-1982.
It Started On "The Farm"
Stanford has the nickname, "the farm" but its no Ag School!
I first heard of genetic engineering in 1976 while a senior at Stanford University in a graduate level biochemistry class. The professors lecturing on the exciting new science of molecular biology were Paul Berg, Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer. These basic researchers were doing purely lab work with no commercial motivation, but in the process, they ended up inventing "recombinant DNA technology." At the point of my introduction, the science was still young (key experiments started in 1971). The Stanford researchers discovered the enzymatic "tools" to cut and paste genes and other key pieces of DNA. From the beginning it was clear that these discoveries had a huge range of potential applications in basic research, medicine, pharmaceuticals, bio-materials and bio-processing. It also had potential for agriculture. It was an exciting time, but it took many years for all this to unfold in practical applications. Berg later received the Nobel Prize for his work and the patents that came from the work of Cohen and Boyer became some of the most widely licensed in history (they became a huge source of research dollars for Stanford). Genetic engineering, GMO if you will, started in the labs of people who were focused on academic research.
The setting for the first conference on biotech safety
It is significant to note that these and other early genetic engineering researchers took special precautions from the very beginning to make sure that they were not creating something in their labs which could be dangerous. Paul Berg was instrumental in organizing the 1975 Asilomar Conference, a gathering of scientists designed to carefully consider all the ramifications of this new science of "genetic engineering." The outcome of that conference helped guide the NIH (National Institutes of Health) to set guidelines for lab safety regarding biotechnology. The original rules were severely restrictive, and were only relaxed a bit after much experience and increased understanding. I'd be interested whether any of my readers are aware of other technologies for which such precautions were taken at such an early a stage? This standard of thoughtfully trying to anticipate any risks or issues carried forward as the science developed.
Off To Davis To Become An Aggie
The iconic water tower at Davis
Many biology students from my generation went on to pursue the various applications of genetic engineering. Although I was fascinated by what I had learned about this basic science, I was interested in a much more applied science called Plant Pathology - the study of diseases of plants. So, in 1977 I started graduate work at the University of California, Davis - an actual ag school. My research was field oriented and I got my first exposure to farming and farmers. However, one aspect of my project involved lab work, and the particular equipment I needed was in the adjoining labs of Dr. Robert Shepherd and Dr. Tsune Kosuge. Both labs worked on topics which were of great importance to the brand new science of plant genetic engineering. So, my education about biotech continued.
My lab-mates at Davis were pursing very basic research needed to answer two key questions: "How can we get new genes into the nucleus of a plant cell?" and "How will we get those genes to express" - to be turned on in the cells of the plant as desired?
A Virus Disease of...Cauliflower?
My little bit of bench space was in Shepherd's lab which worked on virus diseases including Turnip Mosaic and Garlic Mosaic Virus (the smell of the later often permeated the lab as samples were ground up for analysis). The lab was also one of a few around the world that worked on CaMV (Cauliflower Mosaic Virus). That is a rather minor disease, but it was of interest because it is a DNA plant virus while most plant viruses are RNA viruses. Several of my lab mates were "sequencing" that virus, meaning that they were figuring out the pattern of A,T,G and C bases in its genetic code. The methods they used are humorously crude by modern standards and it took them more than a year to get the sequence - something that would probably take less than a day with modern equipment. In any case, there was a hope that once the genetic code of CaMV was understood, it might be possible to use that virus as a way to move a new, desired gene into a plant. After all, the virus manages to do that for its own purposes. That goal never materialized because the virus protein capsule was too small to "package" a useful gene, but CaMV turned out to be important for a different reason.
You can't fit much DNA in these little virus particles
A gene "promoter" is a part of the DNA sequence that sits in front of a gene and tells tells cells how and when to express that gene - usually meaning to have the cell make the protein for which it codes. It turned out that a promoter from CaMV called "35S" eventually became the most widely used promoter for transgenic crops of the first generation - both in research and commercial use. At the time, however, the team in the Shepherd lab was just doing basic research, mainly with the hope of getting out some good publications. 35S was actually first described and patented by a group at Rockefeller University.
Nature's Genetic Engineer
Graphic about how Agrobacterium works, now that we understand
The neighboring lab (Dr. Kosuge's) also had equipment I needed. The graduate students, technicians and post-docs there all worked on a soil microbe called Agrobacterium tumifaciens which causes a disease of many plants called "Crown Gall." Agrobacterium is nature's "genetic engineer." When it gets into a plant injury it is able to inject a circular piece of its DNA (a plasmid) into the exposed cells. Then, the genes from the bacterium start functioning in the plant. The bacterium "engineers" the plant to provide itself with both a protective home and an exclusive food supply based on two unique amino acids only it can use.
A crown gall on a grapevine "engineered" by Agrobacterium
Many labs were trying to figure out the details of how Agrobacterium does that, and Kosuge's group was one of them. The goal was to "disarm" that "Ti Plasmid" so that it would no longer make the plant sick, but maintain its natural function of inserting genes. Only by understanding the detailed regions of the Ti plasmid would it be possible to only insert desirable genes. Other approaches were being tried in other labs. Ultimately, a tamed version of Nature's genetic engineer became the most desirable way to put new traits into a plant. The researchers in Kosuge's lab were all just making small contributions to that ultimate development. Many labs around the world were working on the same thing.
The atmosphere in both of these labs was one of excitement about a distant goal of making a positive contribution to the future food supply, but it was also a group of people excited about being on the cutting edge of a field of science. Commercial applications were a distant concept at that point. As with those at Stanford, these researchers were concerned about making sure their work was safe. Dr. Kosuge was instrumental in convening a major conference of "Risk Assessment in Biotechnology" that was held in Davis in 1988 and which I'll describe later. Most of the people coming out of these labs went on to the sort of academic jobs all of us were shooting for at the time, but some moved on into the next chapter of plant biotechnology which began in the very early 1980s - the small, start-up companies. I hope to write about that phase sometime soon.
You are welcome to comment here and/or to write me at savage.sd@gmail.com
Image of the Stanford Quad in 1978 from Wikimedia Commons
Asilomar State Beach image from Wikipedia
UC Davis water tower image from the UC Davis website
Agrobacterium graphic from Nature
Grape crown gall image from Bill Moller of UC Davis (he was one of my advisors there)
Posted by Steve Savage at 10:00 PM
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Andy Hallett
Even if you are a fan of horror/mystery genre television, which I am not, you may not recognize this guy. At least not in his civvies. But all dolled up, there is nary a Buffy buff on the planet who does not know him, and is not disturbed by his death. He was a singer as well as actor, and had an unusual career-launching moment courtesy of Patti LaBelle, who yanked him up onstage to sing with her during a concert. He was spotted by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when he was appearing in a musical revue at Universal City in Los Angeles. (What Whedon was doing at the Universal Studios Theme Park is anybody's guess, but I love, and also hate, stories where Nobodies are plucked from obscurity by Somebodies who happen by.)
Whedon created the role of Lorne, initially called The Host, specifically for Hallett, in the Buffy spin-off Angel, where he appeared in 40 episodes as a recurring character before joining the over-the-title cast. By the time the series ended, he had appeared in 76 episodes and had created a character which was both comic (he ran a karaoke bar) and demonic (check out the horns and the Witchiepoo nose) and, let's be honest, a little bit gay. That gleam in his eye every time he leaned forward toward David Boreanaz can't be denied.
Hallett's post-Angel years were spent as a musician, and struggling with the heart disease which took his life last Sunday at age 33.
"One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head and that only I can hear."
Jarre's final waltz played yesterday.
He was a prolific film composer with a long and varied list of credits. Even some of his lesser accomplishments were well known, as he created the scores for Fatal Attraction, Is Paris Burning?, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Jacob's Ladder, and Ghost. He worked with a wide range of directors over the years, including Alfred Hitchcock (Topaz), Wolfgang Peterson (Enemy Mine), John Huston (The Man Who Would Be King), and Franco Zeffirelli, who pegged him to score his landmark television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. He worked frequently and successfully with Peter Weir (Witness, Year of Living Dangerously, Dead Poets' Society) but he achieved award-winning acclaim working with David Lean. Jarre's Oscars were all awarded for Lean films: Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago, and The Passage to India.
It's a bit eerie that Jarre died this past weekend, while my thoughts were all on my mother and her death 26 years ago (I wrote about that in the previous entry). Jarre had a huge popular hit with his "Lara's Theme" from Dr Zhivago, which was probably my mother's favorite piece of film music. She rarely had the time to sit down and play the piano, but when she did, she usually played "Lara's Theme". Both my sisters played the song as well, much better than I ever did. I studied it the one year, in the third grade, in which I took piano lessons, and against all odds, a video was made of my efforts. So allow me to close this obit with my performance of "Lara's Theme: Somewhere My Love." (Oh, by the way, when I was a kid, I went by the name "Alexander")
Posted by Armchair Actorvist at 7:06 PM 2 comments:
My Mother's Day
Two years ago, I wrote a letter to my mother in these pages.
One year ago, I sadly reported a full quarter century without her.
A few months ago, when my mother would have turned 80 years old, I wrote about her music.
I wonder if I write too often about my mother?
Today is Mother's Day for me, as it is the 26th anniversary of her death. Sounds pretty gloomy, and it has its melancholy elements. But I know I'll spend most of the day remembering the good stuff. After 26 years, the very sharp pains of loss have dulled. I'll surely enjoy a large plate of what we call "Mama's Spaghetti", with homemade sauce which she occasionally served. The recipe is in her hand, and lives above my refrigerator. Naturally, I'll be dining on her china, given to her on her wedding to my father, way back when people did such things. The day will have some sadness, mixed with some regret, too, but that can't be helped. (And shouldn't be.)
If you still have your mother with you, don't wait 'till May 10, the official Mother's Day, to call. Give her a buzz today. You're very lucky.
Labels: Angels now, Musings
Friday Dance Party: Mambo!
Stephen Sondheim must be having a pretty good week. He had a birthday (79! wow) and the major revival of his first Broadway show, West Side Story, got a nice nod from the NY Times. It's being directed by the show's librettist Arthur Laurents (in his 90s! Double wow), who adjusted some of the dialogue to be spoken in Spanish. Well, it makes sense that the Puerto Ricans at the heart of the story would not be speaking English when they are alone together. That aspect of the revival is getting mixed comments, most of them agreeing in principle, but noting that theatre-goers not already familiar with the story may be a bit lost. Are you kidding me? Who doesn't know West Side Story??
I bet Sondheim is pleased that one of his songs, "I Feel Pretty," is now being sung totally in Spanish. Perhaps the translated lyrics do not commit the same sins which Sondheim believes the original words do; he's complained for years that the song's lyrics are too sophisticated for a character such as Maria (a girl right off the boat from Puerto Rico would not be using interior rhyme). Relax, Steve, nobody cares. Instead, revel in the knowledge that a piece written a whopping 50 years ago still holds some interest. That interest has been maintained, at least partially, due to the hugely successful film version from 1961. West Side Story the movie is still considered one of the finest film adaptations of a stage musical, and was nominated for 11 Oscars. It won all but one, losing Best Adapted Screenplay to that other tunefest, Judgement at Nuremberg.
WSS is one of those chestnuts which I thoroughly admire and yet never had a desire to perform. I appeared in an abridged, one-hour version in college, as a directing project for my friend Judy, but would never have landed a role in a professional production (I had dark hair, so I was cast as one of the Puerto Ricans, pretty laughable, as I am the whitest guy anybody ever met). I suppose I could play poor Glad Hands now, the adult schnook who arranges the dance at the gym which gets the love story going. In the film, John Astin took the role, and gave no evidence that he could play that lothario Gomez Addams a few years later. Honestly, I don't know how he was able to stand at the sidelines, listening to this dynamic music by Leonard Bernstein, and fight the urge to join in.
Anyway, in honor of Sondheim's birthday, and the current revival of his first hit, and because George Chakiris looks so suave in his lavender shirt, and because I couldn't find any dance numbers in Judgement at Nuremberg (even with Judy Garland in the cast) please enjoy the Dance at the Gym. Sock Hops at my high school never looked like this...
Posted by Armchair Actorvist at 12:18 PM No comments:
Theatre Droppings: Gypsies, Extras, and Body Beautiful Beale
Before I left Asheville the other week, I finagled my way into seeing a tech rehearsal for the next project from North Carolina Stage Company, their remount of Stones in His Pockets (the show had a very short run this time, and has since closed). This piece has interested me since I saw a non-union production in DC, about which I wrote a while ago. It's two actors playing more than a score of characters, and is rather a tour-de-force for the actors involved. NCStage's artistic director Charles Flynn-McIver was paired with one of the leading actors in the region, Scott Treadway, and their chemistry was dynamic (they have clearly worked together often). My travel schedule prevented me from seeing one of their actual performances, and they were kind enough to allow me to watch one of their final dress rehearsals. From my chair, the show was a winner. I particularly enjoyed the Dance Sequence (I don't even remember the scene in the DC production), which utilized the actors' comic senses quite well, and they weren't bad tap-dancers, either. Most of the show was comedic, but a handful of moments brought real poignancy to the inhabitants of this small impoverished town in Ireland, hosting a big-budget Hollywood movie crew. Since I'm spending so much of my time in the Asheville area these days, I am sure I'll catch Charlie and Scott in another adventure soon, either as an observer or, hopefully, as a co-conspirator...
I traveled a bit after closing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and landed in DC in time to catch the National Touring production of A Chorus Line. I have very vivid memories of seeing the original cast of this landmark, just a few weeks after Joe Papp moved them uptown to Broadway, and a few months before they swept the Tonys in 1975. I've written about them in these pages. A grainy clip of that cast can be seen in one of my Friday Dance Parties, too.
Since seeing the original, many other productions of A Chorus Line have crossed my path, but I have resisted seeing the show again. I studied the show, which is one of the few musicals to win the Pulitzer for Drama, a bit in grad school, as I wrote a term paper on its creator Michael Bennett, and have a huge respect for it. The piece did many innovative things, including adding the term "triple threat" to the theatrical vernacular. More importantly, it actually changed the way musicals are created and rehearsed. Bennett was the first to use an extended workshop period to create his show; until that time, musicals were fully written before rehearsals began, then began a preview period out of town where the authors refined the piece before bringing it into New York. Bennett changed that routine, and the workshop system has since become the traditional way to birth a new musical work.
Anyway, access to a free ticket to the National Tour stopping into DC convinced me it was time to revisit the show. I was pleased to find a hugely entertaining, dynamically staged production. That having been said, it was unfortunate that we had four, count 'em FOUR understudies handling leading roles. My previous experience with understudies has been very good; I have almost always found them to be extremely competent. In this case, two were quite good, two were...um...not so much. Ah, well, it was a Sunday night performance, the end of a very physical work week, so I guess I don't blame so many of the leading players for bailing. I was more surprised to discover the creakiness of the final minutes of the play. The dialogue surrounding "What I Did for Love," which became a show biz anthem of sorts back in the day, has not aged well, and the director did not improve things much with his stagy blocking. Nevertheless, the tour is a very fine one, with lots of pleasant surprises, and I am very glad I saw it.
Just a few days ago, I popped over to see a new play called After the Garden. It is actually a recreation of a nightclub act which Little Edie Beale performed for a week in New York in the late 70s. The Beales were an upper-crust family of the mid-20th century, and included in their number the Bouvier sisters, Jacqueline (later to be Kennedy-Onassis) and Lee (Radziwell). Little Edie was not one of the success stories of the clan; a documentary about her living conditions at the decrepit mansion on Long Island was released many years ago. Grey Gardens revealed an eccentric woman caring for her aged mother, and was alternately hilarious and pitiful. After the Garden was developed by the manager who arranged for Little Edie to appear in her own cabaret act soon after her mother died. It is a one-man show, and my old friend Jeffrey Johnson is swell in the role. The piece itself includes bits of confessional, bits of cabaret, and a whole lot of laughs. Every once in a while, though, it delivers a very poignant moment of this unlucky woman's life. The producing theatre is Ganymede Arts, a group dedicated to the GLBT experience, and they have converted the back storeroom of a gift shop into a quirky but functional performance space. I saw the show with the gayest audience since last year's Tony awards, which added to the merriment (like other underdogs, Little Edie Beale has become a bit of a gay icon). I have a hunch more will be heard from this new play, and am certain this new performance space has a future as well. As for Jeff's performance, well, I've been his fan since our South Carolina days in the early 90s, and he has yet to give less than 1000 percent in any performance I have seen.
Labels: Theatre Droppings
'sNewz
...an occasional series mentioning current events which lately held my interest...
Once again my inbox is full of items which are beginning to creak with age, so please forgive the fact that most of them are beyond their "sell by" date...
Apparently, authority figures around the world are discovering the disciplinary powers of Barry Manilow. A while back I wrote about the judge in Colorado who sentenced some juvenile delinquents to listen to an hour of Manilow's music as punishment. More recently, a mall in New Zealand, a nation known for its pacifist tendencies, was having problems with teen-agers loitering and causing trouble. (This has always been a confusion to me, the fact that teens love to gather at the mall just to hang around. Perhaps I am prejudiced against malls, as I worked in one for [get this] FIFTEEN YEARS, and cannot abide such places now. Why anyone would think going to one would be FUN and SOCIAL is beyond me...) These New Zealand teens have been spraying graffiti, tossing trash, and otherwise wreaking havoc. The mall owners plan to solve the problem by piping in Barry Manilow music, to discourage the youngsters from spending time there. Poor Barry; apparently, he writes the songs that make the whole world cringe..
Here's another tale that is old news, but worth repeating. Censorship remains alive and well in our nation's public schools. The rock musical Rent has been released for amateur production, and a school in California's Orange County (a region notorious for its right-wing attitudes) planned a production. The principal banned the show without reading the script, after having heard it deals with prostitution, homosexuality, and AIDS. She recently rescinded her ban, and the show will go on next month. Her about-face may have something to do with the lawsuit which the California ACLU slapped on the school and its officials. They are not concerned with the Rent production, per se, but with the rampant bullying of gay students. A female student involved in the Rent production received threats of death and rape, and the administration has done little to counter sexist and homophobic behaviour in the school. Security officers even cracked down on a grass-roots effort on the part of the students to signal their support of the Rent production by wearing rainbow-colored buttons; the buttons were confiscated. It was only after the ACLU filed suit in Superior Court that the production was reinstated.
No such luck for the school in Oregon which wanted to produce Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapine Agile. A petition with 137 names was presented to the school board, who then halted rehearsals for the show, which the petition complained had "adult content." What? Martin himself offered to fund the production off-campus because he wanted to keep the show from "acquiring a reputation it does not deserve.” I'll say. The play's concept is a meeting between Einstein, Picasso, and Elvis, in a Parisian bar; for the life of me, I cannot imagine what the hell problem the parents had with the thing.
While the above items made me mad, the next two just made me sad. Did you hear that Milan Stitt died? I never would have known if my new buddy Hans had not mentioned it. His loss will be felt in the theatrical community. Don't know who Milan Stitt is? I hadn't heard of him either, but he had a strong impact on American Theatre for a while. He was a playwright (The Runner Stumbles; remember Dick van Dyke in the movie?) but was better known as a teacher, mentor, and dramaturg. He helped found the play development program at the Circle Rep in Manhattan, where he nurtured Bill C. Davis (Mass Appeal), Arthur Kopit (Wings), Paul Zindel (Effect of Gamma-Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds) and David Mamet, among others. I have a lot of respect for anyone who has the talent to help other talent emerge, so Stitt's influence will be missed.
And speaking of death, the theatre community continues to mourn Natasha Richardson. In Sunday's NY Times, Charles Isherwood writes admiringly of the special discipline of the stage actor, and cites the Redgraves as perfect examples of actors who always show up, and always do the work. He attributes such professionalism to the "dailyness" of stage acting, as opposed to the rather contrary, sloppy aspect of Hollywood fame.
It's a nice article, but I was much more moved when I read about last Thursday night. It was the night when all the lights on Broadway were dimmed for a minute, in tribute to their lost star. Broadway.com reported that, among the regular theatre-goers in Shubert Alley, there were some surprises. Members of Richardson's stage and real family had gathered to watch the tribute. Liam Neeson, who met and fell in love with Richardson while debuting on Broadway together in Anna Christie, was joined by Richardson’s sister, Joely, and her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, as they stood outside the Booth Theatre to see the Broadway community dim its marquees for one minute, a traditional honor saved for stage greats. Seen comforting Neeson with hugs and condolences were friends Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, Ralph Fiennes (Richardson’s co-star in the movies Maid in Manhattan and The White Countess, and Neeson’s friend since the two co-starred in Schindler’s List), Laura Linney (who starred with Neeson in the 2002 Broadway revival of The Crucible), and Richardson's costars from the Cabaret revival, Ron Rifkin and John Benjamin Hickey. At 8pm, the lights of the theater district began to dim, theater by theater, and mourners, onlookers and passersby began to respectfully applaud, at times even shouting Richardson’s name.
As the lights returned, Neeson shielded his eyes with his cap, and ducked into a waiting car with his family.
That image makes me cry.
Labels: Angels now, s'News
Friday Dance Party: Perfectly Marvelous
By now everyone knows the details of Natasha Richardson's tragic death this week. I previously wrote that, to my own surprise, I have never seen one of her performances. She's surely mourned by Broadway audiences for two memorable roles, Anna Christie and Sally Bowles. (I've heard from a spy named Charlie who saw her in Closer that she mesmerized in that one, too, but I suppose she was too much a nobody to appear in the film version; Julia Roberts snagged her role in the movie.)
So it's no wonder this week's Dance Party is devoted to Natasha. I could not find any of the solo numbers she sang in Anna Christie, and the dream ballet wasn't appropriate, so this clip from Cabaret will have to suffice. Yes, I know there isn't any dancing in it, but it does give a flavor of what her performance must have been like. It's really a drippy number, one of the slighter songs in a very strong score, but it surely illustrates a point I've been making lately (see posts below): ACTORS give the best musical theatre performances.
So, in honor of the late Ms. Richardson (and with a bit of help from John Benjamin Hickey, who was saddled with playing that loser Cliff), enjoy a perfectly marvelous rendition of a fairly lousy song:
When I Go, I'm Going Like Elsie
Cabaret has been on my mind this week. The reason is obvious: the tragically unexpected death of Natasha Richardson, who won a Tony as Best Actress in a Musical for the 1998 revival of the show. I wrote about her here, and confessed that I did not see her in this or any other performance. That revival did a lot toward proving that point about which I refuse to shut up, that an actor who sings will deliver a stronger, fuller performance in a musical than a singer hired on vocal prowess. Both Richardson and Alan Cumming are actors of the first rank, and both won Tonys for their work in this musical (it's interesting that Joel Grey, who originated the Emcee in 1966, won the Tony in the Supporting category; 30 years later, it has finally been realized that the Emcee is the LEADING male role in the piece). This revival also featured Denis O'Hare (as Ernst), John Benjamin Hickey (as Cliff), Ron Rifkin (as Herr Schultz) and Mary Louise Wilson (as Fraulein Schneider), all of whom are known as actors first.
This revival (which was really an interesting re-imagining) has had a pretty substantial influence on subsequent productions. I caught the National Tour of the show in DC, with (get this) Terri Hatcher playing Sally Bowles. Yes, in the years between Lois and Clark and Desperate Housewives, Hatcher was attempting to become a stage actress. I was probably lucky that I attended a weekday matinee of the show, because, true to form, the star was absent and the understudy went on in her place. The actress (I can't recall her name) was quite good, but was overshadowed (as so many Sallys before her) by the actor playing the Emcee.
In the tour I saw, the Master of Ceremonies was played by an actor of whom I had never heard, but who has since made a terrific name for himself, Norbert Leo Butz. I could not take my eyes off this dynamic gent, but that is really not surprising. The Emcee in Cabaret is one of the all-time show-stealers, and I should know.
Cabaret has been near and dear to my heart and soul since the film came out in the early 70s. I was just a teen, but I still recall the impact of Joel Grey's performance. This was the first time I consciously thought to myself, "I want to play this role." The Emcee became the first role to be placed on "my list," even before I knew I was keeping one. Ask any stage actor, and he or she can tell you immediately what roles they are dying to play (or wish they had had the chance to play). For me, the Emcee topped that list.
I was so enamored of the Cabaret film, and the Emcee therein, that I performed a version of "Money, Money" with my friend Ada in my high school drama class (Ada recently reminded me that we used lip sync. yikes). This was the first of many times I performed some aspect of Cabaret. (This picture is proof of my obsession: My friend Donna agreed to accompany me to a Halloween party during this period, and as you can see, I went as the Emcee.)
The next time I played the Emcee, I actually got to sing some of his songs in my own voice. I have already written about my first encounters with my best buddy Judy, which resulted in my playing the Emcee in her abridged version of Cabaret. Judy deserves some credit here, not only for giving me the role, but for her idea to turn some of the Kit Kat Girls into men. Back in 1975, this was a pretty radical idea. Judy was ahead of her time; twenty years later, the Cabaret revival placed a man in the song "Two Ladies."
Well, Judy's one-hour version of the show had whetted my appetite. I was confident I could play the Emcee in a full length production, and Thespis, the world's first showstopper, seemed to smile down on me when, a year later, Cabaret was announced as part of the main stage season at my undergrad. After several auditions, there remained only three students up for the part. My buddy Cris (about whom I have already written) was (and still is) a phenomenal singer who acted. My acquaintance Billy was a dancer who acted. And I was an actor who moved well and carried a tune by selling the song. Guess who got the role?
It wasn't the first, nor last, time a director passed me over in favor of someone with better musical sounds. Cris was wonderful in the role, though I doubt I could recognize it then. My severe disappointment (and it was SEVERE. Cris was lucky I never caught him in a crosswalk while I was driving home) reinforced my determination to play the role, someplace, somehow, in a full production.
It was at least a decade after college before I got another swing at the plate. A theatre in Thousand Oaks, CA published a casting call, and though the venue was about an hour from my home, I drove out to the audition. Didn't know a soul, though in true theatrical fashion, I did bump into a kid with whom I had worked about six years earlier. I had the feeling that this may be my last chance to play this role I had coveted for decades, so I did my best to block out the other, better singers auditioning for this plumb assignment. At my first audition, I sang "Money, Money," because I knew it cold and it's an impressive patter song. Of course, it is not in the stage version. (Or rather, it wasn't at that time. The 1998 revival and others before it have since put the song, written for the movie, into the play.) I knew it was not in the play, but pretended ignorance when the director, a lunatic named Stuart, alerted me to the fact. It was enough to secure a callback, though, and a few days later, I made the schlep back out to Thousand Oaks to sing again. This time, the musical director had assigned "The Money Song" for the auditioners to sing; of course, it contains the highest note the Emcee sings in the entire show, which is surely the reason he chose it. Thanks a lot, Zach.
I did not know it at the time, but I was later told that my unexpected appearance at these auditions upset the tentative casting plans for the show. In a theatre group such as the Conejo Players, shows were picked with at least a general idea of who would be playing certain leading roles. Nothing was set in stone, but it was the expectation for this Cabaret that the musical director's wife would play Sally Bowles, and his mother would play Fraulein Schneider. (It is in fact what happened.) It was also the expectation that, unless somebody really fabulous crawled out of the woodwork, the musical director would be playing the Emcee himself.
I would never have known this little tidbit of info if the director had not let it slip a week or so after we began rehearsals. It was the night I was almost fired. We had spent the first week learning the music, and for me, that was a huge undertaking (including reprises, the Emcee sang a whopping seven numbers; the usual load for a leading man in shows of the period is four). I was learning all this music at the same time I was performing in another musical, so I was taking some care with my voice so as not to be hoarse during those performances. However, the director took this as vocal weakness, and so, one night after rehearsal, Zach the musical director pulled me aside to tell me, "Stuart wants to know if this is all I'm going to get out of you. Because if it is..." Note the dot dot dot, which clearly meant, "you're out."
The next day was a pretty terrible one for me, as I anticipated the night's sing-through. It was to be the first time the entire score was sung all the way through, and everyone would be in attendance. I was in no way prepared to give a performance after only a week's rehearsal, but I also knew that if this director saw anything less than a full-out performance, I was to be replaced.
That night, I blew out my voice giving this amateur director exactly what he wanted; while the other actors remained in their chairs in a circle when they politely sang, I leaped up, improvised dance steps, interacted with the chorus members, and generally sneered and cackled my way through the rehearsal. I beat the living crap out of the Emcee, but when I was done, I knew I had kept the job.
What's funny about this memory is, this gig didn't even pay anything. But I knew in my gut that it may be the last chance I would have to play this role (and it was.) Because of this director, I learned a pretty good lesson about how to fake a performance during a rehearsal, though I have thankfully not had to do it much. I hate the fact that my current show suffered a bit when I returned to it the following night. (Sorry about that, Rob and Joe and Judi and Steve, that final weekend of Robin Hood was not my best work...now you know why.)
I had a ball with Cabaret, once I realized that Stuart was not much of a director. I got to sing those wonderful songs, or rather, act them. I acted the dancing, too, and for putting me in high heels during the can-can number, Stuart, I dedicate this shot to you:
This whole jaunt down memory lane was triggered by my catching a few snippets of Natasha Richardson's performance as Sally Bowles. In honor of all us actors out here doing musical theatre, here is another clip of the late lamented, singing the title song the way it should be sung. Rest in Peace.
Labels: Angels now, Hi-Ho The Glamorous Life
Natasha Richardson
The details of Richardson's sudden death are being reported around the globe, as her fame and that of her theatrical family make her skiing accident international news. Her resemblance to her mother Vanessa Redgrave is striking, particularly when hearing her speak in her own voice. The first time I ever encountered it, she and her husband Liam Neeson were providing introductory commentary on the revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner, starring Nathan Lane and being broadcast live on PBS.
To my own surprise and embarrassment, I have never seen a performance of Ms. Richardson's, on stage nor on film. Like everyone else on the planet, I have always been aware of her mother's illustrious career, and was lucky enough to catch Vanessa on stage at the Kennedy Center a few years ago, playing Hecuba. (I recall thinking that she swiped the film version of The Trojan Women from star Katherine Hepburn years ago, though I'm not sure that opinion withstands the test of time.) Natasha's grandparents included Sir Michael Redgrave and the fine actress Rachel Kempson, who worked until her death at age 92 (PBS freaks will remember her small but vivid performance as Lady Manners in The Jewel in the Crown). Her sister Joely has been on my radar since I ran across Nip/Tuck on TV, and I have already mentioned the personal interaction I had with her aunt Lynn Redgrave. Her uncle is the acclaimed British actor Corin Redgrave, and her father was film director Tony Richardson.
