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Jolovan Wham participates in a silent protest with eight other activists on an MRT train in Singapore, June 3, 2017.
© 2017 Private
Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Expression
Key International Actors
World’s Autocrats Face Rising Resistance
Kenneth Roth
As China’s Grip Tightens, Global Institutions Gasp
Limiting Beijing’s Influence Over Accountability and Justice
Convincing “Middle Powers” to Fight Autocrats Despite High Costs
Atrocities as the New Normal
Time to Re-Energize the “Never Again” Movement
Breaking the Buzzword
Fighting the “Gender Ideology” Myth
Can Algorithms Save Us from Human Error?
Human Judgment and Responsibility in the Age of Technology
Living Longer, Locked Away
Helping Older People Stay Connected, and at Home
You Should Be Worrying about the Woman Shortage
Social Media’s Moral Reckoning
Changing the Terms of Engagement with Silicon Valley
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated in a June 2018 interview that Singaporeans were free to say or publish whatever they wanted, “subject to the laws of sedition, libel and contempt.” In reality, those laws, along with a range of regulatory measures, impose severe restrictions on the right to freedom of speech inn Singapore. Critics of the courts are targeted for “scandalizing the judiciary” and in April, those critical of a government proposal to pass a law criminalizing “fake news” were subjected to harassment at parliamentary hearings on the subject.
The government maintains strict restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly through the Public Order Act, requiring a police permit for any “cause-related” assembly if it is held in a public place, or in a private venue if members of the general public are invited.
The definition of what is treated as an assembly is extremely broad and those who fail to obtain the required permits face criminal charges. Activist Jolovan Wham was prosecuted in 2018 for three counts of violating the Public Order Act for organizing two peaceful protests and a candlelight vigil. On October 3, 2018, performance artist Seelan Palay was convicted of violating the Public Order Act by walking from Hong Lim Park to parliament carrying a piece of art to commemorate the 32 years, since 1989, that Chia Thye Poh was detained under the Internal Security Act. Seelan was sentenced to two weeks in prison after refusing to pay a fine of S$2,500 (US$1,800).
Applications for permits for cause-related assemblies are regularly denied. For example, in April Terry Xu’s application to hold a one-man silent protest against a law recently passed by parliament was denied. The refusal came even though he proposed to hold it late at night on a weekend in the Central Business District. The denial cited the “risk of causing public disorder, as well as damage to property.”
In March 2018, the government passed the Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Act, which provides Singapore’s home affairs minister with sweeping powers if a “serious incident” has been, is being, or is likely to be committed. While the law purports to be aimed at “serious violence and large-scale public disorder,” illustrations in the law of what may be considered a “serious incident” make clear it can be used against peaceful protesters.
In April 2018, a parliamentary committee held hearings on dealing with “deliberate online falsehoods” and invited several activists and critics of the government to testify. Those who agreed to appear were harangued and asked questions unrelated to the issue of “fake news.” A number of the witnesses who testified subsequently filed complaints stating that the official record of the hearing seriously misrepresented their testimony.
In the same month, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ARCA) refused to permit PJ Thum and Kirsten Han to register a private company to organize discussions and provide editorial services to the website New Naratif, saying that to do so would be “contrary to national interests.” ARCA justified the decision as necessary to prevent foreigners from interfering in Singaporean affairs because the company received funding from the US-based Open Society Foundations.
In May 2018, the government charged activist Jolovan Wham with “scandalizing the judiciary” for posting on Facebook that “Malaysia’s judges are more independent than Singapore’s for cases with political implications.” Authorities also charged John Tan, the vice-chairman of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, with contempt for commenting on his Facebook page that Wham’s prosecution “only confirms that what [Wham] said is true." On October 9, both were found guilty of contempt of court. They were awaiting sentencing at time of writing.
The Board of Film Censors must pre-approve all films and videos shown in Singapore, and exhibiting unapproved films is a criminal offense. The newly enacted Films (Amendment) Act broadened the law to include films received on a computer monitor or mobile phone and gives sweeping enforcement powers, including the power to conduct warrantless searches, to various individuals tasked with enforcing the law.
In February 2018, Singapore’s parliament once again extended the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act, which allows detention without trial for up to 12 months if the home affairs minister is satisfied that the person “has been associated with activities of a criminal nature,” and “that it is necessary that the person be detained in the interests of public safety, peace and good order.” There appears to be no limit to the number of times detention can be extended. Singapore also continues to detain individuals without trial under the Internal Security Act. There is little publicly available information about the number of people detained, their identities, or the basis for their detention.
Singapore retains the death penalty, which is mandated for many drug offenses and certain other crimes. However, under provisions introduced in 2012, judges have some discretion to bypass the mandatory penalty and sentence low-level offenders to life in prison and caning. There is little transparency on the timing of executions, which often take place with short notice. Singapore executed seven people in October. At least two other individuals were executed for drug offenses earlier in the year.
Use of corporal punishment is common in Singapore. For medically fit males ages 16 to 50, caning is mandatory as an additional punishment for a range of crimes, including drug trafficking, violent crimes (such as armed robbery), and even some immigration offenses.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Singapore are severely restricted. Sexual relations between two male persons remains a criminal offense under criminal code section 377A, and there are no legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Media Development Authority effectively prohibits all positive depictions of LGBT lives on television or radio. In April, the movie Love Simon, which is about a teenager coming to terms with his sexuality, was given a rating that precludes viewing by anyone under the age of 21, even though it contains no sexual scenes or violence and is rated PG-13 or PG in most other countries.
In July 2018, the research and advocacy director of the Inter-University LGBT Network, who had been invited to speak about her experience as a young person concerned about LGBT issues at a TEDxYouth event at St. Joseph’s Institute, was informed by event organizers that she would not be permitted to speak due to unspecified Ministry of Education regulations.
In the wake of India’s Supreme Court repealing Section 377 in September, a British colonial-era law that imposed criminal penalties for same-sex relations, a Singaporean disc jockey filed a constitutional challenge to the similarly worded Section 377A, and tens of thousands of people submitted a parallel petition to the government urging its repeal.
Migrant Workers and Labor Exploitation
Foreign migrant workers are subject to labor rights abuses and exploitation through debts owed to recruitment agents, non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement, confiscation of passports, and sometimes physical and sexual abuse. Foreign women employed as domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to abuse.
Work permits of migrant workers in Singapore are tied to a particular employer, leaving them extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Foreign domestic workers are still excluded from the Employment Act and from many key labor protections, such as limits on daily work hours and mandatory days off. Labor laws also discriminate against foreign workers by barring them from organizing and registering a union or serving as union leaders without explicit government permission.
Singapore is a regional hub for international business and maintains good political and economic relations with both the United States, which considers it a key security ally, and China. Singapore hosted the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in June 2018, before which Prime Minister Lee met with President Trump. Singapore was also the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018, hosting the 32nd ASEAN summit in April. Singapore’s allies focused their priorities on trade and business, and did not publicly criticize Singapore’s poor human rights record.
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11/20/2013 04:51 pm ET Updated Nov 20, 2013
Harry Reid To Meet With Filibuster Reform Advocates
By Sam Stein
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 13: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks to the media after the senate luncheons in the Capitol. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
WASHINGTON -- Filibuster reform advocates have been here before. A Senate bogged down in procedural gridlock drives Democratic leadership to threaten a change of rules, only to back away at the last minute when a group of Republicans offer a gentlemen's agreement. The agreement proves temporary, agitation sets in and the threats reemerge. Lather, blather, repeat.
So, as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has once again raised the specter of upending the rules of the Senate in order to bring functionality to the chamber, there is no shortage of skepticism.
And yet, those around the majority leader insist that his determination is sincere this time. By way of evidence, one progressive activist sent The Huffington Post an invitation addressed by Reid's office to "supporters of filibuster reform." The invitation is for a Thursday event, where attendees can hear from Reid directly about "his thinking on changing the rules."
Such scheming usually doesn't happen unless political action is afoot. It appears that it is.
In an interview with The Huffington Post on Wednesday, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), one of the loudest champions of narrowing the filibuster, insisted that this wouldn't be yet another instance of the football being placed invitingly in front of Charlie Brown's foot. After a showdown this January resulted in a toothless set of procedural changes and another standoff this summer resulted in a fleeting pact between the parties, Democrats are beyond frustrated, the Oregon Democrat said.
"Members who hoped we could recreate the understanding and comity of the past -- which was to retain the ability to filibuster nominees with the understanding that it would only be used rarely based or related to a nominee's qualifications or if there was an exceptional concern -- now realize that that is impossible," Merkley said. "The new Republican strategy of blocking nominees solely based on the argument that they were nominated by this president has put a strike through the heart of that hope."
Aides on the Hill are equally adamant that this isn't some big bluff on Reid's part. One top aide told The Huffington Post that even if Republicans simply allowed for up-and-down votes on the president's three nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the nexus of this current filibuster fight) it wouldn't dramatically alter the party's thinking.
"There is no indication that there is eagerness on our side that we could just take a few nominees and we will back off," the aide said.
Perhaps even more telling is that back-channel talks to avert the so-called "nuclear option" aren't happening at the level they were in standoffs past.
"There is nothing like that going on at this time," the aide said, when asked if the brokers of the last compromise –- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) –- were trying to find a way around the impasse.
Whether Reid has the votes to actually move forward with rules reform is another question entirely. According to aides, the majority leader is personally whipping members and holding the number of votes he has close to the vest. He has been pitching a rule change that would allow for simple majority votes on executive nominees and district and circuit court judges. Supreme Court justices would still require a 60-vote threshold for approval under this plan, as would every bit of legislation.
Reid is planning to move fast regardless. An aide said a motion to reestablish the Senate rules is more likely to come this week than next month. After all, momentum is there. Grey beards of the Senate, such as Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), have expressed their support for changing the rules; something that was not a given in prior showdowns. In addition, some of the more prominent abortion-rights senators -- Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats of California -- have said they would be supportive of a rules change. Rules reform is something they have been hesitant to do in the past, out of fear it could open up the floodgates to anti-choice judges and legislation if Republicans retook the majority.
Merkley says fear of a future GOP majority is misplaced. For starters, he noted, those anti-choice judges have managed to get through the Senate during past Republican administrations even with the filibuster in place. More importantly, he argued, it would be naïve to think that a hypothetical Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), serving under a hypothetical Texan GOP President Rick Perry or Ted Cruz, wouldn't move swiftly to change the rules himself.
"I don't doubt that they would do it," he said.
The Huffington Post asked McConnell's spokesman, Don Stewart, if Merkley's point was legitimate.
He replied, "Sen. McConnell has said the opposite."
U.S. Capitol Photos
Sam Stein
Senior Politics Editor, HuffPost
Barack Obama Politics Harry Reid Republican Party Elections 2014
The sun rises behind the U.S. Capitol Dome early in the morning before the ceremonial swearing-in of President Barack Obama during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Expression.
Co-Creation.
JCJ strives to create facilities that enhance the campus environment, promote academic attainment and support the advancement of pedagogy. We believe that working collaboratively with our clients and the consultant team is the key to addressing a project’s unique issues, needs and consequences. Rather than bringing preconceived ideas to a project, we advocate for an exploratory and research-based design process that supports co-creation of the architectural response. We aim to listen carefully and communicate strategic ideas and conceptual alternatives while building consensus at every stage of the design process, culminating in a vision that is highly functional, expresses the art and technology of building design and creates a place that will last and be loved.
JCJ has completed a wide variety of projects on campus across the United States related to science, student and residential life, academics, athletics, recreation and the arts. Projects have ranged from master planning, programming and conceptual design; new construction and renovation to tenant fit out and adaptive reuse.
JCJ participates in the local and national dialogue about design and the built environment. The firm's work has been presented at the Society of College and University Planners national and regional conferences. We are members of the American Institute of Architecture, the Society of College and University Planners, the Association for Learning Environments, the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association, the Urban Land Institute and the Design Build Institute of America.
Champions Center, UMASS Amherst
Amherst, MA
UMass Amherst is the largest campus in the University of Massachusetts system with a campus community...
Jeff Jacobs JAM Center, San Diego State University
With six consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2010 to 2015 and two Sweet 16’s, the San Diego State...
Burton Family Football Complex & Training Center, University of Connecticut
Blue Devils Fitness Center, SUNY Fredonia
The State University of New York (SUNY) Fredonia is a comprehensive public liberal arts university set...
Student Recreation Center, University of Connecticut
JCJ Architecture worked in association with Moody Nolan on planning and design for this new 200,000+ sf Recreation Center to...
Hartford's Dillon Stadium
Envisioning a Destination
Dillon Stadium is an existing field and stadium that was originally constructed in the 1930's; over the...
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Women Faculty Forum hosts event on gender equity
By JULIA CHOE | November 7, 2019
COURTESY OF JULIA CHOE Karen Fleming discussed the phenomenon of the leaky STEM pipeline.
The Women Faculty Forum (WFF) at Homewood held Where We Stand, an event which included a series of presentations and small group discussions that explored the topics of gender equity and community, on Monday.
WFF seeks to expand leadership opportunities for women, advocate for equitable policies for all faculty, and continue to address gender equity issues and challenges to the full participation of women faculty at Hopkins.
Anne-Elizabeth Brodsky, a senior lecturer in the Expository Writing Program and the co-chair of WFF, opened the presentation by acknowledging that members of society are often exposed to gender stereotypes. She provided insight into how early gender biases can be taught to children by providing an example of kids being asked to identify which of two images depicted the “smarter” person.
“At age five, kids tend to choose the one who looks like them. At age six, they choose the white man,” Brodsky said.
Karen Fleming, a professor in the Biophysics Department and the other co-chair of WFF, spoke about the need for community and inclusion in order to achieve excellence in a diverse community like Hopkins.
She listed two requirements to achieve inclusion: culture and climate.
“Culture is what we say we value. Climate is what the community members feel is valued. Notice the slight, subtle difference between these two things. But in order to achieve inclusion, it must be the case that culture and climate are in harmony with each other,” Fleming said.
Fleming shifted her talk to women in the STEM field and why there are few women in the field. She described the situation using a metaphor of a leaky STEM pipeline, where women and minorities drop out of STEM at every step along the way in their training like water out of a leaky pipe.
“For a long time we blamed this problem of lack of equitable representation in the academy on the fact that women opt out. The main reason has been that the child-bearing years are overlapped with the years of most intense training,“ Fleming said. “[But] if you go home tonight and your kitchen sink has been leaking, do you yell at the water? No, you don’t blame the water. Instead, you call a plumber, and you fix the pipe. What we need to do as a community is to fix the pipe.”
Beverly Wendland, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, based her talk around a book that she read, Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men.
“It’s about the data gender gap, that there are so many things in the world that basically ignore the fact that half of the population is women,” Wendland said.
Former Maryland State Senator Barbara Mikulski, who is currently a professor of public policy at the University, spoke about her experience working in the Senate. In the early days of her career, Mikulski recalled the few women in the Senate reaching across the political aisle to get to know each other under the commonality of being female.
“We got to know each other as people. In the course of that getting to know each other, we could find common ground,” she said.
Mikulski suggested that she would like to see relationships being formed amongst the female faculty at Hopkins.
“For every new woman faculty member, we ought to do a welcome wagon. It’s not easy to get to know Hopkins. We need a welcome wagon to help [them] get started in [their] department, with other people, within the institution,” she said.
WFF also organized round-table discussions in small groups with the guests at the event. Some students were interested to hear about what went on in departments outside of their own.
This was the case for Alexandra Lossada, a fourth-year PhD student in the English Department who was invited to be a round-table discussant for the event.
Lossada spoke about the differences in the environment for women in the humanities and STEM departments.
“Perhaps the biggest difference between a humanities-based department and a STEM department is the fact that those graduate students have to go to lab, whereas students in the humanities don’t have labs. So in some sense, it seems to me that the power dynamics between the advisor PI and the graduate student in STEM departments is a lot more pronounced than they are in the humanities departments,” she said.
Tara Ghazi, a third-year PhD student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department, appreciated the wealth of information that was provided to her through the speakers and the articles present on the tables for the guests to keep.
“The speakers definitely had some very interesting points to raise. But I also appreciated this model of having a lot of very valuable information at the table in paper form because there’s clearly many angles to this kind of subject; it’s really complex and large. And so it’s nice to have such information here as talking points to understand and take in,” she said.
Emma Dallon, a second-year PhD student in the Biology Department, suggested that Hopkins can work towards improving the environment for women on campus by getting the word out, which can be done through events like Where We Stand.
“It’s best to start with awareness, just so that you can have conversations like we’ve had here to see what needs to be changed,” Dallon said.
University leaders hold town hall on spring return to campus
By LEELA GEBO | 3 days ago
OIE investigates TA’s tweet about failing a Zionist student
By MICHELLE LIMPE and CHRIS H. PARK | January 9, 2021
Hopkins will reopen with a hybrid plan for the spring
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Bechtel to construct $5.6bn liquefaction trains for Sabine Pass project in the US
admin 9 August 2012
Bechtel has received a full notice to proceed from Cheniere Energy Partners to build two liquefaction trains of the Sabine Pass liquefaction project located in the US.
The project is estimated to cost $5.6bn, of which $2bn will be equity and $3.6bn will be debt.
Cheniere Partners owns 100% of the Sabine Pass LNG terminal, which has a re-gasification and send-out capacity of 4 billion cubic feet per day and a storage capacity of 16.9 billion cubic feet equivalent, and is located on the Sabine Pass Channel in western Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
Cheniere Energy Partners chairman and CEO Charif Souki said the Sabine Pass LNG terminal will become the first facility in the US to export natural gas as LNG.
"Two years after announcing our plans to develop the liquefaction facility, we will begin construction," said Souki.
"In those two years, we were able to finalise long-term commercial arrangements with four global LNG buyers for over 2 billion cubic feet per day for 20 years, negotiate a construction agreement for the first 1billion cubic feet per day on a lump sum basis, and most importantly work with governmental agencies at the federal, state and local level to receive all necessary permits to begin construction on a new facility with no precedent in the lower 48.
"It is a testament to the flexibility of the US markets and institutions that a small company like ours was able to accomplish so much in a short time."
The first train will begin operations in 2015, with the second liquefaction train following six to nine months later.
Blackstone Energy Partners CEO David Foley said, "We are pleased to provide the growth capital to fund the construction of the first
LNG export facility in the continental United States, creating thousands of jobs for American workers and providing significant benefits to the US economy."
Sabine Pass Liquefaction has already recieved an initial advance of $100m on its previously announced credit facility.
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Medical Lab Technician Jobs in Glen Cove, NY
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center - New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Englewood Health - Cresskill, NJ (18 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital - New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
KA Recruiting Inc. - Larchmont, NY (8 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
NYU Langone Health - New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
NYU Langone Medical Center - New York City, NY (22 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Quest Diagnostics - Hasbrouck Heights, NJ (23 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Nyu Winthrop Hospital - Mineola, NY (8 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Medical Laboratory Technician Company: K.A. Recruiting, Inc. Location: White Plains Posted on: January 15, 2021 Job Description: Full-time Medical Laboratory Technician needed at a top facility in...
Faculty Group Practice Clinical Laboratory Technologist (40) - Infusion center
NYU Grossman School of Medicine - New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
is one of the nation's top-ranked medical schools. For 175 years, NYU Grossman School of Medicine has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical...
K.A. Recruiting - White Plains, NY (13 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Full-time Medical Laboratory Technician needed at a top facility in New York! (Reference Code: KAM) The MLT position will perform a variety of laboratory tests and assays in accordance with...
Clinical Laboratory Technologist - Microbiology
Northwell Health - New York, NY (21 miles from Glen Cove, NY)
Job Description Job Description Guides lab tests in the areas of specialty....
Demographic Data for Glen Cove, NY
Moving to Glen Cove, NY? Find some basic demographic data about Glen Cove, NY below.
Home Value vs Household Income in Glen Cove, NY
Salary for Medical Lab Technician Jobs in Glen Cove, NY
This is the average annual salary for Medical Lab Technician jobs in Glen Cove, NY as reported by the BLS.
Focus Staff
Medical Lab Technicians in Glen Cove, NY offer the following education background
Here's a breakdown of the number of years' experience offered by Medical Lab Technicians in Glen Cove, NY
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After working for many years in advertising and marketing I was finally able to turn my love of painting from a hobby into a career.
This started with a Foundation Course in Art & Design, followed closely by a BA in Fine Art, both at Solihull Art College. From there I started work as a full time artist but also continued my art education.
Having worked in London I was initially offered a place at St Martin’s, but by this time had relocated to the Worcestershire countryside, where I was able to completed an MA in Fine Art at The University of Gloucestershire.
But London, and Cities in general as a subject, still provided inspiration for my work and to this day continue to influence a lot of my ideas. I still visit regularly seeking more visual images from the architecture and from watching the crowds.
I loved watching the crowds and the blur of people mingling together. The sheer speed of modern life lived in a landscape shaped by the wonderful architecture of the City.
More recently, and prompted by my move to the countryside, I have also found inspiration in the wonderful rural landscape. In a similar way to my City crowds work I have begun to produce paintings that I hope capture the change of seasons, and the rawness of the land which one sees so much clearer when living in it.
I have been a professional painter now for a number of years and my works are in galleries and homes across the Country, and as far afield as Europe and New York.
© Karen Brighton 2021 / Website by alexscheele.co.uk
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Wrestler Rocky Johnson, Dwayne Johnson’s father, dead at 75
In this undated photo provided by WWE, Inc., “Mean” Gene Okerlund interviews Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson. Johnson, a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who became better known as the father of actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, died Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. He was 75. (WWE, Inc. via AP)
Rocky “Soulman” Johnson, a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who became better known as the father of actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has died. He was 75.
WWE issued a statement on Johnson’s death Wednesday night. Johnson and Tony Atlas became the first black world tag team champions in WWE history when they defeated The Wild Samoans on Dec. 10, 1983.
The statement didn’t provide details on the cause or location of Johnson’s death.
“A loss for every fan of @WWE, Rocky Johnson was a barrier-breaking performer. Our thoughts are with his family at this time,” WWE executive and wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted.
Johnson later helped train his son, who adopted the Rocky moniker from his father. Johnson came to his son’s aid after a match at WrestleMania in 1997. The Rock inducted his father into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Former professional wrestler Brian Blair, another 1980s WWE star, was friends with Johnson for decades and they still went to church together in the Tampa, Florida area. Blair told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Johnson had complained of an unspecified illness of late and had missed church that he attended with Blair and other former wrestlers. Blair said Johnson’s wife, Sheila, was distraught over her husband’s death.
“He was just under the weather, he thought he had the flu or something,” Blair said by phone. “I said, ‘You, need to get checked out, Rocky.’ He said he’d be OK. Then he missed this Sunday, a few days ago. When I talked to him again, he said he still wasn’t feeling good and he still missed church. He still didn’t get checked out. I talked to Sheila and she said he was just being stubborn. He died at home, today.”
Johnson was born Wayde Douglas Bowles and started his wrestling career in the mid-1960s. He spent the bulk of his career in the National Wrestling Alliance and later joined the then-World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s. He formed a tag team with Atlas known as “Soul Patrol” and became of one the popular teams of the era. Johnson retired in the early 1990s, but helped introduce his son to officials at WWE.
Around a dozen people turn out for protest at Arkansas State Capitol
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Samsung 3D TV Mass Production Begins
Some analysts say the market for 3D television will take about 10 years to reach more than half of the U.S. population.
Samsung says it has started mass production of 3D television screens, making an expensive bet that there's some reality to the hype that surrounds the new technology.
The Korean consumer electronics manufacturer said Wednesday that it is making 3D LED and LCD panels for 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch televisions. In order to view content in 3D, people will need to wear Samsung's special eyeglasses.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev., this month, 3D TV was at center stage, with manufacturers showing a couple dozen products. Driving the move toward 3D in the home is the success of 3D movies in theaters. Director James Cameron's "Avatar," for example, has become the highest grossing film ever.
"Recently, 3D displays have captured the industry spotlight," Wonkie Chang, president of the LCD Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement. "Samsung Electronics aims to lead the global 3D TV panel market in pioneering panel mass production for 3D LED and LCD TVs."
Mass production is how manufacturers in time are able to lower the cost of consumer electronics and other products. The more products produced, the cheaper it is to make each individual item.
But Samsung is moving quickly into a market that some analysts say will take about 10 years to reach a mass market, which is about how long it took high-definition televisions to reach more than half of the U.S. population.
Hurdles that vendors will have to jump include the fact that since 2007, more than 40 million HDTVs have been sold in the U.S., with most of them costing close to or below $1,000, James McQuivey, analyst for Forrester Research said. Therefore, it's unlikely those same people will fork over between $2,000 and $4,000 for a good 3D TV set.
"Sorry, the credit card is going to stay in the wallet for this one," McQuivey said in his blog.
In addition, there just isn't enough content available to justify buying an expensive 3D set, despite announcements from media companies planning to start producing 3D content. Movies, video games and TV programming will have to make their way into the market in mass, which will take time given the amount of money the industry will have to spend on cameras to film in 3D, new satellite uplinks for distributing live sporting events in 3D and a new cable infrastructure to deliver 3D content, McQuivey said.
"If you think consumers are reeling from the effects of a down economy, you don't want to sit in that meeting where you explain to a fatigued cable network or cable operator that after just completing a massive transition to HD, they now have to go 3D HD," he said.
Long term, analysts are more optimistic about 3D eventually making its way into the home. In the meantime, companies like Samsung are entering the market early to be in a better position to take share as the market grows.
Market researcher DisplaySearch predicts the market for 3D displays used in the home, by professionals, and in advertising will grow from $902 million in revenues worldwide in 2008 to $22 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate of 38%.
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Ultrasound-Based Guidance and Therapy
By Frank Lindseth, Thomas Langø, Tormod Selbekk, Rune Hansen, Ingerid Reinertsen, Christian Askeland, Ole Solheim, Geirmund Unsgård, Ronald Mårvik and Toril A. Nagelhus Hernes
Submitted: May 23rd 2012Reviewed: January 17th 2013Published: June 5th 2013
DOI: 10.5772/55884
Home > Books > Advancements and Breakthroughs in Ultrasound Imaging
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Frank Lindseth
SINTEF Medical Technology, Norway
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
National Centre for Ultrasound and Image Guided Therapy, Norway
Thomas Langø
Tormod Selbekk
Rune Hansen
Ingerid Reinertsen
Christian Askeland
Ole Solheim
St. Olavs University Hospital, Norway
Geirmund Unsgård
Ronald Mårvik
Toril A. Nagelhus Hernes
*Address all correspondence to: Frank.Lindseth@sintef.no
Advancements and Breakthroughs in Ultrasound ImagingEdited by G P P Gunarathne
Advancements and Breakthroughs in Ultrasound Imaging
Edited by Gunti Gunarathne
Minimally invasive and non-invasive image guided therapy can reduce surgical traumas and improve outcome for patients suffering from a wide variety of diseases. It may also reduce hospital stays and costs. Ultrasound is an important intraoperative imaging modality for guidance and monitoring of these therapeutic methods. Ultrasound has emerged as one of the main modalities for medical imaging in healthcare, the main reason being its ability to image soft tissue, blood flow, organ function and physiology with considerably improved image quality. Furthermore, ultrasound has the unique advantages of real time imaging, equipment portability, safety, and low costs. Ultrasound is now facing a paradigm shift in technology and clinical usability over the coming 10 years. The future potential will be released through exploration in knowledge and innovation deliveries in transducer arrays, ultrasound electronics, software beam forming, parallel imaging and compressed sensing, minimum diffractive wave imaging, model powered acquisition and new technology for a wide range of methods related to physiology, tissue properties and organ function in real time and on site. High-frequency ultrasound imaging makes it possible to obtain significantly improved spatial resolution, however, with limitations related to how deep into the tissue the imaging can be performed. In many image-guided surgery and therapy applications, ultrasound is performed with probes placed directly on the tissue and organ of interest (e.g. intravascular ultrasound, open chest cardiac surgery, esophagus probes for cardiac imaging, probes dedicated to surgery of pituitary gland). These applications limit the size of the ultrasound probe head and thus also the quality of the images. However, with miniaturization based on nanomaterials and nanoelectronics technology, significant improvements in image quality may be obtained. Furthermore, new ultrasound technology can greatly enhance the detection of contrast agents and drug carriers in the tissue. Integration of imaging with navigation technologies will ease image interpretation and further improve precision and accuracy of the therapeutic procedure. Ultrasound technology may also be used for therapeutic purposes. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for ablation of tumor tissue is already a commercial product. It has also been shown that ultrasound may improve the delivery and distribution of nanoparticles and local drug delivery by enhancing the local release, improving the penetration across the capillary wall and through the extracellular matrix as well as enhance the cellular uptake. The underlying mechanisms are cavitation, radiation force and heating. The ultrasound induced transient increase in porosity and permeability of cell membranes can potentially enhance drug uptake through tissue barriers (also the blood-brain barrier) and improve local drug delivery.
Therapeutic use of ultrasound will be addressed at the end of this chapter, which is mainly about guiding instruments into the body in a safe way using ultrasound, as well as the technological solutions involved to augment ultrasound in combination with other modalities and techniques. Ultrasound has been used to guide interventional instruments into the body for a long time. Different approaches have been used. From freehand 2D guidance, via “needle” guides mounted on conventional ultrasound probes to ultrasound-based navigation using tracking technology and 3D ultrasound (see figure 1). Surgical navigation will be the focus of this chapter and the analogy to GPS-navigation in a car is clear; instead of plotting the position of the car onto electronic maps of the terrain using satellites and GPS-receivers the position of important surgical instruments are shown on medical images of the patient using highly accurate tracking systems. Systems for image-guided surgery are now well established within many clinical disciplines. Surgical tools may be tracked by positioning systems and the surgeon may accurately navigate the tools into the patient with high precision based on image information only. Intraoperative imaging has shown to be important for obtaining improved tumor resection and increased survival for cancer patients undergoing surgery. Integration of intraoperative imaging with navigation technology, providing the surgeon with updated image information, is important to deal with tissue shifts and deformations that occur during surgery. MR, CT and ultrasound have been presented as alternative intraoperative imaging modalities showing complementary information and having different benefits and drawbacks. These intraoperative imaging modalities are reported to be useful for accurate navigation of surgical instruments, monitoring the progression of surgery and solving the shift problem. Intraoperative imaging has been used for updating preoperative images, which may be important for accurate guidance. In recent years ultrasound has gained increased attention as a useful intraoperative imaging modality (see figure 2), due to improved image quality and relatively low price. In addition, more integrated solutions, that makes the technology user friendly and flexible has been presented. In the evolution of the next generation of ultrasound-based multimodal navigation systems, advances in ultrasound imaging, registration algorithms, visualization and display techniques and navigation accuracy are important ingredients. We will therefore start by looking into the technology that is needed in order to make ultrasound-based navigation a reality and then show key applications of the navigation technology. Recent advances in ultrasound imaging will be useful also for intraoperative imaging. Furthermore, ultrasound needs to be integrated with tracking technology in order to make a navigation system with intraoperative imaging capabilities. In addition, such a system might be able to use preoperative CT/MR data, update these data to match the current patient anatomy using intraoperative ultrasound, extract important structures from the different datasets, present the available multimodal information to the surgeon in an optimal way and be able to track all the surgical tools. Last but not least we need to make sure that the navigation system is highly accurate so that we know that the navigation scene presented to the surgeon on the computer screen is a realistic representation of what’s really going on inside the patient.
Ultrasound-based guidance: A) Freehand guidance: challenge to have the long axis of the instrument in the 2D ultrasound plane. B) Needle guides: an adapter mounted on the probe makes sure that the instrument is within the 2D ultrasound plane. C) Navigation: tracking technology and 3D data from modalities like CT, MR and ultrasound is used to guide relevant surgical instruments in place. Here an ultrasound probe is guided by MR during a freehand 3D ultrasound aquistion
A) Workflow: Important steps in image-guided surgery. B) Ultrasound-based navigation example from neurosurgery: Plan using preoperative MR. Acquire intraoperative 3D ultrasound. Navigation and resection control based on updated ultrasound images. Acquire additional ultrasound data when needed.
2. Recent advances in ultrasound imaging
Sound in the human audible range have frequencies between 20 and 20 000 Hz. Ultrasound is defined as sound with frequencies above 20 kHz. In medical imaging, the ultrasound frequencies are usually between 2 and 40 MHz, with the highest frequencies currently used in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
The generation of an ultrasound image is based on transmission of sound pulses and receiving the echoes that have been reflected from tissue boundaries or scattered from smaller objects. In most conventional scanners today, a narrow ultrasound beam is transmitted from the ultrasound transducer. When the transmitted pressure pulse meets a hinder in form of a boundary between different soft tissues, or scatter points within the tissue with different acoustic properties, some of the energy of the transmitted sound pulse is echoed back to the transducer. This pulse-echo principle forms the basis of all ultrasound-imaging techniques, such as conventional brightness mode (B-mode) imaging of organs, imaging of blood flow using Doppler techniques and exploration of mechanical tissue properties using ultrasound elastography techniques.
2.1. Advances in ultrasound hardware and transducer technology
The ultrasound machines and ultrasound probes have gone through massive improvements in the last decade. The general increase in computer power is opening new possibilities for implementing sophisticated methods for beam forming. This may lead to higher resolution and better image quality than for existing solutions [1]. The general trend with miniaturization of components has also strongly influenced the size of the ultrasound imaging systems. Small handheld ultrasound devices have been developed, which makes ultrasound an extremely portable imaging technology. One example of such a pocket sized ultrasound device is the Vscan from GE Healthcare (figure 3), which has been explored for use in echocardiography [2]. The ultrasound transducer technology has made tremendous progress the last decade. The number of elements used by a transducer is increasing and the trend is to go from a single row of elements (1D) to multi-row arrays (1.25D / 1.5D) and 2D matrix arrays. The latter provides the possibility to perform 4D ultrasound imaging, in which a 3D ultrasound volume is acquired and displayed in real time. 4D ultrasound imaging may also be used for monitoring of treatment, e.g. radiofrequency ablation [3].
Pocket-sized ultrasound (Vscan from GE Healthcare)
Ultrasound arrays today are mostly based on piezoelectric materials. The research activities in MUT (Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer) technology, and perhaps especially CMUT (capacitive MUT) transducers, pave the way for silicon-based arrays [4]. This may introduce probes that are cheaper, more customizable and have higher frequencies and bandwidth compared to piezoelectric transducers. In combination with the everlasting trend of miniaturization, the CMUTs may in a long-term perspective allow complete ultrasound systems to be seamlessly integrated with surgical tools. It may very well be that the future surgical instrument has an ultrasound transducer integrated on the tip, and a display unit integrated in the handle.
2.2. Ultrasound elastography
The concept of ultrasound imaging of tissue strain or elasticity is often referred to as ultrasound elastography and the corresponding 2D images are frequently called elastograms. The imaging technique is often explained to be analogue to palpation, where the physician uses the fingers to apply a slight pressure in order to examine the stiffness of the tissue. If a organ is vibrating or excited, ultrasound elastography methods can in a similar fashion be used to map areas with differences in strain (figure 4).
Elastography. A) Ultrasound B-mode image of a small meningioma, and B) the ultrasound elastogram of the tumour as displayed on an Ultrasonix MDP scanner.
The theoretical framework for the study of behavior of vibrating soft tissue was established in the early 1950ies. Von Gierke et al. published “Physics of vibrations in living tissues” in 1952 [5], for example. However, it was not until 30 years later that tissue movement was first measured for clinical purposes by using ultrasound in a study of tissue motion in the liver caused by vascular pulsation [6, 7]. In the late 1980ies, techniques for vibration elastography imaging, also known as vibration amplitude sonoelastography or simply sonoelasticity imaging was developed [8]. In this technique a low frequency vibration (20-1000 Hz) is applied externally to the skin surface to investigate the subcutaneous structures. The internal motion of the tissue is investigated with a pulsed Doppler technique. Stiff tissue responds differently to the vibrations than softer tissue, and can therefore be distinguished in the real-time images.
In the early 1990ies, the development of compression elastography, also referred to as quasi-static elasticity imaging, begun. Ophir published a paper in 1991 where ultrasound radio frequency (RF) data before and after applying compression were compared and processed using cross-correlation to obtain the time-shifts of the echoes. This allowed the subsequent calculation of elastograms [9]. The quasi-static elasticity imply that the force is applied for a sufficiently long time for the tissue strain to stabilize, and the resulting difference in echo travel time between ultrasound data acquired before and after compression can be calculated. The tissue may also be excited by applying forces at the surface (manually or by electromechanical devices) or by physiological processes within the organ, as for example the pulsation of the arteries. The generated elastograms are usually displayed as a color-coded overlay on the conventional ultrasound brightness mode image. The color mapping may cover a range of unit-less strain values as percentages from minimum (negative) strain to maximum (positive) strain. Alternatively, it may also be mapped from "soft" to "hard" tissue, thereby not quantifying the strain range displayed. Quasi-static elasticity imaging has been evaluated in a broad range of clinical applications. It has been reported used in diagnostics of tumors in for example breast, prostate, liver, the thyroid gland and in the brain (figure 4) [10-15]. Quasi-static elasticity imaging is an emerging ultrasound imaging modality, now becoming more and more available as an option on commercial ultrasound systems.
As previously explained, the elastography methods require that the tissue is excited. The tissue movement can be caused by physiological processes internally in the organ such as the pulsation of the arteries. The tissue can also be externally excited by manually pushing the tissue or by using an electromechanical vibrating device. An alternative approach is to use the acoustic radiation force of an ultrasonic focused beam to generate displacements in the tissue with subsequent detection of the mechanical properties. One example of such an approach is the Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) method developed at Duke University [16]. In this technique, short duration acoustic pulses (push pulses) are used to generate small localized displacements deep in the tissue. These displacements are tracked by ultrasonic cross correlation, in a similar fashion as for the quasi-static elasticity imaging. The method has been investigated for imaging of focal liver lesions, prostate and breast [17-19].
Another example is the innovative Supersonic Shear Imaging (SSI) method developed by the research group at the Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique [20]. In SSI the acoustic radiation force is used to generate low-frequency shear waves (50-500 Hz) remotely in the tissue. The shear modulus of the tissue can be quantified by imaging the share wave propagation in the tissue by using ultrasound frame rates of several kHz. The method has been explored for diagnosis of liver fibrosis, breast lesions and cornea [21-23].
For a more detailed overview about methods for ultrasound elasticity imaging and its clinical use we recommend to read the review papers by Wells and Liang [24] and Parker, Doyley and Rubens [25].
2.3. Nonlinear acoustics and contrast agents
In 1980, Carstensen and Muir published two papers describing the importance of nonlinear acoustics within the field of medical ultrasound imaging [26, 27]. These papers predicted and demonstrated nonlinear acoustical effects relevant for intensities and frequencies common in biomedical imaging. There has been an increasing interest with respect to nonlinear biomedical acoustics during the last 30 years. This interest was further escalated by the introduction of ultrasound contrast agents in the form of microbubbles and the study of these microbubbles was the main impetus for the introduction of the tissue harmonic imaging technique.
Nonlinear effects can be important in the forward wave propagation. The back-scattered pressure levels of the echoes are typically too low to induce any significant nonlinear effects. One source of nonlinear terms is produced by the deformation of tissue volume elements during compression and expansion with strongly curved phase fronts. It is, however, common to use transmit beams with relatively smooth phase fronts. Consequently, this nonlinear source is usually not the most dominant. The other important nonlinear source is nonlinear terms in the tissue elasticity and hence in the relation between acoustic pressure and tissue compression/expansion. Nonlinear terms in the tissue elasticity are responsible for the fact that the tissue becomes stiffer during compression and softer during expansion. The compression also increases the mass density of the tissue, but this effect is inferior to the increased stiffness and the propagation velocity and will therefore be pressure dependent and will increase with increasing compressions and thus with increasing pressure. The resulting distortion of the transmit pressure field produces harmonic components which today are utilized in tissue harmonic imaging, especially in transcutaneous cardiac and abdominal imaging to suppress multiple scattering [28-31].
Ultrasound imaging is based on several assumptions, and one important assumption is that multiple scattering is neglected. For many organs, this approximation is valid. However, for the body wall, where larger variations in material parameters often are found, this assumption can be inadequate. Interfaces between soft tissue components with significant differences in material parameters give so strong echoes from the transmitted acoustic pulses that multiple scattering can get significant amplitudes. Such multiple scatterings are usually termed pulse reverberations [32, 33]. These reverberations reduce the ratio of the strongest to the weakest scatterer that can be detected in the neighborhood of each other, defined as the contrast resolution in the image. Reduced contrast resolution is in particular a problem when imaging hypo-echoic structures such as the heart chambers, the lumen of large blood vessels, some atherosclerotic lesions, cysts, some tumors, the gallbladder as well as in fetal imaging. The contact interface between the ultrasound transducer itself and the soft tissue is also a strong reflector enhancing the problem with multiple scattering.
Ultrasound contrast agents are made as a suspension of gas microbubbles encapsulated in thin stabilizing shells made from lipid or albumin. Typical bubble size is in the 1-5 μm range and the contrast bubbles are intravenously injected to increase the scattering from blood, which is weak compared to the scattering from soft tissues. Commercially available contrast bubbles are stable and small enough to enable transpulmonary passage and the blood half-life is typically in the range of 1-10 minutes. Scattering from microbubbles occurring within a liquid is resonant through an interaction between a co-oscillating liquid mass around the bubble and the bubble compression elasticity [34] with typical resonance frequencies of 1-7 MHz. With adequately flexible shells, the gas bubble has a very high compliance relative to the surrounding blood and when driven by ultrasound pulses at frequencies below or around the bubble resonance frequency, large bubble radius excursions on the order of one micrometer is achieved due to mainly shear deformation and limited volume compression of the blood surrounding the bubble. This bubble radius displacement is then between one and two orders of magnitude larger than typical particle displacements obtained within soft tissues. The radius oscillation of a bubble may be obtained from the Rayleigh-Plesset equation [35, 36]:
ρaa¨+ 32a˙2= -Ba,a˙- pi(t)E1
where ρis the mass density of the surrounding liquid, ais the bubble radius (where the time dependence has been omitted for convenience), Bis the pressure produced by the gas and the encapsulating shell, piis the incident drive pressure and the dots represent differentiation with respect to time so that a˙and a¨represent the velocity and acceleration of the bubble wall, respectively. The terms on the left-hand side represent acceleration forces of the co-oscillation liquid mass whereas the terms on the right-hand side represent pressure terms due to gas and shell elasticity in addition to the drive pressure. The bubble pressure Bcan be written
Ba,a˙= - p0+2σa0a0a3κ- Sa0,a+ p0+ 2σa+ μa˙aE2
where the first term is the gas pressure and where κis the polytropic exponent of the gas and a0is the equilibrium bubble radius. The second term Sis the pressure contribution from the encapsulating shell and p0is the ambient hydrostatic pressure. The fourth term accounts for surface tension due to the gas-liquid interface and the last term accounts for damping effects. When a contrast bubble is insonified by frequencies below or around its resonance frequency, the local nonlinear scattering from the contrast bubble is usually much larger than from soft tissues [37, 38]. This has resulted in several nonlinear ultrasound contrast agent detection techniques with the purpose to suppress the linear part of a received signal while maintaining as much as possible of the nonlinear part of a received signal. This is then used for low transmit pressure levels. The forward wave propagation is close to linear whereas the scattering from microbubbles can be highly nonlinear. Common techniques in use today are Pulse Inversion methods that detect even harmonic components [39, 40]. Amplitude Modulation methods are also in use [41], often in combination with Pulse Inversion methods [42-44].
Numerical simulation of oscillation for a bubble with equilibrium radius of 2 μm and resonance frequency of 2.5 MHz. The upper panels show the drive pulse, the middle panels show the resulting bubble radius oscillation and the lower panels show the far-field component of the scattered pressure from the bubble. The left panels display the pulses in the time domain whereas the modulus of the Fourier Transform is displayed in the right panels.
The equations describing the bubble oscillations can be solved numerically. An example of a bubble with equilibrium radius of 2 μm is shown in figure 5. An incident drive pulse with center frequency around 2 MHz is displayed in the time and frequency domain in the upper panel. In the middle panel, the resulting bubble radius oscillation is depicted and in the lower panel, the resulting normalized far-field component of the scattered pressure from the bubble is displayed. It can bee seen that the response is highly nonlinear and several harmonic components are present in the scattered pressure from the bubble. This response is obtained with an incident drive pulse having a mechanical index equal to 0.07, which is very low compared to what is used for regular tissue imaging. At such low transmit pressure levels, the forward wave propagation will be close to linear and distortion of the transmit field due to nonlinear tissue elasticity will thus be very low. The harmonic components can then be used to differentiate bubble echoes from tissue echoes through Pulse Inversion and Amplitude Modulation pulsing schemes. In most clinical applications of ultrasound contrast agents, it is desirable to assess the micro-circulation or the tissue perfusion which cannot be done without the use of contrast agents and which often is related to various diseases. It is then necessary to obtain a strong suppression of the tissue signal for detection of the contrast bubble signal.
An example of the use of ultrasound contrast agents in relation to minimally invasive interventions is radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors where contrast-enhanced ultrasound is used for improved detection and imaging of the lesions, for planning and guidance of multiple needle electrodes and finally for immediate evaluation of the treatment [45].
SURF (Second order UltRasound Field) imaging is a nonlinear ultrasound imaging technique being developed in Trondheim [46-50]. It is based on transmission of dual frequency band pulse complexes consisting of a low frequency manipulation pulse and a high frequency imaging pulse that are co-propagating. Two transmit pulse complexes that may be used with the SURF technique are displayed in figure 6. With the use of conventional single frequency band transmit pulses, nonlinear effects are mainly restricted to the generation of harmonic components of the imaging pulse. With dual frequency band transmit pulses, other nonlinear effects also come into play. SURF imaging aims at further utilizing nonlinear acoustics for improved imaging of various tissues and ultrasound contrast agents.
Example of SURF transmit pulse complexes where a low frequency manipulation pulse at 1 MHz is co-propagating with a high frequency imaging pulse at 10 MHz. The high frequency imaging pulse is in the left and right panel placed at low and high manipulation pressure, respectively.
For imaging of ultrasound microbubbles, conventional techniques relies on driving the bubble into strong nonlinear oscillations with the imaging pulse at relatively low mechanical indexes. This is typically feasible when the imaging frequency is below or around the bubble resonance frequency (as in the example of figure 5) and conventional contrast agents typically have resonance frequencies below 7 MHz. However, when the imaging frequency is above the bubble resonance frequency a much higher mechanical index is required to obtain significant nonlinear back-scattering from the bubble. At higher mechanical indexes the tissue will also respond nonlinearly and it then becomes difficult to differentiate the tissue signal from the bubble signal. For contrast imaging at high frequencies, such as 10 – 30 MHz, that can be used in minimal invasive interventions where the probe can be close to the object being imaged, conventional contrast imaging techniques often have limitations. The dual band SURF technique then has some advantages where the low frequency manipulation pulse can be tuned to match the bubble resonance frequency (typically around 2-3 MHz) whereas the high frequency imaging pulse can be optimized for the object being imaged and can for example be 20 MHz. The low frequency then manipulates the bubble oscillation and back-scattering which is interrogated by the high frequency pulse. The high frequency imaging pulse is hence decoupled from the resonance properties of the contrast bubbles.
3. Ultrasound-based navigation — Enabling technologies
State of the art ultrasound imaging is crucial for guiding interventions. But unlike freehand guidance and guidance based on ultrasound guides (figure 1) having optimal images on the ultrasound scanner is not enough to enable surgical navigation. In order to use ultrasound-based navigation to guide such procedures we usually have to:
Get the images out of the ultrasound scanner and into the navigation software in real-time.
Track the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe at all times.
Synchronize the image and tracking streams (temporal calibration) and find the transformation between the tracking sensor mounted on the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound scan plane (spatial calibration), which is the interesting part to track.
Reconstruct all the position tagged ultrasound frames from a conventional 2D ultrasound probe into a regular 3D volume that can be used in the same way as preoperative MR or CT is.
3.1. Streaming of ultrasound data
Convenient ultrasound-based navigation of surgical instruments requires real-time access to the ultrasound data in the navigation software (figure 7). This is required in order to tag the ultrasound frames with position and orientation data from the tracking system (alternatively the tracking data could be directed directly into the scanner and the ultrasound frames could be used off-line, e.g. to generate a 3D volume from the tagged 2D frames). The traditional way of getting real-time access to ultrasound frames is to connect the analog output (e.g., composite video, S-video) of the ultrasound scanner to a frame-grabbing card on the navigation computer. Using the analog output might affect the image quality due to the double digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion and no metadata (e.g. depth) follow the ultrasound images. Alternatively digital data can be streamed directly from the ultrasound scanner and into the navigation computer. Traditionally this has required some kind of research collaboration between the ultrasound manufacturer and the user but open ultrasound scanners are becoming available (e.g. the Ultrasonix scanner). These systems usually provide just a one-way streaming interface but two-way communication protocols where the scanner can be controlled (e.g. depth) by the navigation system exists making more integrated solutions possible (figure 7). Either way, the protocol (or interface / API) used is typically proprietary, although proposals for real-time standards are starting to emerge (e.g. OpenIGTLink, DICOM in surgery (WG24)). When the link between the ultrasound scanner and navigation system is digital, ultrasound data at different stages in the processing chain on the scanner can be transferred (e.g. scan-converted, scan-line and RF-data). Furthermore, a digital streaming interface will be required in order to use the real-time 3D scanners that are now becoming available also for navigation. It’s difficult to capture the 3D content in the scanner display using a frame grabber so the data needs to be transferred in real-time or tagged with a tracking reference on the ultrasound scanner.
Streaming ultrasound data into the navigation system. The interface can either be analog using a frame grabber or digital using a direct link and a proprietary protocol. A digital interface can either be one-way (i.e. streaming) or two-way (i.e. optionally control the scanner from the navigation system as well). In any case the image stream must be tagged with tracking data and in order to do that the two streams need to be synchronized.
3.2. Tracking of ultrasound probes
In order to use ultrasound to guide surgical procedures the ultrasound probe must be tracked. Several tracking technologies have been proposed over the years (mechanical, acoustical, optical and electromagnetic), but currently the most widely used solutions are optical or electromagnetic systems (see figure 8). Choosing the best tracking technology depends on the application at hand and the ultrasound probes used. If possible optical tracking systems should be preferred as magnetic tracking in the operating room can be challenging due to disturbances from metallic objects and the accuracy is close but not as good as optical systems under favorable conditions. For flexible us-probes or probes that are inserted into the body magnetic tracking is required as the transformation between the sensor and the scan plane must be rigid and optical tracking demands clear line of sight to the cameras. In addition the magnetic sensors are very small, crucial in order to be embedded in instruments and put into the body. When the ultrasound probe is tracked it becomes one of several tools and the streamed ultrasound data can either be shown in real time at the right spot in the patient or made into a 3D volume and shown together with other images to the surgeon. A brief description of the two main tracking technologies can be found below [51, 52]:
Optical tracking systems: The basic idea is to use one or more cameras with markers distributed on a rigid structure where the geometry is specified beforehand (figure 8A). At least three markers are necessary to determine the position and orientation of the rigid body in space. Additional markers allow a better camera visibility of the tracked object and improve the measurement accuracy. The markers can be infrared light-emitting diodes (active markers), infrared light reflectors (passive markers) or some kind of pattern (usually a checker board) that can be identified using visual light and image analysis.
Electromagnetic tracking systems: A receiver (sensor) is placed on the ultrasound probe and the system measures the induced electrical currents when the sensor is moved within a magnetic field generated by either an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) transmitter / generator (figure 8B). The AC and DC devices are both sensitive to some types of metallic objects placed too close to the transmitter or receiver, and to magnetic fields generated by power sources and devices such as cathode-ray tube monitors. Therefore, both types of electromagnetic systems are challenging to use in an environment such as an operating room, where various metallic objects are moved around in the field [53]. The two metal related phenomena that influence the performance of electromagnetic tracking systems are ferromagnetism and eddy currents [54]. Ferromagnetic materials (e.g., iron, steel) affect both AC and DC systems, because they change the homogeneity of the tracker-generated magnetic field, although the DC systems may be more sensitive to these effects. In contrast, the AC technology is more affected by the presence of conductors such as copper and aluminum because of distortions caused by eddy currents [53, 55]. DC systems minimize the eddy-current related distortions by sampling the field after eddy currents have decayed.
Comparisons between optical and magnetic tracking systems - pros and cons: The main advantages with optical tracking systems are their robustness and high accuracy and the challenges are line of sight problems and the relatively big sensor frames. For electromagnetic tracking system it’s basically the other way around.
Optical (A) and electromagnetic (B) tracking of ultrasound probes.
3.3. Ultrasound probe calibration
After streaming ultrasound data into the navigation software and tracking the ultrasound probe, calibration is needed in order to integrate the image stream with the tracking stream. Ultrasound probe calibration is an important topic as this is the main error source for ultrasound-based navigation (see section on accuracy). Two types of calibration are necessary; temporal calibration to find the lag between the image and tracking streams and spatial calibration [56, 57] to find the transformation between the ultrasound scan plane and the tracking sensor mounted on the ultrasound-probe (see figure 9):
Temporal calibration (find the time lag between the image stream and the tracking stream, see figure 9A) : The most common way to do this is to move the ultrasound probe up and down in a water bath and extract some feature in the generated us-images (or correlate the images and measure the displacement). This gives us two sinus-like curves, one for the vertical position of the extracted feature in the images and one for the vertical component in the tracking data. The two curves are compared and one of them is fitted to the other to find the time lag between the two streams.
Spatial calibration (find the transformation between the image and the sensor, see figure 9B) : Considerable effort has been spent on probe calibration over the last decade, and it still seems to be a hot research topic. Maybe because it is a challenging task to make it accurate, especially if the same method / phantom is to be used for substantially different probes. It is not possible to measure this transform with a ruler because the orientation of the scan plane relative to the sensor frame is unknown, we do not know the origin of the us-plane inside the probe housing and magnetic sensors do not have a known origin. A commonly used approach for probe calibration is to acquire 2-D images of a phantom with known geometry and to identify distinct features in the images. Because the location of the same features are known in the global coordinate system, the probe calibration matrix can be found from a relatively simple matrix equation. The probe calibration methods reported in the literature mainly differ with respect to the phantom geometry, whereas the processing of the acquired data is more or less common for all methods. The majority of probe calibration methods can be categorized into one of three different classes: single- point or line; 2-D alignment; and freehand methods. The calibration matrix can be calculated as follows. Acquire the necessary amount of calibration images and find the coordinates of all the calibration points in each image. Next, we transform the corresponding physical points from global reference coordinates into sensor frame coordinates by using the inverse of the tracking matrix. The rigid body transformation that minimizes the mean Euclidian distance between the two homologous point sets will be the probe calibration matrix. The matrix can be calculated using a direct least squares error minimization technique [58].
Temporal (A) and spatial (B) calibration of the ultrasound probe.
3.4. 3D Ultrasound
It is difficult to guide an instrument into place using conventional 2D ultrasound only (freehand guidance): in order to know where the instrument is we need to see it in the ultrasound image and to reach the target we have to know where to go from there, a challenging hand-eye coordination task. It’s much more convenient to acquire a 3D ultrasound volume first and let the tracked instrument extract slices from the volume that can be annotated with the position and / or orientation of the instrument (see section on visualization).
3D ultrasound data can be acquired in different ways [59]. A conventional 1D array probe (2D+t) can be moved over the area of interest, either by freehand motion or by a motor. If freehand movement is used all the ultrasound frames can be put together into a volume using tracking data (figure 10) or correlation. A motor inside the probe hosing or external to it can also be used to cover the ROI by tilt, translation or rotation of the 1D array (figure 11). Furthermore, with a 2D matrix probe the ultrasound beam can be steered in the elevation direction in addition to the lateral (azimuth) direction so that the ROI can be covered while the probe is standing still making real-time 3D ultrasound imaging possible (figure 12).
Figure 10.
Reconstruction methods: A) Voxel Nearest Neighbor (VNN), B) Pixel Nearest Neighbor (PNN), Distribution Step (DS) and C) Functional Based Methods (FBM).
Motorized / mechanical tilting (A), translation (B) and rotation (C). Source: Fenster [59]
Matrix probes. Using a 2D array of elements (A) the beam can be steered in two directions (B) and a truncated pyramid of data is acquired (C).
In practice the following methods are in use:
Freehand 3D ultrasound: This is still the most wildly used method (mainly because of its flexibility) and usually the method works in the following manner: Scan the area of interest using a conventional 2D probe that is tracked and reconstruct the position tagged ultrasound frames into a regular 3D volume that can be used in the same way as preoperative MR or CT. The ultrasound probe is usually tracked by optical or electromagnetic sensors, but other methods have been proposed. Furthermore, different methods exist to reconstruct all the 2D frames into a regular 3D volume. The methods can be categorized into tree main groups [60]:
Voxel-based methods (VBM): VBM traverse each voxel in the target voxel grid and gather information from the input 2D images to be placed in the voxel. One or several pixels may contribute to the value of each voxel. The simplest method in this category is Voxel Nearest Neighbor (VNN), which traverses each voxel in the target volume and assigns the value of the nearest image pixel (see figure 10A).
