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EU Pins Hopes on HTA Network for Consensus on Value
The European Union is at last groping its way towards some form of standardization in judging the value of medicines.
The European Union’s proposed health technology assessment network to encourage “cooperation and exchange of scientific information among member states” is a significant step, says Reflector. But, as far as standardizing an approach to value is concerned, will it be a damp squib?
The European Union is at last groping its way towards some form of standardization in judging the value of medicines. A tiny crack is now appearing in the defensive wall that member states have maintained around themselves to keep the EU out of reflections on pricing and reimbursement. Last year, when the EU adopted its new rules on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare, it set up a network connecting national authorities and bodies responsible for health technology assessment (HTA). The network is only voluntary, but it is nonetheless a significant step - not least because it was the member states themselves that adopted the new rules. There is - or at least there shortly will be - a network “to support and facilitate cooperation and exchange of scientific information among member states.”
The crack created by the EU’s promotion of cross-border health care is going to be put under stress from an even greater pressure - the growing recognition in Europe that national healthcare systems are heading for collapse unless something dramatic is done to rein in costs. And for the first time, member states desperate to escape from the crisis affecting their public finances are ready to swop ideas and experiences in search of the best solutions.
As a new report from GlobalData (European Healthcare Policy, GlobalData, August 2012) puts it, “The most important issues facing the EU in 2012 stem from the continuing problems related to the global financial crisis.” And top of the list for the pharma industry is “pricing, a problem that is becoming increasingly intertwined with the ongoing financial crisis.” Meanwhile, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) continues to demand supportive data on value, and to put pressure on companies to offer their medicines at more affordable prices. And the German government has imposed new limits on pharmaceutical prices in response to soaring costs - GlobalData estimates that Germany’s pharmaceutical market grew from $43.4 billion in 2005 to $51.6 billion in 2010. Here too, new medicines are now required to demonstrate clinical benefit as part of the pricing process.
Deus ex machina or damp squib?
But how far will the upcoming HTA network help national authorities find common approaches - and how far will any progress in that direction help the pharmaceutical industry? The jury is still out on whether joint reflections will prove to be a deus ex machina - or just a damp squib.
Expectations are high among EU officials. Health commission John Dalli declared strong support for HTA co-operation in Europe, because “limited resources could be better used if work-sharing and reusing HTA information were to be increased.”
There is also a thriving emerging industry around HTA, and the current embryonic HTA network in Europe attracts a growing number of academics, national officials and health economists to meetings of increasing frequency and displaying an almost missionary spirit.
But industry is adopting a more measured position, conscious that the initiative may not deliver even on its limited current promises. In August, the main European drug industry association, EFPIA, gave only muted support to the plan for an HTA network. HTA cooperation may be useful - but only if the conditions are right, it said. The processes would have to be transparent, for example. Cooperation would have to “tackle unnecessary duplication and enable greater clarity, lead to a raising of standards of methodological and process aspects in HTA, improve predictability, and contribute to better and more timely access of medicines to patients.” And the process would also need to get the correct balance: HTA should serve not only to “improve patients’ access to innovative medicines”, but also to “provide incentives for industry to research, develop and invest in new medicines.”
Drug companies claim a right to be involved in the development of this HTA network. They have the expertise: “Based on their first-hand experience of HTA systems across Europe, EFPIA members have a high understanding of HTA methodologies and policies.” And they have a legitimate interest: HTA decisions have a major impact on companies’ clinical development plans and, further downstream, on decision-making on pricing and reimbursement, prescribing guidance or recommendations relating to use of vaccines, EFPIA points out.
But crucially, for EFPIA, even if there is cooperation at European level on HTA, that should remain separate from national decisions. EFPIA emphasises the importance of “keeping the pricing and reimbursement decisions fully at national level.” This certainly threatens to turn a potential deus ex machina into a damp squib, because if consensus in value is not to be reflected in any concrete outcomes, then the gap seems likely to remain as wide as ever at the heart of EU industrial policy for pharmaceuticals.
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Pokémon Season 11 Episode 14
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Serie: Pokémon
Director: Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori, Satoshi Tajiri
Guest Star: Christopher Collet, Fábio Lucindo, Ikue Otani, Inuko Inuyama, Kayzie Rogers, Megumi Hayashibara, Rica Matsumoto, Rodger Parsons, Sarah Natochenny, Shin'ichirô Miki, Unshô Ishizuka, Yuji Ueda
Episode Title: Lost Leader Strategy
Keywords:Pokémon Season 11 Pokémon Season 11 Episode 14
A comedy-drama following a chaste young woman who is accidentally impregnated via artificial insemination as she struggles to inform her devoutly religious family and make the right choices concerning the…
Shrill
Annie is a fat young woman who wants to change her life — but not her body. Annie is trying to start her career while juggling bad boyfriends, a sick…
A satirical half-hour series from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen exploring the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation.
Marvel’s The Defenders
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist join forces to take on common enemies as a sinister conspiracy threatens New York City.
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The Legend of Korra is an American animated television series that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network in 2012. It was created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino as…
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A contemporary thriller featuring the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a…
Set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order, we follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy…
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is the eleventh incarnation of Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo animated series, and the first incarnation not to be first-run on Saturday mornings. The series is produced by Warner Bros….
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their great uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the…
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Three “good girl” suburban wives and mothers suddenly find themselves in desperate circumstances and decide to stop playing it safe and risk everything to take their power back.
Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in…
When Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live, he becomes filled with a…
An anthology horror drama series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, a hotel, a farmhouse…
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thriller
Light Yagami is an ordinary university student. One day, he receives a death note which changes his life. The death note awakens his warped sense of justice and genius. He…
As Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances, members of the Lyons family converge on one crucial night in 2019. Over the next 15 years, the twists…
Set just after the events of the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z, a deadly threat awakens once more. People lived in peace without knowing who the true heroes were…
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Letterkenny follows Wayne, a good-ol’ country boy in Letterkenny, Ontario trying to protect his homegrown way of life on the farm, against a world that is constantly evolving around him….
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Qatar First Bank won exclusively Global Finance 2016’s Best Up-and-Coming Islamic Financial Institution global award
Reaping the benefits of the strategy it introduced in 2015, Qatar First Bank (QFB), Qatar’s leading Shari’ah compliant bank, has been named exclusively 2016’s ‘Best Up-and-Coming Islamic Financial Institution’ in Global Finance magazine’s ninth annual awards for the World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions.
QFB won the prestigious award after Global Finance had extensive consultations with bankers, corporate finance executives and analysts throughout the world.
In selecting the world’s top Islamic Financial Institutions, Global Finance considered a wide range of quantitative factors including growth in assets, profitability, geographic reach, strategic relationships, new business development and product innovations, as well as informed subjective criteria such as reputation, customer satisfaction, and the opinions of analysts and industry experts.
Global winners include:
Best Islamic Financial Institution Samba
Best Bank for Islamic IPOs J.P. Morgan
Best Up-and-Coming Islamic Financial Institution Qatar First Bank
Best Islamic Custodian Deutsche Bank
Best Provider of Shari’ah-Compliant Funds Al Rajhi Capital
Best Islamic Financial Institution for SMEs Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
Best Shari’ah-Compliant Index Provider MSCI Islamic Index Family
Best Islamic Trade Finance Provider Dubai Islamic Bank
Best Islamic Commodities Provider International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation
Best Sukuk Bank Maybank Islamic
Regional winners include:
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Kuwait Finance House
Non-GCC Middle East/North Africa Al Baraka Banking Group
Asia-Pacific CIMB Islamic Bank
Europe Al Rayan Bank
Winners will be honored at an Awards Ceremony conducted the morning of October 8th during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC.
The esteemed global award comes on the heels of QFB several milestones across all its business lines, while reporting continued profitability for the bank’s seventh full year of operation, as released in March.
Commenting on winning the acclaimed award, Mr. Ziad Makkawi, QFB’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are honored to be named 2016’s ‘Best Up-and-Coming Islamic Financial Institution’ by the renowned, authoritative Global Finance magazine. The prized global award is a translation of QFB’s winning strategy and innovative approach to Islamic Finance.”
Makkawi added:
“Our strategy focuses on the bank’s role as a trusted advisor, a gateway for investors who wish to tap into innovative, shari’ah-compliant, financial solutions and investment opportunities in local, regional and global markets. We are at the beginning of a new era for our bank and have already started reaping the benefits of our ambitious strategy, as each area of the Bank performed well, bringing growth and generating new recurring income. This celebrated global award is a confirmation that QFB is on the right path, as it continues to identify and seize new, attractive opportunities, deliver excellence for both private and corporate clients, build a strong brand, and provide shareholders with robust returns.”.
Mr. Joseph Giarraputo, Global Finance publisher and editorial director, said:
“Islamic finance continues to expand rapidly—both geographically and in terms of structures and products”.
“Those firms that have been named as this year’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions have consistently supported the needs of their clients. They are able to respond dynamically to the changing environment for Shari’ah compliant financing, while upholding both the spirit and the letter of Shari’ah law.”
Giarraputo added.
Last year was a milestone year for QFB. The bank confirmed its strategy and streamlined its businesses to offer Shari’ah compliant services including alternative investments with a focus on private equity and real estate, as well as corporate & institutional banking, private banking & wealth management, and treasury & investments.
QFB has previously announced its 2015 results recording gross income of QAR 336.5 million (US$ 92.5 million), and net income of QAR 66 million (US$ 18.1 million) with total assets increasing by 26 per cent to reach QAR 5.9 billion (US$ 1.6 billion). The Bank, during 2015, invested a total of QAR 33.9 million (US$ 9.3 million), bringing the total capital invested to date to QAR 1.54 billion (US$ 423.0 million). The Sukuk book continued to grow in size to reach QAR 943 million (USD$ 259 million) and total deposits reached around QAR 3 billion.
Among other major developments during 2015, QFB launched its exclusive Private Banking business line, symbolized by the opening of its lounge, which provides innovative wealth management solutions at the highest standards of governance and transparency.
A full report on the Global Finance World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions selections will appear in the June issue of the magazine and online at GFMag.com. The Winners, including QFB, will also be honored at an Awards Ceremony conducted in October during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC.
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Roulette Wheel Layout & Structure – Learn to Play like a Pro | Play UK Roulette Wheel Layout & Structure – Learn to Play like a Pro | Play UK Roulette Wheel Layout & Structure – Learn to Play like a Pro | Play UK
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel is the central element to any roulette game, be that in a brick and mortar casino or online. New players to the game are often unsure as to how many numbers on a roulette wheel there actually are or even how the wheel layout looks from one game to another. In this Play UK guide to understanding the roulette wheel, we show you how the wheel layout works, along with variations of the wheel. Discover the fascinating history behind the roulette wheel and meet its inventor. Once you understand just how the wheel is designed to work, you will begin to see more roulette betting possibilities than ever before!
History of the roulette wheel
We’ve all heard the argument about which came first, the chicken or the egg, something that has been debated for centuries. While that answer may always be a mystery, one thing is for sure, in roulette the wheel definitely came first! Roulette is believed to be one of the oldest casino games in the world and its history stretches back to the 1700’s in Europe, where the game as we know it was born. The story of roulette’s birth is quite an interesting and somewhat amusing since its inception was purely accidental. As the popular story goes, a famous French mathematician discovered the wheel purely as a by-product of his attempts at creating the world’s first perpetual motion machine.
When the game was first introduced in fashionable gambling houses around Paris, people were fascinated with the wheel. Before the introduction of the roulette wheel and table, card and dice games had been the order of the day. Suddenly players could now gather around the roulette table, watch as a numbered wheel, with alternating red and black colours was spun, and a tiny metal ball was, in turn, spun along the rim of the wheel in the opposite direction.
The original French roulette wheel had 36 numbered pockets as well as two additional pockets which were numbered “0” and “00”. Players could place a bet on a single number or several, all with different odds of winning. However, the two zero positions were known as the house pockets and, if the ball landed in either of them, the house would win. At this early stage, all pockets were painted in an alternating pattern of red and black, even the house pockets. Eventually, players began to complain that it was too tell when the ball had landed in one of the dreaded house pockets. A new and improved wheel was introduced sporting a different colour for the house pockets in either blue or green, resolving the issue for good.
With French colonies firmly established in the New World, the game of roulette made the journey to North America towards the end of the 19th century. The game was an immediate hit in places like Louisiana and was played extensively up and down the Mississippi River, where steamboat casinos plied their trade in sophisticated casino games.
Meanwhile, back in Europe trouble was brewing for roulette as Germany moved to ban gambling altogether. Casino operators such as the Blanc Brothers decided to head to Monte Carlo where the king was eager to establish a casino. The roulette wheel was the perfect attraction to Monaco’s first casino and it soon became the place to be for serious roulette players. In a bid to make the game even more popular, the Blanc brothers removed the double zero, keeping only the single zero position, which improved the roulette wheel odds significantly. Interestingly this new version of the wheel became known as the French roulette wheel, and later, the European roulette wheel (which removed the original French bets), while the roulette wheel in America kept the two zero position wheel and thus became known as the American roulette wheel.
Who invented the roulette wheel?
There is some controversy regarding this question as some will tell you that no one really knows for sure who actually invented the roulette wheel. However, the most popular and most consistent theory, which most players and experts ascribe to, is that the wheel was invented accidentally. A very famous French mathematician and scholar named Blaise Pascal was working on developing the world’s first perpetual motion machine. Pascal spent years developing various prototypes and working models, without much success. However, his most successful failure resulted in the roulette wheel that we know today. The roulette wheel layout and numbering system are also credited to him in most circles, which does make a fair amount of sense considering that he was a mathematician after all.
Roulette Wheel Layout
Have you ever wondered how many numbers on a roulette wheel there are, or if knowing the roulette wheel layout really make any difference to the outcome of your bet?
Well, you may be surprised to learn that there is, in fact, a difference between the American and the European roulette wheel. And, while it may be true that, at the end of the day, roulette is all about lady luck smiling down on you, knowledge is power. Knowing how a roulette wheel works and how it is structured could nevertheless help you to place sensible bets that work nicely in concert with your newly acquired roulette strategy.
Making a roulette wheel selection is a bit easier once you understand the layout of the roulette wheel itself. Every roulette wheel consists of a number of alternating segments, usually red and black. The reason that the roulette wheel alternates in these colours is so that any player who wishes to make easy ‘outside bets’ (betting on a colour is an example of outside betting) can do so easily, regardless of where they are at the table.
All roulette wheels work on the same structural and kinetic principles, regardless of whether they happen to be the French, European or American versions. There are basically five main components that make up any roulette wheel and work together to produce that wonderful mesmerizing spinning wheel and the ensuing sense of anticipation, waiting for it to stop on someone’s lucky number.
Let’s start with the ball track, which some say is the most important part and is really what gets everyone really excited. This is where the croupier (dealer) ‘shoots’ the ball along the rim of the wheel, as the wheel spins in the opposite direction. The ball travels around and around, at first fast and then slowing down. Perhaps this is where the saying ‘get the ball rolling’ comes from. As the ball starts to slow and lose some momentum, it starts to knock against small diamond-shaped metal studs known as deflectors. The idea behind the deflectors, which are evenly spaced around the track, is that they ensure that there is absolutely no control over where the ball lands in the end.
After getting knocked around by the deflectors for a bit, the ball falls into the lower track which is closer to the ‘wheel head’ where all the numbered pockets are placed around the wheel. Eventually, the ball will actually start to bounce in and out of number pockets along the wheel head as the wheel continues to spin, although slowing down at this point. As the wheel eventually comes to rest, the ball will naturally fall into one of the numbered pockets for the last time, giving everyone around the table the result for that round.
How it works in perpetual motion
Perhaps somewhat ironically, while the original inventor of the roulette wheel's quest to create the world’s first perpetual motion machine failed, today’s brick and mortar casino roulette wheels rely on perpetual motion extensively. This is often a bit of a surprise to roulette players who may be accustomed to playing roulette online UK where the wheel does not follow perpetual motion.
The main reason for the need for the roulette wheel to be in perpetual motion in brick and mortar casinos is so that no one can accuse the house of cheating. The roulette wheel is kept in a state of perpetual motion so that any notion that the croupier is influencing the outcome of the results by either spinning the roulette wheel too slowly or too fast, can be eliminated.
With online casino roulette wheels, the wheel is controlled digitally by software, and every spin is precisely consistent, with the outcome controlled by a sophisticated random number generator. The other added benefit of a wheel in perpetual motion in a brick and mortar casino is that it makes for a much faster and much smoother roulette game experience since the wheel does not have to be started or stopped for every round.
While the roulette wheel is essentially the same at its core, there are a few subtle differences between the variations. The most well-known of these is between the American roulette wheel and the European version. The French and European roulette wheel are identical, with the only real differences between these two actually occurring on the roulette tables.
The French and European roulette wheels consist of 37 segments, which equate to 36 numbers and a single zero number. The 36 numbers alternate in red and black while the zero position is marked green so everyone can see it clearly. The same can be said for the American roulette wheel with the exception of the additional double zero position, giving the American roulette wheel a total of 38 segments. It is essentially the double zero on the American roulette wheel that pushes the house edge up to more than double that of European roulette’s single zero wheel and a lot of players find it harder to win at roulette on the American wheel thanks to a 5.26% house edge.
Another popular variation on the roulette wheel is mini roulette, where the wheel is reduced to half its size, both in terms of dimensions and based on the number of available slots. The mini roulette wheel features just 13 slots and a single zero position and with a house edge of 3.85%, putting it in between European roulette and American roulette. Put your new found understanding to the test at one of our great live dealer roulette games today!
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Here’s What Can Happen if You Eat Moldy Cheese, According to Food Safety Experts
Plus, the best way to store your cheese so it stays fresher for longer.
By Korin Miller
Maren Winter / EyeEmGetty Images
It’s easy for things to get lost in your fridge. So, when you come across cheese that’s been hanging out for a while, there’s a solid chance it could have grown mold.
That’s where the mental dilemma comes in: Do you really have to chuck the whole thing? Can you cut off the moldy part and eat the rest? And how bad is it to eat cheese with mold on it, anyway? Before you try to eat around the problem, there are a few things you should know about moldy cheese first.
What is mold, exactly?
Mold is a type of microscopic fungus that thrives in moist areas, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It’s unclear exactly how many different types of mold there are, but there may be 300,000 or more.
Here’s How to Safely Freeze Meat at Home
Do You Have Food Poisoning or the Stomach Flu?
Most molds are threadlike, multi-celled organisms that are transported by water, air, or insects, the USDA says. Many have a body that consist of root threads that invade the food it lives on, a stalk that rises above the food, and spores that form at the ends of the stalks.
Foods that are moldy can also have invisible, harmful bacteria like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli growing along with them, says Darin Detwiler, Ph.D., director of the Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industries program at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions.
Keep in mind that you can’t necessarily see all of the mold that’s infected your cheese (or any other food). “Think of mold as a weed,” says Susan Whittier, Ph.D., director of the clinical microbiology service at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. “Even though you pull it out, it still has roots and it’s just going to grow back.”
The type of food matters here, she says. Mold may be more likely to spread widely in soft foods, ruining even the parts that look OK, while it may be more localized in dense, hard foods, like a Parmesan cheese.
Why can mold be harmful?
Again, there is a wide range of molds out there. Some will do nothing, while others can make you really sick. Certain molds can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, the USDA says. And some molds, with the right conditions, can produce something called “mycotoxins,” that is, poisonous substances that can make you sick and even kill you.
How does cheese get moldy?
Some cheeses are meant to be moldy, and it’s OK to eat those molds, says Jane Ziegler, D.C.N., R.D., L.D.N., associate professor and director of the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences at Rutgers University. “Blue veined cheese—Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, and Stilton—are formed by the introduction of Penicillium roqueforti spores,” she explains. “Brie and Camembert have white surface molds. Other cheeses may have an internal and a surface mold. These cheeses are safe to eat.”
But mold spores can also latch onto your cheese through the air or water, where they can grow. “When moisture exists on any food, ventilation allows for exposure to spores, which can collect and grow on the food’s surface,” Detwiler says. “Mostly these are invisible to the naked eye, but when one can see mold, strong roots have already grown.
What can happen if you eat moldy cheese?
There’s a wide range here and a lot depends on the type of mold and whether it’s harboring bacteria—things you really can’t tell simply by eyeballing it. Detwiler breaks down possible outcomes this way:
Best-case scenario: Nothing. It could taste bad or you might get an upset stomach.
In-between scenario: You could have a moderate allergic reaction, contract a foodborne illness, or have respiratory issues.
Worst-case scenario: You could be hospitalized, put on dialysis, or even die. This is more of a risk in people who are immunocompromised, Detwiler says.
“To be safe, it is better to toss the cheese, especially when there are children and individuals at high-risk in the household,” Ziegler says.
That’s especially true when you’re dealing with a soft cheese, shredded cheese, or sliced cheese. “Because soft cheeses have a high moisture content, they can be contaminated well beyond the surface of the moldy area,” Ziegler says.
If your cheese is hard or semi-soft, like cheddar, Parmesan, or Swiss, Detwiler says you might be OK to cut off the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. “Cut off at least one inch around and below the moldy spot,” he says. “Be sure to keep the knife out of the mold, so it doesn’t contaminate other parts of the cheese.”
The best way to store your cheese safely
The USDA specifically recommends cleaning the inside of your fridge every few months with either baking soda dissolved in water or a bleach solution to try to get rid of mold spores that could be lurking in there.
You’ll also want to keep your cheese covered in plastic wrap, and make sure you don’t leave it out of the fridge for more than two hours at a time, the USDA says. If you want to be really next-level about your cheese storage, you can try this tip from Detwiler: Wrap a hard or soft cheese in a new piece of parchment or waxed paper after each use to keep it fresh. “These breathable materials prevent mold-causing moisture from collecting on the surface without drying it out,” he says.
Bottom line: If you have moldy cheese and you’re not sure what kind it is or what to do, it’s really best to pitch it. If in doubt, throw it out.
Support from readers like you helps us do our best work. Go here to subscribe to Prevention and get 12 FREE gifts. And sign up for our FREE newsletter here for daily health, nutrition, and fitness advice.
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What Really Happens If You Never Replace Your Pillows?
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AMC Networks Becomes Founding Partner to Plug and Play's Media & Advertising Program
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AMC Networks today announced its partnership with Plug and Play to explore new technologies and invest in startups. Alongside other partners, AMC Networks will collaborate with Plug and Play Media & Advertising as a founding partner to support and establish their new ecosystem.
"AMC Networks has a remarkable history as an innovator in entertainment and advertising and we are excited to bring that tradition to Plug and Play's Innovation Platform," said Mac McKean, EVP of Innovation at AMC Networks. "We seek to deepen our connections to tech, service and product innovators, at startups and corporations alike. We expect these connections to spark fresh opportunities to serve viewers, advertisers and partners in new, paradigm-busting ways."
AMC Networks has remained dedicated to creating and distributing bold and inventive stories fueled by the artistic vision of dynamic storytellers. On the advertising side, they have been a leader in innovative branded experiences for their advertisers – including branded storytelling that uses emerging consumer technologies like augmented reality. Today they join Plug and Play's newest innovation platform focused on Media & Advertising to get a glimpse into what's next for the space.
"The advertising industry is at the junction of a tectonic shift of technology, consumers, culture, and communication. We have an incredible opportunity to explore new ideas and make a significant difference by collaborating as a group," said Alex Mojtahedi, Head of Plug and Play Media & Advertising. "We are extremely excited for our partnership with AMC Networks and look forward to shaping the future of this industry with our partners."
Plug and Play's Media & Advertising program will run its first three-month accelerator through the start of 2020. Startups accepted into the program will meet one-on-one with the corporate partners to analyze opportunities for pilot projects, POCs, new customers, and investment.
Startups and corporations interested in this program are encouraged to apply: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/join/
About AMC Networks
Known for its groundbreaking and celebrated original content, AMC Networks is the company behind the award-winning brands AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, and IFC Films. Its diverse line-up of popular and critically-acclaimed series and independent films include Killing Eve, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, which has been the #1 show on cable television for nine consecutive years, as well as Portlandia, Brockmire, Love After Lockup, and the films Boyhood, Death of Stalin, and many more. Its original series Mad Men and Breaking Bad are widely recognized as being among the most influential and acclaimed shows in the history of TV. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its production business; AMC Networks International, its international programming business; the subscription streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV and UMC (Urban Movie Channel); and Levity Entertainment Group, the Company's production services and comedy venues business. For more information, visit http://www.amcnetworks.com.
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 25 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 300 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Rappi, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/
SOURCE Plug and Play
http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com
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SU cross country to compete at NCAA Championships
The Shippensburg University men's and women's cross country teams will venture to Florida this weekend for the 2016 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships being held at the Abbey Course in Saint Leo, Fla. The men's race begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m., followed by the women's race at 9:45.
The 18th-ranked men's team finished fifth in NCAA Division II last season and returns six of the seven runners from last year’s team. SU is poised to put forth a similar effort from their strong 2015 performance. The 21st-ranked women are appearing in their ninth consecutive NCAA Championships under coach Steve Spence and 14th overall after sweeping the 2016 conference and regional championships.
Casey Norton leads the women’s team as she has for each of the last two seasons, while Kieran Sutton will lead the way for the men.
For the women, the dynamic that makes this year’s championships appearance all the more exciting is the talent running in concert with Norton. SU’s entire field finished among the top 32 runners at the regional championships, and Norton is the only senior among that group. Caity Reese, Bryanna Dissinger, Jackie Kinkead, Lizzie Manickas and Lindsey Gerlach are all expected to aid the Raiders to an improved finish at the national championships.
For the men, Calvin Conrad-Kline, who had an outstanding start to the season, is returning to form, while Braden Bruning enters his final race, having been an SU scoring runner in 26 of his 27 collegiate competitions. Dominic Stroh is expected back this weekend for his first 10K of the year, and will race once again along with juniors Alex Balla and Cole Nissley.
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13 Suspicious, Contradictory Facts About The Mysterious Death Of Natalie Wood
Ann Casano
Updated September 17, 2019 149.4k views13 items
On November 28, 1981, the weekend after Thanksgiving, a notorious, very mysterious Hollywood scandal took place on the Splendour, a 60-foot yacht anchored off Catalina Island, about 20 miles from Los Angeles. On board were Natalie Wood, her husband Robert Wagner, her friend Christopher Walken, and Captain Dennis Davern. All four were heavily intoxicated, both aboard the ship and on land, after a dinner complemented by multiple bottles of champagne. At approximately 8:00 am the following morning, 43-year-old Wood was found dead in the water about a mile from the yacht. It was determined an accidental drowning, despite the very suspicious circumstances of Natalie Wood's death.
Many items on this list are confirmed facts. The world knows with absolute certainty alcohol and pills played a factor in the childhood-actress-turned-Hollywood-icon's death. It's also known Wood had a deep-seated terror of water, and was fighting with Wagner that evening.
Along with the facts are many questions surrounding her death. How did Wood wind up in the freezing water that night? Did she slip trying to retie the dingy to the yacht? Did she simply fall overboard? How did she get all of the scratches found on her body? What was the exact relationship between Wood and her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken?
Weird celebrity deaths have fascinated the world for decades. The tragic mystery of Natalie Wood's death may never be solved. There are so many varying versions of the events on that fateful night. Who is lying? Who is telling the truth? Who, if anyone, can be trusted? Discover for yourself the bizarre night in 1981 that's essentially Rashomon come to life.
The LA County Coroner Changed Wood's Cause Of Death 30 Years On
Photo: 20th Century Fox
Natalie Wood's death was ruled a drowning by the LA County Coroner in 1981. On January 14, 2013, officials released a 10-page addendum to her autopsy. The original 1981 coroner's report states the bruises found on Wood's face, wrists, knees, and ankles were from the actress trying to climb back into the yacht after falling over the side.
When the case was re-opened in 2011, it resulted in a new coroner's report stating the bruises occurred before Wood went into the water. The medical examiner, however, could not conclude if the bruises were "non-accidental" and maybe the result of an assault.
Wood's death was first ruled accidental. The new report ruled its cause undetermined. The location of the bruises had a lot to do with the amendment. "The location of the bruises, the multiplicity of the bruises, lack of head trauma, or facial bruising support bruising having occurred prior to entry in the water," the report stated.
Wagner Was Finally Named A Person Of Interest In The Case In 2018
Photo: Jack Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
Despite the lingering uncertainty around the case, an intriguing development was revealed in February 2018: Robert Wagner was finally named as a person of interest in Natalie Wood's death. Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shared the news with 48 Hours, saying they intended to speak with him again about that night in 1981.
In September 2018, the Splendor's captain, Dennis Davern, stated he believes Wagner was the one who killed Wood. In a Dr. Phil segment, Davern reveals he heard the two fighting the evening of her disappearance.
"They were fighting. You could hear things being thrown around the stateroom," Davern said. Dr. Phil then asked Davern, "Do you believe Robert Wagner murdered Natalie Wood?" and Davern said, "Yes, I really do."
Wood Had A Serious, Primal Fear Of Deep Water
Photo: Warner Bros.
Although Wagner and Wood spent a lot of time on their yacht together, the Oscar-nominated actress had a fear of deep water. In fact, just weeks before her death, Wood told a journalist, "I'm afraid of water that is dark."
The most common theory as to how Wood died involves her slipping trying to tie a dinghy to the yacht. Why would she have been in the dinghy alone - maybe escaping Wagner after an argument? - if she was so deathly afraid of deep water? According to Lana Wood, Natalie's sister, "She would never go near that dinghy."
Wood's fear of water was sparked a few times during her career. While filming Splendor in the Grass in 1961, director Elia Kazan learned of Wood's phobia when she told him, regarding an important scene that takes place at a reservoir, she had a deep-seated "terror of water, particularly dark water, and of being helpless in it." She asked him if she could film the scene in a small tank inside a studio.
Kazan declined her request because he wanted to use her terror to enliven the scene (directors can be big time jerks), but assured her she would be safe in the reservoir because it was shallow enough her feet would always touch bottom. Ever the professional, Wood did as instructed, but once the scene was shot, leapt from of the water and shivered out her fear before laughing hysterically.
While filming The Star with Bette Davis in 1952 (ironically, off the coast of Catalina), director Stuart Heisler told Wood to jump over the railing of a private yacht and land in the water. He assured her there would be men in rowboats there to pick up her up after the jump. The actress reluctantly did the scene, but panicked and screamed when she landed in the sea. She was 14 at the time.
The scene was so devastating to watch Bette Davis threatened to quit the production if they made Wood do it again. A double body was brought in for the reshoot, and when she hit the water, she got caught up in kelp and almost drowned. Despite the trouble, the scene was ultimately cut from the movie.
The Coast Guard Wasn't Called Until Nearly Four Hours After Wood Disappeared
Photo: Paramount Pictures
According to the coroner's report, Wood's stomach contained 500 cc of partially digested food, which puts her time of death around midnight. Wood was missing at 11:05 PM, yet a ship-to-shore call wasn't placed until 1:30 AM and the Coast Guard wasn't notified until 3:30 AM. Why such a long delay?
Marti Rulli, co-author of the book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour told CNN, "There are many, many things that should be examined, but mainly the four-hour wait to call for the Coast Guard." If Captain Davern is to be believed, it's because Wagner was relatively unconcerned with Wood's whereabouts, whether she rode away in the dinghy or was pushed overboard by her drunk, enraged husband.
Natalie WoodMysteries
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Important Tax Changes for Individuals and Businesses
Identity Protection PIN Available To All Taxpayers
Credit Reports: What You Should Know
The COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020
Standard Mileage Rates for 2021
Understanding the Excise Tax
Protecting Business Taxpayers From Identity Theft
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Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties. If desired, we would be pleased to perform the requisite research and provide you with a detailed written analysis. Such an engagement may be the subject of a separate engagement letter that would define the scope and limits of the desired consultation services.
Every year, it's a sure bet that there will be changes to current tax law and this year is no different. From standard deductions to health savings accounts and tax rate schedules, here's a checklist of tax changes to help you plan the year ahead.
In 2021, a number of tax provisions are affected by inflation adjustments, including Health Savings Accounts, retirement contribution limits, and the foreign earned income exclusion. The tax rate structure, which ranges from 10 to 37 percent, remains similar to 2020; however, the tax-bracket thresholds increase for each filing status. Standard deductions also rise, and as a reminder, personal exemptions have been eliminated through tax year 2025.
In 2021, the standard deduction increases to $12,550 for individuals (up from $12,400 in 2020) and to $25,100 for married couples (up from $24,800 in 2020).
In 2021, AMT exemption amounts increase to $73,600 for individuals (up from $72,900 in 2020) and $114,600 for married couples filing jointly (up from $113,400 in 2020). Also, the phaseout threshold increases to $523,600 ($1,047,200 for married filing jointly). Both the exemption and threshold amounts are indexed annually for inflation.
"Kiddie Tax"
For taxable years beginning in 2021, the amount that can be used to reduce the net unearned income reported on the child's return that is subject to the "kiddie tax," is $1,100. The same $1,100 amount is used to determine whether a parent may elect to include a child's gross income in the parent's gross income and to calculate the "kiddie tax." For example, one of the requirements for the parental election is that a child's gross income for 2021 must be more than $1,100 but less than $11,000.
Contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA) are used to pay current or future medical expenses of the account owner, his or her spouse, and any qualified dependent. Medical expenses must not be reimbursable by insurance or other sources and do not qualify for the medical expense deduction on a federal income tax return.
A qualified individual must be covered by a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and not be covered by other health insurance with the exception of insurance for accidents, disability, dental care, vision care, or long-term care.
For calendar year 2021, a qualifying HDHP must have a deductible of at least $1,400 for self-only coverage or $2,800 for family coverage and must limit annual out-of-pocket expenses of the beneficiary to $7,000 for self-only coverage and $14,000 for family coverage.
Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs)
There are two types of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs): The Archer MSA created to help self-employed individuals and employees of certain small employers, and the Medicare Advantage MSA, which is also an Archer MSA, and is designated by Medicare to be used solely to pay the qualified medical expenses of the account holder. To be eligible for a Medicare Advantage MSA, you must be enrolled in Medicare. Both MSAs require that you are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP).
Self-only coverage. For taxable years beginning in 2021, the term "high deductible health plan" means, for self-only coverage, a health plan that has an annual deductible that is not less than $2,400 ($2,350 in 2020) and not more than $3,600 (up $50 from 2020), and under which the annual out-of-pocket expenses required to be paid (other than for premiums) for covered benefits do not exceed $4,800 (up $50 from 2020).
Family coverage. For taxable years beginning in 2021, the term "high deductible health plan" means, for family coverage, a health plan that has an annual deductible that is not less than $4,800 and not more than $7,150, and under which the annual out-of-pocket expenses required to be paid (other than for premiums) for covered benefits do not exceed $8,750.
AGI Limit for Deductible Medical Expenses
In 2021, the deduction threshold for deductible medical expenses is 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI), made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
Eligible Long-Term Care Premiums
Premiums for long-term care are treated the same as health care premiums and are deductible on your taxes subject to certain limitations. For individuals age 40 or younger at the end of 2021, the limitation is $450. Persons more than 40 but not more than 50 can deduct $850. Those more than 50 but not more than 60 can deduct $1,690 while individuals more than 60 but not more than 70 can deduct $4,520. The maximum deduction is $5,640 and applies to anyone more than 70 years of age.
Medicare Taxes
The additional 0.9 percent Medicare tax on wages above $200,000 for individuals ($250,000 married filing jointly) remains in effect for 2021, as does the Medicare tax of 3.8 percent on investment (unearned) income for single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income (AGI) more than $200,000 ($250,000 joint filers). Investment income includes dividends, interest, rents, royalties, gains from the disposition of property, and certain passive activity income. Estates, trusts, and self-employed individuals are all liable for the tax.
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
For 2021, the foreign earned income exclusion amount is $108,700 up from $107,600 in 2020.
Long-Term Capital Gains and Dividends
In 2021 tax rates on capital gains and dividends remain the same as 2020 rates (0%, 15%, and a top rate of 20%); however, threshold amounts have increased: the maximum zero percent rate amounts are $40,400 for individuals and $80,800 for married filing jointly. For an individual taxpayer whose income is at or above $445,850 ($501,600 married filing jointly), the rate for both capital gains and dividends is capped at 20 percent. All other taxpayers fall into the 15 percent rate amount (i.e., above $40,400 and below $445,850 for single filers).
Estate and Gift Taxes
For an estate of any decedent during calendar year 2021, the basic exclusion amount is $11.70 million, indexed for inflation (up from $11.58 million in 2020). The maximum tax rate remains at 40 percent. The annual exclusion for gifts remains at $15,000.
Individuals - Tax Credits
Adoption Credit
In 2021, a non-refundable (only those individuals with tax liability will benefit) credit of up to $14,440 is available for qualified adoption expenses for each eligible child.
For tax year 2021, the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low and moderate-income workers and working families rises to $6,728 up from $6,660 in 2020. The credit varies by family size, filing status, and other factors, with the maximum credit going to joint filers with three or more qualifying children.
For tax years 2020 through 2025, the child tax credit is $2,000 per child. The refundable portion of the credit is $1,400 so that even if taxpayers do not owe any tax, they can still claim the credit. A $500 nonrefundable credit is also available for dependents who do not qualify for the Child Tax Credit (e.g., dependents age 17 and older).
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit also remained under tax reform. If you pay someone to take care of your dependent (defined as being under the age of 13 at the end of the tax year or incapable of self-care) to work or look for work, you may qualify for a credit of up to $1,050 or 35 percent of $3,000 of eligible expenses in 2021. For two or more qualifying dependents, you can claim up to 35 percent of $6,000 (or $2,100) of eligible expenses. For higher-income earners, the credit percentage is reduced, but not below 20 percent, regardless of the amount of adjusted gross income. This tax credit is nonrefundable.
Individuals - Education
American Opportunity Tax Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit
The maximum credit is $2,500 per student for the American Opportunity Tax Credit. The Lifetime Learning Credit remains at $2,000 per return. To claim the full credit for either, your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) must be $80,000 or less ($160,000 or less for married filing jointly). Prior to the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, taxpayers with MAGI of $139,000 (joint filers) or $69,500 (single filers) were not able to claim the Lifetime Learning Credit.
While the phaseout limits for Lifetime Learning Credit increased, taxpayers should note that the qualified tuition and expenses deduction has been repealed starting in 2021.
Interest on Educational Loans
In 2021, the maximum deduction for interest paid on student loans is $2,500. The deduction begins to be phased out for higher-income taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income of more than $70,000 ($140,000 for joint filers) and is completely eliminated for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income of $85,000 ($170,000 joint filers).
Individuals - Retirement
The elective deferral (contribution) limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan remains at $19,500. Contribution limits for SIMPLE plans also remain at $13,500. The maximum compensation used to determine contributions increases to $290,000 (up from $285,000 in 2020).
Income Phase-out Ranges
The deduction for taxpayers making contributions to a traditional IRA is phased out for singles and heads of household who are covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan and have modified AGI between $66,000 and $76,000.
For married couples filing jointly, in which the spouse who makes the IRA contribution is covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan, the phase-out range increases to $105,000 to $125,000. For an IRA contributor who is not covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan and is married to someone who is covered, the deduction is phased out if the couple's modified AGI is between $198,000 and $208,000.
The modified AGI phase-out range for taxpayers making contributions to a Roth IRA is $125,000 to $140,000 for singles and heads of household, up from $124,000 to $13999,000. For married couples filing jointly, the income phase-out range is $198,000 to $208,000, up from $196,000 to $206,000. The phase-out range for a married individual filing a separate return who makes contributions to a Roth IRA is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains $0 to $10,000.
Saver's Credit
In 2021, the AGI limit for the Saver's Credit (also known as the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit) for low and moderate-income workers is $66,000 for married couples filing jointly, up from $65,000 in 2020; $49,500 for heads of household, up from $48,750; and $33,000 for singles and married individuals filing separately, up from $32,500 in 2020.
Standard Mileage Rates
In 2021, the rate for business miles driven is 56 cents per mile, down one half of a cent from the rate for 2020.
Section 179 Expensing
In 2021, the Section 179 expense deduction increases to a maximum deduction of $1,050,000 of the first $2,620,000 of qualifying equipment placed in service during the current tax year. This amount is indexed to inflation for tax years after 2018. The deduction was enhanced under the TCJA to include improvements to nonresidential qualified real property such as roofs, fire protection, and alarm systems and security systems, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Also, of note is that costs associated with the purchase of any sport utility vehicle, treated as a Section 179 expense, cannot exceed $26,200.
Businesses are allowed to immediately deduct 100% of the cost of eligible property placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023, after which it will be phased downward over a four-year period: 80% in 2023, 60% in 2024, 40% in 2025, 20% in 2026, and 0% in 2027 and years beyond.
Eligible taxpayers are able to deduct up to 20 percent of certain business income from qualified domestic businesses, as well as certain dividends. To qualify for the deduction business income must not exceed a certain dollar amount. In 2021, these threshold amounts are $164,900 for single and head of household filers and $329,800 for married taxpayers filing joint returns.
Research & Development Tax Credit
Starting in 2018, businesses with less than $50 million in gross receipts can use this credit to offset alternative minimum tax. Certain start-up businesses that might not have any income tax liability will be able to offset payroll taxes with the credit as well.
Extended through 2025 (The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021), the Work Opportunity Tax Credit is available for employers who hire long-term unemployed individuals (unemployed for 27 weeks or more) and is generally equal to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages paid to a new hire.
Employee Health Insurance Expenses
For taxable years beginning in 2021, the dollar amount of average wages is $27,800 ($27,600 in 2020). This amount is used for limiting the small employer health insurance credit and for determining who is an eligible small employer for purposes of the credit.
Business Meals and Entertainment Expenses
Taxpayers who incur food and beverage expenses associated with operating a trade or business are able to deduct 100 percent (50 percent for tax years 2018-2020) of these expenses for tax years 2021 and 2022 (The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021) as long as the meal is provided by a restaurant.
Employer-provided Transportation Fringe Benefits
If you provide transportation fringe benefits to your employees in 2021, the maximum monthly limitation for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle as well as any transit pass is $270. The monthly limitation for qualified parking is $270.
While this checklist outlines important tax changes for 2021, additional changes in tax law are likely to arise during the year ahead. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions or want to get a head start on tax planning for the year ahead.
Starting in January 2021, the IRS Identity Protection PIN Opt-In Program will be expanded to all taxpayers who can properly verify their identity. Previously, IP PINs were only available to identity theft victims.
What is an Identity Protection PIN?
An identity protection personal identification number (IP PIN) is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers to help prevent their Social Security number from being used to file fraudulent federal income tax returns. This number helps the IRS verify a taxpayer's identity and accept their tax return. Taxpayers with either a Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number who can verify their identity are eligible for the program and the number is valid for one year. Each January, the taxpayer must get a new one.
How to get an IP PIN
The preferred method of obtaining an IP PIN - and the only one that immediately reveals the PIN to the taxpayer - is the Get an IP PIN tool located on the IRS website. The tool is available starting mid-January 2021 and uses Secure Access authentication to verify a person's identity. If someone is unable to pass the Secure Access authentication, there are two alternate ways to get an IP PIN.
Taxpayers with income of $72,000 or less should complete Form 15227,Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number, and mail or fax it to the IRS. An IRS employee will call the taxpayer to verify their identity using a series of questions. Those who pass authentication will receive an IP PIN the following tax year.
Taxpayers who cannot verify their identities remotely or who are ineligible to file Form 15277 should make an appointment for in-person identity verification at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center and bring two forms of picture identification. After the taxpayer passes authentication, an IP PIN will be mailed to them within three weeks.
What else taxpayers need to know before applying:
The IP PIN must be entered correctly on electronic and paper tax returns to avoid rejections and delays.
Any primary or secondary taxpayer or dependent can get an IP PIN if they can prove their identity.
Taxpayers who want to voluntarily opt into the IP PIN program don't need to file a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit.
The IRS plans to offer an opt-out feature to the IP PIN program in 2022.
Confirmed victims of tax-related identity theft
For confirmed victims of tax-related identity theft, there is no change in the IP PIN Program. These taxpayers should still file a Form 14039,Identity Theft Affidavit if their e-filed tax return is rejected because of a duplicate SSN filing. The IRS will investigate their case and once the fraudulent tax return is removed from their account, they will automatically receive an IP PIN by mail at the start of the next calendar year.
IP PINs will be mailed annually to confirmed victims and participants enrolled before 2019. For security reasons, confirmed identity theft victims can't opt-out of the IP PIN program. Confirmed victims also can use the IRS Get an IP PIN tool to retrieve lost IP PINs assigned to them.
As a reminder, taxpayers should never share their IP PIN with anyone but their tax provider. The IRS will never call to request the taxpayer's IP PIN, and taxpayers must be alert to potential IP PIN scams. If you have any questions about the IP PIN, don't hesitate to call.
Creditors keep their evaluation standards secret, making it difficult to know just how to improve your credit rating. Nonetheless, it is still important to understand the factors that determine creditworthiness. Periodically reviewing your credit report can also help you protect your credit rating from fraud - and you from identity theft.
Credit Evaluation Factors
Many factors are used in determining credit decisions. Here are some of them:
Payment history/late payments
Charge-offs (Forgiven debt)
Closed accounts and inactive accounts
Cosigning an account
Credit limits
Debt/income ratios
Obtaining Your Credit Reports
Credit reports are records of consumers' bill-paying habits but do not include FICO credit scores. Also referred to as credit records, credit files, and credit histories, they are collected, stored, and sold by three credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that each of the three credit bureaus provides you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, every 12 months. If you have been denied credit or believe you've been denied employment or insurance because of your credit report, you can request that the credit bureau involved provide you with a free copy of your credit report - but you must request it within 60 days of receiving the notification.
You can check your credit report three times a year for free by requesting a credit report from a different agency every four months.
This federal law was passed in 1970 to give consumers easier access to, and more information about, their credit files. The FCRA gives you the right to find out the information in your credit file, to dispute information you believe inaccurate or incomplete, and to find out who has seen your credit report in the past six months.
Credit reports contain symbols and codes that are abstract to the average consumer. Every credit bureau report also includes a key that explains each code. Some of these keys decipher the information, but others just cause more confusion.
Read your report carefully, making a note of anything you do not understand. The credit bureau is required by law to provide trained personnel to explain it to you. If accounts are identified by code number, or if there is a creditor listed on the report that you do not recognize, ask the credit bureau to supply you with the name and location of the creditor so you can ascertain if you do indeed hold an account with that creditor.
If the report includes accounts that you do not believe are yours, it is extremely important to find out why they are listed on your report. It is possible they are the accounts of a relative or someone with a name similar to yours. Less likely, but more importantly, someone may have used your credit information to apply for credit in your name. This type of fraud can cause a great deal of damage to your credit report, so investigate the unknown account as thoroughly as possible.
In light of numerous credit card and other breaches, it is recommended that you conduct an annual review of your credit report. You must understand every piece of information on your credit report so that you can identify possible errors or omissions.
Disputing Errors
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) protects consumers in the case of inaccurate or incomplete information in credit files. The FCRA requires credit bureaus to investigate and correct any errors in your file.
If you find any incorrect or incomplete information in your file, write to the credit bureau and ask them to investigate the information. Under the FCRA, they have about thirty days to contact the creditor and find out whether the information is correct. If not, it will be deleted.
Be aware that credit bureaus are not obligated to include all of your credit accounts in your report. If, for example, the credit union that holds your credit card account is not a paying subscriber of the credit bureau, the bureau is not obligated to add that reference to your file. Some may do so, however, for a small fee.
If you need help obtaining your credit reports or need assistance in understanding what your credit report means, don't hesitate to call.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, H.R. 133 included funding for the government, extensions for expiring tax extenders, tax relief under the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020, and many more items. Passed by both the House and Senate, it was signed into law by President Trump on December 27, 2020.
Let's take a look at a few of the highlights related to pandemic taxpayer relief under the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020:
Economic impact payments. $600 per taxpayer ($1,200 for married taxpayers filing jointly) and an additional $600 per qualifying child (under age 17). The recovery rebate payment begins to phase out starting at $75,000 of modified adjusted gross income for single filers, $112,500 for heads of household, and $150,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly. These payments are similar to the ones many taxpayers received earlier this year under the CARES Act.
Unemployment benefits. Additional unemployment insurance in the amount of $300 has been extended for an 11-week period beginning from December 26, 2020.
Educator expenses. Clarification that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used for the prevention and spread of COVID-19 will be treated as a deductible expense, retroactive to March 12, 2020.
Charitable contributions - Nonitemizers. The $300 above-the-line deduction for cash contributions given to a qualified charitable organization is extended through 2021 and increases to $600 for married taxpayers filing joint returns. In 2020, the maximum amount was $300.
Charitable contributions - Itemizers. The increased contribution limit to qualified charities that was specified in the CARES Act is extended through 2021 and applies to individuals and corporations. Amounts of up to 100 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) are allowed as deductions (same as 2020). In 2019, the limit for the deduction for cash contributions was 60% of AGI.
Earned Income. For the 2020 tax year, taxpayers may use earned income amounts from the immediately preceding tax year when figuring the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit.
Flexible spending arrangements. Taxpayers can rollover unused amounts from 2020 to 2021 and from 2021 to 2022 and employers may allow employees to make a contribution change mid-year in 2021.
Money purchase pension plans. The COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 also allows money purchase pension plans to be included as a qualified retirement plan, retroactive to the CARES Act. The CARES Act allowed taxpayers to make penalty-free withdrawals of up to $100,000 from certain retirement plans for coronavirus-related expenses, with the option to pay tax on that income over a three-year period or recontribute withdrawn funds.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans. Retroactive to the effective date of the CARES Act, PPP loans that are forgiven will be treated as tax-exempt income. Gross income does not include loan forgiveness for Economic Injury Recovery Loans (EIDLs) and certain other loans or loan repayment assistance. Under the CARES Act, taxpayers receiving an EIDL were required to reduce any PPP loan forgiveness by the amount of the EIDL.
In addition, businesses with 300 or fewer employees with a gross revenue loss of 25 percent in any quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter in 2019 are eligible for a second round of PPP loans.
Deductible expenses. Deductions are also allowed for deductible expenses (that would otherwise be deductible) paid for with the proceeds of a forgiven PPP loan. This reverses earlier IRS guidance that stated no deduction would be allowed. This tax provision applies to the second round of PPP loans as well.
Payroll tax credits. Refundable payroll tax credits for paid sick and family (Families First Coronavirus Response Act) leave are extended through March 2021. Employers are not required to provide paid leave after December 31, 2020; however, employers may still claim the credit if the employee would have qualified for paid leave if the mandate had been extended beyond December 31, 2020, and the employer provides paid leave.
Employee retention tax credits. Implemented as a refundable credit under the CARES Act, the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) is extended through June 30, 2021. The following also applies for calendar quarters beginning after December 31, 2020:
The credit rate is increased from 50 to 70 percent of qualified wages.
The limit on per-employee creditable wages is increased from $10,000 for the year to $10,000 for each quarter.