But I'm a bit ashamed to admit that Natasha Richardson's performances have escaped my view. Her stage work included what was reportedly a revelatory Anna Christie on Broadway, and she won the Tony for the acclaimed revival of Cabaret in the mid-90s (she has my sincere admiration and gratitude for showing that many musical theatre roles are best played by actors who sing, rather than singers who try to act. Her performance was so finely tuned, nobody cared that her singing voice was not that of the typical Broadway chanteuse). I've missed her film work, too, which consisted of a healthy mix of small indie films (A Month in the Country, Asylum, The Comfort of Strangers) and the occasional big-budget flick (The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan).
Her greatest achievements were surely on stage, and included Nina in The Seagull and Blanche in Streetcar Named Desire. Most recently she played opposite her mother in the concert staging of A Little Night Music.
She leaves behind two sons by her husband Liam Neeson, and of course, her extended family of Redgraves and Richardsons, probably comprising the most acclaimed theatrical dynasty of the late 20th century.
Posted by Armchair Actorvist at 7:00 PM 1 comment:
Millard Kaufman
Never heard of him? Me neither, but he died the other day at the ripe old age of 92. He was a longtime screenwriter with two Oscar nominations to his credit, for movies of which I have also never heard: Take the High Ground and Bad Day at Black Rock. He was considered a terrific script doctor at MGM, and also wrote a bit for television. He attached his name to the 1950 script of Gun Crazy, the film noir classic which was actually written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, as a favor to their shared agent. In 1992, he officially requested that his name be removed from the film's credits and be replaced with its rightful author. His first novel ("Bowl of Cherries"), which he wrote in his late 80s, was an unexpected smash, and his second book is due out this fall.
So, Millard Kaufman seems to have been an upstanding gent and worthy of recognition, but you may wonder why he is receiving an obit in these pages. I do not, after all, write about everybody who dies, just about folks who hold some interest for me. (It is why I did not report on the death of radio pundit Paul Harvey, who died a few weeks ago. I'm sorry he's gone, of course, but am not all that interested in him or his work.)
Well, here's why. Back in 1949, Kaufman penned the script for a short animated film called Ragtime Bear, and included a character based on his near-sighted uncle. A year later, Kaufman wrote Punchy de Leon for the same character, and a star was officially born:
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Now go get snockered.
Labels: Musings
Ron Silver
"They say that Hollywood is sex without substance, and Washington is substance without sex, so maybe the marriage of the two is mutually intriguing."
So said Ron Silver, an actor by trade but an activist by inclination. He was long known for championing leftish causes such as First Amendment rights and gun control. It was an unwelcome surprise to the liberal Hollywood community when he reversed many of his beliefs and spoke at the 2004 Republican Convention in support of Bush's reelection, calling himself a "9/11 Republican." While falling short of joining the Republican Party (he officially became an Independent), the about-face was not warmly welcomed in Hollywood. Silver was to complain that he lost work due to his support of the Bush administration's conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Silver's career included television, film, and the stage. He was a supporting player in the waning days of Rhoda, and appeared as a regular on several other unsuccessful sitcoms. He made a splash on stage with two portraits of Hollywood, Hurlyburly and Speed-the-Plow, the latter providing Madonna with her only Broadway appearance. (He won the Tony for playing the same role which Jeremy Piven deserted in the recent Broadway revival. I won't shut up about it here.) Other stage appearances included co-starring with Marlo Thomas in her Broadway debut, Social Security.
Among many roles, he played several real life folks, including lawyer Alan Dershowitz (Claus von Bulow's attorney in Reversal of Fortune), Henry Kissinger (Kissinger and Nixon) and male chauvinist and lousy tennis player Bobby Riggs (When Billy Beat Bobby). He made a strong showing in one of my favorite films, Silkwood, playing a union organizer who inadvertently causes Karen Silkwood's death.
He had a rare leading role in another of my favorites, a little known movie called Garbo Talks. His portrayal of a dying woman's son was a sweet departure; he more commonly played characters full of fast talk and deft manipulation. In the 90s he had recurring roles on Chicago Hope, Veronica's Closet, and The West Wing, the latter earning him an Emmy nomination.
Silver will be remembered as much for his political activism as his acting career. He was the president of Actors Equity for most of the 90s, and founded the Creative Coalition, a political action group centered on arts funding and public education. He actively campaigned for Bill Clinton as well as George W. Bush, and believed that Democracy was not a spectator sport.
Ron Silver died yesterday after a two year battle with esophageal cancer. He was 62.
Friday Dance Party: A Huttonannny!
I've been thinking about Betty Hutton lately. Haven't you? Hutton was a huge film star in the 40s and early 50s, though no one has ever heard of her these days. She is chiefly remembered for having replaced Judy Garland in the film adaptation of Annie Get Your Gun. She suffered her own mental demons later in life, addicted to alcohol and sleeping pills, and even attempted suicide in 1970. Apparently her conversion to Catholicism reversed her downward spiral, and she cleaned up her act a bit. She went back to school, earning a Masters degree, and worked various odd jobs until returning to Broadway in the 80s as one of Dorothy Loudon's replacements in Annie.
She's largely forgotten now, which is a shame. I first became aware of this dynamo when, as a kid, I stumbled upon one of her old movies, The Perils of Pauline. In it, she introduced a couple of swell Frank Loesser tunes, including "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" and my favorite, "Rumble Rumble." I've used the latter at auditions occasionally, but nobody can touch Hutton's manic version. She was a topnotch clown, with a malleable face which rivaled that other female comic star of the period, Martha Raye (Hutton was much more attractive, however, and could believably play romantic scenes as well as comic ones). Her comedy songs were always gems, written by the top composers of the day such as Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and of course Loesser. She burst onto the scene in 1942, in a supporting role in The Fleet's In, swiping the film from star Dorothy Lamour with her hilarious rendition of "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry." A year later she was teamed with another Paramount superstar, Bob Hope, in Let's Face It, and by the end of the decade, she was the studio's top-grossing female star. She took billing over Fred Astaire in 1950's Let's Dance, and her performance as Annie Oakley the same year is generally considered classic.
Hutton broke her contract when Paramount refused to allow her husband at the time (she had four total) to direct her next film, and her career began its swift decline.
Here's just one example of Hutton's song styling, complete with machine-gun lyrics and bulldozer delivery. There's even a bit of dancing, in honor of the week's Dance Party, and a special guest, too. I can't stop talking about it!
Betty Hutton died two years ago this week.
Posted by Armchair Actorvist at 11:16 AM 2 comments:
Labels: Angels now, Dance Party
Theatre Droppings: Gypsies, Extras, and Body Beaut...
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The New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered to be the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is usually found inserted in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, or as a stand-alone subscription. The best-seller list has been ongoing since April 9, 1942.
List of bestselling novels in the United States
List of New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers
List of New York Times Fiction Best Sellers
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "The New York Times Best Seller list" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
Retrieved from "http://artandpopularculture.com/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller_list"
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People v. Lujan
Court of Appeals of Colorado, Third Division
The People of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellee,
Abel Lujan, Defendant-Appellant.
Boulder County District Court No. 13CR1829 Honorable Andrew R. Macdonald, Judge
Cynthia H. Coffman, Attorney General, Brittany Limes, Assistant Attorney General, Denver, Colorado, for Plaintiff-Appellee
Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, P.C., Adam Mueller, Denver, Colorado, for Defendant-Appellant
RICHMAN JUDGE.
¶ 1 Defendant, Abel Lujan, appeals the judgment of conviction entered on a jury verdict finding him guilty of second degree murder. Because the trial court erroneously ordered the courtroom to be completely cleared when it reread instructions to the jury during deliberations, over defendant's objection, we must reverse and remand for a new trial.
¶ 2 The victim, defendant's live-in girlfriend, was beaten, strangled, and left on the ground outside a friend's apartment in 1999. In 2013, the People charged defendant with first degree murder. On the first day of trial, defendant conceded that he was responsible for the victim's death, but he argued that he was guilty only of reckless manslaughter.
¶ 3 Over defendant's objection that the evidence violated CRE 404(b), defendant's ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified about defendant's behavior toward them, including that he had hit and tried to strangle or suffocate them. For each witness's testimony, the trial court gave a contemporaneous limiting instruction. However, at the close of evidence, the jury was instructed only generally that "[t]he Court admitted certain evidence for a limited purpose. You are instructed that you cannot consider that evidence except for the limited purpose I told you about when it was admitted."
¶ 4 During deliberations, the jury submitted two questions to the trial court, one of which said: "Please write down the statement for the limited use statement [sic] on the testimonies of [defendant's ex-wife and former girlfriend]." Defense counsel objected to sending a written version of the contemporaneous instructions to the jury room if it did not contain additional language explicitly stating that the jury could not use the testimonies as evidence of propensity - language that the trial court had already rejected. The prosecutor suggested that the jury be brought back to the courtroom, where the judge could read the written version of the contemporaneous instructions. After a lengthy discussion, the court gave defense counsel a choice between (1) sending the jury a written version of the limiting instructions given contemporaneously with the testimony and (2) clearing the courtroom while it reread the contemporaneous limiting instructions aloud to the jury. Counsel indicated that he preferred reading the instructions to the jury, but he objected to excluding everyone from the courtroom. The court responded that it could "never bring the jury out in front of the parties" during deliberations and that counsel did not have to worry about it because the proceeding would be on the record.
¶ 5 Ultimately, defense counsel asked the court to read the instructions aloud and to note that "we are not in the courtroom, . . . and we are allowed to be." Counsel also requested that the jury be told why the parties were not present, and the judge responded "of course."
¶ 6 With the courtroom empty except for the jury, the bailiff, and the court reporter, the trial court said, "All right. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to read to you the instructions I read contemporaneous[ly] with the testimony of [defendant's ex-girlfriend and his ex-wife]." Then the court reread the instructions directing that the testimony from each witness could be considered only to show motive, intent, or common plan. Finally, it said, "That - those are the instructions. Okay. So thank you."
¶ 7 The jury found defendant guilty of second degree (knowing) murder.
¶ 8 On appeal, defendant contends that this conviction must be reversed because (1) closure of the courtroom to read limiting instructions violated his right to a public trial and his right to be present and (2) the trial court made three erroneous evidentiary decisions. We agree with defendant's contention regarding a public trial and, because we conclude that the error is structural, we do not address his contention that his right to be present was violated, as a violation of that right is not structural error. However, we address his evidentiary contentions because they might arise on remand.
II. Public Trial
¶ 9 A criminal defendant's right to a public trial is guaranteed by both the United States and Colorado Constitutions. U.S. Const. amends. VI, XIV; Colo. Const. art. II, § 16. When the trial court erroneously deprives a defendant of this right, the error is structural and "require[s] automatic reversal without individualized analysis of how the error impairs the reliability of the judgment of conviction." Hagos v. People, 2012 CO 63, ¶ 10; see Stackhouse v. People, 2015 CO 48, ¶ 7. A violation of the right to a public trial is not amenable to a harmless error analysis because "the effects of the error are simply too hard to measure." Weaver v. Massachusetts, 582 U.S.___, ___, 137 S.Ct. 1899, 1908 (2017); see Waller v. ...
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Who is an Africanist, really?
May 17, 2020 Written by Admin
Theory and ideology are important in helping us engage the world in both its materiality and spirituality. Without ideology and theory it would be impossible to interpret the past, anticipate the future and understand the present. It is because of this that we must be careful how we approach theory.
A reckless approach has disastrous results and this is evident in how so-called Pan Africanists have been failing at relating to the essence of the approach both as a theoretical lens and as an ideology.
This failure was starkly illustrated recently when a number of people on social media “critiqued” Professor Patrick (PLO) Lumumba from Kenya after he gave a lecture on pan-Africanism on the Economic Freedom Fighters Book Club live lecture series recently . The critique came mostly from people in the Black Consciousness and Africanist blocs. It was unclear what their critique was grounded on but it seemed to emanate from the professor’s failure to mention Robert Sobukwe, the leader of the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania, in his lecture. Others accused him of being an empty pamphleteer who has no depth of understanding what pan-Africanism is and what it seeks to do.
Some unflinchingly declared that Lumumba is not a pan-Africanist.
These critiques are interesting because they give us an opportunity to think (again) about what pan-Africanism is and what it seeks to do. They allow us to re-engage in the old conversation of who really is an Africanist.
What I want to posit is that, in the first instance, pan-Africanism is a living theory that is shaped and continues to be shaped by the ever-changing conditions of the continent. But the theory is also a spirit and is not just grounded by geography — it finds expression beyond the borders of Africa. But this does not mean, as Sobukwe once suggested, that an African is anyone who pledges their allegiance to Africa. What perhaps is more apt is that an African can only be defined by looking at the lived experience of a particular person.
Is that person born of a collective history of a people scorned, dispossessed, exploited, enslaved, and oppressed? Is that person born of the sound of the drum, of master improvisors, of the makers of gold, pyramids and jazz? This criteria might seem open but the truth is that for one to be an African there is an undisputable blackness that has to run through one’s veins. It follows then that an Africanist is one who acknowledges this complex and layered history, one who in their thinking and action seeks to advance the knowledge and the interests of fellow Africans.
Here, although many might find it a bit controversial, I want to categorically declare that white people in general cannot be African, in both the historical and the ontological sense. But, true to their nature, it is not surprising that most insist on claiming Africa as theirs. This is something we need not dwell on lest we forget that certain debates are nothing but distractions.
I want to mention that, although blacks are African, not all of them are Africanists. To be an Africanist is to take a certain position, to deliberately work and conduct oneself in a way that seeks to achieve an Africa that is radically different from the one we have. It is to work towards an Africa that has its own identity, culture and that is self-aware and dependent. To be an Africanist is to fight against anything that seeks to perpetuate the suffering and oppression of Africa and its people.
It is easy, therefore, to see that pan-Africanism is not a straitjacket with an exhaustive rubric but is dependent on one’s interpretation. Of course, bearing in mind the basic principles that I mentioned above. What I am perhaps attempting to gesture towards here is that being a pan-Africanist is determined by a black person’s relationship with the continent. It is a person’s daily responses and attitude to their circumstances that will enable us to make a judgment.
A single lecture from Lumumba is not enough to dismiss him as not being pan-Africanist. His ideas must be interrogated fully and, of course, the judgment must not be based on how he appeals to the demands of academic decorum. There are pan-Africanists who exist outside of learning institutions. The ability to cite Kwame Nkrumah, Sobukwe et cetera, although important, is not what makes one an Africanist, the demands are much higher.
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About CCSJonathan2020-08-05T14:18:29-05:00
In 1845, Pastor Pere Megret of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville, Louisiana, wrote the Bishop of Louisiana requesting religious teachers for the parish children. At that time, four Sisters of Mount Carmel left New Orleans to establish a mission in Vermilionville. In 1846, the Convent All Grace was opened for the girls of the parish. The Convent was known later as Mount Carmel Convent. In 1880, Mount Carmel graduated its first class with only two students. Father William Teurlings, pastor of St. John’s Cathedral, established a school for the boys of the parish.
The Cathedral School opened Monday, September 15, 1919 with 170 boys in grades 3 – 8. Four years later, in 1923, Cathedral School listed eleven students in its first graduating class. These early years were marked by rapid growth, as both schools, Mount Carmel and Cathedral, expanded to include eleven grades. Both high schools received accreditation from the State Board of Education in 1925. In 1926, Cathedral established its first football team, and in 1933, the first band in the parish was formed. By 1948, both schools had changed from eleven to twelve grades. High standards forced consolidation. In 1967, Mount Carmel High School and Cathedral High School consolidated to form Cathedral-Carmel High School. The new co-educational school retained its split campuses. In 1982, the Sisters of Mount Carmel sold their property and relocated grades KG – 6 to the newly remodeled Cathedral campus on St. John Street and this formed Cathedral-Carmel School with grades KG – 8. Also, within that same year, St. Thomas More High School opened their doors and grades 9 – 12 relocated allowing for the first STM graduating Class of 1983.
The consolidation of the two schools, Cathedral and Mount Carmel, was extremely beneficial. Along with the new Cathedral-Carmel spirit, a heightened desire for preservation of this institution was ignited. Everyone was aware of the cost of private education. There was renewed evidence for the need to preserve private, Catholic education, particularly an education of a proven high moral and educational caliber. The obvious result was to establish a permanent organization which was equipped to provide the perpetuation of Cathedral-Carmel. The Cathedral-Carmel Foundation was established as a non-profit 501c3 in the spring of 1969, “for benevolent, charitable, scientific, and educational purposes…to promote social, moral, educational, and material welfare of the school.”
Today, Cathedral-Carmel School is a unique and effective combination of two Catholic schools and is the oldest school in Lafayette. On average, CCS welcomes 780 students in grades PreK – 8. The faculty and staff are distinguished with masters and masters-plus certification and are committed to teaching Christ Centered Students. In the daily operation of CCS, they incorporate the principles of our founders, St. John Baptist de la Salle, upon whom our school’s philosophy is based – “to teach minds and touch hearts.” They also strive to emulate the virtues of Mother Therese Chevrel, who calls us to “love one another…uphold one another.”
CCS is accredited by Louisiana State Department of Education, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, National Catholic Educational Association, and has been recognized as a National School of Excellence. CCS students are offered a variety of opportunities in electives, fine arts, athletics, technology, and religious activities. Cathedral-Carmel is one of the few Catholic schools in Lafayette that offers a REC Program (Resources for Exceptional Children) which services children with special needs in a self-contained classroom environment, with the opportunity for inclusion throughout the day. Depending upon their cognitive ability, these students are integrated into the regular curriculum and school community as much as possible. CCS continues to focus on the needs of the student body by improving the aging physical facility. In recent years, the fundraising efforts of the Cathedral-Carmel Foundation, Parent Booster Association, and private donors have allowed the school to complete major capital improvements on campus. CCS also continues to provide students and faculty with the equipment and training needed for cutting-edge technology and professional development. We have been fortunate to purchase and install Promethean Boards in all classrooms grades PreK – 8, in REC classrooms, and in the elementary and middle school computer labs.
As we implement our completed 20/20 Vision Plan, we are committed to the following areas of focus: Catholic Formation, Academics, Administration and Finance, Development and Marketing, Technology, Fine Arts, Athletics, and Facilities to assure future growth and vitality. We have positioned Cathedral-Carmel to build on its tradition of excellence, while addressing the challenges of the future. The mission of Cathedral-Carmel School remains to “teach our students Roman Catholic values in an environment of academic excellence” so that our school community remains focused on developing Christ Centered Students.
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définitions synonymes traductions dictionnaire analogique wikipedia anagrammes mots-croisés Ebay
définition - American Chestnut
American chestnut (n.)
1.large tree found from Maine to Alabama
définition (complément)
synonymes - American Chestnut
American sweet chestnut, Castanea dentata
Fagaceae; family Fagaceae; beech family[ClasseTaxo.]
plante à tanin et saponine (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
bois de lutherie (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
bois de chauffage : selon l'essence (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
arbre à fruits secs (fr)[Classe]
bois d'œuvre : selon l'essence de l'arbre (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
Famille des Hippocastanacées (fr)[ClasseTaxo.]
bois pour jouet, tonnellerie (fr)[ClasseParExt.]
châtaigne et châtaignier (fr)[termes liés]
biology[Domaine]
FloweringPlant[Domaine]
botany[Domaine]
hamamelid dicot genus - sapling, tree[Hyper.]
beech family, Fagaceae, family Fagaceae - Castanea, genus Castanea[membre]
chestnut, Spanish chestnut, sweet chestnut[Dérivé]
Castanea, genus Castanea[membre]
chestnut, chestnut tree[Hyper.]
American chestnut (n.)↕
American Chestnut
American Chestnut leaves and nuts
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Genus: Castanea
Species: C. dentata
(Marsh.) Borkh.
The American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) is a large, deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. Before the species was devastated by the chestnut blight, a fungal disease, it was one of the most important forest trees throughout its range. There are now very few mature specimens of the tree within its historical range, although many small sprouts of the former live trees remain. However, there are (at least) hundreds of large (2 to 5 ft diameter) trees outside its historical range, in areas where less virulent (hypovirulent) strains of the pathogen are more common, such as the 600 to 800 large trees in northern lower Michigan.[1][2]
2 Chestnut blight
2.1 Surviving specimens
A rapidly growing deciduous hardwood tree, it reached up to 30–45 meters (100–150 ft) tall and 3 meters (10 ft) in diameter, and ranged from Maine and southern Ontario to Mississippi, and from the Atlantic coast to the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio Valley. There are several related chestnut species, such as the European Sweet Chestnut, Chinese Chestnut, and Japanese Chestnut, which are distinguishable only with difficulty from the American species. C. dentata can be best identified by the larger and more widely spaced saw-teeth on the edges of its leaves, as indicated by the scientific name dentata, Latin for "toothed". The leaves, which are 14–20 centimeters (5–8 in) long and 7–10 centimeters (3–4 in) broad, also tend to average slightly shorter and broader than those of the Sweet Chestnut. The blight-resistant Chinese Chestnut is now the most commonly planted chestnut species in the U.S. It can be distinguished from the American Chestnut by its hairy twig tips which are in contrast to the hairless twigs of the American Chestnut. The chestnuts are in the beech family along with beech and oak, and are not closely related to the horse-chestnut, which is in the family Sapindaceae.
American Chestnut male (pollen) catkins
The American Chestnut is a prolific bearer of nuts, usually with three nuts enclosed in each spiny green burr, and lined in tan velvet. The nuts develop through late summer, the burrs opening and falling to the ground near the first fall frost.
The American Chestnut was a very important tree for wildlife, providing much of the fall mast for species such as White-tailed Deer and Wild Turkey and, formerly, the Passenger Pigeon. Black Bears were also known to eat the nuts to fatten up for the winter.
Chestnut blight
Main article: Chestnut blight
Once an important hardwood timber tree, the American Chestnut is highly susceptible to chestnut blight, caused by an Asian bark fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica, formerly Endothia parasitica) accidentally introduced into North America on imported Asiatic chestnut trees. The disease was first noticed on American Chestnut trees in what was then the New York Zoological Park, now known as the Bronx Zoo, in 1904 by chief forester Hermann Merkel. While Chinese Chestnuts evolved with the blight and developed a strong resistance, the airborne bark fungus spread 50 miles (80 km) a year and in a few decades girdled and killed up to three billion American Chestnut trees. It is thought that panic logging during the early years of the blight may have unwittingly destroyed trees which had resistance to this disease and thus aggravated the calamity.[3]
New shoots often sprout from the roots when the main stem dies, so the species has not yet become extinct. However, the stump sprouts rarely reach more than 6 meters (20 ft) in height before blight infection returns.
Young tree in natural habitat
It is estimated that the total number of chestnut trees in eastern North America was over three billion, and that 25 percent of the trees in the Appalachian Mountains were American Chestnut. The number of large surviving American Chestnut trees over 60 centimeters (24 in) in diameter within the tree's former range is probably fewer than 100. Huge planted chestnut trees (featured in National Geographic) can be found in Sherwood, Oregon, since much of western North America is still free of blight. American Chestnut thrives as far north as Revelstoke, British Columbia. Though the tree is rare east of the Mississippi River in modern times, it exists in pockets of the blight-free West, where the habitat was agreeable for planting: settlers brought seeds for American chestnut with them in the 19th century and it is in part because of this fact that the species still exists.
American Chestnut field trial sapling from the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation
Several organizations are attempting to breed blight-resistant chestnut trees. One of these is the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, which breeds surviving all-American chestnuts, which have shown some native resistance to blight. The Canadian Chestnut Council is an organization attempting to reintroduce the trees in Canada, primarily in Ontario. Another is The American Chestnut Foundation, which is backcrossing blight-resistant American Chestnut × Chinese Chestnut hybrids to American parents, to recover the American growth characteristics and genetic makeup, and then finally intercrossing the advanced generations in order to breed consistently for blight resistance. The goal is eventually to reintroduce the species to the eastern forests of North America. In 2005, a hybrid tree with mostly American genes was planted on the lawn of the White House;[4] as of November 2007 reports indicate that this 75% American Chestnut tree is not doing well.[5]
The United States National Arboretum also has taken an interest in the American Chestnut, using similar methods of backcrossing to create hybrids resistant to blight. It is anticipated that the species may be ready for trial plantings in forests by 2010.
A breakthrough in cross-breeding of American chestnut DNA and Chinese chestnut DNA has allowed to begin restoration of the American chestnut tree. A tree planted in 2005 in the tree library outside of the USDA building is still very healthy 7 years later containing 98% American chestnut DNA and 2% Chinese chestnut DNA. This tree contains enough Chinese chestnut DNA to resist the blight which is essential for restoring the American chestnut trees into the Northeast.[6]
Surviving specimens
There are approximately 2,500 chestnut trees growing on 60 acres near West Salem, Wisconsin which is the world's largest remaining stand of American chestnut. These trees are the descendants of those planted by Martin Hicks, an early settler in the area. In the late 1800s Hicks planted less than a dozen chestnuts. Planted outside the natural range of chestnut, these trees escaped the initial onslaught of chestnut blight, but in 1987, scientists found blight in the stand. Scientists are working to try to save the trees.[7]
Two of the largest surviving American Chestnut trees are in Jackson County, Tennessee. One is the state champion and has a diameter of 61 centimeters (24 in) and a height of 23 meters (75 ft), and the other tree is nearly as large. One of them has been pollinated with hybrid pollen by members of The American Chestnut Foundation; the progeny will have mostly American Chestnut genes and some will be blight resistant.
On May 18, 2006, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources spotted a stand of several trees near Warm Springs, Georgia. One of the trees is approximately 20–30 years old and 13 meters (43 ft) tall and is the southernmost American Chestnut tree known to be flowering and producing nuts.[8]
Another large tree was found in Talladega National Forest, Alabama in June 2005.[9] It is 26 meters (85 ft) tall with a diameter of 35 centimeters (14 in).
In the summer of 2007, a stand of trees was discovered near the northeastern Ohio town of Braceville.[10][11] The stand encompasses four large flowering trees, the largest of which is approximately 23 meters (75 ft) tall, sited amongst hundreds of smaller trees that have not begun to flower, located in and around a sandstone quarry. A combination of factors may account for the survival of these relatively large American Chestnut trees, including low levels of blight susceptibility, hypovirulence,[12] and good site conditions. In particular, some stands may have avoided exposure thanks to trees being located at a higher altitude than blighted trees in the neighboring area, the fungal spores not carrying to higher altitudes as easily.[13]
In March 2008, officials of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced that a rare adult American Chestnut tree had been discovered in a marsh near Lake Erie. The officials admitted that they had known about the tree for seven years, but had kept its existence a secret. The exact location of the tree is still being held secret, both because of the risk of infecting the tree and because an eagle has nested in its branches. They described the tree as being 89 feet (27 m) tall and having a circumference of 5 feet (1.5 m). The American Chestnut Foundation was also only recently told about the tree's existence.[14]
An 80-year-old, 50-foot (15 m) tree was discovered in Adair County, Kentucky, in 1999.[15]
In June 2009, a mature American Chestnut was discovered in Farmington, New Hampshire.[16]
In rural Missaukee County, Michigan, a blight-free grove of American Chestnut trees approximately 0.33 acres (0.13 ha) in size with the largest tree measuring 128 inches (330 cm) in circumference (40 inches (100 cm) diameter) has been located. It is believed to be the result of nuts planted by early settlers in the area. The American Chestnut Council, located in the local town of Cadillac, Michigan, has verified the identity and existence. Efforts have been initiated to protect the property from logging and development.[citation needed]
Hundreds of healthy American Chestnuts have been found in the proposed Chestnut Ridge Wilderness Area in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania.[17] Many of these trees are large, measuring more than 60 feet (18 m) in height. These trees will be protected from logging if the wilderness area, proposed by Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, is passed into law.
American Chestnut leaves, late spring
The nuts were once an important economic resource in the U.S., being sold on the streets of towns and cities, as they sometimes still are during the Christmas season (usually "roasting on an open fire" so their smell is readily identifiable many blocks away). Chestnuts are edible raw or roasted, though typically preferably roasted. Nuts of the European Sweet Chestnut are now sold instead in many stores. One must peel the brown skin to access the yellowish-white edible portion. The unrelated horse-chestnut's "conkers" are poisonous without extensive preparation.
The wood is straight-grained, strong, and easy to saw and split, and it lacks the radial end grain found on most other hardwoods. The tree was particularly valuable commercially since it grew at a faster rate than oaks. Being rich in tannins, the wood was highly resistant to decay and therefore used for a variety of purposes, including furniture, split-rail fences, shingles, home construction, flooring, piers, plywood, paper pulp, and telephone poles. Tannins were also extracted from the bark for tanning leather. Although larger trees are no longer available for milling, much chestnut wood has been reclaimed from historic barns to be refashioned into furniture and other items. "Wormy" chestnut refers to a defective grade of wood that has insect damage, having been sawn from long-dead blight-killed trees. This "wormy" wood has since become fashionable for its rustic character.
This tree is not considered a particularly good patio shade tree because its droppings are prolific and a considerable nuisance. Catkins in the spring, spiny nut pods in the fall, and leaves in the early winter can all be a problem. These characteristics are more or less common to all shade trees, but perhaps not to the same degree as with the chestnut. The spiny seed pods are a particular nuisance when scattered over an area frequented by people.
Montreal, Quebec, has several species of chestnuts in its Botanical Gardens.
^ Brewer, L. G. 1982. The present status and future prospect for the American chestnut in Michigan. Mich. Bot. 21: 117–128.
^ Fulbright, D. W., W. H. Weidlich, K. Z. Haufler, C. S. Thomas, and C. P. Paul. 1983. Chestnut blight and recovering American chestnut trees in Michigan. Can. J. Bot. 61:3164–3171.
^ "The American Chestnut Tree, reprinted from American Forestry". 1915. http://www.chattoogariver.org/index.php?req=chestnutfuture&quart=W2002.
^ "Trying to Light A Fire Under Chestnut Revival". The Washington Post Company. December 29. 2005. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/28/AR2005122801235.html. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
^ Tudge, Colin (November 7, 2007). "The twentieth century in a nutshell". Nature (Nature Publishing Group) 450 (8): 169. DOI:10.1038/450169a. ISSN 0028-0836. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v450/n7167/full/450169a.html. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
^ "GreenXC". American Chestnut Restoration Breakthrough. Archived from the original on July 08 2011. http://greenxc.com/2011/american-chestnut-restoration-breakthrough-tale-tree/. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
^ Chestnut's Last Stand. Dnr.wi.gov. Retrieved on April 19, 2012.
^ "Macon News". http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/14611668.htm.