Pixel-based methods (PBM): PBM usually consists of two steps: a Distribution Step (DS) where the input pixels are traversed and applied to one or several voxels and a Hole-Filling Step (HFS) where the voxels are traversed and empty voxels are being filled. The simplest method in this category is Pixel Nearest Neighbor (PNN) that runs through each pixel in all the 2D input images and assigns the pixel value to the nearest voxel in the target volume (see figure 10B).
Function based methods (FBM): FBM choose a particular function (like a polynomial) and determine the coefficients to make the functions pass through the input pixels. Afterwards, the function can be used to create a regular voxel array by evaluating the function at regular intervals (see figure 10C). These methods produce reconstructed volumes with the highest quality but are very computational intensive and are in limited use today.
Motorized (or mechanical) 3D ultrasound: Instead of using freehand movement of the ultrasound probe over the area of interest a motor can cover the same region by tilting (figure 11A), translating (figure 11B) or rotating (figure 11C) a conventional 1D ultrasound array. Motorized probes have existed for a long time and the motor can either be mounted inside the probe housing (easy to use but requires a specially build ultrasound probe) or be applied externally (more flexible as conventional probes can be used). Many of the benefits with freehand scanning also apply to motorized scanning, e.g. the possibility to use high frequency probes with higher spatial resolution, also in the elevation direction (1.25D/1.5D probes). Motorized scanning can use the same kind of reconstruction methods as freehand scanning but usually more optimized methods are used as the movement is known and the probe do not need to be tracked during the acquisition. Compared to freehand ultrasound the motorized probes are easier to use in an intraoperative setting, but on the other hand, they are not as flexible in general.
Real-time 3D ultrasound using 2D matrix probes [61-65]: Instead of using a conventional 1D array transducer that is moved by freehand or by a motor to sweep out the anatomy of interest, transducers with 2D phased arrays (figure 12A) that can generate 3D images in real time have been developed. Electronics is used to control and steer the ultrasound beam (figure 12B) and sweep out a volume shaped like a truncated pyramid (figure 12C). The main challenge with this technology is the large and heavy cable that would be required to connect all the elements in the array to a wire. Fortunately technological achievements in terms of multiplexing, sparse arrays and parallel processing over the last decade have made these systems commercially available. They are used extensively in echocardiology, which requires dynamic three-dimensional imaging of the heart and its valves.
3.5. Integrated ultrasound-based navigation solutions
Ultrasound and navigation can be integrated in different ways as we have seen. Complete systems can usually be categorized as follows:
Two-rack systems: Where the navigation computer with tracking system etc. and the ultrasound scanner are two separate systems. This is most common, especially in a research environment. The main reason for this is flexibility, in principle any ultrasound scanner with an analog output can be used together with a navigation system that is equipped with ultrasound-based navigation software. An example of such a configuration is our in house research system for us-based navigation called CustusX (figure 13A). The system is used for different clinical applications (e.g. neurosurgery and laparoscopy), each navigation rack is equipped with both optical and magnetic tracking and can be connected to a variety of ultrasound scannersusing analog and digital interfaces.
One-rack systems: Here the ultrasound scanner and the navigation computer have been integrated in the same system. These systems are more convenient to use in the operating room but are less flexible. Most commercial solutions belong to this category. Two variations exists:
An ultrasound scanner with navigation software integrated. The PercuNav system from Philips, an integrated solution for navigation and intraoperative imaging, is an example of this (figure 13B).
A navigation system with an ultrasound scanner integrated: The SonoWand system (Trondheim, Norway), where an ultrasound scanner has been embedded in the navigation rack, is an example of this (figure 13C). The system can be used in three distinct ways: 1) as a navigation system based on preoperative MR/CT data, 2) as a standalone ultrasound scanner and 3) as an ultrasound-based navigation system with intraoperative imaging capabilities, its main use.
Different approaches to integrating (3D) ultrasound and navigation. A) A two-rack solution and examples of one-rack solutions (B and C).
4. Registration and segmentation in ultrasound-based navigation
Registration is the process of transforming an image into the coordinate system of a patient, or another image. After registration, the same anatomical features have the same coordinates in both the image and the patient, or in both images. Image-to-patient registration is one of the cornerstones of any navigation system, and is necessary for navigation using pre-operative images such as MR and/or CT. Image-to-image registration is useful to align pre-operative images before registration to the patient, and also to update the pre-operative images during surgery using for example intra-operative US. Only the latter involves US and will be the focus in this section, but image-to-patient registration is important for proper initialization of the MR/CT-to-US registration. The main motivation behind image-to-image registration is that different images contain different and complimentary information about the patient at a given point in time. When we bring the images into the same coordinate system and into the coordinate system of the patient, we can take advantage of more of the useful information in the different images. Such information can be the size and location of the surgical target, important blood vessels, critical structures that should be avoided etc. The registration method used in each case depends heavily on the type of images we want to register. The type of spatial transformation, how we measure the similarity between the images and how this measure is optimized are key components of any registration procedure.
4.1. Registration of preoperative images to the patient
Image-to-patient registration is a necessary and crucial step in order to use pre-operative images for guidance. Intraoperative ultrasound only shows a limited portion of the surgical field and might require some experience to appreciate. Preoperative data can therefore be used for overview and interpretation. In neurosurgery, for example, it is not possible to acquire ultrasound images before opening of the dura. Pre-operative images are therefore necessary for planning the craniotomy.
One of the most frequently used registration methods consists in using self-adhesive markers, also called fiducials. The fiducials are glued to the patient's skin before MR or CT imaging. The markers can be identified in the images and the corresponding markers can be identified on the patient using a tracked pointer once the patient is immobilized on the operating table (figure 14). A spatial transformation can then be computed transforming the image into the coordinate system of the patient. The surgeon can then point on the patient using a tracked pointer and see the corresponding location in the images on the computer screen. The use of markers for image-to-patient registration presents some limitations both for the patient and the hospital staff. First, fiducial based registration requires an imaging session shortly before surgery to minimize the risk for markers to fall off or be displaced. In many cases this imaging session comes in addition to an initial session needed for diagnosis. Any displacement of the fiducial markers between the imaging session and surgery will compromise the image-to-patient registration accuracy. The placement of fiducials also represents an inconvenience for patients and hospital staff in the preparations for the procedure.
Image-to-Patient registration using corresponding points between image space (A) and physical space (B).
In order to avoid the use of fiducial markers, natural anatomical landmarks can be used for patient registration. Typical features in the context of neurosurgery are the medial and lateral corners of the eyes, the nose and ears. Like fiducial based registration, an image-to-patient registration framework using natural anatomical landmarks requires identification of points in the pre-operative images. The typically used landmarks are almost coplanar, and they are all located in a relatively small area around the face and ears. This might compromise the registration accuracy in other parts of the head, and possibly close to the surgical target [66]. A number of groups have presented surface matching techniques to address this issue. The skin surface of the patient is segmented from pre-operative data and registered to a set of surface points acquired in the operating room. Techniques to acquire surface points in the operating room include cameras [67, 68], laser surface scanners [69-71] and tracked pointers [72]. The accuracy of the different methods has been evaluated and compared [71, 73-75]. Both landmarks and surface based registration alone are less accurate than fiducial based registration. Different approaches combining registration based on anatomical landmarks and alignment of surfaces have therefore been developed.
As surgery proceeds, tissue will shift and deform due to gravity, retraction, resection and administration of drugs. Consequently, the pre-operative images do not correspond to the patient anymore. In this case, intraoperative ultrasound can be used for direct guidance and to update the location of the pre-operative data according to the surgical reality at a given point in time.
4.2. Ultrasound-based update of preoperative data
As surgery proceeds the pre-operative images no longer reflect the reality and updated information is necessary for accurate navigation. Intra-operative ultrasound can be acquired when needed during the procedure and be used for direct guidance and resection control, but also as a registration target for pre-operative images in order to update their position. This is particularly important for images such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in neurosurgery because the information contained in these images cannot be easy re-acquired during the procedure. By performing MR/CT-to-US registration, the information contained in the pre-operative images can be shifted to the correct position at any given point in time (figure 15). Registration of MR/CT to US is a challenging task due to differences in image appearance and noise characteristics. The existing methods can be divided into two main categories:
Intensity-based methods: These methods take the original images (MR/CT and B-mode US) as input, and the optimization of the registration parameters is computed from the image intensities, either directly or indirectly (blurring, gradients etc.). Some of the existing methods use well-known similarity measures such as mutual information and cross-correlation, while others have developed similarity measures particularly adapted to the registration of MR/CT and ultrasound [76-82].
Feature-based methods: These methods require segmentation or “enhancement” of particular features in the images to be registered. The registration algorithm will then align the corresponding features in each image. In MR/CT-to-US registration such feature might be the vascular tree [83-85]. Blood vessels are relatively easy to identify and segment in both MR angiography and Doppler ultrasound images, and are present in nearly any region of interest. A centerline or skeleton can be computed from the segmented vessels and be used for registration. The most commonly used method for feature-based registration is the iterative closest point algorithm (ICP) [86]. In the case of vessel registration, all the points in the moving dataset are paired with the closest point in the fixed dataset. Based on these point correspondences, the registration parameters can be computed using the least squares method. The resulting transformation is then applied to the moving dataset and new point correspondences can be computed. The process is then iterated until convergence.
Ultrasound-based shift correction of preoperative MR data during an AVM operation. Top and bottom row shows the situation before and after the MR-to-US registration respectively. A) Ultrasound. D) MR. MR (gray) and US (green) before (B) and after (E) registration. Centerlines from US (green) and MR (red) before (C) and after (F) registration.
Several methods within the two main categories have been validated using retrospective clinical data [12, 14, 15]. So far no automatic method has been thoroughly validated intraoperatively (figure 15). The use of automatic registration methods in the operating room requires high quality data and straightforward, accurate, robust and fast image processing. With all this in place, image registration using intraoperative ultrasound will be able to correct the position of pre-operative data and thereby provide updated and reliable information about anatomy, pathology and function during surgery.
4.3. Motion correction using 4D ultrasound
Intensity based registration of ultrasound images can also be used to track the motion of an organ of interest. In the case of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU or FUS) or radiotherapy, the organ can be imaged using 4D ultrasound (3D + time or real-time 3D) in order to monitor the temporal changes in anatomy during the imaging, planning and delivery of treatment. The consecutive 3D images can then be registered in order to estimate the organ motion (figure 16). The positioning of the HIFU or radiation beam can then be modified accordingly in order to hit the target at any point in time. We have validated automatic motion estimation from 4D ultrasound in the liver using a non-rigid registration algorithm and a group-wise optimization approach as part of an ongoing study to be published in the near future. The offline analysis was performed using a recently published non-rigid registration algorithm that was specifically designed for motion estimation from dynamic imaging data [87]. The method registers the entire 4D sequence in a group-wise optimization fashion, thus avoiding a bias towards a specifically chosen reference time point. Both spatial and temporal smoothness of the transformations are enforced by using a 4D free-form B-spline deformation model. For the evaluation, three healthy volunteers were scanned over several breath cycles from three different positions and angles on the abdomen (nine 4D scans in total). A skilled physician performed the scanning and manually annotated well-defined anatomic landmarks for assessment of the automatic algorithm. Four engineers each annotated these points in all time frames, the mean of which was taken as a gold standard. The error of the automatic motion estimation method was compared with inter-observer variability. The registration method estimated liver motion better than the individual observers and had an error (75% percentile over all datasets) of 1 mm. We conclude that the methodology was able to accurately track the motion of the liver in the 4D ultrasound data. This methodology may be used intraoperatively to guide ablation of moving targets in the abdomen if the registration method can be run in real-time and the ultrasound probe can be made MR compatible (required for MR-guided HIFU).
A) 4D (3D+t) Ultrasound of the liver. Example image before (top row B) and after (bottom row C) registration. The middle (B-C) and right panel, respectively, show the evolution over time (vertical axis) of the horizontal and vertical profile indicated by the cross in the left panel. After registration, the motion has been successfully removed from the image (streight vertical lines).
4.4. Segmentation of ultrasound data
Fully automatic segmentation of structures from B-mode ultrasound images is a challenging task. The clarity and contrast of structure boundaries depend heavily on their orientation relative to the sound wave and the acoustic properties of the surrounding tissues. Consequently, the boundaries of interest are often broken or at least unclear in parts of the image volume. It is therefore necessary to use a priori knowledge about the shape and appearance of the structure of interest in order to obtain reliable segmentation results. This a priori knowledge can be obtained by manually segmenting the structure of interest in a set of training data. Then, shape and appearance statistics can be used to segment the structure in new datasets. Akbari et al. [88] and Zhan et al. [89] used this approach for segmentation of the prostate in 3D ultrasound images of the prostate, and Xie et al. [90] used a similar approach for segmentation of the kidneys from 2D ultrasound images. The disadvantage of this method is the requirement for a database of training data with manual segmentations. This method can also be difficult to employ if the shape and appearance of the structure is unknown or presents large variations such as tumors and other pathologies. Several groups have also presented segmentation algorithms for ultrasound images of bone surfaces, and particularly the spine [91-94]. In these cases, the purpose of the segmentation process is to extract the bone surface from intra-operative ultrasound images for registration to pre-operative CT images. The ultrasound images are filtered in order to highlight the bone surface and in some cases the characteristic shadow behind the bone surface can be used for segmentation purposes as shown by Yan et al. [94]. They used backwards scan-line tracing to extract the bone surface from ultrasound images of the spine.
One of the great advantages of ultrasound is real time dynamic imaging. Methods based on shape and appearance statistics are in general not able to run fast enough to capture the dynamics of a moving organ such as the heart. Orderud et al. [95] proposed a method for real time segmentation of the beating heart. They fitted a set of control points of a model of the left ventricle to 4D ultrasound data (figure 17). The fitting process was run in real time using a state estimation approach and a Kalman filter. When the shape, appearance and localization of the structure are unknown semi-automatic or manual segmentation by an expert might be the only solution to obtain satisfactory results. Segmentation of Doppler ultrasound images, on the other hand is usually straightforward using simple thresholding methods. Vascular structures, however, often appear with a diameter that is to large in the Doppler ultrasound images causing neighboring vessels to be smeared together. Reliable segmentation of the vascular tree can therefore be challenging due to the spatial resolution of the images.
A 3D model of the left ventricle (A) matched in real-time to 4D Ultrasound shown here as slices in 3D (A) and 2D (B and C). Source: Orderud [95].
5. Ultrasound-based visualization and navigation
The amount of image data available for any given patient is increasing and may include pre-operative structural data such as CT and MRI (T1, T2, FLAIR, MR angiography etc.), pre-operative mapping of important gray (fMRI) and white matter (DTI), functional data from PET, intra-operative 3D ultrasound (B-mode and Doppler) in addition to images from microscopes, endoscopes and laparoscopes. All these sources of information are not equally important at all times during the procedure, and a selection of data has to be made in order to present only those images that are relevant for the surgeon at that particular point in time.
Multimodal visualization. Orthogonal (A) and oblique (B) slicing, the position as well as the position and the orientation of the tool are used to extract the slices respectively. The three basic visualization types are shown in each image. The head is volume rendered in a 3D view that also shows geometric representations of both the tool and slice indicators. Corresponding slices are shown in a 2D view at the right. C) Display during freehand 3D ultrasound acquisition: Real-time 2D ultrasound to the left and an indication of the us-scanplane relative to MR data in a 3D and 2D view to the top and bottom right respectively. D) Overview of probe relative to head. E) Detailed view of real-time 2D ultrasound relative to MRA (read) and 3D power Doppler data (gray). F) Slice from ultrasound (top part) and MR (bottom part), surface model in red from MR (middle part). Mismatch between US (slice) and MR (tumor model) is clearly visible. G) 3D ultrasound (gray) is used to correct MRA (moved from red to green position) during an aneurysm operation.
There are various ways to classify the different visualization techniques that exist. For medical visualization of 3D data from modalities like CT, MRI and US, it is common to refer to three approaches:
Slicing: Slicing means extracting a 2D plane from the 3D data and can further be classified according to how the 2D slice data are generated and how this information is displayed. The sequence of slices acquired by the modality and used to generate a regular image volume is often referred to as the raw or natural slices. From the reconstructed volume we can extract both orthogonal (figure 18A) and oblique (figure 18B) slices. Orthogonal slicing is often used in systems for pre- and postoperative visualization, as well as in intraoperative navigation systems, where the tip of the tracked instrument determines the three extracted slices. The slices can also be orthogonal relative to the tracked instrument or the surgeon’s view (i.e., oblique slicing relative to the volume axis or patient), and this is becoming an increasingly popular option in navigation systems. When a surgical tool cuts through multiple volumes several slices are generated. These slices can then be combined in different ways using various overlay and fusion techniques.
Direct volume rendering: Volume- and geometric rendering techniques are not easily distinguished. Often the two approaches can produce similar results, and in some cases one approach may be considered both a volume rendering and a geometric rendering technique. Still, the term volume rendering is used to describe a direct rendering process applied to 3D data where information exists throughout a 3D space instead of simply on 2D surfaces defined in (and often extracted from) such a 3D space. The two most common approaches to volume rendering are volumetric ray casting and 2D/3D texture mapping (figure 17 A, B, D, E, G). In ray casting, each pixel in the image is determined by sending a ray into the volume and evaluating the voxel data encountered along the ray using a specified ray function (maximum, isovalue, compositing). Using 2D texture mapping, polygons are generated along the axis of the volume that is most closely aligned with the viewing direction. The data is then mapped onto these quads and projected into a picture using standard graphics hardware.
Geometric surface rendering: The technique used to render the texture-mapped quads is essentially the same technique that is used to render geometric surface representations of relevant structures (figure 17 A-F). However, the geometric representations must first be extracted from the image information. While it is possible in some cases to extract a structure and generate a 3D model of it by directly using an isosurface extraction algorithm [96], the generation of an accurate geometric model from medical data often requires a segmentation step first. The most common surface representation is to use a lot of simple geometric primitives (e.g., triangles), though other possibilities exist. Furthermore, the surfaces can be made transparent so that it’s possible to see what’s beneath the structure.
The challenge is to combine the available data and visualization methods to present an optimal integrated multimodal scene that shows only the relevant information at any given time to the surgeon. Multimodal visualization and various image fusion techniques can be very beneficial when trying to take advantage of the best features in each modality. It is easier to perceive an integration of two or more volumes in the same scene than to mentally fuse the same volumes when presented in separate display windows. This also offers an opportunity to pick relevant and necessary information from the most appropriate of the available datasets. Ideally, relevant information should include not only anatomical structures for reference and pathological structures to be targeted, but also important structures to be avoided. Finally, augmented reality techniques can be used to mix the virtual representation of the patient provided by 3D medical data and models extracted from these and the real representation provided by a microscope or a laparoscope for example, giving an even more realistic picture of the treatment delivered through small incisions in minimally invasive procedures.
6. Ultrasound-based navigation accuracy
The delicacy, precision and extent of the work the surgeon can perform based on image information rely on his/her confidence in the overall clinical accuracy and the anatomical or pathological representation. The overall clinical accuracy in image-guided surgery is the difference between the location of a surgical tool relative to some structure as indicated in the image information, and the location relative to the same structure in the patient. This accuracy is difficult to assess in a clinical setting due to the lack of fixed and well-defined landmarks inside the patient that can be accurately reached with a pointer. Common practice is therefore to estimate the system’s overall accuracy in a controlled laboratory setting using precisely built phantoms. In order to conclude on the potential clinical accuracy, the differences between the clinical and the laboratory settings must be carefully examined.
6.1. Error sources and key points
A comprehensive analysis of the error sources involved in neuronavigation based on intraoperative ultrasound as well as preoperative MRI can be found in Lindseth et al. [97]. The overall accuracy is often referred to as the Navigation System Accuracy (NSA) and the essential points to remember can be summarized like this:
The accuracy associated with navigation based on pre.op. MR/CT is independent of the accuracy associated with navigation based on intraoperative ultrasound, and vice versa.
The main error sources associated with preoperative MR/CT-based navigation are related to the patient registration process in a clinical setting, and the fact that the image maps are not updated to reflect the changing patient terrain as surgery proceeds.
In contrast, intraoperative ultrasound volumes are acquired in the same coordinate system as navigation is performed. Patient registration is therefore not necessary, and a new ultrasound volume can be acquired to reflect the current patient anatomy whenever needed. However, navigation based on ultrasound is associated with its own error chain. The main error source in this chain is the ultrasound probe calibration process. In addition, small variations in the speed of sound in different tissue types are a potential problem [97].
These points have major implications for the rational behind testing a navigation system in the lab using a phantom, and make a statement about the interesting parameter to the surgeon: the overall clinical navigation system accuracy. A lab test of a system based on preoperative MR/CT using a rigid phantom will give a very good navigation system accuracy (NSA<0.5mm, se figure 19, red line). Such a test will have limited validity in the general clinical situation, but is important to make sure that the system works as expected. The next phase in the evaluation of such a system would be to conduct a clinical study to investigate the system’s ability to deal with a variety of different patient registration problems. Documenting that the system performs well in the rigid case and can deal in a satisfactory way with difficult patient registration cases is the best a system vendor can do. This does not give any information about the NSA experienced during a clinical case though. The surgeon must verify that the accuracy is acceptable after he has performed the patient registration procedure and anatomical landmarks inside the patient must be used to gain an impression about the amount of tissue shift and deformation. This shift and deformation makes systems based on preoperative MR/CT of limited use during the procedure.
Navigation System Accuracy (NSA) based on preoperative (p) MR (red line) and intraoperative (i) US (green line). iUS can be used to correct pMR using various image-to-image registration techniques (blue line).
In contrast, probe calibration, the major error source associated with ultrasound-based navigation, is included in the NSA resulting from accuracy evaluations using a rigid phantom in a laboratory setting. Furthermore, the surgeon is in control of the amount of tissue shift and deformation that is acceptable in a particular clinical case. A new scan can be acquired whenever needed in order to navigate using an updated image map (se figure 19, green line). As a consequence, the NSA found in a controlled laboratory setting will also be valid in the clinical case given that navigation is based on a recently acquired ultrasound scan (real-time 3D ultrasound being the extreme case) and that the speed of sound used in the ultrasound scanner corresponds to the average speed of sound in the tissue.
A common mistake is to interpret a mismatch between MR/CT and Ultrasound in corresponding or fused displays as tissue shift. An observed mismatch between MR/CT and Ultrasound can only be interpreted as brain shift if 1a) navigation based on pre.op. data is accurate in the rigid case, 1b) the NSA, after the patient registration process, has been verified to be low, 2a) the NSA of ultrasound-based navigation in a controlled setting is low and 2b) the ultrasound data shown originate from an ultrasound volume that has recently been acquired.
Preoperative MR/CT data can be “corrected” for brain shift using intraoperative ultrasound and advanced image-to-image registration techniques [85] as can be seen in figure 19. However this is a challenging task introducing additional error sources. Therefore the NSA associated with corrected preoperative MR/CT will not be as good as the NSA for ultrasound (see figure 19, blue lines). In addition, the independence between the NSA based on MR/CT and Ultrasound will be broken (NSA for MR/CT will be dependent on NSA for Ultrasound).
The overall clinical accuracy of a navigation system will be determined by the contribution from all the individual error sources involved [97]. The net effect will not be the sum of all the error sources, but rather a stochastic contribution from all the terms. Stochastically independent contributions are summed using the following equation: ∑(...)2
6.2. Clinical navigation system accuracy
As stated previously, the most important parameter for the surgeon is the overall clinical Navigation System Accuracy (NSA). Although this parameter is difficult to assess, we believe that for ultrasound-based navigation an estimate can be made, based on a comprehensive laboratory evaluation and a thorough understanding of the significant additional error sources that occur in the clinical setting. Table 1 summarizes how such a calculation can be carried out assuming that a comprehensive evaluation of the system gives a NSA below 1.4 mm in a controlled laboratory setting. The error sources are assumed to be stochastically independent so that their contributions can be added on a sum-of-squares basis.
NSA using a phantom in the lab < 1.4 mm
+ Calibration and position tracking of rigid surgical tool < 0.5 mm
+ Interpolation of a 2D slice from a 3D volume / tool cross indication < 0.1 mm
= Overall NSA < 1.5 mm
+ Sound speed uncertainty 0 – 2.0 mm
+ Brain shift 0 – 10.0 mm
= Overall clinical NSA 1.5 – 10.5 mm
Overall clinical NSA estimates
As can be seen from table 1 it is possible to achieve an overall clinical NSA close to the NSA found in the laboratory under favorable conditions, i.e., when the speed of sound used in the scanner is close to the average speed of sound in the tissue imaged, and the ultrasound volumes are frequently updated. The need for updates can be determined by real-time 2D imaging. If these conditions are not met, the accuracy becomes poorer.
6.3. Method for assessing ultrasound-based navigation accuracy
As we have seen the ultrasound-based NSA found in the lab using a phantom is valid in the OR (Operating Room) as well, under normal conditions. This makes it very interesting to develop a method that can measure the NSA automatically. We have previously suggested a method based on a phantom with 27 wire crosses and correlating an ultrasound sub-image of each cross to a synthetic template of the cross [98], and the method has been used in a thorough accuracy evaluation of a commercial navigation system [97]. We have since that developed a method that seems to be even more robust, in addition to being more flexible and more convenient to integrate in a navigation system (see figure 20). The method can be used for substantially different ultrasound probes and the phantom is easier to build and to measure accurately. The technique is based on sweeping over the single wire cross with the ultrasound probe, reconstruct all the frames into a volume containing the cross, segment and extract the centerline of the cross and register it to a centerline representation of the accurately measured physical cross, acting as a gold standard, using a modified version of the ICP algorithm [86].
Automatic method for evaluating the accuracy in ultrasound-based navigation. A) The phantom with a single wire cross in the middle of the water tank and a reference frame in the front. B) Physical wire cross in green and an ultrasound volume of the wire cross in gray. C) The ultrasound data is segmented (red) and a small mismatch to the gold standard in green can be observed, i.e. small inaccuracies exist. D) Centerlines of the green and red wire crosses. E) Iterative closest point (ICP) registration between the two centerlines, initial correspondence shown. F) After some iterations. Final results showing the centerlines (G) and the wire crosses (H). The displacement is equal to the NSA.
7. Ultrasound-based guidance of minimally invasive procedures
While the main focus of this chapter will be navigation and image guidance using 3D ultrasound images, conventional 2D ultrasound is used for guidance in a variety of clinical applications. The simplest form of ultrasound guidance is placement of a needle inside a target using freehand 2D ultrasound imaging. First, the operator has to localize the target using ultrasound imaging, and second place the needle inside the target while keeping the needle tip in the image plane in order to verify its position. This technique requires a skilled and experienced operator due to the difficulty in keeping the needle in the image plane and the fact that the ultrasound image is not oriented relative to the patient. Despite the difficulties, this technique has been used for biopsies of the liver [99-101], lung [102] and prostate [103], placement of central vein catheters [104, 105] and for brain operations [106].
A slightly more advanced technique for 2D ultrasound guidance includes a needle guide mounted on the ultrasound probe. The guide will ensure that the needle tip is in the image plane at a given depth depending of the ultrasound image sector and the angle of the needle guide. The angle of the needle guide has to be adapted to the depth of the target. Even though this system provides assistance in keeping the needle in the image plane, the operator has to do imaging and puncturing at the same time. In addition, the orientation issues concerning the ultrasound image relative to the patient is not solved and the anatomical overview is restricted to the current real time 2D image. However, the method is fast, does not require specialized equipment or complicated logistics, and provides sufficient guidance for a number of applications such as biopsy of thyroid nodules [107], placement of ventricular catheters in the brain [108, 109] and amniocentesis [110].
7.1. Ultrasound-based navigation in neurosurgery
Neuronavigation is the term used to describe the use of computer-assisted methods to guide or navigate instruments within the confinements of the scull (or spinal column) during surgery. A neuronavigation system should ideally provide high navigation accuracy throughout the surgical procedure. However, the anatomy of the brain is known to shift position after opening of the skull and dura due to drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gravity effects and/or removal of tumor masses or hematomas. This shift in the position of the anatomy is often referred to as brain shift and has been shown to occur in the early stage of the surgery with displacement values ranging up to several centimeters [111-113]. The brain shift may therefore significantly impair the accuracy of navigation based on preoperative images as the surgery proceeds. Intraoperative ultrasound imaging provides a solution to the brain shift problem. Compared to using only preoperative images for guidance, the navigation of instruments based on recently acquired intraoperative images can be performed with higher accuracy and precision [97].
The combined use of ultrasound imaging and navigation technology has been explored since the early 1990ies. The University of Oulu was one of the pioneers and demonstrated the clinical use of a passive mechanical arm-based navigation system, which could display reconstructions of preoperative images (CT/MR) and corresponding real-time intraoperative ultrasound images [114].
By attaching position sensors (also referred to as 3D localizers) on the ultrasound probe it is possible to establish the relative spatial position of the image pixels, and it is possible to reconstruct 2D images into an image volume, hence the term 3D ultrasound. The localizer attached to the probe is usually ultrasonic, electromagnetic or optic, and the two latter options (optic, electromagnetic) are currently the most established in commercial systems. Hata et al described in a paper from 1997 the initial clinical experience with a frame- and armless navigation system incorporating an ultrasound scanner and an ultrasound probe equipped with an ultrasonic positioning sensor [115]. In 1998 Jödicke et al presented a system for detection of brain shift, by comparing preoperative MR images and intraoperative 3D ultrasound [116]. The integration of ultrasound and navigation technology was also explored in Trondheim, Norway, and a system with the feasibility of 3D ultrasound and navigation guidance was developed. Using this system Unsgaard et al. performed the first brain tumour operation with 3D ultrasound guidance in 1996, and the system development and clinical experience was described in several papers [117-119]. The technology was further developed and commercialized by the company Sonowand AS (Trondheim, Norway), which is a spin-off company from the research activities of the National Centre for 3D Ultrasound in Neurosurgery (1995-present (2013)) at St. Olavs University Hospital. The technology has been explored for use in several neurosurgical procedures, but its predominant use is within resection of brain tumours [120]. The Sonowand system allows navigation of pre-calibrated tools equipped with an optic localizer, and it allows tools like biopsy forceps to be calibrated to the navigation system in situ in the operating room (figure 21) and used for image guided biopsies. The system facilitates simultaneous displays of reformatted image slices of intraoperative ultrasound and any preoperative MR series like T1, T2, FLAIR, etc. that has been registered to the patient. The position of navigated instruments is indicated in the displayed image slices.
The Sonowand Invite® system for intraoperative ultrasound imaging and navigation (A), various tools of the navigation system equipped with optical localizer units showing one phased array ultrasound probe (B), a navigation pointer (C), a biopsy forceps (D), and a screen dump of the navigation display showing reformatted MR images in top row, and corresponding reformatted ultrasound images in bottom row (E). The tip of the navigated instrument is indicated with a bright spot in the reformatted image slices
7.1.1. 3D Ultrasound in intracranial tumour surgery
Intracranial tumours include primary and secondary tumours in the brain, pituitary gland, and meninges. Primary tumours are neoplasms originating from supportive tissue in the brain, from meninges, or from pituitary tissue. Secondary brain tumours are metastases of malignant cells that originate from a primary tumour situated in another organ of the body that spreads with the blood flow to the brain. Surgery is the primary treatment for most intracranial tumours. The patient's prognosis is in most cases related to the degree of resection of tumour. The surgical goal is usually to perform a total extirpation of the tumour, but without damaging adjacent normal brain tissue. If the tumour is located in so-called eloquent regions, harboring important functional tissue for movement, speech or vision, less extensive resections is often the result. Brain tumour surgery can therefore be a delicate balance between obtaining extensive resections and avoiding functional deficits and loss of quality of life due to the surgical trauma.
3D ultrasound is an established technique for intraoperative imaging in surgery of brain tumours, and is used for localization of the tumour and for resection control. The first acquisition of 3D ultrasound images is usually performed after opening the bone (craniotomy), but before opening the dura. Several ultrasound volumes (typically 3 to 6) are acquired during the operation to compensate for brain shift and to monitor the progress of tumour removal (figure 22).
Preoperative MR data can be displayed along with one or several ultrasound image volumes acquired at different stages of surgery. It may also be possible to import functional MR images to the navigation system. One way of doing this is to import anatomical MR images (e.g. T1/T2/FLAIR) with bold fMRI enhancements and DTI tractography overlaid as contours on the anatomical images [121-123], as shown in figure 23. The navigation system may therefore provide multimodal visualization of medical images, incorporating functional and anatomical information.
Navigation display showing two perpendicular reformatted image slices from each image volume. Preoperative MR slices in top row followed by slices from 3 different ultrasound volumes acquired at different stages in the operation. The ultrasound volumes in row 2, 3, and 4 were acquired prior to the resection, during the resection with some tumor tissue remaining, and after the end of the resection, respectively
Clinically, modern image technology has enabled more targeted surgical approaches, as compared to standardized explorative brain dissections that were more common two decades ago. This reduces the surgical trauma, eases anatomical orientation within the surgical field, and makes it possible for less experienced surgeons to obtain the same results as their more experienced peers. Today, even in eloquent regions where surgery is associated with increased risk, good clinical results can be obtained [121]. We have also observed that survival increased after the introduction of 3D ultrasound imaging in malignant primary brain tumour surgery [124]. Intraoperative imaging with ultrasound has also enabled more aggressive treatment strategies in tumours that microscopically resemble the brain tissue and therefore are difficult to remove with sufficient accuracy. This has improved survival without compromising risks [125]. Tailored probes designed for special surgical procedures such as the transphenoidal approach [126] through the nose can guide operations in narrow approaches with limited abilities for direct visualization. With further developments in ultrasound technology, clinical results can continue to improve since good ultrasound image quality has direct consequences for the obtained clinical results, both in terms of resection grades [127] and for patient’s quality of life [128].
Example of multimodal visualization in navigation display. Left column shows anatomical MR image slices (FLAIR) with functional data shown as color overlay. The white spots indicate language area, the turquoise contours represent the pyramidal tract, the pink represent fasiculus arcuate (tract between language areas), the yellow represents the optic tract. Middle column shows preoperative MR image slices with intraoperative ultrasound acquired after some resection as overlay. Right column is identical as the middle, but with ultrasound data acquired prior to the start of the resection.
7.1.2. 3D Ultrasound in intracranial vascular surgery
It’s also possible to acquire power Doppler based 3D ultrasound data of the vascular tree in the target area. This can be useful in both tumor and vascular surgery. In tumor operations the objective is to avoid injury to the vessels caused by the surgical instruments. In vascular surgery power Doppler can be useful in surgical treatment of both aneurysms (figure 18G) and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs, figure 15). For surgical treatment of aneurysms this mode is most useful for evaluating the flow in distal vessels after clipping of the aneurysm. In addition, 3D power Doppler can be used to localize peripheral aneurysms and guide direct surgical approaches. For AVM surgery intra-operative 3D power Doppler has been found to be useful in localizing deep-seated AVMs, identifying feeders and draining veins and for resection control [129]. Navigated display of 3D power Doppler based data can be used to identify and clip the larger feeders of AVMs in the initial phase of the operation, thus making it easier to perform the extirpation of the AVM.
Power Doppler based 3D ultrasound data are usually displayed in reddish color superimposed on the B-mode ultrasound slices, but the vessels are usually shown in a more optimal way using 3D rendering techniques. The power Doppler signal is often too intense and smeared out to give a sharp delineation of the small vessels. Robust acquisition of power Doppler based 3D ultrasound data of sufficient quality is essential for vessel-based shift correction and it’s important to increase the spatial resolution of such data in the coming years.
7.2. Ultrasound-based navigation in laparoscopic surgery
Open surgery is the gold standard for abdominal surgeries. But over the last few decades, there has been an increasing demand to shift from open surgery to a minimally invasive approach to make the intervention and the post-operative phase less traumatizing for the patient. Advantages of laparoscopic surgery include decreased morbidity, reduced costs for society (less hospital time and quicker recovery), and also improved long-term outcomes when compared to open surgery. During laparoscopy, the surgeons make use of a video camera for instrument guidance. However, the video laparoscope can only provide two-dimensional (2D) surface visualization of the abdominal cavity. Laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) provides information beyond the surface of the organs, and was therefore introduced by Yamakawa and coworkers in 1958 [130]. In 1991, Jakimowicz and Reuers introduced LUS scanning for examination of the biliary tree during laparoscopic cholecystectomy [131]. It seemed that LUS gave valuable information and has since expanded in use with the increase in laparoscopic procedures. LUS is today applied in laparoscopy in numerous ways for screening, diagnostics and therapeutic purposes [132, 133]. Some examples of use are screening, like stone detection or identification of lymph nodes, diagnostics, like staging of disease or assessment of operability and resection range, and therapeutic, like resection guidance or guidance of radio frequency and cryoablation. Harms and coworkers were the first to integrate an electromagnetic (EM) tracking sensor into the tip of a conventional laparoscopic ultrasound probe [134] and this made it possible to combine LUS with navigation technology, solving some of the orientation problems experienced when using laparoscopic ultrasound. The combination of navigation technology and LUS is becoming an active field of research to further improve the safety, accuracy, and outcome of laparoscopic surgery.
Illustration of visualization methods for navigation in laparoscopy. A) Navigation during adrenalectomy using preoperative CT (3D and 2D). B) Live animal model (pig) experiment showing navigated LUS combined with preoperative images (CT volume rendering). This solves the orientation problems and improves overview. C) Multimodal display of 3D LUS (volume rendering) and 3D CT from an ex vivo experiment showing that the tumor position has changed. D) Anyplane slicing from CT controlled by the LUS probe and overlaying the LUS onto the corresponding CT slice (phantom). E-G) Orthogonal slices from a 3D LUS scan (phantom).
Navigation, as explained earlier, is the combined use of tracking and imaging technology to provide a visualization of the position of the tip of a surgical instrument relative to a target and surrounding anatomy. Various display and visualizations methods of both instruments and the medical images can be used in laparoscopic surgery. Preoperative images are useful for planning as well as for guidance during the initial phase of the procedure as long as the target area is in the retroperitoneum [135]. When preoperative images are registered to the patient, the surgeon is able to use navigation to plan the surgical pathway from the tip of the instrument to the target site inside the patient. Thus, navigation provides the intuitive correspondence between the patient (physical space), the images (image space that represent the patient) and the tracked surgical instruments. However, when the surgical procedure starts, tissue will shift and deform and preoperative data will no longer represent the true patient anatomy. LUS then makes it possible to update the map for guidance and acquire image data that display the true patient anatomy during surgery. Preoperative CT images will, however, still be useful for reference and overview as illustrated in figure 24, showing various display possibilities using LUS and navigation in laparoscopy. An example of simple overlay of tracked surgical tools onto a 3D volume rendering of computerized tomography (CT) images is shown in figure 24A. In this figure, we used the preoperative 3D CT images for initial in-the-OR planning of the procedure. The view direction of the volume was set by the view direction of the laparoscope. The LUS image could be displayed in the same scene, with an indication of the probe position in yellow. Furthermore, when 3D preoperative images are displayed together with 3D LUS, anatomic shifts can easily be visualized and measured, thereby providing updated information of the true patient anatomy to the surgical team as illustrated in figure 24C. This may improve the accuracy and precision of the procedure. Additionally, the tracked position of the LUS probe can be used to display the corresponding slice from a preoperative CT volume, providing improved overview of the position of the LUS image as shown in figure 24D. Having 3D LUS available, it is possible to display these data the same way as traditional orthogonal display of MR and CT volumes, as shown in figure 24E-G. Intraoperative augmented reality visualizations in combination with navigation technology could be valuable for the surgeons [136]. A possible future development, useful for spotting the true position of lesions and vessels and hence detect anatomic shifts quickly, would be to introduce LUS data into such a multimodal display.
Different LUS probes.
Intraoperative ultrasound systems are inexpensive, compact, mobile, and have no requirements for special facilities in the operating room (OR) compared to MRI or CT. Ultrasound image quality is continuously improving and for certain cases (e.g. liver) LUS could obtain image quality comparable to what is achieved in neurosurgery, as the probe is placed directly on the surface of the organ. In neurosurgery, the image quality of ultrasound has been demonstrated above. The most common LUS probe is a flexible 2- or 4-way array, linear or curved, with a frequency range of 5-10 MHz. Typical imaging depths are in the range 0-10 cm, but with 5MHz deeper imaging can be performed. The LUS transducers usually have a footprint of less than 10 mm wide to fit through trocars and 20-50 mm long. They can be manipulated at the shaft allowing real time images at user-controlled orientations and positions, depending only on the specific probe configuration. Figure 25 shows various configurations of LUS probes, while Table 2 provides an overview of currently available probes. Most LUS probes [137] can be sterilized [138].
Vendor Probe Frequency Type of probe (see Fig. 2) Transducer length, scan angle, other
Aloka UST-52109 3-7.5 MHz A 10 mm, 90°
UST-5524-LAP 4-10 MHz E 38 mm
UST-5526L-7.5 5-10 MHz D 33 mm
UST-5536-7.5 5-10 MHz E 38 mm
BK Medical 8666-RF 5-10 MHz E 30 mm, Puncture and biopsy guide
Hitachi EUP OL531 5-10 MHz C 120°, Biopsy and therapy
Toshiba PEF 704LA 5, 7.5, 10 MHz E 34 mm
PVM 787LA 5, 7.5, 10 MHz B 85°
Gore Tetrad VersaPlane 7.5 MHz (center frequency) E 56 mm
Philips / ATL LAP L9-5 5-9 MHz E NA
Esaote LP323 4-13 MHz E NA
LUS probe from various manufacturers. Relevant specifications are also given.
Being a relatively new area of research, it is interesting to note that the number of active research groups in the field of navigated laparoscopic ultrasound is approximately ten. Based on literature and almost two decades working with surgeons on developments for advanced laparoscopic surgery, a complete system designed for navigated LUS could be used according to the following clinical scenario:
The preoperative data are imported and reconstructed into 3D volumes; several structures and organs are segmented automatically (e.g. vessels from contrast CT scan) or semi-automatically (e.g. seed point set inside the tumor).
A quick plan is made from the visualization in the navigation system just prior to surgery, perhaps in the OR during other preparations.
Registration is performed without fiducials using a pointer (orientation of patient) and two landmarks for a rough first approximation.
Before mobilizing the target organ (e.g. the liver) a 3D LUS scan of major vessels near or around the tumor is performed.
The LUS images are reconstructed in 3D and an automatic vessel based registration (CT-to-ultrasound) is performed to fine tune the patient registration.
Augmented reality visualization, e.g. on/off overlay of preoperative data and LUS on the video laparoscope view is preformed as needed by the surgeons during the procedure
3D LUS scans are updated a few times during the procedure, while the real time 2D LUS image is available as either:
A full size image with a corresponding indication in a 3D CT rendering of its orientation and position, or
An overlay on the video laparoscope view with or without elements from the CT data (segmented structures for instance).
For rigid organ navigation, a single preoperative scan, highly accurate tracking (optical), and rigid surgical tools are sufficient to guide the procedure. However, for soft tissue navigation, additional tools are needed due to deformation and mobile organs in the abdominal cavity, resulting in more complex systems and additional devices in the OR. LUS can provide real time behind-the-surface information (tissue, blood flow, elasticity). When combined with advanced visualization techniques and preoperative images, LUS can enhance an augmented reality scene to include updated images of details, important for high precision surgery thus enhancing the perception for surgeons during minimal access therapy. LUS integrated with miniaturized tracking technology is likely to play an important role in guiding future laparoscopic surgery.
7.3. Other applications
One of the first, and still one of the most important applications of ultrasound imaging is in diagnostics of various heart conditions. The dynamic real-time imaging makes ultrasound the modality of choice for characterization of a moving organ such as the heart. Some examples of the use of echocardiography are evaluation of cardiovascular anomalies in fetuses and newborns [139], assessment of aortic stenosis [140], evaluation of the function of the valves and examination of the flow and function after heart attacks. These examples are purely diagnostic applications without any kind of intervention associated, but ultrasound has also been used for guidance in cardiac surgery. One example was presented by Wang et al. [141]. They evaluated 129 patients who underwent robotic cardiac surgery. Transesophageal echocardiography was used for guidance of the cannula for peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass. Ultrasound imaging can potentially also be used for guidance in minimally invasive mitral valve repair on the beating heart [123].
Intra-operative guidance during endovascular procedures is usually performed with x-ray fluoroscopy. However, some investigators have reported the use of transabdominal ultrasound for guidance. Lie et al. [142] studied the use of 2D transabdominal ultrasound during endovascular procedures. They found that ultrasound could be useful for guiding the insertion of guidewires, and control the wire position before connecting the second graft limb to the main limb of bifurcated grafts. Kaspersen et al. [143] reported a feasibility study registering ultrasound to pre-operatve CT data. This may be useful for updating the CT data used for navigation and correct for breathing motion and deformation of the blood vessels during the procedure. With recent advances in ultrasound technology, we believe that real-time 3D ultrasound have potential for further advancing the accuracy in the insertion of stentgrafts, and in particular the placement of fenestrated stentgrafts. Specifically, it is easier to track the tip of guidewires in three dimensions, while simultaneously visualizing a focused area of the 3D anatomy in real-time. A systematic review by Malkawi et al [144] concluded that percutaneous endovascular repair was associated with fewer access related complications and reduced operative time. In a study by Arthurs et al [145], it was shown that use of ultrasound guided access significantly reduced access-related complications compared to percutanous access without ultrasound guidance. Successful ultrasound guidance in secondary interventions, for sealing endoleak after endovascular repair, has also been reported. Boks et al. [146] described transabdominal embolization using duplex ultrasound guidance, and Kasthuri et al. [147] used ultrasound for guiding percutaneous thrombin injection. Navigation of stentgrafts during endovascular procedures has also been demonstrated in patients using CT imaging [148]. However, 3D or 4D ultrasound integrated with navigation technology for guidance of endovascular procedures has not yet been demonstrated in patients.
3D ultrasound has also been used to guide surgery of the spine. Kolstad et al [149] reported in 2006 a study, where spinal cord tumors were visualized using ultrasound imaging, and 3D ultrasound-guided tumor resection were performed using navigation technology. The technical application of integrating ultrasound and navigation seems feasible since it solves the orientation problem with conventional 2D ultrasound and may have the potential of improving functional outcome of spinal cord tumor surgery.
8. Ultrasound and non-invasive therapy
8.1. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU or FUS) has been known and developed for decades and can be applied to produce sharply delineated lesions in biological tissue (figure 26) [150-153]. The development of magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry enabled the thermal ablation progress to be monitored during sonication [154]. MR-guided HIFU (MRgFUS) has been approved by the FDA for the symptomatic treatment of uterine fibroids since 2004 [155]; clinical trials have been reported for breast [156, 157] and brain [158, 159] therapy, as well as pain palliation in bone [160, 161]. The MRgFUS treatment of abdominal organs, such as the kidney, pancreas or liver, poses additional technological and clinical challenges. First, for most therapeutic applications within the human body, tissue displacement caused by respiration and/or the cardiac cycle must be considered, and can be assumed to be periodic in anaesthetized patients. However, this may not be the case for free-breathing patients. This movement in addition to drift due to gravity and the intestine and bowel movement is important to account for during sonication in order to achieve accurately located FUS with respect to the target (e.g. tumour in the liver). Secondly, the presence of the rib cage affects the HIFU treatment planning and set-up. The rib cage acts as an aberrator that might affect the focusing [162, 163] and on the other hand, due to the high value of the absorption coefficient of the bone [164], the overheating on the ribs can be quite significant. These two aspects are currently the main challenges in order to achieve MRgFUS in moving abdominal organs.
Illustration shows the targeting of a tumor in the liver using high intensity focused ultrasound. Currently, to perform this, the patient has to be anesthetized and breathing must be stopped during sonications. This results in long treatment times. In order to overcome this, emerging technologies in motion tracking (e.g. 4D ultrasound) can be used to track the target over time and at the same time simulate and predict the motion in order to target tumors moving due to free breathing patients.
Ultrasound is an inexpensive, flexible, real-time imaging modality, with high temporal and spatial resolution, i.e. sub-millimeter spatial resolution inplane along the beam direction. However, it provides little contrast between normal tissue and FUS-treated tissue and so far ultrasound-based temperature monitoring has not been validated under a clinical scenario.
Motion of the abdominal organs is an important issue to be accounted for during FUS treatment, but also in other therapies like radiotherapy [165, 166]. The motion estimation is useful in delineating the target and organs at risk and also determining the dosage of treatment during therapeutic irradiation. Several techniques exist and are in development to handle abdominal organ motion during FUS. A straightforward approach is to use respiratory gating. However, respiratory gating generally increases treatment time, which has been demonstrated in controlled apnea on anesthetized pigs [167, 168]. Another approach is to employ repeated breath-holds and breathing feedback to ensure a reproducible liver position [169]. De Senneville and coworkers [170] proposed a system that generates an atlas of motion fields during an initial learning phase based on magnitude data of temperature-sensitive gradient-recalled sequence acquisition. The motion field of the most similar image in the atlas is then used to correct the target position. Under the hypothesis of periodic motion, the focal point position for the next cycle is estimated. The method can only manage liver deformations caused by the periodic breathing cycle and is not capable of handling the non-rigid liver deformations, i.e. drift, caused by intestinal activity (peristalsis) or muscle relaxation [171]. Although it is established that MR imaging can provide motion estimates with a high spatial resolution, it is difficult in practice to acquire online three-dimensional (3D) isotropic images because of technical limitations, spatial and temporal resolution trade-offs, and low signal-to-noise ratio associated with fast 3D acquisition sequences [172]. In addition, the time duration between the actual target displacement and the availability of the motion information from MR data is not negligible [173]. Hence, MR information-based real-time motion compensation generally compromises spatial resolution, geometric distortion and the precision of the MR thermometry [174], of which the latter is of crucial importance during MRgFUS.
A first attempt at ultrasound-based motion tracking during MRgFUS was reported in phantoms undergoing periodic and rigid motion of small amplitude [173]. Continuous 1D ultrasound echo detection, along a direction parallel to the main axis of motion was used. This setup is not suitable for clinical applications as the external ultrasound imaging probe cannot send beams parallel to the axis of respiratory motion. Moreover, the local motion in the liver is spatially dependent and a 1D projection would not be sufficient. Truly simultaneous ultrasound and MR imaging has only been reported in literature recently [175-178]. Only one of these studies was targeted towards MRgFUS and moving abdominal organs sonication [175]. They demonstrated in moving phantoms the feasibility of ultrasound-based 2D motion-compensated sonications integrated with reference free MR temperature monitoring, using a clinical ultrasound probe and a phased-array HIFU transducer [175]. An overview of our own efforts for motion correction using 4D ultrasound can be found in section 4.3.
8.2. Ultrasound-induced drug delivery
Although diagnostic ultrasound is considered safe with no adverse effects, ultrasound can with high acoustic outputs induce significant bioeffects (e.g. HIFU) and these bioeffects are divided into thermal and mechanical effects. The thermal effect is related to energy absorption in the tissue where part of the mechanical wave energy is converted to thermal energy and hence results in an increase in tissue temperature. The mechanical effects are related to cavitation and to radiation forces. Radiation forces arise when part of the forward propagating wave is back-scattered or absorbed and result in a pushing force on the tissue along the direction of the forward propagating wave. Within fluids, such radiation forces can give rise to acoustic streaming. Cavitation is related to the oscillation and possible collapse of gas nuclei occurring naturally within the body or artificially introduced as contrast agent in the form of microbubbles. Oscillating gas bubbles will generate streaming currents in surrounding liquids and hence shear forces on nearby cells that potentially result in bioeffects. Collapsing gas bubbles can result in high local temperatures, release of free radicals, emitted shock waves and high velocity micro jets piercing into nearby cell membranes.
Ultrasound-induced drug delivery. Microbubbles carrying drugs are destructed by ultrasound (A) and the transported substances are released into the surrounding tissue (B).
The indicated bioeffects can be utilized in ultrasound induced drug delivery. The general goal of encapsulated drug delivery and targeting is to improve the efficacy of drugs within the region of diseased tissue while reducing undesired side effects in the healthy tissues. As an example, with non-encapsulated conventional chemotherapy systemic toxicity limits the drug concentration that can be obtained within the tumor and hence the efficacy of the therapy. With focused ultrasound, it is possible to obtain release of encapsulated drugs and this release can be controlled both temporally and spatially.
Ultrasound energy deposition within a localized tissue region provides a potentially efficient way of releasing drugs encapsulated in thermally sensitive carriers [179-181] by inducing a temperature increase and in sonosensitive carriers [182-184] by inducing cavitation (figure 27). The thermal and especially the mechanical cavitation effects of ultrasound also provide ways of perturbing cell membranes and thus increasing their permeability for improved drug delivery. With the introduction of microbubbles administered intraveneously that will serve as cavitation nuclei, the threshold for cavitation is significantly reduced hence facilitating this effect for endothelial cells that are close to the administered microbubbles. This effect of increased cell membrane permeability has been investigated extensively in the brain where the blood-brain barrier acts as an effective barrier for delivery of more than 95% of the drugs that potentially could be interesting for treatment of diseases in the central nervous system [185, 186]. For blood clot dissolution the combined use of ultrasound, microbubbles and thrombolytic agents have been demonstrated in several clinical trials to result in faster clot dissolution without release of large amounts of potentially hazardous clot fragments [187, 188].
Ultrasound has been used for many years as a diagnostic and interventional imaging modality, and the use is increasing in a number of different clinical areas. It is often conceded that the image quality of ultrasound is inferior to that attainable with MR or CT, but the rapid development of new ultrasound technology (scanners, transducers, specialized probes, etc.) has resulted in significantly improved image quality and make ultrasound the modality of choice for several applications. Some of the obvious advantages being real-time imaging even for blood flow, portability, flexibility, safety and low cost. In addition, ultrasound images can be acquired in the coordinate system of a patient when combined with a tracking system without any need for registration. This makes surgical guidance based on intra-operative ultrasound highly accurate. The combination of several image modalities such as MR, CT and ultrasound registered to each other and to the patient make the interpretation of the individual images easier and enables the surgeon to take advantage of the complimentary information contained in each image. In this context, the ultrasound images provide real-time information in the region of interest, while MR and CT provide anatomical overview facilitating the interpretation of the ultrasound data. The use of contrast agents enhance the visualization of vessels and increase the number and types of lesions that can be detected using ultrasound. New technologies such as high-intensity focused ultrasound and the use of microbubbles for targeted drug delivery are examples of non-invasive therapeutic applications where ultrasound will play an increasingly important role in the future.
2.Recent advances in ultrasound imaging
3.Ultrasound-based navigation — Enabling technologies
4.Registration and segmentation in ultrasound-based navigation
5.Ultrasound-based visualization and navigation
6.Ultrasound-based navigation accuracy
7.Ultrasound-based guidance of minimally invasive procedures
8.Ultrasound and non-invasive therapy
Frank Lindseth, Thomas Langø, Tormod Selbekk, Rune Hansen, Ingerid Reinertsen, Christian Askeland, Ole Solheim, Geirmund Unsgård, Ronald Mårvik and Toril A. Nagelhus Hernes (June 5th 2013). Ultrasound-Based Guidance and Therapy, Advancements and Breakthroughs in Ultrasound Imaging, Gunti Gunarathne, IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/55884. Available from:
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Edited by G P P Gunarathne
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Leaders like UK’s Johnson who wooed Trump face tricky reset
FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 file photo President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, speak to the media before a working breakfast meeting at the Hotel du Palais on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about Donald Trump over the years, from expressing admiration for the U.S. president to suggesting he might be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune.(Erin Schaff, Pool via AP)
Credit: Erin Schaff
By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about U.S. President Donald Trump over the years
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about Donald Trump over the years, from expressing admiration for the U.S. president to suggesting he might be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune.
Trump, he said, had encouraged the violent insurrection, had disputed the result of a “free and fair election,” and was “completely wrong.”
It was a dramatic pivot for someone who has often been compared to Trump and refrained for years from openly criticizing him. Other world leaders also have faced dilemmas in dealing with the volatile and unpredictable president who trashed international agreements and institutions with abandon. But Johnson's critics say his years of flattering — and, some say, imitating — Trump have harmed Britain's international authority and poisoned its political culture.
Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the U.S. and the Americas program at the Chatham House think tank, said the issue of how to deal with Trump has been “the biggest question in in Western diplomacy for the past four years.”
“And I would say that the U.K. was on the wrong side of it,” she said.
Johnson is not the only Western leader who sought to befriend, persuade or placate Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron had an early bromance with the U.S. president, inviting Trump to Paris in 2017 for a Bastille Day military parade and dinner at the Eiffel Tower. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, visited the White House just days after Trump’s inauguration and was photographed holding the president’s hand.
Both relationships soon turned sour, but Johnson was more successful in keeping on the good side of a president who praised him, ungrammatically, as “Britain Trump.”
“The dirty open secret of Europe during the Trump era was that everyone thought he was a menace,” said Brian Klaas, associate professor of global politics at University College London. “It’s just that Boris thought he was a menace who could potentially serve his own interests.”
Johnson supporters argue that he had no choice but to woo the leader of the U.K.’s most important ally — especially as Britain left the European Union and sought a key trade deal with Washington.
Johnson did try to change Trump’s course, attempting unsuccessfully to coax him back into the Iran nuclear deal. He also initially resisted U.S. pressure to ban the Chinese technology company Huawei from Britain’s 5G telecommunications network —- although he eventually caved in. Meanwhile, the coveted U.K.-U.S. trade deal has yet to emerge.