The required reduction in a year-over-year decline in gross receipts on a quarterly basis is reduced from 50 to 20 percent.
When determining the relevant wage base, the definition of a "large employer" that can only claim the credit for employees that are not working because of the COVID pandemic increases from more than 100 to more than 500 employees.
Certain government employers are now allowed to claim the ERTC.
Safe harbor allowing employers to use prior-quarter gross receipts to figure eligibility.
New employers in 2020 (i.e., those not in existence in 2019) can claim the credit.
Furthermore and retroactive to the date of the CARES Act, the ERTC is expanded to allow employers who receive PPP loans to qualify for the credit with respect to wages that are not paid with forgiven PPP proceeds. It also clarifies that group health plan expenses can be considered qualified wages even if no other wages are paid to an employee.
Employee portion of payroll tax deferral. The repayment period for deferral of payroll tax is extended through December 31, 2021.
Starting January 1, 2021, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup, or panel truck are as follows:
56 cents per mile driven for business use, down 1.5 cents from the rate for 2020
16 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, down 1 cent from the rate for 2020, and
14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations. The charitable rate is set by statute and remains unchanged.
The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile, including depreciation, insurance, repairs, tires, maintenance, gas, and oil. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs, such as gas and oil. The charitable rate is set by law.
Taxpayers always have the option of claiming deductions based on the actual costs of using a vehicle rather than the standard mileage rates.
Before tax reform, these optional standard mileage rates were used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical, or moving purposes. However, it is important to note that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers cannot claim a miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed employee travel expenses. Taxpayers also cannot claim a deduction for moving expenses, except members of the Armed Forces on active duty moving under orders to a permanent change of station.
Taxpayers can use the standard mileage rate but must opt to use it in the first year the car is available for business use. Then, in later years, they can choose either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses.
Leased vehicles. Typically, if the standard mileage rate is chosen, then leased vehicles must use the standard mileage rate method for the entire lease period (including renewals). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the IRS is allowing employers to switch from the vehicle lease valuation method to the cents-per-mile method (56 cents for 2021 and 57.5 cents for 2020) when determining the value of an employee's personal use of a vehicle during the pandemic, and is effective as of March 13, 2020.
If you have any questions about standard mileage rates or which driving activities you should keep track of as the new tax year begins, do not hesitate to contact the office.
An excise tax is a tax that is generally imposed on the sale of specific goods or services, or on certain uses. Examples of things a federal excise tax is usually imposed on include the sale of fuel, airline tickets, heavy trucks and highway tractors, indoor tanning, tires, and tobacco, as well as other goods and services. Excise taxes are imposed on a wide variety of goods, services and activities and may be imposed at the time of:
Sale by the manufacturer
Sale by the retailer
Use by the manufacturer or consumer
Many excise taxes go into trust funds for projects related to the taxed product or service, such as highway and airport improvements. Excise taxes are independent of income taxes. Often, the retailer, manufacturer or importer must pay the excise tax to the IRS and file the Form 720. They may pass the cost of the excise tax on to the buyer.
Some excise taxes are collected by a third party. The third party then sends the tax to the IRS and files the Form 720. For example, the tax on an airline ticket generally is paid by the purchaser and collected by the airline.
Businesses must file the form for each quarter of the calendar year. Here are the due dates:
Quarter 1 – January, February, March: deadline, April 30
Quarter 2 – April, May, June: deadline, July 31
Quarter 3 – July, August, September: deadline, Oct. 31
Quarter 4 – October, November, December: deadline, Jan. 31
If the due date for filing a return falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the due date is the next business day.
Businesses that are subject to excise tax generally must file a Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return to report this tax to the IRS. The IRS does accept paper excise tax returns; however, electronic filing is strongly encouraged, when possible.
To make this process easier for taxpayers, the contact information for all approved e-file transmitters of excise forms is listed on IRS.gov. Businesses can submit forms online 24 hours a day. When businesses e-file, they get confirmation that the IRS received their form. Also, e-filing reduces processing time and errors. To electronically file, business taxpayers will have to pay the provider's fee for online submission.
Excise tax forms available for electronic filing are:
Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax.
Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax.
Form 8849, Claim for Refund of Excise Taxes, Schedules 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8.
Please call the office if you have any questions or would like more information about federal or state excise taxes.
Starting December 13, 2020, the IRS began masking sensitive data on business tax transcripts. Previously, only sensitive data on individual tax transcripts was masked.
Here's what you need to know about this new initiative to protect business taxpayers from identity theft:
What is a tax transcript?
A tax transcript is a summary of a tax return and is often used by tax professionals to prepare prior year tax returns or when representing a client before the IRS. Lenders and others use tax transcripts for income verification purposes.
What is visible on the new tax transcript?
Last four digits of any Employer Identification Number listed on the transcript: XX-XXX1234
Last four digits of any Social Security number or Individual Tax Identification Number listed on the transcript: XXX-XX-1234
Last four digits of any account or telephone number
First four characters of the first, and last name for any individual (first three characters if the name has only four letters)
First four characters of any name on the business name line
First six characters of the street address, including spaces
All money amounts, including wage and income, balance due, interest and penalties
Customer File Number
For both the individual and business tax transcript, there is space for a Customer File Number. The Customer File Number is an optional 10-digit number that can be created usually by third parties that allow them to match a transcript to a taxpayer. The Customer File Number field will appear on the transcript when that number is entered on Line 5 of Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, and Form 4506T-EZ.
What happens when a taxpayer seeks to verify income for a lender?
The lender will assign a 10-digit number, for example, a loan number, to Form 4506-T. The Form 4506-T may be signed and submitted by the taxpayer or signed by the taxpayer and submitted by the lender.
The Customer File Number assigned by the requestor on Form 4506-T will populate on the transcript. The requestor may assign any number except the taxpayer's Social Security number or Employer Identification Number.
Once received by the requester, the transcript's Customer File Number serves as the tracking number to match it to the taxpayer.
If you have any questions or need more information about this topic, please contact the office.
Prior to tax reform, an employee was able to deduct unreimbursed job expenses, along with certain other miscellaneous expenses, that was more than two percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) as long as they itemized instead of taking the standard deduction. Starting in 2018, however, most taxpayers can no longer claim unreimbursed employee expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions unless they are a qualified employee or an eligible educator.
No other type of employee is eligible to claim a deduction for unreimbursed employee expenses. In other words, employee business expenses can be deducted as an adjustment to income only for eligible educators and specific employment categories such as:
Armed Forces reservists
Qualified performing artists
Fee-basis state or local government officials
Employees with impairment-related work expenses
Qualified Expenses
A qualified expense is one that is:
Paid or billed during the tax year
Used for carrying on a trade or business of being an employee, and
Ordinary and necessary
Nondeductible Expenses
Taxpayers should also know there are nondeductible expenses as well. Examples of nondeductible expenses include club dues, commuting expenses, fees and licenses, such as car licenses, lunches with co-workers, meals while working late, expenses to improve professional reputation, and capital expenses. A full list of nondeductible expenses can be found in Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions.
Please call if you have any questions.
Tax Due Dates for January 2021
During January
All employers - Give your employees their copies of Form W-2 for 2020 by February 1, 2021. If an employee agreed to receive Form W-2 electronically, post it on a website accessible to the employee and notify the employee of the posting.
Employees - who work for tips. If you received $20 or more in tips during December 2020, report them to your employer. You can use Form 4070, Employee's Report of Tips to Employer.
Employers - Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax. If the monthly deposit rule applies, deposit the tax for payments in December 2020.
Individuals - Make a payment of your estimated tax for 2020 if you did not pay your income tax for the year through withholding (or did not pay in enough tax that way). Use Form 1040-ES. This is the final installment date for 2020 estimated tax. However, you do not have to make this payment if you file your 2020 return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR) and pay any tax due by February 1, 2021.
Employers - Nonpayroll Withholding. If the monthly deposit rule applies, deposit the tax for payments in December 2020.
Farmers and Fisherman - Pay your estimated tax for 2020 using Form 1040-ES. You have until April 15 to file your 2020 income tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR). If you do not pay your estimated tax by January 15, you must file your 2020 return and pay any tax due by March 1, 2021, to avoid an estimated tax penalty.
Employers - Give your employees their copies of Form W-2 for 2020. If an employee agreed to receive Form W-2 electronically, have it posted on a website and notify the employee of the posting. File Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, along with Copy A of all the Forms W-2 you issued for 2020.
Employers - Federal unemployment tax. File Form 940 for 2020. If your undeposited tax is $500 or less, you can either pay it with your return or deposit it. If it is more than $500, you must deposit it. However, if you already deposited the tax for the year in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.
Farm Employers - File Form 943 to report social security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2020. Deposit or pay any undeposited tax under the accuracy of deposit rules. If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.
Certain Small Employers - File Form 944 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2020. Deposit or pay any undeposited tax under the accuracy of deposit rules. If your tax liability is $2,500 or more from 2020 but less than $2,500 for the fourth quarter, deposit any undeposited tax or pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the year timely, properly, and in full, you have until February 10 to file the return.
Employers - Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax. File Form 941 for the fourth quarter of 2020. Deposit any undeposited tax. If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the quarter in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.
Employers - Nonpayroll taxes. File Form 945 to report income tax withheld for 2020 on all nonpayroll items, including backup withholding and withholding on pensions, annuities, IRAs, gambling winnings, and payments of Indian gaming profits to tribal members. Deposit any undeposited tax. If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.
Payers of Gambling Winnings - If you either paid reportable gambling winnings or withheld income tax from gambling winnings, give the winners their copies of Form W-2G.
Payers of nonemployee compensation - File Form 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation paid in 2020.
Businesses - Give annual information statements to recipients of certain payments made during 2020. You can use the appropriate version of Form 1099 or other information return. Form 1099 can be issued electronically with the consent of the recipient. This due date only applies to certain types of payments.
Individuals - who must make estimated tax payments. If you did not pay your last installment of estimated tax by January 15, you may choose (but are not required) to file your income tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR) for 2020 by February 1. Filing your return and paying any tax due by February 1, 2021, prevents any penalty for late payment of the last installment. If you cannot file and pay your tax by February 1, file and pay your tax by April 15.
Copyright © 2021 All materials contained in this document are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. All other trade names, trademarks, registeredtrademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
Robert C. Province, CPA, CSEP
1903 Park Marina Dr.
Rob@rcp-cpa.com
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U.S. widens trade war with tariffs on European planes, cheese, whisky to punish subsidies
By Tim Hepher, Philip Blenkinsop, David Lawder
LONDON/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday said it would slap 10% tariffs on European-made Airbus AIR.PA planes and 25% duties on French wine, Scotch and Irish whiskies, and cheese from across the continent as punishment for illegal EU aircraft subsidies.
The announcement came after the World Trade Organization gave Washington a green light to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of EU goods annually in the long-running case, a move that threatens to ignite a tit-for-tat transatlantic trade war.
The measures would follow tariffs levied by the United States and China on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s goods in their more than year-old trade war.
The U.S. trade representative's target list for EU tariffs, set to take effect on Oct. 18, includes large Airbus planes made in France, Britain, Germany and Spain - the four Airbus consortium countries. But no tariffs will be imposed on EU-made aircraft parts used in Airbus' Alabama assembly operations or those used by rival U.S. planemaker Boeing Co BA.N, safeguarding U.S. manufacturing jobs.
“Finally, after 15 years of litigation, the WTO has confirmed that the United States is entitled to impose countermeasures in response to the EU’s illegal subsidies,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement.
“We expect to enter into negotiations with the European Union aimed at resolving this issue in a way that will benefit American workers,” Lighthizer added.
The tariffs heavily target the four Airbus consortium countries, including Spanish olives, British sweaters and woollens, and German tools and coffee, as well as British whisky and French wine. Cheese from nearly every EU country will be hit with the 25% tariffs, but Italian wine and olive oil were spared, along with European chocolate.
The size and scope of the tariffs were reduced considerably from a $25 billion list floated by Washington earlier this year that included helicopters, major aircraft components, seafood, luxury goods and other big-ticket categories that were excluded from Wednesday’s announcement.
One person familiar with the case said the USTR was deliberately not using the full extent of WTO-approved retaliation to coax the EU to the negotiating table.
France and EU ready to respond with sanctions in U.S. trade dispute: French minister
Scotch Whisky Association says tariffs will hurt Scotland, urges restraint
But it came with an explicit warning.
“The U.S. has the authority to increase the tariffs at any time, or change the products affected. USTR will continually re-evaluate these tariffs based on our discussions with the EU,” the USTR said.
NEW TRADE WAR FRONT
The USTR has sought WTO ratification of its tariff list by Oct. 14. The duties could come into force just three days after a scheduled Oct. 15 tariff increase on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, to 30% from 25%.
As Washington and Beijing try to ease their bitter 15-month trade war, the U.S.-EU trade spat looks set to worsen.
Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell said the France-based planemaker was evaluating the list and its possible consequences in “close collaboration with the European Commission.”
The WTO, he said, in coming months would grant the EU authority to impose tariffs on U.S. goods over its findings of illegal subsidies for Boeing from Washington state that could equal or exceed the U.S. tariffs.
“Airbus considers that the only way to prevent the negative effects that these countermeasures would create will be for the U.S. and EU to find a resolution to this long-running dispute through a negotiated settlement before the tariffs become effective,” he said.
FILE PHOTO: An Airbus A350 takes off at the aircraft builder's headquarters in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo
In their decision, WTO arbitrators said Boeing had lost the equivalent of $7.5 billion a year in sales and disruption to deliveries of some of its largest aircraft because of cheap European government loans to Airbus.
The decision, confirming a figure reported by Reuters last week, allows Washington to target the same value of EU goods but bars any retaliation against European financial services.
At list prices from $92 million for an A319 jetliner to some $366.5 million for an A350-1000 widebody, the 10% Airbus tariff could impose severe financial burdens on U.S. airline customers. Delta Air Lines DAL.N said it has about 170 Airbus planes on order that could be affected.
“Aircraft are significant purchases requiring long-lead times for production - often years in advance,” Delta said in a statement. “Imposing tariffs on aircraft that U.S. companies have already committed to will inflict serious harm on U.S. airlines, the millions of Americans they employ and the traveling public.”
Broad selling amid worries over slowing global growth that punished European stocks earlier on Wednesday accelerated as the ruling revived worries about damage to the already-ailing European economy. The pan European STOXX 600 index .STOXX finished down 2.7%, its worst day since December 2018. Airbus shares closed down 2%.
Wall Street’s main indexes suffered their sharpest one-day declines in nearly six weeks on Wednesday after employment and manufacturing data suggested the U.S.-China trade war is taking an increasing toll on the U.S. economy.
Airbus and Boeing, the world’s two largest planemakers, have waged a war of attrition over subsidies at the WTO since 2004 in a dispute that has tested the trade policeman’s influence and is expected to set the tone for competition from would-be rivals from China.
The WTO had already found that both Airbus and Boeing received billions of dollars of illegal subsidies in the world’s largest corporate trade dispute. The global trade body is due to decide early next year on the level of annual tariffs the EU can impose on U.S. imports.
While the level of tariffs amounts to less than three days’ worth of trade between Europe and the United States, importers led by U.S. airlines that buy Airbus jets have urged Washington to be selective when choosing industries to hit in order to avoid causing collateral damage to the U.S. economy.
EU manufacturers are already facing U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to penalize EU cars and car parts. The EU has in turn retaliated.
The Trump administration believes tariffs were effective in bringing China to the negotiating table over trade and in convincing Japan to open its agricultural market to U.S. products.
(For a graphic on U.S.-EU trade - )
Reporting by Tim Hepher in London, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebahay in Geneva, Josephine Mason and Danilo Masoni in London, Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Andrea Shalal, Heather Timmons and David Lawder in Washington; Writing by Tim Hepher and Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Pravin Char, Lisa Shumaker and Leslie Adler
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Why Smart Restaurateurs Are on Social Media
By Rewards Network | Blog, Marketing, Social Media
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: We’re living in a digital age, a time when nearly everyone is online — and increasingly so. It’s no longer a question of whether your restaurant should be on social media. Now, it’s just a question of how you can leverage social media for your business.
This year also marked the first time that sales for restaurants and bars surpassed those of grocery stores, meaning the time is ripe to set up a strategy for attracting new customers, many of whom are already active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google+.
Need more convincing to take your business to the web? Let’s take the marketing power of Twitter, for example, to prove how important social media can be for your brand.
Social Media by the Numbers
Making the Most of Mentions
At this year’s National Restaurant Association Show, Twitter’s retail and dining researchers Lauren Perini and Jordan Shlachter reported that last year, Twitter users logged more than 342 comments about food and dining topics alone.
Twitter boasts more than 302 million active users — many of whom have developed significant followings — meaning if only one of those comments were about your brand, it would have the potential to reach millions.
Given how important word of mouth marketing is to consumers, this kind of exposure can have a lasting impact on their decision-making, especially if you’re capitalizing on each mention by retweeting it for greater visibility or responding to the original commenter.
But this potential doesn’t stop at positive comments. According to Perini and Shlachter, even negative mentions of your restaurant can have positive outcomes — as long as you respond to them appropriately.
Their data shows that Twitter users who receive a response to their negative comment have an 80 percent return rate to the restaurant or brand, despite their less-than-stellar experience. Our own data suggests a similar trend, showing that individuals who receive a response to their online comments are significantly more likely to return — and spend approximately 16 percent more when they do.
The takeaway? When you’re on social media, just one pleasant (and on-brand) response can mean the difference between a repeat visit and a lost opportunity.
How Social Turns into Sales
Engaging via social media isn’t all trolling the Internet for mentions of your name and responding to negativity, though. Just being online and having a unique brand identity can result in huge benefits for your business.
According to Perini and Shlachter, approximately 30 percent of consumers surveyed followed a particular brand or restaurant simply because they found that business’s tweets amusing.
And it doesn’t end at idle following and the occasional chuckle. Twitters users showed a greater number of visits per month to restaurants they followed or interacted with than those who did not interact with the brand at all.
Many Twitter users also profess to following brands specifically to learn about new products and offerings. In fact, according to Perini and Shlachter, approximately 78 percent of people who found a new product on Twitter actually made a purchase, indicating that many are using the platform as an integral part of their purchasing decisions.
Although all of these statistics are specific to Twitter, the sentiment is the same for nearly any social media platform available. By engaging with users, you’re building brand loyalty and encouraging sales — all with only a few characters, your business’s unique voice, and the click of a button.
Want to create the best social media strategy for your restaurant? Check out our post on “How to Succeed with Social Media for Restaurant Marketing.
Read on >>
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By ilnickiap September 17, 2009 May 12th, 2020 No Comments
An extraordinary painter and furniture designer, Richard Roth urges viewers to consider the delineations between kitsch and art, object and idea, material and form. Inventing his forms from myriad of sources such as Navajo blankets, mollusk shells, or licorice candies, Roth hand-paints geometric patterns and colorful blocks on birch plywood panels. His paintings are minimalist but bold, jutting forth as mini-obstructions challenging the traditional painted canvas. The work is confined to specific dimensions, like his 12 x 8 x 4 “box” format and recent 60 x 48 inch panel paintings, creating both freedom and challenge to continually invent within the structure.
Roth is a Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught in the Painting and Printmaking department from 1999 to 2015, serving as department chair for eight years. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Cooper Union in New York and Master of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1991, he was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship in Painting from the National Endowment for the Arts, and later received a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship in Painting (2008–09). He has exhibited at Margaret Thatcher Projects, David Richard Contemporary, OK Harris Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, all, New York, NY; Highland Institute of Contemporary Art, Loch Ruthven, Scotland; Rocket Gallery, London; UCR/California Museum of Photography; Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan; and Valletta Contemporary, Malta, among others. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Try-Me Collection, both, Richmond, VA; de Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH; The Chase Manhattan Bank Collection and The First National City Bank Collection, both, New York, NY, among others. He is the co-editor of the book, Beauty is Nowhere: Ethical Issues in Art and Design and co-author of two books – Color Basics and Design Basics 3D. In 2019, he published his first novel, NoLab. Roth currently lives in Camarillo, California.
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Home » WWE News » How Well Have Ticket Sales Done for WWE Super Show-Down So Far?
How Well Have Ticket Sales Done for WWE Super Show-Down So Far?
by Shane O'Sullivanon August 30, 2018 at 5:39 pm
On October 6, WWE will air Super Show-Down live from the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has now provided an update on the ticket sales so far for the upcoming event.
According to the Newsletter, ticket sales are doing good but not at the level of being sold out without handing out free tickets. The grounds where the show is set to take place is set up for approximately 80,000 fans, but WWE has circled back on claiming there would be that many fans- now explaining the event will take place in front of about 70,000.
It is also being reported that the Evolution PPV is still not sold out either. The tickets are still available but are eventually expected to sell out. The show is set up for 10,900 fans and will take place on October 28 at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island.
Are you attending either one of these events? Which of the two most excites you? Let us know in the comments below.
Former WWE Divas Champion Gives Birth
Shayna Baszler Encourages Fan To Divorce His Wife
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Panorama Point Campground
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Panorama Point campground is located on the western shore of Baker Lake in the stunning Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Situated on the west side of the Cascades in Washington, the surrounding area is one of the most spectacular in the country, showcasing glacier-covered peaks, wide mountain meadows and old-growth forests, rich in history and outdoor opportunities.
With several sites located at the lake's edge and others in close vicinity, Panorama Point Campground offers visitors the ideal opportunity to camp near shoreline or under a canopy of trees.
Panorama Point offers nine standard sites, accommodating both tent and RV camping. Picnic tables, vault toilets and drinking water are also available.
Electric hookups are not available
Click here for more information about Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Pacific Northwest forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Check In: 2PM Check Out 12PM
On a clear day, while driving to the campground, visitors will see Mt. Baker, the most prominent feature of the Mt. Baker Wilderness. Rising to an elevation of 10,781 feet, the active volcano from which the forest takes its name is perpetually snow-capped and mantled with an extensive network of creeping glaciers. Mt. Baker's summit, Grant Peak, is actually a 1,300-foot-deep mound of ice, which hides a massive volcanic crater.
Hike in the mountains above the lake in the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area or Mt. Baker Wilderness, or take some time to visit North Cascades National Park. This unique park is like no other place on earth. It features a deep blue lake surrounded by sheer, 2,000' cliffs, two picturesque islands and a violent volcanic past. Hiking trails, a visitor center and educational programs are available.
In addition to being a prime location for boating, fishing, swimming, and picnicking , hikers and backpackers are especially fortunate to have access to a variety of spectacular trails along the lake and in the nearby Mt. Baker National Recreation Area. The Baker Lake and Baker River Trails are family friendly hikes that are a short drive from the campground. The Baker Lake trail starts on the south end of the lake in a stand of Douglas fir and travels 13 miles above the eastern shoreline of Baker Lake. Anderson Point with views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan is 2.5 miles from the trailheadand is a popular boat in camp, backpacking destination and lunch spot. The Baker River Trail starts at the north end of the lake and follows the river 2.25 miles upstream, through large old-growth into North Cascades National Park.
From Seattle, go north on I-5 to Burlington. Take Exit 230 on State Highway 20. Go past the Mt. Baker Ranger District Office in Sedro-Woolley and follow State Route 20 east for 16 miles to milepost 82. Turn left (north) on the Baker Lake Highway (Forest Service Road 11). Continue for 19.2 miles on the Baker Lake Highway. The campground is on the right.
Site 009, Loop PANO, Type Standard Nonelectric
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Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Fish and Wildlife Service, California.
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is the headquarters for the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is one of six refuges located in the Sacramento Valley of north-central California. The refuge is approximately 90 miles north of Sacramento, adjacent to Interstate 5. The 10,783-acre refuge consists of about 7,600 acres of intensively managed wetlands, uplands, riparian habitat, and vernal pools. It typically supports wintering populations of more than 600,000 ducks and 200,000 geese. More than 95 percent of the wetlands of the central valley have been lost in the last 100 years, and waterfowl have become increasingly dependent upon the refuges of the Sacramento Valley. The refuge supports several endangered plants and animals, including transplanted colonies of palmate-bracted bird's-beak, several species of fairy shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp, giant garter snake, wintering peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and breeding tricolored blackbird. Resident wildlife includes grebe, heron, blackbird, golden eagle, beaver, muskrat, black-tailed deer, and other species typical of upland and wetland habitats. Approximately 9,000 people hunt on the refuge each year, and 73,000 people use the visitor center, auto tour route, and walking trail.
From Interstate 5 at Williams, continue north on the Interstate for approximately 20 miles; exit at Road 68. At the Road 68 and Highway 99W interchange, turn north and travel approximately 1.6 miles to the Refuge entrance. For southbound travelers, exit Interstate 5 at County Road 57. Turn east over the overpass to Highway 99W. Drive approximately 4.5 miles south to the Refuge entrance.
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Education and Empire
Following Labour’s manifesto pledge to educate the public on the histories of empire, slavery, and migration, Kimberly McIntosh explains the dangers of colonial nostalgia in the national curriculum
November 28, 2019 · 7 min read
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Britain has never been an ‘island nation’. We didn’t fight them on the beaches by ourselves. We have never been cordoned-off from the wider world. Migration has been a mainstay of our history, leaving its mark on our language, our literature, our institutions and our culture. The Roman Empire and Anglo-Saxon invasions, the Norman conquest, and the rise and fall of the British Empire have all played a role in making our country what it is. And to this day, slavery, empire and migration have a long-standing impact both here and abroad.
The discourse that surrounded and followed the 2016 EU Referendum however reinforced colonial nostalgia, which has continued pertinence and power in the public imagination. Migration was a major fault line during the Brexit campaign, when the Commonwealth was frequently invoked to conjure up images of a very different Great Britain, one that saw ownership as synonymous with greatness and as a source of pride. Such language worked for a reason – and still resonates with widely held beliefs. It’s why a punter in a Sky News Brexit vox pop, filmed in a Harrogate pub said, ‘I was watching a thing with the Queen, there’s billions of people in the British Empire, let’s get back to being a British Empire again’. It’s why an oft-quoted 2014 YouGov survey found that 59 per cent of people were ‘proud’ of the British Empire. That figure dropped to 48 per cent for 18-24-year-olds but that is still remarkably high. The survey didn’t tell us how ethnic minorities might respond to the question.
In this context, the use of awkward terminology like ‘Empire 2.0’ to describe plans for post-Brexit trade deals is less surprising. And there’s nothing like the chronic dearth of knowledge about the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland, or Ann Widdecombe comparing leaving the EU to the abolition of slavery, to make clear the urgent need for a realistic appraisal of our past and present relationships with the wider world. We need to ask: how did we arrive at the point where 49 per cent of people polled think countries were better off for being colonised by Britain?
Teaching empire
For answers, we need to look to the education system. How migration and empire have been taught in schools and represented in textbooks has shifted depending on who is in charge of Westminster. Until the 1960s, the curriculum implicitly supported the merits of the Empire, while avoiding its exploitative elements. The lack of rights colonised people had, and the violence they faced, didn’t make the cut. Even today, we’re not sure what exactly is being taught in our classrooms.
At Key Stage 3 and GCSE levels, topics like migration, empire, and the transatlantic slave trade can be taught as part of the History curriculum. What is actually taught is however largely dependent on the modules, topics or texts selected by individual schools, making it difficult to map what’s happening in classrooms.
Under the National Curriculum, students are meant to learn about ‘how Britain has influenced, and been influenced by the wider world’. Within that remit, there are suggested topics of study. Important historical developments are notably absent from those suggestions, including: the colonisation of the Caribbean, Irish Home Rule and migration to Britain following the Second World War.
In 2014 the Department for Education admitted that it did not know how many schools were teaching the slave trade to its students. A report we wrote at the Runnymede Trust with the TIDE project at the University of Liverpool found that only around four per cent of pupils studying GCSE History were taking an option called ‘Migration to Britain’, which also covers some empire. Considering that only 38 per cent of students take GCSE history to begin with, any intervention in schools should have a dual focus: teach these topics at Key Stage 3, if not earlier, and increase uptake of the GCSE options.
A recent survey found that 78 per cent of teachers wanted training on teaching migration, and 71 per cent on teaching empire
How the next Government might make commitments to educate on migration, colonialism and slavery is an open question. It could back the campaign to construct a memorial to enslaved people in Hyde Park and other similar public works. It could focus on teacher training and support with a plan to bring in phased curriculum reforms. The Runnymede Trust, University of Manchester and University of Cambridge project Our Migration Story, which provides educational resources for teachers, found in a recent survey that 78 per cent of teachers wanted training on teaching migration and 71 per cent on teaching empire. If we give teachers the responsibility of tackling topics that they may not have learnt in school themselves, we should support them to do it well.
Whatever approach our next Government takes, history must be framed accurately, as the story of all of us, not as tokenistic or celebratory content. False-framing reinforces the artificial separation between ‘their’ history and ‘our’ history, between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The long-standing presence of minorities in Britain and why they moved here, and a comprehensive evaluation of their treatment by the state and by society, needs to be taught as part of the British national story.
This conversation isn’t about shame, it’s about honesty. We have many historical moments to be proud of, moments when ordinary people defended the rights of others. When we focus on individuals, or limit our knowledge to a specific roster of well-known events and periods of time, we miss out on the fraught, enchanting, chaotic, cruel and heroic people and periods that made our country what it is. A country that has beauty but also flaws. We’ll be stronger for recognising that fact.
Kimberly McIntosh is a writer, broadcaster and works at the Runnymede Trust and Race on the Agenda.
Read the Labour Party Race and Faith Manifesto, which commits to educate around migration and colonialism, address the legacy of slavery and teach how it ‘interrupted a rich and powerful black history’.
Red Pepper is prioritising voices from the grassroots during the election campaign season. Help us to support local journalists by donating to our crowdfunder.
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Momentum responds to the Labour Muslim Network Report
Labour seems eager to ignore its Islamophobia problem. The Party is making a grave mistake, explain Solma Ahmed, Sonali Bhattacharyya and Mish Rahman
Islamophobia: a year-round struggle
Islamophobia Awareness Month may be over, but the fight must continue now more than ever writes Taj Ali
Shukri Abdi and the urgent need for anti-racist education
The Shukri Abdi case is a painful reminder that UK schools are not safe for everyone. We need an explicitly anti-racist curriculum, argues Remi Joseph-Salisbury
Exceptional measures
Narzanin Massoumi argues that the ‘war on terror’ should serve as a warning against increased state powers in response to the Covid-19 crisis
Liberté, égalité, anti-racisme
Anti-racist movements in France are challenging both the state and the traditional left, writes Selma Oumari
Only as bold as we need to be
Utopianism isn’t a rose-tinted optimism: it’s ‘the realism of hope’ we now desperately need, argues Jack Kellam
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A New Destination for Pilgrimage!
Sadhu T. L. Vaswani and Dada J. P. Vaswani’s Samadhi to be built outside India.
On 23rd November 2018, Guru Nanak Jayanti Day, and in commemoration of Sadhu T. L. Vaswani’s 139th Birthday, the Sadhu Vaswani Center of New York / New Jersey, with the financial support of a few devotees, acquired the land that will become the sacred resting place for the Masters’ Samadhi. This land is adjacent to the Sadhu Vaswani Center of East Brunswick, New Jersey, at 6 Perry Road. The large trees in this garden resemble the ones by the Sacred Samadhi in Pune, the ones Sadhu Vaswani so loved!
Soon, with the assistance, planning, and contribution of all devotees and well-wishers around the world the center will begin the humble task of building the Samadhi, a place of pilgrimage to all living outside India. The little home attached to the sacred Gardens is planned to become a library & Little Lamps Gurukul / Pre-school. In education lies one of the key tenets and future work of our Mission and the Masters’ vision.
In her message, Sister Krishna Kumari, Working Chairperson of Sadhu Vaswani Mission said, “This land is not merely a valuable piece of real estate. It is the fountainhead through which will flow and spread Dada’s ideals and teachings in thought, word and deed. The minds of the young ones will grow and flourish with the foundation you will lay. The kirtan chants will add to the divinity of the ambience. The seva or service you will carry out will provide succour and sustenance to those in need. Above all, the remarkable decision of establishing Dada’s Sacred Samadhi there, at the other end of the world, will provide refuge to the souls of thousands who are unable to traverse the distance to Pune, to the punya bhumi of the Sacred Samadhi here.”
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Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at University of Munich
The Chair of Political Systems and European Integration, Department of Political Science (GSI), University of Munich (LMU), invites applications for postdoctoral Research Fellowship for a period of three years, commencing on 1 July 2017.
The Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science (GSI) is one of the leading political science institutes in Germany. With his nine professorships and more than 50 members of staff, he covers all core areas of political science, from political theory to the comparison of political systems and international relations to the methods of political science, both in research and teaching.
The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for the scholarship
Applicants must have a PhD (or proof of successful viva voce) in political science, public administration or international relations as well as proven expertise in international organisations and/or global refugee policy. An excellent command of English, the project’s working language, is necessary. Specialised methodological training (qualitative/quantitative) and experience in international field research are an advantage. Proficiency in Arabic (for field research) and other UN languages is an asset.
LMU Munich is an equal opportunity employer. The University continues to be very successful in increasing the number of female faculty members and strongly encourages applications from female candidates. LMU Munich intends to enhance the diversity of its faculty members. Furthermore, disabled candidates with essentially equal qualifications will be given preference.
The successful applicant will be expected to reside in Munich.
Applications should include a cover letter, a CV, a list of publications, and the names and contact details of two referees who may be approached after short listing. Applications should be addressed to Professor Klaus H. Goetz and sent via email by February 28, 2017 to Dr. Ronny Patz (ronny.patz-at-gsi.lmu.de). Dr. Patz will also be available for any questions regarding the project.
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Initial teams with Jodie Foster on Altar Boys
By Mike Goodridge2000-02-22T05:56:00+00:00
In its third major acquisition of the week, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG) has boarded The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys, a project developed by Jodie Foster's Egg Pictures, which Foster will co-produce and take a supporting role in - as a one-legged nun.
IEG will fully finance the $15m-$20m film which was originally set up with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (PFE) - and then Universal - under Egg's deal with PFE.
Foster will produce alongside her Egg partner Meg LeFauve and Jay Shapiro of Cinema-Go-Go, which co-developed the picture. Director is Peter Care, an award-winning commercials director. The screenplay is written by Jeff Stockwell and Michael Petroni from the novel by Chris Furhman.
ICM agent Ken Kamins who was instrumental in bringing IEG Robert Altman's Dr T And The Women and Martin Scorsese's Gangs Of New York, will represent US distribution rights on behalf of IEG.
The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys follows Traffic starring Harrison Ford and Smoke And Mirrors set to star Catherine Zeta Jones as the third major talent driven project which IEG has agreed to finance in the last week. IEG works in tandem with publicly traded German rights broker Splendid Film - which bought a 49% stake in IEG last summer. King is selling foreign rights at AFM.
The movie, which includes several animated sequences to be created by Todd McFarlane (Spawn), tells the story of a gang of Catholic school boys caught drawing obscene comic books who plan a heist to outdo their previous stunfs. It is executive produced by John Watson, Pen Densham and Guy McElwaine of Trilogy Entertainment Group alongside Graham King. It is scheduled to start shooting on May 1, 2000.
Foster will complete The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys before embarking on her third film as a director - Flora Plum starring Russell Crowe and Claire Danes - for USA Films and Good Machine International.
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The World Health Organization Officially Declares Coronavirus A Pandemic
by Julie Sprankles
March 11, 2020 Updated March 12, 2020
MARK RALSTON/Getty
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel coronavirus “a pandemic”
While much has been said in recent weeks of the growing concern over the coronavirus — also known as COVID-19 — today’s update from WHO leaves no doubt over just how serious health officials are taking the viral disease. On Wednesday, the organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced via media briefing that the novel coronavirus has officially been declared a pandemic.
“In the past two weeks, the number of cases of covid-19 outside China has increased 13-fold and the number of affected countries has tripled. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said, continuing, “Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals. In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of covid-19 cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher.”
Dr. Ghebreyesus went on to say that WHO has been assessing the outbreak around the clock, and they have become “deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction” displayed. Accordingly, WHO’s director-general explained, “We have therefore made the assessment that covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.”
The declaration, underscored Dr. Ghebreyesus, doesn’t change what WHO is doing to try to prepare countries for the virus — but it should perhaps make everyone else pay more attention to those measures. “We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time. WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified for the first cases,” said Dr. Ghebreyesus. “We have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.”
However, WHO doesn’t want to incite panic. Rather, they seek to incite action.
Dr. Ghebreyesus offered statistics speaking to how the coronavirus has impacted communities so far. Of the 118,000 reported cases, more than 90 percent have been in just four countries. So far, 81 countries haven’t reported any cases, and 57 countries have reported 10 cases or less.
“We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough; all countries can still change the course of this pandemic. If countries detect, test, treat, trace, and mobilize their people in the response, those with a handful of covid-19 cases can prevent those cases from becoming clusters, and those clusters becoming community transmission. Even those countries with community transmission or large clusters can turn the tide on this. Several countries have demonstrated that the virus can be suppressed and controlled,” emphasized Dr. Ghebreyesus.
The challenge now, he says, is not whether countries can suppress coronavirus’ spread, but if they will — whether it’s a matter of a lack of capacity, resources or resolve. At this point, WHO is calling on countries to mobilize those in the healthcare industry to adequately prepare for the influx of coronavirus patients. Preparedness, readiness, and response will play a large role in how the coronavirus pandemic plays out.
As for the rest of us, the CDC continues to recommend washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer in the absence of sink access. And WHO says people should only resort to wearing face masks if they’re sick or caring for someone who is.
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What Must Be Proven In An Employment Retaliation Claim?
What Must Be Proven In An Employment Retaliation Claim? https://www.shegerianlaw.com/wp-content/themes/movedo/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Shegerian Law Shegerian Law //www.shegerianlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Shegerian-logo.png November 27, 2017 November 27, 2017
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported that there were over 42,000 retaliation charges filed in 2016, making retaliation the most common type of alleged discrimination. Even though the EEOC released guidelines to employers last year that answered frequently asked questions about what constitutes retaliation, this type of discrimination is still prevalent in the workplace. In fact, the number of retaliation charges filed with the EEOC has been increasing year after year.
The burden of proof is on the plaintiff in retaliation cases, which means the plaintiff is responsible for proving that they are a victim of retaliation. This can be done by proving these three elements of a retaliation claim:
Engagement in Protected Activity
By definition, retaliation occurs when an employer takes adverse action against an employee for engaging in a protected activity. Thus, the first step in proving a retaliation claim is establishing that you did take part in a protected activity.
There are two types of protected activities. The first involves participating in any type of EEOC discrimination and harassment complaint. This means anyone who files a complaint, serves as a witness in a complaint, or participates in any other way in an EEOC investigation cannot be retaliated against. Employees who participate in internal investigations are also protected, even if a claim is never filed with the EEOC. For example, someone who informs Human Resources that a colleague is being sexually harassed by an executive is protected against retaliation, even if the claim never goes any further than this.
The second type of protected activity involves opposing any unlawful conduct in the workplace. Basically, this means that an employer cannot retaliate against someone who is opposed to an employer’s decision to violate equal employment laws. For instance, let’s say a senior executive tells you to fire someone because of their race. You know that firing someone because of that person’s race is a form of racial discrimination, so you tell your superior that you will not comply with their request. This is an example of opposing an employer’s attempt to violate equal employment laws, so you cannot be retaliated against because of your stance on this issue.
Other examples of opposing violations of equal employment laws include saying “no” to unwelcome sexual advance or threatening to report discriminatory behavior. However, it is not considered a protected activity if it involves threats of violence or other unreasonable conduct. Threatening to physically hurt someone because they are violating an equal employment law is not acceptable, so the EEOC will not protect you against retaliation in this case.
Adverse Action Against the Plaintiff
After you have established that you engaged in a protected activity, you will need to prove that your employer took adverse action against you. What types of activities are considered “adverse actions”? As long as an action is severe enough to deter other people from engaging in protected activities in the future, it is considered an adverse action.
Some of the most obvious examples of adverse actions include demotion, termination, suspension, or denying an employee job benefits. However, it’s important to note that there are many other forms of retaliation. Some types of retaliation don’t even take place in the workplace or affect the employee’s work. Even if it takes place outside of the workplace, it is still retaliation as long as it is being done in response to the victim’s engagement in a protected activity.
Some less obvious examples of adverse action include verbal or physical abuse, threatening to deport a worker who is an immigrant, reassigning an employee to another position, taking away managerial duties, slandering the employee in the press, filing a civil lawsuit against the employee, or giving the employee a poor performance review. Taking adverse action against an employee’s family member or close friend can also be considered retaliation.
Intent to Retaliate
Finally, you must be able to prove that the employer took the adverse action against you because of your decision to engage in the protected activity. To put it simply, you must show that the employer intended to retaliate against you.
Sometimes, an employer will inadvertently admit to retaliating against an employee when giving a written statement to the EEOC during the investigation. The employer may admit they were angry with the employee for engaging in the protected activity and welcomed the opportunity to take revenge.
But, there are other ways to prove the employer’s intent. It’s possible that the EEOC will think the timing is enough evidence to prove the employer was retaliating against you. For example, if your employer fires you the same day it is revealed that you filed a sexual harassment claim, it’s very likely that terminating your employment was retaliation. Witnesses such as co-workers or clients could also support your claim and provide evidence that you were being retaliated against.
Evidence can also be found by looking at employee records. For instance, let’s say your employer took disciplinary action against you because you clocked in two minutes late to work one morning. The EEOC may review other employees’ records to determine if anyone else has been disciplined for such a minor violation of the company’s policy. If the EEOC finds that many other employees have done the same thing, but none of them have been disciplined, this could prove that you are being targeted for engaging in a protected activity.
An employer may try to undermine your efforts to prove retaliation, but an employment law attorney won’t let that happen. If you have been retaliated against, seek legal representation at once. The employment law attorneys at Shegerian & Associates will explain your legal options and help you seek justice against your employer. Contact us today by calling 1-800-GOT-FIRED.
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LNG for transport news and media releases
Shell opens new LNG truck refuelling station in Amsterdam
Shell today announced the opening of its third Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) truck refuelling station in the Netherlands. The station in Amsterdam is located in the western port area, a location with significant turnover from ships to trucks that distribute goods into the city. This follows closely after the official opening of Shell’s first two stations in the country in March and April 2015 in Rotterdam and Waalwijk.
Heavy-duty truck fleet owners are increasingly choosing LNG fuel over traditional diesel because it can be cost-competitive for trucks that cover long distances. It is cleaner than diesel in terms of sulphur, particulates and nitrogen oxides, and can help reduce well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions if well managed.
This new station has a capacity of 70,000 litres of LNG, enough to fuel around 200 trucks per day. Customers can use the euroShell card, which offers a secure and efficient way to buy fuels and access a range of services, providing convenience in day to day operations.
“I am excited by the progress we have made, in a short time, developing a LNG refuelling network in the Netherlands with the opening of this new station,” said Giorgio Delpiano, General-Manager for Shell’s euroShell business. “We believe LNG is a viable fuel option for heavy-duty truck fleet owners, today.”
Lauran Wetemans, General Manager Downstream LNG, added, “We expect LNG will form a bigger part of the sustainable transport fuel mix in the future. Shell continues to work together with engine manufacturers, customers and policy makers to strengthen the business case for the use of LNG fuel in transport. As customer demand grows, we plan to open additional LNG sites in the Netherlands.”
From 1st of October 2015, Shell will have access to import and storage capacity in the Gas Access to Europe Terminal (Gate), enabling the company to supply its own LNG to marine and road customers in northwest Europe. Shell will supply the LNG fuel for its truck refuelling network in the Netherlands from here. This position supports Shell’s commitment as the launching customer of the new, dedicated ‘break bulk’ LNG terminal being built at the port of Rotterdam by Gate.
Shell International External Relations +31615008408
Shell is the first customer of a new, dedicated LNG for transport infrastructure announced in July 2014 by the Gas Access to Europe (Gate) terminal, a joint venture of Gasunie and Vopak. The terminal project is expected to be fully completed in Q4 2016. To serve marine customers in the port of Rotterdam, Shell plans to build a specialised LNG bunker vessel to deliver to LNG-fuelled vessels in northwest Europe.
Shell opened its first LNG refueling station in Calgary in 2013, with a second operational in Edmonton.
Shell has an agreement with TravelCenters of America LLC to develop a network of LNG refuelling lanes for heavy-duty road transport customers along the interstate highway system in the United States. The first of these LNG fuelling stations was opened in May 2014 in Ontario, California. This was followed by four more station openings in March and June 2015 - three are located within the Texas Triangle in Baytown, San Antonio and Dallas, and one station in Lafayette, Louisiana.
LNG forming a bigger part of the sustainable transport fuel mix consistent with the EU Clean Power for Transport directive, recent Dutch government fuel vision report and the Social-Economic Council vision pathway report to a sustainable fuel mix in the Netherlands.
These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this document refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control.
Companies over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and companies over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
This document contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions.
These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘goals’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘objectives’’, ‘‘outlook’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘probably’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘risks’’, “schedule”, ‘‘seek’’, ‘‘should’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘will’’ and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this document, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas;
(b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change;
(k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section.
Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 (available at www.Shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov).
These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this document and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document, September 29, 2015. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this document.
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Research degrees /
Research degrees Doctoral programmes and projects Doctoral funding and scholarships How to apply Types of research degree Meet doctoral students Training and support for research students Doctoral school community Doctoral school contacts
Find key contacts for enquiries about funding, partnerships, collaborations and doctoral degrees.
We're committed to helping you thrive in the world of research and produce work of the highest standard.
As a doctoral researcher at Sheffield Hallam, you'll have access to a range of training opportunities, research communities and support networks.
You'll also have access to our student support services for help with health, wellbeing and day-to-day campus life.
We’ll provide you with opportunities to develop a range of research, personal and professional skills during the course of your programme. Your development needs will be identified and jointly agreed with your supervisory team at the start of your research degree, and regularly reviewed and updated throughout your degree.
You can find out more about our current opportunities for doctoral researchers on the Doctoral School blog.
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Sheffield Hallam supports the principles of the UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. These include specific commitments to staff support and development.
Researchers are equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse, mobile, global research environment.
The importance of researchers' personal and career development, and lifelong learning, is clearly recognised and promoted at all stages of their career.
The concordat is closely aligned with the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment, allowing us to gain the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research Award. We have held the award since 2013.
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Home » Truths About The Rivalry Between Contractors and Consultants
Truths About The Rivalry Between Contractors and Consultants
David Harrison
In rivalries, the two sides don't like each other. And, that's not just true of the teams on each side of the rivalry - it's also true of the friends and fans that support them. Remember back to high school or college, and the feelings you had about rival sports teams? Think of professional sports, and there may very well be a team that you love to hate.
Rivals and their supporters often complain about each other. They say nasty things about each other. They have jokes that poke fun at each other. They compete with each other. However, sometimes, rivals even respect each other, and the competition creates a healthy tension that actually makes each side better. Anyone who has been exposed to the roofing industry knows that there has been a longstanding and often intense rivalry between roof consultants and roofing contractors. However, there is a legitimate question that should be asked: Is it a respectful rivalry that makes each group better, or is a bitter rivalry without respect in which both sides attempt to tear each other apart?
I feel personally blessed to be in the roofing industry. Over the past 10 years, I've met with literally thousands of contractors, consultants and property owners involved in the industry. During that time, I've witnessed an industry that is increasingly filled with people who contribute to "raising the bar," which results in an industry that we can all be even more proud of.
While the perception outside of this industry (and sometimes inside it, too) is that the roofing profession is "filled with convicts and scam artists," I'm continuously amazed at the passion and dedication of so many people I meet. Even with these improvements, I constantly hear examples of the rivalry between contractors and consultants and the impact it has on the industry.
A few years ago, I found kindred spirits interested in the relationship between contractors and consultants and the implications for the industry. Rick Damato, editorial director forRoofing Contractormagazine, and Kristen Ammerman, executive editor of Interface, a magazine published by the Roof Consultants Institute, both wanted to explore this issue, too. Comprehensive support came from a host of people from both magazines and resulted in a study that was conducted in 2003 to explore the perceived "feud" between contractors and consultants. The purpose of that study was to gain insights from contractors and consultants about how they feel about each other and suggest recommendations that might lead to improvements within the industry.
What did we learn from the 2003 study? In articles I wrote in bothRoofing ContractorandInterface, I concluded from that initial research that there is a rivalry between consultants and contractors, but, in general, there is mutual respect between the two professions. Yes, there is evidence of unfair generalizations about one another's negative effect on the industry, but below the surface there is mutual respect. Despite minor annoyances, interdependence between the professions is evolving, and overall perceptions of the quality and value of both groups are generally favorable.
So Rick, Kristen and I talked about a year ago and wondered - have things changed? Is the continued growth, sophistication and consolidation of property management, distribution, consultants and contractors leading to greater interdependence between the contractor and consultant professions - or are things getting worse?
So, in the early fall of 2005, we decided to essentially repeat the initial 2003 study. We invited about 900 Roof Consultant Institute members and about 1,500 roofing contractors subscribing toRoofing Contractorto participate through a direct mail survey format.
The response rate was 28 percent for consultants and 16 percent for contractors, for an overall 20 percent response rate. By industry standards, this is a healthy response rate.
This article shares the results, analysis, and comparisons demonstrating trends from the previous study, as well as some thoughts and suggestions to help professional contractors improve their businesses.
Table 1. Attributes respondents ranked most important to consider when a building owner chooses a contractor (top three responses).
Advice for Property Owners
Contractors and consultants know each other well, and they know themselves well. We wondered: How did they think property owners should choose a contractor or consultant?
Both consultants and contractors view experience as the most important factor for a building owner to consider when choosing a roofing professional. (See Tables 1 and 2.) Client lists and credentials are the next most important criteria suggested by respondents from both professions. In general, consultants view credentials as more important than contractors do when choosing a consultant; conversely, contractors put more weight in client lists overall than consultants do. These attitudes are relatively similar to those reflected in the 2003 study.
When asked what attribute was the most important factor building owners should consider when choosing a contractor, 51 percent of consultants and 57 percent of contractors responding to the survey point to experience as the most important criterion. (See Table 1.) Both consultants (17 percent) and contractors (36 percent) believe the contractor's client list is the second most important attribute to consider when choosing a contractor. Credentials emerged as the third most important factor for both groups, with 12 percent of consultants and 4 percent of contractors responding that credentials were the most important attribute for building owners to consider.
Table 2. Attributes respondents ranked most important to consider when a building owner chooses a consultant (top four responses).
The attitudes of consultants in this survey were similar to those in the 2003 study, but the results for contractors in the two studies differed. Specifically, compared to 2003, contractors in the 2005 study were less likely to rate experience as most important (the 2005 response of 57 percent was down 6 percent from the 2003 total of 63 percent), more likely to rate the client list as the most important factor (the 2005 response was up 16 percent from 2003's 20 percent); and less likely to rate credentials as the most important attribute (the 2005 response was 4 percent, down from the 2003 survey's 17 percent).