^ "Birmingham News Article – Trees Found". http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1150795196293730.xml?birminghamnews?nstate&coll=2.
^ "Crescent News – Trees Found". http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/2483102.
^ "Daytona Daily News – Trees Found". http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/17/ddn081807chestnuts.html.
^ "APS – virus attacks blight". http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/chestnut/.
^ "Daytona Daily News – Blight altitude restricted". http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/17/ddn081807chestnuts.html.
^ "AP – Rare American chestnut tree discovered in Sandusky marsh". http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/16974706.html?page=2&c=y.
^ Kentucky tree may help bring chestnut back. Ktsaf.org. Retrieved on April 19, 2012.
^ Tuesday June 2: A Rare Tree Find. Wmur.com. Retrieved on April 19, 2012.
^ "Chestnut Ridge Wilderness – Proposed", A Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Castanea dentata
RangeMap:
The American Chestnut Foundation
American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation
Canadian Chestnut Council
American Chestnut Research and Restoration Center, SUNY-ESF
National Geographic article
Castanea dentata images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
Rare American Chestnut Trees Discovered (Washington Post, May 19, 2006)
American Chestnut Restoration Breakthrough: The Tale of a Tree (GreenXC.com, June 28, 2011)
Resurrecting The American Chestnut
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Chestnut&oldid=498227750"
Flora of Ontario
Trees of Appalachia U.S.
Trees of Michigan
Trees of Missouri
Trees of Ohio
Trees of North Carolina
Trees of humid continental climate
Edible nuts and seeds
Trees of Ontario
Toutes les traductions de American Chestnut
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2020 Prospects
Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Organizational Depth Chart
Daniel Corcino, Adam McCreery among first five cuts in Dodgers’ camp
Dustin Nosler 03/07/2019 2019, Spring Training Leave A Comment
Daniel Corcino (Via)
After last night’s game against Cleveland, the Dodgers made their first round of roster cuts. Here’s who got the red card in the locker:
RHP Joe Broussard
RHP Daniel Corcino
LHP Adam McCreery
LHP Josh Smoker
RHP Jesen Therrien
McCreery was optioned because he’s on the 40-man roster, while the others were assigned to minor-league camp.
No surprises here, as there are always more pitchers than position players in camp, and none of these guys had much of a chance to crack the 25-man roster.
Broussard struggled in 2 2/3 innings as he allowed six hits, eight runs (all earned), walked four and struck out just two. Time is running out for the 28-year-old to show he can pitch at the MLB level.
Corcino logged the second-most innings in camp so far (behind Rich Hill). In five innings, he allowed three hits, two runs (one earned), walked five and struck out three. He made his Dodger debut last season and could find himself in LA again if there are enough injuries ahead of him. Until then, he’ll help to anchor the Oklahoma City rotation.
McCreery, acquired from the Braves over the winter, threw 2 1/3 innings, allowed four hits, three runs (two earned) and struck out two. He’ll likely see LA at some point this season because he’s big, left-handed and throws hard.
Smoker was a darkhorse to make the roster, but he didn’t do enough to avoid the first round of cuts. In three innings, he allowed five hits, two runs (both earned), a home run, walked two and struck out three. He should help strengthen the OKC bullpen.
Theirren, in the second year of a 2-year minor-league deal, has yet to appear in a Cactus League game. He’s recovering from the Tommy John surgery he had in September 2017.
There will be more cuts soon, and I’m sure there will be some position players involved next time as the Dodgers need to parse the roster down to 25 before Opening Day (March 28).
About Dustin Nosler
Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosts a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He is a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.
@DustinNosler
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Home Lihan fine cricketer from Poramadulla Central
Lihan fine cricketer from Poramadulla Central
(Upananda Jayasundera -Kandy Sports Special Correspondent)
Lihan Wickremasinghe, outstanding Cricketer produced by Poramadulla Central College. (Picture by Upananda Jayasundera-Kandy Sports Spl. Corr.)
Lihan Wickremasinghe, an old boy of Poramadulla Central College of Nuwara Eliya District is one of the best cricketers produced by the school.
He was coached by Palitha Thilakasiri, a Level one Cricket Coach who was behind Lihan’s success. Lihan Wickremasinghe captained the School Cricket teams from Under 13 to Under 19 level and played continuously. in the last Season of his school career he scored more than 550 runs including two centuries against Gamini Maha Vidyalaya and Kurunduwatte Central College,
As a right arm off-spinner he bagged 62 wickets in his final year in School in 2012.
Lihan did not stop at that level but while playing for his School he played for the Nuwara Eliya District Cricket team and later went onto captain the Nuwara Eliya District Cricket team.
After leaving School Lihan represented the Malay Sports Club in the Premier League from 2013 to 2017 and continued his Cricket Career with Negombo Cricket Club from 2018 to 2019 in the premier League Tournament . In 2019 Lihan got an opportunity to go abroad and he was able to play for the St.Albans Cricket Club,in Sydney, Australia and he signed up with them till 2020 and from the year 2021 he will be playing for the Sunshine Crows Cricket Club, in Sydney,Australia
Lihan Wickremasinghe is thankful to his Cricket coach, Palitha Thilakasiri for guiding him throughout his cricket career.
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look for this one!
so last night we had a really great evening- we saw a free screening of the documentary called "California Typewriter" which was completely adsorbing and utterly engaging and totally terrific! And to make the evening even more fun, we ran into our friends Gene & Mary Ann at the screening and so we grabbed a bite afterward at Louie's Modern downtown.
so first - let's give a shout out to the upcoming (and 20th!) Sarasota Film Festival (SFFXX)
and then on to the film itself- which was note perfect, in my opinion- it had it all- laughs and drama and nostalgia and reminiscences and "deep thoughts" about life .... how could you go wrong?
"Starring" well known proponents, users, and collectors of the typewriter, the movie explored the history of the typewriter and the near death of the typewriter before giving us a glimmer of hope that all has not been lost. As the long playing analog recordings have hung on, so too it seems, life may be extended for typewriters.
The film centers on two men, Ken and Herb, who work in a typewriter repair store in Berkeley California called California Typewriter- they are shown below - first the repairman Ken and and then the owner Herb. They have worked together for decades.
The film starts with a vignette of the Royal Road Test - a 1966 piece of performance art by Ed Ruscha, Mason Williams and Patrick Blackwell. A current day Mason Williams sets up the scene: Ed Ruscha and Mason Williams threw a royal typewriter from a convertible going sixty miles out into the desert. Then they documented the whole event in photographs. Typewriter keys hanging from tumbleweeds, the carriage return and other parts mangled in the dirt. It was a precursor of the art to come.
some stills from the book they published on the performance art piece-
then we meet Tom Hanks, Sam Shepard, David McCullough and John Mayer all of whom are fans of typewriters to varying degrees - Hanks is an avid collector, the others use them to varying degrees, as a mechanism for creation - enabler for slowing down the thought process so as to take the time needed and as a way of recording variations for posterity.... absolutely fascinating interviews - and along the way we also learn the history of the typewriter and the revolution it brought in the post civil war era as well as its role in creating work for women that paid a living wage.
throughout the various snippets of history and collector interviews we go back to the typewriter shop and get to know the family and employees of California Typewriter. Along the way, we meet the artist - Jeremy Mayer who creates art strictly from typewriter parts. Hooked on images from Fritz Lang's Metropolis when he was a kid he started creating things that resembled the robot from the film.
you can see the work he does in the promo poster for the film (above) - one side of the head above being the repairman at California Typewriter and the other being his image created by Jeremy Mayer...
as the shop heads to failure, Jeremy helps them set up a website to advertise their wares, their services and the culture surrounding the "typewriter revolution" - set up via the typewriter manifesto... they have popular TYPE-INs and start to eek out a real living. Things are still precarious as the film ends, but one does get an appreciation of the typewriter via the various collectors (especially one Canadian guy named Martin Howard.)
So I hope I have whetted your appetite to see this film because I thought it was a perfect example of documentary and worth seeking out!
You can visit the shop's online presence here - http://www.californiatypewriter.com/
You can see the film trailer and buy it here- http://californiatypewritermovie.com/
You can see Jeremy Mayer's work here- http://jeremymayer.com/
from the film's website-
CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and others.
It also movingly documents the struggles of California Typewriter, one of the last standing repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking.
In the process, the film delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience redefines who’s serving whom, human or machine?
Oh and I forgot to mention the Boston Typewriter Orchestra and the lady who writes poetry on a typewriter in response to a question from the people who see her performance art. It was all good and all incredibly interesting- GO SEE IT!!!!!
PS - I have to add this because it really tickled me to see the list of reviews of the film- located on this link. There were too many to type out and it won't cut and paste--- sorry you will just have to go there to see "Soul of an Old Machine" and "Songs in the Key of QWERTY" etc..... they loved it.... http://californiatypewritermovie.com/press/
And PPS- I found some photos from my travels that were similar to a small portion of the film (about where the typewriter was alive and living - in third world countries) they are from Columbia and Bolivia in that order-
official documents must be typed and so there are people outside government buildings to help with the forms.... more tiny bits of typewriter info for your entertainment....
Labels: #SFF, California Typewriter, documentary films, great documentary, member benefits, sarasota film festival, SFFXX, sneak previews, typewriter
finally to the end
my fabulous birthday dinner!
even further back
further back
working back
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Home » soundings » 30 Days of Love: 3/30
30 Days of Love: 3/30
Posted by Shane Montoya // January 21st 2013 // soundings, Stories and Voices, young adults // no comments
Growing up in North Carolina, the need for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., never seemed real. In the idyllic bubble that was Davidson, outside of Charlotte, the need for civil rights work and push for equality was distant. But as I aged the veils of unreality that clouded my view gradually stripped away, piece by piece, and I began to realize that my experience was not the norm – especially near Charlotte, an area that has had infamous struggles with racially based discrimination and segregation, particularly in its schools.
I learned that my high school mascot used to be “The Rebel”, who would wave the Confederate flag during football games. Even more troubling was that the Klu Klux Klan used my school as a meeting place up until the late 1970s – well within living memory, and years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing major forms of discrimination. I saw first hand the practice of an informal segregation by academics, as although the student population at my school was roughly 1/3 White, 1/3 Hispanic or Latino, and 1/3 African American, in my senior year taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, Hispanic, Latino and African Americans were visibly absent. My staff and teachers at the time were mostly White, with the notable exception of my Guatemalan Spanish teacher.
As a college history major I saw Martin Luther King as a product of his time and place, standing on the shoulders of the civil rights giants within the African American community that came before him while inspiring a new generation of fighters for civil rights and social justice. Someone like him was bound to come along, because the conditions were right. Other African Americans were organizing and doing great things-groups such as SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), the NAACP, and the Urban League worked with Left-wing political groups such as the Socialist Party of America on the front lines of the struggle for civil rights. Out of this wellspring of passionate people with great ideas, mass communication and media, and other political movements- such as the rapid decolonization of Africa and Asia- meant that the world was ready for change. King himself, channeling Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, famously said, “the moral arc of the universe is long, but bends toward justice.”
But the universe does not “bend” on its own. It takes the work of many people, acting within and sometimes beyond, their capacities to change attitudes and opinions. The individual struggles of every person who marched, suffered, beat by police officers, attacked by dogs or shot down in cold blood down was not a historical inevitability. The Greensboro Four did not have to sit at a lunch counter marked for Whites-only. Unitarian Minister James Reeb could have preached for civil rights from the safety of his pulpit at All Souls Church, instead of being beaten to death by a mob in Selma, Alabama. Thousands of African American protesters and their allies- representing the full spectrum of diversity of the United States- did not have to harassed, intimidated, injured, and killed to protest for justice. They could have, as King describes in his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, gone the path of waiting, negotiation, and non-action. The civil rights struggles that followed may have then been completely different; done with anger instead of love, vengeance instead of justice, as dreams deferred exploded like raisins in the sun.
But they didn’t. Through the choice of non-violence and love over hatred meant they were not just Standing on the Side of Love. They marched on the side of love; they suffered on the side of love and they died on the side of love. But their lives and deaths, have meaning. They started the United States down a path that it could not reverse course from- a powerful transformation that the country is still struggling with.
So my call for you is not just to Stand on the Side of Love, but to march, sing, pray, suffer, and live on the Side of Love.
Monday, January 21, 2013. Martin Luther King Day
Want to do something? Join the MLK Day of Service.
Shane is the Young Adult Ministries Associate.
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Policy Focus
John W. Miller
Defusing Tensions in the Persian Gulf
Despite the oft-tense relations between the United States and Iran, the two nations have largely managed to keep the peace in the Persian Gulf waters. The J.C.P.O.A. offers an opportunity to improve maritime cooperation, including G.C.C. states, which may serve to defuse tensions.
Economic Cooperation as Political Insurance
Since Iran signed the nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, Tehran has seen a flood of foreign visitors. Nine heads of state, 16 foreign ministers and dozens of other senior-level officials from across the world have come looking for diplomatic deals and economic opportunities. Iran is open for business and, as of mid-May, Tehran had secured about $3.5 billions in foreign investment since the nuclear deal, and billions more are in the pipelines.
Jean-François Seznec
Intra-Regional Energy Cooperation
Energy expert Jean-François Seznec argues that intra-regional energy cooperation is a sorely missing aspect in the Middle East and North Africa, costing the region in terms of its economic potential.
Zubair Iqbal
Iran's Post-Sanctions Economic Options
Choices made by Iran in the post-nuclear agreement period will entail a reappraisal of U.S. policy toward not only Iran but also the region.
Khamenei aide rules out renegotiating nuclear deal with US and EU
IRGC rules out missile talks with US and EU
Rouhani rules out nuclear deal renegotiation, missile talks
The growing threat of Iran’s speedboats
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Example of a case where computer forensics played a part during a criminal case in Virginia: computer forensics expert Virginia criminal case. United States District Court, E.D. Virginia, Alexandria Division. UNITED STATES of America ex rel. DRC, Inc., et al., Plaintiffs, v. CUSTER BATTLES, LLC, et al., Defendants. No. 1:04CV199.
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Home News Culture Travel Video Photo Feature Today in History Encyclopedia
Tibet to get first Fuxing bullet train in June
By: Xinhua
Updated: Jan. 06, 2021
Fuxing bullet trains will run in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region for the first time in June this year when a new rail line opens to traffic, China's railway operator said Monday.
With the launch of the service, the Fuxing bullet train series will be available in all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland, said the China State Railway Group Co. Ltd.
Track-laying work for the rail line connecting regional capital Lhasa and Nyingchi in eastern Tibet was completed on Dec. 31, 2020. It will be the first electrified railroad in Tibet.
The Fuxing bullet train to run in Tibet will be a customised version of the one which runs at 160 km per hour, a source told Xinhua. It will have oxygen supply equipment and two kinds of power traction: internal combustion and electric power, since more than 90 percent of the track will pass through areas about 3,000 meters above sea level.
Internal combustion will be used so that the trains can start internal combustion devices to cope with emergencies on the plateau, the source said.
With a design speed of 160 km per hour, the 435-km rail line passes through 47 tunnels and 120 bridges, according to Tibet Railway Construction Co. Ltd, which is building the railway.
By the end of 2020, Fuxing bullet trains had safely operated over 836 million km, transporting 827 million passengers.
So far, Fuxing electric multiple units trains in service have covered the whole speed range of 160 km per hour to 350 km per hour, which marks an important step in railway technical innovation in China.
World’s highest railway gets E-ticket system
All 120 bridges completed on Lhasa-Nyingchi railway
China Intercontinental Communication Co., Ltd
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Manchester United sign Uruguay striker Cavani
Manchester United completed three signings on transfer deadline day
Reuters , Monday 5 Oct 2020
PSG's Edinson Cavani adjust his headband during the French League One soccer match between Paris-Saint-Germain and Dijon, Feb. 29, 2020. AP
Manchester United have signed former Paris St Germain striker Edinson Cavani on a free transfer with the Uruguay international penning a one-year deal, with an option to extend for a further 12 months, the Premier League club said on Monday.
United's humiliating 6-1 defeat at home by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday had increased the pressure on chief executive Ed Woodward to give manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer some new options.
Cavani becomes United's fourth signing of the close season after the Old Trafford club signed midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax Amsterdam and left back Alex Telles from Porto and Ivorian winger Amad Diallo from Atalanta.
Cavani, who left Ligue 1 champions PSG after his contract expired last season, is the French club's most prolific scorer with 200 goals but has not played since March -- prior to the league season being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 33-year-old did not feature in PSG's run to the Champions League final either when the tournament restarted in August after media reports said he declined to sign a short-term contract extension in June.
"Manchester United is one of the greatest clubs in the world, so it is a real honour to be here," Cavani, who has scored 50 times in 116 appearances for Uruguay, told the club's website https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/man-utd-confirms-the-signing-of-former-psg-striker-edinson-cavani.
"I've worked really hard during the time off and I feel eager to compete and represent this incredible club."
PROVEN GOALSCORER
Cavani's signing comes after United's interest in Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho did not bear any fruit this year, with the German club refusing to part with the highly-rated England international.
However, Cavani offers United a different option up front in attack compared to Anthony Martial and the club will hope he can provide a springboard like his ex-PSG strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic did when he arrived in 2016.
Ibrahimovic, who also moved on a free transfer at the age of 34, scored 28 goals and provided 10 assists in his debut season with United, leading the club to the League Cup and Europa League.
Cavani's arrival will also be seen as United covering their bases with Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo set to return to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua when his loan ends in January.
"His goalscoring record for club and country is fantastic and we are delighted to sign a player of his calibre," Solskjaer said.
"He'll bring energy, power, leadership and a great mentality to the squad but, most importantly, he'll bring goals.
"He has had a brilliant career so far, winning trophies at almost every club he has played for, and he still has so much more to give at the highest level."
United are 16th in the standings with a game in hand heading into the international break.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
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Another Suspicious Death in the Middle East
A 21-year-old Palaniyandi Paramasivam complained to Maskeliya Police that his sister, a 40-year-old mother of three, Palanayandi Katbagawalli, a resident of Strathspy tea estate, Ledbruke, Maskeliya, has mysteriously died in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Katbagawalli has a son, 9 and two daughters, 12 and 13. She had left for employment in Saudi Arabia as a housemaid in October 2015. Katbagawalli was the breadwinner of the family.
The children's father is said to have left them a year and a half ago. The three children who live under the guardianship of their grandmother, attend Gawarawila Demala Maha Vidyalaya, Maskelya.
The brother of the victim has said in his complain to the police that his sister spoke with him for the last time on October 26. The victim had told her brother that she is moving to a new place of work where the house maids are treated inhumanely.
"I saw my sister's photo and information on her death on Face Book on November 1. It was then that I got to know that my sister had passed away. I called the private agency that sent my sister for work. However, they did not give me a clear answer. Face Book offered a telephone number to which I later spoke. The phone number belonged to a Sri Lankan house maid who worked in the same neighborhood where my sister used to work. She told me that the house-owners where my sister worked, had beaten her and carried her to some camp.
The informant told me that the house-owners had not fed my sister for two days and that they have injected a drug to kill her. Apparently, they have killed her on October 3. Nobody has informed us by letter or in any other form that my sister is dead. I have a strong suspicions about her death. I hope the government will look into this and take steps to bring my sister's body back to Sri Lanka," Palaniyandi Paramasivam said.
Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)
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You are at:Home»Agencies»Postal Service»Postal union begins TV ad campaign today
Postal union begins TV ad campaign today
By on July 10, 2011 Postal Service
The tug-of-war over the U.S. Postal Service’s very uncertain future hits the nation’s airwaves today with the kickoff of an American Postal Workers Union ad campaign that will run on national cable channels for up to two months.
Contrary to what you might expect, given how testy the debate is becoming, the 30-second spot doesn’t bash anyone. Instead, it highlights the fact that the Postal Service generally operates without taxpayer support. While APWU members move millions of pounds of mail each day, the ad says, their work is “funded solely by stamps and postage.”
So what’s the point? In a release, APWU President Cliff Guffey describes a two-fold purpose. One is to help the union sign up new members, starting with an “organizing week” later this month. The other is to build support for congressional legislation that would let the Postal Service reclaim tens of billions of pension overpayments identified by the agency’s inspector general and an outside actuarial firm hired by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
The ad will run for one week on Fox, and about two months on CNN and MSNBC. In an email, APWU spokeswoman Sally Davidow declined to say how much the campaign is costing, but described it as “a substantial buy.” This isn’t the first time, incidentally, that the union—one of four that represents postal workers—has taken this approach. Most recently, Davidow said, the APWU ran ads in 2006 opposing the consolidation of some mail processing facilities.
Postal Service announcing 1Q financials tomorrow
With stamp prices set to rise, legal challenges filed
Postal Service, mailers poised to challenge exigent rate decision
M Devito on July 11, 2011 9:41 am
Where is the APWU getting the money to run this campaign? With the millions spent on ads that money can be put to better use than to line the pockets of the media moguls.
MIke D on July 11, 2011 11:25 am
I’m not sure that the general public will, after seeing the ad, remember it or care. In their minds The P.O. is Government funded. Good luck, hope it works. As a retiree we all still have a stake in the future.
Ed T on July 11, 2011 11:45 am
M. Devito – where do you think it comes from, tax payers like most of uninformed America? Union dues, where else!
jasper on July 11, 2011 2:43 pm
Ed T, you’re reading with your eyes closed and listening with ear plugs. USPS IS NOT funded by TAX PAYER dollars!!!!!
chrisk on July 11, 2011 5:12 pm
jasper, look at the punctuation in Ed T’s statement after the words “…..uninformed America?” Please note that it is a question mark. If some of the American Public realize that we are not tax funded and are owed hugh amounts of money back that two agencies have said we’ve over paid, then, perhaps they’ll start questioning their Congressional Representatives as to why this is happening. If this happens, then the money will have been well spent. As a Window Clerk when my customers ask me about this I give them a truthful answer.
ET on July 11, 2011 9:03 pm
I don’t like the timing- the headlines are about the deadlock over raising the debt ceiling. Ifn it don’t matter to today’s issue it won’t be absorbed. It’s like running an ad in News of the World.
Martyss on July 12, 2011 7:47 am
Tax dollars? Union dues? Who cares? This is the single most positive action anyone has done for the workers who process the mail. It shows leadership among a host of unions and organizations that either can’t or won’t lead.
steven on July 13, 2011 9:50 am
What is this ad talking about? The Postal Service IS publically funded. The got $7 Billion from taxpayers this year and have gotten billions every year since they were privatized. Stamps, etc, do not begin to cover their costs. There are multiple post offices in every town in America and this is a huge waste of money. There is also senority based promotion (you work here long enough, you get management pay) as there is in all Government agencies. There is no reason to economize because the taxpayers make up the difference. This commercial is a filthy lie.
aph on July 14, 2011 1:05 pm
Steven is the kind of lazy idiot who believes whatever he feels like believing whenever he feels like it. The kind of hate spewing cave-dweller who would never let facts get in the way of his vitriol. In his defense, I’m sure he doesn’t know the facts. Facts?? What facts??
al on July 20, 2011 10:31 am
That ad is a crock,they do not pay income taxes and they do not pay registration fees,so how is it not costing tax payers anything?
John on September 8, 2011 8:05 pm
The U.S. Treasury funds the U.S. Postal Service using a mechanism other than direct funding. Instead, the Treasury loans the U.S.P.S. money at 0% interest. In other words, this is “federal funding” of the U.S.P.S.–it is a semi-governmental agency of the federal government and depends on the federal government to survive. Currently, the U.S.P.S. has borrowed so much from the U.S. Treasury that it is about to default on the loan. If Congress acts to relieve the U.S.P.S. of its loan, then the U.S.P.S. will be “directly funded” by the federal government, but this is all a matter of semantics. What matters is that the U.S.P.S. must reform, bring its costs in line with its revenues, and figure out how to pay back the loan to the U.S. Treasury.
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Holiday greetings and warm wishes for the New Year! As 2016 slips away (and good riddance), I’d like to update you on developments in store for the coming year.
My new thriller Tell On You will be published on May 1st, 2017 by Micro Publishing Media. But you don’t have to wait until next spring for a sneak preview. Visit the Tell On You page on my revamped website (see the drop down menu under Novels) and watch a video trailer that’s guaranteed to whet your appetite for the book. You will also find links to pre-order your copy now. Check out the Upcoming Events page on my website to see a front and back cover reveal.
I’ll keep you posted about future pre-publication activities. Meanwhile, I’m working on the next thriller.
Wish you all the best in 2017.
Book Spotlight: Still Beautiful: The Color of Beauty
Still Beautiful: The Color of Beauty
By Kevin Bates
Genre: Poetry
Paperback price $13.99
"Still Beautiful" takes readers on a path of nostalgia; a time where "Black is beautiful" wasn't just a phrase, it was a way of life. Kevin's words paint memorable portraits of social injustices, marches, afros, and grandmas's cooking. His poems show us how unity is important in getting through tough times, and no matter the issue Black is the color of Beauty.
I am a devoted reader and writer. Each day is spent wandering in the world of words. Never lost just going to different places. My frequent reader miles are piled up with many words. Gaining many thoughts then sharing with friends and family. I’ve learned words shared correctly through speech or in print can be very powerful. I hope to share them with you so we come to an understanding not to be powerful but to be your brother under God.
As a kid my mother brought me into the world of words. She would read with her sweet angelic voice taking me so far away doing things I never did before. Living the adventures of the people she read about. She teaching me the words she thought I do not know. Soon afterward when I asked her to read another she would tell me to pick a book off the shelf & to read it myself.
https://twitter.com/Kevin_W_Bates
http://www.kevinwbates.com/
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2h25ozQ
On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34854694-kevin-bates
Book Spotlight: Sunset Reads: Damian & Layla
Sunset Reads: Damian & Layla (A Sunset Reads Novel 2)
By D.C. Triana
Genre: Romance Suspense
It’s been one year since Agent Damian Trent left for Washington without a word.
One year since he’s seen her beautiful face.
One year since he’s heard his name on her lips.
He's been recently called back to New York City on assignment, to catch a criminal who’s trying to infiltrate Sunset Reads. The last thing he expects is to work side by side with the woman he turned his back on.
Having her close is an unwanted distraction that he’s more than willing to ignore, if only she wasn’t so damn tempting.
Everything seems under control, until a night of feverish passion has him abandoning all thoughts of reason. Now, he will do everything in his power to get her back, and even more so to protect her.
Layla Reece wants nothing to do with the man who left her a year ago.
The man who took her heart with him, leaving her broken.
After a year of trying to forget Damian Trent, she is finally ready to move on.
But trying to forget him becomes a tedious task when he suddenly reappears in her life.
Although she fights to stay away, his magnetism is too strong and she finds herself giving into the deep timbre of his voice, and the strength and safety of his arms.
Staying away from Damian turns out to be futile, especially when his kisses consume her and his heart shatters the walls she spent so much time building.
Finding herself in danger, she now has to turn to the only man she trusts to keep her safe, but can she trust him enough to give him her heart once again?
D.C. Triana is a new romance author and novelist. She was born in raised in New York and is currently residing in Florida. Last March, Her dream of publishing a romance novel came true with, Sunset Reads: William & Cristina. The novel is currently holding a 4.5 star rating on Amazon as well as GoodReads. She is excited to announce her second novel in the series, Sunset Reads: Damian & Layla, releasing on December 26, 2016.
When she is not delving into her hopeless romantic thoughts, she is expanding her experiences and travelling around the world. She also will not miss an episode of the Walking Dead, has an obsession with Superman, and has watched Pride and Prejudice at least ten times. An avid fan of all types of music and dancing; she enjoys cuddling up with her puppy Obi, and helping new authors like herself. You can visit her at http://www.dctriana/com, or be part of her newsletter where you can take part in giveaways, receive updates on upcoming storylines, and get reviews on hot new titles. Sign up for her Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bXH-P9
@DCTriana1
https://www.facebook.com/D.C.Triana82/
https://www.goodreads.com/DCTriana
https://www.instagram.com/dctriana82/
http://www.dctriana.com/
Pre-order link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBB4QYD
Interview with author Alexander Boldizar
I’m still not sure what my genre is. I leave that up to the reviewers, and they seem undecided between calling The Ugly literary fiction, dark humor and contemporary fiction—though dark humor and satire are definitely winning the race. Until The Ugly was published, I thought I was writing literary fiction but struggling to sell a Central European absurdist/existentialist sensibility in a North American market that equates literary fiction with psychological realism. But it’s probably easier to just pick a different genre label.
At any rate, I don’t expect to stay in one genre. The Ugly is literary satire because that’s what made sense for this particular story, but my next book is science fiction.
That said, I do really enjoy existentialist dark comedy. My favorite authors are Kafka, Heller, Vonnegut, Musil, Borges, Joseph Roth, Hrabal, Bowles, Dostoevsky, Camus, Rilke, Conrad, DN Stuefloten, Jodorowsky, PK Dick, Frank Herbert and the movie “Berlin Alexanderplatz” by Rainer Werner Fassbinder—as Einstein said, “If at first an idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it”—writers who were thinkers, but knew that storytelling is the most sophisticated form of thinking, that an idea stops being interesting the minute you can put it in a box. And who knew that in order to tell a good story, you have to keep the thinking below the surface.
The Ugly had to be satire because it’s set at Harvard Law School. When I was a student there, people saw me as a bit of an odd mountain man, so I thought it would be fun to bring a real mountain man—not my half North Americanized version, but one distilled and fortified in the most remote mountain range in Siberia—to Harvard Law and see what happened. This is a natural setting for humor, which grows out of incongruity. The clash of Muzhduk the Ugli the Fourth and Harvard has instant comedic potential, and stiff rule-bound places already lend themselves to funny situations. But at the same time, the juxtaposition allowed me to ask the question of “What is thinking?” which is what the book is about for me (though I don’t necessarily expect that to be the case for the reader.) There is the rational discourse of law school, with its various categories, but there are also forms of thinking that happen with the fists or the penis or the heart or the ear, poetry and visual art and math and bullets and sand, and I wanted to clash all these various ways of processing information into each other and see what happened. I didn’t approach the book with answers, just open-ended questions that I wanted to smash into each other as hard as I could. Those collisions are often inherently funny, and the fact that this is the place that creates the people who make the rules that govern all our lives—take a look at a list of alumni: my roommate my last year, for example, was Samantha Power (though she was great; I’d never have made it through our Chinese Law class without her)—makes it inherently dark. That became The Ugly.
Number one is finding time. As for the writing itself, at first what I struggled with most was the subjectivity of it. There’s no objective standard, no puzzle to decode—you have to write for your readers, who are human beings with a million different preferences and backgrounds. And yet if you want to write anything interesting, your writing isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Lots of people never made it through Ulysses and never even picked up The Man Without Qualities. There’s no universal reader and there’s no one proper way to write a novel. Going against the grain may slow you down, but if that’s what your book needs, then that’s what it needs.