Critics say Johnson took his courting of Trump too far, and got little in return.
Emily Thornberry, a senior lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party, said the Conservative government's indulgent attitude to Trump had been “humiliating and unnecessary.”
“We did everything that we could in order to charm him,” she told The Associated Press. “There was no charming this man. … He was a bully and the way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.
“It was wrong in principle. It didn’t forward our interests in any way, and it gave some sort of credibility to Donald Trump that he didn’t deserve,” she said.
Like Trump, Johnson has engaged in populist stunts, exaggerated promises and, at times, racist and inflammatory language. But on most big policy issues, Johnson is closer to President-elect Joe Biden than to Trump. Johnson, leader of Britain's Conservative party, believes in international alliances such as NATO and thinks the fight against climate change should be a government a priority.
Some U.K. politicians and officials are concerned that the government's relationship with Trump, who was impeached Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives for a historic second time, could hurt it with Biden's new administration.
Biden mistrusts Johnson, who once insulted President Barack Obama by saying the “half-Kenyan” leader had an ancestral dislike of Britain. Biden criticized Johnson in the fall when the British leader threatened to breach an international Brexit treaty that he himself had signed.
Kim Darroch, who lost his job as U.K. ambassador in Washington after his candid confidential comments about Trump were leaked in 2019, wrote in the Financial Times that “there will be a price to pay, somewhere down the track, for our obsequiousness to Mr. Biden’s predecessor.”
The change in American leadership is also awkward for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch ally who didn’t even mention Trump’s name when he condemned the “disgraceful” Capitol riot.
Netanyahu’s reluctance to criticize his good friend was not surprising. In the past four years, Trump has showered Netanyahu with diplomatic gifts, from recognizing the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to delivering a series of diplomatic agreements between Israel and Arab countries.
But Netanyahu may also have been wary of criticizing tactics that he himself uses against his enemies. Like Trump, Netanyahu frequently rails against the media and belittles opponents with language seen as racist or incendiary. On trial for corruption charges, Netanyahu also lashes out at the country’s democratic institutions.
Netanyahu arrived at the opening of his trial last year with an entourage of lawmakers and Cabinet ministers, who stood behind him as he accused the media, police, prosecutors and judiciary of conspiring to oust him in a coup. More recently, Netanyahu has remained silent as supporters have been accused in attacks on anti-Netanyahu demonstrators.
Israel’s figurehead president, Reuven Rivlin, implored citizens to learn lessons from the U.S. turmoil and remember that democracy “is not to be taken for granted.”
“The right to vote, the voice of the citizen exercising their democratic rights, alongside the strength of the judiciary and maintaining the rule of law, must be principles shared by us all,” he said.
In Britain, there are also warnings that authoritarianism and “post-truth” provocation have seeped into the country's political bloodstream.
Neil O’Brien, a Conservative lawmaker who debunks anti-science posts online, said Britons would be wrong to see events in the Capitol as a uniquely American crisis.
He said Britain, too, has conspiracy theorists who have clashed with police at demonstrations against coronavirus lockdowns — and politicians who “flirt with them to gain clicks and exploit their energy.”
O’Brien wrote that the mayhem in Washington “happened not just because of one man, but because people in positions of power made short-termist decisions to feed the beast, and play along.”
“Don’t think it couldn’t happen here,” he said.
Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 file photo President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about Donald Trump over the years, from expressing admiration for the U.S. president to suggesting he might be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Credit: Evan Vucci
FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2019 file photo U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend a working breakfast at the Hotel du Palais on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about Donald Trump over the years, from expressing admiration for the U.S. president to suggesting he might be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Credit: Andrew Harnik
FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 file photo Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, looks on as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center front left, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump, center front right, during a ceremony event at a NATO leaders meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
Credit: Francisco Seco
FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2020 file photo remain in the European Union, anti-Brexit protesters, including one with a placard depicting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson under the thumb of U.S. President Donald Trump, demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London, on the day of Prime Minister's Questions taking place inside. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
Credit: Matt Dunham
FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 file photo U.S. President Donald Trump, center, seated, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, rear right, and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, rear left, attend a NATO round table meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
Credit: Frank Augstein
FILE - In this Thursday, May 25, 2017 file photo U.S. President Donald Trump jokes with British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister Theresa May walks past during a working dinner meeting at the NATO headquarters during a NATO summit of heads of state and government in Brussels. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. As Congress prepared to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands of people gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a lot of nice things about Donald Trump over the years, from expressing admiration for the U.S. president to suggesting he might be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune.(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Credit: John Minchillo
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Effect of Seasonal Vegetation Cycle on Global Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
Click on the image for the video
Watching Earth Breathe
In this animation, NASA instruments show the seasonal cycle of vegetation and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The animation begins on January 1, when the northern hemisphere is in winter and the southern hemisphere is in summer. At this time of year, the bulk of living vegetation, shown in green, hovers around the equator and below it, in the southern hemisphere.
As the animation plays forward through mid-April, the concentration of carbon dioxide, shown in orange-yellow, in the middle part of Earth's lowest atmospheric layer, the troposphere, increases and spreads throughout the northern hemisphere, reaching a maximum around May. This blooming effect of carbon dioxide follows the seasonal changes that occur in northern latitude ecosystems, in which deciduous trees lose their leaves, resulting in a net release of carbon dioxide through a process called respiration. Carbon dioxide is also released in early spring as soils begin to warm. Almost 10 percent of atmospheric carbon dioxide passes through soils each year.
After April, the northern hemisphere moves into late spring and summer and plants begin to grow, reaching a peak in the late summer. The process of plant photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air. The animation shows how carbon dioxide is scrubbed out of the atmosphere by the large volume of new and growing vegetation. Following the peak in vegetation, the drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide due to photosynthesis becomes apparent, particularly over the boreal forests.
Note that there is roughly a three-month lag between the state of vegetation at Earth's surface and its effect on carbon dioxide in the middle troposphere.
Data like these give scientists a new opportunity to better understand the relationships between carbon dioxide in Earth's middle troposphere and the seasonal cycle of vegetation near the surface.
Creating the Animation
This animation was created with data taken from two NASA spaceborne instruments. The concentration of carbon dioxide data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), a weather and climate instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, is overlain on measurements of vegetation index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, also on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, to better understand how photosynthesis and respiration influences the atmospheric carbon dioxide cycle over the globe. The animation runs from January through December and repeats. The AIRS tropospheric carbon dioxide seasonal cycle values were made by averaging AIRS data collected between 2003 and 2010, from which the annual carbon dioxide growth trend of 2 parts per million per year has been removed. For example, the data used for January 1 is actually an average of eight years of AIRS carbon dioxide data taken each year on January 1. The vegetation values were made using data averaged over a four-year period, from 2003 to 2006.
Further Detail
AIRS uses infrared technology to determine the concentration of atmospheric water vapor and several important trace gases as well as information about temperature and clouds. AIRS orbits Earth from pole-to-pole at an altitude of 438 miles (705 kilometers), measuring Earth's infrared spectrum in 3,278 channels spanning a wavelength range from 3.74 microns to 15.4 microns. Originally designed to improve weather forecasts, AIRS has improved operational five-day weather forecasts more than any other single instrument over the past decade. AIRS has also been found to be sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide in the middle troposphere, at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers or 3 to 6 miles. AIRS is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For further information, access the AIRS Homepage at http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov.
The MODIS instrument is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. For further information, access the MODIS home page at http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov.
Download TIFF
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA/JPL Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Project
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AIRS Captures Hurricane Douglas
AIRS Captures Tropical Storm Hanna
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NASA's AIRS Displays Sulfur Dioxide Plumes After Raikoke Eruption, June 2019
AIRS Measures the Clouds in Hurricane Dorian
NASA's AIRS Maps Carbon Monoxide from Brazil Fires
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US-European Mission Launches to Monitor the World's Oceans
NASA and SpaceX Launch U.S.-European Mission to Monitor World’s Ocean
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite Prepared for Launch
NASA TV to Air Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch, Prelaunch Activities
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MabelAmber / Pixabay
A Hollow Victory for Religious Liberty
Noah Gradofsky
December 15, 2020 02:04:26 pm
Edited by: Brianna Bell | U. Pittsburgh School of Law, US
Rabbi Noah Gradofsky, a Senior Associate Attorney at Law Offices of Jan Meyer and Associates, P.C. in New Jersey, discusses the recent Supreme Court decision Roman Catholic Dioceses v. Cuomo...
As a rabbi who has not attended an indoor prayer service since March, I still would have been happy if the Supreme Court had held that draconian restrictions on indoor religious services are unconstitutional. However, what the Court’s liberal and conservative justices actually evaluated in Roman Catholic Diocese v. Cuomo was whether New York’s coronavirus restrictions had targeted religion for harsh treatment. That should never have been the issue, and the fact that it was makes the Court’s holding a hollow victory for religious liberty.
In Employment Division v. Smith (1990), Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for a 5-4 majority that only laws that explicitly address religion must be “narrowly tailored” to a “compelling state interest,” while if a law is “facially neutral” toward religion any effect it has on religious practice is acceptable. Thus, if a state limited all gatherings to five people, the court would not ask whether it was necessary to apply that rule to religious gatherings, even though, for example, certain Jewish ritual requires at least ten people to be present. On the other hand, if a state limited religious gatherings to 100 people, a court would evaluate whether that restriction was narrowly tailored to a compelling state interest.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s concurring opinion in Smith offers a better approach. She argued that governments are constitutionally required to provide reasonable accommodations for religious activity regardless of whether a law addresses religion explicitly. For facially neutral laws, Justice Scalia’s rule allows but does not require the government to provide religious accommodations. The flaw in this approach is obvious, as Justice Scalia acknowledged. “It may fairly be said that leaving accommodation to the political process will place at a relative disadvantage those religious practices that are not widely engaged in[.]” Justice Scalia argued that “that unavoidable consequence of democratic government must be preferred to a system in which each conscience is a law unto itself or in which judges weigh the social importance of all laws against the centrality of all religious beliefs.” But as Justice O’Connor argued, the fact that preferred religions would fare better than less popular religions in Justice Scalia’s scheme was not merely an inconvenience but rather identified the essential purpose of the First Amendment’s protection of religion. Justice O’Connor wrote that “the First Amendment was enacted precisely to protect the rights of those whose religious practices are not shared by the majority and may be viewed with hostility.”
The Court’s analysis of New York coronavirus restrictions in the Roman Catholic Diocese case demonstrates other significant problems with the facial neutrality rule. The Court’s evaluation of whether New York’s law was facially neutral toward religion was clearly influenced by the Justices’ political outlook. The conservatives were persuaded by the fact that religious gatherings in “red zones” were more restricted than activities in laundromats and liquor stores. They, therefore, said that the ten person occupancy limit was an unnecessary restraint on religion. Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent noted that hardware stores and laundromats are not places where people gather “inside to sing and speak together for an hour or more at a time.” According to her take, religious gatherings actually were singled out in order to distinguish them from more similar activities such as movies, concerts, and sporting events, which were shut down entirely, while religious services were allowed to continue, albeit with draconian limitations on attendance. Since in her view New York’s restrictions were “facially neutral” (or, in fact favorable) to religion, Justice Sotomayor said that the Court should not address the question of whether the ten person limit was necessary.
The history of New York’s coronavirus orders seems to bear out Justice Sotomayor’s finding that religious services were singled out for favorable treatment. The first reference to religious activity in those orders (Order 202.3) merely noted parenthetically that worship services were among the “gatherings and events” subject to restrictions along with concerts, conferences, and performances before large audiences. The next two orders referencing religious activity (Orders 202.32 and 202.38) singled out religious services (and Memorial Day services) for lesser restrictions than other “non-essential gatherings.” Order 202.68, which the Supreme Court reviewed, continued the practice of distinguishing religious gatherings from “non-essential gatherings.” Admittedly, the use of the term “non-essential” when discussing religious gatherings is vexing, but it seems that the purpose of these orders was to restrict gatherings in general, and the term “non-essential” was a carry-over from the distinctions among other essential and nonessential activities that started in Order 202.6. In fact, the New York coronavirus orders never use or define the term “essential gathering” and while Order 202.3 includes worship services in its parenthetical list of “gatherings and events,” Orders 202.14, 202.18, and 202.31 do not include worship services in parenthetical lists of “non-essential gatherings.” In that light, when Orders 202.32, 202.38 and 202.68 relax the restrictions on “non-essential gatherings” for religious activities, it seems to be because such activities fit into the scheme that regulates gatherings, not because the state considered religious activities to be non-essential. If anything, New York was singling out religious activities as essential.
Rather than protecting religious liberty, the facial neutrality rule allows governments to unnecessarily restrict religious activity. The fact that restrictions on religion may be unconstitutional if they particularly target religion is cold comfort to the religion whose activities are restricted by facially neutral rules. Worse yet, Justice Sotomayor’s analysis suggests that, at least theoretically, a government’s attempt to accommodate religion might be confused for religious animus, thus triggering court review. This fact may make governments even leerier about providing religious accommodations. Additionally, reviewing whether a law targets religion provides an unnecessary opportunity for courts to treat religion differently based on their own attitudes toward the politicians, policies, or religions involved. Justice Sotomayor pointed out in Roman Catholic Diocese that in Trump v. Hawaii (2018) the Court declined to take out a closer microscope to evaluate President Trump’s “facially neutral” travel restrictions, despite the president’s many statements that indicated that he was targeting adherents of the Muslim faith. In contrast, the Court indicated that Governor Cuomo’s statement that he would close ultra-Orthodox Jewish institutions if they did not “agree to enforce the rules” was sufficient reason to find that New York had targeted the ultra-Orthodox community.
Were Justice O’Connor’s rule in place, the evaluation of New York’s coronavirus regulations would have been very different. Justice O’Connor’s rule would establish that people have the right to practice their faith unless their doing so significantly impinged on a compelling state interest. In this case, the nine Supreme Court Justices might have agreed that New York’s regulations went too far since it is hard to believe that a thousand seat church or synagogue needs to be limited to ten occupants. On the other hand, some or all of the Justices might have decided not to second guess New York’s decision to limit the dispensation it gave to religious gatherings in red zones. Either way, the Court would have dealt with the important balance between public policy and religious freedom, rather than asking the tangential question of whether Governor Cuomo had targeted religious activity.
The facial neutrality standard ought to be abandoned. Our Constitution should be understood to permit a law’s impact on religion only when that impact is essential to carrying out the government’s compelling interests. Courts should ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided for religious practices and that such accommodations are equally available to less popular religions.
One could argue that requiring such accommodations might make religious activity favored over other activities that would not benefit from the same accommodations. But this “favored” treatment is a feature, not a bug. As Justice O’Connor wrote in Smith, “the First Amendment unequivocally makes freedom of religion, like freedom from race discrimination and freedom of speech, a ‘constitutional nor[m],’ not an ‘anomaly.’” Such review of laws impacting religion would not be an indication of favoring religion but a recognition that religious activity has a unique need for, and constitutional entitlement to, protection from government intrusion.
Rabbi Noah Gradofsky, a resident of Merion Station, is a Senior Associate Attorney at Law Offices of Jan Meyer and Associates, P.C.. He serves on the board of Lechu Neranena of Bala Cynwyd and as Vice President of the Union for Traditional Judaism. The opinions stated are his own.
Suggested citation: Noah Gradofsky, A Hollow Victory for Religious Liberty, JURIST – Professional Commentary, December 15, 2020, https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2020/12/noah-gradofsky-religious-liberty/.
This article was prepared for publication by Brianna Bell, a JURIST Senior Editor. Please direct any questions or comments to her at commentary@jurist.org.
Opinions expressed in JURIST Commentary are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST's editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.
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kottke.org posts about Visitors
posted by Jason Kottke Aug 12, 2013
Here’s the trailer for Visitors, a new film from Koyaanisqatsi collaborators Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass. Most of the trailer consists of a single two-minute shot.
That shot reminds me of many things: Andy Warhol, long photos, James Nares’ Street, and Robbie Cooper’s work depicting kids playing video games.
Also interesting is that Visitors is comprised of only 74 shots, which with a runtime of 87 minutes means the average shot lasts over a minute. According to a recent investigation by Adam Jameson, an ASL (average shot length) of more than a minute is unusual in contemporary film. Inception, for instance, has a ASL of just 3.1 seconds and even a film like Drive, with many long shots, has an ASL of 7 seconds. But as Jameson notes, Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming Gravity contains only 156 shots, including a 17-minute-long shot that opens the film. But the Hollywood master of long-running shots? Hitchcock, I presume:
1. Rope (1948, Alfred Hitchcock), ASL = 433.9 [seconds]
OK, this isn’t a recent recent film, but it has to be noted, as it’s most likely the highest ASL in Hollywood. Hitchcock used only 10 shots in making it (the film’s Wikipedia page lists them). (As you probably know, Hitchcock designed those shots, then edited them such that the finished film appeared to be a single take.)
Adam Jameson
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NewsCoronavirus
Butte-Silver Bow Co. reports 137 new COVID-19 cases
By: MTN News
BUTTE — The Butte-Silver Bow County Health Department released new COVID-19 numbers on Monday morning, reporting 137 new cases in the county.
There are now 553 active cases and 1,954 cumulative positive cases. The county reports 1,375 COVID-19 recoveries and 25 deaths.
NOTE: As the number of COVID-19 cases increases in Montana, the disparity between state data from DPHHS and data from county health departments continues to grow. As of Thursday, November 19th, MTN News has decided to use a combination of these sources to deliver more accurate and timely information. County health departments are often alerted to cases/deaths before Montana DPHHS; as those counties share that information with us and/or the public, MTN News believes it should be reflected in our reporting. Using that county-level data means there will be times when MTN News data differs from the state report. Click here for the Montana COVID site.
RESTRICTIONS: Tighter restrictions went into effect on Friday, November 20th, due to the continuing increase in the number of cases and deaths. Masks will be required in all counties regardless of the number of active cases. Capacity at restaurants, bars, and casinos will be reduced to 50%, with a limit of six people per table. Click here to read the full text of the directive.
CONTEXT: Not every person who tests positive actually becomes ill or exhibits symptoms. Many do not; of those who do become sick, some experience mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. Others, however, do require hospitalization, as noted in the daily update on the number of people hospitalized. However, every person who tests positive for COVID-19 has the potential to spread the virus to other people, including family members and friends, which is why public health officials continue to encourage everyone to wear a mask and maintain at least the recommended six feet of "social distance" when in public. The CDC released data in late August which emphasizes that people with contributing or chronic medical conditions are at much greater risk of dying from COVID-19. Click here to read more.
The US has recorded 3 million new cases of COVID-19 this November
Global Coronavirus Tracker:
See map here
Data from The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
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Dana Cronin
Dana Cronin is a reporter based in Urbana, Illinois. She covers food and agriculture issues in Illinois for Harvest. Dana started reporting in southern Colorado at member station 91.5 KRCC, where she spent three years writing about everything from agriculture to Colorado’s highest mountain peaks. From there she went to work at her hometown station, KQED, in San Francisco. While there she covered the 2017 North Bay Fires. She spent the last two years at NPR’s headquarters in Washington D.C., producing for shows including Weekend Edition and All Things Considered.
Struggling Rural Grocery Stores Get A Pandemic-Driven Boost
John Paul Coonrod usually recognizes most of his customers. Lately, though, he says there have been a lot of unfamiliar faces at Great Scott! Community...
Farmers Find Help Close To Home As COVID-19 Keeps Some Guest Workers Away
It’s planting season across much of the United States, and for some farmers who rely on foreign guest workers for help in the fields, the pandemic is...
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Philadelphia's busiest friend of Ireland
Unsung Heroes: Michael Bradley.
@StephenJPSmith
Today's unsung hero is Michael Bradley, Philadelphia's friend to Ireland.
For the month of March (also known as Irish American Heritage Month) IrishCentral is tapping into the heartbeat of the Irish American community. The Unsung Heroes series features inspiring individuals from across the US who do extraordinary work in their communities and respective fields. From advocates to artists, from local legends to dedicated educators, from a high school baseball team to dynamo nuns in their 80s, these people are making a difference and to them we tip our hats in thanks.
Today’s Unsung Hero is Philadelphia’s Michael Bradley. Bradley is widely known as the Busiest Man in Philadelphia. He’s a proud Irish American, current director of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Philadelphia, and also runs a highly successful commercial flooring business.
According to the source who nominated him, Michael Bradley is a “top guy who is involved in every nook and cranny of the Irish community in Philadelphia. Without him there would simply be no St. Patrick’s Day parade. He’s been raising money for decades for Irish causes in the city and gets on famously with everyone.”
Michael Bradley has passed along his community spirit to his sons, one of whom recently took part in Thon, a huge kids charity event that raised $12 million.
A Penn State alum, Bradley is also heavily involved in the promotion of the Penn State football game in Dublin next fall, which will bring significant tourism and business to Ireland's capitol.
He has been an active member of the Penn State Alumni since he graduated. Among other things Bradley is a member of the Nittany Lions Club, board member of Cardinal O’Hara High School, Springfield, PA, member of the Knights of Columbanus, guest columnist for the Irish Edition Newspaper, and also spends time coaching basketball and soccer. There isn’t much he can’t turn his hand to successfully.
As director of the beloved St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Philadelphia, Bradley plays an integral role in raising sponsorship to ensure the parade continues its long tradition - the first parade in Philadelphia took place in 1771.
Unsung Hero Michael Bradley gets involved and gets things done.
Related: Unsung Heroes, Irish American
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Jeff Roxas Tech 12.19.2016 17:Dec PM EST
Here’s Everything We Know About The New VW Tiguan And How It Compares To The Stretched Allspace Version
Volkswagen’s famous compact sports utility vehicle is an excellent family car for all. The Tiguan makes it even better with the emergence of a new stretched model, the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.
Photo : auto imagen/ youtube
The second generation Volkswagen Tiguan, with its adopted new looks, instantly made huge fans out of people who want to travel in groups. The new Tiguan is a slightly better looking, boxier, and more defined version of its predecessor. It features a sleek and sporty exterior with a flatter surface that will definitely make heads turn with its eye-catching appearance.
The Seconds Generation Tiguan Is Better Than The First Generation In More Ways than One
Compared to the first generation, the Volkswagen Tiguan's cabin is bigger by 26 millimeters. The rear legroom has increased to about 29 millimeters which make adult seating more comfortable in the back. The rear bench can also slide and can be adjusted to 180 millimeters to give a total of 615 liters additional boot space which is significantly larger than its predecessors 145 liters. The entire rear bench can be dropped to reveal a total of 1,655 liters of luggage space, which is huge and perfect for those long distance travels. Moving to other parts of the interior, the Volkswagen Tiguan's Active Info Display is an interpretation of Audi's virtual cockpit. Various and critical information can be neatly seen on the 12.3-inch display that replaces the traditional analog gauges and instrument panel.
A Wide Array Of Engine Options
The Volkswagen Tiguan offers four diesel engine and three petrol engine options for its variants. Car buyers can opt to go for a fuel-efficient 2.0liter TDi that puts out 115 horsepower and a fuel economy rating of 60 miles per gallon, or for a more performance focused 2.0liter TDi Twin turbo diesel engine that puts out 237 horsepower and can reach zero to 60 miles in just 6.5 seconds. The Tiguan is available in four trim levels, namely; S, SE, SEL and the R-line.
The Tiguan Allspace Is Even Better
If those are not enough yet, a more recent version named Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is now available. It looks the same as the Tiguan but with more space. Call it a stretched Tiguan if you must. The Tiguan, which is already perfect for small groups with its five seats and flexible cabin space, now becomes a seven seater. The Allspace is 4.3 inches longer and now features a third row of additional seats. With the seats folded down, the Allspace has a larger capacity than the 615-liter capacity of the Tiguan and will have an even larger boot space than the total 1,655 liters.
No TDi Engine For America
Like the Tiguan, the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace will also have a wide choice of engine options. The six-speed manual transmission and the dual clutch gearbox will depend on which engine the buyer wants to choose. A TDi engine will not be available in the United States. More information will be released upon its Debut at the North American International Auto Show, or most commonly known as the Detroit Auto Show. Specifications may be different for America and Europe. The China and America Version will simply be called Volkswagen Tiguan, while the Europe version will be getting the Tiguan Allspace namesake.
Tags Volkswagen Tiguan Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace North American International Auto Show Detroit Auto Show
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The President2020-05-14T17:31:51+00:00
MARCO DURANTE
Marco Durante (born in Turin on March 24th 1962) is an Italian entrepreneur, founder and president of multimedia press agency LaPresse, a joint-stock company of which he holds all shares.
He lives between Milan and London, he is married to Thea and has three children: Vittoria, Edoardo and Ginevra.
His father Silvio Durante was one of the founders of Publifoto Torino, the agency that brought photojournalism to Italy, thanks to the initiative and talent of the great early Italian photojournalists: apart from Silvio Durante, they were Vincenzo Carrese, Silvio Maresca and Fedele Toscani, father of Oliviero.
After attending high school (“Liceo Scientifico” at the Sacra Famiglia), he graduated at ISEF and became a professor, at the swimming chair of Turin. His passion for sports accomplished him a spot in Torino FC’s midfield, and later along with Corrado Rosso, he coached Libertas SAFA, leading the Turin water-polo team from the Italian Serie C to winning 4 consecutive league titles. This team, as Champions of Italy, earned the honor of going to several major international sporting events: European and World Championships, and three editions of the Olympic Games.
Durante’s desire to know and improve pushed him abroad. Initially he relocated to New York in order to further improve his studies in economy; then he moved to Lyon, where as an ISEF teacher, he obtained a Matriese in sports disciplines from the Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Techniques des Acitivités Physiques et Sportives, of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.
In 1992 he began his collaboration with Publifoto, acquiring its historical archives from his father, and together with his brother Massimo, he founded LaPresse in 1994. This event paved the way for an important acceleration in the development and diversification of activities, and eventually transformed the photographic agency into one of the most dynamic and innovative media companies in the Italian landscape of information and media.
On August 31st, 1996 he lost his brother Massimo in a tragic traffic accident, while he was working as a photographer at the Venice International Film Festival. This event would personally mark Durante’s life.
In 2005, thanks to his experience and to the agency’s growing success, he founded LaPresse Nuoto Torino and became its President, appointing Lapo Elkann and Cristiano Fiorio as Vice Presidents, fully funding the team and bringing it to the top of tables in competition, and getting the attention of women’s champion French Laure Manadou, who ended up joining the team in 2007. Despite its excellent competitive results, the club was unable to find support within local institutions, and after a dispute with the French swimmer’s entourage which exposed him to media controversy, Durante dismantled the team as soon as the Manadou case was resolved, freeing up both athletes and contracts.
In the meantime, LaPresse grew and became an established reality. Apart from its photo reporting activity, video news was introduced (the first agency in Italy to do so), for documenting events in an increasingly popular media of communication. Progressively an integrated system of professionalism and skills was created, in order to serve industrial photography, historical archives, image coordination, brands visual enhancement on both photo and video levels. Thus a service platform was developed shaped by the needs of a constantly changing market.
The next step was internationalization. For this reason, in 2008 Durante acquired distribution rights for Italy over all Associated Press productions, and in 2010, by virtue of further agreement with the American agency and acting on its specific invitation, LaPresse became a Press Agency, completing its bouquet of information services with news and textual contributions from Italy and abroad.
Unfatigued, in 2015 Durante graduated in Law with honors at the University of Naples/Pegaso, with a thesis in Tax Law. During that same year, the University of Naples assigned him the chair of lecturer in Corporate Communication Strategies at the Faculty of Business Economics, of which he is the titular.
Over the course of a 25-year entrepreneurial career of note, Durante has established himself as one of the undisputed leaders within the Italian publishing scene.
Known for his loyalty and confidentiality, so much so that he has long been the Agnelli family’s most trusted man for managing the most delicate relationships with the media, such as those on behalf of the Lingotto factory and Gianni Agnelli’s entourage (including figures such as Henry Kissinger and Prince Rainier of Monaco). He also was trusted to cover the Lapo Elkann and Fabrizio Corona cases. Durante himself doesn’t particularly like being in the spotlight and prefers to maintain an understated approach.
LaPresse is the first entrepreneurial Italian multimedia news agency. It became a joint stock company in 2006, with seven offices in Italy today in Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples, Verona, Florence e Trieste and the recent opening of Brussels andover 150 employees. It also now comprises 6 units abroad in France, UK, Germany, Spain, Russia and Poland, as well as acquiring over time several companies as follows: AGR, Agenzia Giornalistica Radiotelevisiva; A.G.A., Agenzia Giornali Associati; Olycom, with Olympia Fotocronache, Franca Speranza and the Publifoto brand. In 2018 it further broadened its activity spectrum, with a division dedicated to television productions led by Elisa Ambanelli, and a celebrity management area, featuring high-profile personalities such as Barbara d’Urso and Elisabetta Gregoraci among its artists.
LaPresse is the most international of all Italian multimedia content providers, thanks to the network of agencies with which it collaborated, and to the exclusive partnership with Associated Press, which besides guaranteeing textual, photographic and video content from abroad, can give Italian news the maximum possible level of international coverage, and the best opportunity for visibility in the world.
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San Diego police will clear homeless people’s infractions if they agree to stay at a shelter
Alpha Project worker Sylvia Saliman sweeps up in the bridge shelter at 17th Street and Imperial Avenue.
(Nancee E. Lewis / San Diego Union-Tribune)
By Gary Warth
Homeless people who face a ticket or arrest by San Diego police officers are being offered a chance to have the infraction cleared if they agree to stay for 30 days in one of the city’s large tented bridge shelters.
San Diego Police Capt. Scott Wahl said the new program could help stabilize lives and get people connected with services while also allowing officers to enforce laws on the street.
“I feel like we’ve started this division because we wanted to be a positive impact on ending homelessness,” Wahl said about the department’s neighborhood policing division that was formed in 2018. The division includes outreach teams and officers who enforce quality-of-life laws that often involve homeless people.
“We’re all trying to do our part in ending homelessness, and we want to do it in a way that’s compassionate but also has accountability,” Wahl said.
The new program is a revision of a similar effort that began in July. Police officers last summer began offering shelter beds in lieu of citations to homeless people who police stopped for encroachment, illegal lodging, littering or other minor quality-of-life infractions.
Wahl said about 300 people took the offer, but there was a problem.
“We noticed that 67% of people blew out the back door on the very first day,” he said about people who took the offer to avoid citations but had no intention of staying sheltered. “They’re circumventing the criminal justice system intentionally.”
The revised approach still offers shelter beds in lieu of citations, but the tickets aren’t torn up quite so soon. If a person leaves the shelter before 30 days, the citation will be enforced.
Wahl sees the incentive as having a twofold benefit: addressing quality-of-life infractions in neighborhoods while also giving homeless people a month to learn about programs that could help them find housing and overcome issues related to their homelessness.
“They can still go outside,” Wahl said about the 30-day stays at the bridge shelters. “It’s not jail. They’re still free to come and go, but they have to be in at night.”
Under the program, 50 of the 128 beds at a new shelter run by the Alpha Project are reserved for homeless people brought in by officers. The shelter opened at 17th Street and Imperial Avenue in November, and the police incentive program began shortly afterward.
The shelter was the site of a fatal shooting of Alpha Project security guard Ernest Buchanan on Dec. 28. Police are still investigating the shooting and have released no new information.
Bob McElroy, president and chief executive of the Alpha Project, said that the 50 allotted beds are filled most nights and that the incentive program has shown some success after working out a few early kinks. One homeless person has found housing after being brought in by officers under the program, he said.
The shelter program is an outgrowth of an initiative the San Diego Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team has been conducting for several years. Officers who encounter someone who is homeless may offer the person one of 50 beds that have been reserved for the department at a bridge shelter run by Father Joe’s Villages.
Wahl said that only 1 in 10 homeless people approached by police in encounters not related to an infraction accept the offer of a shelter bed, which he called frustrating.
He said that he has seen better retention for those who accept the offer of a shelter bed under the revised program but that it’s still too early to judge whether it’s effective.
In the new program’s first few weeks, Wahl said, 46% of people brought in walked away before the 30 days were up. Though that’s an improvement over the 67% who left under the earlier program, Wahl speculated whether the recent cold and wet weather might have motivated people to stay in shelters longer.
McElroy said that people have been staying longer in recent weeks and that he sees some potential to the program.
“That month gives us an opportunity to find out who they are, and they can find out who we are,” he said.
McElroy had reservations in the beginning. He said some people who were brought in had kits to use heroin and methamphetamine because they had not been properly searched, and others showed up with many more bags of possessions than are allowed inside the shelter.
McElroy said better communication with law enforcement ironed out those problems. In another issue, he said, people in the program originally were not offered the same services as others in the shelter but rather given limited services from the county. McElroy said he made it clear in meetings with county officials that anybody in the facility would have access to all of its resources.
“If they come in, they have the same access to our case manager and housing navigators,” he said. “We made it clear … we’re not changing any of our programs.”
Some advocates for homeless people have expressed concerns about the new program, saying that reserving shelter beds for people brought in by police reduces the number available for others who want to get in. Advocate Michael McConnell said people who walk away from the shelter before the 30 days are over could find that prosecutors use that information against them in court.
The new program is one of a few changes that have been made to the Police Department’s outreach efforts since the neighborhood policing division was formed, including expanding the homeless outreach teams with four specialists from the county Health and Human Services Agency and three members of the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team who patrol with officers daily.
Last year, two caseworkers were added to work with people who accept offers of a bed at Father Joe’s Villages, and Wahl said he is hopeful that the change will lead to more people accepting offers of shelter beds from police officers.
Warth writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
CaliforniaHousing & Homelessness
Gary Warth
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Bolton Covid-19 spike partly caused by 'holidaymaker who went on pub crawl'
Bolton in Greater Manchester has been placed under local lockdown. Picture: PA
A holidaymaker who did not self-isolate after returning to Bolton was partly responsible for the area's "extreme spike" in coronavirus cases, the council leader has said.
Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh said the area's high rate had been linked back to pubs in the town and a "cohort of people" who refused to follow guidance.
The Conservative councillor said: "We had somebody who did not adhere to quarantine, did not stay the 14 days, literally went on a pub crawl with a number of mates.
"From that incident which took place over a weekend - (they) visited a number of premises - led to a large number of individual transmissions from that one person which you can imagine then is like holding back the tide because he then became symptomatic two days after they had all gone on this pub crawl.
"He was positive-tested the following day.
"That is four or five days where all the people he was in contact with have been going about their normal day-to-day business."
Earlier this month a 23-year-old man from Bolton was fined £1,000 for failing to self-isolate after returning from a holiday in Ibiza and hosting a house party.
It is not known whether the individual mentioned by Mr Greenhalgh was fined for breaching regulations.
Leaders in Bolton had been arguing for restrictions, placed on all of Greater Manchester, to be lifted at the end of August before the area saw a spike which led to it having the highest rates of the virus in the country.
It is now subject to tougher measures than the rest of England, with hospitality venues only allowed to operate as takeaways and ordered to shut by 10pm.
It comes as Boris Johnson warned on Friday that an “inevitable” second wave of coronavirus cases is hitting the UK, fuelling fears of a second national lockdown.
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Phillipsburg's Josselyn to make impact in return to football lineup
Updated Sep 05, 2019; Posted Oct 19, 2016
Phillipsburg junior Nick Josselyn is a key two-way lineman for the Stateliners. (Jim Middlekauff | lehighvalleylive contributor)
Nick Josselyn said it was “torture”.
The Phillipsburg junior guard/nose guard was not referring to his injury that kept him out of the Stateliners' last game, a 42-14 defeat of Watchung Hills on Oct. 7.
What Josselyn was referring to was missing the game.
“It was the worst feeling of my life,” he said.
Some would say the injury itself would have been torture – a broken knuckle on the ring finger of his left hand sustained during practice. That’s the kind of injury that just sounds really, really painful.
“I didn’t think it was broken,” said Josselyn after a Tuesday practice to prepare for Friday’s Mid-State 38 cross-over game with Montgomery (3-3) at Maloney Stadium (7 p.m.). “Initially I was told I’d put for four to six weeks. But the injury came with surprisingly good timing.”
That refers to the bye week Phillipsburg (3-2) enjoyed after pounding Watchung Hills. Using that week, Josselyn was able to be available to play against Montgomery. The finger is not in a cast, just wrapped, and the 6-foot, 215-pounder is “absolutely” ready to go.
That’s good news for Stateliner fans because Josselyn fills a key role on both sides of the ball. It’s on defense, perhaps, that he has the most intriguing role.
“At nose guard I get double-teamed a lot,” said the Stewartsville resident. “I have to handle the pressure to create lanes for our linebackers to make plays through, and when I am doubled (senior tackle) Robert Melise can be 1-on-1 and he’ll make tackle after tackle. (Assistant) coach (Ed) Puccio tells us that we have to be relentless every time out there, and be aggressive. We have to have an offensive mentality on defense.”
Speaking of offense, Josselyn has been a lineman for all his career at the higher levels of football, and has never scored a touchdown. He was near one in the opener at Franklin after a Zach Troxell sack caused a loose ball in the end zone.
“Robert took it away for me,” said Josselyn with a smile of the fumble recovery for six that Melise made. “Robert is a beast. He gets everyone going.”
Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy knows Josselyn doesn’t need the spotlight to shine.
“Nose guard in our defense does not get a lot of glory,” he said. “You don’t get to make a lot of plays. You’re doing your job, singling up Robert, keeping offensive linemen off our linebackers. Nick is a very unselfish player who has embraced that role 100 percent.”
Duffy said that Josselyn “really embraced our offseason strength and conditioning program and has worked himself into being a two-way starter.”
A two-way starter that does not want to miss one more minute of football – that's “torture” to Nick Josselyn.
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Home › Alumni Community › Support the University
The University of Lincoln has established an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research.Our academic teams are involved in research at the leading edge of their disciplines, from developing new antibiotics and more effective cancer treatments, to tackling the digital divide and preserving historical artefacts. This research is changing the world and its quality and relevance is recognised nationally and internationally. More than half of Lincoln’s research was judged to be internationally excellent or world-leading in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 - the most recent major assessment of research standards across UK universities.
We are extremely grateful for the support and contributions we have already received that have helped to make the University of Lincoln what it is today, but to continue this journey we need your support. Through a generous gift you can help support the next generation of students and researchers.
Our academic teams are involved in research at the leading edge of their disciplines. It is vital that we support those who are learning, teaching, and researching by ensuring they have the opportunities, facilities, and resources to reach their full potential. Your gift today could mean a world-changing discovery tomorrow.
Support Our Students
Our alumni, friends, and supporters allow us to continue to deliver high-quality education and opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds. Your donation could help us support students, create and maintain specialist facilities, or even offer named scholarships, prizes, and bursaries to ensure that financial hardship need not deter talented students from achieving their full potential.
Support Our Campus
Over the past two decades, the University has invested more than £350 million in its Brayford Pool Campus, with further plans to invest in additional facilities and refurbishments of existing buildings. Much of this has only been made possible by donors who were determined to ensure that we can provide the best learning environment for our students.
Joining the Fight
The University of Lincoln has raised more than £90,000 to help produce protective equipment for frontline workers, and its engineering team has been producing more than 700 safety visors a week for GPs, pharmacists, care workers, and supermarket employees.
Support the Lincoln Medical School
In September 2019, the University of Lincoln will welcome its first medical students to the Brayford Pool Campus as part of an exciting collaboration with the University of Nottingham to offer medical education in Lincolnshire.
Until now, Lincolnshire has been the largest English county without a medical school, without the ability to train its own doctors. That is set to change. The creation of a new medical school will be transformational for Lincolnshire. The Medical School aims to inspire young people from local schools, give them more opportunities to train as doctors, and encourage them to remain in the area once they have qualified.
The Medical School is set to make a huge difference to thousands of people’s lives – and you can be a part of it.
The Alumni Fund
The University of Lincoln is proud of its record for widening participation in higher education, with a high proportion of our students coming from families with no previous experience of attending university. We will continue to seek to help young people across Greater Lincolnshire and beyond to unlock their potential by studying at Lincoln.
We ask our alumni to consider supporting our students by contributing to a bursary fund to support applicants from low-income backgrounds to study at Lincoln.
There are many ways in which you can make a gift to us. If you would like any advice or guidance, please get in touch, we are here to help.
The Gift Aid scheme increases the value of donations made to the University by individuals who pay UK tax. By filling out a simple form, the University can claim back the tax that you have already paid – at no cost to you.
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Make a donation or take part in activities to fundraise for the University of Lincoln through JustGiving.
You can also make a donation by card, cheque, standing order, or bank transfer through our donation form.
Support Lincoln with a Gift in Your Will
Whatever you want to achieve from supporting ground-breaking research, to providing student bursaries, a gift in your will is a way of continuing to make a difference to future generations at Lincoln.
Become a Friend of the University
Enjoy a wide range of benefits including invitations to receptions, exhibition openings, priority booking for selected events, tours of the University campus, and more. All in the knowledge that your contribution is nurturing the excellence of the University.
Download a Membership Application Form
You can also discuss your donation over the phone by contacting our Development team.
LN6 7TS
development@lincoln.ac.uk
Simon Crookall
Head of Development and Alumni Relations
scrookall@lincoln.ac.uk
Hannah Carlton
Development and Alumni Officer
hcarlton@lincoln.ac.uk
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Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, language, drunkenness, and drugs. It's a B- raunchy movie. It's not the most offensive thing you'll ever see, but it does glorify the vices of the college scene pretty hard. Also, the obsession with sex is pretty immature throughout the film. Guys treat each other fairly terribly and there's talk of some really depressing material in a light-hearted tone. It's well-deserving of its R rating.
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
Shhh! I have a bit of a secret. I've been citing this movie without having seen it for a lot of movies. It's always in that lumped together Richard Linklater Dazed & Confused genre of film. I've been talking about these kinds of movies as the ultimate nostalgia machines. I'm not wrong. At least, I don't think that I'm wrong. But I wanted to watch this movie for a while. Despite the fact that I've written long diatribe about the nostalgia movie, I kinda/sorta enjoy them. They aren't amazing movies to me, mainly because they rely to heavily on an individual nostalgia that isn't necessarily universal. But at least Everybody Wants Some!! offers something besides the traditional nostalgia.
For being a movie about baseball and college, there's very little of actual baseball or actual college in this movie. I'm not exactly minding the lack of baseball. They talk about baseball all the time, but rarely actually play or practice. It's part of the conceit of the film and is more of a commentary on the competitive nature of the alpha male. It's slightly toxic, but it also feels pretty darned honest at the same time. Considering that one of the motifs running through the film is the male need to be competitive, I get that they're going to talk about baseball a whole bunch. The lack of actual classes in the movie actually makes a bit of sense as well. The film surrounds a countdown for the first class, giving a really interesting frame of reference for how jam packed this opening weekend actually is.
The thing that really separates me from really embracing anything universal in this film is that it really speaks to a demographic that I have nothing in common with. My senior year of college, I told my parents that I wanted to go up to my apartment at school a week early because I wanted to work on my thesis. This was not true. (I'm actually confessing something real, yet minor, right now.) Instead, I ate a bunch of Chinese food from the best Chinese takeout place that I've ever eaten and binged a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the entire series of Firefly. I grew into a pretty dark depression for how little I actually moved in that room. My couch got a nice Tim-shaped-lump in it and I didn't move. It was great / terrible. But the concept of pre-semester fun is very specific in Everybody Wants Some!!. There's an understanding that everyone in college is there to party.
I like Linklater...kind of. There are times here I get behind everything he does and I namedrop him in intellectual debates. But there are also these moments where he just comes across as so bro-ey that I can't even slightly relate to him. Linklater is always known for his honesty with character. He creates these flawed individuals who mimic the dialogue that the witty have in his films. But there's slightly something off between Dazed & Confused and Everybody Wants Some!!. These characters are archetypes. Jake serves as the avatar for the audience. As the freshman, Jake communicates of being outside the comfort zone of the film. Because Jake doesn't know what he's getting into, we also have to follow the examples of the veterans. But the veterans aren't exactly nuanced. Rather, they are all fulfilling a role.
Finnegan is the pseudo-intellectual and comic relief. Always the one who communicates the message of the scene, Finnegan is criminally self-aware. He never breaks the fourth wall, but he mind as well be. McReynolds is the loose cannon, toxic alpha. It's weird for me because I only see him as Superman now. You can go down the list. Probably the most criminal example of archetype as opposed to something real is Jay. Honestly, I think that Juston Street was channeling Michael Showalter for the majority of the film. He felt like more of a character from The State than he did a real person.
But the movie actually can break down into some interesting ideas. Jake, as a protagonist, is sympathetic mainly because the rest of the cast is wildly unsympathetic. I think Linklater is doing this on purpose. The goal for this character is to find the girl who liked him. But Jake is quiet from the beginning of the film. He is the hesitant participant in their trip to the bar immediately upon arrival. When they run into Beverly, she only flirts with Jake because the other guys in the car are so aggressive. That's really a metaphor for the story. We consider Jake to be moral mainly because the other characters are immoral. But he's not actually a good guy. In terms of Jake's goals, he wants to find Beverly because he found her pretty and interesting. (I never said that it was going to be an impressive goal.) He looks for her room number and implies that this is the girl that he's going to date throughout his college career. Cool?
Too bad that, the same evening, Jake hooks up. Not accidentally. He doesn't meet a girl who is really into him and she makes the first move. No, he goes on the attack. When he goes to the disco, he goes with the express intention of hooking up. When they go back to the house with the girls, in direct violation of coach's rules, he gets frustrated at Beuter for stopping him from entering the room. Remember, this is our male protagonist. We want him to find Beverly. Now, Beverly and Jake are not together. Heck, they haven't even technically spoken. But his hookup with the girl in his car doesn't really deter him from chasing Beverly. Perhaps I'm overly moralizing, but Linklater is commenting on the fickleness of attraction and adolescence. Jake is handsome and charming. Compared to the mooks that he shares a house with, he's downright a saint. But he's actually not actually a good dude. Instead, he acts as a chameleon in every environment.
Linklater grasps onto the image of "chameleon" throughout the film as almost a commentary on the individual. There's something interesting going on with that discussion of blending in. Jake and Finnegan have a concrete discussion about the idea of shedding skins for one's personal gain. It's really interesting because it could take a far greater moral choice. But the movie is kind of about self-discovery. Listen, you want to tell a story about not knowing who you are. You plant the movie at a college where everyone is so desperate to determine what they are going to be for the rest of their lives. You put this white male, Jake, at the center of that. We know that he's a baseball player, but he's outside the troupe because he's a pitcher. He's both inside and out. He likes baseball, but he's not obsessed like McReynolds. He dates a girl who puts on masks and characters for a major. There's a guy in the group who is 30 but pretending to be 20. There's a lot of narrative cues about hiding oneself.
That's why I find the Justin interaction so cool. When the boys are forced to leave their comfort zone of the disco, they instantly adapt and shift to the Country Western joint. There's a nod to the fact that there is a hint of deception happening with this choice. But that choice is made clear when Justin, who has completely abandoned his personality as a baseball player. He adapts the garb of punk and invites Jake to join him. That conversation that Jake and Finnegan have is perhaps illuminating to the human need for identity. On one end, it could simply be read as the characters are liars, manipulating the truth to selfishly get what they want out of others. And you wouldn't be wrong with that analysis. But there's also the concept that identity is maleable. Jake seems to be honestly enjoying himself at the punk show, especially when the Gilligan's Island theme is played. The same attitude can be seen at the theater party. Rather than seeing himself as better than others, he simply adapts to each situation. It's why Jay comes across as so icky, because he's obsessed with his own identity.
It's actually a pretty decent movie, just not one that resonates on every level. I'm glad that I've seen it so I can officially start doubling-down on my arguments.
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COVID-19: China imposes restrictions on research into origins of coronavirus
China has imposed restrictions on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus, according to a central government directive and online notices published by two Chinese universities, that have since been removed from the web.
Under the new policy, all academic papers on Covid-19 will be subject to extra vetting before being submitted for publication. Studies on the origin of the virus will receive extra scrutiny and must be approved by central government officials, according to the now-deleted posts.
A medical expert in Hong Kong who collaborated with mainland researchers to publish a clinical analysis of Covid-19 cases in an international medical journal said his work did not undergo such vetting in February.
The increased scrutiny appears to be the latest effort by the Chinese government to control the narrative on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives and sickened 1.7 million people worldwide since it first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
Since late January, Chinese researchers have published a series of Covid-19 studies in influential international medical journals. Some findings about early coronavirus cases — such as when human-to-human transition first appeared — have raised questions over the official government account of the outbreak and sparked controversy on Chinese social media.
And now, Chinese authorities appear to be tightening their grip on the publication of Covid-19 research.
A Chinese researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation said the move was a worrying development that would likely obstruct important scientific research.
“I think it is a coordinated effort from (the) Chinese government to control (the) narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China,” the researcher said. “And I don’t think they will really tolerate any objective study to investigate the origination of this disease.”
CNN has reached out to China’s foreign ministry for comment.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects scientific research on the coronavirus during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing on March 2.
According to the directive issued by the Ministry of Education’s science and technology department, “academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly and tightly managed.”
The directive lays out layers of approval for these papers, starting with the academic committees at universities.
They are then required to be sent to the education ministry’s science and technology department, which then forwards the papers to a task-force under the State Council for vetting. Only after the universities hear back from the task-force can the papers be submitted to journals.
Other papers on Covid-19 will be vetted by universities’ academic committees, based on conditions such as the “academic value” of the study, and whether the “timing for publishing” is right.
The directive is based on instructions issued during a March 25 meeting held by the State Council’s task-force on the prevention and control of Covid-19, it said.
The document was first posted Friday morning on the website of the Fudan University in Shanghai, one of China’s leading universities.
When CNN called a contact number left at the end of the notice, a staff member of the education ministry’s science and technology department confirmed they had issued the directive.
“It is not supposed to be made public — it is an internal document,” said the person, who refused to reveal his name.
A few hours later, the Fudan University page was taken down.
The China University of Geoscience in Wuhan also posted a similar notice about the extra vetting on Covid-19 papers on its website. The page has since been deleted, but a cached version of it remains accessible.
The Chinese researcher who spoke to CNN said the notice was issued a few days ago, adding that only Covid-19 research was subject to the additional checks.
David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory medicine expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said he did not encounter any additional vetting when he and a team of mainland Chinese researchers published a clinical analysis of Covid-19 cases in the New England Journal of Medicine in February.
“The process was really simple then,” he told CNN over the phone.
Hui said he was still revising the draft of the paper until 3 a.m. on the day it was due for submission, and the paper was sent to the NEJM by midday.
There was completely no restriction at all,” he said.
“I don’t know if it is because some researchers published something that is considered sensitive domestically in China. (I’m) not sure if it is because of the controversy about the origin of the virus later, and the non-sensitive stuff becomes sensitive too.”
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America’s Flight 17
The time the United States blew up a passenger plane—and tried to cover it up.
By Fred Kaplan
Fury and frustration still mount over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and justly so. But before accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes or dismissing the entire episode as a tragic fluke, it’s worth looking back at another doomed passenger plane—Iran Air Flight 655—shot down on July 3, 1988, not by some scruffy rebel on contested soil but by a U.S. Navy captain in command of an Aegis-class cruiser called the Vincennes.
A quarter-century later, the Vincennes is almost completely forgotten, but it still ranks as the world’s seventh deadliest air disaster (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is the sixth) and one of the Pentagon’s most inexcusable disgraces.
In several ways, the two calamities are similar. The Malaysian Boeing 777 wandered into a messy civil war in eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border; the Iranian Airbus A300 wandered into a naval skirmish—one of many clashes in the ongoing “Tanker War” (another forgotten conflict)—in the Strait of Hormuz. The likely pro-Russia rebel thought that he was shooting at a Ukrainian military-transport plane; the U.S. Navy captain, Will Rogers III, mistook the Airbus for an F-14 fighter jet. The Russian SA-11 surface-to-air missile that downed the Malaysian plane killed 298 passengers, including 80 children; the American SM-2 surface-to-air missile that downed the Iranian plane killed 290 passengers, including 66 children. After last week’s incident, Russian officials told various lies to cover up their culpability and blamed the Ukrainian government; after the 1988 incident, American officials told various lies and blamed the Iranian pilot. Not until eight years later did the U.S. government compensate the victims’ families, and even then expressed “deep regret,” not an apology.
As the Boston Globe’s defense correspondent at the time, I reported on theVincennes shoot-down, and I have gone back over my clips, chronicling the official lies and misstatements as they unraveled. Here’s the truly dismaying part of the story. On Aug. 19, 1988, nearly seven weeks after the event, the Pentagon issued a 53-page report on the incident. Though the text didn’t say so directly, it found that nearly all the initial details about the shoot-down—the “facts” that senior officials cited to put all the blame on Iran Air’s pilot—were wrong. And yet the August report still concluded that the captain and all the other Vincennes officers acted properly.
Copyright © 2014 The Slate Group LLC.
Establishment Obsession With Austrian Economists
Hey, Pentagon
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Neil Gaiman & Stephen King come out swinging with forceful pushback to J.K. Rowling’s transphobia
"Your pronouns matter. You matter. You are loved."
By Bil Browning Friday, October 9, 2020
Authors Neil Gaiman and Stephen KingPhoto: composite
Authors Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Atwood have joined with other American and Canadian writers and editors to support transgender and non-binary people in the face of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s continual attacks on the community.
“We are writers, editors, journalists, agents, and professionals in multiple forms of publishing,” the wrote in a statement. “We believe in the power of words. We want to do our part to help shape the curve of history toward justice and fairness.”
Related: Celebrities & authors are picking sides in J.K. Rowling’s war on trans people
“To that end,” the statement continues, “we say: non-binary people are non-binary, trans women are women, trans men are men, trans rights are human rights.”
“Your pronouns matter. You matter. You are loved.”
Hundreds of literary professionals have signed on to the open letter, penned shortly after a similar statement by British and Irish authors.
Over 50 British media figures signed an open letter defending Rowling in the face of criticism over her war on transgender people, spurring the response.
Neither of the pro-transgender letters mentions Rowling by name.
While Rowling has been tweeting about transgender people for months, she faced increased criticism last month when her new crime novel Troubled Blood was published. The book is about two detectives who investigate a cisgender man who wears women’s clothes to get close to women and kill them.
A week later, Rowling was promoting an online store that sells transphobic buttons, mugs, and other merchandise to her 14 million Twitter followers.
J.K. Rowling, J.K. Rowling is transphobic, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, open letter, Stephen King
Faith healing “school” becomes a COVID hotspot with 137 cases. It has ties to Donald Trump.
Historical photos of men in love: Can you spot the hidden clue that they’re a couple?
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Sunny. High around 70F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low around 45F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL Mark Cloud, Skip Craft and David Voit get ready to release the pico balloon in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
Bea Ahbeck/News-Sentinel
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL Skip Craft, left and David Voit, right, react as Voit's pico balloon takes off in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL David Voit watches his pico balloon rise in the sky in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL David Voit holds the payload for his pico balloon in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL Skip Craft holds the pico balloon as David Voit gets ready to release it in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
BEA AHBECK/NEWS-SENTINEL Susan Whinery and Emilia Seiferling, with dog Charlie, watch as Voit gets ready to release his pico balloon in Lodi Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021.
Jet stream dreams: Lodi man explores world with high-altitude balloon
By Bea Ahbeck/News-Sentinel Chief Photographer
In the era of pandemic lockdowns, a Lodi man has found a way to explore the world — his high-altitude balloon set out Sunday on an around-the-globe adventure.
Standing near an empty field under a mostly clear sky, three men readied to release the balloon named Skylarc3. It will use only the wind as its motor. It’s payload, dangling some 20 feet underneath it, holds the brains of the project. It consists of two small solar panels and a small circuit board, small enough to fit into your hard. On it is a GPS receiver, environmental monitors of temperature and altitude, and two ham radio transmitters and their antennas.
The balloon will communicate its location as it travels the world. Once it has reached the desired altitude, it will float along the jet stream, which will take it on an eastward journey. As for the remainder of the path, the winds will decide. It can travel as far north as the Arctic, and as far south as the equator.
“Hold that tube, it’s the lower tube of the antenna,” David Voit directs. “Let me give you a little more slack. My job is going to be to release the upper antenna after he starts releasing the balloon.
“Skip, why don’t we start unrolling the antenna, and letting that balloon go up.”
As the clear mylar balloon begins to lift it struggles in a crosswind a few feet above the ground before slowly coming back to earth.
The men pause for a minute, waiting for the wind to subside. Sunday was chosen for liftoff due to a forecast of light winds. Anything above 2 miles per hour and the launch has to be canceled, as the wind can catch the balloon and possibly deposit it in a nearby tree.
On the third attempt the men are successful, and the balloon takes off and rises slowly into the sky. The transparent balloon catches the light of the sun, and it is visible by the naked eye for an extended time as it slowly rises. The balloon, appearing only partially filled, contains hydrogen and will expand in size until it reaches a higher altitude.
Eventually, it will reach an altitude of 41,500 feet, where it will be above the clouds and commercial air traffic, but below the height of weather balloons. It will transmit information every 10 minutes. Voit, or anyone with an Internet connection, will then be able to see the balloon’s journey on the APRS or whisper net websites.