Conversely, when asked what attribute was the most important factor for building owners to consider when choosing a consultant, experience again emerged as the most important factor - although, in this case, experience was split into two categories: "years of experience as a qualified roof consultant" and "past experience as a roofing or building contractor." Combining the totals for both of these responses, 51 percent of consultants and 68 percent of contractors believe that experience is the most important criterion to consider when choosing a consultant. (See Table 2.) However, consultants believe that experience as a roof consultant was a more important factor (38 percent), while contractors believe that a consultant's past experience as a contractor was more crucial (40 percent). Credentials are more important to consultants (22 percent) than contractors (12 percent). A minority of respondents from both professions viewed client lists as the most important criterion (14 percent of consultants, 16 percent of contractors).
Table 3. Consultants were asked to rate the last contractor with whom they completed a project.
How Do the Groups Rate One Another?
Consultants were asked to rate the performance of the last roofing contractor they worked with in several categories on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 equating to "poor" and 5 to "outstanding." (See Table 3.) While the overall results were favorable, and many areas saw improvement over the 2003 survey, the study reveals there is still some room for improvement.
Consultants believe that contractors perform best on attention to details in specifications (64 percent of consultants gave contractors a 4 or 5 in this area). Performance by contractors on change orders was viewed as unsatisfactory or poor by 14 percent of consultants, who gave contractors a 1 or a 2 in this category. The consultants' last experience with contractors related to follow-through on punch lists was considered unsatisfactory by 19 percent, but this figure was down from 21 percent in the 2003 study. Seventeen percent of consultants believe contractors do not manage their crews well, but this was an improvement compared to the 2003 study, where 21 percent found crew management unsatisfactory. The study shows the biggest areas for improvement by contractors are in timeliness (24 percent gave contractors a 1 or 2 in this area, compared to 29 percent in 2003) and contractor quality of inspections (18 percent received a 1 or a 2, an improvement of 6 percent versus 2003 statistics).
Table 4. Contractors were asked to rate the last consultant with whom they completed a project.
When contractors were asked to rate the last consultant they worked with, consultants received the best ratings in communications with contractors and in specification and details, with 65 percent and 64 percent receiving a 4 or a 5 in those areas, respectively. (See Table 4.) Contractors appear to have very little frustration with specifications and details and with inspections, as consultants earning an unsatisfactory rating in those two categories totaled 5 percent and 9 percent, respectively). Consultants have areas that could use some improvement, according to their contractor counterparts. In the responding contractors' last experience with a consultant, timeliness was considered unsatisfactory by 11 percent, but this was a substantial improvement compared to the unsatisfactory rating of 24 percent in the 2003 study. While overall scores regarding communication were high - 65 percent gave consultants a 4 or a 5 in that area - 16 percent of contractors rated communication as unsatisfactory or poor. Follow-up is an area of frustration for 16 percent of contractors. The data demonstrates improvement by consultants with regard to change orders, but this still remains the highest area of frustration for contractors (19 percent rated consultant performance on change orders unsatisfactory, but this was down 9 points from the 2003 study).
Table 5. Consultants were asked to rate how they agreed with statements about contractors.
Respect Is There, But What About Trust?
While there is a reasonable degree of respect by both contractors and consultants for the other group, the core of a relationship is trust, and based on the results of survey questions designed to explore how much the two groups trust each other, there again seems to be ample room for improvement.
Both groups were given a list of statements about the other and asked to rate their answers on a scale of 1 through 5, with 5 equating to "strongly agree," 3 to "somewhat agree," and 1 to "strongly disagree." When asked whether they agreed that "contractors approach the building owner about problems before discussing it with the consultant," 32 percent of consultants agreed and answered with a 4 or 5. (See Table 5.) Consultants are also concerned about contractors' independence; when asked whether they believed that "contractors are ‘in bed with' or otherwise committed to a particular manufacturer," 33 percent of consultants were in solid agreement, scoring the item with a 4 or a 5; another 34 percent agreed somewhat. Finally, 18 percent of consultants do not believe that "contractors appreciate the value brought to the job by the roof consultant," which certainly can negatively affect the relationship.
Table 6. Contractors were asked to rate how they agreed with statements about consultants.
Contractors also have trust issues with consultants, but several areas showed marked improvement over the 2003 study. (See Table 6.) When asked if they agreed that "consultants purposefully find fault with the roofing contractor to demonstrate their value to the building owner," only 8 percent of the 2005 respondents agreed strongly with a 4 or 5 rating, compared to 37 percent in 2003. When asked if most consultants' knowledge of roof systems is outdated, 14 percent of contractors surveyed agreed with a ranking of 4 or 5, compared to 24 percent in 2003. Finally, when contractors were asked if they agreed with the statement "most roof consultants are ‘in bed with' or otherwise committed to a particular manufacturer," 21 percent of contractors were in solid agreement, compared to 37 percent in the 2003 study.
What About Cooperation?
We improve our businesses by understanding where and how others that depend on us are frustrated with what they perceive is the quality of our cooperation - and then demonstrate our ability and commitment to being cooperative and getting the job done right.
Consultants have significant issues in two aspects regarding cooperation with contractors. First, 53 percent of consultants do not believe that contractors provide timely schedules, drawings and submittals. (See Table 5.) Also, 30 percent of consultants surveyed do not perceive that contractors support the consultant's efforts when design parameters exceed the manufacturer's specifications (this was the same percentage of respondents as in the 2003 survey).
On the other hand, 29 percent of contractors would appreciate more help from consultants with justifying and pushing through change orders. (See Table 6.) However, when asked if "specifications provided by the consultant are useful and practical," 38 percent of contractors were in strong agreement, and another 48 percent agreed somewhat, while only 14 percent disagreed.
Table 7. Consultants were asked to rate how much they agreed with statements about contractors.
Contractor Services - Perception of Voids
Sometimes, it doesn't matter if it's true or not. According to the survey, many consultants (35 percent) believe that contractors do not provide 24-hour repair service. (See Table 7.) Worse, the majority of consultants (52 percent) are dissatisfied with contractors "after-project service," - and this figure is similar to the response in the 2003 study (53 percent).
These are serious issues that contractors should focus on. Why? We know from a previous industry study with property owners that over half of their roof replacements go to the contractor that does the majority of their repair and maintenance. The contractor who can demonstrate to a consultant that they provide a responsive repair service and that they take after-project service seriously will likely get invited to participate in more bidding opportunities.
Table 8. Contractors were asked to rate how much they agreed with statements about consultants.
Gauging The Value of Consultants
The contractors surveyed believe that consultants bring value to the industry - and this perception has improved somewhat since the 2003 study. When asked if "having a consultant on the job makes the quality increase," 37 percent of contactors responded affirmatively with a 4 or 5 rating, while only 21 percent disagreed. (See Table 8.) When asked whether "consultants add value to the project for the building owner," only 9 percent disagreed. Interestingly, when asked if they thought "design specifications from consultants are better than design specifications from architects," 46 percent agreed with a rating of 4 or 5, and only 22 percent of respondents disagreed.
The Implications for Progressive Contractors
Fundamentally, perceptions are realities. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you have 24-hour emergency service, and it doesn't matter if you are comprehensively prepared and committed to post-project service; if the consultant doesn't believe it, it doesn't exist. Remember, consultants represent the eyes and ears of a growing number of property owners.
At the end of the day, the most successful companies first view their business through their customers' eyes. Identifying their needs (which means, in most cases, understanding their pain) and then demonstrating a solution is essentially the only way for companies and individuals to provide value.
Think about it this way: If you only share how good your value is, how good your products and services are, and how competitively priced you are, you're only achieving the status of an "acceptable commodity" in the eyes of customers. You have to go beyond expectations in order to add value. And, companies that add value are generally the most successful over time - for their owners, their employees and for their clients. There are two primary ways to go "beyond the expected" in this business. First, demonstrate a process that proves your unique ability and commitment to preventing problems before they happen. Second, demonstrate that you do things beyond the realm of a typical competitor.
How do you accomplish this? There are two basic elements: world-class processes and world-class client proposals.
How do you develop them? It's a comprehensive process, which typically involves a flow chart showing how things get done - and who does them. In sports, they call it a playbook. If your local high school football team didn't have a playbook, what do you think their results would be? So, if a roofing company doesn't have a playbook, do you think they could possibly be as effective and efficient as a competitor that did?
What's a world-class proposal do - and how is it different than the majority of proposals? Most proposals simply share what the company is going to do and how much it will cost. Simple. A view from the contractor's eyes. What's world class? Go back to the principles that a proposal must go beyond the expected in order to add value. It must not only demonstrate a good product and good service at a competitive price, it should exceed expectations by sharing how your company solves the client's problem - how it alleviates their pain. Therefore, it should include the criteria that customers need to solve their issues - and not only demonstrate that you solve those needs, but how you provide something extra as well.
Specifically, what might that include, based on this study? Well, we know that years of experience and client lists are considered very important for building owners choosing a contractor; how do you share those items on behalf of your company? We also know that there are healthy concerns by consultants relating to items including inspections, follow-through on punch lists, timeliness and crew management. How well have you documented and shared (even in the proposal as an addendum) your processes (your playbook) to prove to the consultant and the property owner your comprehensive capability and commitment to these important needs?
We know that consultants have trust issues with many contractors. How well have you answered these concerns in your proposal so that the consultant will not feel threatened that you will go to the owner directly with problems? How well have you proven your independence and commitment to helping assure the property owner you'll make the best and safest choice?
Frankly, if nothing else, you know from this study that consultants have a few critical concerns about contractors. Consultants point to the inability of contractors to provide timely schedules, the perceived lack of 24-hour emergency service, and concerns about service after the project is completed. If that's the case, isn't it easy to differentiate yourself from a typical contractor by including information on these topics in your proposals and bid packages? When you do, you'll likely get invited to participate in more bids and proposals - and you should generate more business, often at higher margins.
Business can seem very complicated, but it can also be pretty simple. The companies and individuals that excel at building trust and educating their customers generally earn more than their fair share. World-class processes will help you demonstrate trust. World-class proposals will help you educate the consultant and property owner, convincing them that using your company will result in superior value, with less risk.
When you're at a world-class level with your processes and proposals, your entire team will be more proud, more effective and more efficient. Most importantly, they'll generate world-class results.
The Roofing Contractor survey,
"Study of Relationships Between
Roofing Contractors and Consultants," is available for purchase for $250.
Cory Maxwell at 248-244-6415.
Recent Articles by David Harrison
Guest Column: Exploring the Concept of World Class
Leadership in Troubled Times
Supply Chain Satisfaction Opportunities in an Improving Industry
Commercial Property Decision Makers Survey
Roofing Contractor's Consumer Survey
Dave Harrison is widely known in the roofing industry as a result of the educational events he's conducted with thousands of contractors, consultants and property owners throughout North America as well as articles published in Roofing Contractor and RCI Interface over the past several years. He is the founder of CARE, the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence, and serves as Senior Vice President of GAF Materials Corp. with responsibilities for marketing, technical services and business development.
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Society of Biology Fellow to present Ri CHRISTMAS LECTURES
The 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES© at the Royal Institution will be presented by Dr Alison Woollard FSB from the University of Oxford who will explore the frontiers of developmental biology and uncover the remarkable transformation of a single cell into a complex organism. ‘Life Fantastic’ will tell this fascinating story in three parts, ‘Where do I come from?’, ‘Am I a mutant?’ and ‘Could I live forever?’
Dr Woollard said: “I am incredibly excited and proud to presenting this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES.
“This is partly because developmental biology tends to be under-represented in the media and in science communication, but mainly because Life Fantastic is such an interesting story to share.
“I think these lectures are a wonderful opportunity to ignite people’s interest in biology. I want to get people thinking about how one tiny cell is the building block for an entire organism and to understand the incredible potential this concept holds for future medical discoveries that could completely change how we recognise, treat and prevent hundreds of different diseases.
“Everyone has an inner scientist and I hope my lectures will get people excited by the idea of doing science themselves and, most importantly, encourage people to join the debate around the complex issues thrown up by advances in biomedicine, because these are issues that affect everyone in our society.”
Dr Woollard’s current research examines the molecular mechanisms of cell fate determination during development, and studies of the genetic control of ageing. Her chosen model organism is the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans which will also have a starring role in the CHRISTMAS LECTURES.
The CHRISTMAS LECTURES® are held in the world famous lecture theatre at the Royal Institution in London and have run every year, except during the Second World War, since they were first started by Michael Faraday in 1825.
Dr Mark Downs, chief executive of the Society of Biology, said: “The CHRISTMAS LECTURES inspire people of all ages, and we are extremely pleased that one of our Fellows has taken this opportunity to raise the profile of biology. Dr Woollard joins a long history of biologists presenting the CHRISTMAS LECTURES, and since 1825 topics have included insects, botany, extinction, the eye, and animal behaviour. We wish her all the best for the lectures.”
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Irish woman (28) dies in tragic accident at Spanish airport days before Christmas
The 28-year-old died following a tragic accident in the Spanish airport
Aoife Walsh
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the death of a 28-year-old Irish woman who died after falling from a footbridge at an airport in Spain.
According to the Independent, the woman, from Arklow, Co Wicklow , fell around 20 metres from a footbridge in a bus loading area at Alicante-Elche Airport on at around 6pm on Saturday, December 22.
Tributes pour in as Irish teen killed in tragic freak accident
Emergency services called to the scene and the woman was brought to hospital where she later passed away.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed they are providing consular assistance to the family of the young woman.
No further comment has been issued by Spanish authorities.
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Serving Greeley and surrounding areas.
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Senior Helpers of Northern Colorado Awarded 2020 Best of NOCO Winner
Senior Helpers, the nation's premier provider of in-home senior care, today announced its Senior Helpers of Northern Colorado location was named winner of Best In-Home Senior Care in Northern Colorado by NOCO Style Magazine. Out of the five companies highlighted within the In-Home Care category, Senior Helpers of Northern Colorado earned the top spot for 2020. The outstanding work and safe, compassionate care that Senior Helpers caregivers and staff have provided to the local community and surrounding areas in the past year — especially throughout the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic — helped the company achieve this recognition.
"NOCO Style's Best Of winners are truly chosen by the community and represent those businesses who operate with a high sense of integrity and quality. These winners are a barometer of who is the top tier in our community," commented Angie Grenz, NOCO Style editor.
"We are so proud to be recognized by the region's leading lifestyle publication as the number one in-home care company in Northern Colorado this year," said Gil Atanasoff, owner and executive director of Senior Helpers of Northern Colorado. "It's our utmost priority to provide the safest and highest quality of care for each and every one of our clients. We look forward to continuing to provide personalized care and companionship to our local community."
Senior Helpers operates with a vision to be the leading home care company in each community it serves. Its caregivers are trained to offer the highest level of care possible based on the company's Senior Gems Alzheimer's and dementia care program. As the highest measure of excellence in personalized in-home senior care, the program was developed in conjunction with nationally recognized dementia care expert Teepa Snow, Positive Approach, LLC. Local residents will also benefit from the company's Parkinson's Care Program, a specialized training program for their caregivers created in conjunction with leading experts from the Parkinson's Foundation's Centers of Excellence network.
The company has taken unprecedented steps to ensure the safety of its caregivers, staff and clients. Senior Helpers was one of the first home care providers to source and ship the necessary PPE to every Senior Helpers location nationwide. The company continues to offer updated protocols in weekly communications within the organization on COVID-19 so that staff feel comfortable and prepared. The organization offers extensive staff training with courses that include topics such as Hand Hygiene, Infection Control, Influenza Prevention and Transmission-Based Precaution — all aimed so that clients can age safely and gracefully in the comfort of their own home.
The recognition is based on over 174,000 votes received by publication readers from July 1 to September 30, 2020.
For more information on Senior Helpers of Northern Colorado, visit our website.
About Senior Helpers
Senior Helpers is the nation's premier provider of in-home senior services ranging from specialized care for those with diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, to personal and companion care to help individuals looking for a little assistance with daily activities. Founded in 2002 with a vision to help seniors age with dignity despite age-related illnesses and mobility challenges, Senior Helpers has hundreds of franchised and owned businesses that have cared for tens of thousands of seniors.
Senior Helpers was the first and remains the only national in-home care provider to be certified as a Great Place to Work. The company has been named by Fortune Magazine as one of the best places to work in the aging services category and one of the best places to work in the state of New York. Senior Helpers is named to the Entrepreneur 2020 Top Low-Cost Franchises list as well as one of Entrepreneur's Top 500 Franchise Companies. Moreover, the company is an approved partner in the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. Senior Helpers is also an active member of the Healthcare Leadership Council — an exclusive alliance of leading healthcare companies from all health sectors committed to advancing the American healthcare system. Learn more by visiting our website.
Connect with Senior Helpers Greeley
Serving Greeley and surrounding areas. Call Our Office 970-658-8228
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AIS President & CEO Bruce Platzman's Video Interview on Sew the Masks with Tim Murray, President of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.
Download Segment 1 (7/27/20)
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Sentinel & Enterprise (6/28/2020)
AIS partners with United Way of NC Mass. to create and donate 1 million masks:
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The United States Announces Additional Assistance to Respond to the Venezuela Crisis
The United States remains the largest single donor of humanitarian and development assistance around the world, including for Venezuelans in need, because doing our part to respond to global crisis situations is a national security priority.
The United States is demonstrating our continued commitment to the Venezuelan people and our response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the corrupt and illegitimate Maduro regime with the announcement of an additional nearly $348 million in humanitarian assistance. This amount includes nearly $143 million from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and more than $205 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development. This additional U.S. humanitarian assistance includes support to the more than seven million Venezuelans with critical needs inside Venezuela, the more than five million who have sought refuge in countries across the region, and the generous communities hosting them. This new funding now brings the total amount of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance toward the Venezuela crisis to more than $1.2 billion since 2017, excluding COVID-19 supplementary funding.
Many Venezuelans continue to struggle to meet their basic needs and U.S. assistance supports the well-being of forcibly displaced Venezuelans. U.S. humanitarian assistance provides access to emergency food, safe drinking water, direct cash assistance, sanitation, and hygiene support, health care, medical supplies, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and protection for vulnerable groups including women, youth, and indigenous people especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We appreciate the efforts of all donors who have committed resources to these life-saving initiatives and encourage both traditional and new donors to increase their efforts to help meet growing needs of crisis responses.
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Health Global Health Humanitarian Aid Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State U.S. Agency for International Development Venezuela
Fulfilling the President’s Generous Commitment to Provide Critical Medical Supplies Across the Globe
Secretary Pompeo’s Call with Colombian President Duque
Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021
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Alibaba and Amazon to build network in Bangladesh
Content Manager 17th February 2017 ITC & Software
The postal division is going to collaborate with global e-commerce giants Alibaba and Amazon to deliver their products across Bangladesh, reports the Daily Star.
A pilot project will be launched within a short time, said Tarana Halim, state minister for telecom and postal division, after a meeting with the postal department yesterday at her office.
“We want to establish local and international partnerships, which will help increase the postal department’s revenue and make it self-dependent,” said Tarana.
Susanta Kumar Mandal, director general of the postal department, said they will start the pilot phase with the two global companies in the first week of March.
If they get a positive response, they will sign an agreement in April. In November last year, the postal department launched postal e-commerce services in 20 post offices in Dhaka, which was the first such service under any government entity in Bangladesh, said a top official at the programme.
Through this initiative, online buyers are now able to receive their products from e-commerce sites, delivered to their doorsteps in Dhaka.
“Using the postal services, we can deliver products to people living in the remotest areas.”
Last fiscal year, the department earned Tk 294.05 crore in revenue with 16.52 percent year-on-year growth; it earned Tk 129 crore in the last six months alone.
Tarana said they are also working to allow customers to use their mobile phone balance for purchases from e-commerce platforms.
The postal department has added 18 new vehicles to its existing delivery channel, she added. A total of 9,866 post offices will be turned into e-centres by next year, said a senior official of the postal department. “All the post offices are now ready to launch this service.”
The government has also planned to expand electronic money order services to the remotest parts of the country. The postal department has a huge range of services. However, there is no publicity about those. With the launch of the services with Alibaba and Amazon, they now plan to spend more on campaigning, said Tarana.
At present, there are 500 e-commerce sites in the country and another 1,000 entrepreneurs are running their business through Facebook.
Alibaba, Amazon to build network in Bangladesh
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St Joseph's RC Primary School Ramsbottom
There are three things that last
Faith, Hope and Love;
"Love one another as I have loved you."
British Values at St Joseph's
At St Joseph's Primary and Nursery School we take very seriously our responsibility to prepare children for life in modern Britain. We ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts and in particular, our PSHE skills which includes Citizenship, elements of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural lessons and Religious Education. The Early Years Curriculum includes Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the World which help children to respect and value all people and provide opportunities to deepen and develop understanding.
Children at St Joseph's embrace these concepts with enthusiasm and demonstrate a good understanding of how to apply to their own lives.
Our school makes considerable efforts to ensure children have exposure to a wide experience beyond their local community during which these concepts are shown. Sporting events, a range of trips and visitors and use of outdoor education are planned to ensure children’s experiences are broad, meaningful and varied. Their strong rooted ‘values-based’ understanding gives them an excellent platform for embracing difference.
Combatting discrimination – Hope – At St Joseph’s, it is important that we all live life to the full, as is our Mission Statement. To do this, we know we have a part to play in God’s plan, and it is a positive one. So discrimination has no place at St Joseph’s, as it has no place in the Gospel. We follow the words of St Francis when he said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and if you have to… use words.”
Tolerance, acceptance, respect (People of all faiths) – Love – At St Joseph’s, Love is part of our Mission Statement. Our Mission demands tolerance, acceptance and respect, and that we treat others the way we wish to be treated. We follow Jesus who said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Freedom to choose your faiths and beliefs held in law – Faith – At St Joseph’s, all are welcome, regardless if they are Catholic or not. All have a right to their beliefs, and to use them to live their lives to the fullest. We follow Christ as he said that, “I have come so that they may live life to the full.”
Citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process – At St Joseph’s we have an active pupil voice who meet several times per term. Our School Council meets regularly and quite simply, if they decide something that fits within the culture of the school, it happens. The pupils also use their vote every year to decide upon their House Captains.
Living under the rule of law protects our wellbeing and safety – At St Joseph’s, the children know our Culture Statement and they know our rules are there to keep us safe. Children choose their own behaviour and are responsible for it – and they are responsible for keeping the school rules, which protects all our safety and wellbeing.
Separation of executive and judiciary – Our School Rules promote positive messages to the children and keep us safe in school. We are regularly visited by Ramsbottom Police, who give us positive messages about they keep us safe when we are in Ramsbottom or in Bury.
What are British Values?
The Government emphasises that schools are required to ensure that key ‘British Values’ are taught in all UK schools. The government set out its definition of British values in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ values of:
St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School
BL0 9JJ
© 2015 St Josephs primary School Proudly Made By Bury I.T. Support Ltd
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2020 Swimming Australia Community Award winners
An open water referee, a Launceston swimming club and a stalwart of West Australia swimming are this year’s recipients of Swimming Australia’s 2020 community awards.
Bill Ford, an open water technical official, is this year’s deserving winner of the all-important Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year, along with Helen Harding, from Southside Penrhos Wesley Swimming Club who took out the coveted 2020 Local Legend of the Year, with the highly sought after 2020 Club of the Year gong going to the South Esk Swimming Club in Launceston.
Ford begun his career officiating in 1986 at the Penrith Swimming Club which ran the annual Bridge to Bridge event –– a 3km swim in the Nepean river during the 1990s with over 500 participants.
Officiating has become a passion for Ford, who has clocked up several memorable achievements including the 2012 London Olympics, Chief Referee for the Men’s 10km event at the 2019 FINA World Championships and is soon to head to the re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics. He continues to give back to the sport by serving on the FINA Open Water Technical Committee and recently had the prestigious honour of being inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Ford said he was incredibly humbled to receive the award.
“I’m both honoured and humbled to have been awarded the Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year Award for 2020,” he said.
“Every technical official is helped to reach their fullest potential by a very special group of mentors and I have been most fortunate to have the following mentors, all of whom have contributed to my success as a technical official in both the pool and open water swimming, and I would like to recognise each for their contribution towards my development and achievements as a technical official, Mrs Lynette Crossley, Mr Patrick Troy, the late Mr C B “Berry” Rickards (who was instrumental in my first FINA List appointment for Open Water Swimming), the late Mr Dennis Miller and Mr John West (New Zealand).
“Swimming Australia, through its development programs, encourages all Australian Technical Officials to reach their highest potential. As Technical Officials, our goal is to provide all swimmers with an equal opportunity to succeed by the fair and consistent application of the Rules of Swimming.
“The Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year Award is the pinnacle award for Australian Technical Officials, and I thank Swimming Australia for this prestigious Award.”
Local Legend of the Year, Harding has held nearly every committee position available at the Southside Penrhos Wesley Swimming Club and serves as a technical official. Under her guidance the West Australian club has thrived, widely acknowledged as one of WA’s best swimming clubs.
Not only does she dedicate her time to serving on the committee, but she has been instrumental in the support and development of the Central Zone and now serves as the Zone Coordinator. In true volunteer spirit, Harding dedicates further time to assist WA Swimming with competition planning, serving on the state’s Competition Planning Committee.
“Thank you so much for the Local Legend Award on ongoing appreciation of the many Volunteers in our community. I am sure there are so many others deserving of recognition,” she said.
"For me, I started volunteering for swimming at Club level when my now three very much adult kids joined our club.
“Now near 15 years later, whilst only one is still swimming and no longer at home, I still enjoy giving back to the sport. Being retired, I really enjoy the multi-tasking mental stimulation and at times, the challenges of pulling competitions together and trying to do the best for our swimmers and I encourage all to volunteer in some capacity.”
Like all clubs during the pandemic, South Esk Swimming Club looked for ways to keep their 122 registered members engaged. Head Coach, Ketrina Clarke constantly engaged with swimmers through weekly zoom meetings with discussions on exercise, nutrition, positive mindsets and motivation. She also used an app to engage with her senior swimmers and set weekly challenges for them to achieve.
In a year where communication was critical, Clarke kept swimmer engagement high creating a four week program called FAST – flexibility activity, aerobic activity, strength activity and technique activity – for swimmers 11 years and above to complete activities across the week.
The club also prides itself on providing a number of social and fund raising activities for its members across the calendar year, including an annual awards dinner, a Christmas break-up and a footy tipping competition.
South Esk Swimming Club President Kris Dolle said she was humbled by the award.
“South Esk Swimming Club is very humbled to be the recipient of the Swimming Australia Club of the year for 2020. It has been a challenging year for all sporting clubs which required a focus on keeping our swimmers engaged with each other whilst continuing to comply with COVID-19 restrictions,” she said.
Our head coach, Ketrina Clarke used various online platforms to keep our squads in touch. It allowed our swimmers to maintain their physical fitness with various activities outside the pool.
“Facing the challenges of 2020 together our club as a whole has grown into a cohesive group focusing on the well-being of each other and the wider community.
“The South Esk Swimming Club Committee thanks all club members and their supporting families for their commitment to club programs during this challenging period.”
Swimming Australia Chief Sport Performance, Matthew Kennedy said community recognition was especially important in this challenging year.
“Although we didn’t hold the full awards this year due to COVID-19 we felt it was really important to acknowledge our extremely deserving community award winners and highlight the work they do for the greater good of our sport,” he said.
“Volunteers are the backbone of any sport and swimming is very fortunate to have thousands of people who give up their own time to make our sport better each day.
“This year’s recipients have all shown superb commitment and passion for swimming and on behalf of Swimming Australia I congratulate them all and thank them for their contribution to our sport.”
All the winners will receive arena prize pack and a framed award recognising their achievements.
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Sydney CBD Dentistry > Royal National Park
An Australian National Heritage
Sydney offers a variety of locales and vistas to keep their guests busy and engaged. Aside from being known as a premier commercial and business district, the city does not shy away from showcasing its nature reserves.
Some of these can be found in Royal Botanic Garden and Royal National Park, a protected national park that is located in Sutherland Shire. In 2006, the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List deeming to have an outstanding heritage significance to Australia.
The Royal National Park has been developed to feature plenty of different activities to their guests. The park for instance is great for bush walks, cycling and hiking because of the wide variety of terrain it naturally has. This includes coastal cliffs broken by beaches, deep river valleys, ancient high plateau and many more.
There are plenty of routes to visit for people who love to visit the park in a much slower pace. You can enjoy the beautiful views of Sydney harbor by taking Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk.
There is also from Bundeena Drive to Little Marley which offers scenic beach views in Royal National Park. It should be noted that most of these walks provide a guided tour to download making it fairly easy to follow.
You can also go to the cycling trails if you prefer a faster pace with your visit at the Royal National Park. There are a number of routes for cyclist to choose such as the Lady Carrington Drive a historic cycling track near Audley that offers birdwatching, expansive picnic areas and history to explore.
The Heath and Bare Creek trails are also a great place for experienced cyclist with its challenging trails that are great for a day out mountain biking and horse riding.
Aside from the walking and cycling trails, guests will also be enjoying a variety of water themed activities for guests to enjoy. Did you know that the park is home to 11 beaches?
Garie Beach in particular is known as a surfing hot spot that receives plenty of visitors all throughout the year. There is also the option to hire a rowboat, canoe or kayak for an hour or for the day which gives you the ability to explore the upper reaches of the Hacking River and Kangaroo Creek.
Whale watching is also a popular activity at the coastal track from Bundeena to Otford. It is important to note that whales pass between May and November so you may want to take this into consideration during your visit.
Our office is an hour away from Royal National Park making it fairly accessible. We are located at 302/70 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000.
To reach us, start at the park and use any lane to turn right onto Princess Hwy/A1. Use the right 2 lanes to turn right onto President Ave/A1. Use the right 2 lanes to take the M1 ramp. Stay on M1 and take the exit toward city N N. Continue onto Shakespeare Pl then turn left onto Macquarie St. Finally, take a right turn onto Hunter St and you will reach our destination shorty.
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DC Comics Debuts Mortal Kombat X Series
Posted by Laura Dobbins at 1:30 pm on January 7, 2015
DC Entertainment has launched MORTAL KOMBAT X, a new weekly Digital First comic series based on the critically acclaimed game franchise developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Mortal Kombat X, the next installment of the game continues 25 years after the events of 2011’s MORTAL KOMBAT. The comic book series will serve as a prequel to the game and feature fan-favorite characters including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, as well as the next generation of Kombatants.
“Stand on your rooftop in a thunderstorm and shout ‘MORTAL KOMBAT!’ at the top of your lungs. That’s how awesome it feels to have the opportunity to write this comic series,” exclaimed Shawn Kittelsen, writer MORTAL KOMBAT X. “This is Mortal Kombat the way it should be: a no-holds-barred, martial-arts epic with a massive cast of iconic characters. Series favorites like Scorpion and Sub-Zero appear in new and surprising roles, and the comics will be your first look at the origins of new characters like Kotal Kahn and Cassie Cage. Also, FATALITIES.”
“Mortal Kombat’s long running story is one of the favorite features for fans of the game and Mortal Kombat X continues that story up to 25 years into the future,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “The Mortal Kombat X comic is a great lead-up to what we have in store for the game.”
MORTAL KOMBAT X is written by Shawn Kittelsen who is making his DC Comics comic book writing debut with this title. Interior art is by Dexter Soy and covers by Ivan Reis. Moving forward, MORTAL KOMBAT X will be released on Sundays and available for download on the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, iBooks, and iVerse ComicsPLUS. Each print issue will collect three digital chapters with the first issue available on January 14, 2015.
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Robert Volkmann
Thread: Robert Volkmann
Jun-22-2020, 12:50 #1
West Yorkshire, England
volkmann1.jpg
After studying piano and organ with his father and music with Anacker, Volkmann studied composition with Becker in Leipzig where he heard Mendelssohn and met Schumann. By 1841 he had settled in Budapest where he remained for the rest of his life with only one exception, a three year stay in Vienna. He became quite cognisant and understanding of the Hungarian national fervour in music and founded the Hungarian National Music Academy in 1875 with Liszt and Erkel. Composing in almost all forms of music his songs were inspired by folk traditions of Hungary and his instrumental works became very important. His "String Serenade, no. 3," and "B-flat minor Piano Trio" were particularly significant particularly the trio which was lauded by Liszt, Wagner and Bulow. The most interesting aspect of Volkmann's compositions was his implementation of rhythmic structures as he continuously shifted accents and meters.
tortkis liked this post
Recommended listening:
volkmann.jpg
mbhaub
Here's another note-spinner from Germany who had technique to spare, wrote very congenial music that is perfectly listenable - and utterly forgettable. Years ago a conductor I was playing with decided that amateur orchestras shouldn't try to play Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky - it's too difficult for non-pros. So he brought in the parts for Volkmann's First Symphony. After we got through it, he closed the score and said "well, now I suppose we know why this isn't played any more. Pretty and pretty boring". We passed the parts in and it was back to Beethoven!
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Behavioral Strategy and Microfoundations
Country and Business Strategies in the Era of De-Globalization for Transition Economies
Family Business – Balancing Globalization and Localization
Hybrid Organizing, Innovation and Social Value Creation
Navigating the Platform Business Model
Platforms, Ecosystems and Partnerships in the Digital Age
Political Institutions and Firm Strategy
Strategizing and Managing Coopetition
Paris City Information
Paris, the cosmopolitan capital of France, is one of the largest agglomerations in Europe, with 2.2 million people living in the dense, central city and almost 12 million people living in the whole metropolitan area. Dubbed the City of Light (la Ville Lumière), Paris has the well-deserved reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities, brimming with historic associations and remaining vastly influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design.
The city has the second highest number of Michelin restaurants in the world and contains numerous iconic landmarks, such as the world's most visited tourist site the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre Museum, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world.
More information on visiting Paris is available at: https://en.parisinfo.com/
Just north of the Eiffel Tower, and at the end of the famous Champs-Elysées shopping street, is the Arc de Triomphe. Built under Napoleon's instruction, the Arc was completed in 1836, and stands over the tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. Walk up to the top for an alternative view of Paris.
Climb up the hill toward the beautiful Sacré Coeur Basilica. Enjoy splendid views of Paris from the top, and walk the cobbled streets of Montmartre. Wander through Place du Tertre, where the impressionists once painted and sold their wares, or head to Le Consulat or La Bonne Franquette to drink where they used to drink!
The Louvre Museum is the world's largest museum and a historic monument in Paris. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement. Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 782,910 square feet. The Louvre is the world's third most visited museum.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The Norte Dame Cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and it is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass serve to contrast it with earlier Romanesque architecture.
As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame contains the cathedra of the Archbishop of Paris, currently Cardinal André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury contains a reliquary, which houses some of Catholicism's most important relics, including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.
Walk along the river, or hop on the RER to Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel, and visit Paris's most iconic monument. Walk up the steps of the Trocadero (opposite) for the best view of the tower, or take a lift up to the top and look down on Paris from above.
Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre
This amazing Roman Catholic church is built on the Butte Montmartre, and as the highest point in Paris, it gives you a great view of the city. You can climb the 222 steps or take the funicular to reach the top. The Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie and Lucien Magne in Romano-byzantine style, and built to honor the 58,000 men that died during the Franco-Prussian War. The Sacré Coeur is situated in Montmartre, an idyllic and bohemian neighborhood full of lovely boutiques, restaurants and street art.
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Stuart Dahne Photography
Rosewood ~ Souls Trapped in Time
Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven. H. L. Mencken
What Some Believe:
"All hope abandon, ye who enter here" is the inscription fashioned by Dante for the gates of Hell. It was in no burst of poetic fancy that the sign, "Rosewood -- No Thoroughfare," was placed at the foot of the lane leading to the "training school" for the mentally deficient of Maryland; yet, that inscription is every bit as fitting as Dante's. Escape or death are virtually the only ways out for the unfortunate child committed there. Rosewood, was said to have been strictly a one way, dead-end street.
The Rosewood Center is a psychiatric hospital located in Owings Mills, Maryland. It was established in 1888 as the Asylum and Training School for the Feeble Minded. From 1912 to 1961, it was known as the Rosewood State Training School. In 1961, the facility was renamed as the Rosewood State Hospital. After the state departments of health and mental hygiene merged in 1969, the facility was renamed the Rosewood Center. The antiquated facility has been threatened with closing in recent years. Throughout Rosewood's existence, there have been numerous reports of malpractice and mistreatment. Some have even made claims that patients were tortured on a regular basis. Further investigations proved positive leading to the older buildings' being condemned in 1989. The old and new facilities stand directly across a field from each other, the newer facility still active housing over half of the people with developmental disabilities who reside in Maryland's four state-run institutions. The old grounds have been known for ghost sightings and have been well traveled through. The main building was burnt in a 2006 case of arson and the site is now under security monitoring. On January 15, 2008, the state of Maryland announced that Rosewood would close within 18 months.
Bro Hale
I worked at rosewood for over twenty years,I remember the first day I started I didn't think I was going to ever get used to the sounds and smells of those old buildings.i remember feeling so sad for some of the patients but happy that they at least had people to take care of them.there were these huge crib like beds that were lined up in some of the buildings,all of them had full grown people laying in them like giant kids.it was a scene that will stick in my mind forever.
My brother was a resident for 20 years or more. We visited every weekend and would bring him home for visits often. I think one of the happiest days for our family was when he moved to a group home. I was already grown and living out of state by then, and working as a special educator. I still am haunted by Rosewood. We hated visiting, but we loved our brother. There were no options for families then. Parents were told to leave their children...and often advised to never come back. My parents refused, but they were unable to care for my brother at home. The state school was all that was offered. There was no respite care. No neighborhood public schools would accept severe and profoundly handicapped children. And there was no financial assistance to help with home care. Families did the best they could through visits and advocacy etc... It would be a grim picture indeed to present only the negative. There were many good people who volunteered and worked for meager wages. There were many events including special olympics and fairs that attempted to eradicate the bleakness. But as a society we have learned that separate is never equal. We did a disservice to those people who resided in Rosewood, but we did a diservice to the community too. What a better day it is when i get to witness disabled children with their non disabled peers; when parents are afforded the luxury of kissing their children good bye knowing they will return on the school bus in the afternoon; and when siblings dont have to worry about their brothers. We have evolved, and i appreciate that Rosewood hasn't been forgotten.
I have been doing research on genealogy and have found that a cousin of mine had been here from 1910 until at least 1940. He first was sent to Syracuse State Hospital for the Feeble Minded. He was 10 at that time. What a tragedy. I never heard mention of him. 100 years ago, even 50 years ago, there was shame associated with disability. Imagine a little, lost ten-year old!!!!
Kathy Pinto
My brother, William Stephen Holliday was a patient at Rosewood in the 1950's. He is now 78 years old and living with mine and his brother in Maryland. My mother was the secretary of the parents association along with Mrs. Dunn who was President during his residency. My Mom volunteered a lot of her time to helping the kids at Rosewood and for years, at Christmas time, would collect toys from the her place of employment and donate them to Rosewood. You're pictures bring back memories of my visits there as a small child.
Tracy G.- I too visited ROSEWOOD as a child. My profoundly mentally retarded sister lived there who was two years older then I. Every weekend from age 7-13. my mother and I would visit her for the afternoon. I too remember the moaning,yelling,and the screaming. It seamed like everyone wore white gowns and slippers. I wanted to see my sister,so I went looking for answers- unable to comprehend how my mother could give her up to "The State" to this place, to ROSEWOOD? THANK YOU TO ALL WHO STAYED TO HELP AND DID SEE THE POSITIVE, LIKE YOUR MOTHER. Thank you for the pictures, they are exactly how I will remember that place, haunted by children who no one wanted.
Why haven't you put together a book "Souls Trapped in Time"? With your beautiful pictures and a brief description with each of the photos - people would purchase it! There are a lot of collectors of history like this - for both serious and those that thrive on the macabre.....you have an art - and like myself there is a market!!!! Thank you for sharing!
It's nice to pass judgment on the lives of those people who lived there based on black and white pictures of old, overgrown buildings (excellent photos by the way), but don't assume that closing Rosewood solved the problems that people with intellectual disabilities still face. For some were just moved for nothing more than political correctness and money. Don't fool yourself.
Stuart Dahne
First off, let me say Thank You so much for not only finding my work but also for taking the time to share with me how it touched you. I am always so amazed by how many people find this particular gallery of work! I have been attatched to Rosewood for many years! In the 70's, in the midst of my teenage angst, I found much pleasure in doing some volunteer work at Rosewood. Even back then, without even understanding it, I was drawn to the pain. All of the kids always had stories, terrible murder stories and stories about crazy stuff that could only happen in the movies, stories meant to just scare you about Rosewood!!! My soul was drawn to help! Now I believe that my work is helping in another way, in a way that is both raising awareness of this sad time in our history, yet also reminding people of all of the good that was drawn to this place! All of the people like the one that you referenced, the people that were called here because they cared and wanted to make a difference! I don't know how much of a difference my little bit of work there made on anyone else, but it has obviously made a huge difference in my life!!! Thank You Once Again!!!
As for your question:
"p.s. One more thing, Curiously, photo 64 shows a body laying on the roadway.. care to comment?"
Self Portrait!
I forgot to mention that I am related to a former employee of Rosewood State Hospital. It was in the late 1970s, she was barely 20 years old and worked as a nursing assistant. She stayed for several years because she truly cared and wanted to make life better for her patients. I remember wondering how she endured such traumatic conditions. Later in life, I feel that her time spent there, played a part in her own emotional difficulties. On the other hand, I feel that she found some sort of peace, in knowing that she made their lives somewhat more tolerable.
WOW, your photos really kicked up some deep memories for me. Thank you again. As I said in my 1st post, emotion is the sign of success for an artist and you hit the mark!
In the late 1990s I would drive through the Rosewood property as a shortcut when running errands between Reisterstown and Owings Mills. I would occasionally park just to "take in" the emotional darkness that the property emits. What a tragic time for society...the fear and misunderstanding of the human psyche. We have made strides but sadly, the label of a mental or emotional illness evokes shame. Medical insurers consider past treatment for depression in the same risk catagory as cancer or organ transplant. I have personal knowledge of that fact.
Your nearly colorless photos depict the cold, stark world that was a life and death sentence for so many tortured souls. For me, your images bring empathy for their hopeless world. I believe THAT is the greatest reward for any artist....to evoke emotion...true success. Thank you.
My photography subjects are the complete opposite. I choose brilliant macro nature images. I see that we both appreciate geometric repetition. I find that I am lifted by the depth and sparkling color of the subjects in my garden.
p.s. One more thing, Curiously, photo 64 shows a body laying on the roadway.. care to comment?
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Arts, Media and Society (BA)
Are you a UK citizen currently or about to start studying at Leiden University? Or are you a Leiden University student (thinking of) studying abroad in the UK? Find out about the effects of Brexit.
During the transition period
On 31 January 2020, the UK officially left the EU. Under the provisions of the withdrawal agreement, there was a transition period from 1 February till 31 December 2020. During this period, UK nationals who were registered as living in the Netherlands retained their existing rights and did not require a residence permit.
From 1 January 2021 onwards
Since 1 January 2021, all UK nationals living in The Netherlands require a residence permit. Procedures for requesting a permit vary depending on whether you were already living in The Netherlands and registered in your municipality’s personal records database (BRP) before 1 January 2021.
Living in The Netherlands and registered in your municipality’s BRP before 1 January 2021
In this case, you can apply for a temporary residence permit directly from the Dutch Immigration Department (IND). Please refer to the IND website to find out how to apply and the requirements for submitting an application. This is a relatively quick and simple procedure, therefore if this applies to you, we advise you to apply for a residence permit as soon as possible. The procedure needs to be finalised before 1 July 2021.
Arriving and registering in The Netherlands after 31 December 2020
You will instead have to request a student residence permit via Leiden University. Alternatively, you can request residency on other grounds, for example employment or partnership, directly from the Dutch Immigration Department (IND). Note that these procedures are more time-consuming and complex than the one mentioned above.
Read more about living in the Netherlands after Brexit
From 1 January 2021 onwards, the amount of tuition fee you have to pay depends on whether you were living in the Netherlands and registered in your municipality’s personal records database (BRP) before 1 January 2021.
In this case, you are allowed to study under the same conditions, and with the same tuition fees, as those set for EU students by law and by the regulations of Leiden University. This is on condition that you remain registered as a resident in the Netherlands, without interruption, throughout your studies. If applicable, you will retain your entitlement to Dutch student finance (studiefinanciering).
You will be required to pay non-EU/EEA tuition fee.
During the Brexit transition period, the EU health insurance card (EHIC) was still valid for UK students. However as of 1 January 2021, you must take out an alternative health insurance policy. Visit the health insurance page for information on insurance requirements and the types of policy available.
Working during your studies
If you have a part-time job alongside your studies, please consult your employer to find out if, and how, your position and rights as an employee may be affected by Brexit.
For further information, please visit the IND Brexit website, or contact the IND via the Brexit information line: tel +31 (0)88 04 30410 or by email.
For study programme related matters, please contact your study adviser or coordinator.
Impact of Brexit for EU students in the UK
For EU citizens who were already living or studying in the UK on Brexit day, the UK will continue to run the EU Settlement Scheme until 30 June 2021. This means you should be able to carry on your life as usual, continuing to work, study, and access benefits and services in the UK, much as you do now.
Check your tuition fees
Check with your British university if tuition fees for the next academic year will be affected by Brexit.
Starting before 1 June 2021
If your period abroad starts before 1 June 2021, you are eligible to apply for an Erasmus+ grant for studies or traineeships. More information can be found on the Erasmus+ for studies and Erasmus+ for traineeships page.
Starting after Brexit
The UK has decided to cease its participation in the Erasmus+ programme. Nevertheless, Leiden University remains committed to collaboration with its partners in the UK and will continue to support student exchange with British universities through the LUSTRA+ scholarship. Please note that the LUSTRA+ scholarship is not as generous as the Erasmus+ grant.
Also see the Nuffic Brexit Erasmus+ updates (in Dutch)
Further advice
For further advice, please contact your international exchange coordinator.
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Charles Darwin University welcomes international students as flights land in Darwin
International students return to Australia
First international students return to Australia
The Northern Territory Government and the Charles Darwin University (CDU) have welcomed 63 international students back to Australia, with a flight from Singapore landing in Darwin (NT) on Monday, 30 November 2020.
CDU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Maddocks, welcomed the arrival of the new and continuing students from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia. The students are enrolled in a range of VET and Higher Education programs in Law, Nursing, IT, Education, Accounting and Engineering.
CDU has provided a comprehensive support program for students during their quarantine period including care packages, safety briefings, daily phone calls, virtual coffee catch ups and exercise classes, along with English language and employability workshops.
We offer every newly arrived student our warmest welcome – it’s so good to have you back with us!
All Australian states and territories are working directly with education providers to develop plans to welcome students back to their campuses and communities.
Source: Charles Darwin University (CDU)
COVID-19 questions and answers (Q&A)
Latest visa and travel information for international students
MoocLab world university rankings
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Home / Service / Legal policy
Data Privacy Policy According to the Provisions of the GDPR
The controller for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation and other national data protection laws of the member states as well as other data protection regulations is:
Hotel Tauernhof GmbH & Co KG
Familie Gschwandtner
Nikolaus Gassner Str. 9
A-5710 Kaprun
Tel: +43 6547 / 8235-0
Fax: +43 6547 / 8235-66
http://www.tauernhof-kaprun.at
If your personal data is processed, you are the data subject within the meaning of GDPR and you have the following rights against the controller:
1. Right to information
You may ask the controller to confirm if personal data concerning you is processed by us.
If such processing is being carried out, you can request information from the controller about the following:
the purposes for which the personal data is processed;
the categories of personal data being processed;
the recipient or categories of recipients who have received or will receive the personal data concerned;
the period for which the personal data will be stored, or if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period;
the existence of the right to rectification or erasure of personal data or the right to restriction of processing by the controller or the objection to this processing;
the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority;
all available information about the origin of the data when personal data is not collected from the data subject;
the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22 par. 1 and 4 GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and the envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.
You have the right to request information about whether your personal data is transferred to a third country or an international organisation. In this context, you can request the appropriate guarantees according to Article 46 GDPR in connection with the transfer.
You have a right against the controller to rectification and/or completion, if your personal data processed is incorrect or incomplete. The controller must make the correction immediately.
3. Right to the restriction of processing
You have the right to obtain from the controller restriction of processing where one of the following applies:
the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data;
the processing is unlawful and you oppose the erasure of the personal data and request the restriction of its use instead;
the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of processing, but it is required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or
you have objected to processing pursuant to Article 21 par. 1 GDPR pending verification of whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.
Where processing has been restricted, such personal data shall – with the exception of storage – only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.
If restriction of processing has been obtained pursuant to the conditions set out above, you shall be informed by the controller before the restriction of processing is lifted.
4. Right to erasure
a) Obligation of erasure
You can demand the controller delete your personal data without delay, and the controller is required to delete that information immediately if one of the following applies:
Your personal data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed.
You revoke your consent to the processing pursuant to Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a or Article 9 par. 2 lit. a GDPR and there is no other legal basis for processing.
You oppose the processing according to Article 21 par. 1 GDPR and there are no overriding justifiable reasons for the processing, or you oppose the processing according to Article 21 par. 2 GDPR.
Your personal data was unlawfully processed.
The deletion of your personal data is required to fulfil a legal obligation under Union law or the law of the Member States to which the controller is subject.
Your personal data was collected in relation to information society services offered pursuant to Article 8 par. 1 GDPR.
b) Information to third parties
If the controller has made the personal data concerning you public and is obliged to delete it according to Article 17 par. 1 GDPR, the controller shall, taking into account available technology and implementation costs, take appropriate measures, including technical means, to inform data controllers who process your personal data that you as data subject have requested all links to such personal data, or copies or replications of such personal data, to be deleted.
c) Exceptions
The right to erasure does not exist if the processing is necessary:
for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information;
for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
for reasons of public interest in the area of public health in accordance with points (h) and (i) of Article 9 par. 2, as well as Article 9 par. 3 GDPR;
for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89 par. 1 GDPR insofar as the right referred to in item a) is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the objectives of that processing; or
5. Right to be informed
If you have the right of rectification, erasure or restriction of processing against the controller, he/she is obliged to notify all recipients to whom your personal data has been disclosed of this correction or deletion of the data or restriction of processing, unless this proves to be impossible or involves a disproportionate effort.
You have a right against the controller to be informed about these recipients.
6. Right to data portability
You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to the controller, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. You also have the right to transmit that data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to which the personal data has been provided, where:
the processing is based on consent pursuant to Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR or Article 9 par. 2 lit. a GDPR or on a contract pursuant to Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. b GDPR, and
In exercising this right, you shall have the right to have the personal data concerning you transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible. Freedoms and rights of other persons may not be affected by this right.
The right to data portability does not apply to the processing of personal data necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority which has been delegated to the controller.
7. Right to object
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Article 6 par. 1 lit. 2 or f GDPR; this is also valid for profiling based on those provisions.