At the same time, however, I do think writers need to read their work with a truly critical eye and ask themselves whether some limitation in their own personality is holding back their writing. Over and over, I found that the limits to my writing ability were actually the flaws in my personality, something that was blocking me from being able to see a way out that was true both to the story and to the reader whom I’m asking to invest eight or more hours of his or her life in the world I created. The advantage of editing a book for 16 years was that I really had a chance to learn from my mistakes, and trace them back to their source. I’m a big believer in protecting a small part of my brain that is convinced everything I think I know is wrong. If you can unify that self-doubt with enough confidence to never quit, your book will eventually make it.
You can see why I don’t write How to write guides: “Spend 16 years editing a single book” isn’t going to be popular advice. But that was my solution.
Whenever I can. I spent years as a full-time single dad, which meant I had to work from home. Now I work out of a tiny home office, with a 200-year old Balinese teak door for a table top, mounted on an Uplift adjustable-height desk, with a Lifespan treadmill underneath. I can’t write while walking, but use the treadmill while reading. Around the treadmill and desk is a nearly chthonic chaos of paper and books buried under other books and paper. Fortunately, the office has high ceilings and I can keep adjusting my desk higher as the papers rise up to drown me. As I’m typing this, I’m realizing that I’m actually quite high up in the air, on a sort of precarious throne, with my feet roughly at the level of the window sill. Which isn’t bad, because I can see into the back yard.
I have a little mantra that I like to recite as a way of starting my writing sessions. It’s dedicated with love towards my son and girlfriend, and goes something along the lines of “Just because I work from home doesn’t mean I’m not working! Please stop walking in and out of my office and yelling up at me from downstairs and asking me whether we have mustard!” (Swap socks or playdate for mustard, as appropriate.) After loudly clearing my throat in this way, I’m in the zone and can write.
I have a great publisher, Brooklyn Arts Press. They won this year’s National Book Award in poetry. But they’re a small press, which means a lot of the marketing and promotion has been up to me. When it comes to promotion, I’ve tried to learn from both traditional and self-published authors, and I’m capable of putting on the “used car salesman” hat, but I really don’t enjoy it. I’m a hermit at heart, and much prefer sitting at my ever-climbing desk over clicking “refresh” obsessively on my Amazon page. I’ve published over a hundred nonfiction articles, lots of short stories, art criticism, ghostwritten pieces for Wall Street, etc., but had never heard of this Amazon-refresh-clicking disease until I started promoting The Ugly. It seems incurable. I only know of one writer friend who’s beat it. He says the disease goes into remission once a major Hollywood studio purchases the film rights and makes a movie, since at that point everyone stops caring what readers think.
More seriously, I was surprised at how much publishing with a small press, even one that won an NBA, is similar to self publishing in terms of the legwork you have to do to actually sell books. I’ve had fantastic reviews, but translating those into sales is tough. One example: I’m a Harvard alumus, former chief editorial columnist at the Harvard Law Record, my book is set at Harvard, but when I asked the Harvard Book Store to come in and do a reading, their reaction was “Debut author with a small press, no thank you.” That surprised me.
The flip side, of course, is that these days it seems only small presses are willing to experiment and discover new authors and try unorthodox approaches. Basically, small presses seem to be doing all the heavy lifting within the publishing industry. That’s more than a fair trade for putting on the ugly salesman hat once in a while.
It was a tremendous honor to be included in the Best Books of 2016: Best Fiction, by Entropy Magazine, called “the eternal champion of small press literary books” by Small Press Distribution. I was very happy to be #1 on Goodreads’ New Releases list and I loved seeing The Ugly at spot #2 on Amazon’s “most wished for” list in the dark humor category, nestled between Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 and Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night. After a few days, Chuck Palahniuk knocked out Kurt, but The Ugly stayed where it was at #2.
But my proudest moment may have been when I received a blurb from Professor Alan Stone, the former president of the American Psychiatric Society, where he wrote that “The author moves from the surreal to the real without ever losing his way.” That had been my goal, to not fall either into realism or surrealism but try to balance between the two, and having someone I respected very much pick up on that meant a lot. The irony is, because of space constraints, that portion of the blurb was edited out and never made it onto the book jacket.
Actually, no, scratch that. My proudest moment was seeing the book in real life, holding it, hugging it, caressing it. But that’s probably what every author says, so let’s go with the wise psychiatrist.
I’d rather have a poker game with the writers I mentioned above— Kafka, Heller, Vonnegut, Musil, Borges, Joseph Roth, Hrabal, Bowles, Dostoevsky, Camus, Rilke, Conrad, DN Stuefloten, Jodorowsky, PK Dick, Frank Herbert, Fassbinder and, sure, Einstein for variety, why not—and just listen to them trying to bluff each other. But if I have to choose one, it would be Franz Kafka. We’d talk about the weather and aliens and slow people who drive in the passing lane. I’d love to see how his mind worked on daily things, whether his ability to open up that weird existential sideways shift was just who he was, or whether it was a conscious intellectual move within the story.
Alexander Boldizar was the first post-independence Slovak citizen to graduate with a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. Since then, he has been an art gallery director in Bali, an attorney in San Francisco and Prague, a pseudo-geisha in Japan, a hermit in Tennessee, a paleontologist in the Sahara, a porter in the High Arctic, a police-abuse watchdog in New York City, an editor and art critic in Jakarta and Singapore, and a consultant on Wall Street. His writing has won the PEN/Nob Hill prize and was the Breadloaf nominee for Best New American Voices. Boldizar currently lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where his hobbies include throwing boulders and choking people while wearing pajamas, for which he won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships and a bronze at the World Masters Championships of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For several years, an online Korean dictionary had him listed as its entry for “ugly.”
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theuglynovel
On Twitter: @Boldizar
http://www.theuglynovel.com/
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2hNtMcl
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2hNhL6O
B&N: http://bit.ly/2hMLCcT
Interview with author Sarah K. Stephens
My genre is best described as literary psychological thriller. It’s interesting--I don’t feel as though I chose the genre ahead of time, but the story of Anna, Sean, and Bard evolved with my writing into a thriller as I moved further into the narrative. I knew I wanted to focus on the devastating emotional stakes that play into any long-term romantic relationship, and when Bard’s character emerged in my mind, I knew that the story was going to take on an element of menace.
As a reader, I love thrillers, especially those that play more with the mental landscape of their characters and how perceived threats can emerge in what, at least at first, appear to be very ordinary lives. The mundane aspects of life are great contexts to introduce animus, because the assumption so often is that they are benign. But our most intimate relationships—those with our spouses, our children, our friends—also offer excellent, and sometimes unexpected, breeding grounds for conflict and contempt, and I try to capture that undercurrent in my writing.
Having to sit still and get the words out—that is one of the biggest challenges I encounter. I would much rather be in motion, moving through the world. Thank goodness I at least have a standing desk now!
Although I have a desk in the basement of our family’s home, I typically write at our communal desk in our family’s living room, preferably in the morning when I’m not teaching and the children are already off to school. I brew a big carafe of French press coffee, boot up the computer, and get to work. Our pit bull, Jasper, keeps me company while I write. After a few hours, he also offers a great reminder to take a break by nuzzling my legs with his (very cute) nose—time for his walk!
I’ve found the best way to promote yourself as a writer is to promote other writers you admire. In the online realm of social media and blogs, ‘paying it forward’ by bringing attention to fellow writers you admire often comes back to you in dividends when they reciprocate with the same courtesy. Readers are often turned off by self-promotion, but respond with enthusiasm when they see writers supporting each other.
I’d say my book deal with Pandamoon Publishing was a definite high point in my writing career, but I want to emphasize to all the writers out there that simply getting words on the page every day (or when you can) is an achievement. It’s an act of bravery to offer up your imagination, your memories, and your emotions for scrutiny, which is essentially what all writers do, regardless of genre or format. So although we want recognition and acceptance for our work as writers, we need to remember that trusting in ourselves to devote time and energy to our words is an achievement in and of itself.
Jessica Francis Kane, author of The Report and the short story collection, This Close. I would love to sit down with her and talk through a few of her short stories (or, in an ideal and timeless world, all of them!). American Lawn, for one, really embedded itself into my mind--I’d love to get her perspective on the piece and how she came to write it.
Sarah K. Stephens earned her doctorate in Developmental Psychology and teaches a variety of human development courses as a lecturer at Penn State University. Although Fall and Spring find her in the classroom, she remains a writer year-round. Her short stories have appeared in Five on the Fifth, The Voices Project, The Indianola Review, and the Manawaker Studio’s Flash Fiction Podcast. Her debut novel, A Flash of Red, will be released in December 2016 by Pandamoon Publishing.
https://twitter.com/skstephenswrite
https://www.facebook.com/sarahkstephensauthor/
https://sarahkstephens.com/
Book Spotlight: STEAM AHEAD! DIY FOR KIDS
STEAM AHEAD! DIY FOR KIDS
By Sumita Mukherjee
Genre: Educational Projects for Kids
STEAM AHEAD! DIY FOR KIDS is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction book for parents and children. It introduces kids between the ages of four and ten to the magic of electronics, game and toy designing, printing, understanding basic scientific principles and most importantly, they’ll have a blast making them. Inside this book you will find projects on LED cards, dance pads, handmade soaps, bubble blowers, Play-Doh circuits, cloud lanterns, scribbling bots and more!
Created by NASA STEM certified leader, Sumita Mukherjee, this book is jam packed with projects that will engage any bored child. The hands-on projects are broken into areas of practical implementation: Party, Build, Toys and Art. They have also been sorted according to levels of difficultly and STEAM relevance. Adding one or two experiments per week can get your child excited about science, inventions, science fair projects and overall classroom performance.
There is also a BONUS material list for STEAM DIY KIDS, to make it easier for parents to plan and prepare in advance.
What’s particularly exciting is that STEAM AHEAD! DIY FOR KIDS is available for only $1.99 through December. Perfect for keeping children busy during the holiday season. And that’s not all! For those who purchase the book this week, a freebie downloadable brain doodle book is also available by entering your purchase information at http://wizkids.club/freegift. Don’t miss out. Visit Amazon today to grab this special deal! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRIRG69
Sumita Mukherjee is a NASA STEM certified leader and children’s book author. She has been fortunate enough to travel around the globe, explore many countries and meet different people. Mysteries and adventures have been captured from there in the form of Keiko and Kenzo’s travel adventure series. These books are to inspire young readers to know and appreciate various countries, develop a love for discovery and learn about the world around them. Her series of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) books encourages kids to invent and explore, to empower themselves and see themselves as world leaders and problem solvers. Her books celebrate diversity, spark curiosity and capture children's imaginations! Sumita currently lives in Toronto with her family.
Her website, WizKids.Club was created with a vision to raise the next generation of creative leaders. WizKids.Club offers highly engaging kids activities, educational books, experiments, hands-on projects, DIYs, travel stories and engineering books perfect for children 4-12 years to spark creativity and scientific learning.
https://twitter.com/wizkidsdotclub
https://www.facebook.com/wizkidsdotclub/
http://wizkids.club/
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRIRG69
Interview with author Elizabeth Sinclair
I love a happily-ever-after ending, so it was quite natural for me to be drawn to romance. When my kids were all in school, I found keeping the house clean took up very little of my time, so I became a voracious reader. While in school, I had always loved creating stories and after reading The Flame and the Flower, the writing bug bit and hasn’t let go since. Watching my characters go from conflicted, unhappy people, to deeply in love is a wonderful experience and one I truly enjoy. I’ve written paranormal romance, category romance, historical romance and romantic suspense. The last of which has been my focus for the last couple of books, which all have an arson theme.
The most challenging parts of writing for me are outside influences: family, friends, house chores, etc. To overcome them, I’ve had to learn to say “no.” My biggest distraction is my five-year-old grandson, whom I cannot say no to. Whenever he’s around nothing else takes precedence.
I write in my home office, a room my husband has made especially for me, complete with bookshelves, cabinets and a cool countertop for my computer, printer and other things I need at my fingertips. Oh, and there’s also a special bed for my writing buddy, Eddie, my 7 pound Yorkie.
That friends and other writers are indispensable for spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter and their personal websites. You can’t beat word of mouth advertising.
Elizabeth with Sharon Sala, Ancient City Romance Authors 2013 conference
I do writing workshops and critiquing and nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing one of the authors I’ve worked with publish their first book.
Sharon Sala. Hands down. I’ve told her that I want to be just like her when I grow up. LOL Not only is she a dynamic writer, she’s also a good person with a big heart. I’m sure we’d talk about Native Americans. It’s a subject dear to both of us.
ELIZABETH SINCLAIR admits she loved composition assignments back in grade school. While other kids glared at the teacher, she was always excited at the prospect of creating a new story in a new world. However, it wasn’t until her own children were all in school—and the house remained clean for more than a few minutes at a time—that she found the time to really write.
Throughout Elizabeth's lengthy career, her romance writing has evolved into romantic suspense involving complex characters, intricate plots, and heart-racing stories that fellow author Sharon Drane once stated, "Cannot be read alone, at night."
Elizabeth's books have won The National Reader's Choice Award, The Anne Bonney Reader's Choice Award, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, Maggie Award of Excellence, and placed in the Heart of Excellence. She has also won a Gold Medal Top Pick from the Romantic Times Book Club.
Elizabeth is a co-founder and member of the Ancient City Romance Authors of St. Augustine, FL, a member of Romance Writers of America, and served as RWA's Region 3 Director and chaired the 2001 RWA Annual Conference in New Orleans.
Elizabeth shares her Florida home with her husband and their furry children. Her human family has expanded to include five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
http://elizabethsinclair.com
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bound-Fire-Elizabeth-Sinclair-ebook/dp/B01N8UN5JO/
Interview with author Desraye L. Halon
Tell us about your genre.
Spiritual / Self Help
How did you come to choose it?
I had gone through a fast and rough spiritual awakening to what everything is at the core of it. Meeting my spirit guides, they wanted me to put myself out there to help others, it just feels right.
Why does it appeal to you?
I have done a 180 in terms of my life and how I live, I really want to help people in all areas. To let them know, they are not alone, and you never have to take your own life or resort to the end game. There is ALWAYS a way out of the pain, darkness to a better life, no matter what the issue is. I want to give people the facts, the straight answers
Well for me it it just seems to flow. I write about what I have experienced and bring it to written word. The hardest part so far has been facing myself, putting myself out there, the good, bad and ugly. It’s a risk, but I know it will help others. People will be able to relate and be able to pull themselves up. I never run out of things to write about, so so far it has been a true blessing. The hardest part was finding a publisher. That’s for any writer is tough, so I’m grateful and thankful for that.
I normally start in the morning, and sometimes I can write for 12 hours, it just flows. Then other days, a just try and get a chapter done a day. I know getting The Soul Knows out and the Emergency Guide to an Awakening / Ascension ( will be out soon) Those I worked seven days a week for at least 8 hours a day the last month. It can be tough, but doing what you love, its never work. I do like to write sitting on my couch in silence but I sometimes will sit outside and write, all at my home in Phoenix AZ. But when it hits me, I always carry my table to write on when I am on the move.
That it is tough and a lot of hard work. You don’t just write a book and kick your feet up. You have to be out there all the time, meeting people and getting it out there. You have to be tough and not let no’s get in your way. Be yourself, because your not just promoting a book, your promoting yourself, so just always being me.
What are you most proud of as a writer? This book, The Soul knows. I have written a couple other books, but for me this is my joy. Because I put things in it, that really not a lot of people knew, or only close family and friends’. It made me come to accept myself even more in just writing it. To work through things, things I didn’t want to even go back too. So it shows, if you work on you, love yourself truly at the core of who you are, anything is possible.
There is a lot of people, but I guess where I am now, Wayne Dyer for sure. What wouldn’t we talk about. The true meaning of joy and how it can change lives, the act of forgiveness and how it can not only help you feel better, but can actually make you healthier. Those a couple of things, but I really love his work and what he was telling everyone. I would also ask him about some tips on public speaking for sure.
Desraye has written five books, published three books and still writing. My latest work is The Soul Knows and coming out soon is The Emergency Guide to an Awakening/Activation- Ascension Rising. Published by Light Matters Publishing an imprint of Flint Hills Publishing.
She only writes spiritual works to help others along their path. As she has gone through two deaths and was saved to come back and gone through an intense spiritual awakening.
Desraye was born with psychic intuition and have learned how to use my gifts to help others. Of course she is always learning and growing too. She posts on her website about energies, healing, helping, spirits and more to help others. She is an energy healer.
She is an artist and had some of her paintings in the downtown Phoenix area and in a high-rise building. Soon to be in a gallery in Phoenix.
Desraye is from the mid-west area of the U.S. but call Phoenix, AZ home for the last nine years. If she is not writing or painting you can find me outdoors. Hiking, walking or just being out in it. Inner joy is the key to everything. Just know you are much more than you think you are.
https://twitter.com/DesrayeHalon
http://desrayehalon.weebly.com/
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2eM1KgD
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2f9Q6uk
Interview with author Vickie King
Tell us about your genre.
The historical western romance, like all romances, are character driven, and the story centers on the development of that romance. The hero is a compassionate man, although he may not show that up front. He has a strong sense of justice and what is good, and he is fiercely loyal. The heroine is a strong-willed woman, but she also a product of the time period and must learn to survive in an era that is clearly a man's world.
Why does it appeal to you? For me, these two questions are connected. I've always loved reading about that time period and how people lived and survived back then. I love finding out those details of history that can enrich a story in some way. I also watched reruns of Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and other old shows and movies with my husband who loved westerns.
Getting too absorbed in research. I love reading about history, and I have to limit my research time, or I won't get any writing done. LOL.
I used to have a home office, but when my grandkids came along, we turned it into a playroom. I have a desk in my bedroom, and it works well for me. I like writing in the early morning or late evening.
I'm still learning. Book Blitz is a great idea. I love it when an author can sum up your stories in a tag line. I have an author friend, Dolores Wilson, whose line for her books is Southern Stories with Heart. Mine is Heart-fluttering Romance, and I have a butterfly logo. There is a story behind the butterfly, and it's on my blog if anyone would like to read it. Vickielking.blogspot.com
That my family has always been so supportive of my writing endeavors.
Jean Stratton Porter. My favorite book is A Girl of the Limberlost by Jean Stratton Porter that I read when I was about fifteen years old. I think we would talk about all aspects of writing. Even though she wrote the book in the 1920's, I still found it easy to identify with the main character who was a young girl.
Vickie King’s new book takes her writing back to her first love: historical Western. She’s happy to present ETHAN'S HEART, the book of her own heart and the first in her new Historical Western Series, The Blackwood Brothers. She is also author of the contemporary romance series, The Braddocks. Book One, Carly’s Rule, and Book Two, Dusty’s Fate, are available in paperback and ebook.
Vickie is from a small town in West Virginia. She transplanted to Florida in 1994, and while she loves living in the sunshine state, now and then she misses watching the seasons go through their changes. If she closes her eyes, she can still imagine herself standing on the deck of her family home, staring out over the hills and valleys that will always be a part of her.
Vickie is previously published in short fiction with both romance and mystery for Woman’s World Magazine. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and a local chapter, Ancient City Romance Authors (ACRA), where she is a past president.
Vickie has four grown children, five grandchildren, and a Chihuahua named Bentley. She has the best family and friends anyone could have. Her blog, Heartstrings, features interviews with authors as well as other publishing industry professionals.
On Facebook: http://bit.ly/2e08Nk6
http://vickielking.blogspot.com/
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2giOxM
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News archiveCurrently selected
Nominations open for ICES awards
Do you know someone whose scientific contribution to ICES has stood out and deserves to be recognized? Then put them forward for a prestigious ICES award.
For this year, ICES Awards Committee is now soliciting nominations for one of the most prestigious accolades: the Outstanding Achievement Award.
Presented annually, the Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes a person whose career has been marked by a continued high level of commitment to excellence in science, research, and leadership. The nominee will have made contributions to ICES in the field of marine science or management over a period of at least 15 years. Although this often means senior scientists are put forward for the prize, ICES is also encouraging nominations for young candidates.
Candidates will be judged by the Awards Committee according to a large set of criteria including achievements, commitments, innovation in science and management and impact on advice. They will also as potential winners be expected to attend the Annual Science Conference (ASC) award ceremony to officially receive the award as well as to engage in networking with and mentoring of young scientists.
Nominations, are now being accepted and can be submitted via an online form. Nominations for the next Prix d’Excellence award, expected to be presented in 2017, can also be made.
The deadline for nominations is 15 April 2015.
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Bill Karp (right) receives the ICES Outstanding Achievement Award from Pierre Petitgas, the Chair of Awards Committee. Copyright: Antonio Bode
read more about ICES awards
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Obituary for Mr. Henry J Wichmann, Jr.
Cranford, New Jersey | Age 86
Loving Husband and Father
Henry J. Wichmann Jr., 86, of Cranford, passed away on Saturday January 9, 2021. He was born on July 10, 1934 to Henry and Helen (Torgersen) Wichmann Sr. in Union City, NJ. Henry grew up in Jersey City, NJ attending public schools. After graduating from William Dickinson High School, Henry went on to attend two years of college at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, PA. Henry was drafted into the Army and served in Korea returning in 1961. He worked for Western Electric as a draftsman during the day and went to night school at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, he was employed as an engineer with AT&T Telecommunications. In 1961 Henry became an engineer for Lucent Technologies in Newark and later in New York City. Henry retired from Lucent after 42 years with AT&T and Lucent. Following his retirement he worked as an engineer for VOLT Co. in Roselle, NJ and Edison, NJ. Henry enjoyed traveling, visiting all fifty states, most of Canada, cruised the Bahamas, Paradise Island and Nassau. He also visited South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, along with other destinations. His favorite trips were to China and Russia. An active church member, he was on the church council at St. John's Lutheran Church, Jersey City. At Calvary Lutheran Church in Cranford, NJ, Henry served on the church council, the operations committee, the finance committee, the caring committee, where he assisted at funerals, and also served as an usher. Henry served as a Scout Master for Troop 79, Cranford, and was a member of the AT&T Pioneers. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Patricia (Hillestad) Wichmann and two sons, Jon Wichmann of Pittsburgh, PA, and Eric Wichmann of Singapore. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Parkinson's Foundation. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Gray Memorial Funeral Home, Cranford. Please go to: www.grayfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences.
Add your thoughts, prayers or a condolence to Henry's guestbook.
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IWE Istanbul Water Expo March 2018
dates have been changed.
New dates will be announced once it is
Why IWE Istanbul Water Expo
Visiting Istanbul
Media Covarages
Future of Water and Waste Water Management to be Shaped at IWE Istanbul Water Expo 2016!
Bringing under one roof the water and waste water treatment industries, IWE Istanbul Water Expo; as the first and only specialized exhibition of the industry continues to contribute effectively to the sustainable water and wastewater management projects in Turkey and the region. This year, the exhibition will be supported by The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs of Republic of Turkey, The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of Turkish Republic, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, Ilbank, Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, Izmir Chamber of Commerce and KOSGEB.
At IWE Istanbul Water Expo 2016 which will be held at İstanbul Fuar Merkezi between 1 – 3 September 2016, the exhibitors and visitors will get a chance to showcase their latest solutions and products, get together with decision makers, open up to new markets and get new investment opportunities. The conference, which will be held alongside the exhibition, which has become “the international meeting point for the region which encompasses Balkans, Middle East, Africa and CIS countries”, will contribute to the development and globalization of the sector and increasing public awareness about ‘water’ in our country where water resources are limited.
Organized by EUF – E Uluslararası Fuarcılık, an affiliate of ITE Turkey, the organizer of leading exhibitions in leading industries of Turkey, at Istanbul Fuar Merkezi between 1-3 September 2016, Istanbul Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies Exhibition and Conference - IWE Istanbul Water Expo, will be bringing together the latest technologies and developments related to sustainable use of water resources, ensuring water savings, and treatment and recycling of waste water and the sector representatives from Turkey and abroad.
Tülin Bozkurt Bulut – Director of IWE Istanbul Water Expo, Turkey’s first and only specialized exhibition for the water and waste water technologies industry: “We’ll be organizing IWE Istanbul Water Expo, the first and only specialized sector-specific exhibition of water and waste water technologies industry in Turkey, for the second time between 1 -3 September 2016. The exhibition aims to become a regional meeting point for the industry by showcasing under a single roof; all technological innovations, equipment, products and services for the water and wastewater industries in Turkey and the region. The latest developments in the sector will be discussed by academicians, and representatives from public and private sector enterprises at the conference to be held alongside the exhibition.”
“Turkey’s new wastewater treatment facility is on the way”
As per the, the Waste Water Treatment Action Plan -2023 of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization the total number of wastewater treatment facilities, which was 653 in 2015, will be 2154 by 2023 with the addition of 1501 new facilities. 1418 of these facilities will be newly constructed facilities while 83 of them will be existing treatment facilities that will be upgraded. Accordingly, the total investment for wastewater treatment facilities for the period of 2015 – 2023 will be 37 billion 52 million TL. About the issue, Bulut said: “We know that due to rapid population increase, industrialization, uninformed water consumption and global warming, water resources are being depleted rapidly in our country. All these planned investments are vital to ensure sustainable wastewater management and to ensure that our country meets certain environmental standards fully. We believe that for all these new investments to be made, IWE Istanbul Water Expo is the ideal meeting point for private and public sector organizations and companies, investor companies and decision makers”.
“We must take immediate action for water security”
IWE Istanbul Water Expo Exhibition Director Tülin Bozkurt Bulut: “According to the “Sustainable Development Goals” report of World Bank, “water security” ranks number one in the global risk rankings. Usable water amount is expected to decrease by 40% until 2030 and world population is estimated to reach 9 billion, both of which are expected to result in a 15% increase in water consumption. According to the same report, 2,4 billion people across the word use untreated water, and 700 million people don’t have access to clean water. And in the coming years, GDP of countries that don’t have access to “usable water” is expected to decrease by over 7%” .
IWE Istanbul Water Expo where international exhibitors will be high will bring together decision makers from the government, water and sewerage administrations, and investment and operator companies and set the direction of the waste and wastewater technologies industry and continue to offer new business opportunities to sector’s professionals via the commercial platform it creates.
37 billion TL to be invested in Wastewater and Sewerage until 2023
Exhibition Area & Transportation
Reserve A Stand
About Istanbul
THIS FAIR IS ORGANIZED UNDER SUPERVISION OF TOBB (THE UNION OF CHAMBERS AND COMMODITY EXCHANGES OF TURKEY) IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW NO.5174
IWE Istanbul Water Expo March 2018 dates have been changed. New dates will be announced once it is scheduled
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Bible with Strongs
1611 KJV
Bible Concordance
Book of Jasher
God's Promises in the Bible
Book of Enoch
A Guide to Bible Study
How to Pray - by Reuben A. Torrey
Sermons by C.H. Spurgeon
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“The Jebusite
also, and the Amorite,
and the Girgashite,
Previuous Verse View Chapter Next Verse
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11. And Mizraim
begat
Ludim,
and Anamim,
and Lehabim,
and Naphtuhim,
12. And Pathrusim,
and Casluhim,
(of whom came
the Philistines,)
and Caphthorim.
13. And Canaan
Zidon
his firstborn,
and Heth,
14. The Jebusite
15. And the Hivite,
and the Arkite,
and the Sinite,
16. And the Arvadite,
and the Zemarite,
and the Hamathite.
17. The sons
of Shem;
Elam,
and Asshur,
and Arphaxad,
and Lud,
and Aram,
and Uz,
and Hul,
and Gether,
and Meshech.
View Chapter
Commentary for 1 Chronicles 1:14 Click here to view
This paragraph has Adam for its first word and Abraham for its last. Between the creation of the former and the birth of the latter were 2000 years, almost the one-half of which time Adam himself lived. Adam was the common father of our flesh, Abraham the common father of the faithful. By the breach which the former made of the covenant of innocency, we were all made miserable; by the covenant of grace made with the latter, we all are, or may be, made happy. We all are, by nature, the seed of Adam, branches of that wild olive. Let us see to it that, by faith, we become the seed of Abraham (Romans 4:11, Romans 4:12), that we be grafted into the good olive and partake of its root and fatness.
I. The first four verses of this paragraph, and the last four, which are linked together by Shem (1 Chronicles 1:4, 1 Chronicles 1:24), contain the sacred line of Christ from Adam to Abraham, and are inserted in his pedigree, Luke 3:34-38, the order ascending as here it descends. This genealogy proves the falsehood of that reproach, As for this man, we know not whence he is. Bishop Patrick well observes here that, a genealogy being to be drawn of the families of the Jews, this appears as the peculiar glory of the Jewish nation, that they alone were able to derive their pedigree from the first man that God created, which no other nation pretended to, but abused themselves and their posterity with fabulous accounts of their originals, the Arcadians fancying that they were before the moon, the people of Thessaly that they sprang from stones, the Athenians that they grew out of the earth, much like the vain imaginations which some of the philosophers had of the origin of the universe. The account which the holy scripture gives both of the creation of the world and of the rise of nations carries with it as clear evidences of its own truth as those idle traditions do of their own vanity and falsehood.
II. All the verses between repeat the account of the replenishing of the earth by the sons of Noah after the flood. 1. The historian begins with those who were strangers to the church, the sons of Japhet, who were planted in the isles of the Gentiles, those western parts of the world, the countries of Europe. Of these he gives a short account (1 Chronicles 1:5-7), because with these the Jews had hitherto had little or no dealings. 2. He proceeds to those who had many of them been enemies to the church, the sons of Ham, who moved southward towards Africa and those parts of Asia which lay that way. Nimrod the son of Cush began to be an oppressor, probably to the people of God in his time. But Mizraim, from whom came the Egyptians, and Canaan, from whom came the Canaanites, are both of them names of great note in the Jewish story; for with their descendants the Israel of God had severe struggles to get out of the land of Egypt and into the land of Canaan; and therefore the branches of Mizraim are particularly recorded (1 Chronicles 1:11, 1 Chronicles 1:12), and of Canaan, 1 Chronicles 1:13-16. See at what a rate God valued Israel when he gave Egypt for their ransom (Isaiah 43:3), and cast out all these nations before them, Psalms 80:8. 3. He then gives an account of those that were the ancestors and allies of the church, the posterity of Shem, 1 Chronicles 1:17-23. These peopled Asia, and spread themselves eastward. The Assyrians, Syrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Arabians, descended from these. At first the originals of the respective nations were known; but at this day, we have reason to think, the nations are so mingled with one another, by the enlargement of commerce and dominion, the transplanting of colonies, the carrying away of captives, and many other circumstances, that no one nation, no, nor the greatest part of any, is descended entire from any one of these fountains. Only this we are sure of, that God has created of one blood all nations of men; they have all descended from one Adam, one Noah. Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Malachi 2:10. Our register hastens to the line of Abraham, breaking off abruptly from all the other families of the sons of Noah but that of Arphaxad, from whom Christ was to come. The great promise of the Messiah (says bishop Patrick) was translated from Adam to Seth, from him to Shem, from him to Eber, and so to the Hebrew nation, who were entrusted, above all nations, with that sacred treasure, till the promise was performed and the Messiah had come, and then that nation was made not a people.