Sunday’s release is Voit’s third try to get his pico balloon to travel around the world. Voit is a member of the Lodi Amateur Radio Club, and as a licensed ham-radio operator he has the knowledge needed to release the balloon and track its journey. The transmitter the balloon is carrying is similar to one used in a ham radio, and a large group of ham radio volunteers spread across the world have banded together to create a support system, making the balloon’s journey possible to be traced on their system. The floater balloon is better known as a pico balloon, and it can carry a payload of between 15-20 grams.
The information that is relayed back to earth during the balloon’s journey around the world can utilize two different radio transmitters to relay its location. The APRS mode (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is used for real-time digital communications in a local area. WSPR mode, (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter), also known as “Whisper” mode, is used for weak-signal radio communication between amateur radio operators and has a much longer range. The signal can be detected for thousands of miles. On this journey, Voit is using the Whisper mode, and the information is then transferred back to the APRS mode, where the journey can be followed on a map on the website.
Voit’s first balloon only used the APRS service, but because a signal couldn’t be detected it occasionally disappeared from view while it made its way over parts of Russia and the Atlantic. The Whisper mode will allow Voit to track his balloon a lot easier.
“WSPR will do 5,000 miles, so they get located or are received much more easily by somebody,” he explained.
Voit, a retired chemical engineer, has been trying to develop an expert understanding of the mylar balloons.
“How far can you stretch these balloons, how do they rise, why do they reach a certain altitude and stay there? And how do they stay there a long time? The amusement for me is learning all the little nuances of what you should and shouldn’t do, and why,” he said.
Voit believes pico balloon launches can provide a good learning experience for students, such as buoyancy and transmitter issues, and geography.
“You can see an awful lot of things a kid can put a pencil to, like learning the names of the countries it passed over,” he said.
Voit hopes that having local people work on such a project — Skylarc3 got its name from Lodi Amateur Radio Club (LARC) — will inspire others to get involved.
And with the technology always evolving — the balloons are becoming smaller, lighter and cheaper — Voit thinks that within a few years experiments can be classroom ready.
“So you can begin to talk about that this could become a STEM project that could be a lot of fun, and the kids could decide what to measure, and if they can assemble a small enough package that they can actually run a complete global experiment. It could be really exciting for kids.”
As of Sunday evening, the balloon was making its journey past Merced, tracking the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It disappeared as the sun went down, with the darkness bringing anxiousness as well as hopes that the balloon is found again in the daylight and the solar panels start powering it again.
“It popped up at 8 a.m. in Mexico, and I was delighted,” Voit said.
“If you have make a mistake, it will probably show up in the first day. And we knew that it made it basically to sunset, and after that, we only could hope. And now with 24 hours of flight time, we can feel pretty confident that the weaknesses aren’t there and so now we hope that Mother Nature is nice to us.”
Voit expects the balloon to pass over the north part of Texas, continue across the United States and then over the Atlantic. After crossing the Atlantic, it will probably pass over the Mediterranean or Northern Africa, Voit estimated.
Once it has circumnavigated the world, it will re-enter the airspace over the Americas. It can move as far north as Alaska, or as far south as southern Mexico.
“It is just where Mother Nature decided to blow,” Voit said.
To follow the balloon’s journey, go to aprs.fi and search for WB6TOU-13.
David Voit
Radio Transmitter
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Make-A-Wish Finds Ways to Bring Hope and Joy During Uncertain Times
Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters nationwide face a record number of wishes waiting to be granted as a result of the recent need to postpone all wishes that involve travel due to the public and medical concerns of COVID-19.
As 77% of wishes involve travel, 970 wishes were immediately impacted with 30 more wishes estimated to be impacted each day. The challenging circumstances have inspired Make-A-Wish to think creatively about how to bring hope and joy to Make-A-Wish kids during unpredictable and scary times. Today, March 20, 2020, Make-A-Wish announces “Messages of Hope” to give supporters and the general public alike a fun, easy way to help children fighting critical illnesses without needing to leave the house.
Watch Ryan Reynolds' Message of Hope here.
Make-A-Wish knows that the anticipation of a wish-come-true can be a powerful motivator for wish kids to face and overcome the challenges in their way. Through “Messages of Hope,” Make-A-Wish invites the public to bring hope and anticipation to wish kids by writing, recording or photographing themselves delivering messages of encouragement for wish kids waiting for wishes impacted by COVID-19. Before sharing their messages, participants should consider a donation to prepare Make-A-Wish to grant the unprecedented number of pending wishes once normal operations resume. The last step is to post the messages to any social media channel along with the tag, @MakeAWish, and the hashtag, #WishesAreWaiting. Two or more friends should also be tagged and challenged because the more messages shared, the greater the impact on wish kids and their families.
The announcement of “Messages of Hope” comes exactly 40 days prior to April 29, 2020, known as World Wish Day. On World Wish Day, Make-A-Wish will mark the 40th anniversary of the wish that inspired the founding of the organization with noteworthy surprises and announcements. Until then, Make-A-Wish will spend the next 40 days highlighting some of the messages received on the official Make-A-Wish social media accounts. The messages will give wish kids and their families hope today so that they can look forward to tomorrow.
“‘Messages of Hope’ calls upon people looking to do something positive and impactful during these uncertain times to bring hope and joy to children and families who need it most,” said Richard K. Davis, Make-A-Wish America president and CEO. “As we approach the 40th anniversary of the founding wish, there’s no denying that we are in the midst of one of the most challenging times in Make-A-Wish history. The time is now for the public to rally in support of wishes because every child deserves a childhood.”
Through “Messages of Hope,” Make-A-Wish aims to build support for the wishes currently on hold due to COVID-19 because wishes can improve a child’s quality of life and produce better health outcomes. More than ever before, wishes need the support of individual and corporate donors to grant the wish of every eligible child.
Find out more about Messages of Hope here.
Make-A-Wish Launches Wishes Need Stars Like You in Conjunction with 40th Anniversary May 4, 2020
STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE Raises Over $6 Million Apr 30, 2020
Stars Announced for Historic STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE Broadcast Apr 24, 2020
Justin Bieber And Miley Cyrus Speak Out For World Wish Day
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The Sun Santa Fund
Car Smart
My Sun
Dream Retriever
Ask the Psychic
The Z List
Daley Decor
Memoriams Form
The Column
B. Smith, model turned lifestyle guru, dead at 70
Search continues for missing Lowell man who jumped into Concord River
Shannon Sullivan takes over as Tewksbury’s newest public health director
Chelmsford Select Board Member Antul resigns after making crude slur
FILE – In this Jan. 14, 2012 file photo, former model and restaurateur B. Smith arrives at the BET Honors red carpet in the Warner Theatre in Washington. Smith died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at her Long Island, New York, home, after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease, according to a family statement on social media. She was 70. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
PUBLISHED: February 24, 2020 at 11:44 a.m. | UPDATED: February 24, 2020 at 11:46 a.m.
NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top black models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Smith’s family announced on social media that she died Saturday evening.
“Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile,” Smith’s husband Dan Gasby said on Facebook.
Smith’s eponymous Manhattan restaurant opened in 1986 and attracted a following among affluent black New Yorkers, The New York Times recalled. Essence magazine described it as the place “where the who’s who of black Manhattan meet, greet and eat regularly.”
Smith wrote three cookbooks, founded three successful restaurants and launched a nationally syndicated television show and a magazine. Her successful home products line was the first from a black woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer when it debuted in 2001 at Bed Bath & Beyond.
In 1976, she became the second black model to be on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine, after Jolie Jones in 1969.
“You epitomized class, true beauty and dignity. Rest well Queen,” actress Viola Davis wrote on Twitter.
Smith was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2013. She and Gasby raised awareness of the disease, and particularly its impacts on the African-American community, following her diagnosis.
Some described Smith as a “black Martha Stewart,” a comparison she said she didn’t mind though she believed the two lifestyle mavens were quite different.
“Martha Stewart has presented herself doing the things domestics and African Americans have done for years,” she said in a 1997 interview with New York magazine. “We were always expected to redo the chairs and use everything in the garden. This is the legacy that I was left. Martha just got there first.”
In the same interview, Gasby said, “Martha is perfection and Barbara is passion.”
Smith began suffering from memory problems years before her diagnosis. She once froze for several seconds while being interviewed on the “Today Show,” prompting a doctor’s visit that led to her diagnosis. A few months later, she was missing in New York City for a day.
In 2018, Gasby revealed that he was in a relationship with another woman while caring for his ailing wife, leading to harsh criticism from some of her fans. He fired back at critics with a Facebook post about the pain of living with Alzheimer’s in the family. “I love my wife but I can’t let her take away my life,” he wrote.
The couple co-authored a book, “Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our fight Against Alzheimer’s,” and have partnered with the Brain Health Registry.
Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, began her career as a fashion model in Pittsburgh and went on to serve as a spokeswoman for Verizon, Colgate, Palmolive Oxy and McCormick’s Lawry seasonings. She hosted the nationally syndicated television show “B. Smith with Style” for nearly a decade, which aired on NBC stations.
Smith is survived by Gasby, whom she married in 1992, and her stepdaughter Dana Gasby.
This story has been corrected to show the spelling of the seasonings brand Smith was a spokeswoman for is McCormick not McCornick and that the name of the first black model to be on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine is Jolie Jones, not Joli Jones.
A neighborhood hub gone quiet in Dracut, up for sale
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Teen struck by car in Billerica, suffers serious injuries
Search continues for man who fled into Concord River to escape police
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Pepperell man moving to Liberia to help alleviate poverty
MTA: Bus driver refuses drug test after careening off bridge
The elephant in the room: Pursue truth, but don’t let it control you
Stay plugged in to that brilliant plan you have
Siegfried Fischbacher, of illusion duo Siegfried & Roy, dies
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Liberals: Students Call for Pallister to Fulfill 2016 Promise on Early Childhood Education
Winnipeg - Manitoba Liberal Leader and MLA St. Boniface, Dougald Lamont says that the Pallister government needs to step up and fulfill its long-overdue promise to improve Child Care in Manitoba, including making sure that workers can earn enough to pay their bills.
In the PCs 2016 platform, Pallister promised to address chronic problems with low wages, staffing shortages and recruitment practices under the previous NDP government. Nearly three years later, the government has yet to act.
Lamont said he was approached by post-secondary students currently enrolled in an Early Childhood Education program (ECE) who said their current $13/hour wage is not enough for them to pay their bills. The only way students and workers can get by is with a second job, and that extra work is resulting in burnout, people quitting, and even more staff shortages.
"If we want to improve access to child care, child care workers need to make enough to live on," said Lamont. "The PCs need to wake up to the reality that people can be working full time even at a government job and still be living in poverty."
While enrolled in the ECE program, students make $13.00/hour, work extensive hours, all while trying to finish the two-year diploma program. Upon graduation, their wage will increase to $15.00 an hour.
Early childhood educators plan, organize and implement programs for infants and children up to 12 years of age. They teach music, math and literacy to children and also work with new parents on how to teach their own children.
Lamont said the government has no excuse for breaking their promise because the Federal government has increased health and social transfers to the province by $500-million per year.
"If we properly paid child care workers and workers generally - we would have better care, less turnover, and more child care spaces," said Lamont.
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return to the main site »
A Wilderness of Mirrors is a relentless exposé of the west’s culture of suspicion but also a passionate call to rediscover the radical implications of Jesus’s life and message for a disillusioned world, a world more than ever in need of his trustworthy goodness.
“this book compellingly claims the whole-Bible narrative as providing exactly the sense and confidence to offer a hard-won word of hope in a ‘wilderness of mirrors’... a call to ‘trust again’”
Dr Chris Wright, from the foreword
Mark Meynell is Associate Director (Europe) for Langham Preaching (a branch of Langham Partnership), and part-time Whitehall Chaplain for HM Treasury, HMRC & the Cabinet Office. For the last 9 years, he was on the senior ministry team of All Souls Langham Place, where he and his family (Rachel, Joshua (17) and Zanna (14) are still members).
Mark was born in London and now lives in London. He is currently Associate Director (Europe) for Langham Preaching (a branch of Langham Partnership), and part-time Whitehall Chaplain for HM Treasury, HMRC & the Cabinet Office. From 2005-2014, he was on the senior ministry team of All Souls Langham Place, where he and his family. But the route to return has been decidedly indirect.
A few childhood years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Several more years in East Anglia (Suffolk and then Norfolk)
Other years in Berkshire, Oxford and Cambridge
More time in London
4 years in local church ministry in Sheffield, South Yorkshire
4 years teaching at and leading a theological college in Kampala, Uganda (where he was a lecturer, Academic Dean, and then for a year, Acting Principal)
Married to Rachel,they have 2 children – Joshua (17) and Zanna(14), and are still currently members of All Souls.
He’s crazy about music (from Bach to Bono), art (from Raphael to Rothko), fiction (esp John le Carré & Graham Greene) and movies (from The Third Man to Grand Budapest Hotel). He has even allowed his son to convince him to join him as a Sheffield Wednesday supporter.
He is the author of Cross-Examined (IVP, 1998, 2010), Good Book Guide to Colossians (GBC, 2008), The Resurrection (10ofThose, 2013), What Makes Us Human? (GBC, 2015) He is passionately concerned to cross the bridge between the Bible’s world and the contemporary world, which led to A Wilderness of Mirrors. (Zondervan, 2015)
Despite our material and technological advances, Western society is experiencing a deep malaise caused by a breakdown of trust. We’ve been misled by authorities and institutions, by businesses and politicians, and even by those who were supposed to care for us. The very cohesion of society seems tenuous at times.
The church is not immune from these trends. Historically, it has a dubious record when it has wielded power; personally, many of its members are as afflicted by our culture’s breakdown as anyone.
In A Wilderness of Mirrors author Mark Meynell explores the roots of the discord and alienation that mark our society, but he also outlines a gospel-based reason for hope. An astute social observer with a pastor’s spiritual sensitivity, Meynell grounds his antidote on four bedrocks of the Christian faith: human nature, Jesus, the church, and the story of God’s action in the world.
Ultimately hopeful, A Wilderness of Mirrors calls Christians to rediscover the radical implications of Jesus’s life and message for a disillusioned world, a world more than ever in need of his trustworthy goodness.
The Legacy of the 20th Century
Michael Card
Singer, Songwriter, Author
Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
Tanya Marlow
Writer and Blogger
Founder, The Washington Institute
Kosta Milkov
Director, Balkans Institute for Faith and Culture
National Director, FIEC UK
Charles Garriott
Founder & Director, Ministry to State
Executive Director, Acts 29 Network
View the book's contents' page
Why Write It?
Emily Varner talks to Mark about what motivated the writing of a theological work about Cold War spies, conspiracy theories, and the world’s suspicions…
return to the main Quaerentia website
All Q original content is © Mark Meynell (2006–2021). Cookies.
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The Howling Void - "Megaliths of the Abyss" (CD)
"Megaliths of the Abyss" track listing:
1. Megaliths of the Abyss (10:05)
2. Mollusk (11:33)
3. Ouroboros (9:10)
4. A Name Writ in Water (12:57)
Reviewed by xFiruath on September 14, 2008
"Those with the patience to make it through the entire album will go on a somber journey that is much like taking part in the stages of a funeral for a loved one."
Innovation and perfection are frequently achieved at the lowest levels of the musical strata, by those lesser known bands or independent releases that aren’t bound by the demands of a multitude of fans voting with their pocket books. When the pressure to make sure the music is acceptable enough to the mainstream to get sales in mall chain stores across the nation is completely absent, then musicians are free to create in new directions. The Howling Void has crafted one of the best representations of its genre, which is a fusion of drone and doom metal, with the indie release “Megaliths of the Abyss.” Those with the patience to make it through the entire album will go on a somber journey that is much like taking part in the stages of a funeral for a loved one.
The opening title track serves as the funeral’s procession, becoming a long and slow journey towards the deceased’s final resting place filled with sorrow for love lost and possibilities unfulfilled. The music is incredibly slow moving, making the phrase “down-tempo” seem dreadfully inadequate. All of the instruments keep a deliberately measured and unhurried pace, as though they are aware that it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get to the end, as the curse of mortality ensures that everyone will reach their ultimate destination sooner or later. Keeping all of the sounds moving at the same rate works well to mesh all of the instruments together into one unified mechanism of despair, but it has the unfortunate tendency to occasionally drown out the single note drum beats as the guitar drones on for massively long notes. The infrequently used vocals are mostly deep and drawn out guttural death growls that are so mired in the slowly moving muck that they can’t be made out at all, which seems to be intentional, as they give the feeling that words are unimportant in the face of death.
“Mollusk” continues the feeling of never ending sadness from the first song, but also adds in hints of menace and peril, as the participants of the funeral realize that they too will one day be occupying a casket as their friends gather around to mourn. The rain drizzling ending emulates the moment when the grief reaches its peak as flowers are dropped into the grave and the body of a dear friend is truly lost forever. By the time “Ouroboros” arrives it becomes clear that the music will never leave behind the cheerless atmosphere, just as the lost will never return to life. Lonely guitar riffs being accosted by harsh whispers from beyond the grave punctuate the song, bringing forth thoughts about life after death and how people can continue on without their companions. Strangely, the keyboards reach a point just over halfway through the song where they could almost be accused of showing glimmers of hope instead of soul crushing despair. Perhaps this is the point where reflections occur on how the dead affected the funeral-goers lives, the delight that was felt in their company, and the legacy they left behind for the living to enjoy.
As a reminder that those moments of shared happiness are gone forever comes the final song “A Name Writ in Water.” Combining the melancholy attitude of “Ouroboros” with the gloom of the opening song, this track is the long road towards acceptance of the finality and inevitability of death. It offers no comfort and takes away no pain, but it lacks the heartrending and agonizing feelings of tragedy that were present when the funeral began.
The album really only works as intended during those meditative or introspective times when the need for a constant background noise arises to help support musings on all those unanswerable intangibles about life and death. Like a real funeral, there is that uncomfortable part in the middle for all the people who weren’t intimately familiar with the deceased where it would really be nice if they could just speed things up and get the whole ceremony over with already. There is a good deal of repetition on the album that can make it hard to work through the whole thing in a single session. Unlike the repetitive choruses and repeating guitar lines of the three minute pop songs that blare out of the radio, the repetition present in the twelve minute marathons on “Megaliths of the Abyss” require attention and perseverance, so there is no danger that these tracks will ever get out on the airwaves.
Highs: Creates an amazing atmosphere and has incredible production for an indie release
Lows: The drums are occasionally droned out and sometimes the repetition gets out of hand
Bottom line: A drone/doom metal hybrid perfect for musings about life and death
Get more info including news, reviews, interviews, links, etc. on our The Howling Void band page.
"Night Is The New Day" (CD)
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Katatonia - "Night Is The New Day" (CD)
"Night Is The New Day" track listing:
1. Forsaker (4:05)
2. The Longest Year (4:39)
3. Idle Blood (4:23)
4. Onward Into Battle (3:52)
5. Liberation (4:18)
6. The Promise Of Deceit (4:18)
7. Nephilim (4:27)
8. New Night (4:28)
9. Inheritance (4:30)
10. Day & Then The Shade (4:26)
11. Departer (5:27)
Reviewed by xFiruath on October 25, 2009
"The album is an expression of their past experiments tempered with a sense of new discovery as the band delves into new musical territory."
Katatonia has been on a journey of constant rediscovery since their debut full-length release “Dance of December Souls.” Long gone are the growling vocals and tales of mist-shrouded lands under a full moon, to be replaced with a maturity and progressiveness not seen by many metal bands. “Night is the New Day” is the culmination of Katatonia’s long career exploring the various facets of metal. The album is an expression of their past experiments tempered with a sense of new discovery as the band delves into new musical territory.
“Forsaker” starts the album off with a series of chunky guitar riffs that get increasingly louder as they echo out of the background. Longtime fans may do a bit of a double take during the first few seconds, as the guitar parts almost bring to mind the hardcore genre. It doesn’t take long for the band’s hallmark depressive sound to float to the surface with the appearance of Jonas Renkse’s vocal work. Renkse’s voice is its own instrument, and he knows how to use it to produce the effect needed. The clean singing ebbs and flows between bleak, upbeat, and something in-between. The heavy guitar parts from the intro get worked in and out of the synths throughout the song, providing a blend of heavy and laid back sounds without losing focus of either style.
Like several of Katatonia’s previous albums there are forays into more mainstream territory that could potentially find acceptance from a larger audience than metal usually receives. These forays never go so far as to prevent extreme metal fans from enjoying the music. Nearly every song has a segment that shows off why the group is still associated with death metal bands even though there is nary a scream to be found. The guitars are consistently heavy and the drumming is spot on, but everything is carried by an overarching melody that is usually reserved for progressive rock bands.
There is no question that Opeth and Katatonia have influenced each other over the years, likely because of the long time friendship between the band’s vocalists, and it shows on “Night is the New Day.” Many of the progressive elements of the album and the changes in song structure bear a strong resemblance to the overall feel of Opeth’s latest album “Watershed.” The song “Idle Blood” has the most similarity, and it’s also one of the best tracks to be found on the disc. The correlation is only skin deep, however, as the songs are immersed in the style the Swedes have been building for years. “The Longest Year” is a trademark Katatonia track, using that flowing feel produced when all the instruments work together to take the listener on a depressing musical journey.
None of the songs ever reach a full five minutes, but they still have a spacey and cosmic feel that’s easy to get lost in and float along with. The feeling is helped along by the band’s strong base in doom metal. The tracks aren’t so much slow as they are unhurried, as though Katatonia wants the audience to experience their music for as long as it takes to sink in. As with previous releases the music is still trapped somewhere between depression and hope, landing squarely in melancholy territory. When the dark atmosphere is combined with some of the more psychedelic synth passages, one can’t help but think that “Night is the New Day” is the sort of album that will end up being the soundtrack to the apocalypse.
Fans of any era of Katatonia’s work will love “Night is the New Day,” and anyone who hasn’t checked them out yet will have a stunning jumping off point to get started. The album is one to actively work through over a series of listening sessions, and each journey through just makes the music better.
Highs: The trademark Katatonia sound is prevalent, but its been expanded with more progressive elements.
Lows: It wouldn't hurt to hear some growling every now and again.
Bottom line: The culmination of Katatonia's career, and a melancholy metal album that deserves to be listened to many times over.
4.5 out of 5 skulls
Get more info including news, reviews, interviews, links, etc. on our Katatonia band page.
The Howling Void
"Megaliths of the Abyss" (CD)
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The Torah of Globalization
What guidance can the Jewish tradition, from the Bible onwards, give to us in the age of Neo-Liberal economic globalization?
Although history is full of surprises, my bet is that the globalization of the economy will be remembered in centuries to come as the most significant development of our lifetime. The definition of economic globalization is the integration of all the economies of the world into a single international market. In today's model, this means the control and domination of the world's economy by giant, politically powerful multinational corporations. Increasingly, these corporations decide what we grow and eat, what information we encounter, and even which laws will govern our increasingly small world. The struggle to determine the shape economic globalization will take is thus a sacred struggle for the human future.
As Jews who recognize that Judaism contains a vision for humanity, globalization clearly presents us with a grave challenge and an unprecedented opportunity. The globalization of the economy is a process that began 500 years ago with European colonialism, but the end of World War II and the concomitant expansion of American economic power and more recently the fall of communism and the subsequent international trade and banking agreements imposed by the WTO mark astounding new phases in the totality of its scope. The process of globalization has gained exponentially in velocity at the very moment in which the majority of Jews are for the first time fully empowered citizens of democratic countries – first and foremost the U.S. and Israel – that are key participants in the global economy. We thus have the opportunity, the freedom – and the urgent responsibility – to try to influence the future face of humankind.
The predominant voices of the mainstream media claim that globalization creates economic growth that will eventually wipe out poverty and increase democracy. Unlike many in the anti-globalization movement, I don't think everything the United States does is wrong. But what I have witnessed in fifteen years of reporting from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean does not allow me the comfort of believing that globalization, in its present form, is good for the poor. In country after country, I have seen how the viselike logic of profit maximization crushes the poor and destroys their culture and dignity.
From Thailand to Mexico, farmers living in semi-communal villages have been forced off their land by a combination of violence, trickery, and the degradation of their environment and forced to sell their labor to factories, mining companies or plantation owners. This process has been driven by governments, usually corrupt ones, who took huge "development" loans from the West and must now produce what can be sold for dollars in order to service these loans. Economists who judge economic success in terms of “growth” and GNP have not devised ways to measure what it means to lose forever the chance to fish in a clean river, to raise children in a safe environment and transmit to them your ancient culture, or to grow food on your own land. Nor do their statistics account for the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of nonrenewable natural resources that have been extracted from Third World countries over the past few decades or the cost of devastating pollution that is the byproduct of growth.
What does Judaism have to teach about all this? The notion that economic power must be diffused and democratized runs through the Torah like a spine— beginning with the Garden of Eden narrative.
Whatever else the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve is--and the Torah's multiple layers of meanings is nowhere more obvious than in this stunningly opaque parable--it is also a symbolic account of the emergence of humankind from prehistory, symbolized by innocence and nakedness, into the long era of "By the sweat of thy brow thou shall eat thy bread." Adam and Eve's eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is likely connected, on a compressed, symbolic level, to the end of the hunter-gatherer period and the beginnings of agriculture. One of the great differences between gaining one's food supply through agriculture and acquiring it as a hunter-gatherer is that staple foods offer a diet that is less varied, but always safe, while hunter-gatherers, who typically utilize hundreds of kinds of plants and fruits--must always be aware of the possibility of poison. On the simplest level, can't God's warning to Adam that if you eat fruit from a certain tree "You will surely die" be read as an allusion to this constant presence of danger in a hunter gatherer's food supply?
Over the past century, archaeological anthropologists have traced how the beginnings of agriculture often turned on the human ability to transform a specific species from a poisonous to an edible state through, for example, the chance discovery and the subsequent cultivation of a harmless mutation of a poisonous fruit or plant. Might this transformation not be encoded in the snake's assurance: "No, you shall surely not die."? And if, as Kafka says, Adam and Eve's punishment was not immediate death, but consciousness of mortality, would not this consciousness coincide with the kind of conception of time necessary for the long term calculations of horticulture and the domestication of animal species?
Whatever the merit of these interpretive conjectures, one fact is clear. The emergence of agriculture created, for the first time, the possibility of surplus, of the storage of food. Food is the original capital. Storage prevents starvation during lean times--and it also facilitates the possibility of permanent human settlements with populations far larger than that of the largest hunter-gatherer collectives, which never exceed 150 to 200 people. With the possibility of surplus, and the growth of the population, came bureaucracy, social class, specialization, hierarchy and oppression.
The vector leading from the end of hunter-gatherer society to the hierarchical centralization of power and concomitant exploitation can be seen as defining the narrative arc of the Book of Genesis. Opening with the parable of Eden, the last third of Genesis is devoted to the Joseph story, which brings to denouement the book's thematic leitmotifs, such as jealousy between siblings, recognition, and mistaken identity. The artistic and emotional power of the Joseph story is so great, and its culmination so heartrending, that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that it ends with the enslavement of the Egyptian people to Pharaoh through the instrument of the storage of food. We are barely done wiping the tears from our eyes from Joseph's reunion with his brothers and father when the Torah tells us the following:
”And there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was sore…And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought and Joseph brought the money into Pharoah's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph and said, Give us bread… And Joseph said, Give your cattle…. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other."
Could the subsequent enslavement of the Jewish people possibly have been accomplished without the prior centralization of power and resources in the hands of Pharaoh? In Jewish tradition, Joseph is known as Yosef Hatzaddik, Joseph the righteous one, both for his feat of chastity in refusing the advances of Potiphar's wife, and for saving his family and the Egyptian people from starvation. But the Torah has complex undercurrents running through
it. According to Jewish thinker Joshua Lauffer, there are some striking affinities between the snake—in our reading, the catalyzing agent in the transformation of human society from hunter gatherer to agricultural means of production—and Joseph, who utilizes the capacity for concentrating and storing wealth that agriculture unlocks in order to create an unprecedented conjunction of wealth and political power.
In its promise to Eve, the snake, says "You will be as God (Elohim), knowing good and evil." Joseph, Lauffer points out, unlike the heroes of previous stories in Genesis—Noah, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob—never speaks to God or hears His voice. Instead, he seems to function as virtually a stand-in for God, recalling the serpent's prediction, "You will be as God"). "For doth not God (Elohim) have the answers," Joseph says. "Tell [the dream] to me." Moreover, in describing his predictive powers—the same powers that enable him to store food and thus power for Pharoah—Joseph uses the root N-Kh-Sh—the very same letters as those that form the word "snake, doubling the word for emphasis." "Did you not know," he asks his brothers, "SheNakhesh YeNakhesh Ish asher Kamoni", that a person like me would surely divine (what you have done)? Here the narrative, through the voice of Joseph himself, conflates prediction and manipulation— Joseph here claims to have foreseen a theft when actually he has presided over a frame-up. In the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream Joseph takes the "knowledge of good and bad" which the snake predicts for Adam and Eve and realizes this knowledge within the realm of time—good and bad, fat and thin, become good years and bad years, fat years and thin years. Knowledge of good and evil is revealed as manipulation, calculation, planning and strategy.
The juxtaposition of slavery and accumulation—the concentration of capital that is a sign of an oppressive society—continues in the book of Exodus, in which the Children of Israel are forced to build "storage cities" for Pharaoh. In the description of Israelite slavery, the Torah uses some of the same vocabulary that will be used to describe the struggles of the poor within Israelite society. The suffering of the slaves is called "oni"—poverty. And their taskmasters, those assigned to extract their labor, are called "nogshim", the same word as that used later in the Torah to describe a person attempting to squeeze money from the indebted poor.
Redemption, along with the giving of the Torah, is marked by a new means of sustenance. The Israelites are lifted out of the by now seemingly inevitable economy and culture of hoarding through the story of the Manna. In the narrative arc we have begun to follow, the manna is a crucial watershed. The sages rightly saw the manna as creating a preparatory, material basis for divine revelation. "The Torah was not given," says the Talmud, "but to the eaters of the manna."
What is the essential quality of manna? It is a sustenance unmediated by a human economic system. It cannot be stored or hoarded. Left overnight, it spoils, corrupts, and crawls with worms. Each and every person is charged with gathering just enough manna to eat for one day. The Torah calls this “dvar yom b’yomo” – “each day’s matter on that day.” During the period of hyper-slavery imposed on the Israelites after Moshe’s initial intervention Pharoah uses this exact expression. There “Each day’s matter,” referred to the arbitrary quota of bricks that each person was supposed to produce – bricks for a giant storehouse. Here, in order to emphasize the revolutionary nature of the Exodus – in which Egyptian reality is stood on its head – the phrase is used again, but this time to refer not to power accumulation, but to the amount of sustenance each person needs for that particular day.
Time, instead of becoming reified ("time is money and money is time"), is re-natrualized, measured according to the rhythm of the human body and its biological needs. The measure of manna required by each person is an omer, which we are told is "a tenth of an ephah". This is the only place in which the Torah gives us a key to its system of measurement—to teach us, it would seem, to keep actual human at the basis of all our calculations.
To emphasize the centrality of the manna principle in Judaism, God commands Moses, at the very end of the manna narrative, to place a jar with exactly one omer of manna in the Ark of the Covenant, alongside the tablets of the law, in the holy of holies. The story of the manna evokes the idealized essence of the hunter-gatherer era. In its immediacy, in the total economic equality it represents, and in its negation of accumulation and stockpiling, it repudiates those cultures in which economic and political power are centralized and conjoined through the storage of food and other forms of capital (even today, isn't "bread" slang for money?). The presence of the manna, and thus of the trace memory of hunter gatherer society, is felt in numerous ways in the Torah's legislation: in the injunction against the planting or storing of fruits of the sabbatical year, in the commandment to allow the poor the right to "gather" for themselves the remnants of a harvest, even in the prohibition against delaying the wages of a laborer—"on the same day you shall pay him what he is due"—as if the money, left in the employers hands, would rot like the manna.
Seen in the light of the narrative arc stretching from Eden to the manna, the meaning and direction of the economic justice legislation of the Torah becomes more readily apparent. The Torah's purpose is to create an anti-Egypt, which exploitation is not allowed free reign because land, wealth, and the means of production have not been concentrated in the hands of the few. Rather than the consolidation of land in the hands of one person, the Torah commands that the land of Israel be divided so that each family has its own plot of land, of a size appropriate to the needs of the family --as with the manna, the principle is "To each according to his needs." The land is meant to provide each family with its own independent source of wealth and blessing and can only be sold in time of need, because the family has become impoverished . As if to emphasize the opposite nature of this society from that of Egypt, the Kohanim, or priests, and the Leviim, who also serve a kind of priestly function, are the only groups not allotted land; in Egypt the priests were the only group that were allowed to keep their land in the face of Joseph's feudalization of the Egyptian economy.
The Torah allows for the sale of land under special circumstances. But the laws of the Jubilee (Yovel) mean that every 50 years, the wealth of society and its primary mode of production are redistributed and equality reestablished—the land returns to its original owners. The Jubilee is called freedom, “dror”, the very opposite of slavery. The Jubilee law is an attempt to legislate against the development of wealthy classes and impoverished, landless classes. It also insures that land will not become a reified commodity. Instead of a constant increase in land value, the jubilee law makes certain that land is priced according to its use value, “For it is a quantity of crops that he is selling to you.” In other words, land, the major source of wealth and means of production in Israelite society, can never become a source of financial speculation.
The Jubilee is not the only legislation designed to correct the tendency of agricultural (and certainly industrial) societies to concentrate wealth and thus power. The Torah also emphasizes the prohibition against taking interest on loans of money or food in four different places. The prohibition is expressed as a continuation of the laws of the Jubilee: “If your brother grows poor, and his means fail with you, then you should strengthen him, though he is a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Take no interest from him, nor take any increase, but fear God, so that your brother might live with you. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God”.
The Torah repeats the phrase “live with you” three times, suggesting that the prohibition against taking interest is a strategy aimed at creating a society based on at least rough social equality, without divisions into separate social classes. As Rabbi Shimon Federbush, a rabbinic luminary writing just before the creation of the State of Israel says: “At the foundation of the prohibition against taking interest is the Torah’s desire to prevent the formation of a class of extremely wealthy people who have gained
their riches at the expense of the economically weak. In doing this, the Torah legislates on the one hand against the possibility of the rich using interest to continuously enhance their wealth, and on the other hand, prevents the emergence of a class of people struggling under the weight of debts that continue to grow as the poison of interest causes economic collapse and finally even slavery.”
How can we, as faithful Jews, fight against the economic collapse of the already weakened population who are the victims of the form of globalization created with the interests of multi-national corporations in mind? Battling for a different kind of globalization will take clarity of purpose and strength of conviction. A clear and strong reading of the Torah's teachings on economic justice can serve as a crucial ethical and spiritual bulwark, a place to stand as we reach outwards to make new alliances. These teachings have far deeper and more complex psychological and economic implications than can be sketched in a single schematic essay. And yet it is possible to assert that the overwhelming economic direction of the Torah, evidenced through the integration of its narrative and legal strands, is not only to insist on the equitable distribution of resources, but to stand against the kind of concentration of wealth that inevitably leads to abuses of power.
Entering the land, Israel, unfortunately, does not succeed in establishing the kind of society prescribed by the Torah. The prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Micah, Hosea and others—spend much of their energy in the remaining books of the TANAKH railing against the exploitation of the poor at the hands of the rich. In particular, the prophets expose the nexus of political and economic power in which justice is perverted in order to serve the greed of the wealthy. The prevailing Western ideology - that the free market is really free of political influence and will eventually uplift the poor - would have evoked the bitter laughter of the prophets.
Today, as modern Jews, it is our role to bring the Jewish ethical wisdom to bear on the analysis, exposure and repair of the current international economic order. We will need to focus on the regulation of international corporations and the promotion of grassroots democracy, and on the nexus between the battle for a clean environment and the struggle for social justice. And we must not forget that the prophetic voice of justice emerges from a a faith that human beings have the potential in us for something better, deeper, and ultimately more pleasurable—both as individuals and as a society. If we listen closely to the deepest layers of our tradition we will begin to realize this truth: none of us will be free until all of us are. When we gain awareness of how enmeshed we are with all of humanity economically and thus ethically, we will begin the work, in partnership with other spiritual traditions, of creating a new ethic for the global age.
Torah and Spirituality
Freedom, climate change and the Pandemic
Torah' for Israel's Jubilee May 1998 (first published Jerusalem Report) For 50 years, Israelis have allowed the state to shape their identities. Now it's time to reverse the roles. Micha Odenheimer II
Return to the Garden of Eden
© 2019 by SOFI Cooperative
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Inventors Hall of Fame
Following a 2-year stint as a photographer/writer with the U.S. Army Airborne, he was hired as a draftsman at the Studebaker Corporation in Minneapolis. His creative nature moved him into engineering at Studebaker, where he conceived, developed and put into production an entire new line of frost-free refrigerators.
In 1966, Thorud was hired by Toro as a design engineer, where he remained for 34 years. He worked on many product designs and improvements. Some involved product convenience, such as his first major project – the development of the Toro "Key-lectric" starting system for walk-behind mowers (a feature that is still offered on Toro's current walk-behind mowers). One of his last projects at Toro was working as part of the development team for the Toro "Personal Pace" system that automatically self propels a walk-behind mower to the operator's walking speed. These features were unique for their time and so instantly popular that other manufacturers quickly copied them with their own versions.
His contributions often focused on enhancing product safety and environmental concerns. His pioneering work included the then-unique idea of devising tests to measure the safety of lawn mower designs, following by development of a signing a safer product, the Toro "Guardian" walk-behind mower. This included a rear safety shield foot guard, and the first use of safety labeling in the industry, both of which are now required by law on all mowers. It also incorporated features to cut down on thrown objects. His work in this area led to the development of industry safety standards for lawn mowers.
He created new mower deck designs that significantly improved mulching capabilities. He invented "kickers" (shaped elements placed inside of a mower's cutting chamber to direct clippings back down into the mower's blade for re-cutting). As a result, grass clippings are now much more effectively recycled back onto the ground through mulching (rather than being bagged). Today, mulching has largely replaced bagging as the dominant grass cutting practice throughout the nation.
Thorud also worked to reduce lawn mower gasoline consumption by developing ways to maintain excellence in grass-cutting at slower engine speeds. Other manufacturers followed, and walk-behind mowers now run at 3000 RPM instead of 3400 RPM, saving millions of barrels of oil and reducing hydrocarbon emissions.
Thorud originated the idea of curved blades on single-stage snow throwers, now common throughout the industry. His invention of the "Power Curve Rotor" dramatically advanced the performance and commercial viability of single-stage snow throwers, by shaping the rotor so that it would throw a tapered (converging) column of snow through a tapered chute of equal angle, drastically reducing frictional losses between the chute and the snow stream. This development made single-stage snow throwers more efficient at throwing snow, allowing for them to replace many of the more dangerous and more expensive two-stage snow blowers.
His position and product design freedom at Toro were a good fit. "Research and development was a revelation to me. I soon realized that I had found my true calling," Thorud said. "I now had the freedom to choose many of my own projects – and it became clear that this could be a platform to pursue causes that were larger than me – larger even than the company that I worked for. And so I chose product safety and the environment as my personal causes."
Ken Melrose, a former chairman of the board at Toro, called Thorud his "new product standard bearer, optimizing and balancing robust engineering designs with customer needs and outdoor preservation," high praise considering that the Toro company is a Fortune Company that has a network of distributors, dealers and retailers in 80 countries. Mr. Melrose noted Thorud achieved "success in not only invention, but also in teamwork" which "came from his humility, tenacity and perseverance, and empathy and drive for win-win solutions."
Thorud's artistic side was a key component in his product design work for Toro. Larry Buckley, a patent attorney at Toro, recalls that Thorud was an "old school" engineer, in that he would often use modeling clay in his office to make product models that he used to help explain this inventions and product design innovations.
In addition to his proven record as an inventor, Thorud is an accomplished artist who has exhibited works at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota State Fair Annual Fine Arts Exhibition.
NOTE: This short biography has been compiled from information in the nomination form submitted to the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, selected quotations from the named individuals, and information obtained from a variety of other sources.
Richard Thorud
As a research engineer at the Toro Company, Mr. Thorud conceived and developed many of the products that have come to define Toro's current prominence in the lawn care and snow thrower industries. By the time he retired from Toro in 2000 as its Senior Principal Research Engineer, he had been awarded 35 U.S. patents and 17 international patents, and products based on those inventions had already sold at retail for more than 2 billion dollars.
His creativity is cross-disciplined. He followed a collegiate course of study, first at Augsburg College and then at the University of Minnesota, that included classes in studio art, science and mathematics. In 1956, he was awarded a degree from the University of Minnesota, majoring in fine arts.
©2019 Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame - All rights reserved.
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Hear Tony Iommi's acoustic-driven ode to Birmingham Cathedral
By Michael Astley-Brown (Total Guitar, Acoustic Magazine) 06 January 2017
Black Sabbath legend records new guitar arrangement with Cathedral choir
Although it's unlikely we'll hear any more music from Black Sabbath before their farewell gigs at Birmingham's Genting Arena in February, Tony Iommi has released a new song of its own - although it's probably not what you'd expect: an ode to his hometown's cathedral.
How Good It Is showcases an acoustic arrangement accompanied by the Birmingham Cathedral choir, but features a few tasty electric licks from the godfather of heavy metal, too.
A collaboration with Tony's friend, the Dean of Birmingham, the Very Reverend Catherine Ogle, the five-minute composition features lyrics inspired by Psalm 133, celebrating "peace, harmony and the Cathedral's role in the heart of the city" - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath it ain't.
It's just a little bit different to Sabbath!
"It's just a little bit different to Sabbath!" Tony laughs.
"We've done instrumental work before with orchestras and it's something I enjoy doing. It's completely different from any of the heavier stuff.
"This is a completely new piece of music and I'm really pleased with it."
For anyone surprised by the collaboration, Tony also took the opportunity to clear up a common misconception about Sabbath.
"People used to think we were Satanists but we weren't. The songs were the opposite and all about the dangers of Black Magic and Satanism," he explains.
"The closest we came was Black Magic chocolates!"
You can hear the track above and download it from Birmingham Cathedral.
The 20 Greatest Metal Guitarists Ever
Earl Slick: my 12 greatest recordings of all time
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San Pedro Stories: 1830s Embarcadero
The following “stories” paint a picture of the earliest days of San Pedro as the embarcadero for Mission San Gabriel and Pueblo de los Angeles. The article by Guinn covers the development of the San Pedro and Wilmington harbors from the discovery of the bay to the end of the 19th century. The article by Polly tells the story of the first ship built in Los Angeles. The other stories focus on the decade of 1829 to 1839 from the perspective of British and American seamen.
Historic Seaports of Los Angeles by J.M. Guinn
(from Publications of the Historical Society of Southern California, Vol. 5, Pt. 1, 1900, pgs 60-69)
Description by Alfred Robinson
(circa 1829/1830, from Life in California, 1846, pg 37-39)
“The harbor of St. Pedro is an extensive bay, and, although not considered a safe anchorage during the winter months, when the southeast wind prevails, yet vessels frequently embark and discharge their cargoes here at all seasons of the year. The best anchorage is close under the northwest point of the bay, about three quarters of a mile outside of a small and rocky island; and the same distance from the beach. There is a house at the landing-place which generally serves as a land-mark, in connection with the preceding locations, and vessels usually, in the mild season of the year, bring this to bear W.N.W., whilst the point lies S.W. by S., and the island N.E. From the month of October, till the beginning of May, vessels anchor at least a mile outside of these bearings, and ships are necessarily prepared for slipping their cables, and getting under way, should the wind, as is often the case, chop in suddenly from the S.E. The holding ground is good; of stiff mud, in four and a half to nine fathoms.
As we anticipated, our friends came in the morning, flocking on board from all quarters; and soon a busy scene commenced, afloat and ashore. Boats were plying to and fro—launches laden with the variety of our cargo passing to the beach, and men, women, and children crowding upon our decks, partaking in the general excitement. On shore all was confusion. Cattle and carts laden with hides and tallow, "gente de razon" and Indians, busily employed in the delivery of their produce, and receiving in return its value in goods; groups of individuals seated around little bonfires upon the ground, and horsemen racing over the plain in every direction. Thus the day passed; some departing, some arriving; till long after sunset the low white road leading across the plain to the town, appeared a living panorama.
Due north from the place of anchorage is a narrow creek, communicating with a shallow basin, operated upon by the tides, where at this time thousands of hair-seal might be seen at low water, basking on the sand-banks. The channel here when at full flood has ten feet of water over the bar; so that, in moderate weather, vessels drawing nine feet can easily pass over, and anchor sufficiently near the shore to discharge their cargoes without the aid of launches. With very little expense it might be made a place of anchorage for large ships, either by digging out and deepening the present channel, or by closing up another outlet to the north of the island, which would bring the whole strength of the current through one passage, and thus wash away its sandy bottom.”
Banning’s dream, over ten years later, of a New San Pedro may have been inspired by the above passage.
In addition to hides and tallow, the trade in sea otter furs was very lucrative by 1830. The furs were highly valued in China and Yankee traders on their way to the orient would buy all they could get. The trade decimated the sea otter population. In those days, a decline in a commercially valued population resulted in their increased exploitation—everybody wanted to get in on the profits before they were gone. The result was Russian poaching at San Pedro and Catalina and the construction of the first 3 ships built in southern California (the Santa Barbara in 1828 by Michael White at Santa Barbara with timber salvaged from the first recorded shipwreck at San Pedro, the Guadalupe in 1830 by Joseph Chapman, et.al.—built at the Mission San Gabriel and launched in San Pedro, and the schooner El Rufugio built by—or for—William Wolfskill at San Pedro circa 1831-32)
Shipbuilding at the San Gabriel Mission by Frank J. Polly
(1831, from Publications of the Historical Society of Southern California, Vol. 3, Pt. 3, 1895, pgs 34-39)
Descriptions and Stories by Richard Henry Dana
(circa 1835, from Two Tears before the Mast, 1911 Edition, E. Boyd Smith, illus.)
The most famous descriptions and stories of San Pedro in the 1830s are from Dana’s picturesque narrative of life on a Yankee trader.
First Impressions and Hard Labors (pg 115-120)
“The land was of a clayey quality, and, as far as the eye could reach, entirely bare of trees and even shrubs; and there was no sign of a town, — not even a house to be seen. What brought us into such a place, we could not conceive. No sooner had we come to anchor, than the slip-rope, and the other preparations for southeasters, were got ready; and there was reason enough for it, for we lay exposed to every wind that could blow, except the northerly winds, and they came over a flat country with a rake of more than a league of water.
As soon as everything was snug on board, the boat was lowered, and we pulled ashore, our new officer, who had been several times in the port before, taking the place of steersman. As we drew in, we found the tide low, and the rocks and stones, covered with kelp and seaweed, lying bare for the distance of nearly an eighth of a mile. Leaving the boat, and picking our way barefooted over these, we came to what is called the landing-place, at high-water mark. The soil was, as it appeared at first, loose and clayey, and, except the stalks of the mustard plant, there was no vegetation. Just in front of the landing, and immediately over it, was a small hill, which, from its being not more than thirty or forty feet high, we had not perceived from our anchorage. Over this hill we saw three men coming down, dressed partly like sailors and partly like Californians; one of them having on a pair of untanned leather trousers and a red baize shirt.
When they reached us, we found that they were Englishmen. They told us that they had belonged to a small Mexican brig which had been driven ashore here in a southeaster, and now lived in a small house just over the hill. Going up this hill with them, we saw, close behind it, a small, low building, with one room, containing a fireplace, cooking apparatus, &c., and the rest of it unfinished, and used as a place to store hides and goods. This, they told us, was built by some traders in the Pueblo (a town about thirty miles in the interior, to which this was the port), and used by them as a storehouse, and also as a lodging place when they came down to trade with the vessels. These three men were employed by them to keep the house in order, and to look out for the things stored in it.
They said that they had been there nearly a year; had nothing to do most of the time, living upon beef, hard bread, and frijoles, a peculiar kind of bean, very abundant in California. The nearest house, they told us, was a Rancho, or cattle-farm, about three miles off; and one of them went there, at the request of our officer, to order a horse to be sent down, with which the agent, who was on board, might go up to the Pueblo. From one of them, who was an intelligent English sailor, I learned a good deal, in a few minutes' conversation, about the place, its trade, and the news from the southern ports...
I also learned, to my surprise, that the desolate-looking place we were in furnished more hides than any port on the coast. It was the only port for a distance of eighty miles, and about thirty miles in the interior was a fine plane country, filled with herds of cattle, in the centre of which was the Pueblo de los Angeles, — the largest town in California, — and several of the wealthiest missions; to all of which San Pedro was the seaport.
Having made arrangements for a horse to take the agent to the Pueblo the next day, we picked our way again over the green, slippery rocks, and pulled toward the brig, which was so far off that we could hardly see her, in the increasing darkness; and when we got on board the boats were hoisted up, and the crew at supper. Going down into the forecastle, eating our supper, and lighting our cigars and pipes, we had, as usual, to tell what we had seen or heard ashore. We all agreed that it was the worst place we had seen yet, especially for getting off hides, and our lying off at so great a distance looked as though it was bad for southeasters. After a few disputes as to whether we should have to carry our goods up the hill, or not, we talked of San Diego, the probability of seeing the Lagoda before she sailed, &c., &c.
The next day we pulled the agent ashore, and he went up to visit the Pueblo and the neighboring missions; and in a few days, as the result of his labors, large ox-carts, and droves of mules, loaded with hides, were seen corning over the flat country. We loaded our long-boat with goods of all kinds, light and heavy, and pulled ashore. After landing and rolling them over the stones upon the beach, we stopped, waiting for the carts to come down the hill and take them; but the captain soon settled the matter by ordering us to carry them all up to the top, saying that that was "California fashion." So, what the oxen would not do, we were obliged to do.
The hill was low, but steep, and the earth, being clayey and wet with the recent rains, was but bad holding ground for our feet. The heavy barrels and casks we rolled up with some difficulty, getting behind and putting our shoulders to them; now and then our feet, slipping, added to the danger of the casks rolling back upon us. But the greatest trouble was with the large boxes of sugar. These we had to place upon oars, and, lifting them up, rest the oars upon our shoulders, and creep slowly up the hill with the gait of a funeral procession. After an hour or two of hard work, we got them all up, and found the carts standing full of hides, which we had to unload, and to load the carts again with our own goods; the lazy Indians, who came down with them, squatting on their hams, looking on, doing nothing, and when we asked them to help us, only shaking their heads, or drawling out "no quiero."
Having loaded the carts, we started up the Indians, who went off, one on each side of the oxen, with long sticks, sharpened at the end, to punch them with. This is one of the means of saving labor in California, — two Indians to two oxen. Now, the hides were to be got down; and for this purpose we brought the boat round to a place where the hill was steeper, and threw them off, letting them slide over the slope. Many of them lodged, and we had to let ourselves down and set them a-going again, and in this way became covered with dust, and our clothes torn.
After we had the hides all down, we were obliged to take them on our heads, and walk over the stones, and through the water, to the boat. The water and the stones together would wear out a pair of shoes a day, and as shoes were very scarce and very dear, we were compelled to go barefooted. At night we went on board, having had the hardest and most disagreeable day's work that we had yet experienced.
For several days we were employed in this manner, until we had landed forty or fifty tons of goods, and brought on board about two thousand hides, when the trade began to slacken, and we were kept at work on board during the latter part of the week, either in the hold or upon the rigging.”
Dead Man’s Island, Wildlife and Southeasters (pg 128-131)
“The next day was Sunday. We worked, as usual, washing decks, &c., until breakfast-time. After breakfast we pulled the captain ashore, and, finding some hides there which had been brought down the night before, he ordered me to stay ashore and... I spent a quiet day on the hill, eating dinner with the three men at the little house. Unfortunately they had no books; and, after talking with them, and walking about, I began to grow tired of doing nothing. The little brig, the home of so much hardship and suffering, lay in the offing, almost as far as one could see; and the only other thing which broke the surface of the great bay was a small, dreary-looking island, steep and conical, of a clayey soil, and without the sign of vegetable life upon it, yet which had a peculiar and melancholy interest, for on the top of it were buried the remains of an Englishman, the commander of a small merchant brig, who died while lying in this port.
It was always a solemn and affecting spot to me. There it stood, desolate, and in the midst of desolation; and there were the remains of one who died and was buried alone and friendless. Had it been a common burying place, it would have been nothing. The single body corresponded well with the solitary character of everything around. It was the only spot in California that impressed me with anything like poetic interest. Then, too, the man died far from home, without a friend near him, — by poison, it was suspected, and no one to inquire into it, — and without proper funeral rites; the mate (as I was told), glad to have him out of the way, hurrying him up the hill and into the ground, without a word or a prayer...
I went up to the house to supper. We had frijoles (the perpetual food of the Californians, but which, when well cooked, are the best bean in the world), coffee made of burnt wheat, and hard bread. After our meal, the three men sat down by the light of a tallow candle, with a pack of greasy Spanish cards, to the favorite game of "treinte uno," a sort of Spanish "everlasting." I left them and went out to take up my bivouac among the hides. It was now dark; the vessel was hidden from sight, and except the three men in the house there was not a living soul within a league. The coyotes (a wild animal of a nature and appearance between that of the fox and the wolf) set up their sharp, quick bark, and two owls, at the end of two distant points running out into the bay, on different sides of the hill where I lay, kept up their alternate dismal notes. I had heard the sound before at night, but did not know what it was, until one of the men, who came down to look at my quarters, told me it was the owl. Mellowed by the distance, and heard alone, at night, it was a most melancholy and boding sound. Through nearly all the night they kept it up, answering one another slowly at regular intervals. This was relieved by the noisy coyotes, some of which came quite near to my quarters, and were not very pleasant neighbors. The next morning, before sunrise, the long-boat came ashore, and the hides were taken off.
We lay at San Pedro about a week, engaged in taking off hides and in other labors, which had now become our regular duties. I spent one more day on the hill, watching a quantity of hides and goods, and this time succeeded in finding a part of a volume of Scott's Pirate in a corner of the house; but it failed me at a most interesting moment, and I betook myself to my acquaintances on shore, and from them learned a good deal about the customs of the country, the harbors, &c. This, they told me, was a worse harbor than Santa Barbara for southeasters, the bearing of the headland being a point and a half more to windward, and it being so shallow that the sea broke often as far out as where we lay at anchor. The gale for which we slipped at Santa Barbara had been so bad a one here, that the whole bay, for a league out, was filled with the foam of the breakers, and seas actually broke over the Dead Man's Island. The Lagoda was lying there, and slipped at the first alarm, and in such haste that she was obliged to leave her launch behind her at anchor. The little boat rode it out for several hours, pitching at her anchor, and standing with her stern up almost perpendicularly. The men told me that they watched her till towards night, when she snapped her cable and drove up over the breakers high and dry upon the beach.”
Encounter with a Whale (pg 168-169)
This being the spring season, San Pedro, as well as all the other open ports. upon the coast, was filled with whales, that had come in to make their annual visit upon soundings. For the first few days that we were here and at Santa Barbara, we watched them with great interest, calling out "There she blows!" every time we saw the spout of one breaking the surface of the water; but they soon became so common that we took little notice of them. They often "broke" very near us, and one thick, foggy night, during a dead calm, while I was standing anchor-watch, one of them rose so near that he struck our cable, and made all surge again. He did not seem to like the encounter much himself, for he sheered off, and spouted at a good distance. We once came very near running one down in the gig, and should probably have been knocked to pieces or thrown skyhigh.
We had been on board the little Spanish brig, and were returning, stretching out well at our oars, the little boat going like a swallow; our faces were turned aft (as is always the case in pulling), and the captain, who was steering, was not looking out when, all at once, we heard the spout of a whale directly ahead. "Back water! back water, for your lives!" shouted the captain; and we backed our blades in the water, and brought the boat to in a smother of foam. Turning our heads, we saw a great, rough, hump-backed whale slowly crossing our fore foot, within three or four yards of the boat's stem. Had we not backed water just as we did, we should inevitably have gone smash upon him, striking him with our stem just about amidships. He took no notice of us, but passed slowly on, and dived a few yards beyond us, throwing his tail high in the air. He was so near that we had a perfect view of him, and, as may be supposed, had no desire to see him nearer.
The Hide House Tailor (pgs 311-313)
“There was but one man in the only house here, and him I shall always remember as a good specimen of a California ranger. He had been a tailor in Philadelphia, and, getting intemperate and in debt, joined a trapping party, and went to the Columbia River, and thence down to Monterey, where he spent everything, left his party, and came to the Pueblo de los Angeles to work at his trade. Here he went dead to leeward among the pulperias, gambling-rooms, &c., and came down to San Pedro to be moral by being out of temptation. He had been in the house several weeks, working hard at his trade, upon orders which he had brought with him, and talked much of his resolution, and opened his heart to us about his past life. After we had been here some time, he started off one morning, in fine spirits, well dressed, to carry the clothes which he had been making to the pueblo, and saying that he would bring back his money and some fresh orders the next day.
The next day came, and a week passed, and nearly a fortnight, when one day, going ashore, we saw a tall man, who looked like our friend the tailor, getting out of the back of an Indian's cart, which had just come down from the pueblo. He stood for the house, but we bore up after him; when, finding that we were overhauling him, he hove-to and spoke us. Such a sight! Barefooted, with an old pair of trousers tied round his waist by a piece of green hide, a soiled cotton shirt, and a torn Indian hat; "cleaned out" to the last real, and completely "used up." He confessed the whole matter; acknowledged that he was on his back; and now he had a prospect of a fit of the horrors for a week, and of being worse than useless for months. This is a specimen of the life of half of the Americans and English who are adrift along the coasts of the Pacific and its islands, — commonly called "beach-combers."