The controller shall no longer process the personal data concerning you unless the controller can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Where personal data concerning you is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to processing of your personal data for such marketing; this includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, your personal data shall no longer be processed for such purposes.
You may, in the context of the use of information society services – notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC – exercise your right to object by automated means using technical specifications.
8. Right to revoke the data protection declaration of consent
You have the right to revoke your data protection declaration of consent at any time. The revocation of consent does not affect the legality of the processing carried out on the basis of the existence of consent prior to consent being revoked.
9. Automated individual decision-making, including profiling
You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing – including profiling – which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. This does not apply if the decision:
is necessary for entering into or performance of a contract between you and the controller;
is authorised by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays out suitable measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms and legitimate interests; or
is based on your explicit consent.
However, these decisions shall not be based on special categories of personal data referred to in Article 9 par. 1 GDPR unless Article 9 par. 2 lit. a or g GDPR applies and suitable measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms and legitimate interests are in place.
With regard to the cases named in (1) and (3), the controller shall take appropriate measures to uphold the rights and freedoms and legitimate interests of the data subject, including at least the right to obtain the intervention of a person by the controller, to express his/her own position and to challenge the decision.
10. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider the processing of your personal data to infringe the GDPR.
The supervisory authority with which the complaint is lodged shall inform the complainant on the progress and the outcome of the complaint including the possibility of a judicial remedy pursuant to Article 78 GDPR.
General information on data processing
1. Scope of the processing of personal data
In principle, we process our users’ personal data only to the extent necessary to provide a functioning website and our content and services. The processing of users’ personal data takes place regularly only with the consent of the user. An exception applies in cases in which prior consent cannot be obtained for reasons of fact and the processing of the data is permitted by law.
2. Legal basis for processing personal data
Insofar as we obtain the consent of the data subject for processing of personal data, Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serves as legal basis.
Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. b GDPR serves as legal basis for the processing of personal data necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party. This also applies to processing required to carry out pre-contractual measures.
Insofar as processing of personal data is required to fulfil a legal obligation to which our company is subject, Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. c GDPR serves as legal basis.
In cases where the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. d GDPR serves as legal basis.
If processing is necessary to safeguard the legitimate interests of our company or a third party, and if the interest, fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject do not prevail over the first interest, Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR serves as legal basis for the processing.
3. Deletion of data and storage period
The data subject’s personal data shall be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose of the storage no longer applies. In addition, such storage may occur when provided for by the European or national legislator in EU regulations, laws or other regulations to which the controller is subject. Blocking or deletion of the data also occurs when a storage period prescribed by the aforementioned standards expires, unless there is a need for further storage of the data for the conclusion or fulfilment of a contract.
Provision of the website and creation of log files
1. Description and scope of data processing
Each time our website is accessed, our system automatically collects data and information from the system of the computer accessing the website.
The following data is collected here:
Information about the type of browser and version used
The user’s operating system
The user’s Internet Service Provider
The user’s IP address
Websites from which the user’s system accesses our website
Websites accessed by the user’s system via our website
The data is also stored in the log files of our system. This data is not stored together with other personal data relating to the user.
2. Legal basis for the processing of data
The legal basis for temporary storage of the data and log files is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
3. Purpose of data processing
The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary to allow delivery of the website to the user’s computer. For this, the user’s IP address must be kept for the duration of the session.
Storage in log files is done to ensure the functionality of the website. In addition, the data is used to optimise the website and to ensure the security of our information technology systems. Evaluation of the data for marketing purposes does not take place in this context.
For these purposes, our legitimate interest is in the processing of data pursuant to Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
4. Duration of storage
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose of its collection. In cases of data collection for the provision of the website, this is the case when the respective session is completed.
In the case of storing the data in log files, this is after no more than seven days. Further storage is possible. In this case, the user's IP address is deleted or distorted to ensure it is no longer possible to identify the client.
5. Means of objection and removal
The collection of data for the provision of the website and the storage of the data in log files is essential for the operation of the website. There is consequently no means of objection on the part of the user.
a) Description and scope of data processing
Our website uses Cookies. Cookies are text files that are saved onto the Internet browser or by the Internet browser on the computer system of the user. If a user visits a website, a Cookie can be saved on the user’s operating system. This Cookie contains a characteristic string that allows the browser to be uniquely identified when the website is revisited.
We use Cookies to make our website more user-friendly. Some elements on our website require that the requesting browser be identified even after a change in pages.
The following data is saved and transmitted in the Cookies:
Items in shopping cart
Log-In informations
We also use Cookies on our website that allow the user’s surfing habits to be analysed.
This allows the following data to be transmitted:
Entered search terms
Frequency of page views
Use of website functions
The user data collected in this way is pseudonymised by technical means. Thus, it is no longer possible to assign the data to the user. The data will not be stored together with other personal data relating to the user.
When accessing our website, users are informed of the use of Cookies for analysis purposes by means of an informational banner and are referred to this privacy policy. In this context, there is also information on how to prevent the storage of Cookies in your browser settings.
b) Legal basis for the processing of data
The legal basis for the processing of personal data using Cookies is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
c) Purpose of data processing
The purpose of using technically essential Cookies is to simplify the use of websites for users. Some features of our website cannot be offered without the use of Cookies. For these, it is necessary that the browser is recognised even after a change of pages.
We require Cookies for the following application(s):
Acceptance of language setting
The use of the analysis Cookies is for the purpose of improving the quality of our website and its contents. Through the analysis Cookies, we learn how the website is used and thus can continue to optimise our offer.
For these purposes, our legitimate interest is in the processing of personal data pursuant to Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
d) Duration of storage, means of objection and removal
Cookies are saved on the user’s computer and are transmitted by the computer to our site. Therefore, as a user, you have full control over the use of Cookies. By changing settings on your Internet browser, you can deactivate or restrict the transfer of Cookies. This can also be done automatically. If Cookies are deactivated for our website, it may not be possible to use all features of the website to full effect.
The transmission of Flash Cookies cannot be prevented in the browser settings, but by changing settings of your Flash Player.
On our website you can subscribe to a free newsletter. When registering for our newsletter, the following data from the input mask will be sent to us:
P address of the calling computer
Date and time of registration
Data is not disclosed to third parties in connection with the processing of data for the sending of newsletters. The data will be used exclusively for sending the newsletter.
The legal basis for the processing of data after a user registers and gives consent for our newsletter is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR.
The user’s email address is collected in order to deliver the newsletter.
The collection of other personal data in the context of the registration process serves to prevent misuse of the services or the email address used.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose of its collection. The user’s email address is therefore stored as long as the subscription to the newsletter is active.
The other personal data collected during the registration process will typically be deleted after a period of seven days.
Subscription to the newsletter may be terminated by the user at any time. To do so, a corresponding link can be found in each newsletter.
This also allows consent to the storage of the personal data collected during the registration process to be revoked.
Online booking on our website
On our website you have the possibility to book and/or inquire rooms and offers. If a user uses this option, the data entered in the input mask will be transmitted to us and saved. This data is: title, first name, surname, email address, telephone number, address, number of guests, requests, date, time.
Online bookings via our website are completed using the online reservation system of websLINE Internet- & Marketing GmbH, Sägewerkstrasse 24, 83395 Freilassing, Germany. All booking data you enter shall be encrypted. websLINE commits to the data privacy-appropriate handling of your personal data. The company takes all organisational and technical measures to protect your data.
In this context, no further transfer of your data to third parties takes place. The data is used exclusively for processing your booking and for communication purposes.
The legal basis for the processing of the data is the conclusion of an accommodation contract with the user.
The processing of personal data from the input mask serves solely to process your booking request and to process payment transactions.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose of its collection. In the case of a contractual relationship, we will delete the data received as soon as national, commercial, statutory or contractual retention requirements have been met.
The user has the option to object to the processing of their personal data at any time.
We would like to point out that in the case of objection, the booking cannot be completed or the communication cannot be conti
Online bookings via other websites
Interested parties have the option to book rooms and make other arrangements via hotel reservation portals (third parties). If a user uses this option, the data entered in the input mask will be transmitted to us and saved to the extent permitted by the respective hotel reservation portal according to its own privacy policy. This data can include: first name, surname, email address, telephone number, address, number of guests, estimated time of arrival, requests, payment information (credit card).
The data provided is received via a so-called channel manager in our hotel software. All booking data received is encrypted. Seekda GmbH, Neubaugasse 10/15, A-1070 Vienna, Austria is the provider of the channel manager and has committed to data privacy-appropriate handling of transmitted personal data. It takes all organisational and technical measures to protect your data.
Hotel Esplanade Resort & Spa has no influence on the retention periods of the respective hotel reservation portal.
We would like to point out that in the case of objection, the booking cannot be completed or the communication cannot be continued.
Purchasing vouchers via our website
On our website there is the option to purchase vouchers. If a user uses this option, the data entered in the input mask will be transmitted to us and saved. This data is: title, first name, surname, address, email address, telephone number, voucher amount, personalisation of the voucher, shipping options/alternative shipping address, method of payment.
Voucher purchases on our website go through the online ordering system of websLINE Internet- & Marketing GmbH, Sägewerkstrasse 24, 83395 Freilassing, Germany. All order data you enter shall be encrypted. websLINE commits to the data privacy-appropriate handling of your personal data. The company takes all organisational and technical measures to protect your data.
The legal basis for the processing of the data is the conclusion of a contract of sale with the user.
The processing of personal data from the input mask serves solely to process your voucher purchase and to process payment transactions.
Applying for employment in our company
You have the opportunity to apply for a job vacancy or to send us an unsolicited application. You can do so by email or on paper. You can access our job vacancies on our website. If you take this opportunity, we will store general information about you in our administration program. This data is:
First name, surname
Position applied for
Department applied for
Method of application (by email, HotelCareer, HogastJobbörse job portal, mail)
In addition, we may forward your application internally to the responsible department head. In this context, your data is not further transferred to third parties. The data will be used exclusively for processing your application and for communication purposes.
The legal basis for the processing of the data is the initiation of the contract or contractual relationship.
The processing of personal data serves solely to process your application.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose of its collection.
You as an applicant have the option to object to the processing of your personal data at any time.
We would like to point out that in the case of objection, your application cannot be completed and communication cannot be continued.
Former guests can submit a review of our hotel after they check-out. We would therefore like to send you an email within 14 days of your departure to ask you for a hotel review. Each evaluation can be published anonymously if requested. If you did not feel comfortable in our hotel, we would like to take the opportunity to contact you.
If you submit an online review via our website, your data will be saved in the rating tool of TrustYou GmbH, Agnes-Pockels-Bogen 1, D-80992 Munich, Germany. TrustYou GmbH commits to the data privacy-appropriate handling of your personal data. It takes all organisational and technical measures to protect your data.
If a former guest makes an online review, data from the former guest is stored in the evaluation mask. This data is: email address, as well as voluntary information such as first name, surname, language as well as information for the review.
In this context, no further transfer of the data to third parties takes place. The data will only be used to publish the rating and to mediate in cases of poor ratings.
The legal basis for processing the data is also our legitimate interest in data processing.
The purpose of the hotel review is to communicate and summarise the opinions of hotel guests on our website in order for interested parties to get an idea of our services. In addition, the results support our internal quality management.
The data is not deleted.
The user has the option to have their published review deleted (right to be forgotten) at any time. Please simply tell us which review is concerned.
Contact forms and email contact
Our website includes a contact form that can be used for electronic communication. If a user uses this option, the data entered in the input mask is transferred to us and saved. For the processing of the data in the context of the submission process, your consent shall be obtained and we hereby expressly refer you to this privacy statement.
Alternatively, you can make contact via the email address provided. In this case, the user’s personal data transmitted by email will be stored.
In this context, there is no disclosure of the data to third parties. The data is used exclusively for processing the conversation.
The basis of processing data with the user’s explicit consent is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR.
The legal basis for the processing of the data transmitted in the course of sending an email is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR. If the email contact is intended to conclude a contract, then additional legal basis for the processing is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. b GDPR.
The processing of the personal data from the input mask serves only to process the establishment of contact. In the case of contact via email, this also includes the required legitimate interest in the processing of the data.
The other personal data processed during the submission process serves to prevent misuse of the contact form and to ensure the security of our information technology systems.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose of its collection. For the personal data from the input mask of the contact form and data sent by email, this is when the respective conversation with the user has ended. The conversation has ended when it can be inferred from the circumstances that the relevant facts have been clarified in full.
The additional personal data collected during the submission process will be deleted after a period of seven days at latest.
The user has the option to revoke their consent to the processing of their personal data at any time. If the user contacts us by email, they may object to the storage of their personal data at any time. In such cases, communication cannot continue.
Use of Facebook Pixel
1. Scope of processing of personal data
We use “Facebook Pixel” from the social network Facebook, Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States; or, if you are an EU resident, Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. With this analysis tool, Facebook can choose users of our website as the target group for the display of ads.
2. Legal basis for the processing of personal data
The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
The use of Facebook Pixel serves to evaluate the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements for statistical and market research purposes. As a result, future advertising measures can be optimised.
We have no information about the duration of storage.
The collected data remain anonymous for us. It is saved and processed by Facebook. There is a possibility that a connection to your Facebook profile can be made. Facebook may use this information for its own promotional purposes under the Facebook Data Use Policy (https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/). If you do not want Facebook to associate the use of our website with your Facebook profile, then please log out of your Facebook user account. You can object to collection of data by Facebook Pixel and the use of your data for the display of Facebook ads by clicking the following link.
You can also object to the use of Facebook Pixel using our opt-out link:
Use of Facebook plugins
We use the plugins of Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States; or, if you are an EU resident, Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. Activating this plugin creates a connection between your browser and the Facebook server, allowing Facebook to learn that you visit our website with your IP address. Additionally, Facebook receives information about the date, time, browser type and version, operating system and version, and Facebook Cookies previously set on your browser. From this, Facebook can recognise which websites with Facebook content you were on. The plugin is part of Facebook and will only be displayed on our site. Any interaction with the plugin is an interaction on "facebook.com".
If you are signed into Facebook, your Facebook registration number is transmitted when the plugin is activated. The visit to our website can therefore be connected to your Facebook account. Depending on the settings of your Facebook account, clicking the plugin will be published on Facebook. You can prevent this by signing out of your Facebook account before you activate the plugin and deleting all Facebook Cookies after visiting websites with Facebook plugins.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR.
Facebook processes this data to find errors in its own system, to improve its own products and their adaptation to user behaviour, to monitor, place and individualise advertising. In addition, the processing also serves the purposes of localisation, recording of the way websites with Facebook content are used, and for the purpose of market research.
According to their own information, Facebook stores the data for up to 90 days. After this the data is only used in anonymised form.
Find more information about the use and collection of data in Facebook's privacy policy: https://facebook.com/about/privacy/.
Use of Google AdWords
Our website uses Google AdWords from Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States. This is an online advertising program that uses conversion tracking. When you reach our website via a Google Ad, Google AdWords places a Cookie on your computer. Each Google AdWords customer will be assigned a different Cookie.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
We only receive information about the total number of users who respond to our ad. No information will be shared with us that allows us to identify you. The use is not for purposes of traceability.
The Cookie becomes invalid after 30 days.
You can stop Google conversion tracking by turning off tracking in your browser. Find more information by visiting https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States ("Google"). Google Analytics uses Cookies, text files that are saved onto your computer and allow the use of our website to be analysed. The information generated by the Cookie about your use of this website is transmitted to a Google server in the USA and saved there. However, if IP anonymisation is activated on this website, your IP address will be shortened by Google beforehand within member states of the European Union or other signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to a Google server in the US and shortened there. IP anonymisation is active on this website. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity and provide other services related to website activity and Internet usage to the website operator. The IP address provided by Google Analytics as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. You can prevent the storage of Cookies by activating a corresponding setting on your browser software; however, we point out that in this case you may not be able to use all the features of our website in full.
The legal basis for the processing is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
The purpose of the processing of personal data is in the targeted approach of a target group that has already shown initial interest by visiting the page.
Advertisement data in server logs is anonymised by Google, according to their own information, by deleting parts of the IP address and Cookie information after 9 or 18 months.
You may additionally prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the Cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address), as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.
Find more information by visiting https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.
Use of Google Analytics Remarketing
1. Scope of personal data processing
Our website uses the remarketing feature of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States. Together with Google, we offer you appropriate and interest-based advertisements. Google Analytics Remarketing uses Cookies. These are saved on your computer. According to information from Google, this does not involve any collection of personal data. According to Google's information, no connection to other Google services is made.
The purpose of the processing of the personal data is to directly address a target group. The Cookies stored on your computer recognise you when you visit a website and can therefore show you interest-based advertising.
You can prevent the use of the Remarketing feature by activating the appropriate settings at the following link: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated?hl=en.
Find information by visiting: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.
Use of Google Maps Plugin
Our website uses the online map service Google Maps from Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States. By using Google Maps on our website, information about the use of our website, your IP address and address entered in the route planner feature are transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. By using our website you consent to the processing of your data collected by Google Maps.
We have no information about the purpose of data processing nor of Google's use of the data.
Find more information at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.
Use of Instagram Plugin
Our website features integrated plugins of the service Instagram. These are offered by Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
The integrated Instagram buttons are used by us to link to our Instagram profile. A widget is also integrated, which allows us to show certain photos and videos from our Instagram profile on our website.
When you visit one of our pages that contain such a plugin, your browser connects directly to an Instagram server. The contents of the plugins are directly transmitted by this to your browser and are integrated into the website. This automatically transfers data to Instagram and stores it on their servers. This data includes connection information (e.g. your IP address, date and time, URL visited), the browser you are using, and the operating system. Your visit to our website can be tracked by Instagram, even if you do not actively use the plugin features.
If you are logged into your Instagram account, you can link the content of our website to your Instagram profile by clicking on the Instagram button. This allows Instagram to associate your visit to our website with your user account. If you want to prevent this instant mapping, you must sign out of Instagram before visiting our website. For more information, please see the Instagram Privacy Policy: https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388
The legal basis for the processing of the user's personal data is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
Please refer to Instagram's privacy policy for information on the purpose of the processing of personal data: https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388
Please find more information by visiting the following link: https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388.
Use of Bing-Adwords
Our website uses the Conversion Tracking Tool from Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA. Microsoft Bing Ads will store a Cookie on your computer if you access our website through a Microsoft Bing ad. We only learn the total number of users who clicked on a Bing ad and were then redirected to the conversion page. No personal information about the identity of the user is passed on.
The legal basis for the processing of the user’s personal data is Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR.
This allows Microsoft Bing and us to see that someone clicked on an ad, was redirected to our website, and reached a previously determined landing page (conversion page).
The duration of storage depends on the respective browser settings and cannot be influenced by us. If you do not want information about your behaviour to be used as set out above, you can decline the setting of the Cookie.
Find more information by visiting the following link: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-gb/privacystatement
You can deactivate the use by Microsoft (Blacklist) at the following link: http://choice.microsoft.com/de-DE/opt-out
Use of CleverReach
To send our newsletter, we use the software CleverReach, operated by CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG, Mühlenstraße 43, 26180 Rastede, Germany. In doing so, your data is also saved by CleverReach. For subscription to our newsletter, your data is not given to third parties and CleverReach has no right to pass on your data.
The legal basis for the processing of the user’s personal data is generally Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR. If on a contractual basis, then Article 6 par. 1 p. 1 lit. b GDPR also applies.
CleverReach offers evaluation options such as how the newsletter is opened and used by the recipient.
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What's the difference between a host name, a domain name and a fully qualified domain name (FDQN)?
What's the difference between a host name, a domain name and a fully qualified domain name (FQDN)?
A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) contains both a host name and a domain name. For a landing page, the fully qualified domain name usually represents the full URL or a major portion of the top-level address.
In looking at a fully qualified domain name, the host name typically comes before the domain name. The host name represents the network or system used to deliver a user to a certain address or location. The domain name represents the site or project that the user is accessing.
One example is the use of various networks to access educational websites. Typically, the domain name will consist of the identifier for a specific school’s web domain, along with the top-level .edu suffix. For example, the domain name for America University would be americauniversity.edu. The host name would consist of either "www" where the global internet is the host, or some proprietary network name that represents the host – for example, if the school uses a custom internal network called "myAUnet" then "myAUnet" would be the host name.
In connecting to a host, using the fully qualified domain name shows where the user wants to go. A DNS server can resolve the host name to an IP address. Although there is some syntactical tolerance built into the use of a fully qualified domain name, generally, a user can have errors or problems if the domain name is not clearly and completely entered.
Have a question? Ask us here.
View all questions from Techopedia Staff.
Written by Techopedia Staff
At Techopedia, we aim to provide insight and inspiration to IT professionals, technology decision-makers and anyone else who is proud to be called a geek. From defining complex tech jargon in our dictionary, to exploring the latest trend in our articles or providing in-depth coverage of a topic in our tutorials, our goal is to help you better understand technology - and, we hope, make better decisions as a result.
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Nintendo's back in the black but the original Wii is still outselling Wii U
By Kate Solomon 30 January 2013
And the 3DS isn't doing much better
Wii U: people just don't seem to get it
Nintendo's in the money as it announces that it has turned a profit over the last year - but its future is far from certain as it cuts its expectations for the Wii U and 3DS.
In fact, the original Wii console is still selling more units than its successor, with the older machine selling 3.53 million units since November and the Wii U shifting 3.06 million.
Still, for Nintendo to be making money is reassuring as this time last year it was a different story: the Wii was ageing, the Wii U was months away and the 3DS was not selling as well as the company had expected.
Nintendo sheepishly announced its first ever loss and the doomsayers had a field day predicting apocalyptic things for the Mario-maker.
But today the company announced that it made a net profit of Y14.5bn (around £101m, $159m, AU$152m) in the first nine months of the current financial year, compared to a loss of Y48bn (£333m, $526m, AU$504m) this time last year.
So the coffers are looking fat(ish) but Nintendo's not splashing out on Veuve Cliquot and Rolexes just yet - it has decided to cut its forecasts for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in the coming months.
"While Nintendo saw year-on-year increases in the sales of Nintendo 3DS hardware (up 11 per cent year-on-year) and software (up 41 per cent year-on-year), those gains were not enough to offset decreased sales of Wii and Nintendo DS hardware and software," it explained in a statement.
As such, Nintendo has said that it only expects to have sold 4 million Wii U consoles by the end of March 2013, as opposed to its original estimation of 5.5 million - it has sold around 3.06 million to date.
From Guardian
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Razer's Project Hazel has us genuinely excited to wear a smart face mask
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Sunday Reflections: Writing Religion When It’s Not Your Faith, a guest post by Melissa Walker (#FSYALit)
May 17, 2015 by Karen Jensen, TLT 2 Comments
As a Youth Ministry major at a conservative Christian college in the Midwest, I soon became acquainted with a yearly Halloween tradition known as Hell House or Hell Stop, depending on what they chose to call it. It was a new concept to me and I went and visited one once and to me, personally, it was traumatizing the way they combined the traditional horrors of a haunted house with the intense guilt of Christian sin. I came out of my first experience incredibly shaken, which is of course the point. So I was very excited when author Melissa Walker contacted Ally and I about writing a guest post regarding her YA novel, Small Town Sinners. This discussion about faith and spirituality in YA lit has done many things, including helping me discover books I might have missed the first time around and giving us all an opportunity to explore faith experiences, whether they be real and personal or those of fictional characters in the pages of a book, that help us better understand our teens. In addition, as part of the ongoing discussion about needing more diversity in books, one of the main questions I keep hearing being asked is how do you write about something or someone that is so different from your real world knowledge and experience – in this case a faith that is different than your own. The answer I keep hearing over and over again is that one, you must do your due diligence and research, but the other part of that answer is that you must be willing to listen to those who are actually living that life, or as in the case of Small Town Sinners, that faith. Today we are honored to have author Melissa Walker sharing her experience with us in writing about a faith that was different than her own in her book, Small Town Sinners.
I first heard about the concept of Hell House from a friend’s mom. She started talking about how her church had staged a “haunted house of sin” for Halloween, and my jaw dropped as I heard the details—a dramatic play with scenes about gay marriage, abortion, suicide, pornography… and then a meeting with the Devil and a rescue by Jesus, who asked attendees if they’d like to be saved.
This I had to see.
I grew up attending a Methodist church in the liberal southern town of Chapel Hill, NC. I’m familiar with Christian church life—being shushed during the main service before I got to escape to my Sunday School classroom, following along with the words in the hymnal, watching sunlight stream through stained glass windows, enjoying picnics with fried chicken and corn on the cob and greens with bacon fat (yum), and loving that feeling of being known (and parented) by all the adults in the congregation on Sundays.
But Hell House? It sounded extreme to me and was certainly not my experience—I was fascinated. I pitched an article about a Hell House to ELLEgirl magazine, where I was Features Editor, and one Friday before Halloween, I flew into a small West Texas town. The pastor who was staging the Hell House was expecting me, and he had asked a local restaurant to stay open because I was coming in late and would need supper. That was just the first of many warm gestures that met me in this town.
I won’t lie: Over the weekend I saw some crazy stuff. The gay marriage scene of this particular Hell House ended with one partner dying of AIDS in a hospital bed while the devil shouted about wicked deeds. The abortion stage included a beating heartbeat soundtrack and a central table where a girl sat screaming and bleeding, plus the ghost of her aborted child visiting her at age five (played by a five-year-old congregant) and asking “Why did you kill me, Mommy?” The devil, played by the children’s pastor, was truly terrifying with his extra-long nails and the way he whispered in my ear: “I know how you’ve sinned.”
It was plenty for my article. But there was a lot that I didn’t get to include in the ELLEgirl story. Like how the teenagers I met were smart and funny and warm, how the parents I talked to were genuine and kind and wanted the best for their kids. And how the people in this small town were very much like the people in the small town where I grew up. I kept thinking about those people, and I found myself struggling with how shocking I found their version of Christianity. The journalistic piece was one part of the story, but I wanted to ponder their truth from another angle.
When I started writing Young Adult fiction, I wrote about the fashion world in the Violet on the Runway series, because it was what I knew as a magazine editor in NYC. But eventually, I looked back to that weekend in West Texas, and I wrote a book called Small Town Sinners.
At first, I thought the story would be about a girl rebelling against her church’s strict, controversial teachings. My initial outline was very black and white. But then I started writing, and my main character, Lacey Anne, was much more nuanced than that. After all, she wasn’t me. She’d grown up with Hell House in her church, and to her, it was a fantastic play, a way to bring more people to God, and a chance to be in the spotlight. She didn’t consider the politics of it, or the controversy. She just wanted the main role—Abortion Girl.
I know religion is a hard thing for lots of readers—I had two authors decline to blurb the book, both saying it was because the religious aspects made them upset, and I understand that. Hell Houses are intense and dramatic, but there’s more to the book than that. I wanted the story built around the Hell House production to have quiet, introspective moments. Because when that much commotion is going on externally, there are deep emotions happening internally, too.
I wasn’t trying to write a book with “issues” in it, but I did want to present a story that felt true to what these characters—high school students in a small, conservative town—might be facing. It turns out that what it took for me to write about a religion that wasn’t my own was a strong sense of trust in my characters. I had to know Lacey Anne and her friends and family on a deep level; and once I started writing, I saw things through their eyes and their points of view took control of the narrative. I love books that deal with hard subjects because reading about how characters handle their own tricky situations can ideally create empathy, understanding, and a real consideration of “What would I do if that were me?”
Meet Our Guest Blogger:
Melissa Walker is a writer who has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. All in the name of journalism, she has spent 24 hours with male models and attended an elite finishing school for girls in New Zealand, among other hardships. She has written for many publications including Redbook, Glamour, New York, Teen Vogue, Family Circle and more (see samples of her magazine work). She is the co-founder of I Heart Daily with fellow ex-ELLEgirl Anne Ichikawa. It’s a daily newsletter about likable stuff.
Melissa lives in Brooklyn and has a BA in English from Vassar College. She would tell you her SAT scores too, but, you know, the math part was hard. She loves meeting teenagers, and is game to speak at your library or school about writing, books, fashion, magazines or pop culture (but, you know, in a smart way). Get in touch to discuss.
Melissa’s site: melissacwalker.com
About SMALL TOWN SINNERS:
The story of Lacey Anne Byers, a small town girl who is excited to star in Hell House, her church’s annual haunted house of sin, until a childhood friend reappears and makes her question her faith. (Bloomsbury, 2011)
Filed Under: #FSYALit, Faith, Spiritual Life, Spirituality
Cavs says:
It must be challenging. The small town people it seems dramatized the devil and his works. its a sensitive area and am glad you at least had the courage to write about it. Thanks.
Great blog and awesome read
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Redfearn to wait on injury news update
Neil Redfearn gives his team news ahead of Seagulls clash...
Rotherham United manager Neil Redfearn insists he will wait to hear news on the fitness of a number of his players ahead of Tuesday night’s Sky Bet Championship showdown with Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Seagulls arrive at AESSEAL New York Stadium unbeaten on the road in their 2015/16 league campaign with the Millers looking to make amends for their defeat at Leeds United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
With the likes of Farrend Rawson, Stephen Kelly and Leon Best already ruled out the Millers’ boss says he will let the clock run as close to kick off as possible to allow the players on the injury list the maximum time to recover ahead of the first of a double header of home fixtures for his side.
“We have to give our best players a chance of being fit so we have our strongest 11 out, so that’s what we’ll do,” Redfearn told www.themillers.co.uk
“We’ve got a couple of ways of playing now and we can go 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 and the lads know the system and the style of play but it’s important that we get everybody out there that we can, fit and available for selection.”
On loan Manchester City defender Shay Facey was utilised in a more advanced role to nullify the threat posed by Charlie Taylor at Elland Road at the weekend, but had to be withdrawn after concerns about a hamstring injury with Jonson Clarke-Harris taking his place at the interval in West Yorkshire.
Redfearn is confident that the one-time New York FC man will be available for selection for the game against Chris Hughton’s side and insists his withdrawal was just a precautionary measure to ensure he didn’t join the players on the densely populated injury list.
“We had to protect him. He’s trained again this morning and he said he feels fine,” he explained.
“I think it was the pitch and the fact it was his first full 90 minutes [at Preston] as regards competitive football other than friendlies.
“I think you have to be careful because we’ve got so many injuries and players missing and we have to be careful with the lads we’ve got and it’ll be important that we are able to put out our strongest side in the game against Brighton. “
Rotherham-born Frazer Richardson also returned to the side in the right back position having missed out on the action in recent weeks, after sustaining a concussion in the clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage and his performance against his former club pleased the Millers’ manager.
“I think it’s the first time he’s gone back to Elland Road since he left and I thought he really played his part,” Redfearn enthused.
“I thought we looked strong down that right hand side. Carayol had a couple of little flurries before the goal but other than that we kept him quite quiet and the game plan towards that end was working quite well."
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We might never see this again
Thought you'd enjoy this!
It's one you want your Children and Grandchildren to read.
They won't believe this happened, but it DID.
Harry & Bess
(This seems unreal.)
Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many or more important decisions regarding the history of the USA as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.
The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.
When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.
After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."
Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food!
Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.
Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference."
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PHWA Awards
Elmer Ferguson Award
PHWA announces 2019-20 Midseason Award winners
Posted on January 23, 2020 | by mihai
ST. LOUIS — Jan. 22, 2020 — The Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) announced today the winners of 10 Midseason Awards, as the hockey world descends on the Gateway City to mark the halfway point of the 2019-20 NHL campaign.
The PHWA’s Midseason Awards have proven to be an accurate predictor of the NHL Awards show in June: Six of the eight traditional Midseason Awards winners went on to claim the trophy last year in Vegas.
“We’re proud of the work our PHWA members put in throughout the entire season, crunching numbers and speaking to sources to gather the best ballot possible,” PHWA president Frank Seravalli said. “The Midseason Awards are the latest example of that, beginning an evaluation process in January that will conclude in early April when the real ballots are submitted.”
This year, 117 writers representing all 31 chapters completed ballots for 10 Midseason Awards, which included traditional end-of-season honors voted on by the PHWA such as the Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy, Calder Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy and Selke Trophy.
Writers also voted on the Vezina Trophy and the Jim Gregory Award, as well as two non-traditional awards, including the Rod Langway Award, for best ‘defensive defenseman,’ and Comeback Player of the Year, awarded to a player who has returned to a previous high level of performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or major illness.
The Midseason Awards returned for the third straight season, making a once annual staple a regular feature on the hockey calendar again. Historically, the PHWA voted on “Half Season” Awards through 1968, but the practice fell off the radar after the advent of the modern-day All-Star Game – until it was revived in 2018.
Full results for the PHWA’s 2019-20 MIDSEASON NHL AWARDS:
Hart Trophy – to the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team.
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Norris Trophy – to the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability in the position.
1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
Selke Trophy – to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Calder Trophy – to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.
1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
Lady Byng Trophy – to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Vezina Trophy – to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position.
1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
Jack Adams Award – to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.
1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues
Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award – to the General Manager adjusted to have contributed most to his team’s success.
1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues
Rod Langway Award – to the defenseman who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game.
1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Comeback Player of the Year Award – to the player who returned to a previous high level of performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or major illness.
1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights
ABOUT THE PHWA
Established in 1962, the Professional Hockey Writers Association is dedicated to preserving the rights and improving the access for members of the North American-based media who cover ice hockey. The PHWA is comprised of approximately 300 dues-paying members in NHL markets who write about the sport for newspapers, magazines and online media. PHWA members vote on the following seven NHL Awards: Hart Trophy, Calder Trophy, Selke Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, Norris Trophy, Masterton Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy, in addition to NHL All-Star and All-Rookie teams.
An appreciation of Kevin Allen
Tony Gallagher Wins 2020 Elmer Ferguson Award
PHWA’s 2020 Conn Smythe Ballots: Hedman’s razor thin win
Hurricanes, Wild win 2020 Dillman Awards
PHWA reveals 2020 NHL Awards ballots
PHWA: Fighting for fair media access since 1967
© 2021 Professional Hockey Writers Association | PRO IT Service
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Ads Criticize Wendy's Egg Policy
16 August 2007, at 10:44am
US - Humane Society attacks chain for getting supply from caged hens
"In the past, these messages would have largely been ignored, but because a larger fraction of society is interested in these types of issues, organizations are successfully using public opinion to try to make companies more accountable,"
H. Rao Unnava, a marketing professor at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business
A national animal-rights group is mounting a scathing statewide ad campaign taking Wendy's International to task for the eggs the company buys.
One ad declares: "What's Wendy's attitude toward animal welfare? Frosty."
Through the radio and newspaper ads, the Humane Society of the United States is urging Wendy's to increase its purchase of eggs laid by hens housed in barns, not cages, and cut its purchase of eggs laid by caged hens.
Wendy's says it is focusing animal-welfare efforts on pork and chicken, areas where it can make the most difference, rather than eggs, because it buys relatively few. "We're not in a position to impact the issue," said Bob Bertini, a Wendy's spokesman.
The Humane Society of the United States notes, however, that Wendy's rival Burger King said it will phase in a cage-free policy, and by the end of the year the eggs would account for 5 percent of its total. Burger King is a major fast-food breakfast provider; Wendy's is just beginning to reintroduce breakfast.
The group's effort to shame Wendy's into making changes is an example of "activism" marketing, said H. Rao Unnava, a marketing professor at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
Consumers are generally more receptive to such messages because more people have fears and opinions about the environment and the food chain, he said.
Source: ColumbusDispatch
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HBO Max orders a ‘Sex and the City’ revival
By John KoblinThe New York Times
Mon., Jan. 11, 2021timer1 min. read
“Sex and the City,” the landmark HBO series that ran from 1998 through 2004 and was later made into two feature films, is returning yet again.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis will reprise their original characters for a new 10-episode series, HBO Max said Sunday evening. Kim Cattrall, the other major “Sex and the City” cast member who has repeatedly expressed her opposition to revisiting the series, is not returning. HBO Max said that the revival would be called “And Just Like That …” and that production would begin in New York in the “late spring.”
“The series will follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s,” HBO Max said in a statement.
The return of “Sex and the City” is just the latest revival for HBO Max as the 8-month-old streaming service tries to rebound after a sluggish start. Executives for HBO Max are also making a new “Gossip Girl” series, and they have committed to a “Friends” reunion special.
Michael Patrick King, a top producer of the original series and the “Sex and the City” films, will return as an executive producer.
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Benoit Mandelbrot, father of fractals, dies at 85
An interdimensional explorer
Timothy Prickett Morgan Mon 18 Oct 2010 // 07:47 UTC
Benoit Mandelbrot, the father of fractals, died on October 14 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 85.
The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, according to an obituary in the New York Times.
Mandelbrot fled Poland ahead of Nazi occupation when he was 11 and moved with his family to Paris. He studied at the Ecole Polytechnique under the mathematicians Gaston Julia, whose Julia set is a function of complex dynamics closely affiliated with a set of fractals now called the Mandelbrot set, and Paul Pierre Levy, an expert in probability theory.
After World War II, Mandelbrot got a Masters degree in aeronautical engineering at the California Institute of Technology and a PhD in mathematical sciences from the University of Paris; he did a stint at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton University after that, where he was sponsored by none other than John von Neumann.
In 1958, after a few years in academia, Mandelbrot became a mathematician at IBM's TJ Watson Research Center, a post he held for 32 years before retiring as an IBM Fellow and taking a teaching position at Yale University a decade ago.
Just as personal computers were going mainstream in the early 1980s, Mandelbrot put together his now famous book, The Fractal Geometry of Nature, which mainstreamed the idea of fractional dimensions and, more importantly, illustrated these fractals, as Mandelbrot called them, with hypnotic graphics. (I just bought a copy of it online for my kids to get ahead of all of you.) The Mandelbrot subset of the Julia set, seen below, is probably the most famous image in mathematics, akin to the most famous equation in physics, E=mc2.
The classic Mandelbrot set image
You can't help but think about an infinite progression-regression multiverse looking at these images, wondering if these fractal images, with their layers of self-similarity as you zoom in and out of the image, with kinks of uniqueness as you bend the underlying equations this way and that, suggest something fundamental and strange about the universe. This is so much better than a lava lamp:
If you want to get lost for a half hour or so on company time today in honor of Mandelbrot, explore the fun people are having pondering 3D Mandelbrot sets (well, somewhere between the second and third dimensions, surely?) here and there. If you are looking for a real trip, check out all of the fractal generation tools available here. El Reg readers will no doubt have better sources of images and tools for fractals, so take a gander at the comments once they start coming in. ®
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Google Chrome OS: unlike Android, it's open source
The code's already there. If anyone wants it
Cade Metz Mon 8 Nov 2010 // 07:13 UTC
Unlike Android, Google Chrome OS is open source.
Whereas Android is coded behind closed doors — one big-name developer says it's no more open than Apple's iOS — Google's imminent browser-based operating system is built — in large part — where everyone can see it. A portion of the project remains closed — Google's boot-time-boosting firmware work — but like the browser it's based on, Chrome OS is a platform that can serve Google's ad-centric purposes even if its code is set completely free.
According to the man who's closer to the project than anyone outside of Google and its various hardware partners, Chrome OS will offer few surprises when it is officially released, likely before the end of the month. When we spoke to Liam McLoughlin this summer, he assumed the company was crafting certain tools outside the public Chromium OS code tree — Android-style — but in recent weeks, the man known as "Hexxeh" has come to see things a bit differently.
"I'm less sure about Google keeping features out of view now," he tells The Reg. "After having talked to a few people working on it, it seems that the parallels I drew to Android, where things are developed out of the public view, are incorrect. There may be some, but I don't think it's intentional if we haven't seen them yet."
McLoughlin — a college student in the UK — has been the main source for Chromium OS build releases ever since Google first unveiled its public code tree in November of last year. There's always the chance his assessment of Google's plans is off the mark, but it's clear he has developed a reasonably close relationship with the Google development team, and there's no denying Chrome OS was set up quite differently from Android — not to mention the new Google TV platform. Android code wasn't open-sourced until the first Android phones were released, and although Google TVs are now on in stores, the company says it won't open source the code until sometime next year.
Chrome OS (click to enlarge)
Where open source is concerned, Chrome OS is analogous to, well, Chrome. Google's Chrome desktop browser is developed in plain view — Mozilla-style — through the open source Chromium project. And though we questioned Google's intentions when it launched the, yes, Chromium OS project last fall, this open source effort appears to follow the same model. Over the past year, Google's development team has regularly updated the project with new code, and though some Chromium OS watchers have wondered whether there's a shadow code tree somewhere deep into the Mountain View Chocolate Factory, many more with whom we've spoken are confident that what you see with the Chromium OS project is what you'll get with the official Chrome OS release.
Things are different with Android and Google TV. In both cases, Google is looking to extend its dominance beyond today's web. On phones and televisions, the web isn't the focal point it is on the desktop or the network. With Android and Google TV, Mountain View is compelled to control the platform outside the browser. That's the only way it can ensure that its online services win the day. But with Chrome OS, there is no platform beyond the browser. Chrome OS only runs apps on the web, and on the web, Google is already dominant.
Google can (truly) open source Chrome OS because it in no way harms the company to do so — and it may help. If someone is using a machine that runs nothing but web apps, Google is undoubtedly pleased — whether it has a hand in building that machine or not.
The question is how many people really want a machine that runs nothing but web apps.
Next page: Code freeze imminent. If you want it
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Labour leak reveals plan to nationalise energy network
Emily Gosden, Energy Editor
Wednesday May 15 2019, 12.01am, The Times
The document claimed that public ownership would help the shift to green energy
Britain’s power and gas networks would be nationalised under a Labour government and replaced with a complex system of national, regional and municipal energy agencies.
Streets, villages and housing estates could be handed responsibility for operating and maintaining the electricity cables and meters that supply their homes, a leaked document showed.
The plans, expected to be announced within days, suggest that shareholders in companies that own the networks would be unlikely to be paid the market value for their assets, estimated to be worth £64 billion. The document says that the compensation would be decided by parliament, which could make deductions for factors such as “the state of repair of assets and state subsidies given to the energy companies”.
Labour’s 2017 manifesto vowed to return
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Tag: Black Lives Matter Prayer Walk, Burning Bush Church, City of Wayne Michigan
The peaceful prayer walk with community leaders and protesters on their way to Attwood Park in Wayne. Photo by Ryan Wright
By Carolyn Marnon – “Hands up!” yelled the lady with the bullhorn.
“Don’t shoot!” came the reply from the dozens of walkers in her immediate vicinity.
This was the scene several weeks ago as the Black Lives Matter Prayer Walk meandered its way along the streets from Burning Bush International Ministries on Annapolis Rd in Westland to Attwood Park in Wayne, drawing hundreds of people along with them. Whether they came out of their houses to see what was happening in their neighborhood, riding their bicycles down the street, or already out for a summer evening walk, people joined their Black neighbors in this peaceful protest proclaiming that Black Lives Matter.
“What do we want?” “Justice!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”
“Hey hey, ho ho. These racist cops have got to go.”
“Some young people had been approaching the Bishop saying they wanted their voices to be heard,” said Darcel Brown, a member of Burning Bush. Not wanting the church to be silent amongst all the protests and upheaval ignited by the most recent killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota who died after a police officer knelt on his throat for over eight minutes while George struggled to tell him he couldn’t breathe, Bishop Shelby decided to have a Prayer Walk for peace and equality “to be sure the church wasn’t silent on the issue.”
Darcel was one of the members instrumental in organizing the Prayer Walk. Over 300 people were invited, including elected officials. Everyone who was invited was supportive of the event, said Darcel, even if they were not able to attend because of a scheduling conflict.
“My skin is not a threat!”
Protesters display their signs before the march into Wayne. Photo by Ryan Wright
“The inspiration (for the prayer walk) is centered around the Black Lives movement especially as it relates to what happened to George Floyd,” said Bishop Shelby. “Youth and millennials were getting involved in protesting. They were encouraged to speak their voice. This was an opportunity to protest in what I feel is the right way—a peaceful protest. As Christians, we can protest and speak aloud about injustice but still let our light shine as Christians.”
The sign reads “There Comes a Time When Silence is Betrayal.”
“We would have been happy with 200 (people attending) when it was planned. After all the pieces were put together, we had nearly 1500 people in the march,” said Bishop Shelby. He said the sanctuary at Burning Bush seats 1300 people. “I know what 1200-1300 looks like from the sanctuary. “The march was so long at one time, it was all the way down Van Born and Merriman.”
Darcel pauses for a moment. “I was one of the organizers because it took a whole team to put this together. One of the most gratifying moments was just seeing all of the people who came out to support us who were of different ethnic backgrounds and color–Black, White, Arab, elected officials, promoting peace and equality peacefully.”
What did Bishop Shelby think was the most gratifying moment of the event? He replied “Just the outpouring of support. To have the mayors of all four cities, that is Westland, Romulus, Inkster and Wayne. To have them come march with us. To have the four police chiefs. To have the support of the Wayne County police department. To have politicians.…It was a collective effort of overall support.”
The Black Lives Matter Prayer Walk was led by two people carrying a banner with photos of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a 26-year old African American who was shot by police in Louisville in March. The banner read “In Defense of Black Lives.” The parade of peaceful protesters included signs that read “Color is not a Crime,” “Why is Ending Racism a Debate?” “Racism is the Real Pandemic,” “My Weapon is Prayer,” and perhaps the most poignant sign “It Could’ve Been Me…My Dad…Your Son…You.”
All ages participated in the walk. Although the walkers were predominately Black, there were other races mixed in. Police from Wayne, Westland, Inkster, Romulus and Detroit walked in solidarity with the community. Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik spoke to the crowd assembled for the walk.
“Community partnership is how we are going to move forward and how we are going to have to focus on getting beyond all of this.” He said that just like in any profession, bad people find a way to infiltrate a system and that it’s the police chief’s job to get rid of those people. “Nobody dislikes a bad policeman more than the good ones do. They tarnish our reputation, and they ruin our community’s trust.” Chief Jedrusik closed his comments by saying that his goal and that of law enforcement throughout the Wayne County area is to be a model for the nation to follow in policing.
Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong
Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong told the gathering at Attwood Park, “I’ve been in law enforcement for 21 years. It’s my life’s work. I love the job. I have no words for how painful that was to see that (referring to the George Floyd video.) I just want everyone here to know that the type of hatred and violence that we saw from those former officers now incarcerated does not represent the policies, practices or spirit of the Wayne police department. “We need leadership in the churches, leadership in the community. We need leadership in law enforcement. We need leadership in all levels of government, local, state and federal. I am here to give you my word that I’m going to do my part as police chief of the Wayne police department. I just hope that whenever my time comes” Chief Strong asserted, “we don’t need a Black Lives Matter movement.”
“We need to change mentalities,” stressed Bishop Shelby, not just policies. “The way that people see people like you and I, that has to be changed,” he told the gathered crowd.
Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa shared a story of his Black friend who had won a boxing championship in New York City. They were all trying to get to his victory party. No cab would stop for the group. The Black people in the group stepped away while Mayor Rhaesa was able to get a cab to stop. The friends all rushed into the cab and they went on to the party. Racism exists.
Mayor Rhaesa ended his remarks with a reference to the Mandisa song with lyrics of We all bleed the same. “We have to love each other! …Together, we can be the change.”
Resident steps up to help make ventilators during crisis
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National Profiles > Regions > South America > Brazil
Brazil - Major World Religions2
Brazil - Largest Religious Groups2
Preferred Religion (2015)1: Catholic
Majority Religion (2015)2: Catholic (55.3%)
Religious Adherents, (2015)2
Brazil South America World
Christian 86.39% 89.12% 29.88%
24.48% 17.56% 9.58%
Not Religious 8.03% 6.42% 12.1%
Unspecified Not Religious
7.68% 5.91% 10.11%
New Age/Neo-Religionists 2.57% 1.34% 0.15%
Indigenous 0.17% 0.49% 2.5%
Buddhist 0.12% 0.13% 6.65%
Jewish 0.05% 0.09% 0.19%
East Asian Complex 0.03% 0.02% 4.85%
Chinese Folk Religionists
Bahai 0.02% 0.16% 0.11%
Muslim 0.02% 0.3% 22.98%
Religious Demography3
The country has an area of 3,286,488 square miles and a population of 191,900,000. Nearly all major religious groups are present. Many citizens worship in more than one church or participate in the rituals of more than one religion. The 2000 census by the Geographic and Statistical Institute of Brazil (IBGE) indicated that approximately 74 percent of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholic. Approximately 15 percent of the population is Protestant, an estimated 85 percent of whom are Pentecostal or evangelical. These groups include the Assemblies of God, Christian Congregation of Brazil, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the Quadrangular Gospel, God is Love, Maranata, Brazil for Christ, House of the Blessing, New Life, and others. Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Congregationalists, and others account for most of the remaining Protestants and are centered in the south. In the 2000 census, 199,645 residents identify themselves as belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons); however, the church lists its current membership as 970,903.
According to the 2000 census, there are 214,873 adherents of Buddhism and 151,080 adherents of other oriental religious groups. The Japanese-Brazilian community practices Shintoism to a limited degree. The census reports 17,088 adherents of indigenous traditions and 2,905 Hindus.
Followers of African and syncretic religious groups such as Candomblé total a reported 127,582, while followers of Umbanda total 397,431. There are no statistics on the number of followers of Xango or of Macumba; however, data from the same study indicates that followers of Afro-Brazilian religious groups total 0.3 percent of the population.
Followers of spiritism, mainly Kardecists--adherents of the doctrine expounded by Frenchman Allan Kardec in the 19th century--constitute approximately 1.3 percent, with an estimated 2,262,400 followers. There are 25,889 reported practitioners of Spiritualism. An estimated 7 percent do not practice any religion, and approximately 384,000 participants did not respond to the census.
Reliable figures on the number of Muslims do not exist. Muslim leaders estimate that there are between 700,000 and 3 million Muslims, with the lower figure representing those who actively practice their religion, while the higher estimate also includes nominal members. These figures are much higher than the 27,239 Muslims reported in the 2000 census. There are significant Muslim communities in São Paulo, the ABC industrial suburbs of the greater São Paulo city area, and in the Santos area. There are also communities in Paraná State in the coastal region and in Curitiba and Foz do Iguazu in the triborder area. The community is overwhelmingly Sunni; the Sunnis are almost completely assimilated into broader society. The recent Shiite immigrants gravitate to small insular communities in São Paulo, Curitiba, and Foz do Iguazu. Sunni and Shi'a Islam are practiced predominantly by immigrants who arrived during the past 25 years from Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Conversions to Islam have increased recently among non-Arab citizens. There are some 62 mosques, Islamic religious centers, and Islamic associations.
According to the Jewish Confederation of Brazil (CONIB), there are 119,560 Jews of whom approximately 60,000 reside in São Paulo State. There are 35,000 to 40,000 in Rio de Janeiro State, according to CONIB and Rio de Janeiro's Jewish Federation estimates. Many other cities have smaller Jewish communities.
3. The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report is submitted to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. These State Department reports are open source.