Read other comments:
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible
Scofield's Reference Notes
Adam Clarke Commentary
Expositor's Bible Commentary
The Pulpit Commentaries
Show strongs
KJV Standard Bible
1611 KJV Bible
Bible Concordances
Bible Dreams
Bible Strongs
Book of Jubilees
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Ingestible Expanding Pill Monitors Stomach Month
Ingestible, expanding pill monitors the stomach for up to a month
Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office Jan. 29, 2019
MIT engineers have designed an ingestible, Jell-O-like pill that, upon reaching the stomach, quickly swells to the size of a soft, squishy ping-pong ball big enough to stay in the stomach for an extended period of time.
The inflatable pill is embedded with a sensor that continuously tracks the stomach’s temperature for up to 30 days. If the pill needs to be removed from the stomach, a patient can drink a solution of calcium that triggers the pill to quickly shrink to its original size and pass safely out of the body.
The new pill is made from two types of hydrogels — mixtures of polymers and water that resemble the consistency of Jell-O. The combination enables the pill to quickly swell in the stomach while remaining impervious to the stomach’s churning acidic environment.
The hydrogel-based design is softer, more biocompatible, and longer-lasting than current ingestible sensors, which either can only remain in the stomach for a few days, or are made from hard plastics or metals that are orders of magnitude stiffer than the gastrointestinal tract.
“The dream is to have a Jell-O-like smart pill, that once swallowed stays in the stomach and monitors the patient’s health for a long time such as a month,” says Xuanhe Zhao, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT.
Zhao and senior collaborator Giovanni Traverso, a visiting scientist who will join the MIT faculty in 2019, along with lead authors Xinyue Liu, Christoph Steiger, and Shaoting Lin, have published their results today in Nature Communications.
Pills, ping-pongs, and pufferfish
The design for the new inflatable pill is inspired by the defense mechanisms of the pufferfish, or blowfish. Normally a slow-moving species, the pufferfish will quickly inflate when threatened, like a spiky balloon. It does so by sucking in a large amount of water, fast.
The puffer’s tough, fast-inflating body was exactly what Zhao was looking to replicate in hydrogel form. The team had been looking for ways to design a hydrogel-based pill to carry sensors into the stomach and stay there to monitor, for example, vital signs or disease states for a relatively long period of time.
They realized that if a pill were small enough to be swallowed and passed down the esophagus, it would also be small enough to pass out of the stomach, through an opening known as the pylorus. To keep it from exiting the stomach, the group would have to design the pill to quickly swell to the size of a ping-pong ball.
“Currently, when people try to design these highly swellable gels, they usually use diffusion, letting water gradually diffuse into the hydrogel network,” Liu says. “But to swell to the size of a ping-pong ball takes hours, or even days. It’s longer than the emptying time of the stomach.”
The researchers instead looked for ways to design a hydrogel pill that could inflate much more quickly, at a rate comparable to that of a startled pufferfish.
An ingestible tracker
The design they ultimately landed on resembles a small, Jell-O-like capsule, made from two hydrogel materials. The inner material contains sodium polyacrylate — superabsorbent particles that are used in commercial products such as diapers for their ability to rapidly soak up liquid and inflate.
The researchers realized, however, that if the pill were made only from these particles, it would immediately break apart and pass out of the stomach as individual beads. So they designed a second, protective hydrogel layer to encapsulate the fast-swelling particles. This outer membrane is made from a multitude of nanoscopic, crystalline chains, each folded over another, in a nearly impenetrable, gridlock pattern — an “anti-fatigue” feature that the researchers reported in an earlier paper.
“You would have to crack through many crystalline domains to break this membrane,” Lin says. “That’s what makes this hydrogel extremely robust, and at the same time, soft.”
In the lab, the researchers dunked the pill in various solutions of water and fluid resembling gastric juices, and found the pill inflated to 100 times its original size in about 15 minutes — much faster than existing swellable hydrogels. Once inflated, Zhao says the pill is about the softness of tofu or Jell-O, yet surprisingly strong.
To test the pill’s toughness, the researchers mechanically squeezed it thousands of times, at forces even greater than what the pill would experience from regular contractions in the stomach.
“The stomach applies thousands to millions of cycles of load to grind food down,” Lin explains. “And we found that even when we make a small cut in the membrane, and then stretch and squeeze it thousands of times, the cut does not grow larger. Our design is very robust.”
The researchers further determined that a solution of calcium ions, at a concentration higher than what’s in milk, can shrink the swollen particles. This triggers the pill to deflate and pass out of the stomach.
Finally, Steiger and Traverso embedded small, commercial temperature sensors into several pills, and fed the pills to pigs, which have stomachs and gastrointestinal tracts very similar to humans. The team later retrieved the temperature sensors from the pigs’ stool and plotted the sensors’ temperature measurements over time. They found that the sensor was able to accurately track the animals’ daily activity patterns up to 30 days.
“Ingestible electronics is an emerging area to monitor important physiological conditions and biomarkers,” says Hanqing Jiang, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Arizona State University, who was not involved in the work. “Conventional ingestible electronics are made of non-bio-friendly materials. Professor Zhao’s group is making a big leap on the development of biocompatible and soft but tough gel-based ingestible devices, which significantly extends the horizon of ingestible electronics. It also represents a new application of tough hydrogels that the group has been devoted to for years.”
Down the road, the researchers envision the pill may safely deliver a number of different sensors to the stomach to monitor, for instance, pH levels, or signs of certain bacteria or viruses. Tiny cameras may also be embedded into the pills to image the progress of tumors or ulcers, over the course of several weeks. Zhao says the pill might also be used as a safer, more comfortable alternative to the gastric balloon diet, a form of diet control in which a balloon is threaded through a patient’s esophagus and into the stomach, using an endoscope.
“With our design, you wouldn’t need to go through a painful process to implant a rigid balloon,” Zhao says. “Maybe you can take a few of these pills instead, to help fill out your stomach, and lose weight. We see many possibilities for this hydrogel device.”
This research was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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MOCO 2017 London
Evening Performance
MOCO 2018
Tamar Flash
Tamar Flash is a professor at the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. She earned her BSc and MSc degrees in Physics from the Tel-Aviv University, Israel. She received her Ph.D. in Medical Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1983) where she enrolled in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology. She continued with her postdoctoral training at MIT, at the Department of Brain and Cognitive Science and the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (1983-1985). In 1985 she joined the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science where she established a research group, focusing on motor control and robotics and also served as the department head (2004-2007). She was a visiting professor at MIT, the College de France, Berkeley University and a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Harvard University.
The focus of her research is on computational neuroscience, human motor control, movement disorders, the control of hyper-redundant flexible biological and robotic systems and humanoid robots.
Mark Coniglio
Media artist, composer and programmer Mark Coniglio is widely considered to be a pioneering force in the exploration of dance and interactive media. Beginning with Troika Ranch (http://troikaranch.org), the media intensive dance company he co-founded with Dawn Stoppiello, and later as the creator of the media software Isadora (http://troikatronix.com), he has spent nearly three decades enmeshed in the relationship of movement, media, and computing.
Coniglio’s talk will begin with an overview of his artistic practice, showing how Troika Ranch’s early works – where sensory systems, responsive media software and live performers combined to produce an interactive “reflection” of the body – evolved into an approach where technology actively intervened in the creation, rehearsal and performance of movement. He will conclude by championing potential future interventions, where computational artificial intelligence will be placed into conflict with human bodily knowledge, to provoke the invention of new movement, unforeseen choreographic structures, and compelling relationships between the body and media.
Nadia Bianchi-Berthouze
Nadia Berthouze is Professor in Affective Computing and Interaction. Her main area of expertise is the study of body posture/movement as a modality for recognising, modulating and measuring human affective states in HCI. She has published more than 170 papers in affective computing, HCI, and pattern recognition. She was awarded the 2003 Technical Prize from the Japanese Society of Kansei Engineering and she has been invited to give a TEDxStMartin talk (2012). She is/was: PI on the EPSRC-funded Emo&Pain project to design affective technology to support rehabilitation in chronic pain; co-I on the EPSRC-funded Digital Sensoria project investigating the use of biosensors to measure subjective responses to tactile experiences; co-I on the ILHAIRE project investigating laughter in human-avatar interaction; EU-FP7 Marie Curie IRSES UBI-HEALTH: Exchange of Excellence in Ubiquitous Computing Technologies to Address Healthcare Challenges, H2020 HUMAN Manufacturing, and HOLD funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The premise of her research is that affect, emotion, and subjective experience should be factored into the design of interactive technology. Indeed, for technology to be truly effective in our social network, it should be able to adapt to the affective needs of each user group or even each individual. The aim of her research is to create systems/software that can sense the affective state of their users and use that information to tailor the interaction process. Body movement and touch behaviour are major medium for this goal: they support cognitive processes, regulates emotions, and mediates affective and social communication. She is currently pursuing three lines of research looking at these modalities as channels to induce, recognize and measure the quality of experience of humans and in particularly of humans interacting and engaging through/with technology in various domains including physical rehabilitation. In the context of physical rehabilitation, she is investigates how multisensing and multimodal technology can help overcome the psychological barriers to remain physically active and re-engage with one’s own body.
4th International Conference on Movement Computing 28-30 June 2017
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KXMS to celebrate ‘The Tempest’ June 22-26
Joplin, MO (SNS) – To celebrate the Missouri Shakespeare Festival’s upcoming production of “The Tempest” as well as the companion Shakespeare Academy, KXMS will devote five days to the last play the Bard wrote on his own.
Matt Campbell, who plays Caliban in the production to be offered June 23-28 at Missouri Southern State University, and Robert Carlson, director of communications at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, will join host Jeff Skibbe on “Missouri Southern Live!” at 5 p.m. Monday, June 22.
The festival organizers have teamed with Thomas Jefferson to offer the Shakespeare Academy for middle- and high-school students June 22-26.
A four-day run of Shakespearean music on “Southern Serenade” will begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. Internationally diverse “Tempest”-related music from Thomas Arne (1746) to James Francis Brown (2006) will be accompanied by a telling of “The Tempest” story by Derek Jacobi and Jane Laportaire along with familiar, brief recitations from the play. Jacobi, whose prologue opened the 2011 film “Anonymous,” is a Shakespearean actor who believes the plays were written by someone other than William Shakespeare.
Also this summer, many more episodes of “Sonnets by Shakespeare” starring Gwen and Duane Hunt will be added to those already airing on 88.7 FM.
88.7 KXMS/Fine Arts Radio International is a cultural resource and a community service of Missouri Southern State University. Stay in touch on the KXMS Facebook page.
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Looney & Chadwell Title Services LLC
156 Rector Ave, Crossville, TN 38555
Joe Looney
Jonathan Hamby
Kenneth Chadwell
Joe M. Looney was licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee in 1971. He is a native of middle Tennessee, having been born in Murfreesboro and raised in Shelbyville, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics in 1968. He obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in December, 1970. While in Law School he was a member of the Tennessee Law Review and upon graduation was selected for Order of the Coif.
Mr. Chadwell focuses primarily on a broad range of real estate transactions including finance, acquisitions, and dispositions across numerous asset types including residential developments, multi-family, industrial and retail assets. In addition, Mr. Chadwell has significant experience in transactions involving timber and natural resources and serves as regional counsel to timber, land management and natural resource companies throughout the southeast.
A native of Crossville, Jonathan R. Hamby graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Recording Industry Management. Upon graduation, Jonathan went on to attend Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida where he obtained his Juris Doctor. While in school, Jonathan received the Dean’s Scholar Award and CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Family Law and Federal Criminal Law and completed an internship at the Office of the State Attorney for the 7th Judicial District of Florida.
Copyright © 2021 Looney & Chadwell Title Services LLC. All Rights Reserved | Decree by Catch Themes
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← Sorry for scarcity.
Scraps and notes. →
No sleep until 46.
I swear, when this presidency is over, I’m going to turn off Twitter, turn off Facebook, turn off this damn blog (for a while, anyway). And I’m going to go to a cabin in the woods with a nice wood stove or fireplace. I’m going to bring a stack of novels and Vogue magazines. And you won’t see me until I’m damn good and ready.
This shit is exhausting. Even on a “good” weekend, it’s almost impossible to keep up with everything. The analyses. (Very good one there.) The outrages. (Very outrageous one, yes.) The WTF-we-are-doomed / thanks-deplorables reports from the field.
This was a wonderful read — a dispatch from Trump country that somehow wasn’t about politics — but of course you couldn’t help thinking about whether this event, a free-for-all amateur boxing…thing, would even exist if the whole county wasn’t poor as dirt and has nothing better to to:
One weekend every March, almost every resident in this town crowds the tan-and-gray bleachers of the local armory to watch their friends and neighbors beat each other bloody. The boxing-brawling event — known as “The Rough N Rowdy” — draws more than 2,000 spectators a night in a 3,000-person city nestled so deep in the mountains that your cellphone won’t ring. The winners leave with a trophy, a jacket and a check for $1,000 — the same take-home as a few weeks of soot-covered work in the local mines.
“People love violence. You’ve got a bunch of people down here who just want to show they’re a badass,” said Breyer Morgan, 21, who has been coming to the fights since he was a little boy and has worked the bell at the event for the past three years. “They see that $1,000, and you’ve got people coming out of the woodwork. There is nothing else to do out here … and that $1,000, that’s a whole lot of beer, man.”
And the above is only a fraction of the reading I did this weekend, very little of it recreational.
Gray and overcast, and I’m starting to get peevish about it. But the financial well refilled with Friday’s payday, Kate blew through for a quick visit/practice sesh with her band, we had Chinese takeout with friends in their brand-new house and so there was very little to complain about, all things considered. A few pounds found their way back into the house over the long winter, and I’m setting about shooing them back out. I’m finding the question, “What am I really hungry for?” is useful. Sometimes I just need a glass of water and 15 minutes of quiet time.
Any other bloggage? Well, let’s see here…
You could read Mitch Albom’s modest, self-effacing column marking the 20th anniversary of “Tuesdays With Morrie,” if you like. I don’t recommend it, but maybe, like me, you enjoy a good hate-read.
Tanned, rested and ready, the Obamas enter their next chapter. Not a minute too soon:
…While other recent ex-presidents have devoted their retirement years to apolitical, do-gooder causes, Obama is gearing up to throw himself into the wonky and highly partisan issue of redistricting, with the goal of reversing the electoral declines Democrats experienced under his watch.
Both the continued interest in Obama and his desire to remain engaged in civic life place him in an unusual position for a former president. George W. Bush left office with low approval rates, retreating to Dallas to write a memoir and take up painting. Bill Clinton decamped for New York on a somewhat higher note politically but downshifted to a mission of building his family’s foundation and supporting his wife’s political career.
Can the Obamas put their heads down and build their ambitious presidential center while living only blocks from the White House? Or is it inevitable that the former president will get pulled back into the political swamp?
Time to make dinner, make a to-do list, maybe watch some Jack Russell videos.
Posted at 5:42 pm in Current events |
46 responses to “No sleep until 46.”
Joe K said on March 26, 2017 at 7:47 pm
Tanned?
Good thing your a lib.
Couldn’t imagine how much people here would lose their minds if I said that.
coozledad said on March 26, 2017 at 7:52 pm
It’s refreshing to see the white trash bloody each other, instead of what the carnies used to have them do. I remember a traveling event where the yahoos got to face off against an elderly chimpanzee. My brother thought about entering, but decided ringside he didn’t have the stomach for it.
I hope whoever it was who dragged that wretched animal around to have people beat on it is swimming a river of liquid shit in hell, or that, at a minimum, the chimp ripped the fucker’s head off to cap off his career.
“Rough and Rowdy” comes through Person County, but they usually stage their events down near Timberlake. Those old inbred murder villages surrounding that area haven’t completely died out. It’s the nexus of a four-county shithole.
alex said on March 26, 2017 at 8:26 pm
Did anyone else notice?
I just watched Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes reporting on Fake News and he prefaced damn near everything he said with “Both sides do it.” But when it came down to showing an example of fake news from the left, it was a piece headlined “Trump Colonoscopy Reveals Brain Tumor.”
I’m not sure whether what I just watched was craven or brazen.
Alex: watch how they cover the Russian protests. That’s how you’ll know they’ve been co-opted. As far as Maggie Haberman and the NYT are concerned, Putin’s an ally. Otherwise the NYT would be complicit in treason.
The protests there will draw the interest of the cops here. They’ll be jerking off over the headcracking, teargassing and shooting, wondering why they don’t get to play that way here with white people, too.
Sherri said on March 26, 2017 at 8:49 pm
I think that no matter the economic conditions, there will always be a desire for some (mostly) young men to want to beat the crap out of each other. Is this any different than mixed martial arts? Plenty of people pay money to train in mixed martial arts, with no expectation that they will ever get anything other than the satisfaction of fighting.
I was listening to a podcast recently, can’t remember which one, where a police chief said that one of the problems with police violence is that people coming in these days had never been in a fight and didn’t know how to control their emotions and adrenaline in a threatening situation. Now, that sounds like a kids these days excuse, but there’s probably a kernel of truth there.
Couldn’t imagine you ever having an occasion to say it, Joe, except maybe back in the day when you and Rush Limbaugh thought the Obamas were vacationing too much on your dime.
Suzanne said on March 26, 2017 at 9:56 pm
I’m still not convinced that the whole rousing crash of Ryan’s health law wasn’t Trump’s plan all along. He holds grudges and his spite for Ryan stems from Ryan being a latecomer to the GOP Trump love fest. Trump doesn’t give a rat’s rear about anybody but Trump. So, he pushed for the vote on this health plan knowing darn well it was crap and wouldn’t pass but would make Ryan look like the worst thing in the world–a loser–and quite likely ruin his political career. A win for Trump!!
Or, Trump really is the incompetent boob he appears to be. Ryan, there is no question about that.
Deborah said on March 26, 2017 at 10:00 pm
I have an African American friend who used to sit out in the sun and tan herself so it’s not weird Joe. Before you make a statement like that, know what you’re talking about. My friend doesn’t do it anymore just like I rarely do it nowadays because it ages you.
Sherri said on March 26, 2017 at 11:00 pm
I’ll say this for Kushner; he’s got the best PR people in the WH. He’s always getting positive profiles and anonymous quotes about what a moderating influence he is.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-taps-kushner-to-lead-a-swat-team-to-fix-government-with-business-ideas/2017/03/26/9714a8b6-1254-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html
devtob said on March 26, 2017 at 11:19 pm
Matt Taibbi takes note of the real danger of Trump fatigue at the end of his Rolling Stone cover story “Trump the Destroyer.” (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/taibbi-on-trump-the-destroyer-w473144)
“While we keep looking for his hidden agenda, it’s our growing addiction to the spectacle of his car-wreck presidency that is the real threat. He is already making idiots and accomplices of us all, bringing out the worst in each of us, making us dumber just by watching. Even if Trump never learns to govern, after four years of this we will forget what civilization ever looked like – and it will be programming, not policy, that will have changed the world.”
Long, but worth a read, not least for Taibbi’s trademark snark, like this re: Betsy DeVos’ cluelessness at her confirmation hearing — “DeVos stammers a brief response, then freezes. She looks like a duck trying to read a parking meter.”
David C. said on March 27, 2017 at 6:15 am
tRump probably thought he was being subtle by not printing his invoice to Angela Merkle like a Publisher’s Clearing House check.
alex said on March 27, 2017 at 7:12 am
Funny, but today’s WaPo hails Scott Pelley as some sort of new Edward R. Murrow/Walter Cronkite for his occasional moments of clarity.
coozledad said on March 27, 2017 at 8:30 am
If you ever wondered who’d be the authoritarian creep in you neighborhood, the one who’d drive the gassing van, or cheer as the tanks rolled over your kids, Molotov-Ribbentrop II should be making it plain to you:
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/846302063986401281
Same shit the Republicans have been saying about protests here. One thing is for sure. If these numbers of people organize and go for the jugular of the new Axis, it won’t last more than a couple of weeks.
Deborah said on March 27, 2017 at 11:00 am
So in a two for one scam Trimp has deemed his son-in-law to head a new agency in the federal government which is to bring “innovation” to the running of things. The two for one is nepotism and “innovation”. How many meetings have you attended in your work place where “innovation” was the key word? Before I retired four years ago it was an old saw. Everyone was wringing their hands about it, setting up committees etc etc. It was all a big waste of time, another layer of bureaucracy. Not that things couldn’t be more efficient, but most of it was running around in circles setting up more meetings and talking about it until you wanted to scream. Again, it’s probably being mentioned now to change the subject from last week’s Trimpcare failure.
Dorothy said on March 27, 2017 at 11:12 am
No, Joe, we just lose our minds over the idiocy of you thinking that black people don’t tan.
Sherri said on March 27, 2017 at 11:21 am
That Kushner piece was such a total puff piece. Every administration comes in and is going to put someone in charge of innovating the federal government, at least back to the Clinton administration when Al Gore was going to reinvent government. The only difference here is that like in so many other ares of the trump administration, the person heading the initiative has no experience in the area he’s going to innovate.
So far, Kushner has managed to be conspicuously absent during the failures, or to get quotes dropped in articles about how it’s not his fault, and get glowing articles about his wide-ranging, ever-growing portfolio. He’s going to solve peace in the Middle East! He’s going to reimagine government! He’s going to solve the opioid crisis! So far, he hasn’t done anything except manage his image better in the MSM better than the rest of the clowns.
Peter said on March 27, 2017 at 11:36 am
My friend just texted me the best response to Friday’s fiasco: “This must be how the GOP felt when Chicago lost the 2016 Olympics bid in the first round”.
coozledad said on March 27, 2017 at 11:39 am
For someone of Polish extraction, Joe’s pretty ignorant of how white he isn’t. Hailing from the priest-ridden cheap labor pool of Western Europe, he ought to get a clue about how little distance he’s made from the bottom of the crab bucket. That would involve reading, though.
Poles are still the cheapest labor in the European market, and since that hasn’t changed since the eighteenth century, we can say their distance from “whiteness” has only been amplified by their inability to overcome the stereotypes applied to them. There were proposals put forward in the 19th century to ‘wall the Polish away,” And of course, Hitler planned the complete liquidation of non-Germanized Poles as soon as they finished helping him kill the Jews.
And more recently:
Research has indicated that, because of the Polish labour culture of passivity, willingness to be under-skilled and underpaid, and to take on most demeaning tasks–which Poles carry with them into the UK employment market, and which is exacerbated by lack of employment opportunities in Poland—Poles also tend to be initially tolerant of their poor treatment, which then makes it more difficult for them to complain about discrimination. Often working in industries and positions where trade union density is low, they have few resources to turn to. Also due to often constituting the vast majority of a workforce, Poles find it difficult to prove incidents of direct discrimination if no non-Polish comparators exist.
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/03/09/incomplete-europeans-polish-migrants-experience-of-prejudice-and-discrimination-in-the-uk-is-complicated-by-their-whiteness/
Jason T. said on March 27, 2017 at 12:07 pm
“Tanned, rested and ready” is, of course, a reference to Nixon’s comeback in the 1960s. Remember that one of the reasons Nixon supposedly lost the televised debates with Kennedy was that JFK was “tanned and rested” while Nixon, campaigning despite being sick, looked pale and worn out:
http://the60sat50.blogspot.com/2016/10/1966-beginnings-of-tan-rested-and-ready.html
There is not a single racial overtone to it, and it was a cheap shot by Pilot Joe to imply that there was. You libs!
Scout said on March 27, 2017 at 1:12 pm
*you’re
The linked Politico analysis of the failed AHCA is the best I’ve read yet. The whole thing is worth a read – but this is spot on: “To the extent Republicans did have an animating passion, it was to puncture President Obama’s legacy—and to avoid looking foolish by failing to honor their “repeal and replace” rhetoric.”
Re: “the outrages”, just saw this: https://twitter.com/RogueSNRadvisor/status/846371477087649792/photo/1
Speaking of outrages, Faux Nuisance reported that POTUS was working all weekend. Which was immediately debunked by pictures of fatass at his National Golf Club. And which led to a whole lot of comments to effect of, and this is news because…? His fans conveniently forget being POTUS is not a 9-5 gig.
Finally, I know common sense isn’t actually common, but seriously, why is there not a fixed budget for Presidential (and extended family hangers-on) travel and security? It makes no sense that taxpayers should be hammered for the exorbitant expenses of Natasha living in Trump Tower or the weekly golf vacations that simultaneously line the pockets of the Trump family. There should be a flat fee and when it is reached the expenses of the overage must come out of their pockets.
There needs to be a shitload of new regulations regarding future POTUS candidates once (if?) this nightmare ends. Starting with, you don’t release your taxes you can’t run.
nancy said on March 27, 2017 at 1:30 pm
Those of you wondering about Jared-and-Ivanka’s suspiciously good press are advised to add 2 + 2 and then ask yourself who’s leaking from the White House.
I have no doubt they’re leaking. Dangerous game they’re playing, though. Daddy doesn’t like to look bad, and there’s no sign he lets family ties stand in the way of revenge. J&I have no independent political base that I’m aware of, either, unless maybe it’s Sheldon Adelson because of Israel, but he’s notoriously cranky and fickle, too. The Mercers are Bannon supporters, and suspicious of J&I. J&I may be wealthy, but they aren’t in the league of the money class of conservative king makers.
Icarus said on March 27, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Agreed but it’s just like term limits or making them use the same benefits the average citizen gets…the people who would make that happen are not going to vote it into action because they enjoy the benefits they are getting.
ask yourself: would you really vote yourself a pay decrease, less vacation and no free coffee at the office?
Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 27, 2017 at 3:47 pm
Wait, did someone say free coffee?
Bitter Scribe said on March 27, 2017 at 3:59 pm
And which led to a whole lot of comments to effect of, and this is news because…?
Maybe because, oh I don’t know, those same commenters bitched and screamed about “the expense to taxpayers” every goddamned time the Obamas poked their noses out of the White House.
At least when Obama played golf or went on vacation, taxpayer dollars to pay for it didn’t go right into his pocket.
brian stouder said on March 27, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Our office has free coffee….and in 30+ years, I’ve never consumed any of it.
I’m an icy-cold Diet Pepsi guy, and I can have all of that I want – but it ain’t free
Free drinks of various kinds, including sodas (non-alcoholic until the Friday evening beer bash) were commonplace in tech companies until the last few years, when a more healthful awareness took hold. Now there are still free drinks, but the sugary sodas are gone.
Speaking of health awareness, this overview of the Republican health care debacle and the lessons to remember from it from the other side is good: https://medium.com/@rortybomb/four-lessons-from-the-health-care-repeal-collapse-dd065c5f9b49#.bons0ujai
I especially like the final line:
The goal is to address the needs of real people fighting on the ground with useful solutions, not parlor games with other ideologues. That’s good advice for us all.
So, further to Cooz’s references to the increasingly unshackled authoritarian bent of our right-wing folks, there’s this –
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/27/sessions-takes-aim-at-dangerous-sanctuary-cities-warns-on-funding.html
Looks like ICE – with the cool name and the swoop-in-and-devastate mode of operation, is the America’s own SS
Honestly, truly – a powerful figure with no more introspection than our new president has; and who is surfing such a fowl wave of hatred/mistrust/insecurity as….is nothing new at all. We’ve seen this before
Deborah said on March 27, 2017 at 5:28 pm
Back in the day we used to get all kinds of free eats from vendors who came to our office to push their wares. It used to be all sugar all the time, cookies, brownies, donuts, you name it. Then towards the end of my working days it was less sugary, like those hideous edible arrangements and crap like that. No one ate it. We used to have free sodas too. On Friday afternoons we had “beer time”, you had to donate to the fund for that though.
Can someone explain to me how Ivanka and Jared could be the leakers? What in the world could they be getting from that endeavor? Does someone have daddy issues? And whatever happened to Tiffany, she seems to have disappeared?
Peter said on March 27, 2017 at 5:48 pm
1. Nancy, that’s why I’d make a lousy journalist – I would have never guessed that those two scamps would be the leakers. Me, I think it’s Priebus and Bannon underlings who want to make the others look bad.
2. Back in the day, the First Lady was in charge of the food budget and the POTUS had to kick in his own funds if it was over – I remember reading that Bess Truman had a hard time keeping it in the black, while Eleanor didn’t give a crap. Is that still the case? If it is, Trump Steaks (TM) for everyone!
3. Sorry for being a stick in the mud, but if a “trusted” news source says POTUS is working this weekend, and then you see pictures of him dragging his carcass around a golf course, then he isn’t at the White House working, is he? Holy Crap on a cracker WTF is going on around here.
Julie Robinson said on March 27, 2017 at 5:51 pm
When I want a hot drink at my office, I trot out my trusty hot pot and the tea bags I’ve schlepped in. Hubby’s office has one of those fancy machines that produce massive quantities of trash, and they even buy the soon-to-be-trash pods. To continue making trash they also stock the frig with bottled water.
Politics are whirling around but my sis is in the hospital again with diabetes complications, so I’m having trouble paying attention.
Random question. It seems that old WLYV DJ Phil Gardner is now on the air in Ft Wayne on WBCL (religious) as Phil Reaser. Anybody know the story behind that? I remember Phil Gardner as THE hot item on the radio when I was in high school.
Jakash said on March 27, 2017 at 6:30 pm
Saw this, thought I’d throw it in here. A minute-and-a-half video for Mies van der Rohe’s birthday today:
https://twitter.com/Curbed/status/846452531068751872
Charlotte said on March 27, 2017 at 6:37 pm
Ugh — the Cisco break rooms — the smell of burned communal coffee pots, lots of bottled water and sodas, and the infernal smell of (free!) microwave popcorn that covered the cubes at 3pm every afternoon. I haven’t been to San Jose in years, but the Seattle office went to the weird pod things and a filtered water dispenser years ago. But almost no one seems to use the pod thingy — it’s Seattle, they all leave the building to go get coffee from a shop.