Last Farewell (pgs 322-323)
“Two days brought us to San Pedro, and two days more (to our no small joy) gave us our last view of that place, which was universally called the hell of California, and seemed designed in every way for the wear and tear of sailors.
Not even the last view could bring out one feeling of regret. No thanks, thought I, as we left the hated shores in the distance, for the hours I have walked over your stones barefooted, with hides on my head, — for the burdens I have carried up your steep, muddy hill, — for the duckings in your surf; and for the long days and longer nights passed on your desolate hill, watching piles of hides, hearing the sharp bark of your eternal coyotes, and the dismal hooting of your owls.”
Description by Sir Edward Belcher
(1839, from Narrative of a Voyage Round the World, 1843, pgs 322-323)
“On the evening of the 11th of October, on opening the bay of San Pedro, we noticed several lights, which, by the aid of the night glasses, were discovered to belong to vessels at anchor. This relieved us much; for having suddenly shoaled from fifteen to five fathoms rocky, we had tacked off shore. In a short time, we anchored amongst the vessels in seven fathoms, when the masters of two American ships immediately came on board to offer their services, and the following morning those also of two brigs.
The bay of San Pedro, which is situated in latitude 33° 43' N., longitude 118° 14' W., is open to the south-west, but tolerably sheltered from the north-west. Inside of the small island in the bay is a very snug creek, but only accessible to small craft, by reason of a rocky bar, having only at low-water springs five feet.
The only house near the bay is supplied with water from some miles inland; and I am informed that at times the inhabitants are in great distress. It is only maintained for the convenience of trading with the vessels which touch here for the purchase of hides and tallow. Two of these vessels, under American colours, we visited, and found them fitted up transversely abaft the mainmast as shops, containing mostly hardware and linen drapery, which are much sought after by the farmers, who take them in part payment of their hides and tallow. We found some of their goods very useful to us, after so long an absence from cutlery shops.
The cliffs of the western sides of the bay, which form the beach line, are very steep, about fifty feet perpendicular, descending from an elevated range, about five hundred feet above the sea. They are composed of a loose mud, mixed with lumps of a chalky substance, enclosing organic remains, sometimes running into chert or chalcedony.”
Abel Stearns, John Temple and David Alexander added additional facilities to the hide house location, established freighting services, and opened stores in Los Angeles to handle the increased commerce from the growing population and Pacific trade but the rate of change didn't take off until after the Gold Rush, California statehood, and the Yankee "invasion" in the 1850s.
Posted by Todd Titterud at 7:04 PM
Labels: California, Deadman's Island, San Pedro, Ships, Stories, Trade
December in San Pedro
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Timmins council officially supports resolution to be able to ban door-to-door sales
Taylor Ablett, staff Thursday, Aug. 11th, 2016
Photo: Supplied by Taylor Ablett.
Timmins city council has officially thrown its support behind a motion to lobby the province to ban door-to-door sales. The request comes in from the Township of Wellington, who is looking for backing when they send their resolution onto the provincial government.
However, as Mayor Steve Black points out, this doesn’t mean the city is banning door-to-door sales. He says the city doesn’t have the authority to do that. The resolution is multiple municipalities banning together to ask the province for the power to be able to do so.
Councillor Andrew Marks is emphasizing this will not be a blanket ban on all door to door sales. He says it’s for HVAC equipment, which has to do with home energy products and services. He says a blanket ban isn’t appropriate for any community, but when high pressure sales tactics and misrepresentation are involved it should be banned.
There is no word yet on if the province will consider the motion or not.
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Chemung County remains in Orange Zone for 11th week
by: Tai Wong
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — Chemung County is reporting 200 active coronavirus cases as of Tuesday. The county has been in the orange zone for 11 weeks, restricting many businesses from fully operating.
Many residents are upset as surrounding counties continue to report higher COVID-19 cases daily.
“How you can have a county right next door and like you said, not throw anybody under the bus; but the fact of the matter is, if their seven day rolling average is higher than ours, how can we still can see we still be in orange zone,” said Christopher Moss, Chemung County Executive. “We don’t meet the criteria today to be put in orange zone, because the criteria changed on December 11. We’re in the orange zone under the initial criteria that was established October 23.”
On Dec 30, the county filed a petition with the NYS Supreme Court to relieve the orange zone restrictions put in place by New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo. Moss said he has not heard anything from the Governor regarding the lawsuit or removing restrictions.
“I mean that’s why we filed the lawsuit to ask the court to look at it and say look, every municipality across the state should be treated the same,” Moss said. “I haven’t heard anything from the governor’s office in reference to the orange zone. Obviously our numbers as a region are well. Our individual numbers should within Chemung County obviously could be a little bit better, but I’m not sure why the governor’s indicating that the orange zones are why we’re doing so good the Southern Tier. I wouldn’t agree with that.”
18 News reached out to the Governor’s office for comment on the restrictions and response to the petition but have not heard back.
Moss said the hearing for the petition will be Jan. 11.
Elmira Firefighters battle house fire on the Southside
Wreaths Across America pick-up taking twice as long at Woodlawn National Cemetery
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FILE – In this July 8, 2019 file photo Sarah Keklak, archaeology lab manager for the city of Boston, sorts samples at the first historical excavation, in Boston’s Chinatown. The archaeological dig has been cut short after it turned up a 1980s music cassette, a toy dinosaur and other bric-a-brac. The city’s Archaeology Program tweeted Tuesday, July 30, that it was wrapping up its three-week excavation at a vacant lot near the neighborhood’s distinctive gateway because researchers have reached the water table, and it is unsafe to dig further. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
BOSTON (AP) — An archaeological dig in Boston’s historic Chinatown has been cut short after it turned up a 1980s music cassette, a toy dinosaur and other bric-a-brac.
The city’s Archaeology Program tweeted Tuesday that it was wrapping up its three-week excavation because researchers reached the water table, and it was unsafe to dig further.
The excavation of a vacant lot near the neighborhood’s distinctive gateway had been expected to last until early autumn.
In recent days, researchers have been humorously tweeting some of their “finds,” including a cassette by Boston R&B group New Edition, a dinosaur toy , linoleum flooring and other items from the 1970s and 1980s.
They’ve also showcased small porcelain pieces, some of which likely came from nearby Chinese restaurants as they dug methodically through layers of brick, concrete and other material.
Researchers had hoped to turn up artifacts shedding new light on Boston’s immigrants — not only those from China but also Syria, Ireland and England who sought new lives in Chinatown from 1840 to 1980.
City archaeologist Joe Bagley said the dig was the first in Chinatown, and his team will “now have a better understanding of how complex and deeply buried backyards may be” there.
“We were tantalizing close to the older deposits,” Bagley said. “It was frustrating to see the water on the site after weeks of work trying to get down to deeper/older deposits.”
The neighborhood, at the edge of the city’s Theater District, drew thousands of newcomers attracted by cheap housing and plentiful warehouse jobs in the adjacent Leather District starting in the late 1800s.
“Boston is a city of immigrants, and this is an important piece of Boston’s history,” Mayor Marty Walsh said when the dig, the city’s first in Chinatown, commenced.
The city Archaeology Program has excavated dozens of sites over the years.
Two years ago, researchers unearthed an outhouse next door to the home of famed colonial leader Paul Revere in the city’s North End. They recovered fragments of pottery, bottles and a tobacco pipe.
In 2016, they dug at the boyhood home of Malcolm X in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood.
Researchers turned up artifacts from the 1940s to 1960s likely belonging to the slain civil rights activist’s family, but also Native American stone tool pieces dating to the time before Europeans came to Boston.
And in 2015, they surveyed the courtyard at the old Boston City Hall building downtown and found remnants of the original Boston Latin, the nation’s first public school.
By DAVID A. LIEB and ADAM GELLER Associated PressPolice and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the lead up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the U.S. Capitol. A few protesters were starting to gather in some cities, but streets in many others remained empty.
About two dozen people, several carrying long guns, protested outside the Ohio Statehouse, observed by several of the dozens of state troopers positioned around the building. Several dozen people — some carrying American flags — gathered at South Carolina's Statehouse. And at Michigan's Capitol, a small group of demonstrators, some armed, stood near a chain-link fence surrounding the building as state police walked the grounds and National Guard vehicles were parked nearby.
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The National Archives > Education > Home Front
The interactive parts of this resource no longer work, but it has been archived so you can continue using the rest of it.
(a) Principle Assignment.
The principle purpose of RICHTER's mission was to deliver funds and a spare wireless crystal to another German agent in this country whom he was instructed to contact. An elaborate procedure had been arranged whereby RICHTER was to identify this agent and, if the initial rendevous miscarried, a series of alternatives were arranged. RICHTER also states that he was intended to discover whether this agent was under control and whether the messages he was sending were authentic.
(b) Code:
RICHTER was given a code which in the absence of directions for constant variation would have been reasonably easy to break. There is no evidence that he had any system for varying the code.
(c) Money:
The Germans are apparently troubled at the possibility that we may change the numbers or colours of the current £1 and £10 notes. They consequently provided RICHTER with $1,400 with instructions that he was to bury the dollar notes near the place where he landed. If he had difficulty in changing the English notes he was to retrieve the dollars and change them in small amounts at the ports, but not to attempt to change them in large cities or banks.
(d) Secret Ink:
RICHTER was instructed in the use of _______tablets dissolved in alcohol for the purpose of secret writing. He did not bring any__________tablets with him, but said that he had been told to purchase an article sold in England under the name of __________which would dissolve in water and provide a secret ink. He was given detailed instructions has to how to write his messages, and was supplied with a cover address in Sweden to which he could send letters if in difficulty.__________ is in fact __________and is apparently obtainable at any chemist's shop on signing the poison book. It is the equivalent of .
(e) Questionnaire:
RICHTER was instructed to give information on the following points in his first investigations:-
(i) What was the road like, or what were roads in general like - under strict, or not strict control?
(ii) What was the control at the railway station like?
(iii) Was it necessary to show one's Identity Card?
(iv) Is it necessary to show this card when spending a night at an hotel?
(v) Are gas masks carried in England, and how?
(vi) Are they carried generally or only on journeys? He was expected to send written reports as frequently as possible and also information on the general conditions in the district in which he found himself.
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2018: The year of Day Zero and the mega-drought
That drier (and warmer) future appears to be arriving much faster than expected for places like Cape Town and Phoenix. And yet business-as-usual seems to still be the order of the day.
Justin Mikulka
SOURCEDeSmogBlog
Image Credit: Peter Austin
In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, one of the wealthiest cities in Africa, faced the prospect of running out of water. This city of four million people was counting down the days to “Day Zero,” when they would turn on the taps and find them dry.
Ultimately, Cape Town’s water conservation measures helped the city narrowly miss reaching Day Zero (for now).
However, the experience stands out as a warning of what’s to come for large, developed population centers as climate change puts increasing pressure on the world’s water in unprecedented and unexpected ways, from a mega-drought in the American West to drier soils preventing rivers and lakes from recharging when rain does arrive.
Cape Town is dealing with a scenario that a major developed city has never faced in the 21st century. “Day Zero” could be only three months away. https://t.co/9idHsCe3Nj
— UN Environment (@UNEnvironment) February 8, 2018
There was little doubt that Capetown’s three-year drought was made worse (and more likely) by climate change, which means the city will have to keep grappling with these challenges in the future.
“With climate change we need to do more with less,” said Mlungisi Johnson, chair of the South African Parliament’s Portfolio on Water and Sanitation.
And South Africa is not alone in this challenge.
Why aren’t more heavy rains filling up water supplies?
The historic droughts in South Africa, Australia, and the American Southwest were not unexpected consequences of climate change. However, a global study led by a team at the University of New South Wales in Australia recently revealed a troubling development that does not bode well for these kind of drought-stricken regions.
While – as expected – climate change has resulted in heavier rainfall (because warmer air can hold more moisture), this study found that these heavier rains are not leading to more available freshwater in large rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
Instead, warmer temperatures are leading to drier soils that absorb more water from rainfall and allow less of it to travel through groundwater systems to recharge the rivers and reservoirs that provide drinking water to cities like Cape Town.
Professor Ashish Sharma, a civil and environmental engineering professor who led the study, was surprised by this finding.
“This is something that has been missed. We expected rainfall to increase,” Sharma said in a statement. “What we did not expect is that, despite all the extra rain everywhere in the world, the large rivers are drying out.”
Sharma noted the need to adapt and re-engineer water systems on a “massive scale” to take this shift into account. He points to Arizona and California as examples of large population centers that were able to do this in order to exist in areas that have nowhere near the rainfall or local water resources to support the existing populations.
Sharma said these areas have ”engineered their water supply systems to make previously uninhabitable places liveable.”
However, considering these areas’ current water woes, they may not be the most promising examples to follow in a climate-changed future.
The Colorado River crisis and America’s Mega-Drought
Without water from the Colorado River, major U.S. cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix would not exist. However, they – and the Colorado River – are facing a water shortage crisis with no easy solution. And with 40 million Americans relying on the Colorado for water, this is no small problem.
The American West currently is experiencing what has been dubbed a “mega-drought,” a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred on the planet in the last 500 years. And as a team of researchers at Columbia University recently revealed, “global warming’s fingerprints” are all over it.
Park Williams, a professor of bioclimatology at Columbia, said that climate change “caused what would have been a fairly severe drought to become a drought as severe as the most severe droughts of the last millennium.”
The team estimates that global warming made this mega-drought 62 percent more severe. They presented their results at a major earth science conference, but have not yet published them in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The Hoover Dam at Lake Mead. Credit: EcoFlight
Amid that mega-drought, the state of water supplies in the American West is frightening. Since 2000, the water flowing in the Colorado River is 19 percent below the average of the past century. Lake Mead, the lake created by the Hoover Dam and one of the main reservoirs in the Colorado River system, is at 38 percent capacity.
The federal government predicts Lake Mead will hit the critical “shortage” level by 2020, while others are predicting the lake could hit that level in 2019.
The latest @usbr Colorado River reservoir operations report came out during #CRWUA18, and it projects Lake Mead to drop below 1,075 feet (official shortage trigger) within six months, and stay below the level for the rest of 2019. https://t.co/I3YszSm9CE
— Luke Runyon (@LukeRunyon) December 18, 2018
In December, the people and organizations responsible for dealing with this coming crisis met in Las Vegas. They were tasked with creating an agreement on how to allocate the Colorado’s shrinking water resources, while knowing that cuts in supply are inevitable. The federal government has given this group until the end of January 2019 to come to an agreement.
As Kathryn Sorenson, director of Phoenix’s water utility, explains, that is no simple task:
“That’s a painful conversation. And of course everyone thinks that their own water use is justified and no one else’s is.”
Growth in population and agriculture at some point would have created greater demand for water from the Colorado River than could be supplied. However, climate change has brought that day of reckoning far sooner than most expected.
University of Michigan climate scientist Jonathan Overpeck coined the term “mega-drought” and recently explained why what is happening in the West and around the world has caught many by surprise.
“The warming is having a huge effect — a huge effect on water resources and a huge effect on forests,” Overpeck told The Atlantic. “People knew there would be an effect, but we didn’t know it would come this big, and this fast.”
To highlight that point, in 2015 NASA warned that a “mega-drought” could hit the American Southwest in the “coming decades,” which The Washington Post reported could “lead to monster wildfires in southern Arizona and parts of California.” But the latest research suggest that it may already be here.
The water-energy nexus
These thirsty cities in the middle of deserts also require more and more air conditioning to deal with the extreme heat that climate change is also bringing.
Air conditioning has enabled Arizona to rank the fifth-highest population growth among U.S. states, but all those humming ACs require electricity. And the majority of electricity produced in America requires vast amounts of water. As climate change raises global temperatures and alters water distribution, water use in energy production – and specifically reducing it – will become increasingly important.
That brings up the stark contrast between America’s two fast-growing forms of electricity production – fracked natural gas and renewables (namely, wind and solar).
A Duke University study this year found that water use by the fracking industry had risen by 770 percent from 2011 to 2016. New Mexico, a state dealing with water shortages, meanwhile is setting records for fracking production. And it’s basically the same story in Colorado and Texas.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration recently pointed out, producing electricity via wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) uses almost no water.
The California State Water Project was borne out of the state’s acknowledgement that local water supplies and its share of the Colorado River would not be sufficient for its growth. Credit: Courtesy of the University of New South Wales.
Yet as Arizona faces a mega-drought and the likelihood of cutting water use in the near future, the fossil fuel industry successfully fought a ballot measure there requiring more renewable energy production.
And any agreement among users of the Colorado River is unlikely to adequately prepare the burgeoning region for what’s coming down the line with climate change.
Arizona is growing and plans to grow more. Among other plans, a group backed by Bill Gates wants to build a whole new “smart” city from scratch in Arizona.
Keith Moses is vice chairman of the Colorado River Indian Tribal Council in Arizona, one of the many groups currently negotiating for its fair share of the river’s water. Moses told The Associated Press that he knew that limiting growth was the best way to conserve water.
“Realistically, looking at it, that’s not going to happen,” he admitted.
However, the current water use plans for the Colorado River are considered stop-gap measures; they don’t even address the reality of climate change. Tom Buschatzke of the Arizona Department of Water Resources said these plans were “not really a climate-adaptation program” even though “we are anticipating a drier future.”
After City Council rejected a water rate hike last week, the rating agency Moody’s offers a few words: Not raising rates would be “credit negative” for the city’s water utilityhttps://t.co/Nxxygfn7UB
— Elizabeth Whitman (@elizabethwhitty) December 19, 2018
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Twitter URL https://twitter.com/JustinMikulka Profile Info Justin Mikulka is a freelance writer, audio and video producer living in Trumansburg, NY. Justin has a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.
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Canadian government asked to distribute radiation pills to residents living near nuclear facilities
Wednesday, July 02, 2014 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: radiation pills, nuclear facilities, potassium iodide
https://www.naturalnews.com/045826_radiation_pills_nuclear_facilities_potassium_iodide.html
(NaturalNews) The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has recommended that the government issue potassium iodide pills to all people living within 10 km (6 miles) of nuclear power plants, to use in case of a nuclear accident, such as the one suffered by Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.
Following the Fukushima disaster, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was directed to draft a report to help Canada make a plan for how it should respond in the case of a similar disaster at one of its own nuclear plants.
Current measures failing
If taken immediately after a nuclear disaster, potassium iodide tablets flood the thyroid gland with iodine, preventing the gland from absorbing radioactive iodine. Those who do not immediately take the pills are likely to absorb large amounts of radioactive iodine from the air, the water and food in the days following a nuclear disaster, dramatically increasing their risk of thyroid cancer. The thyroid glands of young children are particularly vulnerable.
The new Canadian recommendations are in line with policies in many other nuclear-powered nations, which directly distribute potassium iodide tablets to people living near nuclear power plants. Residents then store the tablets in their homes to use in case of disaster.
In contrast, Canada's current policy merely makes the tablets available at local pharmacies, with additional supplies stockpiled at schools. However, according to a 2013 survey by Ontario Power Generation of residents living near the Darlington and Pickering nuclear plants, "almost no one had obtained free pills that have been advertised in regional communications or pamphlets."
The nuclear commission is recommending that, instead, tablets be directly distributed to all residents living within 10 km of a nuclear plant. The nuclear industry has pushed back against such recommendations, in part because they would include roughly a quarter of a million people in the Greater Toronto area.
The decision was welcomed by environmental and nuclear watchdog groups, however, which have noted that the aftermath of a major nuclear disaster would not be a good time to efficiently distribute any type of medication and that the current policy is clearly not getting pills into people's hands.
"Our response is that we've had 30-plus years of making the pills available ... for people to pick up at pharmacies, and there's very low awareness by people that they should do so and that it matters to their health," said Theresa McClenaghan of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.
"Instead the messaging that people have had is that the plants are safe and there's nothing to worry about."
Current U.S. policy is even weaker than Canada's policy, with individual states merely "encouraged" to maintain potassium iodide stockpiles.
Only a half-measure
In terms of protection from radioactive fallout, however, potassium iodide is only a half-measure. It protects the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine isotopes only for as long as it is being taken regularly. Since I-131 has a radioactive half-life of only eight days, potassium iodide is considered a feasible protection against this isotope.
A recent study in Geochemical Journal, however, found that the Fukushima meltdowns actually released 31.6 times as much I-129 as I-131. I-129 has a radioactive half-life of 15.7 million years.
In addition, potassium iodide would offer no protection against cesium-137, the major radioactive isotope released from the Fukushima disaster. While not nearly as long-lived as I-129, cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years.
According to a recent study, 50% more cesium-137 was actually released from the Fukushima plant than had previously been reported by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The study estimates that about 15,000 terabecquerels were ejected directly into the atmosphere, with another 3,500 flowing directly into the ocean. Up to 400 terabecquerels fell to land in North America. A terabecquerel is one trillion becquerels.
http://www.thedailysheeple.com
http://www.infowars.com
http://www.theglobeandmail.com
http://emergency.cdc.gov
http://optimalprediction.com
http://www.japantimes.co.jp
Radiation pills at FETCH.news
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Looney details main key for Wiseman's first season with Dubs
/ by Drew Shiller
Steve Kerr does not know who will start at center for the Warriors when they square off against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 22.
The candidates are Kevon Looney, Marquese Chriss and James Wiseman, whom Golden State selected with the No. 2 overall pick in last month's NBA draft.
Wiseman only played in three college games last season at Memphis, and faces a steep learning curve as he adjusts to the NBA.
What is the main thing he needs to focus on during training camp and the Warriors' three preseason matchups in order to contribute immediately?
"For him, talent and athleticism are gonna take care of a lot of things," Looney told reporters Wednesday afternoon. "But just learning the terminology, learning the different schemes of defense is gonna be the hardest thing to pick up. That's gonna be the biggest key, especially since we're trying to win right away.
"There's gonna be a lot of pressure to play the right way and do the right things. But as long as he learns the basics, learns how to talk -- that's probably the biggest thing."
Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast
Looney battled through some injuries early on his career and barely cracked the rotation. But he changed his diet, got his body right and ended up being a major contributor in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The 24-year-old is a valuable defender, and sounds eager to impart some wisdom to Wiseman.
"As a center you gotta be the anchor on defense," Looney said. "Having Draymond [Green] back there is a big help. He's gonna walk him through a lot of things.
"Being able to talk the guards through the pick-and-roll, talk the guards through different actions is gonna be something that he's gonna have to learn.
"But he's a smart kid and he's gonna be able to pick it up really fast."
RELATED: Bazemore explains why he signed with Warriors in free agency
The Warriors believe Wiseman has the ability to blossom into an All-Star and All-NBA level player. But he still is raw and there will be some growing pains throughout his development.
"Looney is going to be so much more advanced than James will be defensively," Kerr said Tuesday. "James has a lot to catch up on.
"But James' potential athletically is so dramatic that I imagine he'll have a chance to step in and help us because he's so athletic and dynamic. But there's a ton to learn, and he doesn't have the value of a summer league, a whole summer of workouts.
"A lot to catch up on in every respect."
Follow @DrewShiller on Twitter and Instagram
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Biggest Caps stories of 2020: Backstrom re-signs to be a Capital for life
/ by J.J. Regan
In January, I spoke one-on-one with Nicklas Backstrom on a story I was doing on what life was like for European players in America. Most players I talked to for this story spoke about all the things they missed about home and how difficult the transition was to life in America. Backstrom, however, spoke mainly on how much he loved it in Washington. Backstrom was in the last year of his contract and, at the time, remained unsigned. I should have realized what I was indirectly being told. I didn't. The very next week, the announcement was made, Backstrom had re-snged for five years, $46 million. It's a contract that will almost certainly make him a Capital for life.
“I had one goal in mind and that was to stay here,” Backstrom said in January. “I think personally, I always dreamed of finishing my career here and hopefully that will be the case. I love the city, I love the fans and love the organization so it was no doubt in my mind. It would be really weird to put on a different jersey.”
In his career, Backstrom has often been overshadowed by teammate Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is the larger-than-life goal-scorer, Backstrom is the soft-spoken, set-up player. Ovechkin will go down as one of the best to play the game. Backstrom should, but does not always get his due.
Think of the all-time great Swedish players. It's a pretty long and impressive list. Backstrom ranks seventh in points among Swedish players all-time with 927. He has more points than the great Peter Forsberg and sits just 33 short of Henrik Zetterberg.
Even if Backstrom is not appreciated by the hockey community for how great a player he is, he certainly has been by the Capitals who gave him one of the greatest honors a franchise can give.
Very few players get the honor of playing exclusively for one team for their entire career. Maybe Backstrom will ultimately finish his career somewhere else, but at the very least, the Caps showed with his new contract that the organization intends for him to never put on another team's jersey.
Download and subscribe to the Capitals Talk podcast
“You are recognized when you are with the same team for a long time and that is what I want to be,” Backstrom said. “I am a born and raised Capital and that is where I want to finish. I couldn't see myself in another jersey and I don't want to play for another team so fortunately, very fortunate to be able to sign a new contract."
Tom Brady is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Peyton Manning finished his career with the Denver Broncos. Michael Jordan played one season for the Washington Wizards. Wayne Gretzky played for four different teams in his career. Gordie Howe spent one year in Hartford. None of the four players who have had their numbers retired by the Capitals played their entire careers with Washington.
Backstrom was part of the only team to win a Stanley Cup for Washington, but we have already seen Braden Holtby, the best goalie in franchise history, leave in free agency. Holtby's replacement, Ilya Samsonov, was on the team, but so is Backstrom's as he has already been replaced on the top line by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Yes, Holtby was going to cost too much to keep, but a 33-year-old Backstrom likely is not going to live up to a $9.2 million cap hit for five years.
So why Backstrom? Why was this important to the organization?
Because Backstrom has been a great ambassador to the team and to the sport. Because the "Rock the Red" era has not just been about Ovechkin, it's also been about Backstrom. It's not just that Backstrom has been one of the great players in the history of the organization, it's that his career and Ovechkin's have been linked literally since the moment Backstrom was drafted as it was Ovechkin who made the announcement.
While some want to discredit Backstrom by saying his points are a product of playing with a player like Ovechkin, really it's incredible what the two players have been able to accomplish together. If Backstrom has benefitted from playing with Ovechkin, how much has Ovechkin benefitted from playing with Backstrom? That's not a knock on either player and I don't know why people make it out to be. They are two great players and Washington does not want to see either ever suit up for another NHL team.
Neither does Backstrom who negotiated the contract himself, without an agent and without any intention of playing for anyone else.
“I love this city here,” Backstrom told NBC Sports Washington. “I just think it’s really good. I mean, it’s nice to go back [to Sweden] in the summertime, but I couldn’t wish for a better place to live in.”
More Capitals biggest storylines of 2020:
Capitals blown apart by Barry Trotz, Islanders
COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the NHL season
Braden Holtby plays his last season with the Capitals Alex Ovechkin makes history with 700th goal
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Congress takes on the occupational licensing…
Congress takes on the occupational licensing cartels
AP Photo/Steven Senne
In this Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017 photo Jocelyn DoCouto, top, adds braid extensions for seven-year-old Zanyrah Parrott, of Pawtucket, R.I., in DoCouto’s home, in Pawtucket. DoCouto is pushing for state legislation in Rhode Island that would exempt her from the cumbersome and expensive occupational licensing requirements for hairdressers and barbers.
By Nick Sibilla | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: October 5, 2017 at 8:03 a.m. | UPDATED: October 5, 2017 at 8:19 a.m.
It’s a government policy that affects more Americans than unions and the minimum wage combined. Today, a staggering one out of every four American workers needs either an occupational license or certificate to do their jobs — a fivefold increase from the 1950s. According to one estimate, this dramatic surge in licensing costs Americans over $200 billion each year in higher prices as well as “up to 2.85 million fewer jobs nationwide.”
Fortunately, lawmakers are finally starting to address this massive obstacle to a flourishing labor market. Last week, 11 states announced that they will participate in an occupational licensing consortium on how to best remove barriers to entry. That announcement followed a congressional subcommittee hearing that discussed the nation’s deeply anticompetitive licensing boards.
Across the country, there are nearly 1,800 state licensing boards, regulating those who work as doctors and dentists as well as hair braiders, makeup artists and interior designers. In Louisiana, the Horticulture Commission even licenses roughly 2,000 florists throughout the state.
Adding insult to injury, many of those boards are directly controlled not by elected officials, but by individuals with a financial stake in what they regulate. According to research by Vanderbilt law professor Rebecca Allensworth, who testified at the hearing, “85 percent of state licensing boards are required by state statute to be comprised of a majority of currently licensed professionals.” As she put it, “These boards are formed, by law, as cartels.”
But thanks to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, lawmakers have a new way to bust open those cartels. In its 2015 decision, North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, the court ruled that licensing boards, when dominated by so-called “active market participants,” can be sued under federal antitrust laws. However, boards can regain immunity from potentially expensive antitrust litigation if they fall under a state’s “active supervision,” though that was left vague.
Enter Congress. Under the Restoring Board Immunity Act, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa and Sens. Mike Lee, Ben Sasse and Ted Cruz, states could follow one of two paths to provide active supervision. For the first option, any enforcement actions or proposed regulations would have to be reviewed by an independent agency. Under the second option, states would have to beef up judicial review for licensing laws, since many courts have become rubber stamps for an ever-growing administrative state.
Regardless of the choice, occupational regulations would only be allowed if they truly protect “real, substantial threats to public health, safety or welfare.” Additionally, those regulations must be the “least restrictive” form — if lawmakers can protect the public with a less intrusive policy, they should.
Developed by the Institute for Justice, this framework recognizes that there are a variety of market-based and state-sponsored approaches to regulation short of licensing, which is the most restrictive. Consumers can instead rely on market competition and third-party reviews, while policymakers can require inspections, bonding or registration. The government can also create a certification for an occupation, which, like a license, acts as a signal, but is completely voluntary.
In addition, the RBI could provide a new way to achieve sweeping regulatory reforms. All too often, when a state lawmaker proposes scrapping multiple licenses and other regulatory bottlenecks, established businesses scurry to defend their turf. As the Institute for Justice detailed in a new book, these “bottleneckers” include trade associations, unions and any other special-interest groups who lobby to add or defend regulations that keep out their competitors.
Now that licensing boards can be sued (including for monetary damages), the RBI offers a powerful incentive for state legislators to stand up to bottleneckers. By reining in licensing boards, lawmakers can slash red tape, prevent federal lawsuits, cut costs for consumers and let entrepreneurs thrive. Passing the RBI would truly hit it out of the park.
Nick Sibilla is a legislative analyst at the Institute for Justice.
Nick Sibilla
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North Miami Home to the First Municipal Food Pantry Powered Through Feeding South Florida and the Florida Blue Foundation
Friday, Oct. 25th at 10 a.m., North Miami officials, Feeding South Florida®, and the Florida Blue Foundation, will host a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the first government-sponsored pantry housed within a municipality. The grand opening celebration for Feeding North Miami -The NoMi Food Market will take place at the Sunkist Grove Community Center, located at 12500 NW 13th Ave, North Miami. More than 150 spectators are expected to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony, which will include an on-site mobile pantry filled with nutritious food for the public.
On a weekly basis, North Miami residents will have access to fresh nutritious fruits and vegetables, protein, dairy and shelf-stable items, plus health and beauty, items such as diapers and personal hygiene products. The pantry will also provide nutrition classes, as well as assistance with SNAP, TCA, Medicaid and Florida KidCare applications. The Feeding North Miami food pantry will operate every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by appointment only. The pantry will begin the intake process Monday, Oct. 28th. North Miami residents seeking pantry services should call 305-395-3053.
On June 11, 2019, the North Miami City Council unanimously allocated funding for The NoMi Food Market managed by the City’s Housing and Social Services Department. The program’s mission is to end hunger and poverty by transforming lives through innovative programming and education.
Councilman Alix Desulme Ed.D, who initiated the program said, “I am beyond elated to launch the first every City pantry in the beautiful city of North Miami. What started as a bi-monthly food distribution for residents in need, has now evolved into a full blown pantry for all North Miami residents. This vision has taken over a year to conceptualize; and I am over the moon excited to see it come into fruition!”
North Miami Mayor, Philippe Bien-Aime said, “This pantry is critical to the health, well-being and livelihood of our community. North Miami families will now have access to much needed healthy food options, at no cost to them. These savings will allow them to use money they would normally spend on groceries for other household necessities.”
The NoMi Food Market is made possible by the generous contribution of Feeding South Florida and the Florida Blue Foundation. The City of North Miami provided $50,000 in funding, along with the space, equipment and technical assistance for the pantry. The State of Florida provided $50,000 in grant funding. The Florida Blue Foundation provided a yearly grant of $200,000 to the pantry for two years.
⇐Previous North Miami Tradition Continues at the 45th Annual Winternational Thanksgiving Day ParadeNext⇒ FEMA Awards North Miami Funds for Hurricane Irma Expenses
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Casino mogul's auction should prove that art collecting isn't a gamble
The casino giant Steve Wynn is best known for revitalising the Las Vegas strip as owner of some of the largest casinos in the city, including The Mirage, Treasure Island and, of course, Wynn.
But Wynn isn't only an owner of some of the world's most famous gambling venues, he's also dedicated some of his estimated $1.5bn-2bn into collecting the world's most famous artists.
Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol are among the iconic names in his collection. And now other collectors and investors have a chance to get in on the action...
Roy Lichtenstein's Ohhh... Alright... is estimated at $40m
Various important works from Wynn's collection are going under the hammer at Christie's International on November 10.
Experts are predicting success from the auction - and think that its results will prove once and for all that the art markets are going from strength-to-strength and rising above the recession.
Among the sale's highlights will be Roy Lichtenstein's Ohhh... Alright..., a painting dated to 1964. The signed and dated work is estimated at $40m.
Billionaire Steve Wynn has Picasso in his collection - but
you don't need to be a millionaire to own a Picasso, or
reap the investment benefits.
Lichtenstein's painting depicts an attractive redhead, sighing sadly on the phone. Christie's expects the work to easily surpass the artist's current $16.3m auction record.
Wynn is also offering a 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat self-portrait of himself beside his Pop Art mentor, Andy Warhol. The Basquiat is expected to bring $10m.
The works will appear as part of a two-week art auction in Manhattan, during which Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury & Co will offer modern artworks worth an estimated total of $1.5bn.
Learn how you can get pleasure and profit from investing in contemporary art
Click here for all the latest Art & Photography news
Join our readers in over 190 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today
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Charles Dickens character reference valued at $7,500
A signed character reference written by Charles Dickens in 1852 is among the highlights of an autograph auction at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury.
Charles Dickens was a philanthropist as well as a writer
The lot relates to Georgiana Morson, the matron of a home for "fallen women" which Dickens founded in 1847. It's a glowing description of her abilities, which reads in part: "I have invariably found that those under her care become attached to her".
The term "fallen women" referred to women living in poverty, many of who were forced to turn to prostitution.
Dickens was a progressive - with the result that the home (Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush, London) was a markedly more pleasant place than most charitable lodgings of the time.
The atmosphere was supportive and the women were treated with dignity. There was a garden and a piano, which the residents were encouraged to use.
Those living there were taught skills to enable them to find employment and live independently when they left.
Dickens had spent time in the poor house in his childhood and knew the cycle of suffering that poverty engendered.
In her book on Urania, author Jenny Hartley explains that Morson "had the warmth he wanted so much at Urania […] she was kind, friendly, motherly. She immediately took to the girls and they took to her in return…the girls wept with her when they left."
Fortunately for Dickens, Morson failed to get the job. She stayed on at Urania Cottage for a further two years. The letter is expected to make £3,000-5,000 ($4,521-7,535).
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Little Johnny Sylvester collection will auction at Grey Flannel
The remarkable Little Johnny Sylvester collection is coming to market with Grey Flannel Auctions in 2014, highlighted by a famous Babe Ruth signed baseball.
Eleven-year-old Yankees fan Sylvester was gravely ill in hospital following a horse riding accident, when Ruth sent him a signed baseball as a "get well" gift in October 1926.
On that baseball Ruth had inscribed "I'll Knock A Homer For You", a reference to the Yankees' World Series contest with the St Louis Cardinals.
Ruth's earliest jersey - the sports memorabilia auction record holder
Ruth was better than his word, smashing three home runs (a new personal best) in game four of the series.
Ruth sent two subsequent letters to the boy, whose spirits were much raised by the correspondence, and even the Yankees' seven-game loss couldn't prevent him from making a full recovery.
The baseball and letters are up for grabs at the February 6-ending online auction, in the 100th year since Ruth made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
They are joined by a letter to Sylvester from American football star "Red" Grange - a friend of Ruth's - as well as a signed tennis racquet to the boy from "Big Bill" Tilden.
All the items, consigned directly from John Sylvester Jr, have been on loan to the Babe Ruth Museum since the 1980s.
Ruth's centenary year is shaping up to be an exciting one for baseball collectors. Goldin Auctions will sell a number of Ruth game-used bats, as well as an example of his 1914 rookie card, on July 12.
We will bring you a full preview right here - sign up to our free newsletter to ensure you don't miss it.
The Babe Ruth memorabilia market scarcely needs an important anniversary to give it added impetus: his earliest game-used jersey made $4.4m in 2012 - a sports memorabilia record.
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Westland to Publish CASTE AS SOCIAL CAPITAL The Complex Place of Caste in Indian Society by PROF. R. VAIDYANATHAN
Many consider caste as an outdated institution, but it thrives in post-liberalisation India. The establishment and running of businesses tap into caste networks, both in terms of arranging finance and providing access to a ready workforce.
Picture Credit: Westland
By and large, caste has only been studied from a religious, social and political angle. Though it is widely accepted that caste has economic ramifications, any study of this aspect has been limited to looking at caste groups in terms of their per capita income, their representation in various professions, and other statistical details.
Caste as Social Capital examines the workings of caste through the lens of business, economics and entrepreneurship. It interrogates the role caste plays in the economic sphere in terms of facilitating the nuts and bolts of business and entrepreneurship: finance, markets and workforce.
Through this qualitative view of caste, an entirely new picture emerges of caste which forces one to view this age-old institution in new light.
Prof. R. Vaidyanathan is a retired Professor of Finance at IIM, Bangalore. He is a two-time Fulbright scholar and was a Fellow of ICSSR. He has been a Visiting Professor at various universities in the USA and UK and was selected by Business Today as one of the ten best professors at all IIMs.
He has the rare privilege of being is a committee-member of many regulatory bodies, such as RBI, SEBI, PFRDA and IRDA. He is a consultant to many organisations and is on the board of many corporates. He is on the advisory council of Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi.
His earlier books—India Uninc and Black Money and Tax Havens (both published by Westland)—were well-received by experts, policy planners and practitioners.
Prof. R. Vaidyanathan is now Cho S. Ramaswamy Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Sastra University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
Caste as Social Capital will release on 27 March 2019 across all online and offline bookstores in India
Price: INR 299 | Imprint: Westland
Tags: Westland
← Book Review: The Antagonists by Tina Biswas
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Zeke Miller
Published: April 8, 2020, 12:14 am Updated: April 8, 2020, 10:36 pm
Tags: politics, Government, Michael Pence
Feds loosen virus rules to let essential workers return
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks as charts are displayed during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON – In a first, small step toward reopening the country, the Trump administration issued new guidelines Wednesday to make it easier for essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to get back to work if they do not have symptoms of the coronavirus.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced at the White House that essential employees, such as health care and food supply workers, who have been within 6 feet of a confirmed or suspected case of the virus can return to work under certain circumstances if they are not experiencing symptoms.
The new guidelines are being issued as the nation mourns more than 14,000 deaths from the virus and grapples with a devastated economy and medical crises from coast to coast. Health experts continue to caution Americans to practice social distancing and to avoid returning to their normal activities. At the same time, though, they are planning for a time when the most serious threat from COVID-19 will be in the country’s rear-view mirror.
President Donald Trump said that while he knows workers are “going stir crazy” at home, he can't predict when the threat from the virus will wane.
“The numbers are changing and they’re changing rapidly and soon we’ll be over that curve. We’ll be over the top and we’ll be headed in the right direction. I feel strongly about that," Trump said about the coronavirus, which he called "this evil beast.”
“I can’t tell you in terms of the date," Trump said, adding cases could go down and then once again “start going up if we’re not careful. ”
At some point, he said at his daily briefing, social distancing guidelines will disappear and people will be able to sit together at sports events. “At some point we expect to be back, like it was before,” he said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said if the existing guidelines asking people to practice social distancing through the end of April are successful in halting the spread of the virus, more relaxed recommendations could be in order.
He said the White House task force was trying to dovetail public health concerns with practical steps that need to be in place when the 30-day guidelines end at the end of the month so the nation can “safely and carefully march toward some sort of normality.”
If, by fall, things start to return to normal, Americans will still need to wash their hands frequently, sick schoolchildren should be kept home and people with fevers need to refrain from going to work, Fauci said during an online interview Wednesday with the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
People also should never shake hands again, Fauci said, only half-jokingly.
“I mean it sounds crazy, but that’s the way it’s really got to be,” he said. “Until we get to a point where we know the population is protected” with a vaccine.
Under the new guidelines for essential workers, the CDC recommends that exposed employees take their temperatures before their shifts, wear face masks and practice social distancing at work. They also are advised to stay home if they are ill, not share headsets or other objects used near the face and refrain from congregating in crowded break rooms.
Employers are asked to take exposed workers’ temperatures and assess symptoms before allowing them to return to work, aggressively clean work surfaces, send workers home if they get sick and increase air exchange in workplaces.
Fauci said he hoped the pandemic would prompt the U.S. to look at long-term investments in public health, specifically at the state and local level. Preparedness that was not in place in January needs to be in place if or when COVID-19 or another virus threatens the country.
“We have a habit of whenever we get over a challenge, we say, ‘OK, let’s move on to the current problem,’” he said. “We should never, ever be in a position of getting hit like this and have to scramble to respond again. This is historic."
Even the new guidelines will not be a foolproof guard against spreading infection.
Recent studies have suggested that somewhere around 10% of new infections might be sparked by contact with individuals who are infected but do not yet exhibit symptoms. Scientists say it’s also possible that some people who develop symptoms and then recover from the virus remain contagious, or that some who are infected and contagious may never develop symptoms.
As of Wednesday, the U.S. had more than 400,000 confirmed cases of infection.
On the other side of the globe, the journey back to normalcy is further along.
In Wuhan, the Chinese industrial city that first reported cases of the new coronavirus, authorities ended a 76-day lockdown Wednesday. Residents can travel in and out of the city without special authorization, but must use a smartphone app showing they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.
Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, chimed in with a cautionary tweet from the sidelines, writing: “Social distancing bends the curve and relieves some pressure on our heroic medical professionals. But in order to shift off current policies, the key will be a robust system of testing and monitoring — something we have yet to put in place nationwide.”
Conservative voices, for their part, are pushing for an economic and social restart, urging Trump to overrule health officials.
“At some point, the president is going to have to look at Drs. Fauci and Birx and say, we’re opening on May 1," Fox commentator Laura Ingraham tweeted. "Give me your best guidance on protocols, but we cannot deny our people their basic freedoms any longer.”
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago contributed to this report. Stobbe reported from New York.
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How Obama Can Win Back Independents
By Howard Fineman On 1/24/10 at 7:00 PM EST
In Washington, you are whom you lunch with. So it was worth noting that on the same day that a conservative Republican was pulling a historic upset victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, Obama was dining at the White House with retiring GOP Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio. The luncheon guest is known for his concern about the federal balance sheet, which is a scary thing to read these days. Voinovich is no Randian wingnut, but, as a former governor and a practical guy, he hates the idea of debt. He frets, not without reason, that we now owe a greater percentage of our patrimony to others (including our descendants) than at any time since the end of World War II. In other words, he knows how to speak to the soul of "independents," this season's most sought-after voting bloc.
As Obama gears up for the second year of his presidency—to be launched more or less officially in his first State of the Union address—his interest in Voinovich is a sign that the president is worrying about how to make a pitch to those voters, whose lukewarm allegiance has turned cold. The numbers are clear enough. In the 2008 election, he won 52 percent of the vote of the 29 percent of the electorate that described itself as neither Democrat nor Republican, but rather "independent or something else." Now he has the support of only 42 percent of those independent voters. In three statewide races since 2008—the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey last November, and the Massachusetts Senate race—the Democratic candidates have been clobbered by at least a 2–1 margin among independents.
Who are these people? And how can Obama lure than back?
An academic cottage industry exists to debate the identity of independents (or even if they exist) and what they care about. The academic discussions are way too technical for me. What I can tell you is based on having covered lots of elections, and self-described independents such as Ross Perot. It's enough to know that "independents" are weakly attached to the apparatus or agendas of the parties, that they tend to be younger and more male than hard-core party types, and that they are, for want of a better term, "process-oriented."
They yearn for "good government"—government that is open, fair, efficient, free of special interests' domination, and nonpartisan or bipartisan in spirit. They find no glory in ideological combat; they see it as destructive. They search for leaders who exhibit a sense of good will. They tend to fret about deficits and debt, but not in a reflexively antigovernmental way. They are not against social programs, but want them administered with old-school thrift. They are not "centrists" in the sense that they exist in some mathematical middle ground between "left" and "right." Nor are they necessarily angry "populists," eternally resenting and distrusting anyone with any power. They are outsiders who wish Washington were a better place.
Obama did a pretty good job of appealing to these folks in 2008. In many ways, he was the kind of politician they would distrust: a metropolitan liberal Democrat. But he had a knack for sounding like the most sober, reasonable, and nonideological of men. In the campaign, he couched many of his social proposals in terms that penny-pinching independents might like: health-care reform, for example, wasn't about social uplift as much as cost control.
But tone and clever thinking couldn't tame the realities of his first year in office. As Obama saw it, he had no choice but to throw money at vast crises, from saving the banks to saving jobs in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Of necessity, government got bigger but not more efficient. What's worse, the results have been all but invisible on Main Street or at the mall.
The health-care crusade has cost him among independents. Not that they didn't want heath-care reform; they did. But the massive bill now stuck in Congress has seemed to grow less sensible and more confusing in its substance, even as the process of enacting it has become more arcane, secretive, viciously partisan, and corrupt.
In 2008, Obama had won a majority of independents by promising to reform the way government worked: to make it more "transparent" and clean, more logical and brainy, less influenced by big money and old ideological thinking. Even though it contains worthy items, the health-care bill of 2010 has come to represent just another example of why Washington can't seem to operate rationally.
So what does Obama need to say in the State of the Union to win back independents? It's clear, from talking to his aides, that he knows that the onslaught of government spending and proposals have cost him with independents. As one insider said recently, "It's time for a pause." Obama will try to address fears about rising deficits and debt by proposing a commission, a favorite idea of the process types. He will declare his intent to slow the rise of federal spending and will point, with justification, to savings his administration has achieved in some areas. The president also may be able to score points with independents by vowing to somehow dam up the flow of corporate spending in campaigns, a flow that could grow to a flood as a result of the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the matter. But, according to some Democrats outside the White House, Obama's problem is his frame of reference: the South Side of Chicago, the liberal wing of the party that holds sway there, and his roots in Democrat-dominated Hawaii and the Ivy League.
"All of us are products of our experience," says Sen. Evan Bayh, a moderate Democrat and deficit hawk. "By the standards of his background, he thinks of himself as a moderate, pragmatic guy, and I think he is correct. But that still leaves him to the left of the mainstream, which is not where he needs to be if he is going to win those independents back."
We'll see how he does Wednesday night.
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Not Candy Crush—Scientists Identify Nature of Candy Sculpture
5-Feb-2015 9:00 AM EST, by New York University
Newswise — A team of scientists has identified the complex process by which materials are shaped and ultimately dissolved by surrounding water currents. The study, conducted by researchers at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Florida State University, appears in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
“How flowing fluids generate unique shapes through erosion or dissolution is complex and fascinating,” says Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor at NYU’s Courant Institute and the paper’s senior author.
The researchers studied this effect by immersing hard candy in a water current. They found that a peculiar but consistent shape emerges and then persists before eventually vanishing. This same ‘sculpture’ results regardless of the candy’s initial form and the speed of the water flow.
The authors were also surprised to find that their work offers a long-sought answer to a question from childhood: How many licks does it take to reach the center of a lollipop? By formulating a theory for how flows cause dissolving and shrinking, the researchers calculated an estimate of about 1,000 licks.
But the work addresses some serious science, too. Understanding how materials dissolve is at the heart of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries—their products rely on the incorporation of solid compounds into solutions within reactors and within the human body.
The work also has relevance in geology—the research links the morphology of eroding and dissolving surfaces to the flows present, which could offer a way to explain the unusual but consistent shapes of landscapes and landforms.
Conducted in NYU’s Applied Math Lab, the study involved experiments using pieces of hard candy, cooked up by the researchers and measuring about two inches. Simple shapes, such as spheres or cylinders, were then placed in a water tunnel, which allows for washing of these bodies by well-controlled flows. The researchers captured the change of candy’s shape using time-lapse photography and used these measurements to formulate a theory for how flows affect dissolving.
The study was led by Jinzi Huang, a doctoral student at the Courant Institute, and also includes Professor Nicholas Moore of Florida State’s Department of Mathematics.
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Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. Dies At 90
By Katherine Biek
and Briana Koeneman
Conyers retired from the House of Representatives in 2017 amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. died Sunday at the age of 90.
The Democrat from Michigan was first elected to Congress in 1964, making him one of just six black members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Conyers went on to become the longest-serving black member in congressional history. During his more than 50 years in office, he helped found the Congressional Black Caucus and headed up the House Judiciary Committee.
Conyers also helped push through a number of key pieces of legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and the measure that made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday.
Conyers announced his retirement from the House in 2017 amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
Conyers is survived by his wife and their two sons.
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Fellowships & Early Career Awards
Postdoctoral Fellowships for Basic Scientists Program Overview
The Postdoctoral Fellowships for Basic Scientists are two-year fellowships for young scientists, fresh from their Ph.D. training, to study at major research institutions.
This program grants $120,000 over two years. This consists of $55,000 annually (to be used as salary) as well as a $5,000 annual research allowance to be used at the Fellow's discretion, with sponsor/mentor approval, to pay for items such as books, training courses, travel costs (up to $2,000) or a computer. There is no provision for the deduction of postdoctoral taxes, institutional overhead or fees. We may approve $3,000 of the research allowance to defray the health insurance costs paid by the Fellow if the Fellow sends a written request.
Eligibility & Restrictions
The applicant must be within five years of receiving his or her Ph.D. at the time the award starts, and must name an individual who will serve as his or her research mentor and supervisor. This program is open to both national and international applicants. If awarded, a Postdoctoral Fellow must commit 90 percent of his or her effort to the Parkinson's Foundation-funded project.
Postdoctoral Fellowships for Clinical Neurologists Program Overview
For young clinicians who have completed their neurology residency and are seeking clinical research experience, the Parkinson's Foundation offers the Postdoctoral Fellowships for Clinical Neurologists, two-year awards in the amount of $140,000. This award includes salary support of $65,000 per year.
Similar to the Fellowship for Basic Scientists, the Fellow, with the approval of the mentor, may use an additional research allowance of $5,000 per year to pay for such items as books, training courses, travel costs (up to $2,000) or a computer. There is no provision for the deduction of postdoctoral taxes, institutional overhead or fees. However, if the Fellow sends a written request, we may approve up to $3,000 of the research allowance to defray the cost of health insurance paid by the Fellow.
Applicants seeking a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Neurologists must possess an M.D. or equivalent and be within three years of having completed a residency in neurology at the time the award starts. Applicants may not have their own lab and must name an individual who will serve as his or her mentor and supervisor of their research. This program is open to national and international applicants. If awarded, we require a Clinical Fellow to commit 80 percent of his or her effort to the Parkinson's Foundation-funded project.
The Parkinson's Foundation application process is highly competitive and only five percent of all proposals receive funding. To make the process more efficient for both applicants and reviewers, we require a two-step application. Initially, we ask applicants to send a letter of Intent. If selected by reviewers, the applicant can proceed to submit a full proposal.
You must submit the application online; we will not accept paper copies. The Parkinson's Foundation will only consider funding applicants who submit intent letters by the specified deadline. We will notify applicants invited to submit a full proposal at least six weeks prior to the full application deadline. Please browse current grant deadlines here.
Review & Decisions
We peer-review and competitively rank all proposals based upon scientific merit and impact upon Parkinson's disease. Expect final decisions by mid-April. We typically begin first-year funding July 1 and end it June 30 the following year.
We require applicants who successfully receive Parkinson's Foundation research funding to identify the foundation as a source of support in all published works and presentations. Forward a copy of any such papers to grants@parkinson.org.
The Parkinson's Foundation also requires fellowship recipients to account for all expenditures.
Should researchers want to file a consecutive fellowship application, a preliminary report of the current research is due along with the new application.
Apply Now for Basic Scientists
Apply Now for Neurologists
Questions and Additional Information
Please contact grants@parkinson.org with any questions regarding this award.
Book traversal links for Postdoctoral Fellowships
‹ Fellowships & Early Career Awards
Melvin Yahr Early Career Award in Movement Disorders Research ›
Parkinson’s Outcomes Project
PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease
PD Clinical Trials
Awards for Institutions
Awards for Independent Investigators
Melvin Yahr Early Career Award in Movement Disorders Research
Visiting Scholar Awards
Partnership Awards
Physical Therapy Faculty Award
Parkinson’s Nurse Fellowship
Nurse Faculty Award
Join the PD GENEration Today
PD GENEration is an initiative that offers genetic testing and genetic counseling at no cost for people with Parkinson’s disease.
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Dr Peter Jeppsen was born and raised in Afton, Wyoming. He obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2009. Upon graduation, he began practicing in northwest Arkansas and continued there until relocating to Boulder, Colorado in December 2017. Dr Jeppsen has pursued his post-graduate dental education at the world-renown Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida where he has been mentored by some of the world's finest restorative and cosmetic dentists.
Dr Jeppsen has a passion for comprehensive dental
care that takes into account teeth, gums, joints, and
muscles. In addition to bringing extensive training in
cosmetic and complex restorative dentistry with him
to Boulder, his practice incorporates cutting edge
technology, including the Trios Intra-oral Scanner from 3Shape and a 3D conebeam CT digital x-ray machine. "I believe that patients are entitled to the highest level of care, skill, and judgment that a dentist can offer. I work with specialists in all areas of dentistry and medicine as well as utilizing the finest labs to produce long-lasting, functional, and stunning aesthetic results."
Dr Jeppsen and his wife, Angie, have been married
since 2002. They have four children together and live
in Erie. He enjoys backpacking to remote places,
travelling to exotic locales, and playing with his
children. His hobbies include running, biking,
reading, and writing.
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Richard Fain
Royal Caribbean Group
Richard D. Fain serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL). The Group owns and operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara, and Silversea Cruises. Additionally, Royal Caribbean Group is part of joint ventures that operate TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The company's sixty ships carry more than 6 million guests a year to ports on all seven continents.
Since taking the helm of Royal Caribbean in 1988, Fain has guided the company’s growth to its current place on the S&P 500, as well as its repeat listing by the Ethisphere Institute as a World's Most Ethical Company. Twice, Barron’s has named him one of the World’s 30 Best CEOs for his vision and changing the course of the industry.
Fain serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami. He is also a member of the board of the Posse Foundation and the executive committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council. He has been recognized with the Federal Maritime Commission's Earth Day Award, the Travel Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award, the South Florida Business Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and membership in the South Florida Business Hall of Fame. The French government honored Fain as a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, while the Finnish government named him a Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion.
Fain holds a B.S. degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Fain and his wife, Colleen, have four children and seven extraordinary grandchildren.
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Interview with Charlie Knight of 'Scoregasm' fame
The last time I visited Charlie Knight and his Scoregasm project was just over a year ago when I saw the game at Eurogamer Expo 2010. Since then however, everything had been pretty quiet, until recently when Charlie Knight re-emerged with his beautiful bullet-hell arena shooter. A game that GamePro describe as nailing “all the elements that make an arena shooter fun and exciting while offering incentive to dive back in over and over again for more space pummeling”.
Now that the game’s been released, I thought it was high time to catch up with its creator – Charlie Knight – and find out as to what took him so long to make Scoregasm.
Now that the game is out, how do you think Scoregasm has been received by gamers and press alike?
Yeah, pretty well I guess. It’s been nice reading comments by folk who’ve enjoyed it even though they don’t usually get much out of this sort of game. I’d hoped that the game would surprise people, and I put a lot of time into making it more enjoyable for non-shooter fans.
Scoregasm was originally meant to have been released late 2010, but didn’t actually come out until October this year. Why do you think there was a delay in releasing the title, and how do you think the game’s production cycle could have been sped up?
Actually, I started the game as a summer project in 2009 with the intention of releasing it that year. In terms of development time, I guess 2.5years is a while for a project, especially considering my previous two titles were both done in a couple of weeks, but I let the game evolve as I wrote it, rather than stick rigidly to a plan. It would have been nice for it to have been finished sooner, but I don’t regret spending the time on the game.
In wanting to attain that elusive goal of seeking perfection, every developer has to make compromises during the development of their game. Are there any aspects of the game that you aren’t totally happy with, and what do you think could have been done so as to allow Scoregasm to play closer to your original vision?