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Howard Blumenthal
Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles, CA
Email: howard.blumenthal@TheBarnesFirm.com
Howard Blumenthal has been a licensed attorney in California for over 22 years. His practice has focussed primarily on personal injury civil litigation. Prior to becoming an attorney, Howard was employed by a major insurance company as an insurance adjuster and worked for a law firm in Beverly Hills as a case manager giving him extensive experience in evaluating and resolving personal injury claims. In addition, early in his career he worked for an insurance defense firm for one year which gave him additional insight into how personal injury claims are evaluated by opposing counsel. Howard has worked closely with Steve Barnes for years at both the law offices of Cellino & Barnes and at The Barnes Firm. He has resolved over 110 million dollars in personal injury claims in his career and almost 5000 cases.
Howard has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UCLA and has his Juris Doctor from UWLA. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He has been a voluntary settlement conference officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court, has worked as a settlement officer for the CRASH program at the Glendale courthouse, is a mandatory settlement officer for CAALA and has been a Judge Pro Temp for traffic court handling arraignments and traffic court trials. He is a past president of the Antelope Valley Bar Association and is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.
Howard has both jury trial and bench trial experience. He is married, has three children and resides in Valencia.
Juris Doctorate – University of West Los Angeles
Bachelor of Science – UCLA
California Bar
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker: The Trilogy Comes to a Crashing End
When the new “Star Wars” trilogy began back in 2015, it started on a somewhat shaky note. J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” ended up being a decent film, but there’s no denying that it amounted to little more than a beat-for-beat remake of “A New Hope,” leaving many fans disappointed that he hadn’t tried to do something a little more creative. However, all of that changed with Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi.” His film was big, bold, original, and dared to go off in unexpected directions, resulting in the best “Star Wars” film since the original trilogy. Now the time has come for the conclusion of the trilogy, and of the entire Skywalker Saga, with “The Rise of Skywalker,” where we once again see Abrams taking the helm. Will he take a page from Johnson’s book and dare to go big and bold, or will the finale end up being not quite so grand?
At the start of the film, it has been rumored that Emperor Palpatine has returned, which causes Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to attempt to seek out and destroy him. However, the Emperor reveals a secret fleet dubbed the “Final Order” and sends Kylo to kill Rey (Daisy Ridley). Meanwhile, the Resistance receives the information regarding the Emperor’s return from a spy, which leads Rey, Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and their comrades to the ship of someone who might be able to help find him. There they find an item that could help lead them to him, but with the First Order closing in, they’ll have to put all of their skills to use to overcome the odds and pull off their incredibly dangerous mission.
There’s really no beating around the bush with it: J.J. Abrams’ conclusion to the Skywalker Saga is something of a mess. Whereas Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” had been daring, exciting, and encapsulated everything that makes “Star Wars” great, “The Rise of Skywalker” brings the trilogy to an end with a bland, dull, and very forgettable final entry. In fact, the difference between the two films is night and day, and is quickly noticeable from the opening scroll of “Episode IX,” which reads as though it was written in a rush by an inexperienced writer. The problems only expand from there, including multiple silly plot twists (which won’t be given away here), writing that lacks the adventure and spirit of the franchise, and a dull conclusion that doesn’t bring about much excitement.
The biggest problem though is that this entire film feels as though it was made to pander to the fans. Apparently the filmmakers thought that easy answers and a familiar villain is exactly what everyone wanted, even if it didn’t make sense, and even going so far as to change certain shocking things from the previous film. “The Last Jedi” worked so well precisely because it didn’t go this easy route, and didn’t go the exact way fans thought it would. Johnson dared to do something different, and in doing so, came up with something incredible, whereas Abrams and co. tried to give fans exactly what they wanted to see in a “Star Wars” movie, therefore giving them a film that has no surprises to offer.
The obvious place to point the finger would be at co-writer Chris Terrio, who, while he did win an undeserved Oscar for the decent “Argo,” was responsible for the dreadful films “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” It’s unclear as to why they would choose someone who has already ruined two big-budget superhero films to help pen a “Star Wars” film when he’s clearly not qualified. It certainly doesn’t help either that Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow, both responsible for the terrible “Jurassic World” films, were allowed to help write the story. It’s possible that Abrams himself is to blame as well, but given his track record, and those of all of the others involved, it seems clear as to who hurt the project the most.
It all really just makes you wish that Johnson had been able to return as writer/director of this last installment, but unfortunately given the last-minute director shakeup (thankfully Trevorrow was fired before he was allowed to helm), he was unable to commit. A conclusion to this saga could have been something truly remarkable in the hands of the right writer, and it’s rather disappointing to wind up with this overstuffed actioner that does little justice for the characters in this epic narrative. After all these characters have been through, there should’ve been something more than this. Unfortunately this is what we are left with: a completely forgettable finale that could have been so much more. 2/4 stars.
Now playing in theaters everywhere.
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University of Virginia-Main Campus
Fifty-four students are selected to live on The Lawn during their final year credit: Karen Blaha
15,476 Undergraduates
Suburb: Small
www.virginia.edu
Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, and he opened its doors in the spring of 1825. Jefferson was the first and only U.S. President to establish a higher learning institution. This public research university sits on 1,682 acres of land in Charlottesville, Virginia. UVA has no official motto, but on a gate on campus, there is this quote from Thomas Jefferson about the founding of the school: “Here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it." Notable alumni include the sixth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Robert Mueller, actress Tina Fey, writer Edgar Allan Poe, co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian, tennis player Danielle Rose Collins, Former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and basketball player Malcolm Brogdon. UVA is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Its varsity teams have won 76 ACC championships since 2002, which is more than any other school in the ACC. Since 2012, it’s won six NCAA championships. Sports offered at the school include men’s football, baseball and basketball, and women’s basketball, lacrosse and soccer. UVA’s colors are navy blue and orange. The mascot is The Virginia Cavalier, also known as the Wahoo or Hoo.
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville and officially named the City of Charlottesville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2016, an estimated 46,912 people lived within the city limits. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. More from Wikipedia...
Out-Of-State (published)
In-State (published)
Dorm Food:
Clubs & Extracurriculars:
Important, more than 700 clubs on campus
Greek Life:
Important, many to choose from
Party Scene:
Named one of the top party schools in the nation
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
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Digital music and audio
Penguin audiobooks to be free of copyright protection
· Scardino ready for digital experimentation
· Greenspan boosts publisher's profits
Richard Wray
Tue 4 Mar 2008 08.39 EST
Penguin is planning to offer audiobooks that are free of digital copyright protection technology, which will allow buyers to play them on any digital device, dismissing fears that they could become the latest target for online pirates.
The 73-year-old publishing house is also hoping for a big boost this year after one of its three-year-old titles, a new age self-improvement tome entitled A New Earth: Awakening to your Life's Purpose, was picked by Oprah Winfrey for her book club. Since the TV host chose it four weeks ago, Penguin has sent 4m copies to US retailers of a book that had sold 500,000.
Announcing a strong set of annual results from Pearson, which also owns the Financial Times, chief executive Marjorie Scardino said yesterday that Penguin would follow Random House and experiment with selling "DRM-free" digital versions of its audiobooks on the internet.
Though she said it was vital to protect intellectual property, "I don't think we can be worried about every incursion from electronic selling and electronic use. We have got to think about what the future is going to be and look at how to experiment with it."
Scardino admitted that another potential electronic version of literature - digital books or ebooks - has yet to take off because there is still no attractive digital book-reading device.
Last year Amazon tried to revitalise the market with the Kindle, but Scardino reckons it "is not quite there yet, and I think we are still waiting for that piece of kit. It's like downloadable music - iTunes came first but without the iPod I think that would not have really mattered."
Pearson announced profits of £549m for last year, up from £502m in 2006, as revenues increased to £4.2bn from £4bn and margins improved across the business. Penguin increased sales by 3% to £846m while profits leapt 20% to £74m helped by the success of titles including A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Don't Stop Me Now by Jeremy Clarkson. Former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan's book The Age of Turbulence sold almost a million copies.
Shares in Pearson dropped 17.5p to 648.5p as analysts fretted about its exposure to a weakening US economy. But Scardino stressed that most US educational spending is controlled by states, not the federal government, and it has not seen book budgets cut in previous economic downturns.
Pearson's FT Publishing business, which includes the Financial Times, FT.com and Mergermarket, increased sales by 12% to £344m with profits of £56m, up from £27m.
Scardino said the FT has seen no drop-off in advertising despite the credit crunch and major job losses at City banks. "We are up in the first few months of the year," she said. "We have lots of forward bookings so we are very positive."
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The Battle of Fontenoy in Irish Nationalist Tradition
Publisher 11 May, 2020 Irish History
‘The Irish Brigade presenting captured British flags to the King Louis and the Dauphin, while in the foreground, the Scottish Highlanders – the Black Watch – fought well received their baptism of fire in the battle, are shown crest fallen and shackled. Horace Vernet, The Battle of Fontenoy, 11th of May, 1745
By Stephen McGarry
May, 2020 marks the 275th anniversary of the Battle of Fontenoy (1745) which took place during the War of the Austrian Succession between France and an English-led coalition in modern-day Belgium.
The actions of the Irish Brigade of France there are generally regarded as being the pinnacle of Irish military prowess.
The Duke of Cumberland’s Anglo-Hanoverian infantry were at the cusp of victory, when the French commander, Maurice de Saxe sent in six infantry regiments of the Irish Brigade of France at the last minute to halt the Allied advance. The Irish charge smashed violently through the English foot and secured victory for France.
The Irish Brigade in French service helped to defeat the British Army of the Duke of Cumberland at Fontenoy, in modern Belgium in 1745
The battle of Fontenoy, fought at the height of the anti-Catholic Penal Laws in Ireland, was looked upon with ferocious pride back home in Ireland. Among other things, the Penal Laws forbade Catholics from bearing arms and serving in the military, and thousands of Irish Catholics, nicknamed the ‘Wild Geese’ were recruited into military service with the Catholic powers, principally France and Spain in the first half of 18th century.
The British defeat was deemed as vengeance for the Catholic or Jacobite defeat in the Williamite War and the broken 1691 Treaty of Limerick – the terms of surrender had guaranteed civil and religious rights for Catholics, a promise subsequently disowned by the Protestant dominated Irish Parliament. The Irish Catholic victory over their oppressors at Fontenoy loomed large in the Irish psyche for many years afterwards.
The memory of the battle was even adopted by Protestant Irish nationalists such as the United Irish leader Theobald Wolfe Tone as an example of Irish bravery in arms.
‘Irish valour’
The Sullivan plaque, erected in 1902
Wolfe Tone recalled Irish valour at Fontenoy in his memoirs. Miles Byrne, who served in Napoleon’s Irish Legion, mentioned an occasion in 1810 when the French commander called on them to remember Fontenoy, prior to the Battle of Bussaco against the Duke of Wellington’s Anglo-Portugese army during the Peninsular War.
Thomas Francis Meagher, who had fought in the 1848 Irish Rebellion, raised an Irish brigade from Irish-Americans in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Meagher also famously rallied his troops with ‘Remember Fontenoy!’ prior to their charge at the battle of Bull Run in 1861.
Irish valour at Fontenoy was proudly celebrated in stories, poems and songs and incorporated into the Irish nationalist tradition.
Irish valour at Fontenoy was proudly celebrated in stories, poems and songs. During the nineteenth century, Thomas Davis’s ‘The Battle of Fontenoy,’ ‘The Battle Eve of the Brigade’ and J.C. O’ Callaghan’s magnum opus; ‘Irish Brigades in the Service of France,’ in particular, helped to establish the cult of the Wild Geese in Irish nationalist tradition.
The exploits of the Wild Geese captured the romantic imaginations of many Irish writers in the early twentieth century, notably the poet Emily Lawless and Arthur Conan Doyle. MIchael O’Hanrahan, who was executed after the 1916 Rising, penned ‘Swordsman of the Brigade,’ a novel about the adventures of a soldier in the Irish Brigade of France during the early 18th century.
There were streets and GAA clubs named after the battle. James Joyce, for example, lived for a time in Fontenoy Street, in Dublin 7. Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club recently visited the Fontenoy cross, from whence the club takes its name. This is perhaps fitting, as two years after the battle, a hurling match was played on the battlefield by the Irish Brigade in memory of their fallen comrades.
The Fontenoy Committee of 1905
The Fenian leader John O’Leary and John McBride in Fontenoy, 1905
In 1904, the founding member of the Irish Literary Society in London, Richard Barry O’Brien was touring Belgium and stopped off at the village of Fontenoy. The village had changed little since the battle.
It was described at the time as being a scattered village of twenty or thirty modest, single-story, red roofed cottages with a brick church in its centre. Upon his return to Ireland, O’Brien proposed that an official trip should be made to Fontenoy to remember the fallen Irish.
The idea gained the support of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and a ‘Fontenoy Committee’ was established with a view to conducting an official ‘pilgrimage’ to Fontenoy the following year. The preparations for which were regularly reported in the Freeman’s Journal and in other nationalist papers.
In the early 1900s, Irish nationalists erected Celtic Cross at Fontenoy and led numerous expeditions there to commemorate the battle.
In June 1905, a large Irish entourage – according to the Irish Independent numbering three-hundred people – travelled to Belgium. Among the eminent visitors were John McBride, who would be later executed following the 1916 Rising, he had recently fought with the Boers in South Africa and had organised an Irish Transvaal brigade there to fight the British.
The elderly Fenian leader John O’ Leary and Patrick Pearse were also present along with Richard Barry O’Brien, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Joseph Hutchinson. The Irish were warmly received by the Bourgmestre of Tournai, along with other representatives, and following a religious service in Irish by Father McInerney in Tournai, the entourage travelled the 10km to the historic battlefield of Fontenoy.
It was felt that a proper monument to the Irish should be erected, as the only memorial displayed at the time was a white marble plaque on the wall of Fontenoy’s graveyard. It was erected by Frank Sullivan in 1902, an Irishman living in San Francisco, which reads in English and in French. ‘In memory of the Irish soldiers who changed defeat into victory at Fontenoy, May 11, 1745. God save Ireland.’
The inauguration of the Celtic Memorial Cross, August 1907
Two years later, the Irish Literary Society had raised sufficient funds by public subscriptions in Ireland, Britain and America to finance a memorial. The Dublin-based architect Anthony Scott from Co. Sligo was commissioned for the project.
Scott designed a five-metre Celtic cross, the base of which was hewn out of rough Irish grey granite on a plinth of Limerick marble and the cross was sculpted out of blue Kilkenny granite. The initial site for the monument was to be in the nearby city of Tournai, but due to initial anti-clerical opposition by the inhabitants there to the erection of a cross, the proposed location was changed to Fontenoy.
The cross travelled from Dublin by sea to the Belgian port of Antwerp, from there it was placed on a train to Tournai and hauled onto a horse drawn cart to its inauguration site at Fontenoy’s village green. In August of 1907, Anthony Scott arrived in Fontenoy to oversee the project together with his Dublin firm of building contractors. The Thompson brothers dug foundations, erected wooden scaffolding and began assembling the cross, and in no time, the three-piece cross was hoisted and cemented into position.
The cross’s inscription, written in French and Irish, was dedicated to the Irish Brigade who avenged the violation of the 1691 Treaty of Limerick. Carved into the base of the cross’s base is a relief of the Treaty of Limerick stone, with an inscription written in Irish.
‘On this stone was signed the treaty by which England should have granted religious freedom to the Irish people. It broke that treaty and the Irish, driven from their homelands, enrolled in the French armies and won fame on the battlefields of Europe.’
These were strong words, indeed, but Irish memories are long.
On August 25th, 1907, the monument was proudly unveiled by the newly-elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, Joseph Nannetti, President of the New York Committee J.Grimmins, Richard Barry O’Brien of the Irish Literary Society and the Bourgmestre of Tournai, amid much fanfare.
A religious service followed before the entourage attended a ’Banquet Commémoratif des Irlandais’ at the upmarket Hotel des Neuf Provinces in nearby Tournai. The sumptuous meal was washed down with crates of fine French wines and by locally brewed, strong trappist beers.
Many thumping, rebel rousing ballads and bellicose speeches, one supposes, completed the evening. There were many sore heads, no doubt, when the entourage boarded the train the next morning on their long journey back to Calais, and onwards back home to Ireland. The inaugural event had proved to be a resounding success.
Fontenoy firmly established
The Tipperary hurling team outside Clonmel train station prior to traveling to Fontenoy in 1910. The team’s captain, Tom Semple, for whom Semple Stadium in Thurles is named after, is pictured sporting a moustache in the middle of the centre row.
The memorial firmly established Fontenoy as a stop-over point for Irish tourists tracing Irish footprints on the Continent. In 1910, a game of hurling between Tipperary and Cork was played at Fontenoy, organised by the Pan-Celtic Congress which was being held in the Belgian city of Namur at the time.
The players reportedly arrived with leaflets written in French, Irish and English describing the game, while the local school children impressed them by singing the unofficial Irish national anthem ‘God Save Ireland’ in French.
The cross, located close to the Western Front, luckily survived the bombardment of the First World War. The 16th (Irish) Division of the British Army, by a strange coincidence, was serving on the historic battlefield of Fontenoy at the time of the armistice on Nov 11th, 1918 and halted there when the hostilities ceased. The memorial also luckily emerged out of the Second World War unscathed.
The Irish State takes charge of the monument
Pipers and hurlers marching to Fontenoy, 1910
In 1947, William Fay, Ireland’s chargé d’affaires in Brussels, was requested by the Department of External Affairs to inspect the Fontenoy cross. Fay reported back that the villagers appeared to be proud of their monument and he met an old woman there who recalled the unveiling of the cross.
Fay was told that the local children are still taught Irish songs and commemorate the battle at the cross every year on May 11th. He recommended that the Irish Government take charge of the monument, arguing, rightly, that Fontenoy was one of the few glorious moments in our ‘long’ eighteenth century.
The monument is now under the care of the Office of Public Works, renovation works to the value of 20,000 euro have been completed on it in 2014, and the cross proudly takes part in the annual Global ‘greening’ initiative for St. Patrick’s Day.
The monument is now under the care of the Irish Office of Public Works
The quiet village of Fontenoy, located in the province of Hainaut in French-speaking Belgium, has a population today of just over 700 people, and probably hasn’t changed that much since 1905. However, unlike Waterloo, located less than 100km due east, the battlefield at Fontenoy has changed a great deal.
The local sugar refinery occupies part of the battle site, while the A16 motorway linking Tournai to Mons cuts right through the field of battle, but the cross survives.
Today, the locals continue to remember the Irish dead by raising the Irish tricolour on the monument on May 11th. The local historic military association of Le Tricorne, and of Fontenoy 1745, seek to perpetuate the memory and raise awareness of the battle through conferences, exhibitions, guided tours, publications and exhibitions.
The Cross at Fontenoy today
On the battle’s 250th anniversary in 1995, Defence Forces personnel, along with representatives from France, Belgium and England, took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the memorial. A game of hurling was organised by the historian and president of the Gaelic Sports Club of Luxembourg, Eoghan Ó’hAanracháin, who has written extensively about the Wild Geese.
The Belgian and Irish Post Offices also issued a joint stamp depicting two officers of Clare’s and Dillon’s standing beside the Celtic cross.
A commemorative event at Fontenoy marked the 260th anniversary, with a reading of Davis’s poem ‘Fontenoy’ and with bag-pipers playing; ‘The White Cockade,’ followed by a welcome in the local Café des Irlandais and a civic reception in the Hôtel de Ville in nearby Tournai. President Jacques Chirac sent a delegation to the French Embassy in Dublin, comprising a contingent of the Élysée Palace guards, dressed in 18th century uniform, for a special ceremony there.
An event to mark the 275th anniversary was planned for May 10th. The city of Tournai and Antoing had been coordinating commemorations for many months, with representatives drawn from Ireland, Belgium, France and Britain planned to attend.
These will sadly now not take place as the Belgian Government has prohibited all official events until the end of August due to the Covid-19, and neither will commemorations take place in Dublin for similar reasons.
This is, indeed, a great shame as the memorial has never looked better since the Thompson brothers erected it so many years ago. The memorial sits on Fontenoy’s well maintained village green, now called the Esplanade d’Irlande.
Joint stamp issued by the Belgian and Irish post offices, showing officers of Dillon’s and Clare’s beside the cross
The iron railings surrounding the memorial have been repaired, the cross stabilised, and the granite and marble cleaned, with the incised lettering gilded for the first time since 1907. It is a big change from when I visited the cross a number of years ago, for it then looked sad and forlorn.
I have been reminded that this will not have been the first time commemorations at Fontenoy have been cancelled, for the bicentenary of the battle in 1945 was interrupted by the Second World War as the armistice was signed with the forces of the Wehrmacht just days earlier. There were then, bigger fish to fry. Readers, instead, may choose to commemorate the fallen on May 11th by recalling the last lines of Davis’s poem;
‘On Fontenoy, on Fontenoy, like eagles in the sun,
With bloody plumes, the Irish stand-the field is fought and won!’
Stephen McGarry is the author of Irish Brigades Abroad (Dublin, 2013).
battle of Fontenoy Belgium commemoration Fontenoy historical memory Military History nationalist Stephen McGarry
3 Responses to "The Battle of Fontenoy in Irish Nationalist Tradition"
Don O'Connell says:
The Irish brigade and the 16th Div immune to carping hold Irish honour maybe to be joined by the new UN Irish soldiers who have seen honour in deep dark Africa.
Doug Lucey says:
Good article. I was one of those hoping to attend the commemorations at Fontenoy last Sunday, which proved impossible. So I held my own version, in my own home here in Ireland. Regards, Doug.
Jack Fortune says:
Fontenoy GAA club in Ringsend Dublin were originally just a very very old Hurling club only but in the early 1990s merged with the much younger local Clanna Gael Gaelic Football club to form the amalgamated Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA club.
There’s also a GAA club in the village of Leitrim in Co:Down called Fontenoys. They’re known as Leitrim Fontenoys.
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Home/Saudi Arabia
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One World Digital Dictatorship
IN FOCUS, ENVIRONMENT, ANALYSIS, MILITARISM, BIG BROTHER - SPYING - SURVEILLANCE - WHISTLEBLOWING, MEDIA, 27 Jan 2020
Soren Korsgaard | Crime and Power – TRANSCEND Media Service
5 Jan 2020 – Dystopian classics are back into the spotlight, like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. They have roared back onto bestseller lists due to whistleblowers’ exposés of government imperialism and totalitarian surveillance of their citizens and foreigners. While the kakistocracy and dystopian surveillance state depicted in 1984 undoubtedly reflected, to some extent, contemporary sociopolitical realities, Orwell extrapolated worst-case scenarios set as warnings for future generations. Nonetheless, his book and implicit warnings seem to have been ignored as an authoritarian surveillance state is now a reality for most people in first and second world countries. In lieu of accountability for criminal mass-surveillance or these revelations deterring or limiting the prying eyes of government-sponsored spy programs, the establishment in conjunction with their media platforms has used it to their full advantage, almost as if they, themselves, masterminded the leaks. Rather than being dismantled, the establishment has openly added advanced surveillance technology to their arsenal in their cataclysmic War on Truth.
The mainstream media now parallels Orwell’s Ministry of Truth that broadcasts official explanations, while it effectively neutralizes those who venture outside the parameters of government-approved thinking, which so often equates to threatening their interests. While the current Western population control via advanced surveillance technology and social engineering is unparalleled in history, China has nevertheless rolled out a system that sets new standards for government control, the so-called social credit system. In a few decades from now, if the Chinese government succeeds, those who are imprisoned by the social crediting system will have no reference point or conception of freedom; digital tyranny will have become the norm. To some extent, Western policymakers have been apprehensive of the Chinese program, but as we shall see, it is nevertheless evident that they themselves are working diligently behind the scenes to implement the same technology that makes the Chinese digital prison possible.
The Social Credit System
The Chinese Communist Party implemented the world’s first social crediting system in 2014, a dystopian and Orwellian surveillance-based program that rates citizens according to a set of rules defined by the government; for example, one will be punished for playing too much video game, eating food in the metro, criticizing the government, failing to sort personal waste correctly, swearing in public, and other offenses. On the other hand, one will be rewarded for spying on one’s fellow citizens and reporting to the authorities if people use profane language. At this time, the system has been rolled out in selected cities and declared a success by the government. Before the end of 2020, the Chinese government intends to have assigned a credit score to all of China’s citizens and private businesses, and, at this time, there is, therefore, some variability in the imposed set of regulations and rewards.
If you lose too many points, you become a “blacklisted” individual. Violations, for example, red-light violations, caught on video and mugshots, and personal information of those who are blacklisted are openly displayed on LED screens in public, and even in cinemas as a substitute for commercials. Chinese authorities have also released an app showing “a map of deadbeat debtors” within a 500-meter radius [1]. Users of the app are then encouraged to report if they think a particular debtor could repay his outstanding loans. Rules and regulations cover almost every aspect of human behavior and interaction. For example, if dog owners forget to keep their pet on a leash, disturb other people, or if their leftovers are not removed by the owner for a total of three times, government employees will forcefully remove the dog, and the person will be banned from keeping any dog for five years [2]. Senior citizens may sue their children if they do not visit them regularly; the courts can force the family members to visit them more often [3].
Violations can result in blacklisting. Blacklisted individuals become personae non-gratae: they and their children are banned from a long list of services, like getting out of the country, from specific schools, have their banking accounts frozen, and other people will by force not associate with them as it causes their rating to drop [4]. It is evident that getting blacklisted puts restrictions on movements to such an extent that it effectively amounts to house arrest. It, therefore, seems likely that a blacklisted individual could suffer from starvation and malnutrition as a result of the imposed restrictions. It is important to note that the punishments can – as all other government rules and laws – be changed at any time for the worse. Individuals who have a high credit ranking can receive a list of rewards, including a greater chance of employment, a variety of discounts, and less waiting time at hospitals.
The social crediting system is made possible by extensive and intrusive surveillance, such as video-surveillance and facial recognition technology. The newest technology being rolled out to isolate, control, and modulate people’s behavior parallels science-fiction action thrillers from the 20th century, such as John Carpenter’s They Live from 1988. State-of-the-art technology currently being deployed includes gait recognition technology (they can identify you by the way you walk), robotic birds that hover in the sky monitoring people on the ground, and facial recognition sunglasses for police officers [5]. The surveillance is taken to such an extreme that by 2022 the total number of CCTV installments is projected to increase to 2.76 billion [6].
The Internet also plays a vital role in the edification, the alleged rationale behind the social crediting system, as it is subjected to oppressive control by the Internet Police, a sophisticated unit which monitors online behaviors and punishes government critics, people who watch porn, or somehow else violates the thousands of rules. The Chinese authorities have a well-developed profile of each citizen to the extent that they can find out how often you open your refrigerator, go to the toilet, when you get up in the morning and go to bed as smart meters installed in people’s homes give them that capability. The data is submitted to a variety of analyses, including predictive and behavioral analytics. The end result is a dynamic profile of each citizen. Government workers and artificial intelligence can, at any time, access a file and impose restrictions.
In a blatant propaganda piece on the social credit system by the American NBC News, it was stated that “it pushes you to become a better citizen” and “you are not going to be punished if you haven’t done anything wrong [7].” The terms used in this sentence are obviously subjective; a good citizen from the perspective of the social crediting system is one who never questions authority, always follows the rules, in essence, an aspiring drone controlled by a set of external rules that may at any time be changed. There is no room for individuality, liberty, and creativity within the digital prison. The second assertion has religious connotations as it assumes that the Chinese government and its social crediting system are all fair and just, which is provably false.
The Chinese government and judiciary system are notorious for their criminality, blood lust, corruption, and extreme bias. In 2013, Chinese prosecutors had a conviction rate of 99.93%, yet it was a typical year for them [8]. Provably wrongful convictions and executions are abundant. In 1989, a Chinese executioner put a rifle to the head of Teng Xingshan and pulled the trigger for the murder of Shi Xiaorong. In 2005, however, Shi resurfaced, alive and well. In 1996, 18-year-old Hugjilt was executed 68 days after sentencing despite an abundance of evidence attesting to his innocence. When the Chinese courts finally had to admit that the state had executed an innocent teenager, they compensated the parents with 30,000 Yuan ($4300) [9]. The US justice system is likewise notorious for executing innocent people and forcing innocent people to plea bargain to avoid an overly harsh sentence; in fact, 97% of federal criminal convictions end in a plea bargain while state criminal convictions are at 94% [10, 11]. Nonetheless, in 2015 the average US death row inmate waited 15 years between sentencing and execution, allowing plenty of time for further analysis of the alleged crime committed, and many innocent individuals have been released from death row [12]. In China, execution sometimes takes place immediately after sentencing [13].
Capital punishment is a lucrative business, as organs from executed prisoners are harvested and sold to the highest bidder. For years, the Chinese government denounced the allegations but admitted in 2005 that organ harvesting indeed took place, but asserted in January 2015, they had stopped this practice. Their claim has been met with intense skepticism. The Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China (China Tribunal) has disputed this claim, and presented evidence to the UN that there is “no evidence that the significant infrastructure associated with China’s transplantation industry has been dismantled [14].“ The tribunal concludes, “Forced organ harvesting is of unmatched wickedness even compared – on a death for death basis – with the killings by mass crimes committed in the last century [14].” The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China has concluded that the number of organ transplants may exceed the official government statistics by 1000% [15].
The organ harvesting industry is not only targeting executed prisoners, but is also aimed at “prisoners of conscience,” such as Falun Gong, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and House Christians, and has been “practiced for a substantial period of time involving a very substantial number of victims [14].” In 2001, a whistleblower, Dr. Wang Guoqi, gave testimony to the US House Committee on International Relations. He described in detail how he had been paid $40 for every prisoner he had stripped of organs. He had, however, quit the job in 1995 when he had observed doctors removing the kidneys from a man who was still alive. He had survived his execution. Dr. Wang Guoqi had then inquired whether “the man should be shot again,” but he was informed that it was not necessary “because the man would die after the organ harvest anyway [16].”
Many of China’s “prisoners of conscience” are kept in “concentration camps,” allegedly for re-education purposes; eyewitness testimony and evidence from a variety of sources, however, suggest otherwise [17]. Human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar has called their concentration camps, “a completely Orwellian system of ethnic cleansing, where China is acting as big brother [18].”
Considering China’s long history of causing harm when no harm was merited, it is a distinct possibility that the social crediting system will be used to harvest organs of dissenters who have lucrative, well-kept organs and rare blood types as medical and dental records are a part of each citizen’s digital profile.
Government officials who have commented on China’s social credit system have offered mild criticism of it. For example, in 2018, US Vice President Mike Pence, surrounded by teleprompters, stated, “China has built an unparalleled surveillance state,” but his main point seemed to be that they allegedly often had used US technology to achieve their “Orwellian” state [19]. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Maxim Akimov, has stated that Russia “currently” has “no such projects [20].” The adverb, “currently,” signifies that the situation may change in the future.
However, there is no need to analyze their statements rigorously, as the evidence is abundant that governments have systematically and deliberately undermined our liberties and secretly geared up their respective states for a tyrannical, digital prison. As will be shown in this article, the same types of surveillance technology deployed in China are being set up by government agencies or in conjunction with private companies, in numerous countries, such as USA, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, India, United Kingdom, Russia, and soon they will have the capability to create a digital prison. Additionally, there exists an unmistakable propensity toward crediting systems by private companies. Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer, a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and researcher of the Chinese social crediting system, has warned that western countries are sleepwalking in the same direction, and we are much closer to an Orwellian social crediting system than what it may appear [21].
A variety of crediting systems gauging citizens’ trustworthiness have already been put in place. For instance, Germany is using the universal credit rating system, SCHUFA, which is analogous to FICO, an American version, affecting the majority of those populations and millions of companies. SCHUFA tracks your entire credit history, and by means of classified algorithms, they give you a score. Additional variables also come into play. One of these is “geo-scoring,” meaning that neighbors’ credit ratings can affect yours [21]. If the score is below a certain threshold, you will not be able to acquire a loan, get a phone subscription, etc. This trustworthiness record follows “you everywhere as [a]consumer in your everyday life [22].” Dr. Gigerenzer has warned, “If we don’t do anything, then one day a corporation or a government institution will pull all the information from different data banks together and come up with a social credit score,” and “at the end, we will be in the same state as the Chinese [21].” He concludes, “We live in a world where judgment is being replaced by numbers – by scores that calculate the value of a human being, with the help of algorithms,” and “It would be tragic if somebody’s life was destroyed just because others put blind faith in a commercial algorithm [21].”
In 2018, the Moscow Times reported that by 2025 four out of five Russians will have received a “personal development trajectory [23],” a digital file which Dmitry Kuznetsov, head of IT at Russia’s Pension Fund, has clarified will contain, “Every achievement in a person’s life – the misses, mistakes, big projects [23].” This personal digital file is a part of Russia’s multibillion-dollar program that aims to digitize the economy and roll out digital technologies nationwide. One of these is fifth-generation wireless technology (5G) that is expected to cover 80% of the population by 2025 [24]. Despite overwhelming safety concerns with numerous scientific studies pointing to cancer and other adverse effects at levels “well below most international and national guidelines,” 5G is being rolled out in most advanced countries across the globe [25].
If governments are to create a “smart” or “digital” prison for all of us, it follows that as much as possible of human behavior and interaction with physical devices must be readily quantifiable and internet accessible, preferably connected to large databases; this is often referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). Government agencies that can process vast amounts of data, such as the National Security Agency (NSA), will then intercept the data to evaluate our interaction with the world. 5G network technology is essential for IoT. One of the devices that can transform physical activity into quantifiable data is a smart meter [26]. Country after country has embraced smart meters and, despite evidence that these devices can be hazardous and carcinogenic, often made their installment compulsory [27]. A smart meter digitizes nearly everything in your household by registering when you do what, for example, when you turn on your computer and when it is off. Old-fashioned measuring devices of electricity were limited to measuring the aggregate consumption of energy, but smart meters can collect data every minute, allowing for “consumer profiling” with high accuracy [26].
Surveillance is essential for the workings of a social credit system, in particular, facial recognition technology or biometric face scanners and similar technology [28]. Numerous governments have embraced the technology. In addition to facial recognition technology, governments have successfully implemented several other types of live surveillance technology such as automated license plate readers, which are mounted on street poles, streetlights, highway overpasses, and attached to police cars. These devices record your license plate, and thus governments will have a well-developed profile of your regular movement pattern, irregularities, where you are, and at what time [29].
Although the implementation of biometric face scanners has been challenged and banned to some extent in a few US cities, the FBI has been working diligently behind the scenes by scanning millions of drivers’ license photos from DMV databases, and in all probability from social media accounts and other sources [30]. According to a report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology, “law enforcement face recognition affects over 117 million American adults. It is also unregulated. A few agencies have instituted meaningful protections to prevent the misuse of the technology. In many more cases, it is out of control [31].” In March 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order mandating a “biometric entry-exit system” for top 20 US airports by 2021 [32]. According to a declassified report by the Department of Homeland Security, all travelers, including US citizens, will be subject to facial recognition technology and other methods of identification [33].
A British court ruled in 2019 that biometric face scanners do not violate privacy and human rights, and it is acceptable that the police use them [34]. Private stores, totaling hundreds if not thousands, use facial recognition technology to scan their customers to detect “subjects of interest” and determine if customers are old enough to buy beer and cigarettes [35]. In August 2019, Big Brother Watch, a British civil liberties and privacy campaigning organization, issued a statement that they had uncovered a “collusion between police and private companies [36].” Law enforcement had allied themselves with private companies, such as the owners of the Sheffield’s Meadowhall, one of England’s largest shopping centers, and secretly used facial recognition technology to scan an estimated two million visitors [36]. One year prior to this revelation, it was revealed that the owners of the Trafford Centre, another popular shopping mall, had in collusion with the Greater Manchester Police scanned around 15 million visitors [37]. Big Brother Watch has characterized the situation as an “epidemic,” and the organization has warned that “facial recognition surveillance risks making privacy in Britain extinct [36].”
The usage of automated live identification systems in Canada is similar to the other countries described in this article, but with one exception. Wei Chengyi, the owner of the Foody Mart grocery chain, has stated that the company is planning to introduce “payment by Chinese-made facial recognition devices [38].” Rather than using a credit card or cash, the facial recognition system identifies the customer and links his face to his account, enabling the person to make purchases by simply looking into a camera.
Reportedly, “Russia is building one of the world’s largest facial recognition networks” and that “according to some projections, it may even be bigger than China’s [39].” In particular, strategical places are targeted since the Russian government knows that people will enter these facilities or use these services at some point, like social security payments and passport renewals, to ensure that virtually no one can escape having their face measured, analyzed, and recorded in an instant.
France has launched a nationwide ID app that strongly parallels one of the most essential aspects of China’s social crediting system. The app gives access to a host of public services; however, you can only access them if you let it scan, analyze, and store your facial characteristics. The only way to verify your identity is by means of a facial recognition scan, which is then compared to your passport photo, and undoubtedly used for a wide range of other classified purposes [40]. The usage of facial recognition technology is similarly on the rise in Germany, and from 2010 to 2017, its usage by law enforcement increased by over 1600% [41].
For years, the government of Australia has been creating a massive database of photographic material from a variety of sources, such as passport photos. The database will be available for “government agencies and private businesses to access facial IDs held by state and territory traffic authorities, and passport photos held by the foreign affairs department [42].” The Australian Privacy Foundation has voiced its concerns and stated that Australia is just steps away from “automated and real-time surveillance of public spaces [43].” Measures strongly paralleling China’s surveillance system were taken in 2019, when the government proposed that facial recognition software should be used to verify users’ identity on certain websites [44].
In 2019, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), an Indian government agency, released a 172-page document. It was announced that the NCRB had started working toward making India the world’s epicenter of facial recognition software, permeating the country’s 29 states [45]. The document urges private companies to submit a proposal to help them build the system. When the contract has been signed, it has been ambitiously estimated that it will take less than one year for the system to go live in the world’s second most populated country [46]. Eventually, there will be a single, centralized database comprised of images from “social media accounts, newspapers, CCTV cameras, passport photos, publicly available pictures, and criminal records. Even artists’ sketches of suspects will be part of the database [47].” Law enforcement will be equipped with “hand-held mobile devices enabling them to capture a face in the field and search it instantly against the national database, through a dedicated app [48].”
According to the NCRB, “This is an effort in the direction of modernizing the police force, information gathering, criminal identification, verification and its dissemination among various police organizations and units across the country [45].” On the other end of the spectrum, Apar Gupta, a lawyer and the Executive Director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, has voiced strong concerns over India’s plans to roll out a national facial recognition database, saying, “political opponents, civil rights activists, government critics, and journalists could become potential targets for surveillance [47].” In January 2009, India launched Aadhaar, which has become the world’s largest biometric ID system, containing details of more than 1.2 billion Indians as of October 2019. Gupta fears that the national facial recognition network might be linked up to Aadhaar, resulting in India becoming a “total, permanent surveillance state [49].” Gupta concludes, “These kinds of technologies will be used not toward satisfying the needs of national security, but to enforce a system of social control, like in China” [47].
In addition to the type of technology that is engineered to identify you swiftly, like biometric face scanners, massive data centers are essential to a social crediting system or digital prison. These centers harvest the most private and sensitive data and use it to create individual profiles that include people’s call history, medical records, school records, employment history, purchase history, network of friends via social media monitoring, movement history through GPS signals, and through sophisticated analyses, it is determined whether or not a person is a threat. Newer cell phones give the user the option to lock and unlock it using one’s fingerprint, or via a facial recognition scan, such data is also collected by these data centers.
Additionally, smart TVs, computers, iPads, cell phones, which are present in millions of homes, record user activity, conversations, movements, and certain video games employ facial recognition software. It has been shown that this data is being intercepted by western governments [50]. The NSA is well known at this time due to the media-friendly whistleblower Edward Snowden who revealed that the US engages in the activities specified above. Specifically, the NSA is the American part of the Five Eyes Alliance, a conspiratorial network designed to intercept data, share it between them, and thus commit espionage on as many people and governments as possible [51]. The other four countries are the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. These countries are the main players, but governments have also formed the Nine and Fourteenth Eyes Alliances comprising major and minor European countries [52].
Collectivism and Censorship
While the technology is already available or will soon be to most advanced countries, it can be argued that its availability does not necessitate a rollout of a digital prison. However, for years governments have preconditioned the masses with the ideological underpinnings paramount to a totalitarian digital prison, namely collectivism and the related idea of free-speech restraints via political correctness, brute force, and censorship. By preconditioning the masses, they will slowly be guided into acceptance or compliance with such a system as it is being gradually rolled out.
The Chinese social crediting system is rooted in collectivism and thereby is individualism sacrificed at the expense of the “greater good.” The collectivistic notions that underline this system are similar to these ideas: “A social crediting system is to help us all become better citizens,” and “We need government to protect us.” While collectivistic propaganda runs rampant in socialistic/communistic countries, like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and many others, it has similarly been integrated into the legal framework, culture, and public awareness of supposedly “liberal” countries like the USA. For example, vaccination has successfully been transformed into an aggressive collectivistic idea by the psychopharmaceutical complex with the assistance of a government-enforced monopoly [53]. While inoculation used to be a personal choice, it has now become mandatory by law in numerous countries and States, and in those places where an individual choice is still possible, dissenters and those who even question the safety of vaccines are targeted for harassment and exclusion. Mandatory vaccination is a collectivistic and social crediting related concept.
Another important collectivistic idea is that of “gun control,” but only for the masses, not for the government personnel (law enforcement, military, etc.). Removing firearms or making them extremely difficult to be obtained has been achieved in numerous socialistic/communistic countries, and effective strategies have been implemented in supposedly “liberal” countries [54]. In a digital prison, it is important that the citizens are unarmed in order to make the population virtually powerless.
Silencing whistleblowers, government critics, and free thinkers is an essential component of any tyrannical regime in order to terrorize the public into compliance, and to keep them isolated from information that runs contrary to official dogmas; the greater the ignorance of human rights violations the lower is the chance of resistance and opposition. The digital revolution has equipped us with lightning speed communication, but ruling elites have weaponized the digitization to control, manipulate, and destroy information that is contrary to their interests. For example, as far back as 2003 and 2004, Internet activists were tracked down, and Chinese judges imposed extremely harsh sentences [55]. With its massive resources, China conducts real-time Internet censoring through artificial intelligence and their cyber police squads. Western governments are no better and spy on their citizens in blatant violation of privacy rights, all enabled by the events of September 11, 2001. Subsequent to September 11, the US government launched the draconian PATRIOT Act, limiting and nullifying laws governing civil liberties [56]. England, France, Germany, and other countries followed in the American footsteps and implemented similar laws [57]. These legislative steps served as the first steps toward an Orwellian digital prison.
In addition to imposing restrictions via legislation, governments have also allied themselves with the corporate juggernaut of Facebook, Google, Twitter, and YouTube for the purpose of censorship and social engineering. YouTube’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, admitted in 2019 that 10,000 Google employees and artificial intelligence had succeeded in reducing the “amount of time Americans watch controversial content by 70%” and that instead of referring users to “controversial content” they would be directed to government-approved sources, like CNN [58]. Furthermore, there has been a strong move toward punishing intellectuals and public figures for voicing dissent of official narratives and a variety of ideologies, such as questioning the official 9/11 dogma and the transgender ideology, to the extent that such criticism has been codified into law as a criminal offense [59].
Diversity of thought, especially notions that exist outside of the imaginary boundaries established by governments, is no longer accepted in supposedly advanced countries. Even more illuminating is that whistleblowers have been severely punished, tortured, and made an example of in blatant violation of international law, sending a clear message to potential whistleblowers that exposing government corruption might entail grave consequences. For instance, Chelsea Manning (born Bradley Manning) leaked documents exposing horrendous US war crimes, and for her service, she was sent to prison while the perpetrators walked free [60]. The editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, despite protests from human rights organizations and the public, has been subjected to arbitrary confinement, harassment, humiliation, and torture, not for spreading false information, but for exposing government corruption, war crimes, and other information. Professor Nils Melzer, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and a team of medical experts visited the Wikileaks editor in a UK prison.
From their examination, it was clear that Assange displayed “all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture [61].” Melzer subsequently sent an appeal to the UK government demanding that they adhere to international law, immediately release him, and bar his pending extradition to the US. However, in their considerably delayed response, the UK government “flatly rejected” the appeal, “without indicating any willingness to consider my recommendations, let alone to implement them, or even provide the additional information requested,” Malzer later said [61].
The Special Rapporteur on torture concludes:
“While the US Government prosecutes Mr. Assange for publishing information about serious human rights violations, including torture and murder, the officials responsible for these crimes continue to enjoy impunity [61].”
“The blatant and sustained arbitrariness shown by both the judiciary and the government in this case suggests an alarming departure from the UK’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law. This is setting a worrying example, which is further reinforced by the Government’s recent refusal to conduct the long-awaited judicial inquiry into British involvement in the CIA torture and rendition programme [61].”
“In my view, this case has never been about Mr. Assange’s guilt or innocence, but about making him pay the price for exposing serious governmental misconduct …. Unless the UK urgently changes course and alleviates his inhumane situation, Mr. Assange’s continued exposure to arbitrariness and abuse may soon end up costing his life [61].”
Cognitive Spyware
Surveillance technology follows the trend of other computing technologies, and its cost will decrease while accuracy, size, and speed will improve concomitantly. Governments prioritize control of the masses, and unless significant changes happen to the status quo, scientific development will continue unabated due to sizable government grants. Advanced cameras will eventually reach a size that is nearly unperceivable to the human eye, but even more important is the opportunities advances in technology will provide in regards to monitoring people. Today’s most advanced cameras can monitor physical activity, identify a person, and via advanced algorithms, cameras can outline general characteristics of a person’s appearance, detect if someone is in possession of a gun, and even “detect motions that are commonly used to commit a crime [62].” Although advanced, cameras are nonetheless limited to the physical realm, and while the behavior of a person will reveal a lot about that person’s intentions, mannerisms, etc., the person’s mind can nevertheless hold secrets, engage in “thought crimes,” and plot and outline “crimes” against government or others. In the near future, the mind might not be the refuge it has been hitherto.
A long list of studies found in the PubMed literature deal with decoding human brain activity, for example, by extracting images or thoughts. As early as 2011, Professor Jack Gallant et al. were able to decode brain activity associated with watching movies on YouTube and digitally reconstruct the dynamic mental images using fMRi technology and advanced algorithms [63]. Gallant would later say, “We are opening a window into the movies in our minds [64].” In 2016, in the Journal of Neuroscience, Hongmi Lee and Brice A. Kuhl showed that they could decode information from neural activity in the angular gyrus, a region of the brain associated with memory, and digitally reconstruct a face a person had been instructed to think about [65]. Neuroscientist Divya Chander concludes, “We can now look into the brain and actually see what it is you are seeing,” and “imagine where this technology is taking us … We can now read brains without opening them [66].”
During that same year, Dr. Toshimasa Yamazaki and his team of the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan found a connection between sound waves and brainwaves, and they were able to read certain words from people’s minds without them saying anything [67]. Yamazaki has stated that this technology could empower people who are speech impaired. He did not address the more sinister potential of the technology that governments will have the potential to spy on people’s minds. We may call this type of intrusive surveillance for “cognitive spyware.” In the future, cognitive spyware will likely be able to decode intent before an action has been undertaken, and thus we could be punished for thought crimes and crimes without any physical component based on intent.
At the University of California, researchers have developed a “Brain Decoder Device [68].” Although the device is far from being rolled out globally, the objective is clear: it is to monitor what people are thinking. The lead author of the study, Dr. Brian Pasley, has stated, “If you’re reading text in a newspaper or book, you hear a voice in your own head,” and “We’re trying to decode the brain activity related to that voice [69].”
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has been given considerable government grants to develop Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology. Although the majority of their projects are kept in the dark, it has been revealed that they are working on “a nonsurgical interface between the human brain and technology [70].” The goal is to develop a way for humans to “brain control” machines, i.e., an interface between humans and artificial intelligence in order to control robots, cybersecurity systems, weapons systems, drones [70].
In addition to large corporations and the military, Tesla founder Elon Musk through his company Neurolink is also working toward creating a brain-machine interface system, connecting the human brain to an external device via implants. Musk envisions that brain implants could lead to a future of “superhuman intelligence” by means of symbiosis with artificial intelligence [71]. “Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence [72],” he has also said.
As animal experimentation has been successful, and monkeys can now control computers with their brains, human trials will begin in 2020 [73]. Elon Musk has warned that super-powerful computers could soon overtake humans, and in order to safeguard us against such a scenario, human biology must be merged with artificial intelligence [74]. Facebook, Inc. is similarly investing heavily in this domain. One of the projects they are working on is “smart glasses” that “superimpose computer-generated images over the real world” [75]. Mark Zuckerberg has stated, “The goal is to eventually make it so that you can think something and control something in virtual or augmented reality [76].” Eventually, this type of technology will enable us to control devices with our minds rather than, for example, type a message on a smartphone or check emails on a laptop. Perhaps smartphones will even be replaced entirely by wearable technology.
If we can control machines with our minds, we are approaching a domain in which machines may also control our minds directly or indirectly. It is well established that people change their behavior when they know or believe there is a chance they are being monitored. It follows that people will modulate their thinking patterns and thoughts if they know or expect that government agencies are eavesdropping on their minds.
Albeit brain decoding technology is still considered “extremely primitive [77],” in some years or decades from now, it will most likely mature, and the cost, efficiency, and accuracy will diminish considerably. When or if that happens, police officers may start to be equipped with “cognitive spyware” glasses, just as today where Chinese police officers wear glasses with facial recognition software. Thought reading software might even become as abundant as cameras are today and perhaps be integrated into smart glasses, smartphones, and found on light poles, in airports, on street corners, in government buildings, etc. Thought reading software is simply an extension of the technology embraced by the majority today. For example, Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, is enabled on millions of computers and smartphones. The digital assistant will appear and be ready to assist whenever its name is said in proximity to the device [78]. In order to accomplish this task, it registers all sounds and conversations.
Getting the majority to embrace new technology and even pay for their own surveillance does not appear to be difficult. Usually, certain benefits are offered by using a particular technology. These benefits are often a veneer covering the true intentions behind the software. In the case of the Pokémon GO game, a highly successful surveillance software, millions of people were actually paying for their own surveillance; surveillance can be made trendy if disguised as a game [79]. Smart meters are touted as devices that are more accurate than analog meters; in reality, a smart meter can act as a surveillance system [80]. The success in regards to smartphones is unparalleled, and billions of people now have one. Surveillance cameras and other equipment are advertised as needed for capturing criminals, but regular people are treated as criminals, and the technology can be used for excessive mental and physical control. The efficiency of a social crediting system largely depends on advanced technology. It follows that advances in brain decoding technology and other types of spying equipment will be integrated into social crediting systems to monitor as much of physical and mental activity as possible.