Cool Jakash, I didn’t know today was his birthday. The model in the opening of the video is the building where my husband teaches, Crown Hall at IIT. As I’ve said here many times I live in a Mies building, 880 LSD, it’s where I’m sitting right now. Used to live in a different one, 900 LSD (across the side street). And at one time I used to work in a Mies building, what used to be called the IBM building on Wabash by the river (now it’s across the street from tRUmp tower).
David C. said on March 27, 2017 at 6:45 pm
I have no doubt J + I leak like a sieve, but with an organization as dysfunctional as this with so many factions and cliques all fighting each other, they probably spend more time on the phone with reporters than doing any real work. We’re probably all better off for that.
basset said on March 27, 2017 at 6:48 pm
That West Virginia business sounds a lot like the Toughman contests back in the 70s, they were no headgear and I believe bare knuckle as well. I remember Ben Hamper writing about them, anyone know what he’s doing now? Public radio up north somewhere the last I heard.
Dave said on March 27, 2017 at 7:03 pm
Nothing to do with the topic but has anyone else noticed Dexter hasn’t been posting lately? Hope he’s doing well, he was always ready with a comment.
Yes Dave, we discussed it yesterday. Apparently he hasn’t been posting on Facebook lately either. Nancy?
Jolene said on March 27, 2017 at 7:29 pm
2. Back in the day, the First Lady was in charge of the food budget and the POTUS had to kick in his own funds if it was over . . .
The First Family pays for its own groceries. Also dry cleaning. We pay for state dinners and other ceremonial occasions.
http://www.tweentribune.com/article/tween56/white-house-obama-pays-his-toothpaste/
I despise flying United, and fortunately, in Seattle, it’s seldom the best option. United really went out of its way to look bad this weekend, though. It’s hard to imagine a dress code for pass travelers that allows shorts for men but disallows leggings for girls.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/us/united-airlines-leggings.html
Rana said on March 27, 2017 at 8:04 pm
Icarus, Scout, I believe that a number of states are contemplating laws that say a presidential candidate can’t get ballot approval in their state without releasing their taxes.
Sherri – it’s been amazing to me the number of people who try to excuse the whole thing with “but they have a dress code”! Um, yes, they do, and that’s the problem.
Girls in leggings are dressed normally and appropriately. Heck, looking around my three-year-old’s music class this morning, there wasn’t one little girl who wasn’t wearing leggings. And, yes, ten-year-olds are still children, last time I looked.
My daughter wore nothing but leggings until high school, when she finally branched out a little bit. i don’t know what I would have done with her as a 10 year old had a gate agent done that to us.
basset said on March 28, 2017 at 2:48 am
Sherri, Hunter Thompson said once that flying United was “like crossing the Andes on a prison bus.”
Joe K • coozledad • alex • coozledad • Sherri • alex • Suzanne • Deborah • Sherri • devtob • David C. • alex • coozledad • Deborah • Dorothy • Sherri • Peter • coozledad • Jason T. • Scout • nancy • Sherri • Icarus • Jeff (the mild-mannered one) • Bitter Scribe • Sherri • brian stouder • Sherri • brian stouder • Deborah • Peter • Julie Robinson • Suzanne • Jakash • Charlotte • Deborah • David C. • basset • Dave • Deborah • Jolene • Sherri • Rana • Rana • Sherri • basset • and YOU.
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Upcoming Artist and Motivational Speaker Freddy Coleg Shares his Story
Former Wrestler Turned Musician Freddy Coleg Set To Take The Scene!
December 30, 2020 – Life takes a lot of different twists and turns. No matter how certain one is of their destination, life always has a surprise in store for them. Freddy Coleg is a person who can attest to this fact.
The Haitian artist grew up as a straight-A, all-rounder student. In school, he was loved and praised by his teachers for his unfailingly good work, both academically and otherwise.
The positive reinforcement, coupled with Freddy’s own interest, pushed him to do well in every facet of his life. The habit of working hard and succeeding never went away. After school, he set his sights on wrestling.
This may seem a bit sudden; however, his coaches in school would tell you that he was born for the sport. Much like everything Freddy does, he pushed himself to be the very best at the sport. He fulfilled his childhood dreams by starting his career early on in school, refining his skills through the wrestling club and practice.
Freddy Coleg now turns this attention to music. While he might not have been reading books about music as a young child, his love for music has been with him throughout. The former wrestler has put aside the sport for the music industry, becoming a full-time professional singer!
The artist has taken to Rap as a genre, producing and writing music in this particular style. His ability to work hard and do the best at what he sets his sights on continues on into music. The passion he holds for music, combined with his raw talent and willingness to work hard, makes him an upcoming Rap star to look out for!
Apart from his music career, Freddy Coleg currently focuses on giving motivational speeches to young people. He acts as a guide to the young, teaching them that hard work trumps all. His speeches are meant to inspire a generation to utilize the time they have and become as successful as they dream.
With any of his professions, Freddy Coleg has managed to be successful. He is an extremely focused individual that sets out to be the best in whatever he takes up. Whether it is wrestling, motivational speaking, or music, he sets out to be the very best!
For more info, visit: https://www.biopage.com/freddycoleg
Company Name: Freddy Coleg
Contact Person: Fred Aspervil
Website: https://www.biopage.com/freddycoleg
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CB Radio Use In The US Sees A Significant Uptick And Revived Interest During The COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic has interestingly led to an uptick in the use and interest in CB radio, or amateur radio as it is called in the US. It serves as an interesting stat in the age of smartphones and the internet.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to a significant increase in the number of people now interested in using CB Radio, learning to use it, and people who are buying CB radios. According to the FCC, there are now more than 765,000 amateur radio license holders in America, stating that the number is on the rise since the start of the Pandemic, with more people applying for licenses.
Many different websites that provide ham radio courses meant to help prepare people for a ham radio test have also acknowledged an increase in the number of people enrolling. According to some leading websites, the surge in students started in March 2020, with the number soaring to 706% compared to the same time last year (2019).
Figures from the FCC show a 7.1% uptick in the number of people applying for new licenses during the first week of March 2020 compared to last year. Leading CB radio retailers like Walcott Radio have also reported a sharp rise in CB radio sales. According to the retailer, “it is hard to keep enough of these armature radios in stock because they are selling out so quickly.”
In addition to providing reliable emergency communications, amateur ham radio operators have been assisting the authorities by building DIY medical equipment throughout the crisis. PIC, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Feature microcontrollers are used to build ham radios at home, which can also be adapted and modified to work as homebrew ventilators.
Readers can find out more about Walcott Radio by visiting their official website https://www.walcottradio.com
“We have always sold CB radios here at Walcott Radio, it’s something we are passionate about, but many were worried that interest was dwindling as the community assumingly shrunk. However, the recent uptick in interest is promising. In fact, we’ve sold more CB radios this year than we have in the past three years, which is saying something about how popular this mode of communication has become during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Said a representative for Walcott Radio.
About Walcott Radio:
Walcott Radio first opened in 1986 and has since grown into one of the leading sources of all things CB Radio. Walcott Radio was named one of the largest CB radio stores in America back in the 90s, providing everything from installation to repair and sales. Today the store offers installation services 6 days a week, has experienced radio technicians on hand, and has a dedicated toll-free number assuring everyone of excellent customer service.
Company Name: Walcott Radio
Contact Person: Jason Davidson
Address:2940 N Plainview Rd
City: Walcott
State: Iowa 52773
Website: https://www.walcottradio.com/
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Brexit: Answering your questions in Stoke-on-Trent
Reality Check’s Chris Morris has been taking part in the BBC’s We Are Stoke-on-Trent project.
H ha’s been answering questions about Brexit from viewers and listeners in Stoke,
What would no deal mean for consumer confidence? – Keith (from Titanic Brewery)
Chris: I’m sure one sentiment you would all agree on is “the uncertainty is doing my head in”.
Don’t forget there were forecasts that the referendum result itself would lead to a fall in consumer confidence. It didn’t happen, because the forecasters missed the point that if people had voted to leave, then they presumably thought it was a good idea.
So we have to be a bit cautious, although it has been a long three years. If no deal happens, it would be a sharp overnight shock to the economy.
Nearly all economic analysis is that over the short and medium term the country would be poorer than if we stayed in. For example, the Office for Budget Responsibility – which provides independent analysis of the UK’s public finances – believes a no-deal Brexit would cause a UK recession.
If that assessment is correct, and if other factors kick in (like the exchange rate making foreign holidays more expensive), then yes, I think your customers might have less money to spend – at least in the short term.
How will Brexit affect university graduates looking for their first jobs? – Gemma Adkins
Chris: It’s a big question without a simple answer.
At the moment, businesses don’t know what they’re planning for and don’t know the terms on which they might be able to trade with the rest of Europe in a few months’ time.
So there is this massive sense of frustration, but that doesn’t mean the economy grinds to a halt.
We are going to be talking about Brexit and trade issues for years to come. I suppose the most you can say is that some areas of the economy are going to struggle as a result of Brexit, and others are going to have new opportunities.
But Brexit or no Brexit, if you have skills that people need from your university degree then they are going to want to employ you.
Has enough money been spent on preparing for no deal? – Lily Soaper
Chris: The government has already allocated more than £8bn to prepare for Brexit, some of it exclusively for no-deal preparations, and there is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes.
But businesses also need to prepare and, while big companies have spent significant amounts of money on their preparations, a lot of smaller companies don’t have the spare cash to do so.
Some of them did spend money preparing for no deal in March and then it didn’t happen, so their competitors gained an advantage. It’s a hugely complex process – some things might go better than expected, others will probably be worse.
It’s worth pointing out that no big modern country has ever tried to do anything quite like this before, so it’s impossible to predict all the consequences of a no-deal exit.
What will Brexit mean for me getting a job in the UK after graduation? – Federika Brandimarte (Italian, studying at Staffordshire University)
Chris: The British economy is still going to need plenty of workers from other countries after Brexit – it’s absolutely reliant on them.
As an EU citizen already in the country, you will be able to apply for settled status and stay and work and live here. So, in that sense it shouldn’t make too much difference as long as there are people who want to employ you.
As for international students in the future, the government recently announced that they would be able to stay for up to two years while they’re looking for work, and that would apply to both EU and non-EU students.
But future students from EU countries won’t have the automatic right to come and study here on the same terms as British students, just as UK students will no longer have the automatic right to study elsewhere in the EU.
What will Brexit do to air fares when I visit my parents, who live in Portugal? – Jake Walkden
Again this is really difficult to predict with any certainty.
We do know that aviation fuel is priced in dollars, so if the value of the pound fell significantly against the dollar that could have an impact.
But we still don’t know what air traffic agreement we will have with the EU after Brexit. At the moment we’re in what’s called the Single European Sky, which means that airlines can fly pretty much any route they want.
After Brexit that will have to be renegotiated, and if there’s a no-deal exit the EU has put in place a temporary plan to ensure basic flight connectivity. However, it’s more limited than what we have now and it would still have to be replaced.
In the end though, demand and supply may well determine whether air fares rise, fall or stay more or less the same.
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Coronavirus: London congestion charge brought back with price rise
TfL said NHS and care workers would be exempt from the congestion charge.
The congestion charge for people driving into central London will be reintroduced on Monday under the terms of a £1.6bn government bailout.
It follows a deal in which Transport for London (TfL) secured emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services going until September.
From 22 June, the congestion charge will also rise from £11.50 to £15.
Downing Street defended the changes saying it “only applied to a small area of central London”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said roads in these areas “would come to a halt without it” and it was an “important tool to ensure that emissions in London remain low and support better air quality”.
TfL said the resumed congestion charge would be temporarily extended to between 07:00 and 22:00, seven days a week, from June 22.
A system of reimbursement for NHS workers in place before the charge was suspended on 23 March will also be extended to care home workers.
Government agrees £1.6bn London transport bailout
How will transport need to change?
Mayor of London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the measures were designed to avoid a build up of traffic after the government urged people returning to work to avoid public transport.
TfL said the plans would “create more space for social distancing when walking and cycling, ensuring that the people who have no choice but to return to work in central London can do so as safely as possible”.
Some streets will be converted to walking and cycling only, with others restricted to all traffic apart from buses.
Mr Khan warned public transport must only be used “as a last resort”.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionCoronavirus: How to socially distance on public transport
The low emission zone and ultra low emission zone – imposing levies on high-polluting vehicles – also comes back into operation on Monday.
Under the new conditions, children will no longer have free travel across London and restrictions on travel passes for people with a disability or over the age of 60 will also be imposed during peak hours.
Fares on buses – scrapped to help protect drivers from Covid-19 – will also be reintroduced.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said these other changes would be put in place “as soon as practicable”.
Coronavirus has had a significant impact on the London Underground
Mr Khan said the deal was necessary because coronavirus had had a “catastrophic impact on TfL’s finances”.
“I want to be completely honest and upfront with Londoners,” Mr Khan said.
“This is not the deal I wanted. But it was the only deal the government put on the table and I had no choice but to accept it to keep the Tubes and buses running.”
The DfT also announced TfL will introduce fare rises of 1% above the rate of inflation from next year.
Mr Khan has frozen single fares since he became mayor in May 2016.
The congestion charge was suspended on March 23 as the country went into lockdown
Natalie Chapman, of the Freight Transport Association, said the congestion charge hike “ignored the needs of London businesses”.
She added: “How are shops to be supplied, restaurants and cafes to be stocked and the rest of the capital’s economy to obtain the products it needs when those charged with delivering these needs are to be punitively taxed at a time when their own industry is in recovery?”
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View source for Dr. S. J. Pickens
← Dr. S. J. Pickens
[[Image:SJ HP Photo.JPG|thumb|right|550px|'''Dr. Pickens married Hugh Pickens on December 24, 1984 with whom she recently celebrated 32 years of marriage.''']] [[Image:Freedom Riders.jpg|thumb|right|550px|'''In 1963 Dr. Pickens traveled to Alabama with freedom riders to help register black residents to vote and to integrate lunch counters.''' Dr. Pickens marched with King in Alabama and attended Dr. King's March on Washington. She said that she never thought she would live to see a black President but forty-five years after the March on Washington Dr. Pickens traveled to Washington DC with her husband to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on the mall in Washington DC.]] [[Image:SJP and Sidney.jpg|thumb|right|550px|'''Dr. Pickens with her beloved older brother Sidney James Toombs II who pre-deceased her.''']] [[Image:SJ Blck Psychiatrists.jpg|thumb|right|550px|'''Dr. Pickens (top row center) with members of the Black Psychiatrists of Maryland in 1980.''']] ==Obituary for Dr. S. J. Pickens== Dr. S. J. Pickens of 2301 Donner Ave in Ponca City passed away unexpectedly of natural causes at age 73 on October 21, 2017. Dr. Pickens was born in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, June 11, 1944 to Mildred Lurene Shields and Sidney James Toombs Sr. Dr. Pickens grew up on the 2100 block of Diamond Street and the 2400 block of 29th Street in Philadelphia. ==The Rules of the Shields Family== Dr. Pickens was proud of her family. In 1900 her grandfather Norwood Shields who she loved dearly was one of the first black men to graduate with an advanced degree from Cornell University. His first job was in Indian Territory at Langston College where Dr. Pickens' mother Mildred was born in 1907. Her grandfather later moved from Langston to Wilberforce, Ohio where he was a professor of agriculture at Central State College. Dr. Pickens and her beloved older brother Sidney loved to spend summers with their grandparents in Wilberforce, Ohio where they were taught the three cardinal rules of the Shields Family. * Rule 1. Accept whatever comes without complaint * Rule 2. Always exceed everyone's expectations including your own * Rule 3. Play the hand you are dealt - and play the hell out of it. ==Education== Dr. Pickens graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia and received her bachelor's degree from Temple University in 1965. One of the proudest events of her life occurred in 1963 when Dr. Pickens traveled to Alabama with freedom riders to help register black residents to vote and to integrate lunch counters. Dr. Pickens marched with King in Alabama and attended Dr. King's March on Washington. She said that she never thought she would live to see a black President but forty-five years after the March on Washington Dr. Pickens traveled to Washington DC with her husband to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on the National Mall in Washington DC. In 1979 Dr. Pickens entered Medical School at the University of Maryland and was the oldest member of her graduating class. She earned both her M.Ed. and M.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. While in residency at the University of Maryland's Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, she was selected as a Falk Fellow and is the recipient of the Brody Award. ==Life Story== Upon completion of her residency in psychiatry at University of Maryland Medical School, Dr. Pickens spent 10 years working in the Maryland State Health System as Clinical Director at Springfield Hospital and at Spring Grove Hospital. Dr. Pickens married Hugh Pickens on December 24, 1984 with whom she recently celebrated 32 years of marriage. They lived in a 125 year old Victorian Mansion in Baltimore for 20 years. In 1989 Dr. Pickens was president of Pickens Comprehensive Health Services, a health care company serving the inmate population of the Baltimore City Jail. Dr. Pickens spent the last years of her professional career as Vice President of physician services at Green Spring Health Services, Inc., where she supervised fifty physicians and nurses. Dr. Pickens was a board member of Friends Psychiatric Research Associates; is the past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America, Maryland Chapter, past president of Maryland Black Faculty and Staff, an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a member of the American Psychiatric Association and Southern Psychiatric Association. Dr. Pickens was inducted into the American College of Psychiatry in 1996, one of only three physicians in the state of Oklahoma who have been so honored. In 1999 Dr. Pickens retired and in 2005 decided to make her home in Ponca City, her husband's home town. Dr. Pickens was active as a docent at the Marland Mansion, served on the board of directors of Ponca Playhouse, and with her husband sponsored and [http://researchandideas.com/index.php?title=Ponca_Playhouse_Presents_%22Lydie_Marland_in_the_Afterlife%22 produced the annual "Oklahoma Pride" series at Ponca Playhouse] producing "The Broken Statue" and "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife." Dr. Pickens was also active in Newcomers. Dr. Pickens was one-quarter Cherokee and after moving to Oklahoma she took up collecting and designing Native American jewelry and artwork, putting together one of the finest collections of turquoise jewelry in the United States. For thirty years in Baltimore, Dr. Pickens opened her home for Halloween when she invited children into her home to learn about crystal and fine art. The tradition continued in Ponca City where for the past twelve years she has distributed rolls of pennies to children and as she remembers their names from year to year and talks to them about their lives. In 2016 over 450 children visited her home during Halloween. The Pickens family will be continuing Dr. Pickens' Halloween tradition. Dr. Pickens was especially proud to have [http://hughpickens.com/pcn-2016-12-18-a-008.pdf sponsored the first formal dinner in the Marland Mansion in 70 years] when she and her husband invited ten guests to share dinner at the mansion with her in 2016. ==Survivors== Dr. Pickens is survived by her husband Hugh Pickens, her stepdaughter Carolina Pickens Jachnke of Rohnert Park, CA, her stepson Daniel Pickens of Stockholm Sweden, and step-grandchildren Keanu Jahncke Pickens of Rohnert Park, and Lily Jane Pickens, and Rory James Pickens of Stockholm. In addition she is survived by her nephew Sidney Jack Toombs III and his wife Lisa Toombs and two grandnieces Nia Nicole Toombs and Winter Joy Toombs, all of Philadelphia; by her niece Celeste Toombs of Durham, North Carolina; by her niece Stephanie Rose Jones and her husband Rahsaan Jones of Snellville, Georgia; by her cousin Strawberri Lucas of Newark, New Jersey; by her cousin Leonard Blake and his wife Barbara Blake of Columbus, Ohio; by her cousin Norwood Rainey, of Tuscon, Arizona; by her cousin, Sandra Fisher, of Los Angeles, California; and by numerous other relatives including Atreva and Clyde Vaughn Jr., Delena D. Johnson, Pamela Blake, Patricia Blake-Smith and Jonathon Smith, Lavern Williams, and Gwendolyn and Marcel Hollenger, and several other relatives. Additionally she is survived by her sister-in-law Gail Pickens-Barger and her husband Steven Barger of Port Neches, Texas. Her nieces Amber Barger & her husband, Caveh Masem of Houston, Texas; Rachel Barger Turnley & her husband David C. Turnley of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Derek Barger of Houston, Texas; and Grace Barger of Port Neches, Texas. A great-niece, Dawson Elizabeth Turnley of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Pickens is survived by her mother-in-law, Deloris Pickens of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Dr. Pickens was preceded in death by her mother Mildred Lurene Shields, father Sidney James Toombs, and older brother Sidney James Toombs II. ==Invictus== Before she went to Alabama in 1963, where she was assaulted for desegregating lunch counters, her father told her never to flinch when she was struck by segregationists and to turn the other cheek when she was beaten. Before she left for the South, her father made her commit to memory the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley which was her favorite poem and sums up her life. <html><I><B><U>Invictus by William Ernest Henley</U></B><BR><BR> Out of the night that covers me,<BR> Black as the pit from pole to pole,<BR> I thank whatever gods may be<BR> For my unconquerable soul.<BR><BR> In the fell clutch of circumstance<BR> I have not winced nor cried aloud.<BR> Under the bludgeonings of chance<BR> My head is bloody, but unbowed.<BR><BR> Beyond this place of wrath and tears<BR> Looms but the Horror of the shade,<BR> And yet the menace of the years<BR> Finds and shall find me unafraid.<BR><BR> It matters not how straight the gate,<BR> How charged with punishments the scroll,<BR> I am the master of my fate,<BR> I am the captain of my soul.</I></html> ==Ponca Playhouse Produced a “Celebration of Life” for Dr. S. J. Pickens== The Pickens Family held a "Celebration of the Life of Dr. S. J. Pickens" on November 25, 2017. "My wife told me that if she died, she didn't want people crying over her at a Memorial Service," said her husband Hugh Pickens, "she wanted us to wait a few weeks so people could put her death in perspective and then come together and celebrate her life with music and with people remembering the good times and telling stories about her." Anyone who knew Dr. Pickens and loved her is invited to the event. Dr. Pickens served on the Board of Directors of Ponca Playhouse for five years and produced and sponsored the Playhouse's presentation of "The Broken Statue" and "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife." Ponca Playhouse is where Dr. Pickens felt most at home in Ponca City," says Hugh Pickens. “It is where she wanted this event to take place." The board of the Playhouse voted last Tuesday to have the event go forward and every member of the board is contributing to honor the event including President David Wilkie, Vice-President Meghann Borum, Treasurer Kat Long, and board members Chad Anderson, Ryan Brown, Matt Duplissey, Matt Prater, Donna Rubio, Sam Stuart, and Debi Vap. "I have asked Dave Guinn, one of her oldest friends at the Playhouse, to produce and direct this event," says Hugh Pickens, "He will be assisted by Brandon Haynes of the NOC Music Department who will be musical director of the program, Donna Rubio, who is arranging for food and catering, Kat Long, handling lobby management, Meghann Borum, who is handling licencing, Ian Wood, who will provide spiritual direction, and many others." ==Reference== * [https://www.facebook.com/PoncaPlayhouse/photos/pb.107567082664019.-2207520000.1509819491./1500543840032996/?type=3&theater Facebook - "Ponca Playhouse Mourns the Loss of Dr. S. J. Pickens"] October 22, 2017 * [http://hughpickens.com/pcn-2016-12-18-a-008.pdf Dr. Pickens sponsors first formal dinner at Maryland Mansion in 75 years] December 18, 2016 * [http://researchandideas.com/index.php?title=Ponca_Playhouse_Presents_%22Lydie_Marland_in_the_Afterlife%22 Dr. Pickens sponsors and produces "Oklahoma Pride" series at Ponca Playhouse] * [http://sjpickens.com/pcnewssjobit.pdf Obituary in the Ponca City News] October 24, 2017 * [http://sjpickens.com/sjcelebrationpcnews.pdf Celebration of Life in the Ponca City News] October 29, 2017
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Home » Non-Communicable Health News » ‘Star Trek Beyond’ star, Zoe Saldana reveals she has Hashimoto’s Disease
‘Star Trek Beyond’ star, Zoe Saldana reveals she has Hashimoto’s Disease
Non-Communicable Health News
The 38-year-old actress, Zoe Saldana, star of a slew of movie hits like the Star Trek series, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar, said last week she has been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, or Hashimoto’s Disease.
Image/The Global Dispatch
“Your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to filter toxins, causing it to believe that it has an infection, so it’s always inflamed,” Saldana said in an interview with The Edit. “You create antibodies that attack your glands, so you have to eat clean.”
Saldana’s sister and mother also suffer from the autoimmune disease.
An estimated 22 million people in the U.S. have Hashimoto’s disease, making it the most common autoimmune disease in the country.
According to the NIH, in Hashimoto’s disease, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and interfering with its ability to produce thyroid hormones. Large numbers of white blood cells called lymphocytes accumulate in the thyroid. Lymphocytes make the antibodies that start the autoimmune process.
Hashimoto’s disease often leads to reduced thyroid function, or hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a disorder that occurs when the thyroid doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone for the body’s needs. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism—the way the body uses energy—and affect nearly every organ in the body. Without enough thyroid hormone, many of the body’s functions slow down.
Hashimoto’s disease is much more common in women than men. Although the disease often occurs in adolescent or young women, it more commonly appears between 30 and 50 years of age.
One thought on “‘Star Trek Beyond’ star, Zoe Saldana reveals she has Hashimoto’s Disease”
Pingback: Hashimoto’s disease: An interview with Mark Engelman, MD | Outbreak News Today
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UNwitting Ethnic Cleanser: How United Nations Resolution Aids Israel's Dispossession of Palestinians
From a Blessing to a Curse: How UN Resolution 2334 Accelerated Israel’s Colonization in the West Bank
by Ramzy Baroud - PalestineChronicle.com
Three years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334. With fourteen members voting in favor and one abstention, the Resolution was the equivalent of a political earthquake.
Indeed, it was the first time in many years that Israel was roundly condemned by the international body for its illegal settlement policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Unlike previous attempts at holding Israel accountable, this time the Americans did nothing to protect its closest ally. What has happened since then, however, has been a testimony to the failure of the UN to furnish meaningful mechanisms that would force violators of international law, like Israel, to respect international consensus.
In some way, 2334, although externally supportive of Palestinian rights, turned out to be one of the most costly decisions ever made by the international institution.
Immediately after the adoption of 2334 on December 23, 2016, Israel thumbed its nose at the whole world by announcing, twice in the following January, plans to construct thousands of new homes in illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his then-Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, rationalized the provocative moves as a “response to the housing needs” within the settlements. Nothing could have been further from the truth, as the subsequent three years demonstrated.
Now, it has become clear that the settlement expansion was part of a much larger strategy aimed at killing any chance of establishing a contiguous and viable Palestinian State and parting ways with the so-called “land for peace formula”, itself molded through years of American mediation and “peace process”.
The Israeli strategy was a complete success. Thanks to the blank cheque issued by the Trump administration to Israel’s right-wing government coalition, Israeli politicians are now openly plotting what was once nearly unthinkable: the unilateral annexation of major Jewish settlement blocks in the West Bank along with large swathes of the Jordan Valley.
Throughout the last three years, Washington has turned a blind eye to Israel’s sinister designs. Worse, it has fully embraced and validated the Israeli political discourse, while taking every necessary measure to provide a cover for Israeli actions. The declaration by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on November 18 that Jewish settlements “are not inconsistent with international law” is but one of many such positions adopted by Washington to pave the road for Israel’s insolence and violation of international law.
Retrospectively, President Obama had the chance to do more than merely abstaining from voting against a UN Resolution - which lacked any enforcement mechanism, anyway - by using the generous US financial aid to Israel as a bargaining chip. That way, he could have potentially forced Netanyahu to freeze settlement expansion altogether. Alas, Obama did the exact opposite - as he bankrolled the Israeli military and financed every Israeli war on Gaza. Instead, his belated move opened the stage for the Trump administration to unleash a cruel war on Palestinians and on international law, as well.
In fact, it seems that the two-year term of US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Hailey, was dedicated largely to rectify the supposed “betrayal” of the Obama administration of Israel. In the name of defending Israel against imaginary global “anti-Semitism”, the US severed its ties with several UN organizations, eventually isolating Washington itself from the rest of the world.
With the UN being designated as the common enemy by both Washington and Tel Aviv, international law was rendered irrelevant. Gradually, the US government fortified its protective shield around Israel, thus rendering 2334 and many other UN resolutions meaningless. In other words, the US managed to turn international consensus regarding the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine into an opportunity for Tel Aviv to disown any commitment, not only to the UN, but to the so-called two-state solution, and the “peace process”, as well.
While Israel accelerated its settlement projects unhindered, the US ensured that the Palestinian leadership is denied the opportunity to fight back, even if symbolically, through the various international institutions and any available political and legal platform. This was engineered through a systematic economic warfare, which saw the cutting of all aid to the Palestinian Authority in August 2018, followed, a week later, by stopping all funds to the UN organization responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
US-Israeli war on Palestinians was staged on two fronts. One front focused on the seizure of more Palestinian land, the building of new and the expansion of existing settlements, as a precursor of the imminent steps of annexing most of the West Bank. The other front witnessed the relentless US administration’s pressure on Palestinians through political and financial means.
Three years after 2334, a new status quo is upon us. Gone are the days of traditional American “peace-making” and its adjoining elaborate discourse centered on a two-state and other make-believe solutions. Now, Israel is single-handedly formulating its own “vision” for a future that is designed to meet the expectations of the country’s unhinged and ever-growing right-wing constituency. As for the US, its role has been relegated to the cheerleader, unfazed by such seemingly trivial matters as that of international law, human rights, justice, peace or even regional stability.
Shortly after being appointed as Israel’s new Defense Minister on November 9, Naftali Bennett has taken the dangerous and consequential decision of building a new Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian city of Al-Khalil (Hebron). Naturally, Jewish settlers rejoiced as they will finally see the destruction of the old Hebron market, which is older than Israel itself, and the potential for further settlement expansion and more annexation in the city.
At the same time, Palestinians are cringing, for a move against Hebron is the final proof that Israel is now operating in Palestine without the slightest fear of political or legal repercussions. Not only did UN Resolution 2334 fail to hold Israel accountable, it, in some way, facilitated further Israeli expansion in the West Bank, paving the road for the annexation that will surely follow.
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. His last book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story (Pluto Press, London) and his forthcoming book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.
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By Lisa Rinehart
Like many townships in the Tri-State area, the police department takes a huge bite out of Orangetown’s annual budget. It’s been this way for decades, largely because of the power of the Rockland County Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the local arm of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, one of the most powerful unions in the country. But with state and local economies devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Orangetown’s 2021 budget talks beginning this fall will expose a hard truth; the current cost of policing in Orangetown is unsustainable.