I’m genuinely pretty happy with how Scoregasm worked out to be honest. As I didn’t really have an original vision aside from colourful and explosions, I can’t really say if it’s close or not to how I wanted the game to feel when I started. In terms of what I might have liked, I guess I’d thought of how I wanted the menu/map screen to look before I started the levels, as I could have made the transitions between menu and game much smoother by having them occupy the same scene. A few super hardcore players have said the game is a little too easy for them, and that’s fine, the game isn’t really designed for them, but I’d like to maybe do a set of levels that are more difficult. We’ll see!
Are there any plans for making the game available on Steam, and do you have any plans for porting Scoregasm across to other (console and mobile) platforms?
The game will be out on Steam in the new year. I’m not planning on porting Scoregasm to consoles/mobile platforms, at least not myself. I’ve got my work cut out with the platforms I do support, and I really want to be pushing on with new projects and not investing more time in rewriting this one.
By looking at your development history, I’ve noticed that every game you have ever released has tended to be a 2D shooter. Why is this, and have you ever thought about branching out and exploring other genres?
I’d like to maybe try some different sorts of games, but I’ve yet to come up with something interesting enough for me to want to carry through to completion. My disks are full of little experiments, but they never get much further than my dev folder. On the other hand, I like shooters, and they lend themselves well to the more abstract visuals and animations I like playing around with.
Of all the games you’ve ever worked on, which is your favourite and why?
If you ask me in a year, I’ll probably say Scoregasm, but I’ve been so close to it now for so long that I struggle to get into it as much as I can my older games. I like playing through Irukandji and unlocking all the ships every now and again, so I’ll say that one for now.
Any idea as to what your next game will be about, and will that also have a two and a half year development cycle?
I started on a sequel to Irukandji earlier in the year, and also a 3D project where you pilot a little ship around various planetoids, so I might finish one of those up next. Or combine the two! Who knows!
Even though Scoregasm is an arena shooter, to a certain extent the game is still a continuation of the 2D shooter, a genre that has declined in popularity in recent years. Why do you think this is, and how do you think developers can can go about reigniting the genre so as to make it appeal to modern gaming conventions?
I don’t know really. I think the mass appeal of games like this is pretty much gone now, and it’ll take something pretty special to regain the footing they once had.
Scoregasm was coded and designed by yourself, and you were also responsible for creating all art assets. Although you received some assistance from John Marvin and Doug Livesy, what challenges do you think a lone developer (such as yourself) faces in working in an industry which favours multiple personnel working on its games, and what are the advantages and disadvantages for continuing to operate as a one-man operative today?
Working by myself lets me work on what I want, and I’m free to approach that in whatever way I like. This is the good bit! Where it’s not so good is how much work it can be, and how easy it is to get into a mess if you can’t think things through objectively and see where you’re going wrong.
I’m not totally convinced that the “industry” prefers multiple personnel to create games. Mostly I suspect it’s a case of needing them, rather than wanting them.
Lastly, what games have you enjoyed recently, and if you could pick just one game to chew over this holiday season, which game would it be and why?
Errrr… I’ve been playing Binding of Isaac a bit, it’s pretty moreish, and I like that even though I’ve played through it a few times now I’m still finding new stuff. I’ve also been playing New Mario Bros. Wii, which is, well, not exactly the cream of the Mario crop. It’s very close to the DS game, which I also didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would. I don’t really know what exactly I think it’s missing, but maybe I just expected a little bit more. It irks me that they keep reiterating the original NES games, rather than the superior Super Mario World on the Super NES.
Interview with Scoregasm’s Charlie Knight
An Audience with Dave "Games Animal" Perry (of Games Master fame)
By prankster101|2019-04-22T12:21:58+01:00November 15th, 2011|ARTICLES|0 Comments
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Interview with Kevin Bisbangian – Director of 'Broken Wings' short movie
As an aspiring film-maker, I’m always pleased to see as to what my peers get up to, and what sort of success they are able to achieve in the profession of film-making. One such peer is a fellow film making student – Kevin Bisbangian – who recently completed and premiered his own short film – Broken Wings – about the struggles of a former Libyan PoW.
Having been nominated for a number of awards at film festivals around the world, Broken Wings clearly demonstrates Kevin Bisbangian’s ability as a film-maker, and whilst the short film does suffer from problems in terms of pacing and sound, it also goes some way towards showcasing what Mr Bisbangian is capable of, and what we can expect to see in future.
What is Broken Wings about, and what inspired you to make the movie?
A Libyan political prisoner has been tortured during his five year prison sentence. He has returned to London to start a new life and hopefully regain the affections of his ex-girlfriend.
The Libyan regime is trying to stop him from writing a book about his ordeal at prison, and the new life style in London is not as easy as he expected, plus he does not know whom to trust… Being a political prisoner has caused him lots of stress and anxiety.
What inspired me was the critical political situation in most of the countries in the Middle East.
What sort of publicity has Broken Wings received within the film industry, and what has the reaction been like from filmgoers?
Being nominated at Madrid Film Festival for 5 different categories has had a great impact and already some of the actors in my film have had great offers from other directors and film makers.
What is your background in film-making?
Before Broken Wings I had made a documentary about China as well as a short video about a major credit cards.
What happened to the supposed “Q and A” session at the end of the movie screening at the Tricycle Cinema?
There was no plan regarding the Q & A but that was an obvious mistake by the Cinema assuming that there would be one.
How difficult was it for you to arrange a screening for Broken Wings at the Tricycle Cinema, and has Broken Wings been picked up for cinema and/or DVD distribution?
I was very lucky because the duty manager whom I dealt with was extremely helpful and the program manager is planning to watch the film and decide if they want to screen it or not although my plan is not to have a public screening so I can submit it to other film festivals.
At the present time, Broken Wings has been submitted to three major film festivals: Madrid, Toronto and Los Angeles Film Festival and we are negotiating with one of the Asian film buyers.
For me personally, I think Broken Wings could have benefited from a tighter script and sharper editing. What do you think were the primary weaknesses of the film, and how do you think you could have improved upon the film further?
I think before judging any short film, including Broken Wings, we have to make sure we are not comparing them with feature movies. During the making of Broken Wings I watched about 300 short films from different parts of the world and it took me a long time to appreciate how different short films are from long feature movies. I think the major weakness was the fact that we were not able to test the film on the big cinema screen during the production of our film.
I had great feedback from 95% of the people who watched it at the premiere and about 5% didn’t get my point of views or didn’t like certain scenes.
What prompted the choice of soundtrack, and what was your motivation for choosing the songs which you did?
I had done sound Engineering for 3 years before making this film and some people think I am very selective about the choice of the music. Most of the songs were written by a great Spanish musician who is a close friend of mine.
How long did it take to shoot the film, and how long was the editing process?
Making the entire film from start to End took about less than a year, filming only weekends.
You edited the film using Final Cut. For you, what advantages did the use of Final Cut have over more consumer oriented editing packages like Sony Vegas? Do you think you could have used consumer packages like Sony Vegas instead?
Sony Vegas is a good editing Software with lots of limitations, Final cut is great with lots of extra tools.
What was the total budget for the movie, and how did you go about funding it?
If you don’t mind I Prefer not to discuss the budget as it makes me upset to think about it but I discovered that making a film is the quickest way for getting poor 🙂
How big was your film crew and how did you find the necessary staff and actors to help shoot your movie?
The film crew included 7 people and most of my actors were from my Method acting and Stanislavski ou classes.
Do you have any more film projects in the pipeline?
I have started a documentary about a great french artist and I expect to finish it before June.
My Company is also starting a feature comedy called ‘French Kiss’ in April, as well as two short films called ‘Lady in Red’ and ‘Bad Boys’ before September.
What tips would you give to aspiring film makers?
Try to enjoy what you do and never take yourself too seriously
Interview with Kevin Bisbangian – Director of ‘Poetic Emotion’
Interview with Frank Klepacki – Audio Director of ‘Grey Goo’
Interview with Kris Piotrowski – Creative Director of ‘Below’
By prankster101|2019-04-22T12:21:58+01:00March 3rd, 2012|MISC|0 Comments
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Strings for a wedding in London
Last weekend we were asked to play as a String Duo for a wedding in central London. The venue was The Ned, a venue we had never played at before, but hope to go back to again! Inside the unassuming entrance it opens out into an amazing interior which was incredibly busy despite it being a Sundsay afternoon in the City. A 5 piece jazz band were playing in the centre of the enormous room while people were enjoying their Sunday buffet of oysters, lobster, roast dinners and amazing desserts!! As we were working we could only look on and think about returning socially!
We made our way to the 6th floor which was where Helen and Davids’s wedding was taking place. There were some lovely staff who were incredibly helpful, showing the String Duo for wedding ceremony and Strings for drinks reception where to set up and even moving an inconveniently placed Chez Longue so we would have enough space to play comfortably. The only music that had been specifically requested was Helen’s entrance music, Pachelbel Canon in D. She had requested that we play suitable music for a wedding ceremony before and then something suitable for the Bride and Grooms exit, before moving on to some of our modern music on strings for the drinks reception. We chose lots of our favourite pieces, some of which you can hear originals of below as well as some of our arrangements….
If you need Strings for a wedding in London, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to help you create a beautiful atmosphere for you special day.
Premiere-String Quartet2019-04-20T13:20:14+00:00April 20th, 2019|About us, Ensembles, Pop Music for Strings, Venues, Weddings|
Recording String Section in Kingston, London
The String Quartet were recently asked to work with a producer we know well, Jim Hawkins at his studio near London. We have done several projects with him previously and this was a very special one as he asked to provide a string section on a track for the Missing People Charity, involving singers from across the decades including The Missing People choir, which is made up of families with missing loved ones, Rick Astley, Chesney Hawkes, Nik Kershaw, Carol Decker, Lesley Garrett, Hayley Tamaddon, Jodie Prenger, Debra Stephenson, Kerry Ellis, Balsamo Deighton and G4.
The original song, ‘I Hope’ was inspired by the words of Kevin Gosden whose son Andrew went missing at the age of 14 in 2007 and highlights the heartbreak facing families with missing loved ones, and the often agonising hope of seeing them again.
‘I Hope’ is available to buy now on Itunes, Google Play and Amazon following its release on Friday 20 May ahead of International Missing Children’s Day (25 May) with profits going to the charity Missing People’s ‘Find Every Child’ campaign. An average of 140,000 children go missing in the UK every year and the campaign is aiming to be able to reach every one of them.
As we have done before we used some layering of parts to create a bigger effect, enabling the charity single to get the full sound of a string section using less players. This is a technique which can be used to enable you to get a much richer fuller sound with fewer instumentalists, perhaps recording with a String Quartet.
We have recently finished working on another track for Jim, more details available soon.
If you need strings on your track or album don’t hesitate to contact us.
Web Designer2016-10-29T22:17:05+00:00October 24th, 2016|About us, Pop Music for Strings, Recording|
String Duo in Syon Park
We were recently engaged to provide strings for a wedding at Syon House in West London. It is a venue we have played at many times and the Great Hall is fantastic to play in due to the wonderful acoustic (with guests in!).
We accompanied the guests’ assembly with some well known music for strings. The Bride had asked for some special Processional music including an arrangement of Carrying You from Laputa – The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, a Ghibli animation with music composed by Joe Hisaishi:
Being a huge fan of Ghibli movies I was only too happy to oblige making an arrangement for strings of this wonderful piece!!
The end of the ceremony in Syon House is always extra special as family and witnesses go into a private room at the back of the hall for the signing of the register, allowing for the bride and groom to make a bigger exit.
Following the ceremony the guests were invited into the gardens for a champagne reception accompanied by the Wedding Strings. We played a mixture of classical music along with our latest contemporary music arranged for strings. The last piece was a special request from the bride for the Groom – the Theme from Game of Thrones! One of our new arrangements of music for strings.
Premiere String Quartet hope to return to Syon House very soon!
Web Designer2016-06-09T22:15:42+00:00June 9th, 2016|About us, Ensembles, Pop Music for Strings, Venues, Weddings|
String Quartet in London – Venues
Having recently taken a new booking at Syon House in West London we have been looking back at some of our favourite venues we have played in London. Our smaller ensembles can suit different venues better, for example we played a smaller wedding for only 20 people at the Dorchester Hotel where only a string duo would have been able to fit in the space. Of course if you are having a very large number of guests you may prefer the sound of the string trio or full string quartet for a wedding or corporate event.
Here are some of the venues we have performed at in London:
The Ritz, Piccadilly
The Dorchester, Park Lane
Syon Park, Chiswick
Stationer’s Hall, London
Plaisterer’s Hall, London
Vintner’s Hall, London
Tower Bridge, London
Vinopolis, London Bridge
Web Designer2016-03-28T10:16:57+00:00March 28th, 2016|About us, Ensembles, Venues|
String Duo in Kent
On Sunday Premiere String Quartet were booked to provide a String Duo for a special birthday lunch at one of our favourite venues, the Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells. A total of 35 people attended this lovely occasion which was held in the Yorke Suite. The string duo provided ample sound for the numbers in attendance and a larger ensemble may have been too much sound for the occasion. We had been asked by the client to provide a mixture of music from across our entire repertoire as there were people of all ages attending so we began with some of our classical arrangements for Viola and Cello including Massenet’s Meditation. As the party moved over for lunch changed to some of our new pop music for strings, concluding with some modern pop arrangements for strings including music by John Legend and Clean Bandit.
Web Designer2016-03-14T22:11:47+00:00March 14th, 2016|Birthday Parties, Ensembles, Events|
Strings for recording sessions
Premiere Strings have provided string parts for many projects at studios in and around London, most recently at Angel Studios and Abbey Road. Here is an example of our work, composed by the very talented Kevin Penkin and recorded with a string quartet using overdubbing to create a more orchestral effect.
http://www.kpenkmusic.com/
We have performed as a string duo, building up parts to give an entire string section effect, however we can also engage top London strings to provide a full string section for recordings to give a more ‘live’ feel.
We are skilled arrangers so even if you don’t have the parts written down yet we can help you to realise your music.
If you require a String Quartet in London or further afield please get in touch to discuss the options available.
Check out our website www.premiere-string-quartet for more information.
Web Designer2016-03-05T06:26:02+00:00March 4th, 2016|Ensembles, Performances, Recording|
String Trio in London
Last Friday night Premiere String Quartet were booked to provide a String Trio for a 30th Birthday party in the Institute of Directors, which is in Pall Mall in London. It’s one of several wonderful buildings that we have performed in along the same stretch which has also included the RAC Club.
We worked closely with the client in providing a playlist that she was happy with, balancing her love of classical music (especially Debussy) with a mixture of music which would be popular with her guests. So we performed several sets, starting with Classical music including Schubert’s String Trio, Debussy’s The Girl With The Flaxen Hair and Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Moving on we performed some lighter, jazzy numbers including songs by Gershwin and Sondheim. Tangos followed and we finished the evening playing a set of modern covers including many of our unique pop arrangements for strings.
The guests seemed to have a wonderful time in this fantastic venue and we were well looked after so it was a really enjoyable booking for us!
Premiere String Quartet
Web Designer2013-03-06T11:57:25+00:00March 6th, 2013|Corporate Events, Ensembles, Events, Performances|
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Click the icon to copy to clipboard ▼
ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩαβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρςστυφχψω
pronunciation: Αα - Alpha / Ββ - Beta / Γγ - Gamma / Δδ - Delta / Εε - Epsilon / Ζζ - Zeta / Ηη - Eta / Θθ - Theta / Ιι - Iota / Κκ - Kappa / Λλ - Lambda / Μμ - Mu / Νν - Nu / Ξξ - Xi / Οο - Omicron / Ππ - Pi / Ρρ - Rho / Σσς - Sigma / Ττ - Tau / Υυ - Upsilon / Φφ - Phi / Χχ - Chi / Ψψ - Psi / Ωω - Omeg.
※ All symbols are unicode character, not image nor combined characters. But you can also combine them by yourself. ※
Text symbol
Β Β represents the beta function.
Γ It represents the circulation in fluid dynamics, the reflection coefficient of a transmission or telecommunication line, the confinement factor of an optical mode in a waveguide, the gamma function, the upper incomplete gamma function, the modular group, the group of fractional linear transformations, second-order sensitivity to price in mathematical finance, the Christoffel symbols of the second kind or the stack alphabet in the formal definition of a pushdown automaton.
Δ It represents a finite difference, a difference operator, a symmetric difference, the Laplace operator, the angle that subtends the arc of a circular curve in surveying, the maximum degree of any vertex in a given graph, sensitivity to price in mathematical finance or the discriminant in the quadratic formula which determines the nature of the roots.
Η It represents the Eta function of Ludwig Boltzmann's H-theorem, in statistical mechanics or information theoretic entropy
Θ It represents an asymptotically tight bound related to big O notation, sensitivity to the passage of time in mathematical finance or in set theory, a certain ordinal number
Κ It represents the Kappa number, indicating lignin content in pulp.
Λ It represents the Lebesgue constant, the von Mangoldt function in number theory, the set of logical axioms in the axiomatic method of logical deduction in first-order logic, the cosmological constant, the lambda baryon, a diagonal matrix of eigenvalues in linear algebra, a lattice or molar conductivity in electrochemistry.
Ξ the original Riemann Xi function.
Π greek capital letter PI
Ρ It represents one of the Gegenbauer functions in analytic number theory.
Σ the summation operator, the covariance matrix or the set of terminal symbols in a formal grammar.
Υ the upsilon meson
Φ the work function in physics; the energy required by a photon to remove an electron from the surface of a metal, magnetic flux or electric flux, the cumulative distribution function of the normal distribution in statistics, phenyl functional group, the reciprocal of the golden ratio, the value of the integration of information in a system or Geopotential.
Χ the chi distribution in statistics, the chromatic number of a graph in graph theory, the Euler characteristic in algebraic topology, electronegativity in the periodic table, the Fourier transform of a linear response function, a character in mathematics; especially a Dirichlet character in number theory, sometimes the mole fraction, a characteristic or indicator function in mathematics or the magnetic susceptibility of a material in physics.
Ψ water potential or a quaternary combinator in combinatory logic.
Ω the SI unit measure of electrical resistance, the ohm, the right ascension of the ascending node or Longitude of the ascending node in astronomy and orbital mechanics, the omega constant, an asymptotic lower bound notation related to big O notation, in probability theory and statistical mechanics, the support, a solid angle, the omega baryon, the arithmetic function counting a number's prime factors counted with multiplicity or the density parameter in cosmology.
α It represents the first angle in a triangle, the statistical significance of a result, the false positive rate in statistics, the fine structure constant in physics, the angle of attack of an aircraft, an alpha particle, angular acceleration in physics, the linear thermal expansion coefficient, the thermal diffusivity, right ascension in astronomy, the brightest star in a constellation, the return in excess of the compensation for the risk borne in investment, the α-conversion in lambda calculus, or the independence number of a graph.
β It represents the thermodynamic beta, the second angle in a triangle,the standardized regression coefficient for predictor or independent variables in linear regression, the ratio of collector current to base current in a bipolar junction transistor in electronics, the false negative rate in statistics, the beta coefficient of an asset in mathematical finance, the sideslip angle of an airplane, a beta particle, the beta brain wave in brain or cognitive sciences, ecliptic latitude in astronomy, the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure in plasma physics, β-reduction in lambda calculus or the ratio of the velocity of an object to the speed of light as used in the Lorentz factor.
γ It represents the specific weight of substances, the lower incomplete gamma function,the third angle in a triangle, the Euler–Mascheroni constant in mathematics, gamma rays and the photon, the heat capacity ratio in thermodynamics or the Lorentz factor in special relativity.
δ It represents the percent error, a variation in the calculus of variations, the Kronecker delta function, the Feigenbaum constant, the force of interest in mathematical finance, the Dirac delta function, the Skorokhod integral in Malliavin calculus, a subfield of stochastic analysis, the minimum degree of any vertex in a given graph, δ− represents a negative partial charge, and δ+ represents a positive partial charge chemistry, the Chemical shift of an atomic nucleus in NMR spectroscopy, stable isotope compositions, declination in astronomy or noncentrality measure in statistics.
ε It represents a small positive quantity, a random error in regression analysis, the absolute value of an error, the limit ordinal of the sequence, the empty string in computer science, the Levi-Civita symbol, dielectric permittivity, emissivity, strain in continuum mechanics, permittivity, the Earth's axial tilt in astronomy, elasticity in economics, electromotive force or the molar extinction coefficient of a chromophore.
ζ It represents the Riemann zeta function and other zeta functions in mathematics or the damping ratio.
η It represents the intrinsic wave impedance of a medium, the partial regression coefficient in statistics, the eta meson, viscosity, energy conversion efficiency, efficiency, the Minkowski metric tensor in relativity or the η-conversion in lambda calculus.
θ It represents a plane angle in geometry, the angle to the x axis in the xy-plane in spherical or cylindrical coordinates, the angle to the z axis in spherical coordinates (physics), the potential temperature in thermodynamics, theta functions, the angle of a scattered photon during a Compton scattering interaction or the angular displacement of a particle rotating about an axis.
ι It represents an inclusion map in set theory or the index generator function in APL.
κ It represents the Von Kármán constant, describing the velocity profile of turbulent flow, the kappa curve, a two-dimensional algebraic curve, the condition number of a matrix in numerical analysis, the connectivity of a graph in graph theory, curvature, dielectric constant, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity of a solution, thermal diffusivity, a spring constant, the heat capacity ratio in thermodynamics.
λ It represents one wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, the decay constant in radioactivity, function expressions in the lambda calculus, a general eigenvalue in linear algebra, the expected number of occurrences in a Poisson distribution in probability, the arrival rate in queueing theory, the failure rate in reliability engineering, the lagrange multiplier in mathematical optimization, the Lebesgue measure, longitude in geodesy, linear density, ecliptic longitude in astronomy, the Liouville function in number theory, the Carmichael function in number theory, the empty string in formal grammar, a formal system in mathematical logic or thermal conductivity.
μ MU symbol. Micro- (Greek letter μ or legacy micro symbol µ) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10−6 (one millionth). The lower case letter mu (μι), the 12th letter of the modern Greek alphabet.
ν It represents the frequency in physics in hertz (Hz), Poisson's ratio in material science, a neutrino, kinematic viscosity of liquids, stoichiometric coefficient in chemistry, true anomaly in celestial mechanics or the matching number of a graph.
π greek small letter PI
ρ one of the Gegenbauer functions in analytic number theory, the Dickman-de Bruijn function, the radius in a polar, cylindrical, or spherical coordinate system, the correlation coefficient in statistics, the sensitivity to interest rate in mathematical finance, density, resistivity, the shape and reshape operators in APL or the rename operator in relational algebra.
σ Stefan–Boltzmann constant in blackbody radiation, the divisor function in number theory, the sign of a permutation in the theory of finite groups, the population standard deviation, a measure of spread in probability and statistics, a type of covalent bond in chemistry, the selection operator in relational algebra,stress in mechanics, electrical conductivity, area density, nuclear cross section or surface charge density for microparticles.
τ torque, the net rotational force in mechanics, the elementary tau lepton in particle physics, a mean lifetime, of an exponential decay or spontaneous emission process, the time constant of any device, proper time in relativity, one turn: the constant ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius, Kendall tau rank correlation coefficient, a measure of rank correlation in statistics, Ramanujan's tau function in number theory, shear stress in continuum mechanics, a type variable in type theories, such as the simply typed lambda calculus, path tortuosity in reservoir engineering or the number of divisors of highly composite numbers.
φ the golden ratio 1.618... in mathematics, art, and architecture, Euler's totient function in number theory, the argument of a complex number in mathematics, the value of a plane angle in physics and mathematics, the angle to the z axis in spherical coordinates, epoch or phase difference between two waves or vectors, the angle to the x axis in the xy-plane in spherical or cylindrical coordinates, latitude in geodesy, radiant flux, electric potential, the probability density function of the normal distribution in statistics.
ψ the wave function in the Schrödinger equation of quantum mechanics, the stream function in fluid dynamics, the reciprocal Fibonacci constant, the second Chebyshev function in number theory or the polygamma function in mathematics, the supergolden ratio.
ω angular velocity / radian frequency,the argument of periapsis in astronomy and orbital mechanics, a complex cube root of unity, the differentiability class for functions that are infinitely differentiable because they are complex analytic, the first infinite ordinal, the omega meson, the set of natural numbers in set theory, an asymptotic dominant notation related to big O notation, in probability theory, a possible outcome of an experiment, the arithmetic function counting a number's distinct prime factors or the unsaturated fats nomenclature in biochemistry.
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Prioritising zero carbon – why we need regulation change to make it happen Real change often only happens when regulations require. Is...
Julian Broster
Civic Engineers
Civic Engineering
The Sharp Project, Manchester's digital content production complex, is one of the council's key tech growth areas
Manchester progresses plans for city tech incubator
Jessica Middleton-Pugh
Manchester City Council is set to look for a partner to deliver a tech hub in the city centre, as part of a Government initiative supporting digital start-ups, known as Project Forward.
The council has released a report ahead of a meeting of its executive on 2 March, outlining how it will spend a £4m Government grant, allocated by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in his March 2015 budget. The grant was part of an £11m pot to support incubators in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.
In the budget, Osborne announced the 87,500 sq ft Federation House in the Co-operative and Hermes’ NOMA as the location for Manchester’s hub. At the time, the potential occupier of the facility was referred to as Forward Plan.
Forward Plan was an initiative being brought forward by Doug Ward and Shaun Gibson, co-founders of flexible workspace SpacePortX in the Northern Quarter.
However, there has been no announcement of a deal at Federation House, and the executive report says that the location for the hub is yet to be decided. The council has suggested three areas which best support digital expertise; the Sharp Project, Media City in Salford and the Northern Quarter.
Meanwhile, the Co-operative is rumoured to be expanding its digital team, and has earmarked Federation House as a base.
In the report, the council said that the £4m would be paid directly to Manchester City Council, and that it would be the body held accountable for Project Forward delivering set outcomes.
The council is producing a vision document to show how the objectives of the scheme can be realised, and then will look for a delivery partner. A criteria of the £4m grant is that it has to be used to help to secure and refurbish a property in the city to provide tech workspaces.
The report said that “the City Council via a procurement process will deliver a facility that demonstrates value for money and that remains fit for purpose and sustainable for the next 10 years.”
When announced by Osborne in 2015, Forward was due to work as part of Tech North, the organisation set up by then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2014 to spearhead technology growth in Northern cities. Tech North was expected to benefit from business rates incentives, emulating Tech City UK in Shoreditch, London.
However, news of progress at Tech North has been quiet, and several senior figures have left the organisation in recent weeks. Head of Tech North Claire Braithwaite resigned at the end of January and reappeared at the Manchester Growth Company in February. Paul Lancaster, community engagement manager, and Coral Grainger, head of talent and skills, are also both due to leave Tech North this month.
Edwards & Co was representing Forward Plan on the Federation House deal, and was unavailable to comment. SpacePortX and NOMA were also unavailable to comment.
We’re big supporters of Forward and a shout-out to Doug Ward who was the lead catalyst behind Forward in the first place.
Tech North has always been completely separate from Forward from Day One. We very much look forward to supporting its growth and collaborating with Forward to help grow the startup communities in Manchester and the wider North.
While Claire Braithwaite did resign rather suddenly, the Tech North team are bravely marching on. We are working currently with DCMS to ensure a further £4m of investment will be made into Tech North over the next two years. While you seem focussed on highlighting bad news, internally we’re working hard for the future of this vital sector for North’s economy.
It’s a shame to lose Paul & Coral but we – along with 150 digital Mancunians – will be sending them off with a great farewell this Friday. Both will be leaving us on highly positive terms. Coral’s work continues on with the first Tech North Talent & Skills Summit in March and we’re exploring how we can continue working with Paul from 1 April when he sets up his own business.
Thanks for your interest in Tech North.
Herb Kim
Interim Head of Tech North
February 25, 2016 at 8:01 am By Herb Kim
“Tech North has always been completely separate from Forward from Day One.” Not so – Tech City’s Gerard Grech was heavily involved in the decision for the funding to go to Ward.
February 25, 2016 at 10:28 am By Anon
Does anyone know what has happened to the additional £20m of private investment that was promised?
February 26, 2016 at 12:19 pm By Anon
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Apprentice midfielder Cameron Sangster on his season to remember at Plymouth Argyle
Sangster will line up for the Pilgrims in their home FA Youth Cup fifth round tie against Fulham
Midfielder Cameron Sangster on the ball for Argyle in their FA Youth Cup tie against Manchester City at Home Park (Image: Dave Rowntree)
Plymouth Argyle apprentice midfielder Cameron Sangster has already had a season to remember.
But it could get even better for the 18-year-old when the Pilgrims take on Fulham in the FA Youth Cup fifth round at Home Park on Wednesday (7pm).
A home quarter-final tie against Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea – who have lifted the trophy for the past three years – awaits the winners.
Sangster and his under-18 team-mates have taken the scalps of Premier League clubs Manchester City and Burnley to reach this stage of the prestigious national competition.
The central midfielder from Newton Abbot began his second year as an apprentice last July by playing in some of the first team pre-season fixtures.
Plymouth Argyle midfielder Antoni Sarcevic thanks Derek Adams for standing by him
He remained on the radar of manager Derek Adams after that and made his EFL debut as a late substitute in Argyle’s 4-1 victory over Oldham Athletic at Home Park two days before Christmas.
Sangster said: “Sometimes I do think how quickly the season has flown by. I never really thought it would pan out how it would.
“In a blink of an eye, you suddenly get the call-up for the first team training and it has given me great experience being around the pros.
“You can take that into your under-18 football and hopefully some of the other lads take on the message and you play to the sort of standards the pros give you.”
Sangster was also on the bench for Argyle when they won 2-1 away to Oldham Athletic in League One last month.
James Brent gives his verdict on Plymouth Argyle's January transfer window
He said: “It is all just a lot more serious when you make the step-up to the first team.
“Everything is about getting that three points. The experience you get with the first team definitely helps you when you come back to the under-18s.
“You can bring the experience back to the lads in the under-18s as well.”
Argyle began their FA Youth Cup campaign with home wins against Eastleigh (7-2) and AFC Wimbledon (3-2) which set them up to host Manchester City in the third round.
Incredibly, against an academy packed with youth internationals, Argyle forced a 0-0 draw before winning 6-5 on penalties.
Then they followed that up with a 1-0 victory at Burnley, courtesy of a late goal from Billy Craske.
Sangster said: “When we played Man City it was definitely one of the best nights of my life, winning in a penalty shoot-out was just such a good result.
“The feeling that you get afterwards is immense. It was also really good to score in the last minute against Burnley.”
Fulham have reached the fifth round with away wins against Huddersfield Town (on penalties) and Swansea City.
So the category one academy visitors, whose head of coaching is former Southampton manager Steve Wigley, are sure to provide stern opposition for the young Pilgrims.
Chairman James Brent on whether Plymouth Argyle will spend transfer fees on players
Sangster said: “We all know they are going to be a top side.
“We have been told they are going to get the ball, turn and run at us, and they are going to be quick and strong.
“But we have dealt with Man City and we have dealt with Burnley so I’m confident we can deal with Fulham as well.”
There was an attendance of 1,842 for Argyle’s third round tie against Manchester City and Sangster admitted he and his team-mates would appreciate more support like that.
Sangster said: “I hope we get a good crowd, like the Man City game. It definitely gives you a boost and gets the boys going.
How Ruben Lameiras has gone from being a bit-part player to a first team regular for Plymouth Argyle
“Every time you go on the pitch (at Home Park) it’s special feeling, especially under the lights.
“It’s what you want to be doing as an apprentice footballer, so when you get your chance you have got to take it.”
After playing Manchester City this season, the opportunity to take on either Tottenham or Chelsea – two more of the biggest clubs in the country – at home in the quarter-final would be an incredible experience for the young Pilgrims.
Sangster said: “Obviously, it’s an incentive but we can’t look too far ahead.
“We know it’s there but we have just got to all work our socks off and hopefully get the job done.”
Derek Adams
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Home » Technology » Mikros Announces $ 1.1 Million Navy Production Order for ADEPT Advanced Maintenance Systems
Mikros Announces $ 1.1 Million Navy Production Order for ADEPT Advanced Maintenance Systems
by Tony Allen
PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 14, 2017, MKRS, /PRNewswire/ — Mikros Systems Corporation (OTCQB: MKRS) announced today that it has received the first Delivery Order under its recent multi-year $35M contract with the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN.
The order covers eleven new production deliveries of Mikros’ Adaptive Diagnostic Electronic Portable Testset (ADEPT) and is valued at $1.1M. The ADEPT units will be produced at the Mikros Manufacturing and Depot Center in Largo, FL and be delivered to the Navy later this year.
“We are excited and ready to ramp up the ADEPT production line here in Largo,” said Mark Laureigh, Mikros Director of Operations. “Having served in the U.S. Navy maintaining and operating an AN/SPY-1 radar system, I know full well the current value and future potential ADEPT brings to our sailors. We are proud for each opportunity we have to serve the men and women of our armed forces.”
The Mikros Systems Manufacturing and Depot Center in Largo, Florida was established in 2009 to manufacture and provide sustainment and logistics support for the ADEPT system. The center has produced and delivered over 200 systems to the U.S. Navy and provides continuing life-cycle support for the systems including, calibration, repair, and training.
For more information on Mikros Systems’ manufacturing capabilities, please visit the Mikros Systems website: http://www.mikrossystems.com.
Mikros Systems Corporation is an advanced technology company specializing in the research and development of electronic systems technology primarily for military applications. Classified by the U.S. Department of Defense as a small business, its capabilities include technology management, electronic systems engineering and integration, radar systems engineering, command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems engineering, and communications engineering. Mikros’ primary business is to pursue and obtain contracts from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Navy, and other governmental authorities. For more information on Mikros, please visit: www.mikrossystems.com.
Important Information about Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this news release other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements which contain our current expectations about our future results. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. We have attempted to identify any forward-looking statements by using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “should” and other similar expressions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in all of our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results, events or financial positions to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in business conditions, a decline or redirection of the U.S. Defense budget, significant delays or reductions in appropriations for our projects, the termination of any contracts with the U.S. Government, changes in our sales strategy and product development plans, changes in the marketplace, continued services of our executive management team, our limited marketing experience, competition between us and other companies seeking SBIR grants, competitive pricing pressures, market acceptance of our products under development, delays in the development of products, our ability to adequately integrate our new software offerings into our business model, statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing, and other factors disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements.
Tags: ADEPTMikros SystemsMKRSNavyOrderU.S. Department of Defense
Tony Allen received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida in 2011, specializing in feature writing and reporting on sports and events.
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2011-004 Tom Andrews
You are here: Home1 / Cultural Places2 / Fieldwork Reports3 / 2011 Archaeological Reports4 / 2011-004 Tom Andrews
NWT Ice Patch Study 2011
Tom Andrews (NWT Archaeologist’s Permit 2011-004)
Bad weather—rain, fog, and low clouds—plagued our fieldwork this year, significantly restricting our ability to reach the ice patches by helicopter. Though we were camped in the mountains from August 15th to 18th, the weather permitted only a few hours of flying each day, usually later in the afternoon. This year, our Tulita partner, Leon Andrew, was unable to join us due to other commitments, but his seat in the helicopter was ably filled by Todd Kristensen, a PhD student at University of Alberta. Todd plans on focusing his PhD thesis on the broader cultural and ecological context of ice patch use in the NWT.
As with the 2010 field season, we were shocked at the amount of melting at several sites. It seems that as the ice patches melt, they reach a critical balance point where enough dung is exposed to dramatically change the albedo of the patch, leading to rapid melting. We have seen this in recent years most dramatically at KhTe-2.
Despite the poor weather, we discovered a new archaeological ice patch site, KhTf-3, where we recovered approximately ¾ of the proximal end of a wooden arrow. Though the nock end was recovered, the distal end with the projectile point was not. The site was at an elevation of just over 2000 metres.
(Edited by Shelley Crouch, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre)
Sometimes working conditions were less than ideal
Todd Kristensen holding a piece of the arrow he found at KhTf-3
2011, Archaeological Reports
2011-019 Henry Cary
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2011-017 Grant Clarke
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2011-015 Michelle Wickham
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2011-014 Brent Murphy
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2011-013 Murray Lobb
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2011-012 Glen Mackay
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2011-009 Daniel Walker
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2011-007 Gabriella Prager
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2011-006 Lisa Seip
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https://www.pwnhc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2011-KhTe-2-_fog.jpg 797 1200 pwnhcadmin https://www.pwnhc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web-banner-english-3.png pwnhcadmin2012-04-08 09:21:422014-09-12 11:36:022011-004 Tom Andrews
2011-002 Jean Bussey
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2011-002 Jean Bussey 2011-006 Lisa Seip
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VIDEO: Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit rocket reaches space on 2nd try
Home / 1010 WINS / News / National / Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes flight in virus times
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes flight in virus times
November 26, 2020 11/26/2020 8:02 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The balloons were in the sky and the marching bands took to the streets for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, but coronavirus restrictions meant it was without the throngs of people usually scrambling for a view.
Instead of its typical path through Manhattan, this year's parade was kept to the area in front of Macy's flagship store and aimed at a television audience instead of live crowds.
There were some familiar balloon faces, of course, including Snoopy, Ronald McDonald, and SpongeBob SquarePants.
But the bigger balloons were missing the numerous handlers who would normally be walking underneath and holding the ropes. This year, they were attached to vehicles that kept them moving and decreased the number of people needed.
A number of entertainers performed, including Pentatonix, Keke Palmer and Sofia Carson, and a slew of Broadway shows were represented in taped performances from their casts.
Even with the pandemic protocols, the fact that the parade took place made it a rare festivity in a city that has seen most of its major events cancelled over the last year because of the virus.
The parade organizers recognized that reality, including representatives of some of the New York City parades that hadn't been able to happen — the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Mermaid Parade, the Puerto Rican Day Parade and NYC Pride March.
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Railway Directory
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18 Jan 2021 Mon
Ana Sayfa > News > Business > Siemens Mobility Secures €744M Order from Amtrak
Siemens Mobility Secures €744M Order from Amtrak
Siemens Mobility has been awarded a €744 million contract to design and manufacture 75 Charger diesel-electric locomotives for Amtrak, the United States‘ National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
28 December 2018 Friday, 12:21
Amtrak will Buy Additional High Speed Train Sets
These 75 locomotives will replace and supplement Amtrak’s aging national network diesel locomotive fleet used on long-distance and state-supported routes. It also includes a multi-year Technical Support Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA). Delivery of the new locomotives will begin in summer, 2021, with passenger service starting in fall, 2021.
These locomotives will power trains used on lines that span the United States, both from north-to-south and east-to-west: Auto Train (Washington, DC to Orlando, FL), California Zephyr (Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA), Capitol Limited (Washington, DC to Chicago, Illinois), Cardinal (New York, New York to Chicago, Illinois), City of New Orleans (Chicago, Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana), Coast Starlight (Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California), Crescent (New York, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana), Empire Builder (Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington), Lake Shore Limited (Boston, Massachusetts to Chicago, Illinois), Palmetto (New York, New York to Savannah, Georgia) Silver Star/Silver Meteor (New York, New York to Miami, Florida), Southwest Chief (Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California), Sunset Limited (New Orleans, Louisiana to Los Angeles, California) and Texas Eagle (Chicago, Illinois to San Antonio, Texas). All locomotives are expected to be in service by 2024.
“We’re proud and grateful to expand our relationship with Amtrak, a leader in the U.S. passenger rail transportation, which started nearly a decade ago with locomotives for the Northeast Corridor, connecting two of the U.S.’s largest cities, Washington, DC and New York, NY. We’re confident that the new locomotives will assist Amtrak in its mission to provide safe, world-class, environmentally-responsible technology for its passengers,” said Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Siemens Mobility. “The Chargers will provide enhanced passenger experience, greater availability and increased sustainability over the course of their lifecycle, improving Amtrak’s long-distance services and operating efficiencies.”
The Charger locomotive is one of the most popular passenger locomotives in North America today with more than 70 Chargers successfully transporting passengers throughout North America, traveling almost 5 million kilometers a year. They offer the latest safety systems including Crash Energy Management and U.S.-mandated Positive Train Control (PTC), which is a communication-based train control that results in greater efficiency. Capable of speeds up to 125 MPH, the new locomotives feature the QSK95 Cummins 4,400 horsepower-capable 16-cylinder engine, which increase capacity and result in greater availability. The Charger is lower-noise than the diesel engines it will be replacing and offers a streamlined design with smoother traction control. The quieter, smoother ride results in an improved experience for both operators and passengers.
The new locomotives are also more environmentally-responsible than their predecessors, providing the latest Tier 4 emissions technology, reducing nitrogen oxide by over 89 percent and particulate matter by 95 percent, compared to Tier 0 standard.
The locomotives are “Buy American-compliant,” and will be manufactured at Siemens Mobility’s North American rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, CA. The plant is powered by up to 80 percent renewable solar energy. The engines are manufactured by Cummins in its Seymour, Indiana plant.
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The RAND Blog
>The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul
Previous Blog PostStrategic Consequences of U.S. Withdrawal from TPPNext Blog PostSixty Years Later European Integration Has Benefited EU Countries
The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul
(Fox News Channel)
Children registered in a school and received their new school bags in Mosul, Iraq, January 23, 2017
Photo by Muhammad Hamed/Reuters
by Shelly Culbertson
This commentary originally appeared in the opinion section of FoxNews.com.
After ISIS took control of Mosul in mid-2014, the extremist militant group closed the city's 990 schools (PDF), altered the curriculum to support its ideology, and then reopened the schools to push dogma over academic learning.
Suddenly, education in Iraq's second-largest city had been devastated from kindergarten through college.
East Mosul was liberated from ISIS in December, and the battle to liberate West Mosul has just begun, by Iraqi forces backed by U.S. airpower.
Efforts to stabilize Mosul afterward will need to include a plan to rebuild education in addition to restoring the city's damaged infrastructure.
During my recent visit to Iraq, many officials expressed this view, including an Iraqi general leading the part of the battle to retake West Mosul who said he believes an education strategy is as important as economic, political and security strategies for bringing stability and peace back to the city.
Students need to make up years of missed K-12 and university education, and ISIS indoctrination needs to be undone.
During the two-and-a-half-year reign of ISIS in Mosul, the ISIS curriculum (PDF) removed history, geography, literature and art from the classroom. It introduced jihad education for children as young as age 6 and illustrated textbooks with pictures of children wielding weapons. Arithmetic word problems asked students to calculate the number of explosives a factory could produce or how many people a suicide bomb could kill.
Public schooling had been free, but ISIS started charging tuition—$10 to $20 a month, depending on the grade level.
That's a lot of money in Iraq.
Concerned about the costs and the “lessons” being imparted in the classroom, many parents stopped sending children to school.
In Mosul and other areas once occupied by ISIS, a million Iraqi children didn't go to school or were taught the ISIS curriculum.
Under ISIS, school attendance dropped precipitously. In Mosul and other areas once occupied by ISIS, a million Iraqi school children didn't go to school or were taught the ISIS curriculum.
On a recent visit to a camp that sheltered those who fled the battle to retake East Mosul, just 20 miles from the city, I interviewed several aid workers who spoke of children being traumatized, indoctrinated or both.
They described a child with recurring nightmares who had been forced by an ISIS fighter to witness a beheading and spoke of children wandering about the camps innocently singing pro-ISIS songs learned in school.
ISIS also indirectly damaged K-12 education in Iraq. When residents fled Mosul, tens of thousands were temporarily housed in school buildings in other parts of Iraq, which further disrupted education in those communities since it prevented classes from being held.
ISIS shut down Mosul's three universities, including Mosul University, known for its medical school and once considered one of the finest in the Middle East.
ISIS later reopened the university's departments of medicine and engineering, but kept shuttered departments that might challenge its ideology, such as philosophy and history. Professors with alleged ties to the West were executed, while others fled.
Eventually, ISIS turned some of the university's buildings into weapons factories and barracks for its fighters.
Coalition fighters have retaken Mosul University, in the eastern region of the city, from ISIS. But the campus has been destroyed by bombs during the battle and by ISIS fighters who torched its buildings, including the library that held many rare and important works. ISIS left behind calling cards in the form of booby traps.
A Mosul University engineering student who fled in 2014 told me she would never go back. She had been finishing up her degree at the university's temporary campus that faculty set up in the nearby city of Erbil. Like many in the country, she said she fears for her safety and does not see a future for herself in Iraq. Her goal is to leave the country.
Yet there are signs of hope. After East Mosul was retaken last month, 30 schools reopened and another 40 were being checked for safety. Together, they can accommodate 40,000 children.
Reversing the damage to K-12 and university education will require significant investment and effort.
Winning the military battle in Mosul and other parts of Iraq is only the beginning. Reversing the damage to K-12 and university education will require significant investment and effort. Taking care of the remaining population and helping them recover will be critical—and an education strategy will be central to that.
Based on my recent fieldwork in Iraq and related studies on education in Iraq and education of refugees, rebuilding the educational system in Mosul will require a number of steps that go beyond reopening and staffing schools.
Classrooms will need to be set up specifically for children who have missed several years of school so that they can start where they left off and catch up.
Mosul will need policies to help its children move past the years under ISIS, requiring an undoing of the indoctrination efforts through courses that teach human rights and tolerance for Iraq's diversity. And teachers will need training in how to deal with traumatized students.
The U.S. has invested significant funding in the military operation against ISIS. But keeping the peace in the long run will require creating conditions in which Iraqis can live normal lives. Investing in such an education plan should be a U.S. priority.
Public education can serve as a bridge to normalcy in Iraq. It also can help reduce sectarian tensions, provide children and youth the citizenship and professional skills needed for a fully functioning society, and help a generation manage the lingering trauma of war.
Shelly Culbertson is a policy researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and has studied refugee education elsewhere in the Middle East. She is author of the book “The Fires of Spring: A Post-Arab Spring Journey Through the Turbulent New Middle East” (2016).
This commentary originally appeared on Fox News Channel on March 25, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Shelly Culbertson
@SC_Culbertson
Senior Policy Researcher
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Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant @LouayConstant
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Home » Archives » America’s Self-Made Financial Woes and What’s Next
https://www.profitconfidential.com/interest-rates/americas-self-made-financial-woes-and-whats-next/ America's Self-Made Financial Woes and What's Next Michael Lombardi, MBA Profit Confidential 2007-07-12T08:19:13Z 2012-02-03 06:46:15 In the days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-Fed chairman Greenspan attempted to reassure the investing public of the Fed’s commitment to an orderly market by lowering rates half of one percentage point. Archives,Interest Rates,U.S. dollar
In the days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-Fed chairman Greenspan attempted to reassure the investing public of the Fed's commitment to an orderly market by lowering rates half of one percentage point. That wasn't the end for interest rate cuts. Over the next couple of years, Greenspan continued to bring rates lower until they hit a 46-year low.
With interest rates being low, Americans started buying homes in record numbers. And with the demand for housing came higher home prices. As interest rates started to rise in late 2004 and early 2005, the mortgage companies came out with even more innovate loan products so Americans could buy homes.
No income? That's okay. Mortgages were developed that didn't require homeowners to show verification of income. Subpar credit? Not a problem. That's when the subprime market boomed and billions in loans were made to people who didn't qualify. Can't make that monthly payment but really want the house? That's fine, too. ARMs were developed so payments would be artificially low the first two to three years before resetting to normal rates.
While the boom in the housing market and the mortgage market were going on, something else happened. The value of the U.S. dollar started a free fall against other world currencies as foreign investors became concerned about the amount of debt American consumers and the American government (to fight the War on Terror) was accumulating.
Interest rates started to move up. Rates rose to cool the housing market, too. Inflation reared its ugly head and rates were pushed up again. All of a sudden, the boom in the housing market was halted. At first, the Fed told us it would be a soft landing for housing prices. But the opposite happened. It has been a hard landing for property prices. So while the remainder of the world's central banks raises interest rates to fight off inflation, the U.S. has its hands tied.
If rates move up in the U.S., the poor housing market could cause a recession. If, on the other hand, interest rates in the U.S. do not rise, the greenback could come under immense selling pressure, making it very difficult for us to sell our bonds to foreigners in order for the U.S. to finance its debt.
Where do we go from here? The U.S. housing market bust is far from over. Expect lower home prices ahead. As for interest rates, don't be surprised to see the Fed raise interest rates at some point to support the ailing greenback.
By Michael Lombardi, MBA
Michael Lombardi, MBA
The Big Opportunity Ahead in Gold Mining Stocks
5 Reasons Why Tech Stocks Will Continue to Rise in Price
Why These Popular Tech Stocks Could Go Even Higher
America’s Self-Made Financial Woes and What’s Next
By Michael Lombardi, MBA Published : July 12, 2007
In the days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-Fed chairman Greenspan attempted to reassure the investing public of the Fed’s commitment to an orderly market by lowering rates half of one percentage point. That wasn’t the end for interest rate cuts. Over the next couple of years, Greenspan continued to bring rates lower until they hit a 46-year low.
No income? That’s okay. Mortgages were developed that didn’t require homeowners to show verification of income. Subpar credit? Not a problem. That’s when the subprime market boomed and billions in loans were made to people who didn’t qualify. Can’t make that monthly payment but really want the house? That’s fine, too. ARMs were developed so payments would be artificially low the first two to three years before resetting to normal rates.
Interest rates started to move up. Rates rose to cool the housing market, too. Inflation reared its ugly head and rates were pushed up again. All of a sudden, the boom in the housing market was halted. At first, the Fed told us it would be a soft landing for housing prices. But the opposite happened. It has been a hard landing for property prices. So while the remainder of the world’s central banks raises interest rates to fight off inflation, the U.S. has its hands tied.
Where do we go from here? The U.S. housing market bust is far from over. Expect lower home prices ahead. As for interest rates, don’t be surprised to see the Fed raise interest rates at some point to support the ailing greenback.
Subject: 200% Profit on the Ultimate "Fear Gauge" Play
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Ask Pastor Adrienne column: Glory sightings!
Adrienne Greene
In the famous Christmas scriptures, there is always a bright light. What is that and why is that?
A: I’m glad you asked! It’s called “the glory,” as in “the glory of God,” and it surrounds the places (or people) on the earth where God comes down for a visit. Many glory events are documented throughout the Bible, in both old and new testaments. As far as we understand it, since the details are not explicitly lined out in scripture, this light is the atmosphere of heaven affecting earth when heaven intersects our realm. Let us review some biblical glory sightings:
“In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened” (Luke 2:8, 9, NASB). The word “glory” there means “doxa” in the Greek; a powerful, describing word for “splendor” or “brightness.”
We see this same, heavenly light appearing years later in a very different setting: “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church. On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And his chains fell off his hands” (Acts 12:5-7). The angel and the light appeared at the same time. This could point to the idea that when a portal, or door, is opened between this world and God’s heavenly realm, it is a literal crack in the atmosphere where heaven’s light pours in, along with a holy being, in this case.
Let’s go even further back into human history, where this glory-light appeared to millions of people at once: “Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top” (Exodus 24:15-17). What did the Hebrew people see? A bright light described as a consuming fire settling on the mountain top where their fearless leader, Moses, stood before God.
There are countless glory sightings documented in scripture, with only a few of them being attached to the story of Christ’s birth. We may even speculate that the blindness of the Apostle Paul on the Road to Damascus was due to intense exposure to the glory of heaven when Jesus came to pay him a visit in person.
These select accounts help us answer the “why” question fairly well: Why do God encounters come with a bright light? Because heaven’s atmosphere, according to Revelation chapter 21, is lit up like a Christmas tree, pardon the example, with the “Lamp of the Lamb.” In other words, heaven’s world, where God is enthroned, literally pulsates with the glory of his holiness. He is the source of all power, after all. Anything which comes in contact with any facet of heaven reflects Jesus’ splendor like a moon.
Once we answer the “what is it” and “why is it” questions, our natural curiosity becomes, “what does it do?” In biblical examples, the glory of God is a chain-breaker as referenced to Peter’s prison predicament; it sets people free of their chains and prisons when they are exposed to it. God’s glory also burns off sin with cleansing power; the Apostle Paul’s scorched vision became his repentance and deliverance from a criminal lifestyle. The glory of God, while it tends to temporarily paralyze those who witness it, also protects: the pillar of fire stood in the way of the Egyptian warriors who sought to slaughter God’s people in the desert (Exodus 14).
Let us rejoice that the glory of the Lord came down to us at Christmas time! “Arise, shine; for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).
Do you have a question or comment for Pastor Adrienne? Send your inquiries to: info@adriennewgreene.com or write to P.O. Box 214, Harrison, OH 45030. For more information, please visit www.adriennewgreene.com or tune into the “Ask Pastor Adrienne” YouTube channel.
© 2021 www.progress-index.com. All rights reserved.
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News Sports Opinion Business Entertainment Lifestyle E-Edition Legals Obituaries
Foothill’s Menns to play baseball for William Jessup
T.J. Holmes
Redding Record Searchlight
PALO CEDRO — Foothill High's baseball program is sending another player to a four-year university.
Mitch Menns is the latest Cougar to continue his playing after high school when he signed his letter of intent Wednesday to suit up for William Jessup University, an NAIA school in Rocklin.
"It's been a dream to play at the next level ever since I started playing baseball when I was a little kid," Menns said.
"I'm excited that it's a Christian university and it's close to home, far enough to be away but still a weekend visit."
Menns joins a premier group from Foothill, which has seven players currently on rosters at four-year programs and two more playing professionally in the minor leagues. Each of them played for coach Todd Buck, who says Menns will fit right in at William Jessup.
"He possesses a mid-80s fastball, has a real live arm and he's a great character guy," Buck said. "He's done a lot for the (Foothill) program and the community as an Eagle Scout.
"William Jessup isn't getting just a baseball player, but a great student and a fine young man."
Menns was recruited as both a pitcher and a catcher. His bat stood out more as a junior where he hit .270 with 11 RBIs in 29 games. This year, Menns has been solid on the mound, sporting a 1-1 record with three saves and a 0.70 earned run average in six appearances. He has 14 strikeouts, walked four and allowed four hits in 10 innings.
William Jessup told Buck he could get work out of the bullpen as a freshman, but Menns likes to be behind the plate more.
"You're the general out there and can see the whole field and direct people and calling out plays," Menns said.
Menns plans on majoring in public policy with hopes of becoming a teacher.
Connect with T.J.Holmes on Twitter @tjholmes_RS.
Best of the North State
© 2021 www.redding.com. All rights reserved.
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Emboldened by Trump, some police unions seek to overhaul Obama’s reforms
By Julia Harte, Timothy Mclaughlin
WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, had a blunt message for Donald Trump during a meeting in September: court-ordered reforms aimed at curbing police abuses in the midwestern city are not working.
FILE PHOTO - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to police gathered at Fraternal Order of Police lodge during a campaign event in Statesville, North Carolina, U.S. on August 18, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
Loomis and two other attendees said Trump seemed receptive to Loomis’s concerns that federally monitored police reforms introduced during the Obama administration in some cities in response to complaints of police bias and abuse are ineffective and impose an onerous burden on police forces.
Trump, Loomis said, was “taken aback by the waste of money” when the union chief told him that federal monitors overseeing his city’s police department earned $250 an hour - a standard salary for the position.
“I think he’s going to have a more sensible approach to rising crime rates,” Loomis said of now President Trump. “What I got from the meeting was that Donald Trump is going be a very strong supporter of law and order.”
Emboldened by Trump’s election, some of the country’s biggest police groups want to renegotiate “consent decrees” agreed to under President Barack Obama, the police labor groups said in interviews.
Consent decrees are agreements between a police force and the Justice Department that can prescribe changes to use of force, recruiting, training and discipline. They are enforced by a federal court with the oversight of court-appointed monitors. Currently 14 police departments, including Seattle and Miami, are operating under the decrees.
The police groups want to discuss the decrees with Jeff Sessions, Trump’s designee for attorney general who has voiced criticism of them, although any renegotiation would be legally complicated because all parties as well as a federal judge must approve any changes.
“There are certainly decrees that are inartfully applied that we’d like to see revisited,” said Jim Pasco, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police union with 330,000 members. It endorsed Trump in September and has worked with Sessions, a Republican senator from Alabama, for years while lobbying Congress for pro-police policies.
“We’ve always found him a man who’s willing to listen to alternatives to a previously charted course,” Pasco said of Sessions.
Civil rights groups are alarmed at the possibility that the decrees could be unraveled, saying they have been an important tool for the government to try to address issues like excessive use of force by police in Baltimore and an officer shooting in Ferguson, Missouri that led to nationwide protests.
Trump officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the meeting with Loomis.
While Trump has not publicly commented on consent decrees, he has expressed strong support for police departments and unions, and on Jan. 20 the White House said he wants to end the “dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America.”
CURBING ABUSE
There have been questions by police and conservative politicians over the effectiveness of the consent decrees, which give the Justice Department power to obtain court orders imposing reforms on police forces that routinely violate civil rights through practices such as unlawful stops and seizures, racial discrimination, and illegal uses of force.
The federal program was authorized by Congress in 1994 in the aftermath of riots in Los Angeles sparked by the police beating of Rodney King.
Some police unions complain the decrees stigmatize police and impose overly restrictive limits on use of force. They also chafe at what they see as misguided federal prescriptions to local problems and have fought the reforms in court.