Cryptocurrencies are reported on in the mainstream news on a daily basis, and most people have heard of bitcoin and possibly even ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by marketcap. The obscure, underlying technology of cryptocurrencies is called blockchain technology or distributed ledger technology. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called the technology for an “an important breakthrough” and allocated extra funding for it [81]. A growing list of countries, China, Russia, Venezuela, Estonia, Japan, and others, has announced their intention of launching a national cryptocurrency [82]. Futurists have predicted that blockchain technology will have a considerable impact upon a long list of industries, including banking, real-estate, healthcare, voting, copyright information, and journalism. Some have ambitiously touted it to be the “new Internet [83].” Blockchain technology eliminates the need for a middleman and trusting a centralized management, as protocols, computer code, and cryptography ensure trust in the network. With middlemen eliminated, blockchain technology enables people to interact with large peer-to-peer networks, and it has the capability to transform and reshape society and economy by making the world more decentralized.
A blockchain is a digital concatenated record of transactions. The name derives from the fact that information is stored in a series of blocks, whereas a block typically contains a predetermined amount of data, for instance, one megabyte of transactions. These blocks of data are connected to form a chain, hence the name “blockchain.” A peer-to-peer network of computers validates transactions against the previous blocks. This means that to alter a particular record, for example, in order to put a spurious bitcoin into existence, it would require altering all subsequent blocks. Because data is spread out over a peer-to-peer network, single points of failure are eliminated; thus, blockchains are decentralized.
The concept of blockchain was put onto paper by a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto, and in 2009 he or they created bitcoin, a decentralized and pseudo-anonymous cryptocurrency that has since become extremely valuable [84]. Cryptocurrencies have provided an outlet for circumventing the conventional banking system and government restrictions. However, a public cryptocurrency is simply one implementation of blockchain technology, and it appears to be an ideal tool for enabling totalitarianism, especially if IoT, blockchain technology, and a social credit system are combined.
Blockchain technology, if embraced by world governments, may become an integrated part of social crediting systems through tokenization and monetary control. For instance, the Chinese government may create a national, digital currency, and by means of facial recognition linked to one’s virtual cryptocurrency wallet, the need for physical cash is eliminated. Proponents of a cashless society could argue that it would eliminate a country’s shadow economy, and put an end to funding of illegal activities and terrorism as every record of every transaction is stored in the blockchain. A government-enabled blockchain-permeated society also fosters social engineering as dissenters, lawbreakers, and others could, in an instant, be cut off from services, if they venture outside the government established parameters.
Blockchain tokenization is a process by which real-world objects or certain types of behaviors can be digitally represented on a blockchain. For instance, a $30 million real estate property was tokenized in 2018 [85]. A token is a unit of value that is recorded on the blockchain. A token economy may be introduced in a social credit system to “build vibrant ecosystems through the use of tokens that can incentivize behavior [86].” Blockchain technology could, therefore, “create something that might enable the coordination of human activity at a much larger scale than has been possible before [86].” For example, a climate token where anyone who engages in climate-friendly behavior is rewarded, and those who do not contribute to the maintenance and provision of the climate are punished by losing tokens. Unemployed people could receive unemployment tokens for carrying out certain activities, but also have tokens removed from their digital wallet for not sending out enough job applications, etc. Perhaps a certain amount of tokens needs to be earned before a person is qualified for certain jobs.
The applications of blockchain technology are considerable as even industry leaders BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Toyota are developing blockchain technology for their products, especially for autonomous vehicles [87]. In 2018, Daimler AG, the parent firm of Mercedes Benz, experimented with a small-scale token-based rewards system to encourage eco-driving. Those who followed the rules were rewarded with MobiCoins, which the driver could then use for a variety of services, like VIP access to DTM Race events [88]. Token economies open up for a combination of blockchain technology, IoT, and a social credit system. Modern blockchains are fast, efficient, and operating in real-time, and are considered superior to traditional methods of storage. Therefore, if blockchain technology is connected to IoT, the result could be a near-complete, digital record of one’s interaction with the world. In conclusion, blockchain technology may enable decentralized and autonomous totalitarianism.
Centralized Government
In favor of a social crediting system, it can be argued that extensive surveillance may reduce violent crime and overall improve people’s moral character, and if the rules, regulations, and punishments are codified into law by a democratically elected government, then a social crediting system is sound. However, as we shall see in the following section, these arguments do not stand scrutiny or justify a totalitarian regime.
Murders and other violent crimes committed outside the law are relatively rare phenomena compared to the violence meted out by governments. In fact, history profusely demonstrates a distinct correlation between the power of a government and atrocities [89]. The more powerful a government is, the more capable it is, and more likely it is to kill its own citizens or foreigners. Throughout history, Chinese governments, like most other governments, have systematically killed their own or other populations through violence or deprivation. For the past century alone, Dr. Rudolph Rummel, whose specialty was democide or death by government, has calculated that the Chinese governments murdered more than 80,000,000 unarmed civilians, while governments murdered 262,000,000 worldwide [90].
This massive and staggering figure is nonetheless deceptively conservative as Rummel ignored numerous democides by successive US governments and other governments he favored, such as the approximate 30% of the North Korean population that was killed by US bombing and chemical warfare [91]. The reason for this neglect can presumably be traced to his palpable American jingoism and his unshakable adoration for democracy. Having not learned from studying the history of government-sanctioned democides, genocides, and holocausts, Rummel vehemently supported President George Bush, who told 935 lies about Iraq between 9/11 and the war of aggression against Iraq in March 2003 [92].
Notwithstanding this “technicality” and that the Iraq war violated international and US law, he labeled the War on Terror, “George Bush’s democratic peace foreign policy [93, 94].” He, furthermore, advocated destabilizing the North Korean regime through assassinations and military force, even if it would kill a million people, in order to democratize the country [95]. Thus, in 2014 when it was well known that the War on Terror had killed millions through violence and war-imposed deprivation, Rudolph Rummel died as a warmonger and as an inciter and intellectual facilitator of genocides and democides [96]. Rummel, despite having a profound knowledge of state-sanctioned violence, never questioned the institution of government and naively went along with the fallacious and widespread notion that we need democracy and elect the right people in order to prevent wars, genocides, holocausts, and democides [97]. In any event, Rummel’s overall conclusion cannot be challenged: “Power kills, absolute power kills absolutely [98].”
Governments, whether they are democratic or dictatorial, have a monopoly on violence, lawmaking, and money printing. Corporations, in particular, the top players of what constitutes the psychopharmaceutical complex and the industrial-military/security complex, control by economic means the force of government in order to create or protect their monopolies. Corporations are able to bribe, coerce, or manipulate governments into granting them unparalleled powers, which without government would not have been possible, for instance, the power to enforce fluoridation and vaccination by law, and inflate military spending and in the process make war and related matters very profitable businesses. In 2018, the world’s military expenditures approximated two trillion dollars worldwide [99].
War is so profitable that the British have invaded 193 countries, Australia 85, France 82, the US 72 (52 after WW2), Germany 39, Japan 30, Russia 25, Canada 25, and Israel 12 [100]. The so-called democratic peace theory, which holds that liberal democracies exercise peaceful foreign relations, is empirically false. While war is profitable for corporations, governments force taxpayers to give up their property in order to finance wars. Government is a control mechanism used to extract wealth from the masses. The well-being of voters or humanity, in general, is not a priority of governments. For instance, since September 11, 2001, about 29 million Americans have died avoidably from “all kinds of ‘life-style’ or ‘socio-political choice’ reasons (smoking, vehicle crashes, alcohol, etc.);” yet, US governments have spent about $6 trillion on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [100, 101]. In lieu of trying to save the lives of 29 million Americans at home, the industrial-military/security complex has been enriched, and millions have been murdered in the Middle East and North Africa.
Even if elected officials paid heed to the opinion of the majority (an impossibility due to diversity of opinions), their existence is nonetheless illegitimate as it is made possible through taxation without consent, which enables them to maintain power. However, taxation is never a sufficient revenue source for governments, so massive loans are necessary. In 2019, the total world government debt surpassed $70 trillion, around $10,000 for every person in the world [102]; the government is the most economically irresponsible institution in history. Taxation without consent is theft as it violates people’s property rights, but becomes robbery when the instrument of force is introduced. In an essay on taxation, professor of philosophy, Michael Huemer, describes what it means when a government “taxes” citizens: “[It means] that the government demands money from each citizen, under a threat of force: if you do not pay, armed agents hired by the government will take you away and lock you in a cage [103].” Lysander Spooner, a 19th-century philosopher, is noted for saying, “If taxation without consent is not robbery, then any band of robbers have only to declare themselves a government, and all their robberies are legalized [104].”
In his book The Constitution of no Authority, he elaborated on taxation as robbery regardless of the pretensions and number of people involved: “Taking a man’s money without his consent, is also as much robbery, when it is done by millions of men, acting in concert, and calling themselves a government, as when it is done by a single individual, acting on his own responsibility, and calling himself a highwayman. Neither the numbers engaged in the act, nor the different characters they assume as a cover for the act, alter the nature of the act itself [105].”
When we take a closer look at taxation, it becomes clear that it is the greatest single facilitator of most democides, genocides, and wars as these are primarily financed through taxation or even used as the active agent to starve populations to death. For example, under British occupation, the Indians were overtaxed and “despite a very high birth rate, the Indian population did not increase between 1860 (292 million) and 1934 (292 million),” and it has been estimated that 745 million Indians died avoidably from deprivation in this period [106]. It gets worse because the British occupation started in 1757 and ended in 1947, during which “1.8 billion Indians died avoidably from egregious deprivation” pursuant to Dr. Gideon Polya, one of the world’s leading experts on avoidable mortality [106]. Similarly, through taxation, world governments have financed their obsession with holocaust-weapons. In 1986, governments had an estimated 70,300 active nuclear weapons ready to be launched enough to kill all humans on earth multiple times; taxation is not for the benefit of the people, but for the enrichment of the elite [107].
Making matters worse is that governments are dedicated to secrecy. For example, between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014, the Obama administration classified 77.5 million documents, despite promises of transparency [108]. Similar trends are apparent in other countries, with the difference being that the US is relatively forthcoming regarding their secrecy. You will never fully know or understand what your government is doing behind the scenes.
With the possible exception of religion, if any other institution had murdered more than 262,000,000 people in one century alone (democide only concerns unarmed civilians, not soldiers), it would have been abandoned by now; yet, people ignore the atrocious history of governments that continues to the present and proclaim their faith in elected officials to solve problems, the most dangerous of all beliefs.
If we make the false assumption that democratic governments represent the prevailing opinion of their respective populations, then the people should, technically speaking, be held accountable for actions undertaken by these officials. For example, in 2016, the US dropped at least 26,171 bombs (a “low” estimate admittedly) in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan [109]. These 2016 atrocities were committed under the authority of Barack Obama, the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner who during his presidency oversaw the bombing of “wedding parties, funerals, kid’s soccer games, hospitals, schools, people in their homes and walking their streets, and farmers tilling their fields [110-115].” If populations started being personally responsible for the actions of state officials, such as spending time in prison for war crimes, then the institution of government would presumably be abandoned rapidly.
Governments’ abysmal humanitarian track record should be ample evidence for us to conclude that a social crediting system will, with little doubt, lead to atrocities. If, on the other hand, we believe that our elected government can and will solve problems for the benefit of the masses, an absurd belief, then as Voltaire said, “we shall commit atrocities [116].”
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28. “FIND FACE” https://findface.pro/en/
29. “In just two years, 9,000 of these cameras were installed to spy on your car” https://qz.com/1540488/in-just-two-years-9000-of-these-cameras-were-installed-to-spy-on-your-car/
30. “FBI, ICE find state driver’s license photos are a gold mine for facial-recognition searches” https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/07/07/fbi-ice-find-state-drivers-license-photos-are-gold-mine-facial-recognition-searches/
31. “Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America” https://www.perpetuallineup.org
32. “Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States” https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states-2/
33. “Biometric Entry-Exit Program” https://epic.org/foia/dhs/cbp/biometric-entry-exit/Concept-of-Operations.pdf
34. “Police Use of Facial Recognition Is Accepted by British Court” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/business/facial-recognition-uk-court.html
35. “Almost 30% of retailers use facial recognition technology to track consumers in store” https://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500253499/Almost-30-of-retailers-use-facial-recognition-technology-to-track-consumers-in-store
36. “Facial Recognition ‘Epidemic’ in the UK” https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/all-media/facial-recognition-epidemic-in-the-uk/
37. “Greater Manchester Police monitored every visitor to Trafford Centre for SIX MONTHS using controversial technology until they were told to stop” https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/gmp-trafford-centre-camera-monitored-15278943
38. “Businessman with Beijing ties looks to bring face-recognition tech to Canadian stores” https://nationalpost.com/news/pay-with-your-face-ontario-grocery-chain-looks-at-paying-via-facial-recognition
39. “Russia Is Building One of the World’s Largest Facial Recognition Networks” https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/11/12/russia-building-one-of-worlds-largest-facial-recognition-networks-a68139
40. “France to become first EU country to use nationwide facial recognition ID app” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/03/france-become-first-eu-country-use-nationwide-facial-recognition
41. “German police expand use of facial recognition software: report” www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/21/c_137055203.htm
42. “Plan for massive facial recognition database sparks privacy concerns” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/29/plan-for-massive-facial-recognition-database-sparks-privacy-concerns
43. https://twitter.com/apf_oz
44. “Australia proposed using facial recognition technology for online gambling and pornography age verification” https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2019/11/australia-proposed-using-facial-recognition-technology-for-online-gambling-and-pornography-age-verification/
45. “Request For Proposal To procure National Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS)” ncrb.gov.in/TENDERS/AFRS/RFP_NAFRS.pdf
46. “India is trying to build the world’s biggest facial recognition system” https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/17/tech/india-facial-recognition-intl-hnk/index.html
47. “India setting up world’s biggest facial recognition system” https://www.dw.com/en/india-setting-up-worlds-biggest-facial-recognition-system/a-51147243
48. “India aims to build world’s biggest facial recognition system: Report” https://www.bgr.in/news/india-aims-to-build-worlds-biggest-facial-recognition-system-report-854992/
50. “Vault 7: Projects” https://wikileaks.org/vault7/
51. “5 Eyes, 9 Eyes And 14 Eyes Alliance Explained” https://www.privacyend.com/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes-intelligence-alliance/
52. “Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, 14 Eyes – Explained” https://restoreprivacy.com/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes/
53. “Mandatory vaccinations: The international landscape” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216445/
54. ” Timeline of Gun Control in the United States ” https://www.thoughtco.com/us-gun-control-timeline-3963620
55. “Communication in China: political economy, power, and conflict” https://books.google.dk/books/about/Communication_in_China.html?id=WUMcAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y
56. “Text of the USA PATRIOT Act” https://www.aclu.org/other/text-usa-patriot-act
57. ” Exporting the Patriot Act? Democracy and the ‘War on Terror’ in the Third World ” https://www.jstor.org/stable/20454977?seq=1
58. “YouTube CEO Wojcicki: We’ve Cut Amount Of Time Americans Watch “Controversial Content” By 70%” https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/12/02/youtube_ceo_wojcicki_weve_cut_amount_of_time_americans_watch_controversial_content_by_70.html
59. “NYC Commission on Human Rights Announces Strong Protections for City’s Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Communities in Housing, Employment and Public Spaces” https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/961-15/nyc-commission-human-rights-strong-protections-city-s-transgender-gender
60. “Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in WikiLeaks case” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/judge-to-sentence-bradley-manning-today/2013/08/20/85bee184-09d0-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html
61. “UN expert on torture sounds alarm again that Julian Assange’s life may be at risk” https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25249&LangID=
62. “Gun Detection” https://athena-security.com/gun-detection
63. “Reconstructing Visual Experiences from Brain Activity Evoked by Natural Movies” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3326357/
64. “Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind” https://news.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/
65. “Reconstructing Perceived and Retrieved Faces from Activity Patterns in Lateral Parietal Cortex” https://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/22/6069.long
66. “Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neuroscience ” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-future-brain/201808/brain-computer-interfaces-and-neuroscience
67. “Japanese scientists claim ‘mind-reading’ ability in fresh study” https://www.rt.com/news/328052-japanese-read-thoughts-words/
68. “Reading Mind Technology” www.nanostuffs.com/blog/?p=4701
69. “Penny for your thoughts? Scientists develop mind-reading “brain decoder” that reveals our inner thoughts using sound waves” https://www.cityam.com/mind-reading-possible-new-brain-decoder-can-translate-your-inner-voice-using-sound-waves/
70. “Mind Control of Machines Isn’t Brain Surgery Any More”
https://www.afcea.org/content/mind-control-machines-isnt-brain-surgery-any-more
71. “Elon Musk’s Secretive Brain Tech Company Debuts a Sophisticated Neural Implant” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-secretive-brain-tech-company-debuts-a-sophisticated-neural-implant1/
72. “Elon Musk: Humans must merge with machines or become irrelevant in AI age” https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/13/elon-musk-humans-merge-machines-cyborg-artificial-intelligence-robots.html
73. “Elon Musk says he’s tested his brain microchip on monkeys, and it enabled one to control a computer with its mind” https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-microchip-tested-on-monkeys-2019-7?r=DE&IR=T
74. “Elon Musk Wants To Connect Human Brains Directly To Computers Next Year” https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-unveils-neuralink-brain-computer-interface-wants-to-have-human-trials-in-2020
75. “Facebook working on smart glasses with Ray-Ban, code-named ‘Orion’” https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/17/facebook-enlists-ray-ban-maker-luxottica-to-make-orion-ar-glasses.html
76. “Mark Zuckerberg says brain-reading wearables are coming, but certain functions may require implanted devices” https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/zuckerberg-says-brain-reading-wearables-come-before-implantables.html
77. “New commentary on neuroethics published in Nature” https://gallantlab.org/papers/nature-neuroethics-commentary/
78. “What is Cortana?” https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17214/cortana-what-is
79. “iPhone Users: Pokémon GO Can Spy On Your Entire Google Account — UPDATED ” https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/07/11/pokemon-go-google-privacy-disaster/#391e326a3cde
80. “Calif. utilities yield energy-use data” https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Calif-utilities-yield-energy-use-data-4611159.php
81. “Crypto Markets Pump As President Xi Calls Blockchain a ‘Breakthrough’” https://bitcoinist.com/china-president-xi-blockchain-breakthrough/
82. “List Of Countries That Have Plans To Roll Out Their Own Cryptocurrencies” https://coinsutra.com/national-cryptocurrencies/
83. “Why are people referring to Blockchain as the New internet?” https://www.blockchain-council.org/blockchain/why-are-people-referring-to-blockchain-as-the-new-internet/
84. “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” satoshinakamoto.me/bitcoin.pdf
85. “A First For Manhattan: $30M Real Estate Property Tokenized With Blockchain ” https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwolfson/2018/10/03/a-first-for-manhattan-30m-real-estate-property-tokenized-with-blockchain/#4c25381e4895
86. “Blockchain Technology Explained (2 Hour Course)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOVAbKKSH10
87. “Real-life Blockchain Use Cases in Automotive” https://openledger.info/insights/blockchain-use-cases-automotive-industry/
88. “Car Manufacturer Daimler AG Launches Crypto Coin as a Reward for Eco-Friendly Drivers” https://interestingengineering.com/car-manufacturer-daimler-ag-launches-crypto-coin-as-a-reward-for-eco-friendly-drivers
89. “Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War” https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/welcome.html
90. “20TH CENTURYDEMOCIDE ” https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
91. “KNOW THE FACTS: North Korea lost close to 30% of its population as a result of US bombings in the 1950s” https://www.globalresearch.ca/know-the-facts-north-korea-lost-close-to-30-of-its-population-as-a-result-of-us-bombings-in-the-1950s/22131
92. Lewis, Charles (2014). 935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America’s Moral Integrity. PublicAffairs.
93. “American Monster: Chris Kyle, the American Sniper” https://www.crimeandpower.com/2019/09/28/american-monster-chris-kyle-the-american-sniper/
94. “All novels/books DOWNLOADABLE and FREE in PDF” https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/NH.HTM#SUPPLEMENT
95. “The Democidal Famine In North Korea” https://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/RummelKorea.php
96. “Paris Atrocity Context: 27 Million Muslim Avoidable Deaths From Imposed Deprivation In 20 Countries Violated By US Alliance Since 9-11” https://www.countercurrents.org/polya221115A.htm
97. “The Democratic Peace” https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/MIRACLE.HTM
98. “POWER KILLS” https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/PK.CHAP1.HTM
99. “World military expenditure grows to $1.8 trillion in 2018” https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2019/world-military-expenditure-grows-18-trillion-2018
100. “Ongoing Global Avoidable Mortality Holocaust and Horrendous Human Carnage from War and Hegemony” https://www.crimeandpower.com/2019/12/09/ongoing-global-avoidable-mortality-holocaust-and-horrendous-human-carnage-from-war-and-hegemony/
101. “American Holocaust, Millions Of Untimely American Deaths And $40 Trillion Cost Of Israel To Americans” https://www.countercurrents.org/polya270813.htm
102. “World Debt Clock” https://commodity.com/debt-clock/
103. “Is Taxation Theft?” https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/is-taxation-theft
104. “Lysander Spooner” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1240517-if-taxation-without-consent-is-not-robbery-then-any-band
105. “The Constitution of no Authority” https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/No_Treason/6#16
106. “Britain Robbed India of $45 Trillion & Thence 1.8 Billion Indians Died From Deprivation” https://www.crimeandpower.com/2019/10/27/britain-robbed-india-of-45-trillion-thence-1-8-billion-indians-died-from-deprivation/
107. “Status of World Nuclear Forces” https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/
108. “The Government Is Classifying Too Many Documents” https://www.thenation.com/article/the-government-is-classifying-too-many-documents/
109. “How Many Bombs Did the United States Drop in 2016?” https://web.archive.org/web/20170106155853/https://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2017/01/05/bombs-dropped-in-2016/
110. “Obama The War Criminal Butcherer of Women and Children” https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/01/11/obama-the-war-criminal-butcherer-of-women-and-children/
111. “The Wedding That Became a Funeral: U.S. Still Silent One Year on From Deadly Yemen Drone Strike” https://www.newsweek.com/wedding-became-funeral-us-still-silent-one-year-deadly-yemen-drone-strike-291403
112. “Doctors Without Borders Hospital Bombing: Witnesses Recount Strikes” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/doctors-without-borders-hospital-bombing-witnesses-recount-strikes-n438506
113. “U.S. Drone Strike Said to Kill 60 in Pakistan” https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/world/asia/24pstan.html
114. ” Victim of Obama’s first drone strike: ‘I am the living example of what drones are’ ” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/23/drone-strike-victim-barack-obama
115. “Most US drone strikes in Pakistan attack houses” https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2014-05-23/most-us-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-attack-houses
116. “Voltaire > Quotes > Quotable Quote” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/544453-if-we-believe-absurdities-we-shall-commit-atrocities
Danish writer Søren Korsgaard, author of America’s Jack the Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer, is the editor of www.crimeandpower.com and webmaster of www.paulcraigroberts.org.
Crime and Power is a news organization dedicated to unraveling great crimes and corruption through fearless and uncensored journalism. Our in-depth investigations and uncompromising analyses focus on the psychology of political and individual serial killers, the War on Terror and Drugs, 9/11, fluoridation, avoidable mortality, as well as ignored holocausts and genocides. We also publish personal stories from inmates (current and former) to document their experience with the criminal justice system, solitary confinement, death penalty, and other issues.
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Commonly called "mums" or "tansies", this popular perennial's name comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). The Chusan daisy became the "pompom chrysanthemum" — so called because in France, where it was first grown, it looked like the pompons on sailors' hats.
Chrysanthemums had been cultivated in Chinese gardens for more than 2,500 years before first being exhibited in England in 1795. Brought by visiting Buddhist monks, the chrysanthemum arrived in Japan in AD 400.
Sentiment & Symbolism
The chrysanthemum has been the focus of Oriental adulation for centuries.
In China, the chrysanthemum's association with autumn stems from its tendency to bloom in the fall. Consequently, the ancient Chinese chose the Chrysanthemum ("chu hua") as their Flower for October, a symbol of the rest and ease that followed the season's final harvest. Mums were considered one of the four Chinese "noble plants" (the others being bamboo, the plum, and the orchid), and were the official badge of the Old Chinese Army. Since chrysanthemums were considered the flower of the Chinese noble class, they were prohibited in a lower-class person's garden. The Chinese believe that a chrysanthemum given to one's beloved, after its being used to wipe one's mouth after drinking wine, will ensure undying love and fidelity.
Called "kikus" in Japanese, chrysanthemums were featured on the Imperial Crest of Japan, and were so beloved by Japanese emperors that they sat upon chrysanthemum thrones. The Japanese still hold the chrysanthemum as a symbol of the sun, and they consider the orderly unfolding of the mum's petals to be a symbol of perfection.They also presume that a single chrysanthemum petal placed in the bottom of a wine glass encourages a long and healthy life.
While chrysanthemums generally denote cheerfulness and rest, individual colors do carry specific messages: red for love, good luck and best wishes; white for truth; and yellow for slighted love. Chrysanthemums will be welcomed throughout the British Isles and North America for any occasion. In Italy, however, their exclusive association with the dead makes chrysanthemums acceptable only for funerals.
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•March 6, 2015
Mexico Circus Owners Say They Might Need to Kill Their Animals
The head of Mexico’s circus owners’ association says his group’s animals may die or be put down because of a ban on animal acts in circuses.
Armando Cedeno said new laws banning the use of animals made no provision for who will support the big cats, elephants, zebras and other animals when they can no longer work. Food and care for some of the animals can cost close to $100 per day.
“If we can’t feed them, we’re going to have to put them to sleep. We don’t have any other option,” said Cedeno, who gave reporters a tour Thursday of a ranch north of Mexico City where circuses — many of which are going out of business — have stored animals, trailers and circus equipment.
He said about 200 circuses in Mexico have permits to use animals, so the number of animals affected could be in the thousands.
A federal ban spearheaded by the country’s Green Party is set to go into effect in July. But Mexico City and several other states have already approved bans, which are meant to protect the animals from mistreatment.
Spokesman Stephen Payne said Friday his Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus won’t come to Mexico this year because of the bans.
Circus owners say the law does little to protect animals already working in circus, and says nothing about bullfighting, which is still legal in Mexico, as is cock-fighting.
The new law requires circuses to submit lists of the animals they possess, and it would be made available to zoos interested in taking the animals.
But with Mexico’s public zoos strapped for cash and already full of animals, it is unclear whether they can take all — or any — of the circus animals, or how much they could give the owners in compensation.
Cedeno estimated that about 10 percent of the country’s circuses already have closed because of the ban.
Nor are the circus’ human performing happy about it.
Trapeze artist Jaime Castillo is a fourth-generation circus performer. At 45, he is now jobless.
“I am out of work directly because of the Green Party campaign, and the drop In ticket sales that led us to bankruptcy,” Castillo said.
Karen Taber
I agree, it’s the circus plea in response to the new law. These animals deserve better, everyone has been living off them for years! DO THE RIGHT THING…………. find homes for these animals.l
Justin Loman
I think this was a publicity stunt to turn the public against the new law. They made a big production and paraded those horses around for sympathy. Many circuses have found placement and even organizations in the USA have picked up animals and taken them to sanctuaries. Killing those animals are also a crime in Mexico too.
Leah Martin
It’s hard to believe that throughout all the zoos in Mexico, these animals cannot be accommodated. It’s truly sad if Mexico cannot save these wonderful creatures.
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Home » Eye Care Services » Your Eye Health » Eye Conditions » Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an eye disease that is inherited, and very rare. About one in four thousand Americans are affected by this disease. The retina, which is the light-sensitive portion of the eye, degenerates progressively over time. The result of this degeneration is the loss of peripheral vision, loss of central vision, night blindness, and sometimes blindness.
Retinitis Pigmentosa Symptoms
Childhood is when the first symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa generally appear. Usually both eyes are implicated in the disease. Sometimes RP doesn’t appear until older age, at age 30 or even older.
The main symptom of RP in the beginning stages is night blindness. Tunnel vision may develop in the later stages of the disease, where central vision is affected, and only a small portion of sight is available.
One study of patients suffering from RP revealed that, in patients 45 years and older, 52% had at least 20/40 central vision in one eye, 25% had 20/200 vision or below, and 0.5% were completely blind.
Causes of Retinitis Pigmentosa
Very little is known about the causes behind RP, beyond that it is an inherited disease. Scientists believe that defective molecules in our genes cause RP. This explains why the disease affects patients so differently.
If one parent carries the defective gene, it’s possible to get RP, even if your parents do not have the disease. Approximately one percent of the population are carriers of the RP recessive gene. Sometimes this recessive gene is passed on to the child, who will then develop retinitis pigmentosa.
RP affects the retina in the eye. The disease causes the light-sensitive cells that are located in the retina to die gradually. Most often, the cells that are used for night and peripheral vision, called rod cells, are affected. Sometimes the cells that are used to see color and for central vision, called cones, are also affected.
The main diagnostic tool employed is visual field testing. This test determines how much peripheral vision loss has occurred. Other diagnostic tools may be used to test night vision and color vision.
Few treatments exist for RP. What is available helps conditions associated with RP, not the disease itself. For patients older than 25, there is a prosthesis system that was recently approved. This system captures images via glasses, and transmits the signal captures to an implanted device located on the retina.
Most treatments center around helping the patient learn to deal with their vision loss. Psychological counseling, and occupational therapy, may be recommended. Technological instruments that help with low vision, such as illuminated magnifiers, can help patients with RP see as well as possible with their limited vision. Some doctors recommend vitamin A supplements as there is some evidence that vitamin A might help delay the progression of the disease.
For the future, scientists are hopeful that there will be additional treatments for RP, including new drug treatments and retinal implants.
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Australia pushes against China’s rising influence in the Pacific
The Australian Government is making a push to re-establish itself as the dominant nation in the South Pacific, with fresh aid spending and official visits.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is using a trip to Papua New Guinea and Tonga to remind Pacific nations that Australia’s neighbours are its biggest beneficiaries, ABC reports.
“We are the partner of choice, along with New Zealand, for the islands of the Pacific and that’s demonstrated here in PNG where we work across a whole range of areas,” she said on a trip to PNG’s remote New Ireland province.
The move comes as Australia’s regional role is challenged by the rise of China, and increasing investment from across Asia.
In PNG, the Pacific’s largest economy, Australian investment has stagnated while China’s is rapidly rising.
China has also been increasing aid while Australia cut its overall aid budget to record low levels, although it said the bulk of remaining funding is being focused on the Pacific.
The Governor of New Ireland, former prime minister Julius Chan, told Ms Bishop that the shine was coming off Australia and PNG’s relationship.
“I actually told Australia that it is very, crucially important that we keep the lustre between our friendship, which was established during the war years and thereafter, but now we’re losing that lustre,” he said.
Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato disagrees.
“Australia has not lost its focus,” he said.
“It’s true there may be some issues in terms of where the focus has been, but the world is globalising, there’s a greater need for focus, greater need for partnership and we’re working together as we always have.”
Ms Bishop used her trip to announce an extra $3.4 million for earthquake relief efforts in the PNG highlands, and also launched an aid program in New Ireland to build wells and toilets for women and girls in isolated villages and improve the province’s disaster readiness.
But that is the type of aid Australia has been moving away from as it focuses more on programs that promote economic growth.
In PNG, Australia has invested heavily in governance training, building a public service training complex and creating a Papua New Guinea Governance Facility.
“We want to ensure that we continue to see good governance, accountability and transparency in the relationship,” Ms Bishop said.
Bank of Samoa warns people about cryptocurrency promotions
US to consider Pacific Trade agreement re-entry
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Home › Full Size Printed Drawing Scale 1/200 German battleship Scharnhorst Suitable for Radio Control
Full Size Printed Drawing Scale 1/200 German battleship Scharnhorst Suitable for Radio Control
Full-Size Drawing printed on a 58” x 24” sheet
one-page article
Length 46 1/4”
Beam 5 7/8”
Power Electric
Experienced Builder No Building Notes
Ask a layman of forty or so to name a couple of wartime German ships and the chances are he'll say Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Their escape through the Channel from Brest in February, 1942, was one of the big sea stories of the war; the Gneisenau, after mine damage, dropped out of things, but the Scharnhorst subsequently menaced the Russian convoys for eighteen months or so, until the end of 1943, when the Duke of York, supported by cruisers and destroyers, interposed herself between the raider and her Norwegian base. Shooting started on Boxing Day, and an early hit destroyed the German's radar; the weather was misty, so that she was in effect blinded. Destroyer attacks slowed her, further gunfire from the Duke crippled her, and the cruisers finished her off with torpedoes. Of her crew of nearly 1,500, only three dozen survived.
The two ships were sisters, and at 26,000 tons and 741 ft. length the biggest of the German fleet except for the Tirpitz and Bismarck. Both were laid down in 1934, when the Versailles Treaty had ceased to have any meaning; the Scharnhorst was launched at Wilhelmshaven in October 1936 and completed in January 1939, the Gneisenau launched December '36 and completed May '38.
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Home Votewatch » [Update] Who will replace Schulz?
[Update] Who will replace Schulz?
Published in: Insights, News, Politics & Institutions Alain LamassoureAlojz PeterleAntonio TajaniEPEP PresidencyEPPGunnar HokmarkMairead McGuinnessManfred WeberMartin SchulzOthmar Karas
Note: this analysis, originally published in October, was updated to take into account the latest developments up to 24 November 2016.
Who will replace Schulz ?
The decision by Martin Schulz not to seek a third mandate as the President of the European Parliament cast uncertainty on the future direction of the institution. The top European People’s Party and Socialists leaders might have felt comfortable keeping Schulz as EP President, while Tusk is reelected Council President next year, in order to avoid rocking the European boat during these difficult times. However, with the departure of Schulz from Brussels, EPP MEPs are now very likely to put one of them at the helm of the European citizens’ institution and top-notch Members are already working to rally support for their candidature. So, who will actually replace Schulz?
Despite being the largest directly elected legislative assembly in the world, not many people outside Brussels know about the political developments in the EP. In order to strengthen European democracy, it is fundamental that the citizens are aware of the EP presidential race, as this European institution directly represents their interests. In particular, the President of the European Parliament contributes to setting the overall direction of the European project.
For this reason, our study sheds light on this democratic exercise and highlights what the main candidates stand for. The analysis also aims to understand which candidates have better chances of being elected as EP President while competing against the candidates put forward by the other political groups.
Since they are part of the same political family, which is in general rather cohesive when voting on European issues, the differences between candidates are not frequent. However, there are some key issues where the views of the EPP candidates differ and these apparently small differences can be decisive when the EPP Members, and the members of the other political groups, will decide who to vote for.
As a note, it has to be noticed that there are not formal candidatures yet and the politicians included in our list were selected on the basis of insights from the EP and media sources. This means that changes are still possible and that this analysis will be updated in the case that new candidatures arise.
Who are the candidates from the EPP?
One of the most mentioned candidates for the Presidency of the European Parliament is a member of the French Republicans, Alain Lamassoure. He is particularly known for his role as chair of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect.
Another well-known candidate is Mairead McGuiness, Irish member of Fine Gael. She is one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament and, in particular, she is in charge of the information and communication policy of the assembly.
Another Vice-President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, is among the candidates for the succession of Schulz. A Member of the Italian centre-right Forza Italia, he is in charge of the security in the European Parliament, as well as the conciliation procedure.
The name of Othmar Karas is often raised for the race to the top position in the EP. The member of the Austrian People’s party is currently the head of the Austrian delegation within the European people’s party as well as the head of EP delegation to Russia.
A Slovenian MEP, Alojz Peterle, has also been circulated as a potential candidate from the EPP. In the EP, the member of the New Slovenia – Christian Democrats is the current chair of the delegation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Another potential candidate comes from the Swedish Moderate Party, Gunnar Hökmark. He is the head of the Swedish delegation in the EPP.
Finally, yet importantly, the current chair of the centre-right political group, the German Manfred Weber, might turn out to be found as the right candidate for the job. Before being elected as the leader of the political group, the member of the Christian Social Union was one the Vice-Chairs of the EPP over the previous term.
What are the positions of the candidates on key policy issues and what allies do they have?
In order to better show the differences between the potential candidates, we analysed how they voted on some of the key issues during this Parliamentary term. It should be noticed that, being members of the same political groups, these MEPs voted in the same way most of the time. For this reason, we focused on the most divisive policy issues.
Still, this selection of votes does not tell us to what extent the views of these MEPs are in general shared by the majority within their political group. This is highly relevant, as the candidates who are usually seen as more “central” in terms of views among their colleagues are usually the ones nominated as candidates on behalf of that political faction. The table below shows to what extent the votes of the possible candidates match, on average, those of the largest national delegations within the EPP.
Note: the differences in percentages are, in general, small, but these calculations are based on over 4.000 votes, hence their relevance is higher than it seems at first sight and, sometimes, the half-percent includes exactly those most sensitive issues.
Interestingly, in most of the cases, Manfred Weber is the closest MEP to the positions of the largest party delegations within the EPP. He is followed by Antonio Tajani, whose positions are also very popular within the group. Instead, Gunnar Hökmark is more isolated within the EPP, as he votes differently from the rest of the group more frequently. The French Alain Lamassoure is also more often in the minority in the group, compared to the other candidates.
Which EPP candidates would be preferred by the other political groups?
All in all, Manfred Weber or Antonio Tajani would be the most likely to be elected as the EPP’s candidate, as their positions are closer to the ones of the majority of their group colleagues, ie. they more central within the EPP. However, since the EPP is far from commanding a majority on its own, the candidate of the EPP needs to win a substantial amount of votes from the members of the other political groups. Given that the members of the eurosceptic EFDD and ENF, as well as the far-left GUE-NGL, are unlikely to vote for a candidate coming from the EPP, the only potentially supportive MEPs have to be found within ALDE, S&D, the Greens and ECR groups.
The table below shows to what extent the views of the EPP potential candidates match those of the other political groups, in search of clues as of which candidates might be more appealing “externally”.
The result is striking and shows an opposite pattern: Alain Lamassoure is much closer to the positions of the other political groups than the other potential candidates. The only exception are the members of ECR, who are closer to Gunnar Hökmark. The positions of the “consensual candidates” within the EPP (Weber and Tajani) are more distant from the ones of the other political groups.
The race is still very open
This is not a new phenomenon in politics. In most of the primaries, also at the national level, the candidates who are more popular internally (inside the party) are also less likely to draw support from other factions and vice versa (whereas some other candidates are more towards the “center of the population of electors”). The final outcome will also depend on many other factors, for example the trade-offs made when assigning the other key positions within both the EP (notably vice-presidencies and committee’s chairmanships) and the other European institutions (notably the European Council). Therefore, nationality and other political considerations will also play a role in determining the winner of this race.
For more information and analysis contact us at [email protected]
2 thoughts on “[Update] Who will replace Schulz?”
M. Weisshaar says:
Very intersting. And not to be found at other consultancies. Thank you
John Williams says:
Martin Schulz’s decision not to seek a third mandate is to be welcomed. After a vigorous campaign by the S&D to get him elected in the first place he became as conservative as the EPP. It will be interesting to see if a candidate from the S&D goes forward and if so what support he or she would get from left wing groups, fellow nationals and unaligned MEPs.
VoteWatch report: How did Italian MEPs vote on taxation issues ?
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VoteWatch Analytical Tool: Uncover which MEPs can help you advance your agenda. Part 6: Digital policy
VoteWatch Analytical Tool: Uncover which MEPs can help you advance your agenda. Part 5: Social policy
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SMPTE New England Section Offers Free Boot Camp on Working With New Video Formats and Delivery Mechanisms
By Wall Street Communications 16 May 2016
BOSTON -- May 11, 2016 -- The New England Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), a leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, will offer a free day-long "New Technologies Boot Camp" dedicated to fostering a better understanding of working with high resolution (UHD, 4K, and beyond), high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, and higher frame rates (HFR); maintaining resolution independence on screens of every size; and leveraging internet protocol (IP) and ATSC 3.0 for more efficient movement of this media content. The boot camp will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 19 in the Terrace Room of the Holiday Inn in Dedham, Massachusetts.
"These are exciting times for those of us working on the technical side of broadcasting, and the array of new formats and standards we're facing can be a bit overwhelming," said Martin P. Feldman, chair of SMPTE New England Section. "No one wants -- or can afford -- to be left behind. That's why we're gathering some of the industry's foremost experts for a free boot camp designed to bring engineers up to speed on new technologies that enable more efficient creation and delivery of a better broadcast product."
Boot camp presentations will include:
* "High-Dynamic-Range and Wide Color Gamut in Production and Distribution" by Hugo Gaggioni, chief technical officer at Sony Electronics;
* "4K/UHD/HFR/HDR -- HEVC H.265 -- ATSC 3.0" by Karl Kuhn of Tektronix;
* "Where Is 4K (UHD) Product Used Today -- 4K Versus HFR -- 4K and HFR Challenges" by Bruce Lane of Grass Valley;
* "Using MESH Networks" by Al Kornak of JVC Kenwood Corporation;
* "IP in Infrastructure-Building (Replacing HD-SDI Systems and Accommodating UHD)" by Paul Briscoe of Evertz Microsystems;
* "Scripted Versus Live Production Requirements" by Michael Bergeron of Panasonic;
* "The Transition from SDI to IP, Including IP Infrastructure and Monitoring" by John Shike of SAM (formerly Snell);
* "8K, High-Dynamic-Range, OLED, Flexible Displays" by consultant Peter Putman; and
* "HDR: The Great, the Okay, and the WTF" by Mark Schubin, engineer-in-charge at the Metropolitan Opera, Sesame Street, and Great Performances (PBS).
The program will conclude with a panel discussion by the program's presenters.
As with nearly all programs offered by the SMPTE New England Section, there is no charge to attend this event, no RSVP is required, and SMPTE Members as well as nonmembers are welcome, particularly students. Integrated Solutions Group, a division of The Camera Company Inc., is graciously hosting the boot camp during its 26th Annual Pro Video & Lighting Show at the Dedham Holiday Inn. The hotel is located at 55 Ariadne Road, just off I-95, exit 15A.
Further details about the SMPTE New England Section are available at http://www.smpte-ne.org. More information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
About the SMPTE(R) New England Section
The New England Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)) was originally founded in 1959 as the Boston Section. Today, it encompasses more than 150 people in greater New England, with a common interest in motion-imaging technology. The New England Section is part of the SMPTE Eastern Region. The Section offers free meetings on a monthly basis that all open to SMPTE members and nonmembers alike, in the Boston area. Information about meetings is posted on the Section website at www.smpte-ne.org.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
Winner of an Oscar(R) and multiple Emmy(R) Awards, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)) is a global leader in advancing the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem. A professional membership association that is internationally recognized and accredited, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. For a century, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
Nearly 7,000 members -- motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students -- who meet in Sections worldwide, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA(R)), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
All trademarks appearing herein are the properties of their respective owners.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE_MartyFeldman.jpg
Photo Caption: Martin P. Feldman, chair of SMPTE New England Section
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE-NE_Section_Panel-Moderator.jpg
Photo Caption: Panel at SMPTE New England Section 2016 NAB Show Wrap-Up Meeting
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TVWeek’s 25th Anniversary: Television’s Best
Chairman, Fox News & Fox TV Stations
Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News and Fox Television Stations, bristles at any attempt to put a political tag on him-“I guarantee you that the other 24 people on this list, their politics won’t be mentioned”-because of a “fluke” detour in his long career as a producer.
“What I did very early on in ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ was realize nobody would ever be elected again without understanding the medium of television. I began to use politicians’ wives-Hubert Humphrey’s wife, John Connolly’s wife-as co-hosts for ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ because I was beginning to see that our kind of issue-driven life was melding with the need for political people to be accepted in the entertainment medium,” he says.
He was the TV producer for Richard Nixon’s successful 1968 campaign, later orchestrating an “interplanetary split screen” showing Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and President Nixon watching from the White House.
He would go on to consult for a number of politicians, up through Ronald Reagan’s White House win, but, he says, “I always had a full career outside of politics.
“All through those political years, I was in Africa with Bobby Kennedy doing a wildlife documentary. I was doing a documentary on Canadian urban renewal or a documentary on Fellini in Italy,” says Mr. Ailes, who over the years also worked with the likes of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jack Benny and Rush Limbaugh.
“I have helped, I guess, a lot of people get through to the American people with whatever their talent or message is. I have been sort of a facilitator for a great many people, some of whom I didn’t agree with, some of whom I did. It didn’t matter,” he says.
In 1996, when he was in his third year as president of CNBC and had launched a talk-oriented cable channel for NBC, he accepted News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch’s challenge to create Fox News Channel. He did it in six lightning-fast months with the help of a cadre of folks who followed him from CNBC.
When NBC protested his on- and off-screen recruiting from CNBC, he says he replied: “That’s the problem. You don’t know the difference between recruiting and a f***ing jail break.”
Eleven years later, with Fox long dominant in the cable news, Mr. Ailes, 67, is writing a new chapter in a colorful professional autobiography. He’ll launch Fox Business Channel this year, and it’s not hard to get him to lob verbal barbs at CNBC across the Hudson River. “I’m accepting calls from CNBC people,” he says.
He is not just competitive, he’s combative. But asked whether he likes to disagree with people, he says:
“I actually don’t, but I think it’s essential to progress. It’s essential, generally, to a good result, and I’ve never feared it. I just think I could have been a lot more popular in my life by going along with the tide sometimes, and I chose not to. I don’t know exactly why. It’s cost me. It’s cost me money. It’s cost me friends. It’s cost me probably other things, but I am not capable of going along to get along. That is not who I am.
“I think if there’s anything I added to this mix in the last half of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st, it’s another voice. It’s a voice that deserved to be heard, and needed to be heard, and somebody had to take that heat.” – Michel Greppi
Reality Television Producer
Mark Burnett didn’t set out to change the face of network television. It just sort of … happened.
“Anybody who says that they could intend that is out of their minds,” the Emmy-winning producer said. “All I intended to do is tell a good story. That’s all I continue to try to do.”
It just so happened that the story Mr. Burnett set out to tell-a choose-your-own-adventure tale, part game and part social experiment, called “Survivor”-not only generated a ratings turnaround for CBS when it premiered in 2000, but also helped establish an entire genre of programming.
“Survivor” premiered May 31, 2000, with a hefty 15.5 million viewers. The season one finale on Aug. 23 attracted 58.6 million viewers, with the final half-hour grabbing a 32.0 household rating and 48 share. Mark Burnett Productions’ first show became the first profitable reality program ever to hit U.S. soil.
The numbers were never quite that high again-though season two, “Survivor: The Australian Outback,” was the most-watched show of the 2000-01 season with 29.8 million viewers-but the foundation had already been laid.
Fast-forward seven years: “Survivor” just wrapped its 14th season and reality television, largely made up of last-person-standing competitions in which participants exhibit a talent or try to outsmart each other using the fine art of manipulation, is keeping prime-time lineups afloat as networks compete against an increasing number of distractions, including the ultra-real stuff found on YouTube.com and other usergenerated Web sites.
Mr. Burnett, 46, insists that what gives “Survivor” its staying power is the same thing that made it a breakout hit-in a nutshell, the storytelling. And although CBS was taking a risk by ordering 13 episodes right off the bat, Mr. Burnett felt confident that putting 16 strangers on an island, dividing them into tribes and making them battle it out for supremacy could make for a pretty good show.
“I understood what can come out of taking people out of their comfortable homes and putting them in a situation where they’re living with nature in the raw,” he said. “It really strips away the veneer all of us have that we like to present to other people. If you’re hungry, too hot, exhausted and bitten by bugs … it isn’t hard to relate to as an ordinary person.”
Not exactly one to rest on his laurels, however, Mr. Burnett-for whom the phrase mile-a-minute is an understatement-said he thinks of broadcasting as an indefinable concept, something that holds infinite possibilities because of its huge and fickle audience. He doesn’t think reality TV will be blowing scripted dramas and sitcoms out of the water any time soon, nor does he want it to, but he is still heading into the future with a pocketful of ammunition.
At least two more seasons of “Survivor” are in the pipeline, and “The Apprentice” is poised for a seventh go-round in 2007-08. The filmmaking competition “On the Lot,” an “Apprentice”-meets-“American Idol” concept co-produced by Steven Spielberg in which the winner will receive a $1 million development deal with DreamWorks, premieres May 22 on Fox, and the real-life treasure hunt “Pirate Masters” sets sail May 31 on CBS. – Natalie Finn
Lee Clow
Chiat/Day Creative Director
One of the greatest television commercials ever created was the famous spot that helped introduce Apple’s Macintosh computer. Created by Chiat/Day, led by creative director Lee Clow, the spot featured a blond, athletic woman destroying the video image of an all-powerful leader, freeing the human drones in his thrall.
The ad, called “1984,” was seen only once, yet it seemed omnipresent. Nearly everyone had seen it. More important, they were talking about it. One reason was the commercial itself, which was directed by Ridley Scott, fresh off overseeing the feature film “Blade Runner.” The other reason is because the one time it was seen was during the Super Bowl.
The spot, and the reaction to it, helped create an entirely new ballgame on Super Sunday. Since “1984” aired on Jan. 22, 1984, during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, a cottage industry has sprung up to celebrate and study Super Bowl commercials. Some companies proudly announce their plans to be on the big game and unveil their latest commercials to grand fanfare. Others take a stealth approach, looking to create surprise among viewers during the game.
Many of the commercials are given sneak peaks on the entertainment news shows, previewed just like the latest Hollywood blockbuster. Come Monday, they’re rated in many publications, a prospect that gives the willies to advertisers thinking about shelling out $2 million or more for a spot.
Like other content, Super Bowl spots get repurposed. NFL Network began running a sh
ow devoted to the super commercials after the game aired. Several Web sites also gather the spots for people to see them again.
These days, as rating erode, advertisers are looking to supplement television to make an impact. Even the Super Bowl is no exception. Fox is teaming up with MySpace.com to sell extensions to the Super Bowl ads it is selling right now.
Mr. Clow went on to continued success as a creative director, including being the man behind the Taco Bell Chihuahua and Energizer Bunny television ad campaigns.
Mr. Clow was unavailable to be interviewed. But it is clear that it’s not 1984 anymore: The business has evolved, and now even the best television commercials will be supplemented by extensions in new media in order to reach the biggest audiences and grab their attention. – Jon Lafayette
Joan Ganz Cooney
Founder, Children’s Television Workshop
Who said education had to be boring?
Certainly not Joan Ganz Cooney, who spearheaded the creation of Children’s Television Workshop as well as what would become the most successful children’s program in the history of either commercial or educational television, “Sesame Street.”
After a career that saw her swing from journalism to public relations to, finally, producing, Ms. Cooney announced the creation of CTW and “Sesame Street” with Ralph Rogers in March 1968. Despite discouragement from her superiors, she received support from the Carnegie Foundation and Ford Foundation as well as the U.S. Commissioner of Education to begin her company with a mission to create television that did more than entertain by providing supplementary education while still drawing broad audiences.
Today, “Sesame Street” remains a programming pillar for PBS and the names Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Elmo remain household names for parents and their children alike.