The allotted 2020 tab for the Orangetown Police Department, which serves a community of approximately 50,000 people, is roughly $25 million. Let that sink in for a moment. A suburban town with little violent crime pays $25 million a year for policing. That’s about one third of the annual town budget. By comparison, parks and recreation, youth programs, a substance abuse council, the Blue Hill and Broadacres golf courses and services for veterans and the aging combined were allotted about $5 million in 2020.
Close to half of the $25 million goes to salaries and benefits for police personnel: 83 sworn officers, 25 auxiliary officers, ten stenographers and radio dispatchers, and to the pensions, medical, dental and hospitalization benefits for an undisclosed number of retired officers. According to a 2017 report by the Empire Center, a think tank compiling municipal employee compensation information in the mid-Hudson area, Orangetown had the fourth highest paid police employees in Rockland County and Rockland had the highest paid police officers in the state. Nine out of ten of the highest paid municipal employees in the region were Rockland police officers, the top earner being a Ramapo officer pulling in over $440,000.
The town board has been forced into arbitration several times with the Rockland County PBA over pay increases and other benefits, arguing that taxpayers can’t be squeezed any further, but arbitration boards are approved by the PBA and historically settle in favor of police unions. In addition, with “a rising tide floats all boats” ethos, PBA negotiators point to Clarkstown, Ramapo and Spring Valley as justification for Orangetown’s salary increases and other contractual demands.
Underpinning all is that police unions are notoriously resistant to change and fiercely supportive of their members. Theirs is a combative attitude; police are underappreciated and mayhem will reign without them. Many residents of predominantly white communities such as Orangetown buy into this idea – police keep our communities safe, right?
But David Bayley, a respected scholar of policing, writes in his book Police for the Future, “The police do not prevent crime. This is one of the best kept secrets of modern life. Experts know it, the police know it, but the public does not know it. Yet the police pretend that they are society’s best defense against crime and continually argue that if they are given more resources, especially personnel, they will be able to protect communities against crime. This is a myth.”
According to state crime statistics, incidents of violent and property crime are much lower in Orangetown than in other New York regions, and there’s been a downward trend in crime for the last 16 years. So crime isn’t a big problem in Orangetown. But there are other problems. One fifth of Orangetown’s residents are over 65; many on fixed incomes, opiate abuse has killed dozens of residents in the last five years, food pantries are bustling and taxpayers are hurting. When so many are suffering, how does the Rockland County PBA justify the six figure salaries, numerous fringe benefits and hefty retirement packages for Orangetown’s police officers? It may be time for the sclerotic Rockland County PBA to take its knee off the town’s neck.
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A word about Todd Miller :
Todd Miller and Paul Geiger started Clear Block productions and Todd kept it going after Paul died. I don't know who owns Green Frog but as far as I know , Todd did not have any connection to it......Phil Albano
Mr. Miller died of a massive heart attack while on his way to do a railroadiana show several years ago. He was mainly interested in structures, mainly depots and towers. He did a short stint for Conrail as an operator. Mark Demaline who was an officer for CSX has Todd's slide collection. As Mark digitizes and catalogues Todd's stuff, he is sending them my way to be posted. Thanks Mark for sharing these photos with us. More to come.
Illinois.........................26th St Chicago PRR
Starnes Springfield IC
Starnes : Starne Tower was on the IC's line to Saint Louis, not the GM&O. The lines that crossed IC were the Wabash main from Decatur to Moberly, MO, and the Illinois Terminal's line to Peoria. Starnes was an IC tower. The photo is looking north on the IC, and the track crossing the IC in front of the tower is the Wabash. The photographer is standing about where the Illinois Terminal crossed the IC. The IT crossed the Wabash to the left of the tower. I believe the IT had been removed by the time of this photo. B&O was not part of the interlocking here, it was further south. Another note here is that I've also seen this location identified as Starnes. The topo maps call it Starne, and it was also shown in the Wabash employee timetables as Starne. But the IT called it Starnes. I would say either is correct.......Steve Salamon
Ohio.................................Joyce Avenue Columbus N&W
As for Joyce Avenue, according to Rick Tipton's book "The PRR in Columbus, OH", this was an N&W tower, but PRR did much of the maintenance, as there were many more PRR moves through the interlocking. Also per that book, this tower was built in 1950, replacing an older brick tower. It was at the north end (by timetable) of N&W's Joyce Avenue Yard (but geographically west end). The N&W had a connection to the PRR's CA&C line for passenger trains to Columbus Union Station. N&W crews going to their downtown freight station had to use a series of crossovers over the PRR to reach the N&W line to the freight station. The connection was also used by PRR crews that pulled coal trains out of Joyce Avenue to go west on the Bradford Line. There was a diamond north of the tower, where the CA&C crossed the PRR's running track to Pennor Yard, where N&W and PRR exchanged coal trains for Sandusky. Pennor was a separate yard along the north side of Joyce Avenue Yard....Steve Salamon
Pennsylvania............................Bryn Mawr PRR
Pennsylvania........................SA Sand Patch B&O
Sand Patch PA - B&O Main Line between Cumberland and Pittsburgh. Summit of the Alleghenies. Along with Alto, probably one of the most photographed towers in America.
Today I have six towers, four of them new, and one diagram. All of them are New Haven. I hope Dale Martin and John Garofalo will be satisfied. All came via Geoff Hubbs. SS stands for Signal Station not Schutzstaffel. HAER stands for Historic American Engineering Record.
Connecticut...................*SS 52 Sagatuck Draw
SS 108 Niantic River Bridge
*SS 122 Mystic Draw 1 2 3
Massachusetts.................*SS M-333 Jackson St Worcester
New York..........................SS 196 Hopewell Jct 1 2
Rhode Island....................*SS 154 Woodlawn Providence 1 2
Today we have Mike Brotzman's study of UD tower. Photo nine is an excellent interior shot. Mike is giving Wally Mattes a run for his money as he has provided me with three paragraphs of information. And, like Wally's comments, Mike's are extremely interesting and informative. Speaking of Wally; this week via snail mail, I'll be receiving more non Indiana Wally stuff to post.
Illinois....................................UD Joliet Rock Island
UD Tower in Joliet, Illinois is located at the diamond crossing of the former ATSF (Santa Fe) and the Chicago and Alton main lines and the former Rock Island main line. Of course none of their original railroads exist so today the Rock Island line is owned by the Chicago commuter rail authority METRA to the east and the Iowa Interstate, the line ATSF morphed into BNSF and the Alton was bought by the Gulf Mobile and Ohio, which merged with the Illinois Central which spun off the portion south of Joliet to the Southern Pacific which was then merged into the Union Pacific and with the part north of the city getting folded into Canadian National after the CNIC merger. Finally, both METRA and Amtrak use the former Alton main as guest railroads.........Mike Brotzman
The layout is fairly simple. The ATSF and Alton lines run roughly north-south through the City of Joliet and come together in to an elevated 4-track corridor that then cross the former Rock Island main running east-west at a diamond crossing. This elevated diamond crossing and rail corridor was part of a 1912 project to construct a new Union Station at Joliet serving all three of the major railroads in grade separated splendor. Along with this station came a new interlocking tower to control it which was UD which I assume stands for Union Diamonds or something like that. Like the other Chicago area towers diamonds were the name of the game and in its heyday UD featured a 4x4 grid of diamonds where the two main lines met. However today that has been reduced to a 4x1 as the Rock Island really took it on the chin, eventually going bankrupt and nearly being abandoned........MB
Even though the three main lines were separate UD contained ample crossover facilities between the lines that were used to varying degrees. People might know UD from old pictures usually involving the Southwest Chief and the large signal gantries spanning the parallel main lines covered in semaphore signals. Today the semaphores are long gone, but some of the crossovers do still exist even if they aren't all used much. Today UD sees freight service on all of its lines, but primarily the BNSF route which is a major double stack intermodal route into the BNSF Corwith yard complex. The former Alton line does see some through freight, but it is largely a passenger route with a peak period METRA Heritage service from here to Chicago Union Station , but also Amtrak "Lincoln Service" to St Louis along with the Texas Eagle long distance train. This line is being upgraded to a high speed corridor with 110mph operation. The crossing route sees all day METRA service as part of their Rock Island district so Joliet serves as the terminal of two independent Metra services........MB
.......And remember kids, use your secret decoder ring and fire those blasters !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DECEMBER 7 Pearl Harbor Day
Carl Barneyback sent me these items. One is a hand drawn track chart and the other has something to do with the levers. Both are about MC tower in Chicago Heights. The Michigan Central(MC) (NYC) crossed the CE&I. I do not have a picture of the tower. Hint Hint.......
Illinois....................MC Chicago Heights diagram lever chart
The following five are my monthly Wilhelm allotment.
Illinois................................Union Ave. Chicago CB&Q
South Carolina..................*Cheraw SAL
RA Florence ACL
*SY Charleston ACL
Virginia...............................HN Doswell RF&P
Cheraw : ACL Florence to Wadesboro Branch crossed the SAL mainline.
Doswell(HN) : C&O's Newport to Charlottesville Line crossed the RF&P.
Illinois.................................91st ST Chicago
91st St was where Rock Island's (CRIP or RI) Suburban Line crossed PRR's Cincinnati to Chicago Main. It was at MP 300.1
(distance from Columbus) According to Pennsy ETT #7 dated 1967 it was shown as "Rock Island Crossing". It was only one tenth of a mile from Beverly Jct. This was where the above mentioned Pennsy line crossed the Rock Island and the BOCT. This photo shows this situation very well. 91st ST was a Rock Island tower; Beverly Jct was Pennsylvania.
Here is part of a timetable page from 1934 as additional information about Beverly Jct and 91st ST.....George Marx
ADDED information : Wally said there were three towers here. I've added a track diagram to help sort this out. I won't even start to go into how the third tower figured into this mess an it does NOT show on the diagram. Looking at the diagram Tower A was 91st ST. Again, PRR called it Rock Island Crossing and on the chart it is called Beverly Hills. Tower B was Beverly Jct. The two towers were only about 600 feet from each other but since timetables only go as low as tenth of a mile increments it shows Beverly Jct at 300.1 and 91st St at 300.2 I threw in the timetable page from 1967 showing from Bernice to Chicago Union Station(CUS) Amazing how many manned interlockings there were on this stretch of track.
George Marx or Carl Barnyback; is there is anything else that needs to added/corrected ? I'm being sincere not my usual smart ass self. It is hard to read inflections on a computer screen.
This nice photo came from, surprisingly, Dale Martin !!!! Just Kidding Dale.....Great Shot
KISLEV 24 5781
Tonight at 6pm starts the 10 day "Festival of Lights"(Hanukkah)
Be sure to eat plenty of latkes and sufganiyots....LOL
Carl Wallenmeyer found another unpublished set of photos. I present to you Nichols Tower.
Michigan.................Nichols Battle Creek 1 2 3 4 NYC
Nichols presided over the double tracked Michigan Central (NYC) main line(Buffalo to Chicago via Canada) crossing of the also double tracked GTW main. It was staffed by NYC (PC, then CR) operators until it was automated in the very early 1980's. The location became the east end of a major re-alignment and rail corridor consolidation project through Battle Creek. The NYC main through downtown was abandoned, and Conrail/Amtrak trains swung on or off the GTW through a new connection here. They both shared GTW's main and right of way for about two miles, to the west side of Battle Creek, where the two mains were proximate and parallel for a short distance. Another connection built here put CR/Amtrak trains back on the original NYC main line toward Kalamazoo. That arrangement remains in place today, with GTW (CN) controlling both the east and west connections to their main line. Additionally, the NYC depot in Battle Creek became a Clara's restaurant after no longer being needed as a passenger station, and a brand new transportation center was constructed on the GTW to serve Amtrak's Detroit to Chicago trains, along with Indian Trails, Greyhound and Battle Creek city bus services.....Mark Hinsdale
Shoot Low, Boys – They’re Ridin’ Shetland Ponies
DECEMBER 11 2:30 am EST
Now that Multi Photo Wallenmeyer is recovering from bypass surgery and wisely staying away from people because of "The Virus" he has all this time to rummage through his slides and negatives. He is finding stuff that he has forgotten about, like Nichols above. Carl already has hundreds of pictures on here. A few more would not hurt. This is his latest "find".
Missouri..............Ustick Kansas City 1 2 3 4 5 6 KCT
Officer: “Sir, we clocked you going 90 in a 40.”
Me: “I was listening to Radar Love.”
Officer: “Sorry to bother you, have a good night.”
A little bit of this and that.
Wally Mattes, tower guru for Indiana, sent me a large handful of non Indiana towers to post. Good stuff too. As I plow through them and get them processed I will post. Dean is from Wally, CF from Noah Caplin and Griffith by Doug Leffler.
Illinois.........................Dean Bloomington 1 2 3 IC
The IC crossed the P&E then the NKP but those two did not cross each other; kind of in a lazy "H" pattern. This 1958 P&E map explains it better. Dean's call letters were "KG"
Hand drawn map of Dean from Wally Mattes.
Indiana.........................Griffith EJ&E
EJ&E x GTW x Erie x MC(NYC) x C&O. It's call letters were "GF"
Pennsylvania.................CF Confluence B&O
I know its early but here is a scan of the Christmas card I sent this year. I took this shot in Springfield IL, Feb 1988. This CMNW train is on former GM&O tracks and crossing the CIM at Ridgely Tower. After UP took ownership of the line Ridgely became the last manned interlocking on the entire system. With that being said....Here is my Christmas Card from me to you my faithful viewers. The card quality was good but the scan here is not so good.....Sorry
Twelve shots of a new tower from Carl Wallenmeyer.
Missouri...............................*Broadway Kansas City MoPac
Fourteen with one being new. All photos by Rob Mandeville.
Canada...............................*WX Welland Draw Ontario NYC
Illinois.................................Calumet Park PRR
Indiana.................................Glen Richmond PRR
Hartsdale Schereville PRR
Kouts PRR
LaCrosse PRR
North Judson PRR
Ohio....................................Clare Cincinnati PRR
High Street Columbus PRR
Olentangy NYC
Scioto Columbus C&O?
Tower A Cincinnati 1 2
US Columbus B&O?
West Virginia.......................D Grafton B&O
WX : NYC's Buffalo to Chicago via Canada Line crossed the CN. WX was at MP 16.9 from Buffalo. Tower Out Of Service effective April 1 1973 per Penn Central Northern Region General Order # 612...Shel Lustig
Calumet Park : PRR x IHB x BOCT x MC(NYC) MP 5.5 miles from Colehour Jct.
Glen : East end of Richmond Yard MP 117.4 From Columbus. Cols to Indianapolis line. Call letters "JC"
I have had fairly extensive write ups over the last few months for the four following towers. Rather then be be redundant I'll give a brief overview. And to be honest I'd filed it but it is lost somewhere on my computer under an unknown document. Another reason why you kids should not take drugs !!!!!!!!
I'll just let George Marx or Carl Barneyback write and as we used to say on the railroad, give my a** a good tearin'
More on below four........ALL were on Pennsy's Cincinnati to Chicago Line and all MP are reckoned from Cincinnati
Hartsdale : EJ&E x PRR MP 280.1 Call letters were "HD" I believe the NYC which ran overhead(Danville Line) and had a connection track down to the "JAY" interchange yard, called it "JG". (I'll be getting another email from George now) Maybe all this typing has put him to sleep.
Kouts : Erie x PRR MP 253.1 Call letters "DN"
LaCrosse : Monon x PRR MP 246.6 C&AS figured in here too "in the day".
North Judson : PRR x Erie x C&O x NYC(Kankakee Belt)
MP 237.3 Call letters were "AH". In the photo you see a few private residences. Imagine what it was like to live there in the 40's,50's,60's with an endless parade of trains from four Class 1 railroads.
US : US was listed as a block station on the joint B&O/PRR C&N Division MP 190.4 just east of Columbus Union Depot.
Geoff Hubbs
Yeah Yeah....I know US is NOT a tower but here it is anyway.
Clare : N&W x PRR
Olentangy : NYC x PRR x C&O. If I'm correct the tower was a Big Four building. Call letters were "HV"..Hocking Valley the predecessor to the C&O.
Olentangy was staffed by the NYC......Geoff Hubbs
Scioto : C&O x NYC. Call letters "LM" MP 0.1 from Columbus
Tower A : I'm not sure who owned or staffed...again help needed Since it controlled in an out of Cincinnati's Union Station I'm assuming it was a "terminal railroad" job.
Hallelujah, Noel, be it Heaven or Hell; The Christmas we get we deserve.
Illinois.................................Edgewood 1 2 3 IC
Illinois Central crossed the Baltimore and Ohio. The original tower was built in 1918. It was replaced by the structure in the pictures in 1955. It had a GRS S&F 24 lever machine. It's call letters were "WO"........Wally Mattes
Here is another small batch of the "Mattes stuff". This group of five b&w's are top notch, in humble opinion. I'll be posting some of his hand drawn diagrams of the interlockings too. Wally said, looking at them 40 plus years after he drew them, that there are mistakes and some misspellings. When we talked Sunday night he was a little reluctant to have me post these. To me at least they serve a purpose. His or anyone else's, show things that the "official track charts" do not show and vice versa. Plus the railroad issued diagrams are full of technical and railroad jargon that most lay people do not understand. Whenever possible I'll be providing both types of diagrams/charts.
Illinois.............................Delmar 1 2 diagram
Delmar is where the Milwaukee crossed NYC's Kankakee Belt.
It was at MP 86.9 from South Bend IN. It was a Milwaukee tower and its call letters were "DA"
Ohio...............................Estry Van Wert 1 2 3
I already have a write up about Estry. This will spare me having to retype all the tower information.
1934 ETT page added to December 9 regarding 91st ST and Beverly Jct.
Vandalia shots by Wally Mattes; Mattes St. were taken by Barry Lennon.
Illinois..........................Vandalia 1 2 PRR
IC crossed Pennsylvania's Indianapolis to St. Louis Line. Was at MP 172.0 (from Indy) My 1967 ETT shows Vandalia remoted from Smithboro.(MP 186.4)
Pennsylvania................Mattes St. Scranton 1 2 3 DL&W
Hand drawn map of Dean added to December 12 above.
Three shots and 2 diagrams from Wally; and one from Dick Baldwin.
Illinois...............................BN Bloomington photo diagram
BN : P&E x NKP x GM&O
Effingham PRR x IC IC
After the tower closed they moved the interlocking into the passenger station. PRR's Indianapolis to St. Louis Line crossed the IC. On the Pennsy side it was at MP 140.6 from Indy.
Pekin photo diagram P&PU
It was a mess here. Look at the diagram or buy a P&PU or P&E timetable to figure it out. Its call letters were "WN"
Indiana...............................Clarks Hill NYC
Clarks Hill : NKP's "Clover Leaf" crossed NYC's Indianapolis to Kankakee Line. It was at MP 157.5 from Cincinnati. I have "CH" as its call sign but my 1957 timetable says "W". It wasn't unusual for the same tower to have different call letters or names depending on what the crossing railroad called it. "CH" may have been the call letters for the NKP. Clarks Hill was a mechanical plant using a USS IS&F machine 28 levers, 24 used.
A side note.....Clarks Hill had NYC operators on first and third, NKP operators on second and the relief job.
May your days be merry and bright and may all of your Christmas's be white !!!
These just arrived so they will serve as a supplement to Dec 18th and today's updates. Four b&w's from Dave Oroszi.
Illinois...................................Effingham
Vandalia 1 2 3
More Wally stuff.
Illinois...................................KX Kankakee photo diagram
NYC's Indianapolis to Kankakee Line and NYC's Kankakee Belt crossed the IC. (See diagram) KX was an IC tower with IC operators. In addition to the interlocking machine there was a CTC panel with controlled the IC from Kankakee to Gilman. The tower was at MP 101.0 from South Bend IN. As a side non tower item. For Chicago bound NYC passenger trains the engineers and fireman got relived at Kankakee. The ground crew stayed on to Chicago with an Illinois Central engine crew.
Neilson photo diagram CE&I
The CB&Q connected to the CE&I (see diagram)
Pickneyville inside diagram IC
The interlocking was in the depot. MoPac crossed the IC.
RA Reddick photo diagram
The Kankakee Belt crossed the Wabash. It stood at MP 121.1 from South Bend IN. It was a Wabash Tower.
Illinois...............................Gibson City 1 2 3 Wabash
NKP x IC x WAB
Kids eating Tide Pods......Adults not knowing what gender they are........Ayanna Pressley wants to give the Covid 19 vaccine to prisoners before the elderly!!!!.......Believe me; guns are not the problem.
DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve
Here is Dave Oroszi's study of Alexis tower. These six shots are my Christmas gift to my friend and ex operator Mike Silvers. While not his favorite tower he has told me stories of working there. Hopefully these great shots will engender good remembrances. My stripper girlfriend told me to use those words. I have no idea what they mean. I told her that her Rhodes Scholar degree was finally paying off !!!!!!!!!
Ohio.......................................Alexis 1 2 3 4 5 6
Alexis was a mechanical plant with an S-8 add on. The NYC, Pere Marquette(PM) later C&O, Michigan Central(MC) later NYC and the Ann Arbor were the players here. It was 50 miles from Detroit. It was a NYC tower with the call letter "N". Alexis remotely controlled an interlocking called "K" about 1 mile south of the tower. This is where the Toledo Terminal(TT) crossed. Note the operators chair; it was from a locomotive.
IIRC, the PRR was a tenant that went from the AA to the PM there for its Detroit traffic. I’m not sure just how far the PRR’s own tracks extended north from its Summit St. Station, but the PRR did have (way back when) 3 passenger trains and a couple of through freights each way Toledo / Detroit using their own line from Carlton into Detroit.......Shel Lustig NYCHS
DECEMBER 25 Christmas
denn euch ist heute der Heiland geboren, welcher ist Christus, der HERR, in der Stadt Davids.
Frohliche Weihnachten to everyone. I hope you are having a nice Christmas which involves looking at my wonderful site on this holiday !!!!!......Yeah, right
Today I have nine towers for you with four of them being new. This batch came from Geoff Hubbs.
Canada...........................WX Welland Ontario NYC
Information on WX was posted on December 15 if you're not too lazy to scroll up and read it !!!
Illinois.........................*Roodhouse CB&Q x GM&O GM&O ?
Michigan.....................*Bay City Jct. Detroit NYC
Bay City Jct at 0.83 miles west of Detroit is where the Mackinaw Branch departed the Detroit-Chicago Main. It was camera shy and for whatever reason was not listed in NYC Employee TT's as an interlocking.....Geoff Hubbs
My 1972 Northern Region Penn Central ETT has Bay City Jct listed as CP Bay City Jct but at this time it was remoted from West Detroit Tower.........Dan Maners
New Jersey......................QR(Lorraine) Roselle CNJ
Tower obviously converted to a private residence. The tower closed in 1949.
New York........................RJ Riverside Jct. BR&P(B&O)
The BR&P(Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh) became part of the B&O in 1932.
*SS#1 West St. Syracuse NYC
It was at West Street, about a mile west of the new 1936 station where the newer SS1 was housed in the station. This was on a new elevated alignment to eliminate street running and this passenger line only lasted 26 years, replaced with an interstate.
Pennsylvania...................BE(Birds) Birdsboro PRR
BE was at MP 49.2 (distance from Suburban Station, Philadelphia n PRR's Schuylkill Branch. The Reading(RDG) crossed here too.
*Q Quarryville PRR ?
Virginia.........................*Charlottesville Southern ?
Chesapeake and Ohio(C&O) crossed my beloved Southern. This is my personal favorite of this batch of towers...What a shot
And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "To hell with the kids I'm going home and get tight"
Three odds an ends from Dominic Morrone. For not doing this for a living Dominic is a great photographer. I had known "Dom" since he was a teenager.
Illinois...............................Brighton Park Chicago
I had George Marx's write up about Brighton Park a few months ago so I see no sense in re posting all that stuff again so soon. I still have it along with most of the other write ups and comments, on a Word document. I hope someday I can make ALL this info accessible to you guys.
North Yard Danville CE&I
Same as Brighton Park, Wally Mattes provided a short tome for this one.
Tuscola IC
Illinios Central's Main crossed MoPac's line that went from Chicago down through Villa Grove. B&O's line from Indianapolis to Decatur IL crossed here too. Tuscola was an IC tower. Larry Graham and I made several trips to Villa Grove and Tuscola to take photos of the MoPac before the UP take over, and we went to Tuscola to catch some IC action. The operator on first was at times very hostile and other times friendly. Of course I wasn't into towers in those days so I took no inside shots which I regret bitterly now !!!!..........Dan Maners
Note about "K" added to Alexis information (Dec 24) see above.
Here is a map of the Toledo area from a PC ETT dated 1972. I've added this map to my "Supplemental" list too.
Steve Salamon is back on board. Here is his latest contribution. Steve provided the 3 paragraph comments as well.
Washington DC.........................*A Tower photo model
The operator at A Tower controlled the tracks on the east side of Washington Union Station that were used by passenger trains of the C&O, RF&P and Southern. These were through tracks, while the tracks used by B&O and PRR trains were stub tracks. A Tower was at the north end of the First Street Tunnel, 4,033 feet long, which followed a path underneath First Street, a block east of the U.S. Capitol building. The double track line through the tunnel met the PRR freight tracks to Potomac Yard at Virginia Avenue Tower, a mile or so to the south of Union Station. The operators at A Tower coordinated moves through the tunnel with the PRR/PC/Conrail operators at Virginia Avenue. In the vicinity of the tower, the double track line from the tunnel went underneath the main station building and concourse, and widened to twelve platform tracks. The tower stood just north of the passenger concourse. The interlocking at the north end of the platform tracks was controlled by operators at K Tower. Passengers using C&O, RF&P and Southern trains had to use staircases or elevators to reach the platforms, which were on a descending grade, north to south. (The stub tracks for B&O and PRR trains remained at the same level as the concourse)..........SS
The operators at A Tower were employees of the Washington Terminal Company, established by the B&O and PRR to provide switching and terminal services for trains using Washington Union Station, opened in 1907. I believe the B&O and PRR had joint ownership of the Washington Terminal Company, and the other railroads were tenants. There were at least four towers, possibly more, that once controlled the entire complex. By 1975, A Tower and K Tower were the only towers still active. Control of all the other interlockings on Washington Terminal property had been consolidated at K Tower. At the time of the first photo of April 2, 1975, work was already in progress to consolidate A Tower operations into K Tower, and the tower would close within a year or so, and then was demolished....SS
The second photo is of the board from A Tower. The board shows only eight station tracks, not the twelve originally built. Appears there may have been four more tracks at the bottom of the board that must have been taken out of service, probably a result of the various construction projects at Washington Union Station. At the time I took that photo, in December 1977, the board was in the possession of a model railroad club in Silver Spring, Maryland. That club no longer exists, and I don't know the current disposition of the board......SS
Like Jack the Ripper said "double event today"
Maryland...........................*KG Point of Rocks B&O
Going east this is where B&O's main from Chicago split, with one line going to Baltimore the other to Washington DC
Ohio..................................Wheeling Bellevue PRR(N&W)
Jeff Gast has contributed a handful of photos to this site. He is my quasi N&W, mainly NKP go-to guy. When I asked about Wheeling(or later called Bellevue) I was not expecting such a thorough and very informative reply. Mr. Gast is a clerk for the INRD (Indiana Railroad) Like me knowing Dominic; I have known Jeff for upwards of 25 years. PS.....I'll never ask Jeff another question again.....Just Kidding Jeff
You actually had four different railroads all crossing there at one time.
1) The PRR line was the Sandusky Branch from Columbus to Sandusky, mostly coal through Bellevue, but the line handled some mixed merchandise further south on a Columbus-Toledo routing. In earlier PRR days it was all train orders without signals. When PRR abandoned a segment of its Mansfield Jct.-Toledo line between Mansfield Jct. and Tiro, they rerouted through Toledo traffic via Bucyrus, so installed CTC over the Sandusky Branch between Bucyrus and the Toledo crossing at Carrothers.
When N&W merged with the NKP, Wabash, P&WV, and AC&Y in 1964, PRR sold the Sandusky Branch to the N&W as that was the only way at the time for the N&W to connect with its merger partners. (PRR kept trackage rights over much of the line.) N&W proceeded to install CTC on the Sandusky Branch, as well as upgrade it where needed.
2) The NKP main line from Chicago to Buffalo came through there as well, and it paralleled the PRR Sandusky Branch through Bellevue. I think that the two lines crossed each other using crossovers, rather than diamonds. (Whereas the tower was on the near southeast side of Bellevue, the big NKP yard is on the northeast side.)
3) Crossing the PRR and NKP routes on diamonds were two other railroads. NKP had taken over the Wheeling & Lake Erie, leasing it in 1949. W&LE's route from Toledo to Brewster crossed at the tower.
4) Lastly, New York Central's original main line between Millbury and Elyria (don't quote me on that second station) paralleled the W&LE through Bellevue. I'm not sure if NYC called that line the Norwalk Branch or the Old Road - I think the "Old Road" designation was used for the former main lines between Toledo and Elkhart. Not sure if it was NYC or Lakeshore & Michigan Southern that built the current main that runs through Vermillion and Port Clinton, but at any rate, that replaced the older line that ran through Bellevue. Most of the time, the branch saw only local freights and a local passenger train (daily except Sunday); but it was kept in decent enough shape, just in case there was a derailment on the big main. Donald Krofta once wrote an article for Trains Magazine about one day back in the late 40s or early 50s when NYC had an incident on the big main and detoured something like 22 trains over the Norwalk Branch, many of them in daylight.
Wheeling used a USS Model 14 electro-mechanical machine. 31 levers with 29? being used. On first and third shifts those operator's jobs were Wheeling and Lake Erie(W&LE) while second and the relief job went to the Pennsy. Arrangements like these where the work was divided up between railroads were fairly common......Henry McCarty
Worthington PRR
This is where PRR's Sandusky to Columbus line crossed NYC's
Cleveland to Columbus line. Its call letter was "C". This was a PRR tower and was staffed by the Pennsy. This photo was taken by Alvin Schultze. He was Dave Oroszi's mentor and is responsible for Dave's love of trains. (for better or worse)
Pete White a retired N&W/EL/CR operator was the last man to work Worthington before it closed, a few days before Thanksgiving of 1968. Pete also said that the photo I have posted is the second version of the tower.
With all this talk and arguing over the gun control issue.....That debate was settled in 1791 !!!!!!
Four more of Dave O's photos.
Ohio.................DB Draw Sandusky Bay 1 2 3 4 NYC
DB was at MP 247.0 (from Buffalo) on NYC's hot "Water Level Route" from Buffalo to Chicago. The Central also had another DB, again a movable bridge, that was in Cleveland. Pictures of it will be posted sometime down the line. Naturally it was a NYC interlocking.