A reform agreement that the Justice Department negotiated with the New Orleans police department in 2013, for instance, has been “extraordinarily expensive” to implement, said Donovan Livaccari, the lawyer for the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police. The city of New Orleans is footing the bill.
The Obama administration negotiated 24 reform agreements with law enforcement agencies during Obama’s eight years in office after finding patterns of excessive force, racial bias, poor supervision and other issues, more than double the 11 agreements reached under the previous Bush administration.
Vanita Gupta, the last Obama-appointed head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, which investigates and recommends reforms for police departments, defended the use of consent decrees in an interview, saying they are apolitical ways of improving public safety and making policing more effective.
Bill Johnson, head of the National Association of Police Organizations, which represents about 241,000 officers, said he expects local police associations to examine existing consent decrees to see whether the Justice Department under Obama overstepped in imposing any measures.
Some police union officials say they have been encouraged by comments by Sessions, who has said that federal inquiries “smear” police departments and “undermine respect for officers.”
“Under Attorney General Sessions, it’ll be more, ‘Okay, there’s a problem, let’s craft an agreement as best we can and cure it, and then move onto the next thing’,” Johnson said.
Union officials said they expect the Trump administration to initiate and reach fewer binding reform agreements with police departments, and they hope Sessions will work with them to try to re-negotiate some of those existing agreements.
Sessions said in his confirmation hearing on Jan. 10 that he “wouldn’t commit that there wouldn’t be any changes” to existing consent decrees when he becomes attorney general if police departments show improvement before they have fully complied with the terms of the decree.
A Trump transition official said Sessions would not comment on his testimony until after the Senate votes on his appointment. That vote is not expected until February.
DECREES HAVE MIXED RESULTS
Not all union leaders agree that the decrees’ costs outweigh the benefits.
Sean Smoot, who directs the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois and serves as a monitor for the Cleveland police reform agreement, said the federal inquiries prompt cities to hire more cops and invest in better equipment.
The decrees have had mixed results. Reforms in some cities, such as Los Angeles, have resulted in higher public satisfaction with police and declines in reports of police use of force. In other places, such as Ferguson, the city has missed multiple deadlines for implementing reforms required by its decree.
Civil rights advocates in Chicago say that given Trump’s law and order platform they fear his administration will neglect the Justice Department’s findings from a 13-month-long investigation into the police force.
Issued in the last days of the Obama administration, the Justice Department’s Jan. 13 report found that Chicago police routinely used excessive force and violated the constitutional rights of residents, particularly minorities. City officials signed an agreement to negotiate a consent decree.
But with Trump in the White House, “it’s not clear where the leverage is going to come from for the reforms,” said Jamie Kalven, founder of the Invisible Institute, a nonprofit group which advocates for police transparency.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Kalven’s concerns.
Jonathan Smith, the Obama-appointed former chief of special litigation in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said he is confident that most agreements reached during the Obama era will remain intact because they are overseen by judges who are “committed to their implementation.”
In Cleveland, for instance, the judge who oversees the reform agreement that Loomis’s union is objecting to recently rejected any efforts to renegotiate it.
Editing by Jason Szep and Ross Colvin
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Helping In Jesus' Name®
Samaritan’s Purse Sends Disaster Response Teams to Alabama After Deadly Tornadoes
BOONE, N.C., March 4, 2019
Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization, has deployed staff, volunteers and a tractor-trailer stocked with tools and supplies to tornado-ravaged Alabama. The powerful storm spawned multiple twisters, killing at least 23 people and leveling entire neighborhoods. It is one of the deadliest storms to strike Alabama in years.
The North Carolina-based relief organization is calling on volunteers from across the country to help residents devastated by these tornadoes. Teams of volunteers will clear debris, remove downed trees, tarp roofs and search for personal belongings.
“Alabama families are hurting and in need this morning after these deadly and destructive tornadoes” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. “We are on the ground providing all the help we can while reminding families that there is still hope. Please pray for families impacted and for first responders who continue to search for people who are still missing”
Interview Opportunities
Bruce Poss, director of North American Ministries for Samaritan's Purse, on the ground in Lee County, Alabama
Edward Graham, on the ground in Lee County, Alabama, with Samaritan's Purse U.S. Disaster Relief teams
Todd Taylor, manager of U.S. Disaster Relief for Samaritan's Purse
On-Site Media Contact
Alyssa Benson, 828.266.5029
Chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Rapid Response Team will work alongside Samaritan's Purse to provide emotional and spiritual encouragement to storm victims.
For more information about how to help or volunteer with Samaritan's Purse, go to spvolunteernetwork.org.
Based in Boone, North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations—especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.
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Rose & Sparkling Wines
Rock’n’Shake
Food Challenges
Contact/ Branch Information
Grilled Tex-Mex chicken breast topped with lettuce, onion, tomato and mayo
Rocker's Steakhouse
Burgers, Wraps, and Hot Dogs – Lunch,
You don’t have to travel across the Atlantic to have a taste of America, we serve all the classics here at Rocker's Steakhouse. From the famous New York Strip Steak to our Californian burger. Our coleslaw is even home-made!
Cambridge Leisure Park
30 Clifton Way, Cambridge CB1 7DY
Monday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
leisurepark@rockers-steakhouse.co.uk
Copyright © 2021 Rocker's Steakhouse. – Website and App by Amy Lo Designs.
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Home Music Country Music
June 5, 2017 5:53PM ET
Lee Ann Womack, Patty Griffin Announce Joint Acoustic Tour
String of July dates will include solo and duet performances from both Grammy winners
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Lee Ann Womack and Patty Griffin will play a series of acoustic shows together in July.
Johnny Louis/FilmMagic
In a double bill emphasizing both affecting vocal interpretation and potent songwriting ability, Lee Ann Womack and Patty Griffin will team up for a co-headlining tour next month. The joint concerts, titled “An Acoustic Evening With Patty Griffin & Lee Ann Womack” will spotlight sets from both performers as well as collaborations between the pair. For an idea of the women’s chemistry, watch this 2010 performance of Lefty Frizzell’s “Mom and Dad’s Waltz,” with guitarist Buddy Miller, below.
In May, Womack celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of her self-titled debut LP, which garnered universal acclaim for its traditional-leaning approach to country music and began a string of hits, culminating in the inspirational 2000 crossover smash “I Hope You Dance.” Returning to the classic-country vibe of her earlier work, Womack won the CMA Album of the Year in 2005 for the extraordinary There’s More Where That Came From and most recently released the Grammy-nominated LP The Way I’m Livin’.
Griffin, whose most recent release was 2015’s haunting and politically charged Servant of Love, has constantly raised the bar with character-driven tunes that have been cut by Emmylou Harris, Dixie Chicks, Joan Baez and Bette Midler. She was the Americana Music Association’s Artist of the Year in 2007 and in 2011 her Downtown Church LP won the Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album.
Tickets for “An Acoustic Evening” go on sale to the public Friday, June 9th, and are available at the artists’ websites, LeeAnnWomack.com and PattyGriffin.com.
“An Acoustic Evening With Patty Griffin & Lee Ann Womack” tour dates:
July 22 – Birmingham, AL @ Lyric Theatre
July 23 – Bristol, TN @ Paramount Center for the Arts
July 25 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
July 26 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
July 28 – Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre
July 29 – Savannah, GA @ LucasTheatre, SavannahCollege of Art and Design
July 30 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
In This Article: Lee Ann Womack, Patty Griffin
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PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
10 Ways To Teach Your Son Not To Be A Manterrupter Like Donald Trump
by Jamie Kenney
You know how in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, when you look directly at the Ark of the Covenant your face melts and your head explodes? That's how I feel about watching Donald Trump. I'm horrified, I'm terrified, and I'm exhausted after over a year of having to listen to the horrible things he says. So I approached the first of 2016 presidential debate with a gnawing sense of disgust, worry, and exhaustion. I watched anyway, and a main take away was this: "How can I teach my son not to be a manterrupter like Donald Trump?"
A quick, clarifying distinction between plain old "interrupting" and "manterrupting." Honestly, there isn't much of one, as the two look very similar to the untrained eye. Yet "manterrupting" usefully (I'd say necessarily) highlights the phenomenon that most women know way too well: frequent interruptions at work, school, on public transportation, literally anywhere you're a woman (so, you know, everywhere) by men. The Daily Wire argues that the 51 times Hillary Clinton was interrupted during the first debate wasn't sexist because Trump interrupts everyone. Yes, it's true that the dude is a vociferous interrupter in general. I would even agree, perhaps, that his penchant for interjecting his two cents is rooted less in sexism than it is in his constant need for attention, his sense of self-importance, and the fact that his lack of substance requires belligerent pomposity. Yet I would counter that his inveterate sexism and abysmal views on women absolutely colored the evening's debate with Hillary Clinton, as evidenced by his very first interaction with her:
Now, in all fairness to Secretary Clinton — yes, is that OK? Good. I want you to be very happy. It’s very important to me.
This smug, condescending, faux-chivalry is the kind of crap women put up with all the time, and many of us saw our own experiences in the Trump/Clinton exchanges during the first of what will be three presidential debate. This got me to thinking. As a mother, how I can discourage this kind of chauvinistic behavior in my own son? How can all mothers, in fact, make sure they don't raise another would-be Donald Trump? Turns out, I have a few ideas, including the following:
If You Ever Give Him A $14,000,000 Loan, Never Allow Him To Describe It As "Very Small"
Now there's a bit of wiggle room here in the details, so I'll acknowledge that. Trump claims that he received an initial loan of $1,000,000 from his multimillionaire father in order to start his business and turn it into the Trump Empire we know and loathe today. During the debate at Hofstra, Clinton suggested he received a much larger amount, $14 million, which Trump denied, saying it was a "very small" loan (as he had on earlier occasions).
Yet The Wall Street Journal found a casino-license disclosure from 1985 stating that Trump did, indeed receive a $14 million loan in 1985 from his dad. But, honestly, once you get a six-digit (at least) loan, the exact number is sort of a detail, wouldn't you say? Even if he were talking about that initial loan and ignoring any subsequent help (which, also, don't let your kid do that, either), a million dollars is not "very small," and I guess I think it's sort of funny that a candidate "of the people" would think otherwise. Weird.
Anyway, the kind of entitled, spoiled attitude the encourages such delusions of grandeur and complete self-sufficiency is the same entitled attitude that encourages constantly, condescending interruptions. Should you, as a parent, ever be in the tremendously fortunate position to help your child with a massive gift, make sure they're appropriately appreciative.
Discourage Nonsensical Interjections
If your kid just responds to absolutely everything you say with some sort of commentary, just to hear himself talk (even if he's not technically) interrupting — for example, by just saying, "Wrong!" after everything you say — insist that he cut the crap. Because stop, STOP.
To quote Angelica Houston in 1998 movie, Ever After, "Do not speak unless you can improve the silence."
Make Sure He Knows The Importance Of Honesty
Because if a boy believes that everything he says is of equal value and relevance, and that sorting truth from lies is unimportant, he's just going to interrupt more. Facts. So make sure your son realizes that the truth is important.
Do Not Allow Him To Shame Women Based On Their Looks Or Race
The kind of hateful, misogynistic, entitled attitudes that prompt a man to, without qualm, publicly shame a woman for gaining weight and calling her hurtful names — as Trump did with Alicia Machado aka Miss Universe 1996 (or any number of other women in the past 25 or so years) — are also likely to fuel a man's constant need to interrupt women when they're talking. It's of the utmost importance that we raise our sons to see all women as inherently worthy of respect, not as objects who owe it to them to be beautiful (as they define beauty, that is) in order to be treated with decency.
Make Him Back Up His Arguments With Facts
Because if he can build a decent argument, he won't have to rely on bombastic rhetoric and shouting down the person he's debating while she's making a salient point.
Encourage A Solid Math Education
My personal favorite interrupting moment of the first presidential debate is one that's, sadly, not getting nearly the amount of attention I think it should, if only from an entertainment perspective.
CLINTON: No, we’re not. No, we’re not. TRUMP: See, you’re telling the enemy everything you want to do. No wonder you’ve been fighting — no wonder you’ve been fighting ISIS your entire adult life.
Now, CNN reports that ISIS/ISIL/Daesh was established in 1999, and rebranded multiple times thereafter. So, if Hillary Clinton has been fighting ISIS her entire adult life (which is particularly impressive since Trump has also claimed she co-founded ISIS with Obama), that would make her about 35 now. This manterruption could have been avoided with some very basic math skills. Though, I think we've established by now that math is not Trump's strong suit.
Or maybe this is just a savvy move by Trump to create another conspiracy about presidential legitimacy, much like the previously botched "birther" movement. Is Clinton OLD ENOUGH to be president?! LET'S SEE HER LONG-FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!
Don't Laugh At His Stupid, Unfunny Jokes
It only encourages him to think whatever idiot joke he wants to make is more important than what the woman he's interrupting is trying to say (or the woman, herself).
Don't Let Him Get Too Preoccupied With "Hand" Size
Because then he's constantly going to feel like he has to prove something for some reason, and all of that pent up anxiety is going to result in a lot of bluster and bravado, and he's going to start calling people "Little Marco" and it's going to be weird and off-putting and, yes, he's going to feel the need to interrupt on a more frequent basis.
Remind Him That The Internet Is Forever
Your little boy won't have to manterrupt someone to claim they never said something if they understand that, at any point, someone can go online and check. If it was on the internet once, on the internet it remains, somewhere.
Don't Vote For Trump On Election Day
Because four years of Trump in the White House is not going to do anything to discourage our boys from engaging in this obnoxious, rude, chauvanistic, entitled behavior. They deserve a better role model.
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Finzer adds roller capabilities with Carolina deal
Chris Sweeney
Carolina Rubber Rolls produces rubber, urethane and silicone covered rolls, primarily for the textiles industry.
SALISBURY, N.C.—When opportunity came calling, Finzer Roller Inc. moved quickly.
The rubber roller producer acquired the business and certain assets of Carolina Rubber Rolls, a subsidiary of HBD/Thermoid Inc., on Jan. 18 for an undisclosed amount.
The deal, according to Finzer CEO John Finzer, was completed in just nine days.
"Through some hard work on the part of our lawyers, we closed the deal on Jan. 18," Finzer said. "I'm very proud of that, to be able to quickly respond to an opportunity and put it all together reflects well on Finzer Roller with the help of HBD/Thermoid. It's an opportunity we're glad we were able to execute on."
Matt Lockard, president of HBD/Thermoid's rubber products group, confirmed that almost all of six or so employees impacted by the deal received opportunities at Thermoid's other operations within the Salisbury plant, which is one of three hose manufacturing plants in the company's footprint.
The Carolina roller business accounted for less than 2 percent of Thermoid's rubber group sales, Lockard said.
"It was a tough decision to divest Carolina Rubber Rolls, but we really felt like we needed to focus on our core hose business," he said. "We want to continue to drive improvements through our delivery performance and our new product development to find solutions for customer problems. At the end of the day, the business was really just a better fit for someone like Finzer Roller."
Finzer said Carolina Rubber Rolls was a "significant" competitor of his company and now will absorb some equipment and inventory in addition to the sales records of Carolina. Production will be relocated to Finzer's Kernersville, N.C., manufacturing facility about 50 miles away.
The rolls produced by Carolina carry similar physical capabilities to Finzer's with regards to diameter, length, weight of part and industries served. Carolina was a significant player in the textiles industry with its urethane, rubber and silicone covered rolls. The deal will provide Finzer further access to customers in that area.
The deal comes at a perfect time for Finzer Roller, which said the Kernersville facility is about to embark on an expansion to increase the size of its 35,000-sq.-ft. plant by 15,000 square feet. The project is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2019.
"We've been cramped in the North Carolina facility now for several years," Finzer said. "We contemplated moving, but recognized the disruption that would cause us. We struggled to find a suitable manufacturing site in the two we've been in for about 30 years. We had zero interest in moving a significant distance away from Kernersville and losing the associates we have at that location. When we couldn't find what we wanted, we opted to expand our existing facility."
Finzer added that the company is expanding in two other locations—its Black Lick, Pa., site will add 20,000 square feet to its 25,000-sq.-ft. operation that produces rollers for the steel industry. That project is expected to wrap up by May. It also is adding 12,000 square feet to its 35,000-sq.-ft. facility in Des Plaines, Ill., in a project that is scheduled to wrap up at the end of the third quarter.
As for Thermoid, Lockard said the divestiture will allow it to use the freed-up about 25,000 square foot of space at the 175,000-sq.-ft. site for additional warehousing for certain products that are made to stock, allowing the firm to improve customer lead times. Thermoid also will use the extra room to reorganize the layout of the plant and improve production flow.
The site produces mandrel-produced hoses—spiral, rotary and other customer lines—for a variety of markets, including oil and gas, petrochemical, marine and government-related products, among others.
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Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice
Rishi Chopra, Jonathan I. Silverberg*
There is a tremendous need for accurate and reproducible scoring systems for the grading of skin disease to further the development of research and standards of care. There are presently greater than 60 measures that have been used to assess the severity of atopic dermatitis. These assessments vary considerably with respect to content, scale, instructions, validity, and concordance. This contribution reviews the available scoring systems of atopic dermatitis signs based on their design and merit in specific settings. These scores assess lesional intensity and/or extent, symptoms, disease course, and epidermal function. Scoring atopic dermatitis, Investigator Global Assessment, and Eczema Area and Severity Index are the most commonly used assessments of atopic dermatitis signs. Eczema Area and Severity Index has emerged as the preferred outcome measure of atopic dermatitis signs for use in clinical trials. Unfortunately, Eczema Area and Severity Index can be cumbersome in clinical practice. Itch intensity (visual analog or numeric rating scales) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure have emerged as the preferred patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Clinicians’ gestalt global assessment of severity, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, and intensity of itch may be feasible for clinical practice.
Clinics in Dermatology
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Eczema Medicine & Life Sciences
Atopic Dermatitis Medicine & Life Sciences
Patient Reported Outcome Measures Medicine & Life Sciences
Skin Diseases Medicine & Life Sciences
Research Personnel Medicine & Life Sciences
Chopra, R., & Silverberg, J. I. (2018). Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice. Clinics in Dermatology, 36(5), 606-615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
Chopra, Rishi ; Silverberg, Jonathan I. / Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice. In: Clinics in Dermatology. 2018 ; Vol. 36, No. 5. pp. 606-615.
@article{1cc74d5941b6460e9e0612bede953705,
title = "Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice",
abstract = "There is a tremendous need for accurate and reproducible scoring systems for the grading of skin disease to further the development of research and standards of care. There are presently greater than 60 measures that have been used to assess the severity of atopic dermatitis. These assessments vary considerably with respect to content, scale, instructions, validity, and concordance. This contribution reviews the available scoring systems of atopic dermatitis signs based on their design and merit in specific settings. These scores assess lesional intensity and/or extent, symptoms, disease course, and epidermal function. Scoring atopic dermatitis, Investigator Global Assessment, and Eczema Area and Severity Index are the most commonly used assessments of atopic dermatitis signs. Eczema Area and Severity Index has emerged as the preferred outcome measure of atopic dermatitis signs for use in clinical trials. Unfortunately, Eczema Area and Severity Index can be cumbersome in clinical practice. Itch intensity (visual analog or numeric rating scales) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure have emerged as the preferred patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Clinicians{\textquoteright} gestalt global assessment of severity, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, and intensity of itch may be feasible for clinical practice.",
author = "Rishi Chopra and Silverberg, {Jonathan I.}",
doi = "10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012",
journal = "Clinics in Dermatology",
Chopra, R & Silverberg, JI 2018, 'Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice', Clinics in Dermatology, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 606-615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice. / Chopra, Rishi; Silverberg, Jonathan I.
In: Clinics in Dermatology, Vol. 36, No. 5, 01.09.2018, p. 606-615.
T1 - Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice
AU - Chopra, Rishi
AU - Silverberg, Jonathan I.
N2 - There is a tremendous need for accurate and reproducible scoring systems for the grading of skin disease to further the development of research and standards of care. There are presently greater than 60 measures that have been used to assess the severity of atopic dermatitis. These assessments vary considerably with respect to content, scale, instructions, validity, and concordance. This contribution reviews the available scoring systems of atopic dermatitis signs based on their design and merit in specific settings. These scores assess lesional intensity and/or extent, symptoms, disease course, and epidermal function. Scoring atopic dermatitis, Investigator Global Assessment, and Eczema Area and Severity Index are the most commonly used assessments of atopic dermatitis signs. Eczema Area and Severity Index has emerged as the preferred outcome measure of atopic dermatitis signs for use in clinical trials. Unfortunately, Eczema Area and Severity Index can be cumbersome in clinical practice. Itch intensity (visual analog or numeric rating scales) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure have emerged as the preferred patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Clinicians’ gestalt global assessment of severity, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, and intensity of itch may be feasible for clinical practice.
AB - There is a tremendous need for accurate and reproducible scoring systems for the grading of skin disease to further the development of research and standards of care. There are presently greater than 60 measures that have been used to assess the severity of atopic dermatitis. These assessments vary considerably with respect to content, scale, instructions, validity, and concordance. This contribution reviews the available scoring systems of atopic dermatitis signs based on their design and merit in specific settings. These scores assess lesional intensity and/or extent, symptoms, disease course, and epidermal function. Scoring atopic dermatitis, Investigator Global Assessment, and Eczema Area and Severity Index are the most commonly used assessments of atopic dermatitis signs. Eczema Area and Severity Index has emerged as the preferred outcome measure of atopic dermatitis signs for use in clinical trials. Unfortunately, Eczema Area and Severity Index can be cumbersome in clinical practice. Itch intensity (visual analog or numeric rating scales) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure have emerged as the preferred patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Clinicians’ gestalt global assessment of severity, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, and intensity of itch may be feasible for clinical practice.
U2 - 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
DO - 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
JO - Clinics in Dermatology
JF - Clinics in Dermatology
Chopra R, Silverberg JI. Assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials and practice. Clinics in Dermatology. 2018 Sep 1;36(5):606-615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.012
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Q&A: Finding and Exploiting Cancer's Weaknesses
By Kate Travis Mar. 25, 2011 , 8:00 AM
David Solit (Credit: MSKCC)
Oncologist David Solit, 41, has some close professional role models: His father was a surgeon and his grandfather a family practitioner. Like many doctors who pursue oncology, he became interested in the disease after a relative died from breast cancer. But it was a laboratory rotation during his oncology fellowship that sealed his interest in cancer research.
"I thought it would be best to stay in the lab and to try to actually develop some better treatments that we could bring into the clinic." -- David Solit
"My interest was not to stay in the clinic and try to use the drugs that we had, which, in my opinion, were not very good," Solit says. "I thought it would be best to stay in the lab and to try to actually develop some better treatments that we could bring into the clinic."
Now, Solit holds the Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn Chair for Junior Faculty and heads his own laboratory in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. His lab studies a particular signaling pathway, the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, which regulates cell growth and survival in several cancers. "We try to identify the underlying genetic basis of different tumor types and then develop novel therapies that will exploit the specific mutations that drive tumorigenesis or cancer progression," he says. Solit is the author of an upcoming Perspective in Science Signaling on MEK resistance, which will be published on 29 March.
Special Feature: Cancer Crusade at 40
This week, Science and its sister publications take a look at where cancer research stands 40 years after the signing of the National Cancer Act. This article is one of two in Science Careers on the topic; see also "Conducting Cancer Clinical Trials." And for more on molecularly targeted cancer drugs, see the news story "Combining Targeted Drugs to Stop Resistant Tumors" (free full text with registration) in this week's issue of Science.
See the list of cancer-related articles in all the Science publications at www.sciencemag.org/special/cancer2011/.
Solit spoke with Science Careers earlier this month about his research and his career path. The following highlights from the interview were edited for brevity and clarity. A full transcript of the conversation is available on CTSciNet.
Q: Let's talk about your research first. In terms of genetics, you look at specific signaling pathways in cancer tumors, is that right?
D.S.: We're very focused on the RAS-BRAF pathway and the AKT pathway. These are two pathways that are very commonly mutated in human tumors, and we try to understand where those pathways are mutated, which type of tumors, what are the mutations that co-occur with mutations in those pathways; and try to understand, if we try to inhibit those pathways, what can we expect in patients. So, can we expect that, if we inhibit, for example, the BRAF kinase, are we going to see the cells stop growing? Are they going to die or are they going to not care at all, depending upon the underlying genetics of a particular tumor type?
Q: So you're identifying potential targets for potential drugs?
D.S.: Exactly, in part. But we also take it a step further. We're very interested in how to actually drug those targets. You can't presume, for example, simply because somebody told you a particular compound is a BRAF inhibitor, that it really just inhibits BRAF or that's how it, in fact, works. So we try to have models where we really understand the genetic basis for the cancer, and then we try to take compounds and figure out, are they going to be able to work in that genetic background?
Q: Are you matching up the compounds and the mutations in the lab? Are you doing this through clinical trials? Or both?
D.S.: Mostly this is in the lab using an assortment of things. We usually start with cancer cell lines, which we both generate here and obtain from other people. ... We essentially start with those cell lines, try to identify patterns between the mutational status of the cell line and the response to a particular drug, either in terms of the ability of the drug to inhibit a pathway. or to induce cell death. or inhibit growth. We then usually move onto xenograft models and then also, if available, try to test some of these compounds in genetically engineered mouse models that have particular mutations driving tumor formation.
And then the ultimate goal, as you mentioned, was to try to ultimately bring this into the clinic. I've run certain clinical trials but mostly at this point partner with some of my clinical colleagues to test the hypotheses generated in the lab in the clinic, in actual patients, and then actually try to analyze tumors from those patients to see whether the patterns that we identified in the laboratory in fact hold true in patients.
Q: Just to switch gears a little bit, you are clinician as well.
D.S.: I see patients as well. I'm a medical oncologist, so we typically see patients whose cancers have recurred and have spread to other parts of their body. We use chemotherapy or targeted therapies or immunotherapies to try to slow down or shrink down the cancer. For most of the solid tumors that we work with, unfortunately, once the cancer has spread to a distant place, we're at this point unable to cure those patients, although we can oftentimes improve their quality of life or make them live longer. So we obviously have a long way to go to develop effective treatments for most of the cancers we work with.
Q: Does your work in the clinic inform your research, even if indirectly?
D.S.: Definitely indirectly -- it puts in perspective an understanding of what type of problems we really should be going after. So, for example, I'm very interested in targeting the pathways that are found in patients whose cancers recur. You can imagine that, if there was a particular mutation but everyone with that mutation was cured by surgery and nobody ever recurred, that, to me, wouldn't be something I would want to spend a whole lot of time on.
So I'm very focused on trying to figure out which of the mutations ... are in the patients whose cancers come back after they get their surgery or initial treatment with radiation, for example, because those are the ones that we are in greatest need for developing new therapies for.
Q: Research wasn't your focus during medical school.
D.S.: It's very difficult to do laboratory research during your clinical training because you typically work, like, 60 to 80 or sometimes more hours a week back then. So it would be very difficult to do any sort of laboratory based research while you're actually doing your internship or residency. ...
In the ... fellowship program in oncology that I did, which was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, after your first year you have a choice to spend the next 2 years doing clinical research, participating in clinical trials or other clinical aspects of research, or you can go into the laboratory. And at that point I chose to go into the laboratory.
That could have just been for 2 years, but when I went into the laboratory, I really enjoyed the science. My interest was not to stay in the clinic and try to use the drugs that we had, which, in my opinion, were not very good. I thought it would be best to stay in the lab and to try to actually develop some better treatments that we could bring into the clinic. So I stayed not just in the lab for those 2 years but essentially did a postdoctoral fellowship beyond that for another several years even though I had finished my clinical training.
Q: Did you have protected time for research during that time, or was it a balancing act?
D.S.: Yeah. Without question, I think the institution, at least in this case, did a great job of providing me with a lot of protected time. I would say I was about 30% clinical and I was 70% laboratory. And that's not an uncommon balance for someone in that position. I would see patients one day a week.
Q: What is it now?
D.S.: It's actually not that different. ... I would still say it's about 30% clinical, 70% laboratory.
Q: Were there mentors that were particularly helpful in your training?
D.S.: I think without my mentors I would not have been successful. ... I had both a great laboratory mentor and a clinical mentor. And I think that, for someone who tries to do both, that's really important. ... My laboratory mentor was Neal Rosen, and he was very supportive of my career, and he gave me a great environment in which to do laboratory work. But I would say equally as important, I had a great clinical mentor in Dr. Howard Scher, who is head of the genitourinary oncology service at Sloan-Kettering. He's an expert in prostate cancer. [He] made sure that I had adequate protected time to do the laboratory research [and] helped me in terms of my career, in terms of trying to get promoted over time.
Q: In the spirit of the special topic of cancer, can you tell me, why cancer? Why does cancer fascinate you? Why is this what you've chosen to do with your medical practice and your research career?
D.S.: I think it's both the science and the clinical side. I got interested in cancer because my aunt had breast cancer and, unfortunately, passed away from breast cancer. So that had always had me interested in pursuing this in medicine in particular. ...
In terms of the science side, I think it's an exciting time to be in cancer research. ... The projects that are ongoing, like the Human Cancer Genome Project, [have] really opened up a lot of possibilities to understand the molecular basis of cancer. Right now, we've got the tumor Cancer Genome Atlas that we're part of here at Sloan-Kettering. We are contributing samples actively to this project. This is a project to repeat the Human Genome Project thousands of times using tumor samples instead of normal DNA and really identify what is the full complement of mutational changes or epigenetic changes that actually cause the cancers to develop and progress. ...
So, when these projects are being completed, it really leaves us with just a list of mutational changes that are found in the tumors, but it doesn't really inform us as to which of those are most important or how they cooperate together. So there's a huge amount of opportunity to try to sort through those questions in the lab. And what's exciting to me is that you can directly potentially use that information to impact and improve the care of patients with cancer.
Q: If you could say anything to an aspiring cancer researcher -- be they a clinician or a basic scientist -- is there any advice you have for them?
D.S.: I just would say if you're interested in this career path, I would just do it. I think that, like many people, I had many people along the way who probably told me that it's just too hard to pursue this type of career. It's very hard to get your own lab or it's very hard to get this position. But I think persistence is the key in large part. I think you have to be intelligent. You have to be hard working. But I think persistence is really what separates many people who succeed from those who do not.
And there are definitely disappointments that come up in this career path. There's always going to be grants that you don't get and papers that get rejected. Without question, I would say even those who go on to win the Nobel Prize or make huge advances had grants that were rejected and papers that were rejected. But, if you're persistent and you're committed, it's not a guarantee, but there's a good chance that you could achieve what you're interested in or what your goals are.
David Solit: Selected C.V. Highlights
Current positions:
-Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn Chair for Junior Faculty and Laboratory Head, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York
-Assistant Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York,
-Assistant Attending Physician, Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program (HOPP) and Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases
-B.A., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1991
-M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1995
Medical/research training:
-Intern in Internal Medicine, Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri
-Resident in Internal Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri
-Fellow in Medical Oncology and Hematology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
-Kimmel Scholars Award
-Prostate Cancer Foundation Investigator Award
-ASCO Career Development Award
-ASCO Young Investigator Award
-NIH Clinical Scholars Research Fellow
Kate Travis is the editor of CTSciNet, the Clinical and Translational Science Network.
CTSciNet
Kate Travis
Kate Travis is the editor of CTSciNet
CTSciNet Article Index
Answering Biomedical Questions with Information Technology
A Scientist's Infectious Enthusiasm
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Punjab late CM Beant...
Punjab late CM Beant Singh's grandson shoots himself
Chandigarh, May 29: Harkirat Singh, grandson of Punjab’s late chief minister Beant Singh, allegedly shot himself dead in his house here on Sunday afternoon, police said. With a gun-shot injury in his head, Harkirat was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here where doctors pronounced him dead, said Neeraj Sar, the officer in charge of Sector 3 police station. “We are investigating the reason behind the incident,” Sar said. Chandigarh Police said they were not ruling out suicide. Harkirat was staying in the official bungalow allotted to Beant Singh’s family in Sector 5 here. The family continues to enjoy high-level security provided by Punjab Police and para-military forces. Beant Singh, who was credited with restoring normalcy in Punjab in early 1990s after many years of terrorism, was assassited on August 31, 1995, by a human bomb at the Punjab Secretariat Complex here. (IANS)
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California seeks constitutional convention over Citizens United
A constitutional convention sought
Bob Egelko
June 25, 2014 Updated: June 26, 2014 7:52 a.m.
California State Assemblymember Henry Perea, left, greets Assemblymember Mike Gatto, right, during a legislative session in Assembly chambers at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, April 29, 2013.Max Whittaker/Prime/CIR
There hasn't been a U.S. constitutional convention in 225 years, and it would take a daunting number of states, 34, to call another one.
That didn't deter Democratic legislators this week from making California the second state, after Vermont, to demand a nationwide gathering of delegates for a single purpose: to propose an amendment repealing the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision that allowed unlimited corporate spending on political campaigns.
On a party-line vote of 23-11, with little debate, the state Senate on Monday approved AJR1, asking Congress to call a constitutional convention that would draft an amendment allowing limits on corporate campaign financing. The amendment would declare, among other things, that money is not speech and that corporations do not have the same scope of political rights as human beings.
"I doubt our founding fathers had the free-speech rights of multinational and foreign corporations in mind when they drafted the First Amendment," said Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, author of the resolution.
The Assembly had previously approved the measure, which now will be submitted to Congress. It does not need Gov. Jerry Brown's approval because AJR1 is a resolution rather than a proposed law.
In the January 2010 Citizens United case, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that restricting independent political spending by corporations or labor unions violates freedom of speech. The ruling did not affect the limits Congress and legislatures have put on contributions to candidates, but the same conservative majority ruled this year that aggregate limits on an individual's donations to federal candidates were also unconstitutional.
A number of state legislatures, including California's in 2012, have passed symbolic measures urging Congress to approve and submit to the states a constitutional amendment overruling Citizens United. But only California and Vermont have approved resolutions invoking a constitutional procedure that requires a convention when two-thirds of the states - 34 - formally request one.
An amendment becomes part of the Constitution when ratified by legislatures in three-fourths of the states, or 38.
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Other constitutional amendments have been proposed at the state level in the past, including a still-pending proposal to require a balanced federal budget, and have never reached the threshold required for a convention. The partisan divide over campaign finance would appear to make any such amendment a long shot at best, but Gatto said it's far from hopeless.
"In every state there are people upset about money in politics," including some Republicans, he said.
At times in the past, Gatto said, when a growing number of states passed resolutions calling for constitutional changes - most recently, the repeal of Prohibition - Congress responded by approving an amendment and submitting it to the states.
Some commentators have said a constitutional convention would give rise to amendments on subjects ranging from abortion to guns. But Gatto said he was confident that the tightly drafted resolutions would limit a convention's scope to campaign finance and that any deviations would be weeded out in the arduous state ratification process.
Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @egelko
Reach Bob on
Bob Egelko has been a reporter since June 1970. He spent 30 years with the Associated Press, covering news, politics and occasionally sports in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, and legal affairs in San Francisco from 1984 onward. He worked for the San Francisco Examiner for five months in 2000, then joined The Chronicle in November 2000.
His beat includes state and federal courts in California, the Supreme Court and the State Bar. He has a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and is a member of the bar. Coverage has included the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the appointment of Rose Bird to the state Supreme Court and her removal by the voters, the death penalty in California and the battles over gay rights and same-sex marriage.
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Dr. Clouet: Finding dignity and respect when tragedy strikes
June 13, 2016 Updated: June 7, 2019 5:38 a.m.
The following commentary was submitted by
Superintendent Dr. Chris Clouet.
The death of students –at any age- is always a cause for heart-ache and reflection for everyone, primarily for the family and for close friends. Such a tragedy can trigger emotions in many, sometimes people who did not even know the deceased.
Grief is something that each individual experiences in a unique way. Moreover, it is experienced differently, depending on the particular situation.
The death of a child, no matter the circumstances, is especially jarring because it is ‘out of order.’ It breaks the natural cycle of life and death all humans are a part of.
Recently, the Shelton community found itself in a maelstrom at the intersection of the untimely passing of two high school students and the proper way to award high school diplomas.
The situation provoked a lot of misperceptions, and in part some flat out false narratives. In many cases it produced more heat than light.
I have no intention of betraying private information shared in confidential conversations, but the fact is I had numerous conversations with the parents of Ed Conklin, who died in a tragic car accident in February of his senior year. We talked about a variety of options for how to honor the memory of their son and what role the school district would play in that. Kristjan Ndoj, who was murdered a few years ago when he was a sophomore, also needed to be remembered.
In Shelton there is no tradition of how and when posthumous diplomas are awarded. It is true that a variety of methods have been used over the last three decades. There have been times when parents received diplomas on the stage at graduation. However, in the majority of the circumstances involving the remembrance of a deceased high school student, that was not the case. A tradition is something that occurs on a regular basis. The annual Shelton-Derby
Football Luncheon is an example of a tradition. Clearly, the dilemma the School District experienced relating to the controversy of how and when to award diplomas to the
two young men referenced demonstrates that we need to establish guidelines. We need to start a tradition.
In contrast to shouting, the posting of malicious online messages, and amplifying of raw emotions via media, a deliberative process thoughtfully examining the law, examples of what other districts do, and developing a set of criteria is needed. That is precisely what a Board of Education is elected to do.
Among the many considerations-- is there ever a set of circumstances wherein a Board of Education would not allow the awarding of an honorary posthumous diploma? If you think about the news from around the nation over the last decade I believe reasonable people will conclude that yes, there are, on occasion, such circumstances.
In the cases we are discussing, that was not the situation!
The awarding of honorary diplomas, but not an official diploma, was discussed and agreed on. But, for the future, we need guidelines.
On May 9, after the Conklin family had spoken with me and separately with SHS Headmaster Dr. Smith, and not finding satisfaction on how we proposed to honor the memory of their son, I agreed to meet with their legal counsel. Normally, I let lawyers talk to lawyers; but in this case, trying to respect the family, I agreed.
Suffice it to say, we did not reach a resolution.
The next evening, the Board met with me to discuss making a formal proposal. The Board members and I reviewed a variety of potential ways to honor the memories of the deceased students in the context of school ceremonies. I was asked to relay our consensus view to the District’s attorney. On May 11, she sent the family’s attorney a proposal which included a number of things we felt would be dignified and respectful ways to honor the memory of their son, and the other student, including the awarding of an honorary diploma at the prestigious Senior Awards Night, and having a solemn moment of silence at graduation. For days there was no response.
Shortly after that, a campaign was organized to “fight” to have a diploma awarded to the parents on the stage at graduation. The parents have every right to advocate for what they believe, but the confluence of online petitions, many “signed” by people not living in Shelton, vitriolic
Facebook postings, talk radio and local television interviews caused some adults to act out in ways that we would not accept from our students. Let me be clear, not all of individuals who felt that they were supporting the Conklin family displayed rude and crude behavior.
Suddenly the Board was demonized. Lost in the noise was the reality that many local citizens did not agree with the campaign as it evolved. Many individuals took exception to the misguided notion that there were “good guys” and “bad guys” in this. Also lost was the responsibility of the Board to establish a rational precedence, not in the heat of an angry, emotional group setting, but through careful deliberation on how to best handle this type of issue in the future.
On May 26, Mr. Conklin and I spoke by phone. He is a very decent man, and I am sorry to have met him under these difficult circumstances. He and I talked with no lawyers, no media -- just two individuals having a quiet, respectful conversation. We agreed on a number of things, including the reading of their son’s name in the roll call of graduates, and having an empty chair where he would have been seated.
On May 31, I met with Mr. and Mrs. Conklin and Mayor Lauretti, a family friend of theirs for decades. We discussed all of their concerns and the concerns of the district.
It was agreed that what Mr. Conklin and I had agreed to the preceding week would remain in place. In addition, they asked that we forgo a moment of silence at graduation, and, since they would not be participating in the graduation ceremony (but would be viewing it, like other parents), that I present them with a posthumous honorary diploma in their son’s name at the conclusion of the ceremony. It was a calm, thoughtful conversation that acknowledged the reality that deceased students should be remembered in a dignified way, and that there is more than one way to accomplish that.
The Board fully supported this outcome. It is a false narrative, reflected in media more concerned with ratings and advertising revenue, that somebody ‘won’ and somebody ‘lost’. The death of a child results in no winners.
The expression “reasonable people can agree to disagree” applies in this case.
I believe that individuals marching up to the stage at graduation should be students who have fully completed their state and local requirements. I believe, as stated, we should develop clear guidelines for awarding future posthumous diplomas.
Each and every conversation I had with Mr. and Mrs. Conklin was characterized by respect and empathy. That is as it should be.
On June 2, the high school held their Senior Awards Night. The brother of Kristjan Ndoj was awarded an honorary diploma in the name of his late brother. It was solemn. It was heartfelt.
On June 10, the high school graduation was held. It was a dignified ceremony that celebrated the living and honored the dead. As agreed, there were two empty chairs to represent the deceased boys. Their names were read as part of the roll call. When the ceremony ended, I walked over to the Conklin family and presented them with an honorary diploma in remembrance of their son.
We are all saddened by the deaths of Eddy and Kristjan.
It is in the spirit of solemnity and contemplative reflection that we find, in my view, the best ways for schools to honor students we have lost.
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Truckee Police Logs: Man hugging light pole arrested for drunk in public
Crime Crime |
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Below are select incidents compiled from the Truckee Police Department’s online press log for Feb. 4-16, along with previously unreported incidents.
At 2:08 p.m. on Donner Pass Road, a local student was cited and released for marijuana possession.
At 2:21 p.m. on Snowpeak Way, officers responded to a burglary of wood from a detached garage.
At 3:15 a.m. on Woodbridge Lane, officers responded to a group of subjects who got lost and their vehicle was stuck. The vehicle was found to have false tabs and expired registration, so it was towed and the subjects were transported to Reno by taxi.
At 2:44 p.m. on Snowpeak Way, a victim reported theft of skis from a local ski area. Report taken.
At 7:31 p.m. on Swiss Lane, a subject was arrested for drunk in public following a disturbance outside a home.
At 4:56 p.m. on Rocky Lane, officers took a report that an unknown suspect had damaged the brake system of a vehicle, which also was moved without owner’s consent. Report taken.
At 6:37 p.m. on Donner Pass Road, a subject was arrested for drunk in public and possession of a concealed weapon.
At 3:30 p.m. at an undisclosed location, police determined an adult suspect had sexual contact with a minor. Case forwarded to the District Attorney.
At 6:43 a.m. on Davos Drive, officers responded to a physical fight between a boyfriend and girlfriend. The boyfriend was arrested for felony domestic violence.
At 8:15 a.m. on Palisades Drive, officers took a report from a person who said her purse was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.
At 6:50 a.m. on Bridge Street, officers took a report from a person who said a GPS was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.
At 1:25 a.m. on Heidi Way, a woman was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence after police say she battered her husband.
At 3:46 p.m. on Donner Pass Road, a subject was contacted after being observed staggering in the road way. Subject was arrested for drunk in public.
At 7:15 p.m. at an undisclosed location, a subject was contacted in the parking lot of a convenience store. Subject was arrested for drunk in public.
At 10:23 a.m. at an undisclosed location, a male subject was contacted after being found hugging a light pole. He was arrested for drunk in public.
At 4:30 p.m. at an undisclosed location, officers responded after a 2-vehicle hit and run. No suspect information.
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‘In Secret’ Trailer: Elizabeth Olsen Marries Her Cousin and Hooks Up With a Family Friend
Posted on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013 by Russ Fischer
In her onscreen appearances this year, Elizabeth Olsen is sleeping with all the wrong people. Look no further than Oldboy for concrete proof, but if you want more, there’s the period drama In Secret, based on Émile Zola’s novel Thérèse Raquin.
Olsen plays Thérèse, trapped in an arranged marriage to her dunderheaded and frail cousin (Tom Felton), and who finds herself burning a candle — maybe a bonfire, really — for the dashing and worldy artist friend (Oscar Isaac) who enters her family orbit. The appeal here is, in part, based on the cast; Olsen is reliably great in most roles (she’s even good in Oldboy, though he work is not rewarded), and Oscar Isaac seems perfectly cast in the role of the potential paramour.
And there’s the tone, commanded by director Charlie Stratton (episodes of Everwood and Revenge), which builds mysteries and plot twists on a foundation of Victorian repression, with Olsen’s luminous face guiding us through the shadows. Check out a trailer below.
Casting Bits: Glenn Close and Elizabeth Olsen in ‘Thérèse Raquin’, David Schwimmer in ‘The Iceman’, Max Irons in ‘The Host’
Posted on Monday, November 14th, 2011 by Angie Han
Hot off two of the year’s most buzzed-about performances in Albert Nobbs and Martha Marcy May Marlene, Glenn Close and Elizabeth Olsen have signed on to star in Thérèse Raquin. Charlie Stratton is writing and directing the erotic thriller, which is based on a 19th century novel and play by Émile Zola. Olsen will lead the cast as the titular young woman, who’s pushed into an unhappy marriage by her overbearing aunt (Close). Thérèse eventually falls into a passionate affair with her husband’s friend Laurent, with destructive consequences for all involved.
Close has reportedly been attached to the film for years, though Olsen’s involvement appears to be a recent development. Thérèse Raquin is scheduled to begin shooting this spring. [Entertainment Weekly]
After the jump, David Schwimmer gears up to kill people and Saoirse Ronan gets another love interest for The Host.
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Iraq – January 14 2019
More help for displaced children
SOS Children’s Villages extends its support to reach more conflict-affected families in the Kurdistan Region
Bashir Said, Project Manager of SOS Children’s Villages Iraq, talks about the organisation’s work in Northern Iraq and the ongoing needs of children whose families were displaced by conflict.
SOS Children's Villages is building on its existing emergency response in the Dohuk region of Iraqi Kurdistan to support families living in displacement camps near Erbil, the administrative centre of the Kurdistan region. Many of those in Erbil had fled fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Why is it important to extend support to families displaced from Mosul?
Our operational expansion comes in response to the internal displacement coming from Mosul, which was recently retaken by the Iraqi government. The Erbil governorate hosts the largest number of internally displaced people coming from Mosul and the surrounding area. This population lived under brutal ISIS rule for over three years. There are huge unmet needs for services, including mental health and psychological support for children.
SOS Children's Villages launched its emergency programme for displaced families in Iraq's northern Kurdistan Region in 2016. Photos by Ari Jalal
How will you address these needs?
Our plan is to provide Teaching Recovery Techniques [TRT] sessions to 1,400 children between eight- and 18-years-old, plus 800 parents and caregivers. These sessions are designed to help children recognise and cope their traumatic experiences.
For the programme to be successful, it is important to involve parents and caregivers. Whenever we support a child, the caregiver is supported as well. They learn to identify and understand their children’s behaviours that could be caused by past traumatic events. They also learn to better address and react to those behaviours, as well as to identify ways to help the children.
As a complementary action, we will offer recreational activities for children through our child friendly spaces. The CFSs provide a safe environment, and they offer us a place where we can observe the children and to identify other services and needs that can be provided to them. We will also work with young people living in the camps so they are better prepared to face challenges such as drugs, violence and bullying.
Finally, we aim to train 50 teachers from the camps on child protection, children’s rights, teaching methodologies, and positive discipline.
What more needs to be done to support these families?
The initial response in the camps was good. However, due to latest funding gaps in the humanitarian sector, the needs are huge. The major gaps that I see are in the areas of mental health, education and child protection. Due to the conflict, a lot of families are still missing loved ones or are still in shock from what happened. A lot of clinical and non-clinical mental health services are needed. At the moment the response in that particular sector is inadequate.
The existing educational facilities also are limited, meaning that classes are overcrowded. The schools hold classes in shifts to accommodate all the children from the camps, which reduces overall learning hours for children.
The camps were established with the objective that the displaced community will stay there for one year only and people will go back to their homes. But people don’t want to go back. They are afraid, there is lack of services in their communities, and there is still risk from explosives.
What makes the support SOS Children’s Villages provides so important?
Most NGOs are providing recreational activities. Few organisations provide clinical psychological and social support, like personal counselling. We are going one step further, saying that this is not enough to cover the trauma healing process. Through our work, children and parents are helped to overcome their traumatic experiences. This approach is very relevant and unique as a way to respond to the existing mental health needs in the area.
Bashir Said is the Project Manager for SOS Children's Villages in Iraq. He says "the needs are huge" for internally displaced families in the Kurdistan Region.
More about our work in Iraq's Kurdistan Region
Since September 2016, SOS Children’s Villages Iraq has supported more than 10,000 people, many of them Yazidis living in displacement camps in the Dohuk region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The organisation is extending its support to reach families displaced from Mosul, which was recently retaken by the Iraqi government.
Learn more about our global emergency response programmes.
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Up out of the South and into the Midwest I drove at the beginning of this month. I crossed from Indiana into Chicago on Halloween evening, into the first cracks of autumnal cold, and spent the next day at the Root and Branch Church in Bucktown. With regard to this project, it was my first stop at a community carving itself out within a city, rather than separating itself onto a piece of collectively owned land. It was also the first Community that explicitly aligns itself with one of the mainstream Western religious traditions (Christianity), albeit not with any of the traditional institutions of that religion.
Now in its third year of existence, Root and Branch is the project of three graduates of the University of Chicago school of Divinity, who now serve as the Church’s three pastors. They are an independent church, unaffiliated with any religious denomination. While co-pastors Tim, Neal, and Andrew all come from Christian backgrounds, the specifics of those backgrounds vary greatly, ranging from Conservative Evangelical to mostly secular. During my visit, I had the opportunity to attend a Sunday morning service, meet Tim and Neal (Andrew was out of town), and other members of the congregation, and engage in a long conversation over a post-service lunch to find out a little more of just what they’re all about.
Intro to the Church
On their website, the church touts itself as being “Old-time soul searching for open minds.” From my short experience, this is an apt description. There is no set standard of beliefs for members, or even necessarily between the co-pastors and leaders, but there is a deep and rich engagement with the traditions of Christianity, and specifically with the Bible (there's the "Old-time soul"). Among members, there are people who come from all kinds of religious backgrounds and hold all kinds of religious ideas - at the service, I met both self-professed atheists and Buddhist Jews. In the search for open minds, all the church asks is that participants feel free to honestly express what they're thinking.
“We want to have a very porous, multi-vocal, space,” Neil tells me during lunch, “but we want it to be centered. And finding that center…I mean, we’re a Church. We’re in the Christian tradition. But we’ve intentionally tried to say, ‘you don’t need to fix a certain identity category to yourself to be here.’”
That said, Neal is also quick to distinguish Root and Branch from being either a purely “feel-good spiritual” space, or the kind of church that reels in spiritual seekers, and then asks them to accept Christ. “We don’t have a hidden agenda,” he says, “like a bait-and-switch, ‘gotcha’ kind of thing.” But, he adds, “we do have these certain practices that are our anchors.”
What’s maybe most apparent from the service (described below), and conversation with the pastors and regulars, is that this is a church consciously, intentionally striving to find the space for religion in the contemporary world. Neil says, “I think liberal religion has not found ways of making explicit in its communal life all the ways of how to be a modern person and be religious.”
So, they’re trying to fix that.
What follows is a short recap and reflection of the Sunday morning service I attended. I have not, thus far, explicitly described a religious service like this on the blog, though I have attended a few rituals and meditations at the Intentional Communities I've visited. I'm doing so here for two reasons. First, because I found it engaging and meaningful in a way that I think can serve as something of a model for other young religious groups (and, it might be noted, they are conscious of, and pretty excited by their potential to be this kind of model), and second, because it was the first really Millennial service I attended, made up almost entirely of people in their twenties and thirties, which puts it squarely in the parameters of this project, in a way the other services were not.
I walked into the Gorilla Tango Theater on Milwaukee Avenue late Sunday morning (service began at 11am) to the electric guitar playing of Co-Pastor Tim. The congregation meets in the theater for the time being while they consider finding their own space. The crowd was small, about twenty people, although Neil tells me they usually have closer to thirty-five, the smaller number likely a result of it being the morning after Halloween. I quietly found a seat and was handed a small piece of paper with the outline of the service.
First on the list: “Time for contemplation.” Being something of an amateur journalist/anthropologist for this whole project, while the others contemplated, I observed. Maybe the most striking thing was that, in a crowd of twenty people in their mid-to-late twenties and early-to-mid thirties, not a single person had their smartphone out, and no side conversations were taking place. It wasn't a time of just waiting-for-the-service-to-begin. It seemed like actual contemplation was going on. I can’t speak to what anyone was contemplating, but it made for an immediate safe and peaceful atmosphere, without the grandiosity and pomp of many mainstream services. The music was low-key and soulfully played, the melodious thrums of the electric guitar serving as a relatable connective frequency among the contemplators.
After I’d observed a minute, I fell into my own contemplation. Unlike the completely silent meditation I attended on The Farm, I did not feel like this was purely about getting in touch with my own deepest feelings to share. It was also about entering into a present, thoughtful headspace. Connecting spirituality to those struggles of the skeptical, discerning mind.
The music and contemplation went on for maybe ten minutes, at the end of which, Tim and another member of the Church asked the group to stand for some songs. Or, as listed on the program, “Time to Sing Out.” With the lyrics printed on the backside of the program, and the musically talented leaders singing, it was easy to catch the tunes and belt out the words. They were songs that seemed to me to have traditional religious lyrics - "I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord/ No tender voice like Thine can peace afford-” but there was a vitality to the singing. The songs, I gathered, change service to service, and this keeps their content, even when the language might be called archaic, fresh.
Following the songs was the Announcements, notably placed right in the middle of the service. This is worth appreciating for a second or two, small detail though it may be. Most religious services (that I’ve attended) save Announcements for the end, once the praying is over with, so as to not lengthen the service and lose the people’s attention. And yet, having the Announcements in the middle seems like a meaningful choice, as it places the Community in the heart of the religious service. Since most people walked in to the silent contemplation, it gives opportunity for greetings within the religious context, which enhances the communal aspect of the service.
And then came Pastor Neal’s sermon. It had two parts, both keeping in theme with a day-after-Halloween service. First were some thoughts from Neal about God and Fear. He brought up the ideas of Christian theologian Rudolf Otto, who wrote about aspects of the "numinous," the holy, divine, ineffable. Otto uses the phrase "mysterium tremendum et fascinas," which breaks the numinous into three parts. First, the aspect which is wholly mysterious (mysterium) or wholly Other, something different from what we experience in everyday life, which we encounter (Neal explained) with silent reverence. This is followed by terror, fear, awe (tremendum), that comes from the great, often overwhelming, power of this holiness. Finally, there is mercy, grace (et fascinas), this being God's all-consuming love. Neal suggested that we try to keep our eyes open a little more to the mysterium and tremendum, the mystery and, yes, fear, in order to get deeper, more meaningful senses of the et fascinas. (These kinds of breakdowns of God are extremely interesting, and a blog post introducing some of the ideas I've encountered on this travel is forthcoming...sometime down the road).
For the second half of the sermon, Neal handed out a text from the gospel of Mark. Still in line with the eeriness of the holiday, it was the story of the Gerosene Demoniac, a man who is possessed by a “legion” of demons and lives in a graveyard. This man is shunned by society, cutting and whipping himself day and night. To sum up quickly the text (in case you didn't click on the link): Jesus comes upon this man, and exorcises the demon legion into a group of pigs, who promptly run off a cliff. This draws the ire of the people, who now have no pigs, and Jesus is forced to leave town. But before he goes, he tells the man, the one now freed of his demons, to spread the word about the power of God. The text ends with the man preaching the Godliness of Jesus in the town, and the people left “wondering.” Needless to say, it’s a weird text. But a juicy one too (read it! think about it!)
Neal broke us up into four groups. He explained a common preaching formula surrounding texts, with four parts, and assigned each group one of these parts. The first part is to identify the problem of the text: what's gone wrong here (man possessed by demons, shunned by society, etc.). The second part is to identify the solution in the text (this was my group, and while "Jesus exorcises the demons" is one part of the solution, we found there were still many other textual issues without such clear cut solutions (e.g. why do the demons have to go into pigs? Why do the people "wonder?")). The third part is to relate the problem of the text to a problem in contemporary life, and the fourth is to try to use the solution of the text to posit a solution to today’s problem. After our intra-group discussions, we reconvened and discussed what we’d arrived at. It was a fun, engaging, intellectual exercise in exegesis. While the “preaching message” that we came to was one of working to treat people with mental and physical handicaps better (and working on society to create a better space for such people), the larger message of the exercise, to an observing blogger, was that healthy, no-bullshit, intellectual engagement with the words of these texts was a genuine and legitimate means of worship. Needless to say, I was into it.
The service then headed towards its conclusion with Communion. This included a short introductory meditation by the church’s current intern, in which she spoke openly about the mystery, and, frankly, scariness of this particular ritual. (And indeed, later, over lunch, Neal made a point of thanking her for the acknowledgment of that struggle.)
We ended with one more round of singing, and then breaking into conversations and socializing. The whole thing lasted no more than an hour-and-a-half. From there, we went to lunch.
Concluding Words
While my tradition and texts and history is Jewish, the model of a service that both highlights Community - real Community, where people strive to find deeper, more honest ways of togetherness - and faces head-on the intellectual and spiritual rigors of searching for meaning in the modern world, was deeply refreshing. It was enlivening. Exciting to the soul. Which is, I humbly posit here, maybe what a religious service ought to be.