The series first aired in November 1969 on nearly 190 public and commercial stations, and a year later, Ms. Cooney became president of CTW. She tapped the talents of a creative team that included Jim Henson, who created the show’s Muppet characters, and assembled a diverse cast that included Luis, who first appeared during the 1971-72 season-the longest-running Hispanic character on American television-and Linda, who was deaf. The series has now aired nearly 4,200 episodes, and more than 30 international versions of the show have been produced. Reports estimate that 75 million Americans have watched the series as children.
“Joan’s vision to use television as a teacher in many ways changed the face of children’s television forever,” said Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “She created something that, most importantly, brought about a significant and lasting change to daily life in America, and indeed the world, by making ‘Sesame Street’ a rite of passage for every child whose parents were promoting a love of learning for their child.”
During Ms. Cooney’s reign as president of CTW the company launched a number of series, including “The Electric Company” in 1971, “Feelin’ Good” in 1974, “The Best of Families” in 1977, “3-2-1 Contact” in 1980 and “Square One TV” in 1987. In 1990, Ms. Cooney stepped down as president to become chair of the CTW executive committee. – Chris Pursell
Actor-Writer-Producer-Advocate
Bill Cosby’s career in television has spanned more than 40 years, but his most memorable achievement started in 1984 with the debut of “The Cosby Show.”
That series was credited with rejuvenating the sitcom genre on TV and doing so with an emphasis on family and humor. The success of the show catapulted NBC to first place and also kicked off a string of iconic sitcoms for the network, including “Seinfeld” and “Friends.”
Mr. Cosby starred in “The Cosby Show,” which was regarded as a pivotal cultural milestone for the way it portrayed an upper-middle-class African American family without resorting to the stereotypes that TV had relied on for many years. The show ran from 1984 to 1992.
Life magazine said of the show: “Cosby’s success may have changed the game as well as the scores. Before his show hit the air, many viewers had rejected prime-time television as an electronic guignol of crime, slime, glitz and glands. … Nobody actually says this family represents the whole human family, but the delicious ordinariness of its pleasures and tribulations has given millions a fresh, laughter-splashed perspective on their own domestic lives.”
The show had its share of critics too. The Museum of Broadcast Communications said on its Web site, “Some observers described the show as a 1980s version of ‘Father Knows Best,’ the Huxtables as a white family in blackface. Moreover, as the show’s debut coincided with President Reagan’s landslide re-election, and as many of the Huxtables’ ‘qualities’ seemed to echo key Republican themes, critics labeled the show’s politics as ‘reformist conservatism.”‘
Prior to “The Cosby Show” Mr. Cosby, a Philadelphia native, worked as a stand-up comedian and then landed a role opposite Robert Culp in Sheldon Leonard’s 1965 comedic drama “I Spy”-the first African American actor to star in a prime-time series. That stint was followed by the lead in “The Bill Cosby Show” in the late 1960s. He also created the 1970s cartoon series “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.” In the late ’90s he starred in “Cosby” and then hosted “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”
He has continued his stand-up work, drawing largely from his own life and from parenting anecdotes. He gave a well-received performance at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in 2003, and has written two books. – Daisy Whitney
Former CBS News Anchor-Reporter
For many Americans who came of age with television, Walter Cronkite was the face and the voice, the man who set the formative tenor of television news. For two decades as the “CBS Evening News” anchor, his was what would come to be known as “the voice of God.”
The supreme anchor, who began as a wire service reporter, talked Americans through some of the most tumultuous years of the country’s history. He told viewers that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas. He told a space-struck country that astronaut Neil Armstrong had stepped foot on the moon. He told us that the Vietnam War was unwinnable. By devoting two “Evening” newscasts to Watergate, the political break-in that had been generally treated as a local scoop by the Washington Post, he told us it was a much more significant national scandal.
Those passages also represented telling departures from his trademark avuncular remove. His eyes misted over as he doffed his glasses and delivered the JFK death knell. That did not happen again through a long weekend of televised, commercial-free national mourning. He cheered the launch of Apollo XI but otherwise played the role of a well-informed space-travel geek as anchor of marathon space-flight coverage. The very act of stating his bleak opinion of the war on which he had reported gave it a resonance that reached all the way to the White House. Then-President Lyndon Johnson said if he’d lost Walter Cronkite, he had lost the country.
There were many reasons Mr. Cronkite’s were big shoes to fill. After he succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchor in 1962, he would insist on also having the title and responsibilities of managing editor. The newscast would grow from 15 minutes to a half-hour in 1963. Nine years later, Mr. Cronkite was voted the most trusted man in America in a poll that included the occupant of the White House and other elected officials.
After he was replaced by Dan Rather in 1981, Mr. Cronkite made increasingly rare appearances on CBS and did documentaries on PBS (for which he began ushering in New Year’s celebrations in 1988) and on sober cable channels. He also popped up in such unlikely roles as host of “Fail Safe,” the live 2000 broadcast of a nuclear-era thriller.
CBS itself paid tribute to his career last week in a retrospective titled “Celebrating Cronkite at 90.”
Twenty-five years after he “retired,” Mr. Cronkite returned to “CBS Evening News” as the voi
ce introducing the newscast now anchored by Katie Couric, who was chosen in an attempt to break the mold he shaped. Ms. Couric zoomed out of the starting gate on Sept. 5, 2006, but began sinking steadily in the ratings. Her newscast is being retooled in a more traditional format.
As “Uncle Walter” Cronkite used to sign off, “That’s the way it is.” – Michele Greppi
Madelyn Pugh Davis
Co-Creator/Writer, ‘I Love Lucy’
Madelyn Pugh Davis pioneered the American situation comedy as co-creator and writer of “I Love Lucy.” In concert with her lifelong writing partner, the late Bob Carroll Jr., and series producer and head writer Jess Oppenheimer (and later with the writing team of Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf), Ms. Davis was responsible for crafting every one of the series’ 180 half-hour episodes and 13 hourlong specials.
She stands among a handful of women-Selma Diamond and Lucille Kallen are others-who wrote for male-dominated network television in its earliest days, and her work is among the medium’s most durable.
With “I Love Lucy,” there was plenty of pioneering going on: Executive producer Desi Arnaz gets credit for the three-film-cameras-in-front-of-a-live-audience technique that came to dominate sitcom production and cinematographer Karl Freund is recognized for creating the complicated lighting system it demanded. But the mettle of the series is in its storylines, which, in combination with Lucille Ball’s masterful comic abilities and a brilliant supporting cast, imbued the show with a timelessness unmatched over the five and a half decades since it premiered.
Ms. Davis occasionally catches an “I Love Lucy” episode at lunchtime, when it airs on KTTV in Los Angeles. “We happened to see the William Holden episode today, where he sets her nose on fire, and I laughed out loud. Now that’s ridiculous-I’ve seen it a hundred times and I wrote it,” Ms. Davis told TelevisionWeek last week while attempting to explain the show’s longevity. “I was lucky to have all those people. They were all so good, I now realize. I was too close to it at the time, always trying to crank out the next script.”
The best episodes of ‘I Love Lucy’ adroitly combined broad physical comedy, sparkling dialogue and quieter moments of sentiment and vulnerability into storylines containing universal truths. Because the writers managed to maintain logic of character and plot development, even the most outrageous situations were able to retain believability.
In a TV career laden with accolade upon accolade, Lucille Ball always deflected credit to her writers. And for good reason: Nearly every on-screen move she made, down to the slightest facial expression, was written into the scripts. Accepting the 1953 Emmy Award for situation comedy, Ms. Ball said, “It wouldn’t be right to call our writers up here and give it to them, would it? But I wish we could.” Unbelievably, there was no Emmy category for writers at the time.
Ms. Davis’ accomplishments in television also included all of the subsequent “Lucy” series, plus “The Mothers-in-Law,” “Alice” and “Private Benjamin,” among other shows. But reflecting on her career she said, “People come up to me and tell me that when they’re feeling blue and rotten, ‘I Love Lucy’ makes them laugh. I’m very proud of that-that and the fact that we turned out 39 scripts the first season.” – Tom Gilbert
Chairman-CEO, IAC
If it weren’t for Barry Diller, there might not be an “American Idol.” Or Scully and Mulder. Or even “The Simpsons.”
While working for News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch, Mr. Diller organized the formation of Fox in 1984, the fourth broadcast television network at the time and the first to challenge the hegemony of the triumvirate of ABC, CBS and NBC. In an email response to TVWeek, Mr. Diller said he considers the birth of Fox to be his biggest impact on the TV industry.
Fox launched in 1987 with two nights of prime-time programming and turned its first profit in 1990, the same year it expanded to five nights a week.
Now the TV industry refers to those four networks as “the Big Four.” Much of that credit belongs to Mr. Diller, who was chairman of the board and CEO from 1984 to 1992.
He then resigned and bought a $25 million stake in shopping network QVC. He became chairman and CEO of QVC for two years before assuming his current post as chairman and CEO of IAC. Since then he’s transformed IAC into an interactive commerce company.
His company runs the Home Shopping Network, which has taken the lead in recent years in introducing interactive features to traditional TV, allowing consumers to interact and make purchases using a remote control. IAC also counts under its umbrella the dominant dating site Match.com and popular travel site Expedia.com.
He expects the TV industry to be “vastly different” in five years and believes the biggest challenge for TV is that the Internet is resulting in a lack of leverage for distributors. National broadcast and cable programmers are the ones most threatened by the Internet, he said.
So Mr. Diller keeps his eye on the next big thing.
In late 2006, IAC acquired a controlling stake in the company that owns the Web site collegehumor.com, a transaction that came amidst a flurry of big media acquisitions in the emerging online video business. Mr. Diller launched IAC Programming in 2005 to buy online content properties.
Also in 2005, he laid a bet on Jeremy Allaire’s Brightcove, an online video site and services provider, when he participated in a second round of funding at the startup. He holds a spot on Brightcove’s board of directors. – Daisy Whitney
Tom Freston
Former Viacom CEO
Tom Freston helped the world get its MTV.
In addition to helping to build an omnipresent brand and its parent into a huge company, Mr. Freston enjoyed a reputation as a cool boss who mentored talented colleagues. That rep survived his surprise firing last year by Viacom owner Sumner Redstone.
Mr. Freston was traveling and unavailable to be interviewed.
“He was the ultimate creative businessman,” said Rich Cronin, CEO of GSN network, who worked with Mr. Freston at MTV Networks for 14 years. “He’s also one of the funniest executives I ever worked for,” he said, recalling company management retreats that epitomized the mantra, “Work hard, play hard.”
Along with his cool, Mr. Freston possessed strategic business vision. MTV was one of the first branded channels. Before the slogan “I Want My MTV” was heard, TV networks aimed to be all things to all people. “The brand is really important,” Mr. Cronin said.
Mr. Freston understood that MTV needed to own its category, and created VH1 as a “fighting brand” to help prevent other music channels from getting distribution on cable systems, Mr. Cronin said. MTV used short-form video long before there was an Internet, and helped start the reality craze with “Real World,” a show that’s still a staple on the channel.
He also pushed the MTV brand around the world, sometimes marveling at some of the remote locations he could visit and still watch the channel.
The rest of MTV Networks flourished as well, with branded networks such as Nickelodeon, Nick At Nite and Comedy Central, and continues to be led by people who worked with and under Mr. Freston, including Judy McGarth at MTV Networks, Doug Herzog at Comedy Central and Spike TV, and Larry Jones at TV Land.
“He’s had a tremendous impact on the industry,” Mr. Cronin said. – Jon Lafayette
Irwin Gotlieb
CEO, WPP’s GroupM
The television business couldn’t exist without advertising, and one of the most influential people in media investment management has been Irwin Gotlieb, now CEO of WPP’s GroupM, which controls more than $60 billion in advertising money.
In a long career, Mr. Gotlieb has seen big changes in television since 1982, when TV was viewed by advertisers as the dominant medium and cable was just coming about.
“Today, both broadcast and cable are considered to be ‘traditional’ and ‘media,’ with some of the negative implications that are implied by those words, probably unfairly so,” he said.
Without compelling content
, Mr. Gotlieb said, you don’t have a medium. “Television is in a class by itself when it comes to developing mass-appeal content that attracts enormous numbers of people, and it continues to do that successfully today and continues to draw some of the most elusive media audiences in large numbers,” he said.
While many bemoan fragmentation and ratings erosion, Mr. Gotlieb says TV has a strong future. It is being re-energized by new technologies. High definition, for example, is already having a dramatic and positive impact on viewing levels, he said.
Of more importance to marketers are opportunities that a new phase of digital delivery will usher in. Those will enhance the capabilities of television, Mr. Gotlieb noted, “both as an entertainment vehicle through simple but effective levels of interactivity on the content, if one is to assume that the audience wants to interact with their television,” and for delivering more targeted advertising messages to consumers.
“From my perspective as a media guy we will one day in the foreseeable future [and] for the first time have addressability in the messages,” he said. “We will have response capability, and I am of the firm view that what today is referred to dismissively as traditional media will continue to be an incredibly effective massmarketing vehicle and an even more effective targeted vehicle.” – Jon Lafayette
Sam Haskell
Former Head of Worldwide TV, William Morris Agency
Like many retired people, Sam Haskell says he’s busier now than when he was working.
The former head of worldwide television at the William Morris Agency, who bid adieu to that post in late 2004, is keeping busy with charitable organizations, helping his wife with her new career as a recording artist and serving as chairman for the Miss America Organization.
He’s also got his ear to the ground in the TV business and still keeps in touch with close friends, such as Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, from his 25-plus years with the agency.
“Sam may be the most honest person I’ve ever met, and he’s great at recognizing talent,” Mr. Mosko said. “He’s one of the most caring and charitable people in the business, who gives far more than he ever receives.”
During his time at Morris, Mr. Haskell packaged some of the most popular television shows ever, including “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Cosby Show” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Mr. Haskell pointed out that he worked with Mr. Cosby in partnership with his mentor at William Morris, Chairman Norman Brokaw.
Like all good Hollywood stories, Mr. Haskell’s started in the mailroom. After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1977, he moved to Los Angeles and in 1978 landed a post shuffling letters for William Morris. In those early days, he met both Debbie Allen and Kathie Lee Gifford; they were his first clients when he became an agent in 1980. He credits them with introducing him to many others in Hollywood.
“We were negotiating the deal for Debbie Allen in ‘Fame’ and I just sort of got assigned to her and we became best friends and I handled her whole career,” Mr. Haskell said. “That relationship with Debbie Allen created relationships with other people, like Jeff Katzenberg, Brandon Tartikoff, David Geffen, Steven Spielberg.”
The meeting with Mr. Tartikoff proved particularly fruitful, as Mr. Haskell went on to become the NBC liaison at William Morris for a number of years.
Ms. Gifford was instrumental in helping Mr. Haskell establish relationships with executives at Buena Vista Television and Disney, he said.
“If I were to say what I was most proud of during my career as a packaging agent, it would be putting together shows like ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ with Leslie Moonves and Ray Romano. All of this is trying to explain the importance in my mind of the ripple effect of my early relationships,” he said.
Shortly after he retired, he worked with the governor of Mississippi, his home state, to put together a three-hour telethon on MSNBC to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The event raised more than $15 million, he said. – Daisy Whitney
CEO/Co-Founder, Apple; Co-Founder, Pixar
If anyone had suggested even two years ago that Steve Jobs would become one of the most powerful people in the TV industry, that person surely would have been laughed at.
Two years ago, Mr. Jobs was just the head of a tech outfit in Cupertino, Calif., that made computers for art geeks.
Now he is one of the most powerful people in TV, thanks to a device that revolutionized the television business when it was introduced in October 2005-the video iPod.
The simultaneous news of Disney’s deal with Apple to offer full-length episodes of its prime-time shows on Apple’s iTunes, and by extension the iPod, was a watershed moment in the TV business, a demarcation line between past and future.
After that deal, everything changed.
The introduction of the video iPod set in motion the online video business as it exists today, unleashing a tidal wave of similar online-TV deals between networks and iTunes as well as countless other online video venues. The success of iTunes proved consumers want their TV shows when it’s convenient to them and that iTunes consumption does not cannibalize linear viewing.
In the wake of the Disney-Apple pact, other networks struck deals with online portals such as Yahoo, MSN and AOL to carry their shows, while competitors including Amazon, Wal-Mart and AOL introduced download-to-own services.
Then came YouTube, Veoh, Revver and Break at the same time that networks started streaming shows on their own Web sites.
The Apple-Disney partnership began when Mr. Jobs came to the Burbank office of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney to show her a device pre-loaded with an episode of “Lost”-he said it would revolutionize the television industry. In an interview with TVWeek last October, Ms. Sweeney said she knew that availability of her shows on iTunes could help combat piracy.
“We’ve been looking at it as [part of] the different ways we serve our viewers. The average viewer of a hit TV show sees only six to eight episodes per year. So by providing them a way to catch up, or a way to own and watch on their computer, super-serves them the same way the Internet serves them with pirated versions of our shows,” she said.
Since its inception, iTunes has sold more than 50 million TV episodes. The iTunes store offers more than 350 television shows.
Mr. Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976. He is also the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, which merged with the Walt Disney Co. in 2006. – Daisy Whitney
Roger King
CBS Television Distribution CEO
According to legend within the television industry, CBS Television Distribution CEO Roger King is such a good salesman he made a deal with WPIX-TV for $50,000 with absolutely nothing to sell. That money was used to create King World Productions, the birthplace of such series as “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jeopardy!” and “Oprah.”
Whether the local station lore is true or not, it’s clear that the longtime salesman and now corporate honcho has shaped the face of syndicated television like no one before him.
In his current position, Mr. King oversees the combined assets of King World (which he sold to CBS in 1999) and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, and produces or distributes eight of the top 10 first-run syndicated shows, including all of the genre leaders.
But Mr. King may be better known as the face of a feisty but thriving independent than as a suit for a corporate conglomerate. The first defining moment for King World came after Mr. King and his brother Michael set their sights on a 7-year-old network game show, “Wheel of Fortune,” which was produced by Merv Griffin Enterprises. When King World set out to sell “Wheel” to stations, it not only demanded no barter time as part of the licensing agreement but also decided to bypass the top markets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and let the show grow. “Wheel” premiered in September 1983 with 59 stations and a 43 percent marke
t reach.
By September 1984 the series was the top-ranked syndicated game show, appearing in 181 markets, including the top three, and the company had “Jeopardy!” launching that same month. The success of the two series boosted King World’s net income by 418.5 percent that year.
Soon after, Dennis Swanson, then general manager of WLS-TV in Chicago, brought to Mr. King’s attention the host of “AM Chicago,” who was beating the powerhouse “Donahue” on a regular basis. Her name was Oprah Winfrey, and she was quickly signed to a deal with King World. As the company met with stations to sell the series, Mr. King required every station that bought the show to run it at 4 p.m., a unique demand for a series. But the move paid off, as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” quickly overtook “Donahue” nationally in ratings and drove millions of ad dollars to the stations.
By 1999, consolidation was fast sweeping the syndication business and Mr. King agreed to sell King World Productions to CBS for $2.5 billion.
“It became very difficult to sell TV shows,” Mr. King told TVWeek in 2004. “You couldn’t go it alone anymore. We thought if we built an alliance with CBS, we’d have owned-and-operated stations and a network behind us. Disney has Buena Vista, NBC has NBC Studios, Fox has theirs, Tribune has theirs. And we got a premium.” – Chris Pursell
Geraldine Laybourne
Chairman-CEO, Oxygen Media
Geraldine Laybourne has seen the TV landscape expand from three broadcast networks to hundreds of channels. But the change she thinks is most interesting is who is manning-or womaning-the ship.
Women, she observes, are running some of the biggest television companies in the country. Ms. Laybourne has been a role model, if not mentor, to many of them, first by helping to turn Nickelodeon into a powerhouse, then reviving Disney’s kids programming and then starting her own media company, Oxygen.
“When I started, Kay Koplovitz [of USA Network] was the only woman running anything,” Ms. Laybourne said. “Recently, we looked at what women had run a cable network in the last decade, and there were 20 women on the list.”
Ms. Laybourne said the rise of women in television coincided with the growth of the cable business. The old boys at the broadcast networks “looked at us like we were pathetic, working in cable,” she said. That meant the path was clear in cable for anyone with ideas and stamina.
“We’re particularly good at putting ourselves in the shoes of our consumers, and as the media has moved to being more oriented to specific consumer groups, that’s been a really helpful thing.”
The networks women run these days aren’t small. Ms. Laybourne points to Judy McGrath at MTV Networks, Judith McHale, who recently left Discovery Communications, and Anne Sweeney, head of Disney ABC Television Group Networks, as running huge groups. Close behind are USA’s Bonnie Hammer, A&E Television Networks’ Abbe Raven, BET’s Deborah Lee, MTV’s Christina Norman, Nick’s Cyma Zarghami and Bravo’s Lauren Zalaznick. And the list goes on.
“There’s a lot of evidence that women are great leaders in this arena, and that is a dramatic change from when I started in this business,” Ms. Laybourne said.
Whatever happens next in the TV business, she expects her cable colleagues to capitalize first. “We look for the next thing and we have our eyes wide open,” she said. For example, she thinks cable people moved quickly to seize on the Internet as an opportunity rather than a threat.
“The cable companies went into the Internet with a great deal of force in the late ’90s, got a little bit burned, retreated,” she said. “I think, having been burned, we’re going to be smarter in the second round.” – Jon Lafayette
Producer-Writer
Few producers have been able to create Americana as effectively as Norman Lear. With series that ranged from “Sanford and Son” and “One Day at a Time” to “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Jeffersons” as well as the unforgettable “All in the Family,” Mr. Lear remains a living legacy to the maturity of the television medium.
The biggest chapter of that legacy begins in 1970 when Mr. Lear, after years of producing movies and writing for series such as “The Colgate Comedy Hour,” attempted to sell a concept for a sitcom about a blue-collar American family to ABC. The series, named “All in the Family,” was turned down by the network only to be sold to CBS and premiere on Jan. 12, 1971. The series, which introduced Archie Bunker to the world, opened to disappointing ratings but held on to become the top-rated series on television for more than half a decade.
As his career and reputation grew, Mr. Lear became known for groundbreaking situation comedies that featured families regularly confronted by major political and social issues of the day. In “Maude,” he faced a firestorm of protest from the Roman Catholic community when the title character opted for an abortion. Mr. Lear and producing partner Bud Yorkin brought minority families into network prime time with “Sanford and Son” and “The Jeffersons.”
With as many as six series on the airwaves at once, Mr. Lear was known for always attending the story conferences for each of his shows. Despite the groundbreaking issues tackled by his shows during the ’70s and ’80s, Mr. Lear believes that the best television wasn’t during that era, but today.
“Critics and others always speak of the ‘Golden Age’ of television,”‘ said Mr. Lear. “I think that if that term ever truly applied to a time in TV history that time is now. I feel that way (a) because this is the moment we are alive to feel and to experience and it is all that really matters, and (b) because some of the best drama in television history has been produced in this period, as well as some of the most outrageous comedy.”- Chris Pursell
Chairman, Liberty Media
There are cable cowboys, and then there’s John Malone. He’s the definitive cable cowboy, the reason the moniker exists.
He’s the television executive who made the bold claim in 1992 that it was possible to have a 500-channel television universe.
He spoke to TVWeek in 2003 about that seminal remark, saying, “I guess if I’m surprised or disappointed, it’s that the evolution of interactive kind of got put on the back burner because the high-speed data business became so strong. The progression in my mind at that time was lots of channels through the digital set-top [box], and the digital set-top would bring with it a lot of interactive services. …
“I always thought there was going to be a lot of value-and there still may be-to the consumer and for the advertiser and for the guy doing it, by providing that impulse quick-response interface. And in a sense you could cross platforms. You could jump to Internet-like random access on the television side and, of course, you could jump to video on the Internet side, so that there would be a blend, or convergence, of the applications across both sides.”
He sure got that last part right. Today, TV and the Internet are close bedfellows, with TV networks serving up shows online and using Web properties as fodder for new on-air programs. But the industry is still searching for that perfect technological bridge between the TV and the PC.
John Malone currently is chairman of Liberty Media, a spot he has held since 1990. He’s best known for his tenure at TCI, where he served as CEO from 1973 to 1999, shuttling the company from a 1 million-subscriber operator in the early days of cable to a 13-million customer behemoth that would become the guidepost for the cable industry during the ’90s, just as Comcast is today.
In his book on Mr. Malone, “Cable Cowboy,” Mark Robichaux wrote, “Malone had picked TCI because (Bob) Magness, fatigued and running out of luck, was ready to relinquish power and let a new man run the entire show-and because, if Malone could make it work, he might become extremely wealthy.”
Mr. Malone did both, landing the 486th spot on Forbes’ 2006 list of the world’s richest people. And TCI became the most powerful cable operator during his years at the helm, making it all the more enticing for AT&T, w
hich bought TCI in 1998 and sold the cable unit to Comcast in 2002.- Daisy Whitney
Leslie Moonves
President-CEO, CBS Corp.
More than any other major television network, CBS knows that crime can, indeed, pay.
And although CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves gives credit to his entire team for cobbling together a prime-time schedule that has made theirs the most-watched network week after week for the majority of the 21st century, many others would credit Mr. Moonves himself for nurturing a little Jerry Bruckheimer production called “CSI” and taking a risk on a game show-meets-“Lord of the Flies” concept called “Survivor” back in 2000.
Mr. Moonves, 58, formerly co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom and chairman of CBS (shifting into his current post when CBS Corp. became a separate entity on Dec. 31, 2005), remains modest about the creative influence he brings to the table.
“You put shows on and hope for the best,” he said.
But obviously it’s a bit more complicated trying to stay a step ahead of entertainment trends while helming a multimedia corporation that must meet the demands of an audience clamoring for a bigger say in when and how it gets to watch television, a development that has changed the business for every network. CBS, for instance, makes many of its series available for viewing on its recently launched broadband channel Innertube, found at CBS.com. ABC, NBC, Fox and The CW all do the same.
“It’s the idea that you can’t just plan the next month or even the next year,” Mr. Moonves said. “You have to constantly be thinking of how your schedule’s going to change and how it’s all going to evolve and what’s going to be the next move that you have to make-and you have to think of the next best thing. That’s what we constantly do around here.”
Ten years ago, however, it was nigh impossible to envision how quickly the Internet would factor into the marketplace, and even the rate of change in the past several years-with the onslaught of cell phones, iPods, satellite radio, YouTube, MySpace, Google and the thousands of other digital options people are turning to for entertainment-is keeping the TV industry on its toes.
Referring to the 2007 upfronts, Mr. Moonves said, “Everybody, in terms of dealing with the advertisers, has to have a game plan that incorporates everything. It’s not like the old days where you could just care about one source and one form of distribution, so I think any media executive right now has to have their eye across a lot of different playing fields.”
It’s safe to say the so-called “slow-growth” businesses, such as CBS Interactive, that Mr. Moonves inherited in the Viacom-CBS split aren’t going to remain that way for long.
They can’t, really.
‘”‘We’re the content providers,” Mr. Moonves said, “and I think it’s really important as we look toward the future that the content provider and the forms of distribution go hand in hand, and that’s why we want to put everything everywhere and just hope they watch our content.”- Natalie Finn
Chairman-CEO, News Corp.
Arguably the world’s most powerful media executive. Autocratic media titan. Force of nature.
They’re all expressions that have been used in the past year to describe Rupert Murdoch, News Corp.’s chairman, CEO and founder, who at 76 seems only to be tightening his grip on the reins of his ever-expanding empire, maintaining a personal stake in everything from billion-dollar buyouts to which pilots Fox is ordering up for the fall.
Exercising a combination of energy, passion, curiosity, veteran foresight and good old-fashioned clout, Mr. Murdoch continues to help set the agenda not only for News Corp.’s myriad broadcast, cable, satellite and multimedia holdings but for the television industry as a whole.
Mr. Murdoch was not available to comment to TelevisionWeek. But those privy to his style of conducting business are in agreement on just how ready the Australian-born mogul is to guide them into an era when in which the way programming is consumed is as much of an issue as what audiences are given to watch.
At the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s Cable Show ’07 earlier this month, News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin put it like this: “Big companies are going to get bigger.”
Meaning, his company’s moves in the last two years-purchasing social-networking site MySpace.com for $580 million, acquiring a 51 percent stake in mobile content provider Jamba!, joining up with NBC Universal to create an online video service that will distribute their networks’ TV shows to Yahoo and other Web sites, etc.-are not just Mr. Murdoch’s way of shoring up for the future. That sort of action is the future.
“We need to get our product in front of viewers wherever and whenever they want it,” said Tony Vinciquerra, president and CEO of the Fox Networks Group.
And all of that product, despite the long chain of creative and executive command between Mr. Murdoch and the finished outcome, easily reflects the big boss’ spirit, whether it’s the dominance of Fox News and its outspoken personalities, the edginess FX brought to basic cable with series such as “The Shield” and “Rescue Me,” or the fact that Fox currently has the biggest show on television in “American Idol,” a ratings juggernaut on which none of the other major networks would take a chance.
“You look at what Rupert’s really done,” Mr. Vinciquerra said. “He’s created businesses, he’s introduced businesses to longstanding competitive environments by surveying the landscape, looking for the weakness in the market or the part of the market that’s underserved, and then developed the product that serves that market. And I think that’s really his genius and what he’s done incredibly well.
“He has the nerve and the willpower, and the intestinal fortitude, to risk a lot of money and, once in a while, almost lost it-but mostly has succeeded.”- Natalie Finn
Art Nielsen
Former CEO, A.C. Nielsen Co.
Arthur Nielsen Jr. always knew he was going into the family business. At age 13, using the money he’d earned by cutting grass and washing windows in Winnetka, Ill., he even helped keep it afloat.
A.C. Nielsen’s first 17 years in the fledgling business of measuring TV viewership were spent in the red. The company had shrunk from 45 employees to six and there had been a vote as to whether to continue what seemed, to one Nielsen relative at least, to be “this crazy business”-a business his mother once called a “rat hole.”
Art Nielsen Sr. “had one prospect left in New York, but he didn’t have enough money in the cash register to get home if he didn’t get the order. He always got part of the pay up front,” recalls Art Nielsen Jr. He gave his dad his $56 in savings and in return received 14 shares of stock in A.C. Nielsen.
He says the company that keeps track of his assets tells him that stock today is worth $.0001.
But Nielsen Media Research, which survived at least three competitors’ startup attempts to become a natural monopoly, is invaluable to an industry that creates programming to attract as many eyeballs as it can and to the advertisers who are asked to pay for the commercial time within that programming.
Nielsen changed the landscape when it proved television was a more efficient way for advertisers to reach consumers-cost per thousand households, or CPM, was the senior Mr. Nielsen’s concept. “He gave me the job of making it practical,” the junior Mr. Nielsen says.
The landscape itself has changed so much, from the cable explosion to viewing on delay, on demand and on the new and often mobile platforms of the digital age.
What hasn’t changed is the goal of delivering more data about who is viewing what and in what quantities, and delivering it even more quickly and comprehensively. What once was a 10-week collection and crunching process is now accomplished overnight in the majority of the country, where meters have replaced diaries.
One current focus in the industry is rating the commercials in addition to the programming. “That’s going to be tough,” says Mr. Nielsen. “Now t
here’s so many of them. The more you slice them up, the more inaccurate it gets.”
Also unchanged is the junior Mr. Nielsen’s work ethic. At 88, the former Nielsen CEO still spends several days a week in his Chicago-area office, where he says he reflects on all that has happened and receives many visitors. He recently went to the University of Wisconsin, his and his father’s alma mater, where a $2.5 million fellowship in his name was dedicated.
He has a number of DVRs and watches a lot of sports on them.
Does he ever skip commercials? “Well,” he says, “I have to confess, yeah.” – Michele Greppi
Ray Rodriguez
President-COO, Univision Communications
Ray Rodriguez is in the business of milestones.
In his 17 years at Univision Communications-the last two as president and chief operating officer-Mr. Rodriguez has not only witnessed the tenfold growth of the largest Spanish-language television network in the United States, but has helped turn it into a multimedia conglomerate with the fifth biggest network on the air and the most visited Spanish-language Web site.
During the 2005-06 season, the first year the Univision network was included in Nielsen’s National Television Index, it averaged a 2.0 household rating, nearly triple that of its biggest rival, NBC Universal-owned Telemundo, and almost equaling The WB. Univision, however, averaged 300,000 more total viewers than The WB and bested the youth-centric network’s performance in the highly coveted 18-34, 18-49 and 25-34 demographics.
Univision’s telenovelas such as “La Fea Mas Bella” and “Barrera de Amor” regularly top the freshman CW network’s strongest shows, such as “Gilmore Girls” and “Smallville,” in viewership as well.
After Univision started to be measured against CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and The WB, “We began receiving a tremendous amount of interest from people who in the past had shown none,” Mr. Rodriguez said, calling the network’s addition to the NTI its biggest milestone in the past five years, one that “finally allowed people to see that we are the fifth largest network in the country-regardless of language.”
Just like his competitors, Mr. Rodriguez has been focusing on diversifying Univision’s multimedia holdings in order to better serve a rapidly growing audience.
According to a survey by Simmons Market Research, 54 percent of 18- to 49-year-old Hispanics are watching prime-time Spanish-language television now, compared to 47 percent just five years ago. While 79 percent of U.S. residents use mobile phones, 90 percent of the Hispanic American community is toting a cell.
And Univision viewers, in addition to wanting the latest technology, online options and wireless content, are hungry for culturally relevant programming that keeps them connected to both the greater Spanish-speaking world and the communities they live in.
Univision’s role as a news and entertainment provider has become even more significant in the last few years, as immigration and political relations with Mexico and Central and South America have become increasingly hot-button issues in the U.S.
“The importance of a network like Univision to every segment of the U.S. Hispanic population is immeasurable, and the relationship we share with our audiences is not duplicated anywhere in the media universe,” Mr. Rodriguez said, adding his network’s expansion into new platforms has been years in the making.
Since 2001, more than 20,000 pieces of original content have been created for Univision.com, which as of September 2006 was pulling in 11 million unique browsers per month. All of the network’s domestically produced shows are available for viewing via a new broadband channel where users can browse videos by title and genre. Last year, Univision’s World Cup soccer programming for mobile phones became the second most popular V-Cast ever for Verizon, in any language. A social networking site called Mi Pagina is in the works, as well, and Univision continues to weigh partnership offers from other content providers.
“We offer a product that is 100 percent catered to our Hispanic audience in the language they speak and topics they care about,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “We know that our audience depends on us for the information and entertainment that they cannot get anywhere else.” – Natalie Finn
CEO, Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is not afraid to wear its politics on its sleeve or to make enemies.
And company CEO David Smith hasn’t met a retransmission battle he won’t fight.
Earlier this year Sinclair and cable operator Mediacom engaged in a heated two-month retransmission dispute that ended with Mediacom restoring signals for 24 Sinclair stations just in time for the Super Bowl. The agreement was seemingly civil in nature, but Sinclair appeared to have won, as media reports pegged the price Mediacom paid to carry the stations at between 40 cents and 50 cents per subscriber. Sinclair owns or operates 58 stations in 36 markets.
Indeed, Sinclair has played the poster child for broadcasters’ rights during the recent spate of retransmission battles because Mr. Smith believes stations should be paid for their content.
In the company’s May earnings report press release, he said, “We have made significant progress on our retransmission consent agreements and now have over 80% of the multichannel video programming distributor subscribers in our markets under long-term contracts. For 2007, we are now estimating revenues from our retransmission consent agreements to be approximately $59 million as compared to $25.4 million last year, a 132% increase. This new revenue stream has helped to offset weakness in automotive ad spending, national agency buys for the MyNetworkTV programming and softness in the Ohio market.”
Mr. Smith is well-known for his conservative views. During the 2004 presidential race, Sinclair chose to air on many of its stations a documentary highly critical of Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry’s antiwar activities from more than 30 years ago, preempting regular prime-time programming to do so. The documentary featured Vietnam veterans making claims similar to those made by the anti-Kerry veterans group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Also in 2004, Sinclair preempted a “Nightline” special in which Ted Koppel read the names of Americans who died in the Iraq war, claiming the special was motivated by an antiwar agenda and undermined the war effort. The stations instead ran their own special debating the “Nightline” program.
Mr. Smith has been president and CEO of Sinclair since 1988 and chairman since 1990. Before joining Sinclair, he founded Comark Communications, a company that makes high-power transmitters. – Daisy Whitney
Dennis Swanson
President, Station Operations, Fox Television Stations
A motley crew of TV icons owe all or the best part of their successful careers to Dennis Swanson, now president of station operations for Fox Television Stations.
After a formative stint in the Marines, Mr. Swanson worked in TV news and sports as a producer and reporter until a light-bulb moment in his mid-30s. “I realized that if I stayed on the air, I was always going to be at the mercy of somebody else’s decision-making. I really didn’t have a way to deal with that. I thought, ‘Well, gee, maybe I should be the guy in the corner.”
He has occupied a variety of corner offices in local TV and at ABC in sports, daytime and children’s programming, and has led three network-owned TV station groups.
As general manager of ABC’s WLS-TV in Chicago, he launched “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and gave “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” their first big clearances.
As head of ABC Daytime, he hired Kelly Ripa for “All My Children.” As head of the ABC-owned television station group, he also had hired Kathie Lee Gifford as Regis Philbin’s co-host on “Live,” a role Ms. Ripa graduated to five years ago.
As head of children’s programming at ABC in the early ’90s-and one of the few members of the department who had kids and knew what it was like to watch Saturday morning TV with them-he resurrected plucky cart
oon dog Scooby-Doo. “It was a no-brainer,” he says now. But Mr. Swanson is one of those executives who makes many things look easy.
He learned how to make decisions under pressure in uniform.
“I have been professionally trained by the United States Marine Corps to lead. I can’t tell you how invaluable that experience has been,” Mr. Swanson says. “In this business, we really don’t adequately train people to be managers and we don’t do much to help them along the way.”
The Marine Corps “principles are so good that if you execute them properly,” you can’t fail. “The whole idea is that you take care of the troops first, take care of yourself last-you lead by example.”
Mr. Swanson’s examples range from a 45-year marriage (“My wife still speaks to me and loves me”) to his long association with the Emma Bowen Foundation, which helps bring minorities into the media, and his stint as chairman of the board of trustees for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
At 69-“and still employed in an industry that prefers younger demos”-he already has pushed back his retirement target date several times. “One of these days it will be time,” he says. But he’s still enjoying work and is really looking forward to 2008.
“I think that’s going to be a unique, special year in this country. The presidential election is going to be unlike any election we’ve had since 1952. There are no incumbents on the ticket. In those days it was white men on the tickets. This year you’ve got everybody in the thick of it.”
After the election, he says, “Maybe it will be time to start bass fishing.” – Michele Greppi
Founder, CNN
Ted Turner is a maverick who saw the potential of cable and built the medium, first with CNN, the news network that grew from an industry joke into a worldwide force, then with entertainment channels such as TNT, TBS and Cartoon Network. Along the way he tried to buy CBS and sparred with Rupert Murdoch and Time Warner, which acquired his company.
In Mr. Turner’s opinion, the development of satellite and cable revolutionized TV. “Before satellite and cable TV, television was a medium of scarcity with almost impossibly high barriers to entry because there were so few over-the-air frequencies,” he said. “Satellite and cable turned television from a medium of scarcity to a medium of plenty.”
That enabled the industry to serve distinct audiences and viewer interests, with channels ranging from Home & Garden Television to the Food Channel to the Weather Channel to CNN. “There’s more of everything,” he said. “I think freedom of choice is a very good thing.”
Looking forward, Mr. Turner noted that some technical improvements are taking place in TV, such as high definition, but he added, “It’s hard for me to conceive that there will be much more programming than already is there today because individual needs are being served, and with television on demand, you can see anything you want, any time you want it.”
Even for a visionary like Mr. Turner, there’s not much more one can expect out of a device sometimes derided as the boob tube.
“That’s probably about as far as you can go. To have everything that’s been produced available everywhere any time, that’s pretty close to the end of major developments,” Mr. Turner said.
As a figure who has tried to make peace between America and Russia and a philanthropist who has donated huge sums to U.N. causes, Mr. Turner sees other fields where he can make an impact. “That’s why I’m working on solar energy,” he said. “I think that’s more important now than further improvement in television.” – Jon Lafayette
Co-Host/Co-Producer,’The View’
When the definitive Who’s Who of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is compiled, Barbara Walters will have interviewed most of them, at least once.
For more than three decades, she has been the queen of the big “get,” getting up close and personal with world and American leaders and their first ladies, profiling great and enduring stars and dishing with people famous for everything from high crimes to assorted political and pop-cultural misdemeanors. She still finds time and interest to do high-rated prime-time hours about subjects as diverse as heaven and transgender children.
But ask Ms. Walters, who is scheduled to produce her autobiography next year for Knopf-“It will be truthful,” she says-what her television legacy is, and she says it is opening doors.
“I don’t think I did it on purpose. I didn’t do it deliberately. I didn’t wave the flag. If my perseverance or the quality of my work made things possible for the thousands and thousands of women both in front of and behind the camera, then I would be very proud.”
Her career path is well known. She labored for more than 11 years on NBC’s “Today” before winning co-host status-“and that was just a fluke because the host died,” she says. Then in 1976 it was off to ABC News for a 31-year stay that started with her doomed assignment as the “World News” co-anchor that Harry Reasoner did not want. While she still was occasionally stymied by boy’s club rules-a proposal for a story on the women’s movement was dismissed by an ABC news executive as holding “not enough interest”-she found the perfect platform for her many interests as co-host for 25 years of “20/20” and host of specials that bore her name and the name of her Barwall Productions company.
For the last 10 years, with longtime collaborator Bill Geddie, she’s also proved herself at home in daytime as creator, co-owner, co-producer and co-host of “The View.”
She is indefatigable. She’d have to be, to have weathered the hurricane of headlines about the exit of Star Jones Reynolds and the season of volatile co-host Rosie O’Donnell with such outward equanimity.
“The View,” Ms. Walters says, has been “dessert” for her. The last year, she says with characteristic understatement, has been “a heartier dessert, a sweet-and-sour dessert, and it’s been enormous fun.”
She has always made it look easier than it was. “When I came to ABC, I was finished. I was a failure,” she says. “I had to work my way back. It was the best thing that happened to me, because I was able to prove to myself that it wasn’t just luck.” – Michele Greppi
Producer, Actress and Talk Show Host
The public transformation that started at Nashville’s WLAC-TV and led to the rise of the person Time magazine dubbed “arguably the world’s most powerful woman” is not yet complete.
The distinguished resume of daytime legend Oprah Winfrey grew a bit longer last week when ABC announced it was adding unscripted series “Oprah Winfrey’s The Big Give” for its fall 2007 schedule. Clearly, another success is in the books for the daytime queen.
With a net worth of more than $1.5 billion, the top-rated talk show in the country, the sway to launch two successful spin-off series in “Dr. Phil” and “Rachael Ray” and a piece of the Oxygen Channel, Ms. Winfrey’s brand and reach have shown few weaknesses.
“Oprah is the most powerful communicator I have ever seen,” Dr. Phil told TVWeek in 2004. “She is completely in the moment when she’s speaking to you.”
The launch of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Sept. 8, 1986, aired on 130 stations; it’s now seen on 214, representing 99.87 percent of the country. Estimates place revenues for the first season alone at $125 million, and they’ve only grown from there.
Ms. Winfrey’s ability to capture the elusive interview adds to that success. In 1993, Ms. Winfrey hosted a rare prime-time interview with Michael Jackson that became the fourth most watched event in American television history as well as the most watched interview ever, with an audience of 100 million people.
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding Ms. Winfrey in the past decade and a half, for audiences as well as company executives, has been how much longer she is willing to tackle the grind of daytime television. When the news hit Wall Street that she signed a contract extension in 1995, King World’s stock rose $3.75 per share.
Her current deal with distributor CBS Domestic Television assures tha
t audiences will get their Oprah fix through the 2010-11 season, which would mark the 25th anniversary of the long-running series and, in all likelihood, her last with the show. However, the Oprah mystique will always leave audiences wanting more.
-Chris Pursell
2 Local ABC Cameramen Killed in Baghdad
A TVWeek Milestone – 25th Anniversary: People and Shows That Inspire Us
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ZZ’s new top
Why footballer’s returning to play in China’s second division
Jul 9, 2010 (WiC 68)
Saying see you, Jimmy to Glasgow
Glasgow’s deep-fried Mars bars, bone-chilling winters and hard-to-comprehend local tongue can prove a challenge to any foreigner moving to the city. Zheng Zhi certainly didn’t last very long.
The captain of China’s national football team signed for Celtic last September and quickly made his debut against Glasgow rival, Rangers – a passionate fixture that is known around the world for its warlike mood. Zheng began the ‘Old Firm’ derby well, and even earned Celtic a penalty kick.
However, after a positive start, the midfielder scored only two goals all season, and found himself relegated to the substitute bench. Regardless of this, many in China thought he would stick out another year on the Clyde as it would have made him eligible for British citizenship – having moved to the UK in 2006. But Zheng told Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record that he couldn’t take another season of sitting on the bench, and needed to play more games.
Last week he announced he’d leave Glasgow – after less than a year – to return to China. Some would see it as a bold career choice. He will trade the shirt of one of Britain’s most successful clubs – a winner of the European Cup and 42 time league champions of Scotland – for that of Guangzhou Evergrande, a team which currently languishes in the Chinese second division. As if that weren’t enough of a trade-down, he returns to a country where – as regular WiC readers will know – the game is at an absolute lowpoint, derided by local media for match-fixing and the antics of its ill-disciplined players.
Zheng says he’s returning to his homeland to help aid the game’s renaissance and that his choice of club was a careful one. The new owner of the southern Chinese team is Liu Yongzhuo, the head of property firm, Evergrande. Like Zheng, Liu wants to rejuvenate Chinese football, and has promised to spend Rmb100 million ($14.6 million) on players to revive the side. Zheng – nicknamed ZZ in China – is reportedly getting Rmb5 million a year to form the lynchpin of the team, as Liu seeks to transform it into a Chinese Super League club.
The infusion of cash (and talent) is welcome – with Chinese sports fans desperate for football success. As reported in WiC66, China’s failure to qualify for this month’s World Cup in South Africa has been a source of consternation.
Liu may even see himself as a bit of a Roman Abramovich. That’s because – aside from the high profile signing of Zheng – he’s rumoured to be after Ronaldo too. “More fans will come to the sport here if the Brazilian great signs with Evergrande, as has been reported. His simple presence would be a coup for the real estate development company, let alone the goals he would score,” concludes China Daily.
Zheng says he’s returning to his homeland to help aid the game’s renaissance and that his choice of club was a careful one. The new owner of the southern Chinese team is Xu Jiayin, the head of property firm, Evergrande. Like Zheng, Liu wants to rejuvenate Chinese football, and has promised to spend Rmb100 million ($14.6 million) on players to revive the side. Zheng – nicknamed ZZ in China – is reportedly getting Rmb5 million a year to form the lynchpin of the team, as Liu seeks to transform it into a Chinese Super League club.
Xu may even see himself as a bit of a Roman Abramovich. That’s because – aside from the high profile signing of Zheng – he’s rumoured to be after Ronaldo too. “More fans will come to the sport here if the Brazilian great signs with Evergrande, as has been reported. His simple presence would be a coup for the real estate development company, let alone the goals he would score,” concludes China Daily.
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INTERVIEW: Sadiq Khan on the Ahmadiyya hate campaign
Sadiq Khan full interview on the Ahmadiyya hate campaign
By Omar Oakes
In his first interview about the hate campaign being waged against the Ahmadiyya community in south London, Tooting MP and shadow Justice Secretary, Sadiq Khan, talks to Omar Oakes about what has happened and what he is doing to stop it escalating.
Is there a hate campaign going on against the Ahmadiyya community?
"If you read the [Ahmadiyya’s allegations of hate crime] dossier, it’s not just in Wandsworth, but in Walsall, in Birmingham, in other parts of the country, there is clearly a campaign to incite hatred against this group of people. Whether that crosses the criminal threshold, that is for the police."
What’s the latest you’ve heard about the police investigation?
"The police complete a report to send to the CPS who will decide whether or not to prosecute. There’s two criteria with the CPS. One, does it satisfy the evidential burden of more than 50 per cent chance of a successful prosecution? Two, is it in the public interest to prosecute. They have said it doesn’t, so they’re not going to prosecute.
"Now, one of the things I know that Rafiq [Hayat, national president of Ahmadiyya Association] wants to do is, he’s got an opinion which says it is possible to prosecute. One of the things I’ve said to him is.... he’s got a QC’s opinion, send me your QC’s opinion and I’ll raise it with the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] in relations to if there are grounds to prosecute.
"Separately, I’ll be meeting with police and the Ahmadi community, and the Borough Commander [at Wandsworth police Chief Superintendent Dave Musker ] will be asked to look into the issue and whether there is more they can be doing.
"To be fair, the police’s hands are tied. They’ve done the investigation, and it’s for the CPS to decide. The Borough Commander has invested a considerable number of police officers to look into the allegation, including having documents translated from Urdu into English."
Do you believe the TIC is part of the hate campaign?
"No. I’ve spoken to the management committee of the TIC. As soon as the poster was pointed out to them, they’ve taken it down. They’ve put out their own statement, which you’ve seen. And they have agreed, for the first time... I asked them, would they come to this meeting with the Ahmadi community, they have to do so... and the good news is today, the Ahmadi community have said that they’re really happy that I’ve organised the meeting.
"The management committee (at the TIC), who I can speak to, and I am speaking to, are taking this very seriously. They have reassured me that he (Suliman Gani, imam of the Tooting Islamic Centre) will do nothing to undermine the fantastic work we’ve done over the last 30 years, and it’s really important they give me that reassurance which they have. What would be disastrous, is if any religious or community leader was undermining the good work that goes on. The Sunni Muslims and the Ahmadis is just one example: we have been living, cheek by jowl, very successfully, Hindu Tamils and Buddhist Singhalese, Hindus and Sikhs, you know, Catholics and Anglicans, and it all works really well. And so, I’ve been reassured by the Islamic Centre. That’s one of the reasons we can’t undermine the meeting that’s going to take place, that any reassurance needs to take place around that table."
Do you know who’s going to be there from Tooting Islamic Centre?
"No, but it’s got to be management. There’s no point having somebody low-level, it’s got to be somebody right at the top, who’s accountable for what goes on inside the mosque. Otherwise it’s a waste of time."
According to Mark Clarke (the Conservative candidate who was locked in a room at the TIC at an election event on April 14 for his own protection after being mistaken for the Lib Dem candidate, Nasser Butt, who is an Ahmadi) these people very clearly identified themselves as supporters of Sadiq Khan. They said: "This is Sadiq’s mosque. What are you doing here? This is no place for Ahmadis". Hadn’t you heard anything like that was going on?
Would you condemn that?