Interesting fact :
Most people assume that because of its call letters are DB that they stood for DrawBridge. Makes sense but it actually stood for DanBury the small town that was close by the tower.
Mike Silvers
The operator in picture 3 is Pete White. Pete started out as an operator for the N&W. Then he went to work for the EL and finished his colorful career under Conrail.
The following four pics plus commentary are from Ross Jack.
Pennsylvania....................MU(Eidenau) 1 2 3 4 B&O
I'm not sure if MU was a full blown interlocking or not but.... Here it is !!!!!
Eidenau was situated on the P&W SD at MP 30.5. and was east of UN which was west of it at 52.3. It was at the Southern Base of the Butler SD. It sat one the east side of a WYE. East Leg from Pgh., and West Leg from New Castle side. Trains from the east at Glenwood (Pgh) and from the west at New Castle destined to Butler and points north such as Punxsutawney, Dubois, Brockway, Johnsonburg, Bradford and East Salamanca via the 1st SD and 2nd SD left the P&W SD here. The 1st SD was from WS Tower (Butler Area) to DuBois, the 2nd from Dubois to East Salamanca. North of East Salamanca the line formed a Y at Ashford NY the 3rd SD went left to Buffalo and also (straight) or right to the 4th SD to Rochester. Back to WS Tower. The Northern SD also the old P&W Branched off to Mt Jewett where it met back up with the 2nd SD. The northern SD was formerly Narrow Gage and owned by the Pitts. & Western. B&O took it over in the late 1800's almost at the turn of the century. The Buffalo Rochester & Pgh. was taken over in 1932. Prior to 32' there were 2 different RR's at WS AKA Wadsworth PA. The P&W and the BR&P. This turned into a combined Eidenau and WS Tower Wadsworth report....Ross Jack
Joe Biden's Office
DECEMBER 31 New Years Eve
I'm closing out the year with these four items from Geoff Hubbs and a new tower submitted by Dale from Alabama Martin. I wish you all a Happy New Year. I have literally hundreds of yet-
to-be-posted photos waiting in the wings. Still continue to send more TOWER photos (I already have too many pics of your wives and girlfriends) along with your corrections, "write ups" and comments.
New Jersey..............................RU(Port) Elizabethport CNJ
photo photo diagram Union Switch and Signal ad 1933
RU or PORT Tower in Elizabethport (NJ). RU Elizabeth was the crossing of the CNJ Mainline by the Newark & Elizabeth Branch as well as controlling the east end of Elizabethport Yard. It was featured prominently in US&S ads because it was their first UR (Union Route) entrance-exit installation in 1933.......Geoff Hubbs
Interesting ad from USS. We always called them an entrance/exit machine. The operator presses a button on what track the movement is coming in(A) and presses a button on what track he wants the movement will leave the plant(B) The machine makes up its "mind" on what the best routing would be between those two points then lines it up automatically.
Wyoming...........................*Borie Union Pacific
Towers from out west, especially in Wyoming are rare commodity's on here.
These came in at the last minute and I couldn't resist posting them. Photos and one of the comments came via Rob Mandeville
Pennsylvania...........................*Orchard 1 2 PRR
At Orchard tower, just south of Leesport PA, a spur from the Reading Main Line crossed the river and then the Pennsylvania Railroad's Schuylkill Division main. The PRR's adjacent spur, and the source of the tower's name, is obvious from the Dallin Aerial photo......Rob Mandeville
At Zoo tower MP3.2 from Philly, you had a million branches breaking off. At Valley MP 4.0 this is where the Schuylkill Br. started. (I'll be posting some shots of Valley soon.) Orchard was at MP 58.3. According to my 1969 PC ETT, Orchard by this time was only a block limit station; you know one of those deals with a post in the ground and a name plate affixed to it. Thanks Rob for sending these pics of Orchard in better days.
Dan Maners [email protected]
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The Quiet Road
Blog meme
tag: Brendan Gleeson
The Guard
by Jim Bliss
A few days ago in my review of 2011, I mentioned that one of the films of last year I wanted to see – but hadn’t – was The Guard. Well last night I rectified that situation. And I’m truly glad that I did, because it’s easily one of the best films of last year… indeed it’s easily one of the best films of the last few years.
Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, the basic plot involves an FBI Agent (Cheadle) assigned to the West of Ireland and teaming up with a local cop (Brendan Gleeson) to investigate a massive drug-smuggling operation. On the surface – and indeed based on the publicity surrounding the film – you get the impression it’ll probably be a gentle, whimsical buddy-cop comedy. You could almost write the thing yourself… backwards Connemara guard annoys big city agent with his slow, rural ways and naive casual racism before demonstrating the quaint wisdom of those ways and foiling the smugglers. Ultimately of course, both rural cop and big city agent learn something from one another.
Because I’m such a massive fan of Gleeson, I still wanted to see The Guard despite the concern that it would be an underwhelming cliché of a film. The trailer only makes the vaguest of hints that, actually, that’s most certainly not the movie we’re talking about…
In fact, it’s a glorious subversion of that lazy archetype. This is nicely conveyed by the very first scene which concludes with Gleeson’s guard, at the scene of a fatal car wreck, dropping a hit of acid and intoning, “what a beautiful fucking day”. It was at that moment I realised I was in for something far less conventional than I’d expected. The Guard does a good job of resisting the temptation to romanticise The West beyond recognition and is most definitely set in modern Ireland as opposed to that timeless Hollywood Ireland that plagues many films. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from presenting the viewer with the stark beauty of Connemara. The financial crisis, thankfully, hasn’t messed up the scenery.
The screen chemistry between Cheadle and Gleeson is an absolute joy, though it’s very much Gleeson’s film. He discusses Russian literature and amyl nitrate with his dying mother, spins wild yarns about his exploits as an Olympic athlete, cavorts with prostitutes, has a casual chat with the local IRA man (a cameo by the excellent Pat Shortt) and drinks pretty much constantly. And all the while he delights in winding up the FBI man… “Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, those men are armed and dangerous and you being an FBI agent, you’re more used to shooting unarmed women and children”.
On top of the excellent performances by all involved however, the film elevates itself above the run-of-the-mill fare I’d been expecting, thanks to the wonderful script and plot. I’d never encountered the work of John Michael McDonagh before (in fact, aside from being the writer of a 2003 remake of Ned Kelly, which I never saw, this is his first foray into feature films… we can expect good things from this man). But his regular confounding of my expectations throughout the film was very welcome indeed. I shan’t elaborate and risk spoiling them, but events do not transpire as they normally would in this kind of film. I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece of avant-garde film-making, radically redefining the very notions of narrative. Far from it. I’m just saying that so far as mainstream film-making goes, there are quite a few surprises along the way. And sadly, that’s unusual these days.
If I have one concern it’s that I’m not sure whether some of the humour, which at turns is both dry and broad, might not go over the heads of non-Irish viewers… Gleeson’s Galway accent is good for a Dublin man, though it’s not so thick as to be incomprehensible… but the cultural references which would give a chuckle to most of us here in Ireland might not translate (such as the line about going undercover with the mob and “having to go down to Limerick for that sort of excitement”). But I don’t think there’s too many of them; certainly not enough to ruin anyone’s enjoyment of the film; and ultimately I can offer an unconditional recommendation for The Guard. It’s funny, surprising, well-written and wonderfully acted. It has plenty of charm without being twee and while it’s not “a feel good” movie, it definitely leaves you feeling good. If you know what I mean.
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Tag Archives: West Bank
Media Praise of Israel’s COVID Vaccination Drive a Form of “Medical Apartheid”
Completely missing from media accounts of the Israeli vaccine drive was mention of the millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, none of whom have received the vaccine.
By Alan Macleod Published 1-4-2021 by MintPress News
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu receive Pfizer C. POVID-19 vaccine, kickstarts vaccination drive. Screenshot: YouTube
As vaccinations for the deadly COVID-19 virus begin to be delivered in large numbers, Israel has been receiving a great deal of praise in global media for its handling of the fight against the pandemic — one that has cost the lives of over 1.8 million people worldwide in the last 12 months.
Israel has gone into vaccine “overdrive,” announced the Financial Times, noting that the country of 9 million people has become the “world leader” and an example to follow. Detailing its achievements, it told readers that, “At one vaccination site, people waited no longer than 10 minutes each to be assigned to receive a jab, with one of 10 booths being kept empty to handle overflows,” also noting that the high tech system texts citizens an exact time of arrival, to further help with crowd control. The Wall Street Journal celebrated that Israel had vaccinated more than 10% of its population in just two weeks. Other outlets like the BBC noted that the government was prioritizing the elderly, with over 40% of over 60s having already received the first dose of a two injection procedure. “Israel could become [the] 1st nation to vaccinate all its citizens,” ran an Economic Times’ headline. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Elections, Government, Health Care, Human Rights, International Agreements, Religion and tagged apartheid, Atrocities, Benjamin Netanyahu, Civil Rights, CODEPINK, coronavirus, Corruption, Elections, Equality, Gaza, Health Care, Human rights, International Agreements, Israel, Palestine, religion, vaccine, West Bank, World Health Organization on January 11, 2021 by MNgranny.
The American Money Tree: The Untold Story of US Aid to Israel
Congress quietly wedged billions of dollars of aid to Israel even as it debated for months over a measly $600 to help Americans endure the COVID downturn.
By Ramzy Baroud. Published 12-30-2020 by MintPress News
Benjamin Netanyahu ecember 2020. Photo: P.M. of Israel/Twitter
On December 21, the United States Congress passed the COVID-19 Relief Package, as part of a larger $2.3 trillion bill meant to cover spending for the rest of the fiscal year. As usual, US representatives allocated a massive sum of money for Israel.
While unemployment, thus poverty, in the US is skyrocketing as a result of repeated lockdowns, the US found it essential to provide Israel with $3.3 billion in ‘security assistance’ and $500 million for US-Israel missile defense cooperation. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Austerity, Corruption, Economics, Government, Health Care, Human Rights, International Agreements, Military, Refugee Issues, Religion, Technology and tagged AIPAC, Atrocities, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Civil Rights, coronavirus, coronavirus relief, Corruption, Donald Trump, Economics, F-35, foreign aid, Health Care, Human rights, International Agreements, Israel, Joe Biden, KC-46A, Memorandum of Understanding, Military, Palestine, pandemic, refugees, religion, Security, technology, UNRWA, US Congressional Research Service, US military aid, West Bank on January 2, 2021 by ew.
Palestinians, Advocates Blast New U.S. Rule Requiring ‘Made in Israel’ Label on Settlement Goods
“Such a decision attempts to legitimize settlement-manufactured goods as well as the theft of Palestinian land and products,” said Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By Brett Wilkins, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 12-26-2020
Mike Pompeo at the Psagot Winery—located on stolen Palestinian land in the illegal Israeli settler colony of Psagot. Photo: Secretary Pompeo/Twitter
Palestinian officials and international peace activists condemned a Trump administration order that went into effect earlier this week requiring goods produced in a large portion of the illegally occupied West Bank of Palestine to be labeled “Made in Israel.”
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on Wednesday announced that “for country of origin marking purposes, imported goods produced in the West Bank, specifically in Area C under the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement… must be marked to indicate their origin as ‘Israel,’ ‘Product of Israel,’ or ‘Made in Israel.'” Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Economics, Government, Human Rights, International Agreements, Religion, Social Justice and tagged Area C, B'Tselem, BDS, Benjamin Netanyahu, Capitalism, Civil Rights, Corruption, Customs and Border Patrol, Donald Trump, Economics, Equality, Fourth Geneva Convention, Gaza, Human rights, International Agreements, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement., J Street, Joe Biden, Mike Pompeo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Palestine, religion, social justice, West Bank on December 27, 2020 by ew.
With World’s Eyes on US Election, Israel Bulldozes West Bank Village in Biggest Single Demolition in 10 Years
The razing of Khirbet Humsa—which left dozens of people homeless—”can only be considered an act of ethnic cleansing against the indigenous Palestinian population,” said one human rights group.
By Brett Wilkins, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 11-5-2020
Bulldozers destroying Khirbet Humsa. Photo: Ahmad/Twitter
Under cover of the U.S. presidential election, the Israeli military bulldozed an entire Bedouin community in the illegally occupied West Bank of Palestine on Tuesday, leaving scores of people—including more than 40 children—homeless during a cold, driving rainstorm.
Just hours before the cold front rolled through the West Bank, Israel Defense Forces troops razed the Bedouin hamlet of Khirbet Humsa, near Tubas in the Jordan Valley, forcing 74 people including 41 children—one just three months old—out into the approaching storm. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Government, Health Care, Homeless, Human Rights, International Agreements, Military, Religion, Social Justice and tagged Al-Araqeeb, Atrocities, B'Tselem, coronavirus, Corruption, Health Care, Human rights, IDF, International Agreements, Israel, Israeli Civil Administration, Khirbet Humsa, Military, Palestine, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, pandemic, Popular Resistance Committees, religion, social justice, United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, West Bank on November 6, 2020 by MNgranny.
‘Deep Sense of Despair’: UNRWA Chief Says Palestinians Suffering Dual Pandemics of Covid-19 and Poverty
“In Gaza, people are going through the garbage,” said Philippe Lazzarini. “More people are fighting to provide one or two meals a day to their families.”
By Brett Wilkins, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 10-12=2020
Health staff from the Shaboura Health Centre in Rafah, Gaza, run by UN relief agency UNRWA, deliver medications directly to elderly Palestine refugees in the wake of COVID-19, so as to reduce their chances of exposure.. Photo: UNRWA/Khalil Adwan
Gaza residents are sifting through trash to find food amid soaring poverty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a crippling 13-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told The Guardian that “there is despair and hopelessness” not only in Gaza but throughout Palestine and the Palestinian refugee diaspora in neighboring and nearby nations. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Corruption, Economics, Food Security, Health Care, Human Rights, Income Inequality, International Agreements, Refugee Issues, Religion and tagged coronavirus, Corruption, Economics, food supply, Golan Heights, Hamas, Health Care, Human rights, Income Inequality, International Agreements, Israel, Palestine, pandemic, Philippe Lazzarini, poverty, refugees, religion, Saudi Arabia, United Nations Relief and Works Agency, West Bank on October 13, 2020 by ew.
‘Cruelty of the Occupation Knows No Bounds’: Israel Demolishes Covid-19 Clinic in Epicenter of West Bank Outbreak
“There is no humanity in destroying grassroots attempts to support an already deprived health system suffocated by occupation.”
Israeli army demolished a COVID-19 quarantine center in Hebron on July 21, Photo: via Twitter
Palestinians living near the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the occupied West Bank are without a badly-needed testing and quarantine center following the Israeli government’s demolition of a building that was meant to give relief to overwhelmed hospitals.
The Israeli Civil Administration demolished the building, being constructed on land belonging to Palestinian Hebron resident Hazem Maswada, on Tuesday, claiming the structure was being erected illegally without a permit. The building was set to open to the public next week. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Economics, Government, Health Care, Human Rights, International Agreements, Religion, Social Justice and tagged Area C, Atrocities, Civil Rights, coronavirus, Corruption, Economics, Equality, Hazem Maswada, Health Care, Hebron, Human rights, International Agreements, Israel, Israeli Civil Administration, Na'amod, Not Now, Palestine, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Health Ministry, pandemic, religion, social justice, West Bank on July 24, 2020 by ew.
‘Day of Rage’: Palestinians and Global Allies Rise Up Against Annexation Plan and Israeli Apartheid
“The Palestinian struggle today is not just about fighting annexation, which we must continue to do. It is about dismantling the entire system of apartheid.”
Photo: Days of Palestine/Twitter
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip—backed by allies across the globe—organized protests on Wednesday against the Israeli government’s looming plan to further its apartheid policy by annexing up to a third of West Bank territory under U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “vision for peace” for the region, which was unveiled in January and championed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Gaza City, the Associated Press reports, thousands of protesters marched with Palestinian flags and signs decrying the annexation plan as a “declaration of war” on the Palestinian people. Following that demonstration, which reportedly ended peacefully in the early afternoon, other rallies were planned in the West Bank. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Demonstrations & Protests, Government, Human Rights, International Agreements, Religion, Social Justice, Solidarity, Uncategorized and tagged Antonio Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bernie Sanders, California, Civil Rights, Corruption, Donald Trump, Equality, Florida, Hamas, Human rights, Illinois, International Agreements, Israel, Michelle Bachelet, New York, Ofir Akunis, Oregon, Palestine, Palestine Legal, Protests, religion, Sandton, social justice, Solidarity, South Africa, South Korea, West Bank on July 2, 2020 by ew.
Buried in Trump-Netanyahu Deal Is Effort to ‘Torpedo’ ICC War Crimes Probe
The plan announced Tuesday by the White House demands Palestinians “dismiss all pending actions” before the International Criminal Court.
By Andrea Germanos, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 1-29-2020.
Gaza 2014. Photo via Facebook
As the International Criminal Court moved forward this week with its investigation into alleged war crimes committed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the White House’s new so-called “peace” plan includes a largely unreported provision that would end such efforts to hold the Israeli government to account.
The document, released Tuesday, was widely criticized as a “screw the Palestinians over harder non-peace plan” that lets Israel continue its illegal occupation and a “ludicrous” proposal that offers no path towards Palestinian statehood. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Government, Human Rights, International Agreements, Military, National Security vs Police State, Refugee Issues, Religion, Social Justice, War Crimes and tagged Amnesty International, Atrocities, Benjamin Netanyahu, Civil Rights, Corruption, Donald Trump, Equality, Gaza, Human rights, International Agreements, International Criminal Court, Israel, Jared Kushner, Military, Palestine, refugees, religion, social justice, War Crimes, West Bank on January 30, 2020 by ew.
‘This Is Not a Peace Plan, It Is a War Plan’: Trump-Netanyahu Deal Decried as Shameful Attack on Palestinian Rights
“Any attempt to address the Israeli-Palestinian issue that does not begin and end with the full acknowledgment of the Palestinian right to self-determination, freedom, justice, and equality is a non-starter.”
Palestinian Rights Activists gathered to protest the annual DC convention of AIPAC in 2017. Photo: Susan Melkisethian/flickr/CC
Human rights advocates condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “annexation plan” for large swaths of Palestinian territory as the two leaders on Tuesday presented what they termed a “peace deal” for Israel and Palestine.
)Critics joined Palestinian leaders in rejecting the premise of the so-called “vision for peace,” which was drafted by the White House and Netanyahu without the input of Palestinians. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Corruption, Demonstrations & Protests, Economics, Government, Human Rights, International Agreements, Military, National Security vs Police State, Refugee Issues, Religion, Social Justice and tagged apartheid, Arab American Institute, Atrocities, Benjamin Netanyahu, Civil Rights, Corruption, Donald Trump, Economics, Equality, Gaza Strip, Human rights, Ilhan Omar, International Agreements, Israel, Military, Palestine, Protests, Rashida Tlaib, refugees, religion, social justice, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, West Bank on January 29, 2020 by MNgranny.
Israel’s West Bank settlements: 4 questions answered
A new housing project in the West Bank settlement of Naale, part of the Israeli government’s recent push to increase its presence in the disputed territory, Jan. 1, 2019.
AP Photo/Ariel Schalit
Dov Waxman, Northeastern University
Editor’s note: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Nov. 18 said that Israel’s settlements in the West Bank do not violate international law. That pleased Israeli Jews who see the territory as rightfully theirs and infuriated the Palestinians who live there and claim it as their land.
Here, a professor of Israel studies and the author of a new primer on the Israeli-Palestinian confict explains the history of the West Bank settlements – and why they’re so controversial. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Agriculture, Civil Rights, Corruption, Economics, Government, Human Rights, International Agreements, Military, National Security vs Police State, Religion, Water and tagged Agriculture, Civil Rights, Corruption, Donald Trump, Economics, Equality, Geneva Convention, Hebron, Human rights, International Agreements, International Court of Justice, Israel, Kfar Etzion, Military, Moshe Levinger, Muslim, Palestine, Police State, religion, Security, Six Day War, Water, West Bank on December 2, 2019 by MNgranny.
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Peter Beattie Quotes
FameRank: 4
"Peter Douglas Beattie", is an Australian politician who served as the Premier of Queensland/36th Premier of Queensland from 1998 to 2007 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state from 1996 to 2007. His sweeping victories in the Queensland state election, 2001/2001, Queensland state election, 2004/2004 and Queensland state election, 2006/2006 state elections confirmed him as one of the most electorally successful politicians in Australia.
He retired electorally undefeated in 2007. In his later years he groomed and was then succeeded by his Deputy Anna Bligh, who became the first female Premier of Queensland. He was the unsuccessful Labor candidate for the seat of Division of Forde/Forde at the Australian federal election, 2013/2013 federal election.
More Peter Beattie on Wikipedia.
It's our job to accept the umpire's decision and to find a way through this mess.
Peter Beattie
Giving evidence has been painful for them, the government has spent almost $6 million of taxpayers' money, we're not going to spend that again.
This was the last thing the government wanted. However, it's our job to accept the umpire's decision and find a way through this mess, ... We will finish what we started. We will reform the health system and not only that, we will ensure that the people of Bundaberg will get justice.
The Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship celebrates its Centenary this year so it's pleasing to see our top Australian players coming out in force to support the event.
You'll have irrigators and the usual stupid politics played about this but just think, they're actually getting preferential treatment.
The CMC will have to determine what they will do.
Peter Beardsley
Peter Beaven
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Team DNA
Big Data and the Wisdom of Crowds are not the same
I was surprised this week to find an article on Big Data in the New York Times Men's Fashion Edition of the Style Magazine. Finally! Something in the Fashion issue that I can relate to I thought. Unfortunately, the article by Andrew Ross Sorkin (author of Too Big To Fail) made one crucial mistake. The downfall of the article was conflating two distinct concepts that are both near and dear to my research, Big Data and the Wisdom of Crowds, which led to a completely wrong conclusion.
Big Data is what it sounds like — using very large datasets for ... well for whatever you want. How big is Big depends on what you're doing. At a recent workshop on Big Data at Northwestern University, Luís Amaral defined Big Data to be basically any data that is too big for you to handle using whatever methods are business as usual for you. So, if you're used to dealing with data in Excel on a laptop, then data that needs a small server and some more sophisticated analytics software is Big for you. If you're used to dealing with data on a server, then your Big might be data that needs a room full of servers.
The Wisdom of Crowds is the idea that, as collectives, groups of people can make more accurate forecasts or come up with better solutions to problems than the individuals in them could on their own. A different recent New York Times articles has some great examples of the Wisdom of Crowds. The article talks about how the Navy has used groups to help make forecasts, and in particular forecasts for the locations of lost items like "sunken ships, spent warheads and downed pilots in vast, uncharted waters." The article tells one incredible story of how they used this idea to locate a missing submarine, the Scorpion:
"... forecasters draw on expertise from diverse but relevant areas — in the case of finding a submarine, say, submarine command, ocean salvage, and oceanography experts, as well as physicists and engineers. Each would make an educated guess as to where the ship is ... This is how Dr. Craven located the Scorpion.
“I knew these guys and I gave probability scores to each scenario they came up with,” Dr. Craven said. The men bet bottles of Chivas Regal to keep matters interesting, and after some statistical analysis, Dr. Craven zeroed in on a point about 400 miles from the Azores, near the Sargasso Sea, according to a detailed account in “Blind Man’s Bluff,” by Christopher Drew and Sherry Sontag. The sub was found about 200 yards away."
This is a perfect example of the Wisdom of Crowds: by pooling the forecasts of a diverse group, they came up with an accurate collective forecast.
So, how do Big Data and The Wisdom of Crowds get mixed up? The mixup comes from the fact that a lot of Big Data is data on the behavior of crowds. The central example in Sorkin's article is data from Twitter, and in particular data that showed a lot of people on Twitter were very unhappy with antigay comments made by Phil Robertson, the star of A&E's Duck Dynasty. The short version of the story is that A&E initially terminated Robertson in response to the Twitter data, but Sorkin argues this was a business mistake because Twitter users are "not exactly regular watchers of the camo-wearing Louisiana clan whose members openly celebrate being 'rednecks'." He also cites evidence that data from Twitter does not provide accurate election predictions for essentially the same reason — the people that are tweeting are not a representative sample of the people that are voting. All of this is correct. Using a big dataset does not mean that you don't have to worry about having a biased sample. No matter how big your dataset, a biased sample can lead to incorrect conclusions. A classic example is the prediction by The Literary Digest in 1936 that Alf Landon would be the overwhelming winner of the presidential election that year. In fact, Franklin Roosevelt carried 46 of the 48 states. The prediction was based on a huge poll with 2.4 million respondents, but the problem with the prediction was that the sample for the poll drew primarily on Literary Digest subscribers, automobile and telephone owners. This sample tended to be more affluent than the average voter, and thus favored Landon's less progressive policies.
So, Sorkin is on the right track to write a great article on how sample bias is still important even when you have Big Data. This is a really important point that a lot of people don't appreciate. But unfortunately the article veers off that track when it starts talking about the Wisdom of Crowds. The Wisdom of Crowds is not about combining data on large groups, but about combining the predictions, forecasts, or ideas of groups (they don't even have to be that large). If you want to use the Wisdom of Crowds to predict an election winner, you don't collect data on who they're tweeting about, you ask them who they think is going to win. If you want to use the Wisdom of Crowds to decide whether or not you should fire Phil Robertson, you ask them, "Do you think A&E will be more profitable if they fire Phil Robertson or not?" As angry as all of those tweets were, many of those angry voices on Twitter would probably concede that Robertson's remarks wouldn't damage the show's standing with its core audience.
The scientific evidence shows that using crowds is a pretty good way to make a prediction, and it often outperforms forecasts based on experts or Big Data. For example, looking at presidential elections from 1988 to 2004, relatively small Wisdom of Crowds forecasts outperformed the massive Gallup Poll by .3 percentage points (Wolfers and Zitzewitz, 2006). This isn't a huge margin, but keep in mind that the Gallup presidential poles are among the most expensive, sophisticated polling operations in history, so the fact that the crowd forecasts are even in the ballpark, let alone better, is pretty significant.
The reason the Wisdom of Crowds works is because when some people forecast too high and others forecast too low, their errors cancel out and bring the average closer to the truth. The accuracy of a crowd forecast depends both on the accuracy of the individuals in the crowd and on their diversity — how likely are their errors to be in opposite directions. The great thing about it is that you can make up for low accuracy with high diversity, so even crowds in which the individual members are not that great on their own can make pretty good predictions as collectives. In fact, as long as some of the individual predictions are on both sides of the true answer, the crowd forecasts will always be closer to the truth than the average individual in the crowd. It's a mathematical fact that is true 100% of the time. Sorkin concludes his article, based on the examples of inaccurate predictions from Big Data with biased samples, by writing, "A crowd may be wise, but ultimately, the crowd is no wiser than the individuals in it." But this is exactly backwards. A more accurate statement would be, "A crowd may or may not be wise, but ultimately, it's always at least as wise as the individuals in it. Most of the time it's wiser."
in Big Data / Crowdsourcing / Prediction / Research / Social Media by pj 16 Mar 2014 26 Apr 2014 0 comments
Post tagsandrew ross sorkinnew york timeswisdom of crowds
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This is a blog about social interactions. When people interact and influence one another's choices, the resulting macro level dynamics can be complex, astounding, horrific, and/or beautiful. In my research, I use modeling to try and understand how social interactions give rise to this astounding diversity of phenomena. The blog is a place for me to make more casual observations about social dynamics in the news, in my research, in other people's research, and in everyday life.
© Copyright Social Dynamics
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How Our Engineering Environments are Killing Diversity
"Kate Heddleston's blog series takes a look at a variety of problems with engineering and tech environments that are hindering attempts to create diverse teams. This blog discusses why diversity matters, how environments affect us, why we need to talk about them, and how can they hurt diversity.
work environments
Bitch Media
GTFO - documentary on female gamers
"This article discusses 'GTFO', a documentary that shines a light on the misogyny of the video game industry.
Silicon Valley is cool and powerful. But where are the women?
"This article discusses sexism and the dearth of women in tech in the Silicon Valley, and takes a look at what is being done to solve these issues.
"Sparked by a public display of sexual harassment in 2012, GTFO pries open the video game world to explore a 20 billion dollar industry that is riddled with discrimination and misogyny. In recent years, the gaming community has grown more diverse than ever. This has led to a massive clash of values and women receive the brunt of the consequences every day, with acts of harassment ranging from name calling to cyber vandalism and death threats. Through interviews with video game developers, journalists, and academics, GTFO paints a complex picture of the video game industry, while revealing the systemic and human motivations behind acts of harassment. GTFO is the beginning of a larger conversation that will shape the future of the video game world.
Technology's Man Problem
"This article tells the story of Elissa Shevinsky's experience with sexism, and analyzes the impact of gender bias on the tech industry as a whole.
IDEALS, IL
Entering the Boys’ Club: An Analysis of Female Representation in Game Industry, Culture, and Design
"Numerous studies have examined the role of gender in game design, game play and game experience and conclude that women are often excluded and objectified in character design, appearance and behavior. However, in the analysis and critique of these findings, there is little to no emphasis on a plan of implementation or suggestions made concerning a change in the approach of stereotypes used in game and character design, sexism in game culture and inclusion of women in STEM related fields. This paper provides insights into the importance of gender roles and character design and representation in video games in relation to creating inclusive gaming environments for women.
gender stereotypes
Simon Fraser University, CA
Gender and the Games Industry: The Experiences of Female Game Workers
"Thesis studying women working in the video game industry, whether the game industry is a good fit for women, and the mixed signals women receive when working in video games.
“Free as in Sexist” Free Culture and the Gender Gap
"Despite the values of freedom and openness, the free culture movement’s gender balance is as skewed (or more so) as that of the computing culture from which it arose. Based on the collection and analysis of discourse on gender and sexism within this movement over a six–year period. I suggest three possible causes: (a) some geek identities can be narrow and unappealing; (b) open communities are especially susceptible to difficult people; and, (c) the ideas of freedom and openness can be used to dismiss concerns and rationalize the gender gap as a matter of preference and choice.
Asian workers now dominate Silicon Valley tech jobs
"This article examines recent Census Bureau data that Asian-Americans make up half of the Bay Area's technology workforce.
Gender Codes
Making Programming Masculine
"Research on the history of the tech industry and how the field began with many women and how things transitioned to the point where people assume it started out as a hyper-masculine field.
Stanford.edu
A Question of Belonging: Race, Social Fit, and Achievement
"Two experiments tested how belonging uncertainty undermines the motivation and achievement of people whose group is negatively characterized in academic settings.
social belonging
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