"Yes, absolutely. There’s a famous speech I give all the time about President Kennedy. He was the first President of Catholic faith. And Kennedy goes to a Catholic church before 1960 and says: "There are various reasons to vote for me, but if any of these are because I’m a Catholic, then I don’t want your vote. You vote for me because of my values, what I believe in, what I stand for, what I’ve done". I think JFK got it just right. If you say to people, "vote for me because I’m a Muslim", where does it end? It leads to a ghetto-isation of politics which is disastrous.
"I would condemn anybody who says: "Don’t vote for A because he’s an Ahmadi, don’t vote for B because he’s Hindu, don’t vote for C because he’s a Muslim, or don’t vote for D because he’s agnostic, or don’t vote for E because she’s a woman". There’s no place in politics for that. That I think is really important is to say. What I do know, is when I went to the Tooting Islamic Centre and I was asked 10 questions about, you know, “What about halal food at St George’s”, “What are you going to do about parking problems around the mosque”... I had assumed, those objective questions they were asking all the candidates. Which is why it wasn’t a hustings, it was an interview."
Let’s nail down what happened at the Tooting Islamic Centre.
"But I wasn’t there, you have to speak to the people that were there..."
Well you know that Mark Clarke had to be locked in a room….
"Paul (Cahalan, assistant editor at the newspaper) told me the details, but I knew there had been an incident a few days later. I didn’t know anything about being locked in a room until Paul told me. But I knew that something had happened at the mosque because there was a Friday prayer. Ken Livingstone had come down, and Ken Livingstone had to go inside the mosque because of outsiders who were calling him a "kaafir" for encouraging people to vote. These aren’t local people from Tooting, these are outsiders that came in. I knew the mosque made a complaint to Streatham mosque. But Paul was the first person to give me all the details... although I knew there had been some sort of incident, I didn’t know the details until Paul gave me all the details. But there had been some incident clearly with Butt and Clarke because, when I raised the Ken thing, they said it’s not the first time we’ve had a problem with outsiders. My understanding is, I think the mosque made a complaint to Streatham mosque about this."
Between April and October, before we contacted you, what did you know about a campaign against the Ahmadis and what did you do in response?
"I had a long chat with Paul Cahalan (in early October) about this. Paul filled me in on all the details and stuff. I think I only saw the dossier a couple of weekends afterwards when it was dropped round my house from someone from the Ahmadi community. But it wasn’t until I read the dossier that I got the full measure of what was going on, not just locally but around the country as well. I think the dossier is pretty compelling. But until I saw the dossier, even though I had spoken to Paul about it, I didn’t know the details."
Since October, when we reported it, what had you done?
"I’ve spoken with the police regularly and with the most senior officer at the council on at least two or three occasions. I’ve met with leaders of the Ahmadi community and spoken to them on many occasions, including most recently on Friday. I’ve met with leaders of Tooting Islamic Centre to discuss this. I’ve spoken to local councillors about this. I’ve written to Ofcom about this. I’ve written to the Foreign Secretary about this. I’ve met with Siobhain McDonagh to discuss this. I’m sure there are things I’ve forgotten, but if I have, I’ll drop you a note about it."
How much do you know about this group, the Khatme Nabuwwat (an Islamic fundamentalist group of scholars who was invited to a conference at the TIC on March 29 where worshippers were told not to socialise or do business with Ahmadis)?
"Paul told me about them. He asked me if I’d been to the [Khatme Nabuwwat] conference and I didn’t know anything about it. What I said to Paul was, I don’t know anything about them other from what I’ve heard from you guys. And they’re mentioned in the dossier that the Ahmadi Community gave us. My understanding is, that the mosque, like church groups, invite people in, and they invited this group in. This is speculation, but, maybe the group contacted the mosque, and said “We want to come down to the mosque”. That’s all I can imagine happened. I don’t know anything about the group. But, there could be, equally, 50 groups who are invited to the Islamic Centre that I’ve not heard of. The fact that I don’t know about them doesn’t mean they’re not prominent, or whatever. Often, for example, I’ve seen posters outside churches or temples where there are groups who are organising meetings and using the premises. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that there’s a group I’ve not heard of who is organising a meeting at the mosque."
Does it disappoint you that these kinds of meetings were happening?
"What disappoints me is what was said at the meeting, from what Paul has told me about it, and from the recordings, which, if you’ve heard them, some of the stuff – does it disappoint me? Of course it does. I think, though, the question to ask is, what checks and balances the mosque does before it hires out its mosque? That’s the important issue. It’s not enough saying: “so and so came along saying something provocative”. Did you check who they were, what did they say, what were you going to do once they say something provocative. So that’s the kind of questions that every responsible landowner that owns a premises should be asking. But as far as the group is concerned, of course their message is one of... from the extracts I’ve seen, and I’ve only seen extracts from the dossier, obviously it’s very worrying."
Given that they’ve had a conference there on the previous year and this year, it would be reasonable to suggest that they might come back next March. Do you think they should be allowed back?
"That’s a question you should ask the landowners. The question is, are these meetings organised and being publicised with the deliberate aim of being anti-Ahmadi, which would be very very serious if they were. Or, are they advertised as theological discussions?"
When the Tooting Islamic Centre was opened, one of its stated aims was to promote community cohesion. Do you think what’s happened, the evidence that we’ve uncovered, falls short of that?
"I think if you, or anyone, is using the last few weeks and months to form a judgment on the work the TIC does, it’s not doing full justice to the work the Islamic centre does. You either look at it all or you look at a snapshot. Clearly, it’s not the TIC’s finest hour. It’s for them to defend themselves. But, for me, as an observer watching it, it’s not. TIC has been there since the 90's and Balham mosque since 1973. If you think of all the good they’ve done in 34 years, you can’t reach a conclusion like that. But it’s for them to defend themselves. All I know is, as an MP and a councillor for 12 years, they’ve done a lot of good, inter-faith stuff, 7/7, 9/11, reaching out to the Tamils, reaching out on open days, educating our Muslims about Islam, social welfare stuff, not accepting grants from council unless they need it, they try and do things through they own philanthropy."
You recently gave an interview to the Muslim News in which you were given credit for running Ed Miliband’s leadership campaign. One of the things you said was that you wanted to replicate what you did in Tooting where you said you ran a very inclusive campaign. What do you think were the most important elements of this?
"Not relying just on members but relying on other support as well. Any political party which relies just on the members limits the pool. Our membership has actually been going up since May because of the coalition stuff. If you can bring in support, and with no sort-of snobbery about it... If you’re not a member, it shouldn’t mean you can’t do important work."
Given what the Ahmadi community have expressed, does it disappoint you that a minority within your constituency doesn’t believe they’ve been part of that inclusion?
"That’s the most heartbreaking thing. The most heartbreaking thing, is there are people living in Tooting, forget their faith, who feel and have actually got examples of being treated less favourably because of their religion. There are examples of children in schools being name-called. These are examples I’ve heard about, name-called because they’re Ahmadis. Rafiq told me an example of his son being kicked out of a house because he’s an Ahmadi. These are my neighbours, these are friends, these are people I know, that’s heartbreaking. It shouldn’t be happening in 2010, or at any time. It’s happening in Tooting, where I’m supposed to be the representative of everybody. It’s deeply, deeply heartbreaking. But for the grace of God, it could be my child. It could be me. That’s why the responsibility I have is to get it sorted. Now, I’m not going to do it with the intention of seeking the court of publicity, I’m doing it because that child could be me, it could be my daughter...
"In the short term, I might take a hit in popularity and all the rest of it. But, really, it’s not about me. I’m not going to patronise you about giving you the famous Jewish poem from the Second World War, but today it’s the Ahmadis, yesterday it was the Afro-Caribbeans, the day before it was the Irish, tomorrow it could be me or my mum. And that’s why we’ve got to stamp it out. And so, fingers crossed, with a good wind, in a month’s time we may have some good news. And that good news, and I didn’t think of this but you brought up the March [conference] thing, one of the other fruits of this could be next year, next March, there’s not these people coming... I don’t know..."
Do you accept that anti-Ahmadi sentiments preached at the Tooting Islamic Centre by certain speakers to the wider community may have had an impact in the run up to the election?
"No. I think, as far as the general election is concerned, you can’t explain the 5,500 additional votes I received since 2005 simply by what you’re saying. You can’t explain the fact that, notwithstanding the hundreds of thousands of pounds spent by the Conservatives over the last few years, they were walloped. You can’t explain the fact that I had literally hundreds of people helping me in my campaign because of what you’re saying. You can’t explain that my majority is 2,500 when all the pundits were expecting the Conservatives to form a Government based on Tooting. I think what the reason it was done to, was because of a fantastic campaign locally because of the entire community, with faith or without faith, came together. Because I think the community recognise the hard work I’ve put in over the last five years as a Member of Parliament, and the 12 years before that as a local councillor. I think it’s also because I was the only candidate who actually genuinely lives locally and is from the area. I think it’s also because, in my literature, I didn’t make any silly typographical errors. I knew how to spell ‘Iraq’ unlike the Lib Dem candidate. It’s also because I was being photographed locally, unlike being photographed in Sutton like the Liberal Democrats. Because, unlike the Conservative candidate, I had a good, clean, positive campaign, rather than a negative one. I think there are a variety of reasons why I did well in Tooting, not for the reasons you’ve said."
What do you want to say to fellow Muslims who may be thinking of supporting the hate campaign?
"What’s really important is that nobody in our community has hatred directed towards them. It is possible to have differences of opinion on theology, but it’s unacceptable for anybody to incite hatred against another group."
What about the proposed boycott of Ahmadi shops by Khatme Nabuwwat speakers at the mosque?
"One of the things I’ve been campaigning for is for us to support local businesses. So it’s daft for local businesses to be boycotted. I think it’s very important that we support local businesses, especially in these difficult economic times."
Will you be shopping in Ahmadi shops yourself?
"I’ll be shopping in all sorts of shops. I don’t ask people what their faith is, I look for the best discounts, just like most shoppers do in Tooting! I don’t know who the local shops who are Ahmadi are, most retailers don’t. I’m disappointed if anyone has been targeted, and they shouldn’t be targeted."
On Friday, one of our photographers took a photo of an anti-Ahmadi leaflet in a hair salon shop just off Tooting High Street. Would you urge anyone who’s seen these leaflets to contact the police?
"These sort of leaflets do no good at all. What they do is create ripples of hatred which is not good. If anybody has any evidence of any criminality it is really important that they give this evidence to the authorities. The authorities need to have all the evidence if they’re going to try and stop this. I don’t just want to say police, I want to say “authorities” because there are things that the council can do. Sometimes it could be the council, sometimes it could be the police, sometimes it could be other people. The main thing is to report this to the authorities. Of course, I will talk to shopkeepers and see what we can do to help out. I live locally and I’ve seen no evidence of leaflets and stuff. If you say they are then I take your word for it."
What should Ofcom do about broadcasters who spread messages of hate?
"I’ve been in touch, as you know, with Ofcom – not just recently, but in the past as well. What Ofcom tell me is that a lot of these programmes come from overseas and their abilities are limited. The good news is that the regulators have taken it seriously where there are these sorts of messages coming from within the UK. The important thing is, Ofcom needs to have reported to them all instances of this sort of unacceptable broadcasting. It’s not just me, there are a number of MPs who have written to Ofcom and I’m sure if Ofcom don’t take action when they should do, we’ll be down on them like a tonne of bricks. But they have been quite receptive, which is encouraging."
Click here for our full Ahmadiyya investigation
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Petaluma Gap Women Winemakers Auction Lot will be used to Help Young Women in Dire Need
Petaluma Gap Women Winemakers Auction Lot Purchased by Philanthropists Karen & Ted Davison at the Sonoma County Barrel Auction: Their "Never Before-Never Again" Wine will be used to Help Young Women Break Free of Life-Threatening Situations
Petaluma, Calif.—Winemakers from the Petaluma Gap American Viticultural Area (AVA) fared well at the fifth annual Sonoma County Barrel Auction on Friday, May 3, raising more than $65,000 from eleven auction lots of “Never Before, Never Again” wine, each crafted from grapes grown in the Petaluma Gap.
Two of the lots were collaborative efforts, dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes.” The men’s lot, comprised of Pinot Noir from Cline Family Cellars, Fogline Vineyards, Rodney Strong Vineyards, and Thirty-Seven Wines, brought in $8,000 while the women’s lot, devised of Pinot Noir from Bruliam Wines, Keller Estate and Trombetta Family Wines, bested the men with a winning bid of $9,000. Ted and Karen Davison, owners of a recreational boating service in Panama City Beach, Florida, purchased the women’s lot to raise money at exclusive events on board their tour boats. Unique experiences, such as swimming with the dolphins or snorkeling the grass flats, are followed by on-board wine tastings; 100% of the money raised will be donated to Mercy Multiplied, a charitable organization that helps young women break free of life-threatening situations.
Erica Stancliff, winemaker for Trombetta Family Wines, enthused, “We are thrilled that our auction lot was purchased again by the Davisons; this is the second year that they cast the winning bid. Only about 10% of winemakers are women and we are excited to be a part of the Davison’s plan to help these young women in dire need of support.” Residents at Mercy Multiplied facilities include victims of sex abuse and trafficking, addiction, depression and eating disorders.
The Davisons choose unique wines that they think their guests will enjoy. “In the Gap, the grapes are grown under windy, harsh conditions but result in the most elegant wines that are the soul of Sonoma County. We think it is a good match to use them for fundraising to help these young women break free of their own extreme living conditions,” said Karen Davison. Ted Davison added, “Jesslyn Jackson from Sonoma County Vintners introduced us to the Barrel Auction a few years ago, and now we try to come to Sonoma several times a year. The wines just keep getting better, and the hospitality is from the heart.” The Davisons also support additional charities with wines purchased at the Barrel Auction, including Child Bridge, Global Effect and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
About the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance
Founded in 2005, the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance (PGWA) exists to educate members of the wine trade and consumers about the Petaluma Gap and to increase awareness of the region’s unique growing conditions and resulting wine quality. PGWA additionally supports member winegrowers and vintners within the region through ongoing programs and communications designed to help them maximize their success within the industry. The group’s membership is made up of grape growers, wineries, associate business members, sponsors and local community members with a passion for the region and its wine. Throughout the year, the group conducts educational events and tastings independently and through the Sonoma County Vintners.
More news from Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Donate a Remarkable Array of "Never Before, Never Again" Wines for the Sonoma County Barrel Auction
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Celebrate the Second Anniversary of the Petaluma Gap AVA
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance Announces Call for Applicants to the 2020 Board of Directors
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Introduce a New Identity to Illustrate the Distinguishing Characteristic of their Wines
Petaluma Gap's Battle of the Sexes Takes to the Airwaves
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Celebrate the First Anniversary of the AVA on Jan 8th
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance
petalumagap.com
Petaluma, CA, USA
50 Gallon 3-Point Sprayer
- used equipment • 11 minutes ago
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GUYANA | Simpson-Miller bats for Guyana's small business; warns about corruption
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, November 30, 2019 - Former Jamaica Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller Thursday night called on Guyana to put systems in place for small businesses to benefit from the expected economic boom.
Countries Guyana
Published in Business & Economy
JAMAICA | Ground broken for long awaited Children's Hospital in Montego Bay
MONTEGO BAY, October 24, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday, broke ground for the construction of the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital in Montego Bay.
JAMAICA | Finance Minister says no gas tax roll back at this time
KINGSTON, Jamaica, August 3, 2018 - Despite mounting pressure from the Parliamentary Opposition and members of the public, Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke, says the Andrew Holness administration is not in a position to remove the gas tax at this time.
Peter Phillips says thanks to Portia
Opposition Spokesman on Finance and Planning Dr. Peter Phillips is thanking Leader of the Opposition and President of the People’s National Party Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller for her many decades of service to Jamaica, the people of Jamaica and to the People’s National Party (PNP).
Opposition Leader Condemns Killing of Children
Kingston, Jamaica: September 8, 2016:- Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, has condemned the recent spate of murders, especially the heinous attacks on children. Mrs. Simpson Miller says the attack on the children represents an attack on Jamaica’s future.
Portia makes public her financial declarations
KINGSTON, July 26, 2016 - Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller yesterday released her statutory declared financial records to the Integrity Commission for the last decade: 2006 to 2016 following an application to chairman of Parliament’s Integrity Commission Justice Paul Harrison.
Two nominated for PNP President, five for VP, but......
THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) yesterday released the names of seven nominees vying for leadership positions in the 78-year-old organisation when it holds its annual conference in September.
No support for those who want to mash up the PNP
KINGSTON, July 18, 2016- PNP Leader Portia Simpson Miller told party members yesterday, that she will not support those who continue to bring the party into disrepute by airing party business in public under the guise of renewal adding that "no one will get away with it" under her leadership.
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KSP commissioner says troopers didn't violate rights of protesters
Kentucky State Police commissioner said trooper have accommodated Poor People's Campaign
Updated: 11:03 AM EDT Jun 20, 2018
WLKY News SOURCE: WLKY News
The Kentucky State Police commissioner said troopers have not violated the rights of demonstrators from the Poor People's Campaign.In an op-ed article, Commissioner Rick Sander said claims have been made that members of the Poor People's Campaign were "shut out of access" to the Capitol building because of their message."This is simply not true," Sanders wrote.State police implemented a two-at-a-time policy for members of the group wishing to enter the building.Sanders said the decision was made to ensure everyone stayed safe."The KSP protocol of allowing two Poor People's Campaign protestors at a time to enter the Capitol building was implemented based upon general crowd control training, coupled with law enforcement officers' specific experiences with this particular group," Sanders wrote.Sanders said the group did not have the proper permit to assemble inside the Capitol.He said that, on at least three occasions, organizers requested and were issued permits to rally outside the building. "However, on each of these occasions, they then took it upon themselves to attempt to move their rally inside without the proper permit," Sanders wrote.He also outlined four instances in which he said, members of the group broke the law but were not arrested.On May 14, Sanders said, about 30 demonstrators from the Poor People's Campaign blocked traffic on Capital Avenue Loop.He said instead of making arrests, troopers diverted traffic.On May 21, Sanders said, 17 people with the group refused to leave the Capitol building at closing time.He said instead of making arrests, extra troopers were called in to provide "round-the-clock" security while protesters spent the night.On May 29, Sanders said, members of the group climbed a fence surrounding the Governor's Mansion.He said, instead of making arrests, troopers allowed protesters to remain.On June 11, Sanders said about two dozen demonstrators entered the Capitol and refused to leave at closing time.He said, instead of making arrests, troopers let the group stay in the building until 8:30 p.m., when, he said, they left of their own accord."In other words, KSP has gone out of our way to be accommodating to Poor People's Campaign protestors and allow them to exercise their right to protest, despite the fact this group has violated regulations each time they have convened," Sanders wrote.The Poor People's Campaign rallied outside the Capitol on Monday.Members said they felt their First Amendment rights had been violated by the state police policy.A small group of demonstrators questioned troopers about the policy.When they were refused entrance into the building in a group larger than two, one demonstrator said he understood troopers were doing their job and walked away.
FRANKFORT, Ky. —
The Kentucky State Police commissioner said troopers have not violated the rights of demonstrators from the Poor People's Campaign.
In an op-ed article, Commissioner Rick Sander said claims have been made that members of the Poor People's Campaign were "shut out of access" to the Capitol building because of their message.
Demonstrators rally in Frankfort as police limit access to Capitol
Members of Poor People's Campaign marches in Frankfort
"This is simply not true," Sanders wrote.
State police implemented a two-at-a-time policy for members of the group wishing to enter the building.
Sanders said the decision was made to ensure everyone stayed safe.
"The KSP protocol of allowing two Poor People's Campaign protestors at a time to enter the Capitol building was implemented based upon general crowd control training, coupled with law enforcement officers' specific experiences with this particular group," Sanders wrote.
Sanders said the group did not have the proper permit to assemble inside the Capitol.
He said that, on at least three occasions, organizers requested and were issued permits to rally outside the building.
"However, on each of these occasions, they then took it upon themselves to attempt to move their rally inside without the proper permit," Sanders wrote.
He also outlined four instances in which he said, members of the group broke the law but were not arrested.
On May 14, Sanders said, about 30 demonstrators from the Poor People's Campaign blocked traffic on Capital Avenue Loop.
He said instead of making arrests, troopers diverted traffic.
On May 21, Sanders said, 17 people with the group refused to leave the Capitol building at closing time.
He said instead of making arrests, extra troopers were called in to provide "round-the-clock" security while protesters spent the night.
On May 29, Sanders said, members of the group climbed a fence surrounding the Governor's Mansion.
He said, instead of making arrests, troopers allowed protesters to remain.
On June 11, Sanders said about two dozen demonstrators entered the Capitol and refused to leave at closing time.
He said, instead of making arrests, troopers let the group stay in the building until 8:30 p.m., when, he said, they left of their own accord.
"In other words, KSP has gone out of our way to be accommodating to Poor People's Campaign protestors and allow them to exercise their right to protest, despite the fact this group has violated regulations each time they have convened," Sanders wrote.
The Poor People's Campaign rallied outside the Capitol on Monday.
Members said they felt their First Amendment rights had been violated by the state police policy.
A small group of demonstrators questioned troopers about the policy.
When they were refused entrance into the building in a group larger than two, one demonstrator said he understood troopers were doing their job and walked away.
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Poll: Confidence drops in Trump transition
Updated: 6:37 AM EST Jan 17, 2017
CNN Staff
AP Photo/ Evan Vucci SOURCE: AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
Donald Trump will become president Friday with an approval rating of just 40%, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll, the lowest of any recent president and 44 points below that of President Barack Obama, the 44th president. Following a tumultuous transition period, approval ratings for Trump's handling of the transition are more than 20 points below those for any of his three most recent predecessors. Obama took the oath in 2009 with an 84% approval rating, 67% approved of Clinton's transition as of late December 1992 and 61% approved of George W. Bush's transition just before he took office in January 2001. Trump's wobbly handling of the presidential transition has left most Americans with growing doubts that the President-elect will be able to handle the job. About 53% say Trump's statements and actions since Election Day have made them less confident in his ability to handle the presidency, and the public is split evenly on whether Trump will be a good or poor president (48% on each side). Across all three of these measures, Americans' impressions of Trump have worsened since November. In that time, disapproval of his handling of the transition has climbed seven points to 52%, the percentage who think he'll do a good job has dropped five points, and the share saying they have lost confidence in Trump's ability to be president grew 10 points. Trump's favorability rating, a measure often seen as a read on a public figure's personality rather than the job he or she is doing, has taken less of a hit, decreasing by just 3 points to 44%. That change falls within the poll's margin of sampling error and is not statistically significant. Despite these declines, many Americans remain confident that Trump will achieve several signature campaign promises, with most saying it's at least somewhat likely that he will impose tariffs on companies that manufacture goods in Mexico (71%), renegotiate NAFTA (61%) and create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas (61%). About half think Trump will be able to simplify the tax code (50%) or protect sensitive electronic information from theft by foreign governments (48%). Fewer, 44%, say it's likely that Trump will be able to build a wall along the border with Mexico, and just 29% believe he will be able to get Mexico to reimburse the United States for the construction of the wall. About 4-in-10 think the President-elect will be able to defeat ISIS, down from 50% who said so in November. More broadly, less than half say Trump's priorities for the country reflect their own (46% say so), and the country is almost evenly divided on whether the policies he's proposed will move the country in the right direction or the wrong one (48% right direction, 49% wrong direction). The poll suggests the deep political divisions that drove the 2016 presidential campaign -- between men and women, whites and racial minorities, those holding college degrees and those without and rural residents and those in more urban areas -- continue unabated as Inauguration Day approaches. Trump's approval rating for handling the transition is almost 30 points higher among rural residents than it is among urbanites, nearly 20 points higher among men than women and among whites than non-whites, and 13 points higher among whites without degrees than among those who completed college. The incoming vice president, Mike Pence, holds a narrowly net-positive favorability rating, 40% favorable to 37% unfavorable. Republicans rate Pence slightly lower than his new boss, 75% have a favorable view of the VP-to-be while 89% have a positive take on Trump. Among Democrats, however, Pence earns higher marks than Trump, 16% see him favorably vs. 9% who say so about Trump. Opinions on Melania Trump are mixed, with a sizable share still unsure how they feel about the incoming first lady (36% favorable, 35% unfavorable, 28% unsure). And after a campaign in which she largely remained off the trail, most say they expect her to take on a mostly private role as first lady rather than a public one. About two-thirds (67%) say they see her remaining more in the background and focusing on her role as a mother and wife than being an advocate for issues and causes and hosting White House functions. Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who is moving to Washington, heads into her role in the first family with more goodwill than her father or the future first lady. Overall, 44% have a favorable impression of her, 33% unfavorable, with 23% saying they're unsure. The CNN/ORC Poll was conducted by telephone January 12-15 among a random national sample of 1,000 adults. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.
Donald Trump will become president Friday with an approval rating of just 40%, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll, the lowest of any recent president and 44 points below that of President Barack Obama, the 44th president.
Following a tumultuous transition period, approval ratings for Trump's handling of the transition are more than 20 points below those for any of his three most recent predecessors. Obama took the oath in 2009 with an 84% approval rating, 67% approved of Clinton's transition as of late December 1992 and 61% approved of George W. Bush's transition just before he took office in January 2001.
Trump's wobbly handling of the presidential transition has left most Americans with growing doubts that the President-elect will be able to handle the job. About 53% say Trump's statements and actions since Election Day have made them less confident in his ability to handle the presidency, and the public is split evenly on whether Trump will be a good or poor president (48% on each side).
Across all three of these measures, Americans' impressions of Trump have worsened since November. In that time, disapproval of his handling of the transition has climbed seven points to 52%, the percentage who think he'll do a good job has dropped five points, and the share saying they have lost confidence in Trump's ability to be president grew 10 points.
Trump's favorability rating, a measure often seen as a read on a public figure's personality rather than the job he or she is doing, has taken less of a hit, decreasing by just 3 points to 44%. That change falls within the poll's margin of sampling error and is not statistically significant.
Despite these declines, many Americans remain confident that Trump will achieve several signature campaign promises, with most saying it's at least somewhat likely that he will impose tariffs on companies that manufacture goods in Mexico (71%), renegotiate NAFTA (61%) and create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas (61%).
About half think Trump will be able to simplify the tax code (50%) or protect sensitive electronic information from theft by foreign governments (48%). Fewer, 44%, say it's likely that Trump will be able to build a wall along the border with Mexico, and just 29% believe he will be able to get Mexico to reimburse the United States for the construction of the wall. About 4-in-10 think the President-elect will be able to defeat ISIS, down from 50% who said so in November.
More broadly, less than half say Trump's priorities for the country reflect their own (46% say so), and the country is almost evenly divided on whether the policies he's proposed will move the country in the right direction or the wrong one (48% right direction, 49% wrong direction).
The poll suggests the deep political divisions that drove the 2016 presidential campaign -- between men and women, whites and racial minorities, those holding college degrees and those without and rural residents and those in more urban areas -- continue unabated as Inauguration Day approaches.
Trump's approval rating for handling the transition is almost 30 points higher among rural residents than it is among urbanites, nearly 20 points higher among men than women and among whites than non-whites, and 13 points higher among whites without degrees than among those who completed college.
The incoming vice president, Mike Pence, holds a narrowly net-positive favorability rating, 40% favorable to 37% unfavorable. Republicans rate Pence slightly lower than his new boss, 75% have a favorable view of the VP-to-be while 89% have a positive take on Trump. Among Democrats, however, Pence earns higher marks than Trump, 16% see him favorably vs. 9% who say so about Trump.
Opinions on Melania Trump are mixed, with a sizable share still unsure how they feel about the incoming first lady (36% favorable, 35% unfavorable, 28% unsure). And after a campaign in which she largely remained off the trail, most say they expect her to take on a mostly private role as first lady rather than a public one. About two-thirds (67%) say they see her remaining more in the background and focusing on her role as a mother and wife than being an advocate for issues and causes and hosting White House functions.
Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who is moving to Washington, heads into her role in the first family with more goodwill than her father or the future first lady. Overall, 44% have a favorable impression of her, 33% unfavorable, with 23% saying they're unsure.
The CNN/ORC Poll was conducted by telephone January 12-15 among a random national sample of 1,000 adults. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.
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WMBR DJ JON BERNHARDT CELEBRATES 25 YEARS ON THE RADIO WITH A PAIR OF BENEFIT CONCERTS FEATURING HIS FAVORITE BANDS
CONTACT: Joyce Linehan/Ashmont Media, (617) 282-2510, joyce@ashmontmedia.com
Photo of Jon at WMBR sometime in the 80’s available for download at http://www.ashmontmedia.com/AMR_bernhardt_photo.html
(Cambridge, Mass. — April 24, 2009) WMBR disc jockey Jon Bernhardt will celebrate his 25th anniversary with the morning Breakfast of Champions radio program on Friday, June 26, from 8 – 10 a.m. To mark this auspicious occasion, he has convinced the bands that have been played the most on his program to perform at a pair of benefit concerts at two Boston area clubs. UK legend Bevis Frond will play in his only U.S. appearance on Sunday, June 21 at TT the Bear’s along with the Condo Fucks and Sleepyhead. Versus reunites to play Church with Rebecca Gates (The Spinanes) and more guests TBA, on Saturday, June 27. Proceeds will benefit WMBR. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
On his June 26, 2009 anniversary program, Bernhardt plans to count down the 33 songs he’s played the most over his 25 year career. With the painstaking meticulousness of an actuary (see below), Bernhardt spent 18 months typing all 25 years worth of playlists into a database, so that he could figure out which bands and songs he played the most. Many of those bands will be heard on the June 26 program, and some will probably be as much of a surprise to listeners as they were to Bernhardt himself.
Sunday, June 21, TT the Bear’s, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge
The Bevis Frond — #1 on Bernhardt’s career playlist — makes a rare appearance, having last played the United States in 2002. Matador recording artists the Condo Fucks feature all three members of Bernhardt’s #2 band, Yo La Tengo. Sleepyhead, who released a song that tied for #1 on the list, opens. (18+, $20, advance tickets at ticketweb.com, or at the venue. Call (617) 492-0082 for more information.)
Saturday, June 27, Church, 69 Kilmarnock St., Boston
Versus, who haven’t played in Boston since 2003, and are the #4 band on the list, reunite especially for the occasion. Also appearing is Rebecca Gates, whose band The Spinanes, released the other song tied for #1. More artists TBA. (21+, $15, advance tickets at ticketweb.com, or at the venue. Call (617) 236-7600 for more information.)
Bernhardt began volunteering at the M.I.T. community radio station in September, 1983. His first Breakfast of Champions program was broadcast on Thursday, June 28, 1984, but by the fall of 1986, he had settled into the Friday morning slot of the indie-rock institution, where he remains today. He was named “Best College DJ” by The Boston Phoenix. Throughout his tenure on the Breakfast of Champions, he has been an early champion of many bands that later achieved a modicum of fame and success. During the day, Bernhardt works as an actuary for a major metropolitan insurance company. He’s held various jobs there since graduating college. When he’s not being an actuary or a disc jockey, he can often be found playing theremin, both in the Lothars and as a solo artist. No promises, but if asked nicely, he may do a few numbers at these shows. He lives in Somerville.
WMBR is the MIT campus radio station, broadcast on 88.1 FM between 20 and 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. The station transmits at 720 watts, effective radiated power from the top of the Eastgate Building in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass. Programming includes a wide range of music shows, public affairs programs and eclectic audio entertainment.
Playlists for all of Jon Bernhardt’s radio shows, as well as a select number of other WMBR jocks, can be found at http://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr.
WMBR broadcasts at 88.1 FM in Cambridge Massachusetts, and on the Internet at http://wmbr.org.
This entry was posted in Jonnie Spaceman, Music, WMBR by Jon B.. Bookmark the permalink.
One thought on “WMBR DJ JON BERNHARDT CELEBRATES 25 YEARS ON THE RADIO WITH A PAIR OF BENEFIT CONCERTS FEATURING HIS FAVORITE BANDS”
nadav on June 7, 2009 at 12:55 pm said:
Holy cannoli!
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Home General Health Heart Disease What Is Long QT Syndrome and What Should You Know About It?
What Is Long QT Syndrome and What Should You Know About It?
Lisa Corke is just 23 but she had a near fatal cardiac arrest last month. She has since been diagnosed with a condition called the Long QT syndrome.
Doctors are saying that this is a hereditary condition that is most likely to have caused the death of her grandfather more than three decades ago.
What is Long QT Syndrome?
The condition is so named because of the appearance of the electrocardiogram (ECG) of a sufferer – the Q and the T of the ECG have peculiar prolonged appearances.
This is a rare hereditary condition that causes repolarization of the heart to be delayed after a heartbeat. This increases chances of torsade de pointes or irregular heartbeat.
There are different types of QT Syndrome – the condition can be hereditary or drug induced but each type is characterized by abnormal repolarization of the heart.
The condition causes irregular heartbeats and increases chances of sudden death.
Can one die laughing?
In particular, the risk of sudden death increases when the person with this condition is in an excited state. This was seen in the case of Alex Mitchell (grandfather of Lisa Corke) who died in 1975.
He had literally died laughing watching a TV episode of the sitcom Goodies. This had then made headlines the world over.
When Lisa Corke recently suffered a near death experience, she had symptoms that were very similar to those of her grandfather just before he passed away.
Whereas his death was put down to cardiac arrest, she was diagnosed with the Long QT syndrome after she suffered from a cardiac arrest. She has now been fitted with an internal cardiac defibrillator.
An automatic internal cardiac defibrillator (AICD) is a device that is implanted (rather like a pacemaker).
These devices work by constantly monitoring the patient’s heart rhythm, and then automatically administering a shock for various life threatening arrhythmias as and when required.
Symptoms of Long QT Syndrome
Fainting is one of the commonly experienced symptoms of this condition. Fainting typically follows exercise or high excitement or anger or being startled. The fainting is usually sudden and without any warning signs.
There could be heart palpitations, lightheadedness, blurred vision and weakness as well. Seizures are sometimes among the symptoms of the condition.
In cases when the heart doesn’t resume its normal functioning after an episode and medical aid is not administered promptly with a defibrillator this can cause sudden death.
(photo credit: en.wikipedia.org)
Read more at http://www.womenhealthzone.com/general-health/heart-disease/what-is-long-qt-syndrome/
What Is Long QT Syndrome and What Should You Know About It? was last modified: September 27th, 2017 by Swathi
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5 Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Risk of Heart Diseases
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Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease in Women
Coronary Heart Disease Symptoms and What to Do About Them
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NEWS | Town receive bids for Khan
Glovers boss confirms interest in attacker
L_Hancock6
Yeovil Town have received bids for midfielder Otis Khan, Darren Way has confirmed.
An unnamed club is free to speak to the 22-year-old after submitting a ‘substantial offer’ which matched a release clause in his contract.
Khan has scored 10 goals for the Glovers this season, and has also contributed with the same amount of assists.
“Otis Khan we’ve had a substantial offer from another club,” Way told YTFC.net.
“We can’t stand in his way because of a clause in his contract so he’ll have a decision to make. He deserves to have the interest he’s attracted.
“He has been fantastic throughout his whole career and I’ve got a decision to make as to how to deal with this now with the Manchester United game coming up.
“I’ve got to sit down with him but ultimately I’ve got to do what’s best for the football club as far as the offers that have come in.
“It was always my fear in the window this would happen, and now it’s just how we deal with it knowing we’ve got a big game on Saturday.”
Way has also revealed there is interest in defender Omar Sowunmi.
The centre-back has been a regular feature for Town this season, scoring twice in 26 appearances.
“There’s been interest in Omar,” he said.
“I’ve had dealings with his agent which was perhaps how I didn’t want it to be. I’ll have to see how that develops.”
Darren Way
Omar Sowunmi
Otis Khan
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Federal Government invests $3.5 million in Solar Plant for North Queensland
Federal Government invests $3.5 million…
A $23.4 million Solar Plant will now supply renewable energy to Weipa’s bauxite mine, processing facilities, township and port in the first commercial diesel displacement solar plant at a remote mining operation in Northern Australia.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has partnered with Rio Tinto and First Solar to deliver the first phase of this groundbreaking two-phase project.
The Weipa Solar Plant’s 18,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have begun feeding electricity into the mine’s existing mini-grid. The electricity will be purchased by Rio Tinto under a 15 year Power Purchase Agreement.
“The Australian Government, through ARENA, has provided $3.5 million support towards this landmark project, which is set to demonstrate that solar PV power is a reliable and cost effective energy option for off-grid commercial operations and remote communities,” Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt said.
Contingent on the success of the first phase of the Weipa Solar Farm, ARENA has committed up to $7.8 million for a second phase, which would deliver an additional 5 MW and include storage.
The 1.7 megawatt (MW) capacity solar plant has the capacity to support up to 20 per cent of the township’s daytime electricity demand. This will reduce the diesel usage at Weipa’s power stations.
“The first phase of the project is set to displace up to 600,000 litres of diesel each year and reduce Weipa’s greenhouse gas emissions by close to 1,600 tonnes a year. It’s good for business, good for communities and good for the environment,” Mr Hunt said.
“ARENA has been brought under the umbrella of the Department of the Environment to better coordinate investment in new renewable technologies, with a particular focus on solar and storage.”
Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch congratulated Rio Tinto and First Solar on the significant achievement which, he said, had a reach that extended well beyond Australian shores.
“This project is another great example of leading renewable energy innovation being delivered right here in Queensland’s Western Cape by business and government,” Mr Entsch said.
“As well as keeping Australia at the forefront of global innovation, projects like this bring jobs and training opportunities and align well with the Government’s focus on developing Northern Australia.”
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Here’s how much the federal minimum wage fell this year
(Illustration by Christopher Ingraham for the Washington Post)
Christopher Ingraham
Reporter covering all things data
Dec. 27, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. UTC
Nine years, five months and one day as of Christmas: That’s how long it’s been since the federal minimum wage was raised. If we make it to June without a wage hike — a safe bet, given the fractious state of federal policymaking — we’ll officially be in the longest stretch of time without a minimum-wage increase since the policy was first established in 1938.
This is a problem for workers at the low end of the wage scale, because inflation — the tendency of the price of just about everything to rise over time — steadily gnaws away at the value of the minimum wage as time passes. The federal minimum was last increased in July 2009, when it was set to $7.25 an hour. It remains nominally at that level today, but in real terms inflation has chipped more than a dollar away from its value: $7.25 in 2009 works out to about $6.19 today. In the past year alone, the minimum wage has lost 14 cents of value, relative to 2009.
While that’s bad news for low-end workers, it’s good news for the companies that employ them: an hour of minimum wage labor now costs less, relative to the price of everything else, than it did back in 2009. Employers get to decide what to do with that $1.06 in savings. They could pass it on to consumers, for instance, or they could simply pocket it as profit for themselves and their shareholders. Given that corporate profits are near record levels, it’s safe to assume there’s a considerable amount of the latter going on.
Zooming out, all the way back to the inception of the federal minimum wage in 1938, we can see that there’s been a steady decline in the inflation-adjusted value of the wage going back to about 1968, when it peaked at about $11.39 in 2018 dollars.
Since then, federal policymakers have slowed the pace of minimum wage increases relative to inflation. But that’s not because voters are demanding a stingy minimum: They’ve been clamoring for higher minimum wages for quite some time, but policymakers aren’t responding to public demand. In some cases, in fact, lawmakers are deliberately working to thwart the will of the public when it comes to the minimum wage by doing things such as slow-walking voter-initiated minimum wage hikes (Michigan) or simply overturning them completely (D.C.).
Recent research shows that the reason politicians — Democrats and Republicans alike — are dragging their feet on popular policies such as the minimum wage is that they pay a lot more attention to the needs and desires of deep-pocketed business groups than they do to regular voters. Those groups tend to oppose minimum wage increases for the simple reason that they eat into their profit margins. (Reminder: Corporate profits are near record levels).
Corporate pushback aside, the latest research on the minimum wage shows that there’s little reason for policymakers to fear raising it. The best available data suggests that minimum wage hikes increase pay for workers at the bottom of the income spectrum but otherwise have little effect on overall employment.
Beyond mere dollars and cents, the minimum wage stands as a baseline for the amount of value a society places on an hour’s worth of human labor. A strong minimum wage sends a signal that there is dignity in labor, even for the jobs that require the least amount of skill. It indicates that society values its workers and the contributions they make to the economy.
A weak minimum wage, on the other hand, says the opposite: that human labor is cheap, that workers are expendable and that the dignity of work is for sale to the lowest bidder.
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Legislature Without State Revenue Plan As Two Days Remain In Special Session
By Monte Bowen
Published: Jul. 13, 2017 at 9:29 PM AKDT
With the Special Session two days from being over, the State Legislature has still not come up with measures to cut deficits and generate revenue.
Both the House and Senate have come up with proposals, but no compromise agreement has been reached yet.
The danger of the state government shutting down ended when lawmakers approved a budget and the governor signed it, but the state is still losing a million dollars per-day, or more, under laws that they are working to fix.
The oil and gas tax bill is the only item on the agenda of the Special Session.
Both sides say they are close.
Sen. Cathy Geissel (R-Anchorage)
"These are negotiations that attempt to reach a compromise and formulate the agreed upon issues and move forward with those."
Rep. Charisse Millett (R-Anchorage)
"This falls under the classification of an urgent thing to do. We're bleeding a million dollars a day we know there's agreement general agreement amongst both bodies that this is something that we could do of the 40 sections in house bill 111, we're in agreement on 35 of those sections that's pretty great.
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3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
Watch 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) Online
It was an ingenious enough plan: rob the Riviera Casino’s count room during an Elvis impersonator convention. But Thomas Murphy decided to keep all the money for himself and shot all his partners, including recently-freed ex-con Michael Zane. With $3.2 million at stake, the Marshals Service closing in, Michael must track down Murphy.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Director: Demian Lichtenstein
Actors: Christian Slater, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Costner, Kevin Pollak, Kurt Russell
Backtrace (2018)
The lone surviving thief of a violent armored car robbery is sprung from a high security facility and administered an experimental drug.
Non-Stop (2014)
Bill Marks is a burned-out veteran of the Air Marshals service. He views the assignment not as a life-saving duty, but as a desk job in the sky. However, today’s…
Country: Canada, France, UK, USA
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Death Note (2017)
A young man comes to possess a supernatural notebook, the Death Note, that grants him the power to kill any person simply by writing down their name on the pages….
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Wild Bill (1995)
Biopic about famous gunslinger Wild Bill Hickock. The early career of legendary lawman is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.
Genre: Action, Biography, Western
Lupin III: The First (2019)
The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary,…
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Crime, Family, Mystery
After Washington DC detective Alex Cross is told that a family member has been murdered, he vows to track down the killer. He soon discovers that she was not his…
Country: France, USA
The In-Laws (1979)
In preparation for his daughter’s wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett meets Vince Ricardo, the groom’s father. Vince, a manic fellow who claims to be a government agent, then proceeds to drag…
In the future, chaos is rampant as ‘information terrorists’ threaten to destroy order in society. Alex is a part-man, part-machine LAPD cop who is the best at what he does….
Country: Denmark, USA
Tank Girl (1995)
Based on the British cult comic-strip, our tank-riding anti-heroine fights a mega-corporation, which controls the world’s water supply.
The Patriot (2000)
After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a…
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Monster Trucks (2016)
Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp, a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of…
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Trailer: 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
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Home » Green Plains to acquire ethanol plants for $237 million
Green Plains to acquire ethanol plants for $237 million
By Eric Schroeder
Abengoa Bioenergy's ethanol facility in Madison, Illinois, U.S.
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S. — Green Plains Inc., a diversified commodity-processing business with operations related to ethanol, distillers grains and corn oil production, as well as grain handling and storage, on Aug. 22 reached agreement to acquire three ethanol plants from Abengoa Bioenergy for approximately $237 million in cash, plus certain working capital adjustments.
As part of the transaction, Green Plains will acquire Abengoa’s ethanol facilities in Madison, Illinois, U.S.; Mount Vernon, Indiana, U.S.; and York, Nebraska, U.S. The three ethanol facilities have combined annual production capacity of 236 million gallons per year.
Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer at Green Plains.
“We continue to focus on making strategic investments in high quality assets as we expand our production footprint,” said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer at Green Plains. “The Madison and Mount Vernon plants will give us access to the Mississippi River, supporting our new export terminal planned in Beaumont, Texas (U.S.). In addition, we will broaden our product offering globally with industrial alcohol production at the York plant. These acquisitions further our commitment to deliver long-term value for both Green Plains Inc. and Green Plains Partners shareholders.”
Once the transaction is finalized, Green Plains will own and operate 17 dry mill ethanol facilities with combined production capacity of nearly 1.5 billion gallons per year.
The company’s acquisition agreements are subject to review and approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri at a hearing currently scheduled for Aug. 29, 2016. The acquisitions are expected to be complete no later than Sept. 30, 2016, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, at which time the ethanol storage and transportation assets will be offered to Green Plains Partners.
Green Plains processes 12 million tons of corn annually, producing more than 1.2 billion gallons of ethanol, approximately 3.5 million tons of livestock feed and 290 million pounds of industrial grade corn oil at full capacity. Green Plains owns a 62.5% limited partner interest and a 2% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP, a fee-based Delaware, U.S., limited partnership that provides fuel storage and transportation services by owning, operating, developing and acquiring ethanol and fuel storage tanks, terminals, transportation assets and other related assets and businesses.
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Mathematics and Science
It Ain't Necessarily So... Bro By Karl Kruszelnicki
It Ain't Necessarily So... Bro
by Karl Kruszelnicki
Australia's favourite scientist answers more curly questions about life, the universe and everything. Questions such as: are virgin births possible? (They are). Will a black hole suck you in? (It won't) Is the most radioactive device in our homes the microwave? (It's not, it's the smoke detector). (SA: Year 6 - Year 9).
Very Good Good
It Ain't Necessarily So... Bro Summary
In the next book in Dr Karl's mega-selling science series, Australia's favourite scientist answers more curly questions about life, the universe and everything; questions such as Are virgin births possible? (they are) Will a black hole suck you in? (it won't) Is the most radioactive device in our homes the microwave? (it's not, it's the smoke detector) No-one conveys the excitement and wonder of science quite like Dr Karl and this, his twenty-fifth book, takes us on another thoroughly entertaining exploration of the world around us. If you like your science fun and unpredictable, don't miss this new addition to the Dr Karl library.
Customer Reviews - It Ain't Necessarily So... Bro
Karl Kruszelnicki
New Moments in Science
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
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Troy gets out with 31-29 win over Eastern Kentucky
The Trojans won't be able to play on Saturday due to COVID-19 on the South Alabama Jaguars football team(WSFA 12 News)
Published: Oct. 17, 2020 at 11:25 PM CDT
TROY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Troy Trojans were able to escape with a 31-29 win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Trojans finish the game with 507 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Gunner Watson would come out of the game with 333 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, but the Colonels intercepted him two times.
The Trojans would strike first when Watson hitting tight end AJ Lewis for a 16 yard touchdown.
The Colonels would answer back. Quarterback Parker McKinney found wide receiver Keyion Dixon for a 90 yard touchdown.
The Trojans and Colonels were tied 7-7 with a little over six minutes left in the first quarter.
With a little over three minutes left in the first quarter, the Trojans would get their second touchdown. Watson would locate wide receiver Khalil McClain for a nine yard touchdown.
The Trojans were walking into the second quarter with the lead 14-7.
The Colonels would get more points on the board when kicker Alexander Woznick made a 19 yard field goal.
The Trojans were still in the lead 14-10.
However, the Colonels would take the lead when running back Alonzo Booth ran a 12 yards touchdown.
The Trojans would strike back. With a little over two minutes left in the first half, running back Kimani Vidal would find the endzone for a one yard touchdown.
Troy had a 21-17 lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter, Watson would find wide receiver Reggie Todd for a 22 yard touchdown. Watson’s third touchdown pass of the game.
The Trojans were in the lead 28-17
In the start of the fourth quarter, Woznick would get the Colonels more points on the board with a 22-yard field goal.
With less than 6 minutes left in the game, the Colonels would get another field goal when Woznick made a 25 yard field goal. This would be Woznick’s third field goal of the day.
The Trojans still had the lead 28-23, but that would change.
With 21 seconds left in the lead, McKinney found Dixon for a four yard touchdown. The Colonels' 29-28 lead against the Trojans wouldn’t last long.
As time expired, Evan Legassey made a 47 yard field goal, saving the Trojans.
The Trojans would come out on top 31-29.
The Trojans are now 3-1 this season. They will face Georgia State at home next Saturday with kickoff at 3 p.m.
Copyright 2020 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
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Clearwire Closes $1.5B, Alder Scores $1B Partnership, Software Financings Are Down, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Xconomy Seattle —
Healthcare deals are going one way, tech deals another. That’s my read from the past week in the Northwest, where we’ve seen some of the biggest biotech deals around, even as a prominent Seattle tech venture firm (and software financings in general) head south.
—Bothell, WA-based Alder Biopharmaceuticals scored one of the biggest biotech partnerships of the year, as Luke reported today. The company has formed a collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) to develop Alder’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug, ALD518, and the deal could be worth more than $1 billion. In exchange for granting Bristol a worldwide exclusive license to develop ALD518 for all uses except cancer, Alder will get $85 million upfront, as much as $764 million in development and regulatory milestone payments, sales-related milestone payments that could exceed $200 million, and royalties on product sales.
—I took a look at the venture and debt financings for Washington companies last month (and the previous two months), and concluded that large investments in software startups aren’t coming back anytime soon. The data, courtesy of New York-based ChubbyBrain, shows most of the money is in healthcare and life sciences.
—Kirkland, WA-based Clearwire has secured an additional investment of $1.5 billion from Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Intel, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Google, a previous investor, is not participating in the round. The money will support Clearwire’s (NASDAQ: CLWR) deployment of its WiMax broadband network.
—Verathon, a Bothell, WA-based maker of ultrasound technology, has been acquired by Sarasota, FL-based Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP) as part of a pair of transactions worth a combined $356 million, as Luke reported. The price of Verathon’s sale by itself was not announced. The company develops a 3-D diagnostic imaging tool that helps doctors diagnose bladder disorders.
—One of Seattle’s most prominent tech VC firms will not be raising another fund or making new investments. Len Jordan of Frazier Technology Ventures confirmed the news as he announced he’s moving to Madrona Venture Group at the beginning of next year.
—Bellevue, WA-based Light Sciences Oncology has lined up $35 million in follow-up financing to develop its drug-device treatment for cancer, as Luke reported. The investors weren’t disclosed, but the deal gives Light Sciences the right to access a $23.3 million line of credit, and $11.8 million more if investors choose to exercise warrants. The company raised $40 million from undisclosed VCs last year.
—Seattle startup Movaya Wireless has been acquired by Digby, a mobile commerce firm based in Austin, TX, for an undisclosed price. Movaya was founded in 2006 by Phil Yerkes and Stanley Wang, and focuses on making digital goods storefront applications for the iPhone, Android, and mobile Web platforms. The company’s development team in China will serve as the basis for Digby’s operations in Asia.
Net@50
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