I'll also say, I found the discussion of biblical texts especially thrilling. And Neal acknowledged over lunch that revitalizing these texts is one of his goals, “The bible is full of really fantastic rich interesting stories, and I think one challenge that I want to set for us as a Community is to unabashedly be excited about that.”
So far, seems to be moving along pretty well.
Coming Later This Week to Spiritual Fringe
More from my conversation at lunch with Neal and Root and Branch members. Including questions of why anyone might find it worthwhile to engage deeply in one religion, or one set of texts, as opposed to another. And some thoughts on “resonance,” another major buzzword I’ve been encountering out here on the fringe.
Rachel Pollack
I loved that you found the service enlivening and refreshing and engaging. I always have wondered why the poor swine had to suffer. Couldn't the demons just go poof?
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PSG sign young Lucas Digne from Lille
Shubham Mazumdar
Modified 18 Jul 2013, 10:06 IST
Lucas Digne has completed his move to the French capital side PSG for a reported fee of around €15m.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi admitted that he was delighted with the move.
“Lucas Digne, a rising star of French football and recent winner of the U20 World Cup, was the subject of transfer interest from a number of major clubs and has chosen Paris Saint-Germain to continue his progression on the European stage. We are delighted to welcome this young French player into our squad”, said Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
The team was in a need of a left back after the club backup Sylvain Armand left for Rennes on a free transfer.
“To play for Paris Saint-Germain, with these exceptional players, is a dream come true. I’m very happy. After the World Champion title in Turkey, I am having an incredible summer. I would like to thank the club for the confidence they have placed in me”, said Lucas Digne on the official site.
Published 18 Jul 2013, 10:06 IST
Ligue 1 LOSC Lille Metropole Football Paris Saint-Germain Football Lucas Digne
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DeFrancesco Named General Manager of Telecast Fiber Systems
By Carolyn Braff, Editor
Monday, April 12, 2010 - 5:45 pm
Telecast Fiber Systems has appointed Steve DeFrancesco general manager. He will report directly to Glenn Pennycook, president of the Enterprise Solutions Division of Belden Americas, which recently completed its acquisition of Telecast Fiber Systems.
DeFrancesco has 20 years of commercial and operations experience in the electronics and enterprise-software industries. He joined Belden’s Business Development organization three years ago and more recently served as director of sales and marketing for its Thermax business unit. Previously, he held various senior management roles in operations and marketing for enterprise software companies and was a principal consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. DeFrancesco holds an MBA from Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from Clarkson University.
“Telecast Fiber Systems is the unquestioned leader in fiber-optic solutions for broadcasting transmission, so the company provides an ideal complement to Belden’s strategy centered around light, air, and connectivity,” said DeFrancesco. “I am delighted to be working with professionals of the caliber of the Telecast team and look forward to helping expand our global market presence.”
Said Richard Cerny, COO of Telecast Fiber Systems, “Not only are we fortunate to have a professional of Steve’s experience and proven leadership abilities to take the helm, but the Belden acquisition means our company will be propelled into the next realm of market leadership and better able to capitalize on the growing demand for mixed copper and fiber solutions.”
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Kevin Spacey: No matter how technology changes film & TV, we need to embrace our future storytellers
By Michael Silbergleid
Friday, August 23, 2013 - 3:22 pm
The UK’s RadioTimes.com reports that Kevin Spacey has delivered the annual Mactaggart lecture at this year’s Edinburgh Television Festival, choosing to focus on the importance of nurturing emerging young talent in television and the future of the industry in light of the models of Netflix and their competitors.
Speaking this evening, he announced to his audience that, “our challenge now is to keep the flame of revolutionary programming alive by continuing to seek out new talent, nurture it, encourage it, challenge it, give it home and the kind of autonomy that the past and present – or our three Golden Ages of television – has proved it deserves.”
The 54-year-old actor Oscar-winning actor shared his thoughts on the importance of seeking out new talent, rather than waiting for young generations to come to them. “Until now, those of us in the teleivsion and film business have been able to wait for the talent to find us… But now things are changing and changing fast,” he warned.
Read more at http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-08-22/kevin-spacey-no-matter-how-technology-changes-film–tv-we-need-to-embrace-our-future-storytellers
New Dickies Arena Is Designed for an Extensive Range of AudioSchubin Cafe: Cinema Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
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Puzzle 1992 Dos Dosbox Ocean Cartoon Adventure Strategy
Entertaining and head-scratching
This little known puzzle game from the Ocean stable is a bit of a departure from their usual licensed games like Robocop or arcade conversions like Operation Wolf and New Zealand Story and while it isn't perfect it is intriguing enough to warrant a look. Rather bizarrely, it is actually based on a brand of crisps popular in England and revolves around the antics of the brand mascot and who has lost his favourite snack. The player takes control of the ant who is charged with recovering them and which requires you to complete a set of 100 puzzles that play out like immensely complicated domino challenges. Each level tasks you with placing different kinds of domino that have varying effects, in such a fashion that when pushed they will all fall down, which will then open the exit to the next level. Numerous aspects add to the difficulty, for example with the exit being required to be accessible after all the dominoes have fallen and with the ant capable of being crushed by a falling domino, so careful consideration of their placement is vital. A time limit also increases the tension but if you get stuck, a hint system is available which does come in handy sometimes. Pushover is definitely an interesting attempt at a puzzle game and it should appeal to fans of Lemmings or Sid & Al's Incredible Toons. The puzzles are generally quite taxing and clever, despite the game's cartoon-like nature, and provide plenty of enjoyable head-scratching moments, although the difficult level is rather uneven. Graphics are simple but appealing with a nice sense of light humour and overall this is an entertaining little puzzler.
A puzzler with platformer elements
At its heart this game is a simple and yet interesting set of individual screens within a larger child like animation framework. You play as a dog, who's looking to advance through each level and to do that he has to move, push, re-arranged a lot of different obstacles found throughout the level. The game is not too diverse, so within half an hour you will have exhausted the entire challenge types that you are offered. To be frank, this game would have been much better off being a simpler puzzler game, scraping away with the platformer portions. The puzzles themselves don't really lend themselves to being solved via a left and right moving character. They would have worked much better in a more abstract way, but, I guess, I'm not in the target audience. My guess is this game will be adored by small children who love animations with cute animals and who will get much more of a kick out of the simple puzzle games. The graphics work great and the music is also very cartoonish, adding extra flavor to the game. Thus, a great game for children but not so much for older players.
Games related to Pushover
Sid & Al's Incredible Toons (1993)
One Step Beyond (1993)
Operation Wolf (1988)
Roger Rabbit in Hare Raising Havoc (1991)
Putt-Putt Joins the Parade (1992)
D-Generation (1991)
Krusty's Super Funhouse (1992)
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Home › Which case won? › “We were in a de facto relationship and I should inherit some of his estate.” Which case won?
Which case won?
21 Apr | Which Case Won
“We were in a de facto relationship and I should inherit some of his estate.” Which case won?
by Rita Fisher, Leura
Man executes will in favour of relatives and former spouse
On 8 August 2000, a man executed a will naming his younger brother as his executor. The will left certain items of personal property to his two brothers, his nephews and his niece.
He left the rest of his estate to a woman identified in the will as his spouse. Though they had never married, they had lived in a de facto relationship since 1993 and continued to do so until 2007.
In July 2007, the man met another woman, the plaintiff, when she applied to volunteer at the youth centre where he worked. At the time he was 61 years old and she was 32. In about 2008, they embarked on a romantic relationship.
No provision made for plaintiff in man’s will
On 13 December 2015 the man died.
The brother who was the executor was granted probate, authorising him to manage the man’s estate in accordance with the provisions of the will that he had executed in 2000.
The value of the estate available for distribution under the will was about $582,573.
The will made no provision for the plaintiff.
Plaintiff seeks family provision order in relation to man’s estate
The plaintiff filed a summons in the Supreme Court of NSW, seeking a family provision order, arguing that she was eligible as either the deceased’s de facto partner at the time of his death, or as a member of his household and dependent on him.
The deceased’s brother, as the executor of the deceased’s estate, was the defendant in these proceedings.
Although it was not in dispute that there had been a relationship between the plaintiff and the deceased, the precise nature, extent, and duration of that relationship was a hotly contested issue in the court proceedings.
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casea
The case for the plaintiff
It’s clear from my previous driver licence that the deceased and I lived together. The address on my driver licence is the same as the address of the deceased’s property.
We also lived part of the week at a property that I owned. As my colleague told the court, the deceased would often answer the phone when she rang me there. When I was travelling, she would also contact him for updates if she couldn’t reach me.
The deceased and I regularly did the types of things that close couples do, including travelling together, receiving wedding invitations addressed to us jointly, going out to dinner together, attending concerts, and family and social gatherings.
The deceased showed his love for me by sending me flowers and messages. After one special trip to Bali he emailed me that it was “special to be with you in Bali too – we probably learnt more about each other in Bali – I love you more than ever…”.
I cared for the deceased’s welfare. I would pick up his medication at the chemist and I took him to doctor appointments and for his colonoscopy. I also took the deceased to the hospital a week before he died.
The deceased helped my mother with appointments with her solicitor and he also helped me financially, giving me $28,000 for the deposit to settle the purchase of an investment property.
The deceased and I talked about getting married. Although we didn’t have children, I fell pregnant by the deceased twice.
When the deceased died, I gave the eulogy at his memorial service. After his death, I received flowers and condolences from his relatives and many lovely messages, including one in which a friend said: “I know that you were very important to each other – having spoken to him more than once, my feeling is he loved and admired you very much.”
caseb
The case for the brother
My brother, the deceased, never told me that he and the plaintiff were living together or that they were committed to supporting each other.
The plaintiff’s current driver licence shows a different address from my brother’s property.
My brother and the plaintiff did not have any joint bank accounts, joint credit cards, joint investments or joint health insurance.
In 2010, my brother told a close friend that the plaintiff “can’t accept that we aren’t in a relationship… she just won’t let it go. I’m sorry that she was hoping for something more, I think she’s worried she might never meet someone in time to have children… but she just refuses to see that this isn’t going to be with me.”
My brother also told that friend regarding the plaintiff: “I had to call the police. She is out of her mind. She drove all the way out to my place and scaled the locked gate. I’d only put a lock on the gate because of her.”
My brother and his neighbour were close friends who shared confidences about the challenges they were both having dating much younger women. The deceased told him: “the married family-man life has never been for me” and eventually that “the thing he had with [the plaintiff] is most definitely over”.
My brother told me in around 2012 that he had changed his land line telephone to a silent number and had resorted to padlocking the gate to his property in order to prevent the plaintiff from getting in.
When I went to my brother’s property five days after his death, his clothes, toiletries, and personal possessions were all around. There was nothing to suggest that anyone lived there but him. There were no photos of him and the plaintiff, and there were certainly no female effects.
So, which case won?
Cast your judgment below to find out
Case A Case B
Case B won. You were right!
How people voted
a37%
b63%
Expert commentary on the court's decision
Rita FisherManaging Director
“In determining whether it has jurisdiction to grant a family provision order, the court sets a high bar for assessing the credibility of the plaintiff’s evidence. Plaintiffs should ensure that they provide plenty of corroborating evidence, including evidence from other witnesses as well as contemporaneous documents.”
Supreme Court dismisses plaintiff’s case
On 28 February 2018, the Supreme Court of NSW in the matter of Bezjak v Wyatt [2018] NSWSC 199 dismissed the application of the plaintiff, Ms Brigita Bezjak, for a family provision order.
The court rejected Ms Bezjak’s argument that she was the de facto partner of the deceased, Mr Peter Wyatt, at the time of his death.
The court accepted Ms Bezjak’s alternative argument that she and Mr Wyatt were members of the same household for a period of time and that she was partly dependent on him. However, the court concluded that this alone did not entitle her to make an application for a family provision order.
Court must have jurisdiction under Succession Act to make family provision order
Section 59(1) of the NSW Succession Act 2006 (“the Act”) confers jurisdiction on the court to make a family provision order in relation to the estate of a deceased person.
To make a family provision order, the court must be satisfied that the plaintiff is an eligible person and that adequate provision for the proper maintenance, education or advancement in the life of the plaintiff has not been made by the will of the deceased.
For some classes of eligible persons, the court must also be satisfied that having regard to all the circumstances of the case, there are factors which warrant the making of the application.
Eligible person who is living in de facto relationship with deceased at time of his death
Under section 57(1)(b) of the Act, a person with whom the deceased person was living in a de facto relationship at the time of the deceased person‘s death is an eligible person.
In relation to a de facto relationship, there is no need for the court to also satisfy itself that there are factors which warrant the making of the application.
Eligible person who is a member of deceased’s household and dependent on deceased
Under section 57(1)(e) of the Act, a person is also an eligible person if they were at any time wholly or partly dependent on the deceased person and at that time or at any other time, were a member of the household of which the deceased person was a member.
However, unlike with a de facto relationship, the court must also be satisfied that there are factors which warrant the making of the application.
“Living in a de facto relationship” defined by court
The court noted that for the purposes of section 57(1)(b) of the Act, a de facto relationship is defined by section 21C of the NSW Interpretation Act 1987.
Section 21C of the Interpretation Act states that a person is in a “de facto relationship” with another person if they have a relationship as a couple living together, and they are not married to one another or related by family.
“Relationship as a couple” defined by court
In determining whether two people have a relationship as a couple, all the circumstances of the relationship are to be considered.
Section 21C provides a list of relevant circumstances, including amongst other things, the degree of mutual commitment to a shared life, the nature and extent of common residence and the reputation and public aspects of the relationship.
While the list of relevant circumstances in section 21C is used to assist in determining whether the parties are in “a relationship as a couple”, the list is not decisive or exhaustive. It is necessary to look at the composite picture, rather than isolating individual factors or attributing relative degrees of importance to them.
“Living together” defined by court
The court stated that in determining if two persons are living together, they should consider factors such as whether there was sufficient shared residence, simultaneous physical presence at the residence, the sharing of domestic tasks, deciding household questions together and sharing the burden of maintaining the household.
Evidence of de facto relationship found not to be credible
The court noted that ultimately, the conclusion as to the existence, or otherwise, of a de facto relationship is a question of fact.
The court highlighted that Ms Bezjak bore the onus of proof to establish that she and Mr Wyatt were in a de facto relationship.
Ms Bezjak’s case was based, principally, upon her own testimonial evidence.
In assessing the credibility of Ms Bezjak’s evidence, the court emphasised that evidence of conversations involving a person subsequently deceased need to be carefully scrutinised, especially if no corroborating evidence is provided.
The court also pointed out that where self-interest in giving evidence favourable to one’s own case is obvious, the evidence should be viewed with much caution.
In cases involving events which occurred some time before the litigation, the court also said it prefers to rely upon contemporaneous, or near contemporaneous, documents, over what may be flawed attempts at recollection of those facts by persons with an interest in the outcome of the litigation.
Ms Bezjak not in de facto relationship with Mr Wyatt at time of his death
Considering Ms Bezjak’s lack of documentary and other evidence that could have been, but was not provided by her, the court found that Ms Bezjak was not in a de facto relationship with Mr Wyatt at the time of his death.
In the court’s view, the relationship, while “romantic, and perhaps, even loving, prior to 2010, changed, significantly, after that time. It could not be described as a de facto relationship at the date of the deceased’s death.”
Ms Bezjak as member of Mr Wyatt’s household
Although the court did not accept that Ms Bezjak was in a de facto relationship with Mr Wyatt, it did accept her argument that she was an eligible person because she was a member of Mr Wyatt’s household and dependent on him.
In the court’s view: “…it is the characteristics and dimension of the domestic relationship that make it a household. The concept connotes a degree of continuity and permanency of mutual living arrangements.”
The Act does not specify a length of time during which the plaintiff must have been a member of the household of which the deceased was a member.
The court referred to Ms Bezjak’s driver licence that expired in 2010 and listed her address as Mr Wyatt’s address, in concluding that they were members of the same household for a period of time.
Ms Bezjak dependent on Mr Wyatt
In the court’s view, a person would be dependent on the deceased if they would naturally rely upon or look to the deceased, rather than to others, for anything necessary or desirable for their maintenance and support. This includes financial and/or emotional support.
The court concluded that Ms Bezjak was partly dependent on Mr Wyatt and that he provided her with emotional and other support, even after their romantic relationship had ended.
No factors warranting making of application for family provision order
Although Ms Bezjak was an eligible person as a member of Mr Wyatt’s household, the court also had to satisfy itself that there were factors warranting the making of Ms Bezjak’s application for a family provision order.
The court concluded that there were no factors demonstrating a social, domestic, or moral obligation on the deceased to make some provision for Ms Bezjak.
Accordingly, Ms Bezjak’s summons was dismissed.
Credibility of evidence critical to convincing court to grant family provision order
The concept of a de facto relationship is complex and diverse. Ultimately, it is up to the plaintiff to prove that such a relationship existed at the time of the deceased’s death.
In determining whether it has jurisdiction to grant a family provision order, the court sets a high bar for assessing the credibility of the plaintiff’s evidence. Plaintiffs should ensure that they provide plenty of corroborating evidence, including evidence from other witnesses, as well as contemporaneous documents.
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Worse than worst case: Keen pollies, poor planning blow billions on infrastructure
By Michael Pascoe
Updated November 29, 2017 — 12.24pm first published at 11.47am
The sad reality of our major road infrastructure projects is that most of them run wildly over budget, wasting billions of dollars through poor planning and funding decisions. A sadder reality is that governments appear unable to learn from past mistakes.
Tucked away in the Productivity Commission's five-yearly review last month were the sorts of figures that would have heads rolling in a rational world – a wild disconnect between what politicians rush to announce and what we end up paying.
As previously reported, the PC reckons there's $20 billion a year to be picked up by using our road transport system more efficiently. And there are billions of dollars to be saved by not repeating East West Link/WestConnex/West Gate Tunnel mistakes.
My colleague Ross Gittins reckons the first of the commission's five-yearly reports will go down as one for the ages, a major step in our economic thinking, a shift from bald economic rationalism to economics that are focussed on the benefit of people.
Sydney's WestConnex project has cost estimates significantly lower than experience would indicate, the Productivity Commission warns. Credit:Brook Mitchell
The AFR's Laura Tingle made observations on the potential political impact, the PC providing a philosophy that would enable the coalition to play in the same arena as Labor - if it has the nous to use it.
But while the PC can point the way to a better future, it relies on governments to actually do something about it, to adopt the proffered policy and act on it.
For example, take the report's section on "better functioning towns and cities" to improve the public infrastructure. Aside from the big GDP-enhancer already mentioned, the PC's recommendations include:
"It is essential that governments ensure that proposed projects are subject to benefit-cost evaluations, and that these as well as evaluations of alternative proposals for meeting objectives are available for public scrutiny before decisions are made.
"The institutional and governance recommendations of the Productivity Commission's 2014 Public Infrastructure Inquiry remain valid and should be implemented by all governments as a priority. The 2014 Report has a dedicated chapter on how to do it."
Yes, there's the PC again raging between the lines, having tried to tell governments three years ago how to stop blowing billions with nowt to show for it.
The econocrats might have had in mind Peter Martin's fine reporting in July on the NSW Government's strange preferencing of road over rail for improved Wollongong transport, but there are plenty of case studies.
There are several other recommendations that add up to keeping politicians away from big things that they'd like to cut ribbons for and being very rational about what's worth funding, how it's funded, comparing alternatives, relating charges to spending and giving the users of infrastructure a clear say.
Just to spell that out, the average cost blowout for major projects over the past 15 years has been 26 per cent. That's astounding
"The potential benefits from better decision-making are substantial," says the report. "The Grattan Institute suggests that, over the past 15 years, approximately 30 per cent of transport infrastructure projects valued over $20 million were announced before a funding commitment had been made. These projects accounted for about three quarters of the total value of cost overruns.
"Overall, governments spent $28 billion more on transport infrastructure than announced. Based on current levels of investment, a 10 per cent reduction in the cost of delivering infrastructure would amount to an annual saving of approximately $2.9 billion."
Instead, Victoria's East West Link predictably gets a mention:
"The example of the East West Link, which involved substantial waste of taxpayer funds, further highlights the problems that arise from unilateral decision-making regardless of costs or benefits. Governments should not lock in contracts to bind future governments unless there are considerable savings in doing so, that are assured to offset any risks. And conversely, governments should not cancel a project without devising an exit strategy that minimises resulting costs."
The PC report acknowledges there have been some efforts made by governments to be less stupid and irresponsible since its 2014 report, but the jury remains out on the effectiveness of the initiatives.
"Despite these changes, there have been continuing instances of poor, very costly, decisions. Observers have noted that the current WestConnex (Sydney) and West Gate Tunnel (Melbourne) projects have cost estimates significantly lower than experience would indicate.
Worse than the 'worst case' scenarios
"The difference in cost estimates between the median and 'worst case' scenarios for both WestConnex and West Gate Tunnel projects was 6 per cent whereas the average actual difference across all projects completed in the past 15 years was 26 per cent. Providing reliable cost estimates is crucial in the project selection process.
"On corridor preservation, the Australian Logistics Council has expressed concern about the degree of urban encroachment on transport corridors and thus on future freight supply capacity. Overall, there has been little change in infrastructure planning, management and governance arrangements, and hence the underlying concerns raised in relation to the quality of infrastructure decisions in the 2014 report remain."
Just to spell that out, the average cost blowout for major projects over the past 15 years has been 26 per cent. That's astounding. But, magically, the NSW and Victorian governments now pretend the worst case cost overrun for their banner projects is a mere six per cent.
For WestConnex alone, given the lack of planning for evolving issues, 26 per cent might end up being optimistic.
Michael Pascoe
Michael Pascoe is a BusinessDay contributing editor. He comments on companies, markets and the economy.
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New strategy to improve England's flood and coastal resilience
The threat of flooding posed by climate change is influencing a major new government strategy on flood resilience.
The Environment Agency has started an eight-week consultation on its plan to make all of England’s infrastructure resilient to flooding and coastal change by 2050.
Put communities in control
Its chair, Emma Howard Boyd, launched the consultation saying “we cannot win a war against water” by building higher flood defences.
Instead she has called for a new approach that will ensure the threat of flooding posed by climate change can be dealt with by communities.
Around £1 billion is needed every year for England’s traditional flood and coastal defences.
However, with the Environment Agency preparing for a potential 4C rise in global temperatures, urgent action is needed to tackle more frequent and intense flooding along with a rise in sea levels.
Improving standards
The agency is to work with partners to develop more consistent standards, including giving communities access to a range of tools that will help them prepare and respond to flooding.
Those tools will include traditional defences, temporary barriers, natural flood management, sustainable drainage systems, effective flood warnings and emergency response.
Accelerating threats
Boyd said: “The coastline has never stayed in the same place, and there have always been floods, but climate change is increasing and accelerating these threats.
“We can’t win a war against water by building away climate change with infinitely high flood defences.
“We need to develop consistent standards for flood and coastal resilience in England that help communities better understand their risk and give them more control about how to adapt and respond.”
Consultation open
Two-thirds of all property in England is served by infrastructure in areas at risk of flooding.
For every individual home that suffers flooding, around 16 more are affected by loss of services such as power, transport and telecommunications. It’s estimated that more than five million people in England are at risk from flooding and coastal erosion.
The Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy consultation is now open and will run until July 4.
Once the responses have been reviewed, the Environment Agency will produce a document for Parliament later this year.
Categories: Blog by Frances Traynor 17th May 2019
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Home Features The making of the NRA's Dana Loesch
The making of the NRA's Dana Loesch
How an early marriage, Bill Clinton’s antics, and 9/11 transformed a sweet young woman into a sleek, insult-hurling media star who calls the rest of the media “rat bastards.”
by Jeannette Cooperman
The video cuts from Dana Loesch—in a dark-red top, dramatically backlit against a dark-blue backdrop—to black-and-white footage that suggests the placid ’50s and the unrest of the ’60s. “They use their media to assassinate real news,” she begins, not bothering to explain who “they” are. “They use their schools to teach children that their president is another Hitler.” Each word is punctuated with derision. “All to make them march. Make them protest. Make them scream racism and sexism and xenophobia and homophobia… The only way we save our country and our freedom is to fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth. I’m the National Rifle Association of America, and I’m freedom’s safest place.”
As a girl, Lori-Ann Planthold had sleepovers with Dana. When she catches a glimpse of her sweet junior high friend as the new spokeswoman for the NRA, she can barely recognize her, has to dig out a yearbook to be sure. The super-curly hair is now glossy and straight, and her thin lips are plumped; even her mannerisms are different.
Jason Granger flips on his radio, hears a woman’s voice, and does a double-take. Is that Dana Eaton? From the Meramec college newspaper? It sounds an awful lot like her…except that this woman is raging against ideas the Dana he knew cherished. He listens to more sound bites, then shrugs: “I don’t fault people for their beliefs—but I do fault them for propagating hate and anger.”
Many of us change our political views, but it’s usually by increments, over decades. At the start of her twenties, Dana Eaton Loesch did an abrupt and dramatic 180 and shot forward.
She’s had quite a trajectory.
A plain, skinny little girl with a mop of untamable curls, Dana Eaton feels invisible, and she hates it. She takes it personally when the bus driver misses her stop because he doesn’t see her. At playtime, she swings, because it’s something she can do alone. When she was 5 years old, her mother summoned the courage to kick her father out, and now it’s just the two of them, and it’s really quiet. No more drama or chaos—but no company, either. Her mom’s working two, sometimes three jobs to avoid going on welfare. Dana’s in therapy, and writing out her feelings helps her sort through the muddle.
On weekends, they drive to visit her mom’s family, the Scaggses, in Annapolis, Missouri. A town of fewer than 400 people, it’s set at the foot of the St. Francois Mountains, fed by clear streams and surrounded by woods. Dana has a swarm of cousins there, fifth-generation Scaggses, and they all play together, crowd around the table for family dinners, watch one another’s backs. Envy jabs her like a straight pin.
Dana’s lonely but not shy; her thin body burns with energy. As a toddler, she cracked up her uncle Jim Scaggs by grabbing a hairbrush and using it as a mic. In the evenings, Dana’s grandpa pulls her into the recliner with him, sensing that she needs a friend. His rules for life are simple: You work hard, you get up every morning with a smile on your face, and you take care of your family. He was raised during the Depression, and in World War II, he saw other Marines whose bodies had been chopped into pieces. A God-fearing Southern Democrat, he’s raised 10 kids on not much money, pulling logs out of the woods with Missouri mules. Dana worships him.
Sunday nights, she hates going back to the city. By junior high, though, she has a few friends. She and Lori-Ann spend hours doing cartwheels on the lawn outside Dana’s smallish brick ranch house in Imperial. Dana’s definitely not popular—most of the kids think she acts like a know-it-all. Their teasing doesn’t faze her; she must have really thick skin, Lori-Ann decides. Dana always seems happy, always gets the highest grade on the test, always does the right thing—never drinks or goes to parties—and she’s really nice, not a mean girl at all.
Dana's high school yearbook photo
At Fox Senior High School, in Arnold, Dana moves closer to coolness. Gymnastics, track, and ballet have given her muscle, transforming her from skinny to lean. In her senior class photo, the wild curls are pulled back and her forehead is covered with a wide curve of bangs. Her smile seems a little forced, like she’s hating this whole thing, but she’s strikingly pretty nonetheless. Girls who don’t bother with the popular group assume that she’s in it. One classmate finds her “snotty and self-absorbed,” with an aura that says she’s better than you and doesn’t have to bother saying hello. Is it poise, or aloofness? the classmate wonders. Dana’s definitely more mature than the rest of them. She’s got a serious boyfriend, and they’re always together.
By the time she reaches St. Louis Community College–Meramec, she’s honed her social skills. Forging a “second family” with the college newspaper staff, she rapidly climbs to editor-in-chief, and the Montage wins multiple awards.
In the newspaper office, Dana dresses for comfort: jeans and T-shirts, nothing flaunted. Staffer Jason Granger finds her humor “somewhat sarcastic but not bitingly so—if you leave an opening, she’ll take it, but not a mean sense of humor by any stretch.” As an editor, she’s fair, never ripping someone’s work to shreds or trying to embarrass anyone. The only big argument erupts when the sports editor opens mail addressed to The Editor.
Dana takes her role seriously.
In her parting column, she writes, “I can not fathom the idea of not speaking in plural form. I would never omit my staff.” She uses “my staff” five times in that column, never “our staff” or “we,” and she ends grandiloquently, “When I close the door behind me on Friday, another chapter in the history of the Montage will close too.”
By then, she’s used her platform thoroughly. In the paper, she vents her fury at the notion that good drivers should pull over to avoid someone’s road rage: “I’m sick of letting the bad guy get by.” She finds the distribution of Gideon Bibles offensive: “I feel my choice has been taken away.” She defends same-sex relationships: “Who are we to judge what is ‘normal’ or not? Who are we to impose our own beliefs onto perfect strangers?”
Later, when she writes Flyover Nation, she’ll say her support for Bill Clinton ended in her freshman year of high school, when Paula Jones filed her sexual harassment lawsuit. But Dana’s still writing editorials in support of Clinton in college. “I don’t trust anyone enough to take their word for it,” she states early in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. “I don’t think Clinton did it. I think Lewinsky is a vixen.” Half a year later, she rails about how “Kenneth ‘no-life-Republican-conspirator’ Starr has wasted Lord knows how many trees to write 445 pages of absolute crap.” Bruised into cynicism, she tells readers to stop whining about morals: “Don’t you know that there ARE NO MORALS in politics?” Even after acknowledging that Clinton’s “a damn good liar,” she concludes, “You can hate me all you want to, but yes, I support a man who has protected my college funding and increased it, increased protective services for battered and abused women, supported funding for the arts, given tax breaks to middle and lower class families, signed the Brady Bill,” which established a waiting period before firearm purchases.
To speak at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference, Dana chooses a frilly lace blouse and black jacket and slacks instead of the previous year’s tight leather dress. Looking toward the press section, she says, raising her volume, “Many in legacy media love mass shootings. You guys love it. I’m not saying that you love the tragedy, but I am saying that you love the ratings. Crying white mothers are ratings gold.” The next morning on CNN, Alisyn Camerota asks how she could possibly say such a thing. Dana responds coolly, “Because it’s true.”
By 1998, when Dana reaches Webster University on a journalism scholarship, she’s chopped her hair to a pixie and pierced her nose. No longer editor-in-chief, she leaves little impression on journalism professor Don Corrigan, who sees none of the idealistic passion that fueled her fiery opinion pieces at Meramec.
Music, though, she’s still passionate about. Nine Inch Nails, Black Sabbath, Ministry, The Cure... At Meramec, she dated the newspaper’s handsome photo editor, lead guitarist in a band called Arsenic Orange, all the while strenuously insisting that she was a feminist, hated men, treated them badly, and never wanted to marry. Now she volunteers to interview a guy called Chris Loesch, lead singer of Full System Purge.
Seven years older than Dana, Chris is what a previous generation called “a ladies’ man.” He even has a famous pickup story about a nightmarish experience in which he just might have turned into a werewolf. His business partner, musician Doug Firley, has no idea why this works, but it does. When Chris shows up at their recording studio in Soulard with a lovely young reporter in tow, Firley invites her back the next morning for a Mardi Gras party. She demurs, says she’ll be hanging out with her boyfriend. But sure enough, on Saturday morning she shows up with Chris, and by Sunday she’s broken up with the boyfriend. Three months later, Chris and Dana are engaged, their ring fingers tattooed with each other’s Gaelic initials, and Dana drops out of college.
Both a little offbeat yet eager for the world’s attention, they’re the kind of couple who fall so hard for each other, they create their own ecosystem. They clash only over politics: Chris is a devout conservative, and Dana, though disenchanted, still clings to pacifism and a few other liberal ideals. With the birth of their child, though, a fierce protectiveness wells up in her, and many of Chris’ conservative ideas start to make more sense. The final turning point is 9/11, an attack on her homeland. “Thank God Bush is president,” she blurts.
She’s also returned to religion. Her warm, gregarious father-in-law gives off the vibe of a hearty outdoorsman, but he’s a revered pastor in the evangelical Church of Christ. Dana grew up more religious than her left-leaning mother, always looking up churches they could attend, but she distanced herself in her late teens. Now that gap snaps shut; she pronounces herself and Chris “nondenominational Jesus freaks.”
They have a big country wedding, and a musician friend, Craig Wagner, videotapes it, grinning when they play “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” at the reception and all the guys and girls line up on opposite sides. Friends from this time see Dana as sweet and accepting, Chris as forceful and edgy, spoiling for a fight: She bakes pies for family gatherings and swoons when Chris punches a guy after a concert because he won’t move out of their way.
Early on, they live out in the country, and Dana’s often home alone with their baby son. She complains often, and Wagner realizes that she’s “fearful, almost paranoid, about an army of robbers that’s going to come and attack her home.”
They move to the city, and Chris takes a job as production manager for the magazine you’re reading now. The sales reps can’t quite figure him out: He clearly wants to be a rock star, wears guyliner and black nail polish and chains, but his politics don’t match that world. As a former colleague puts it, he’s “more emo than all the women in the office put together.”
Firley concedes his business partner’s musical talent but gets tired of Chris’ evangelizing—“not only about religion but about politics, everything. Any idea he has is a calling, and he has to convince everybody else that he’s right.”
Dana likes to be right, too, but at this point, she’s softer about it. She freelances a few fluff pieces for St. Louis Magazine: travel to Vienna, a celeb lookalike, good picks for a Mother’s Day brunch—but in just one year, she’s styling herself D.E. Loesch and writing investigative pieces about a child kicked off a transplant list and an unsolved murder in East St. Louis. In a history of anarchists, she marvels at 19th-century strikers who managed “the shutdown of every branch of industry in a single day.” (Years later, she will rant about the fast food workers’ strike and make a point of ordering fast food to support their bosses.)
Dana’s editor, Elaine X. Grant, threatens dire consequences if she doesn’t meet her damned deadlines; she’s always late, with some weird bad-luck excuse. She’s a good writer, dogged in pursuit of a story, “smart—but not very thoughtful,” Grant says. “Her apparent need to foment controversy many times overcame her ability to separate the truth from the merely sensational. Once she believed something, she was like a dog with a bone; she ignored all contradictory evidence.”
Somehow Dana’s stories for SLM also wind up on her anonymous website, Anti-Radar, where she uses the pseudonyms Cat (for catalyst) and Momus (for the god of blame and ridicule) to test her new conservative outlook. “The internet felt like the Wild West,” she says later. “I could give as good as I got. I loved it.”
“While being a mother isn’t easy and I definitely have my Calgon moments,” Dana writes, “I ultimately think that the moms who talk about how they feel victimized by motherhood give other women a false impression of parenting. Yes, it’s tough. Did you seriously think that something which began by RAMMING ITS WAY OUT OF YOUR VAGINA was going to be a cakewalk?”
After the Loesches’ second son is born, Dana shifts gears, creating Mamalogues.com, an award-winning mommy blog that’s since been erased from the web. In it, she takes motherhood to heart but not in a cloying way; her husband, kids, and relatives are comic foils, and she’s frank about how annoying they can be. She admits pretending to be gassy to avoid sex with Chris and announces that they’ve taken up spanking because their 1-year-old was deliberately defying her by messing with the Christmas tree lights.
In 2006, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, eager to be hip, makes her a columnist. Her pieces—a little too blunt, a little too pat—make the paper nervous, so she’s consigned to cyberspace. In 2008, after a column on keeping firearms in the home, the Post ends the relationship altogether. She must have made the “little old blue-haired liberals” uncomfortable, she decides. But so what? Chris had urged her from the start to be more political; he told the Riverfront Times it would “grow the audience quicker.”
At a conference in San Francisco a few months later, chewing gum with blithe confidence, Dana tells a reporter about the reach of her blog: “I’ve gotten a radio show with it.”
The show is on KFTK (97.1 FM), and though she tells the RFT she’s always had terrible stage fright and “never in a million years thought I’d be doing radio,” program director Jeff Allen remembers her eager to do a show, insisting that she’s ready. He grins when she shows up with stacks of paper, backup facts for every point she wants to make. Soon she’s down to two or three pages. Listeners love The Dana Show so much, KFTK gives her a bigger day slot, bumping Sean Hannity later to make room. Allen teaches Dana to cut through the noise, get “a really good sense of what listeners care about, pick out two or three things that are worth talking about, and make it entertaining.” Ratings shoot up. She’s even surprising herself, he suspects, at how good she is at this. She poses for a publicity shot in a black rock ’n’ roll T-shirt and safety goggles, pointing what looks like an AR-15 straight up and sticking out her tongue.
The attitude works for her—most of the time. “She can get really passionate about something, to a fault,” Allen says, “and she’ll go places where she knows she’s going to get heat, and on the management side, you’re saying, ‘It probably would have been better not to go there.’” Also, she’s not exactly convivial. On-air personality J.C. Corcoran (now at KBDZ, 93.1 FM) works across the hall from her for almost five years, and he keeps trying to say hello, engage her in conversation. She just looks at him like he’s nuts. He gets so exasperated that one day he yells, “Hello, Dana!” through a megaphone.
Rather than bond with co-workers, she brings Chris everywhere; she’s always loved his chatty ease with strangers. “Station get-togethers where we had no spouses included—there was Chris,” says Carl Middleman of KSHE (94.7 FM). “She said she didn’t like traveling alone.”
(Dana declined to be interviewed for this story. After publication, she wrote, “I adopted the 'Graham rule' and requested to travel with my husband so people couldn't make up rumors about salacious infidelities, as they like to do. Perhaps some want to interpret my protecting my reputation as weakness, but considering how easy it is to spin a yarn about people, I'm frequently reminded why my choice is a good one.” She added, “I would always say hello to colleagues.”)
Wagner donates his services as web-master for Dana’s blogs because he knows that the Loesches “don’t have dough.” What he can’t understand is why they’re so defensive about being broke—and about their kids. One day, discussing the economy, Wagner says something like, “Look, we’re all struggling now. You have kids; that’s something you have to focus on”—and Dana slams back, telling him not to talk about her kids. It happens on another occasion: One mention of her kids and everything shuts down. He’s bemused: “We were just having a pleasant conversation!’” (After publication, Dana responded, “Mr. Wagner was always offered pay. He always declined. Not sure why he felt the need to omit this or exaggerate finances.”)
By 2008, there’s not much chance left for a pleasant conversation. Insisting that Barack Obama is a socialist and therefore a Nazi, Chris calls his supporters libtards and brownshirts. “You’re calling me a Nazi,” Wagner says wearily. Oddly, he and Dana never get into it like this, but he can tell she and Chris are “becoming the same person. It was a weird thing to be there for the evolution of it.”
Years later, long after Chris has left Shock City Studios, people are still talking about Dana’s transformation. “Over time, she put herself in a state of being mad all the time,” says Firley, “and it became permanent. The outrage got stuck, and she just scowled all the time. For a while, you thought, ‘If this is an act, I get it. You’re monetizing it.’ I would have respected her a lot more if she stayed normal and just said, ‘I play a bitch on air.’ That was always the question: Is this real? And we began to figure out ‘No, this is real.’”
After the mass shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom, writer Shaun King tweets an old article in which the accused shooter said he wanted to smash the face of a reporter into concrete. King also tweets an old clip of Dana talking about mass media on NRATV: “I’m happy, just frankly, to see them curb-stomped… They are the rat bastards of the Earth.” He asks if she now sees why “it is disturbing that you said you want to smash the faces of journalists into concrete.” Dana says she was referring to reports being curb-stomped, not people. Then she says, “I condemn the recklessness and violence you encourage.”
In 2009, Dana uses The Dana Show to announce that she’s co-founding the St. Louis Tea Party. She and Bill Hennessy stand beneath the Arch and throw teabags into the Mississippi, protesting increased taxation and big government. (Two years later, they’ll argue and split, and Chris will take back his blue teapot logo.)
Now a strident talk radio celeb, Dana provokes extreme responses—sexual, worshipful, hateful. When someone implicitly threatens her kids, she buys herself a handgun, learns Krav Maga, decommissions her blog, and announces that she just might quit altogether. Word vibrates through the web, and Andrew Breitbart calls Dana personally, insisting that the safest place for her is in the spotlight and offering himself as an ally: “We will get through this.”
That fall, he makes her editor-in-chief of Big Journalism on Breitbart.com. He exults to the RFT that she’s “a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her kids; she’s beautiful; she’s smart; she’s fearless. She’s a pure rising star.” Introducing herself on the site, she says she no longer believes in journalistic objectivity; there is only “bias for agenda and bias for truth.”
In 2011, CNN offers Dana an additional gig as political commentator. But in January 2012, the network’s thrown into temporary shock, keeping her off the air for several weeks, after she speaks up on The Dana Show for the U.S. Marines who urinated on the corpses of Taliban soldiers. “I’d drop trou and do it, too,” she says. “That’s me, though. I want a million cool points for these guys.” (She dismisses the appalled reports of her comments as “disingenuous.”)
That March, Andrew Breitbart dies of heart disease. His successor, Steve Bannon, is less enamored of Dana. In December, she files a contract dispute in U.S. District Court here in St. Louis, accusing Breitbart LLC of sabotaging her career by binding her to “what amounts to indentured servitude in limbo.” She seeks freedom from her contractual obligations and “at least $75,000 in damages.” (The suit will be dismissed with no monetary settlement.)
No longer editing or blogging (she says her boys are old enough to deserve privacy), Dana does more and more guest speaking. At a Colorado gun show and rally in 2013, she delivers her own version of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech: “I too have a dream! I dream that one day our lawmakers will leave us alone! Let us do what we want! Stay out of my gun case! Stay out of my bank account!” (She later says the point of her speech was to illustrate that King’s permit to carry a concealed firearm was denied in 1956. “Gun rights are civil rights.”)
In 2014, Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze TV offers Dana a show, and the Loesches move to Dallas. KFTK continues to run The Dana Show in syndication until 2016, when its ratings begin to plummet. But the gossip Corcoran hears is that the St. Louis station “can’t wait to get rid of her” personally. This mystifies him: “She’s doing exactly what you want to do on air, and she’s—not a rising star, a shooting star! But they were having trouble getting her to cooperate with promotions and activities outside her three-hour air show.”
Early friends of the Loesches are definitely glad to see them go: “She espoused so much hate and vitriol and was such a controversial figure that the fact that Chris was still involved in Shock City—even though he wasn’t doing anything—was a problem,” says Firley. “The St. Louis music scene wanted nothing to do with him; they’d go record in Nashville rather than use us.”
Dana continues to construct her personal narrative, saying on multiple occasions, “I was a broke, unwed student from a single-parent household.” She rails against Whoopi Goldberg for trying to make a single-parent household seem OK and says it sucked; she talks about how noble her mom was for working three jobs and never taking food stamps, and how she, Dana, was “a statistic.”
In April 2014, Dana confronts her mirror image: Shannon Watts, a Mizzou grad and ordinary mom who founded Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the Sandy Hook school shooting. (“They couldn’t pick a name that didn’t sound like a porno title?” Dana asks on Twitter.) “Do you claim to speak for all moms?” she calls as she hurries after Watts, who’s holding a rally outside the NRA convention. “Would you like to correct the record when you accused me of being employed by the NRA?” Watts refuses to answer the barrage of questions, so Dana turns to her audience and shrugs: “I’m just one mom, and I was wanting to talk to another mom… She seemed like a lonely woman who sits in her driveway drinking boxed wine.”
Dana loves being a mother. She’s long had a fierce desire for the security of family—and for male protection. Her narrative is that she hated and distrusted men, but she always had a boyfriend, and she married at 20. She’s been guided along the way by a male history teacher in high school, a male newspaper moderator at Meramec, Andrew Breitbart, Glenn Beck, and, now, Wayne LaPierre.
With women, she refuses to indulge in automatic solidarity. “Take a Midol,” she tells critics. In her book Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America, she writes that when Piers Morgan got fed up and threw a wad of paper at her, she “didn’t take it personally because he threw like a girl.” When a feminist author admits being uncomfortable with the assumptions of chivalry, Dana snaps, “I think it’s a luxury of third-wave feminism to complain about people holding doors open for people where her country, Nigeria, it ranks top in the world for female genital mutilation.” The Fox TV hosts all stammer at once, nobody quite sure how to follow that leap.
Dana is highly critical of women who play up their appearance, yet she does it herself, sometimes in black leather, sometimes in demure schoolgirl collars or lace. She politicizes her role as mother, weaving it into her public persona, then goes ballistic when anyone talks about her family. She likes traditional roles, tells her husband he has to call the repair guy because he is a man and that is his job. Fluidity seems to annoy her.
Early on, she defended gay rights. She now writes that marriage is “a covenant between a man, woman, and God before God on His terms,” a religious civil liberty reserved for those who share certain beliefs.
Of Chelsea Manning she tweets, “Bradley Manning is a male. No amount of overreaction from triggered progressive men will force me, a woman, to redefine my gender for him.” On NRATV, she adds, “Just because you get some boobs, and you put some red lipstick on, poorly applied, and a very poor smoky eye bad dye job, that don’t make you a chick.”
According to examples gathered by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Dana has categorized being transgender as a mental illness, “mocked transgender protections as creating a ‘crazy world’ and compared being a transgender youth to her own childhood wish to be a flower.”
When Dana is invited to be a guest host on The View, February 3, 2014, she opens up about her political conversion, saying that she realized she didn’t agree with big government and that 9/11 changed her mind about pacifism: “I had always thought, ‘Well, no one’s ever going to come over to the United States.’” She also tacks on, a little incoherently, “It’s the problem of what happens when people forget they should be kind.” Brow furrowing, Whoopi Goldberg asks: “Doesn’t that mean that the discourse we have about the things that freak various people out, whether it’s guns or abortion, should be held with a respect for each other’s views?” Dana agrees but adds a verbal shrug: “People want to see a show.”
Part of that “show” is stormy anger, torrents of it. The First Amendment is almost as sacred to Dana as the Second, and she’ll even extend its protections to the “godless left.” She defends the journalists at Charlie Hebdo; a farmer who wonders aloud whether African-Americans were “better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life”; a teenager who says gay people sicken him; a politician who insists that it’s rare for a victim of “legitimate rape” to become pregnant; a billboard comparing Obama to Hitler (although once Donald Trump is president, she’ll excoriate liberals for parallel rhetoric).
Her first book, Hands Off My Gun, comes out in 2014. “My family is from the kind of rural town on which lemonade commercials are based,” she writes. “Kids catch tadpoles and crawdads on gravelly river banks; they skip down the holler and run barefoot into the Qwik Mart with gifted change.” She’s moving toward a larger point—“People had [guns] in gun racks in their pickups, without any fear that a child might grab one”—and the lyrical prose is a perfect setup. But it’s quite a contrast to her offhand remarks in her twenties, when she emailed friends about her “hoosier family from the Ozarks (Gawd I love them)” and blogged about her aunt’s “giant yellow hillbilly teeth” and the town’s “alcohol problem” and her “kuntry family reunion…in the armpit of the Ozarks. Really though, it’s beautiful country out there, so long as you overlook a few lilly-white rednecks and my Aunt Paula’s hair lip.” (All this sounds mean until you find out that she compared her beloved grandfather to a cockroach because he just wouldn’t die. This is not a woman who softens her words.)
What’s consistent in the book is Dana’s trademark sarcasm and class resentment: She characterizes the “anti2A” lobby as wearing designer suits and having “catered rallies and New York-plated, chauffeured SUVs.” She calls “assault weapons” a “made-up kittens-and-dandelions term used by people who have no understanding of firearms. ‘Assault weapon’ has come to define any long gun that is black with lots of ‘stuff’ stuck on it. Handguns are not included, although once you affix a silencer on a gun, grabbers think it makes it ‘shootier’ and then you get into ‘assault-y’ territory.”
Media Matters for America points out multiple instances in which she quotes the Founding Fathers’ remarks about state militias’ being adequately armed and prepared for war—but applies them to every individual in peacetime.
The book is credited with turning the tide against gun control.
In 2016, she comes out with her second book, Flyover Nation: You Can’t Run a Country You’ve Never Been To. The cover shows Dana, pistol slung low on her hip, holding a cowboy hat on with one hand, hair blowing across her face as she stares up at a stormy sky. This book is credited with predicting the coastal–flyover divide that decides the presidential election.
Dana endorses Ted Cruz and even provides a bullet list of reasons she refuses to endorse Trump, but she quickly expresses loyalty to the new president.
As she’s preparing to assume more responsibilities with the NRA, TheBlaze TV cancels her show and rumors fly, so on the goodbye episode, Beck lets her don his Darth Vader helmet (she and Chris are huge Star Wars fans). “I know there’s some people in the media that are talkin’,” she says after the helmet shtick. “You and I are good friends.” Beck leans toward her, his cheek resting on his hand, and smiles: “We’re really good friends. I’m really glad that you’re a friend and you’re on our side. You’re super, super smart. I tell this to everybody here: Look, don’t ever fight with Dana. She will win. And with what we’re facing, the NRA is more important than ever.” She retains her cool poise; he gets a little teary. He ends by saying, “The future of everything, everything, is at stake.”
They show highlights of earlier episodes: Dana posing with a gun, saying that the goal for self-defense is “to make a mess for the medic” and winking. Dana playing a staffer at The Terrorist Guild, wearing a hijab and chewing gum as she tells a client, “It says here that you blew up a bus, but no one was killed, and your claim has been denied.”
In one of her Twitter volleys, Dana keeps demanding that comedian Michael Ian Black explain his dead-serious charge that the NRA is a terrorist organization. “Maybe you could ask the question in a different way,” Black suggests, “because I’ve tried answering in as many ways as I can think to answer. Your terrorist organization, the NRA, is dedicated to increasing access to the weaponry they know will be abused. That is your job. That is what you do.”
Early in 2017, the NRA promotes Dana from special adviser on women’s policy to special assistant to the executive vice president for public communication.
She’s been preparing for this role for a long time, rhapsodizing about the smell of a new gun and urging Americans to take responsibility for protecting themselves. In Hands Off My Gun, she says gun control lobbyists “go on MSNBC and flash whitened smiles and explain how more women should be left to the devices of brutes who would ravage them.”
In April 2017, she does the famous “clenched fist of truth” video and tells Fox News that the reaction to the video is “insane. Apparently me condemning violence is what’s inciting and dividing America.” She also takes on The New York Times, calling the paper “an old gray hag…that has subsisted on the welfare of mediocrity.”
In October, she opens another video by saying, “We are witnesses to the most ruthless attack on a president, and the people who voted for him, and the free system that allowed it to happen, in American history.” She says those who oppose Trump’s presidency, “slashing away with their leaks and sneers, their phony accusations and gagging sanctimony, drive their daggers through the heart of our future, poisoning our belief that honest custody of our institutions will ever again be possible.” But never fear: They will “perish in the political flames of their own fires.”
After bringing a New York Times reporter with her to a firing range, Dana confides, “Looking back, I think I always wanted to know that I was safe.” The Loesches’ world view has always had an us-versus-them quality, with Chris in the role of Dana’s protector. “Chris attacks anyone from her previous life who speaks out about what she was like,” says one observer. When a woman remarks on Facebook that Dana is nothing like she used to be, Chris goes after her with an army of Dana’s supporters. Pretty soon, the post vanishes. On another occasion, after he is briefly ejected from Twitter—ostensibly for defending Dana so hotly—Chris posts, “I will never stop defending my wife’s honor from lies and liars. It’s called being a man, a husband and a partner in life.”
Though Dana was, as she often says, “born for the storm,” she’s fierce about protecting her family from the gale winds her remarks whip up. You get the image of her galloping bareback amid thunder and lightning, Chris riding alongside to goad her stallion forward—and the boys safe and dry in the carriage with the family’s adored French bulldogs.
Clearly, Dana feels under siege—from enemies online, from marauding criminals, from the devil himself. “The first greatest lie ever told is that the devil doesn’t exist,” she’s said. “Evil is real.” She’s accused CNN of calling her a child murderer, Piers Morgan of attacking her family.
In October 2017—some months after her lucrative NRA promotion—she announces on Twitter that a man has called, threatening to shoot her in her backyard, and that another has threatened to rape her to death. She posts a photo of stuffed trash bags: “Spent my weekend preparing to move due to repeated threats from gun control advocates.” She adds a #MeToo hashtag, because she, too, feels threatened. “Some people on the left have tolerated sexism toward conservative women,” she tells Fox News.
There’s an outpouring of outraged support, even from Chelsea Clinton (whom Dana regularly mocks as the face of “white privilege”).
“Dana—this is all awful & unacceptable,” Clinton posts. “Those of us who disagree with you the strongest have a particular responsible to strongly condemn.”
Dana - this is all awful & unacceptable. Those of us who disagree with you the strongest have a particular responsible to strongly condemn. https://t.co/jJXk9VB54p
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 16, 2017
Two months later, the Loesches move from a $750,000 home to one that lists for $1.9 million in a gated community of the same Dallas/Fort Worth suburb (one of the wealthiest in the U.S.).
In February 2018, Paul Guyot, a St. Louis–based screenwriter and producer known for his work on Geostorm and NCIS: New Orleans, tweets, “Dana Loesch came to me 10yrs ago pitching a sitcom starring herself: “A hot young mom who does far right radio show.” Said her age & looks would make 1 side hate her & 1 love her so everyone would watch. Was obsessed w the potential fame & money. I turned her down.” Bill Maher picks up the tweet and runs with it.
Dana Loesch came to me 10yrs ago pitching a sitcom starring herself: “A hot young mom who does far right radio show.” Said her age & looks would make 1 side hate her & 1 love her so everyone would watch. Was obsessed w the potential fame & money. I turned her down.
— Paul Guyot (@Fizzhogg) February 22, 2018
“I once received an unsolicited offer of unwanted assistance from someone in California we did not know, my agent did not know, that wasn’t of interest to us and wasn’t pursued,” Dana tweets in response to Guyot. Chris tweets: “That story is a lie. He pitched a reality show to us based on mamalogues. We had no idea who he was. We told him no and he still tried to be friends.”
He may have; Dana produces a LinkedIn invite that says, “Though I failed at making you a TV star, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. – Paul.” But in an email to Wagner on September 9, 2006, she wrote, “Also (please keep it on the downlow) Mamalogues may be a primetime sitcom by spring. Nothing’s certain yet, we’re still in the meeting phase. DUDE!” On December 27, 2006, she writes, “We’ve also had good news on the sitcom front: VERY positive feedback and a lot of people are wanting to attach themselves to the project.”
A different offer, perhaps?
At any rate, she pronounces Guyot a “Weinstein-wannabe skeeze”—which, for Dana, is mild. She describes Amy Schumer’s “Michelin Man rolls spilling over the top of her underpants” and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, now in her eighties, as taking on “the posture of a cocktail shrimp.” Neil Young sounds “like a bloated cow farting and dying all at once.” After the San Bernardino shooting, she tires of “tragedy dry-humping whores.” Listening to Democratic Socialist candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reply to a question is, Dana says, “like trying to watch someone put word magnets in order on the fridge.”
She’s always been fearful, never timid. Dana comes out full force and doesn’t waver.
She shows no curiosity about other perspectives, only scorn. In a 2008 blog post, she explains: “When my emotions run high I have to work very hard not to verbally eviscerate people, even if they have nothing to do with my problems.”
There are examples.
After Kayleigh McEnany (now spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee) announces in 2016 that you can’t be a true conservative unless you support Trump (at the time, Dana most definitely doesn’t), Dana says on The Dana Show [about three minutes into the clip]: “Babycakes, this [election is] more than going on television and flashing them pearly whites and your flat-chested, red-dressed, over-sprayed bleach blonde hair while you sit here and you preach all this stuff about who is or isn’t a conservative.”
When Dana is informed that McEnany has chosen to undergo a preventive double mastectomy, she doesn’t flinch or apologize, just brings out her own bona fides, saying she’s watched every woman in her family die a horrible death from cancer. “I’m sorry for the struggles she had,” Dana writes to The Daily Caller, “but perhaps being the ‘victim’ of my words can give her an insight into the kind of harm Trump’s words inflicts on others.” On air, Dana says, “I’m just doing it the Trump way: You come at me, I’ll come back at you three times as hard. You like it now? Because I can go harder.”
You wouldn’t hold the “flat-chested” slip against most people, because it would be a single stray, horrible mistake. But Dana insults people so freely, and in such playground-taunt style, that it was a mistake waiting to happen.
In 2009, she tweets, “Meghan McCain’s idiocy offends me. Someone throw her a bottle of bleach and lip gloss to shut her up.”
In 2014, when actress Kristen Bell reminds women on Twitter that they own their ovaries, Dana responds, “If Bell were to go into politics Megan McCain would be the smarter blonde. Let that simmer.” Stung, McCain asks why the “mean girl” remark.
If Bell were to go into politics Megan McCain would be the smarter blonde. Let that simmer.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 20, 2014
“It was the closest I could get to a compliment,” Dana slams back. And when McCain calls it “intentional and some kind of snide hit at my intelligence,” Dana replies, “Yes, it was. I’m impressed you picked up on it @MeghanMcCain. Did you search your last name?”
You can’t make too much of these public spats, though; over time, they start to feel like World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2017, when McCain leaves The View, Dana mourns her departure online, calling her an “incredibly sweet and genuine person,” and McCain responds, “Thank you so much for the kind words Dana! And thank you so much for you and @ChrisLoesch’s constant support and friendship.” She even adds a heart emoji.
Thank you so much for the kind words Dana! And thank you so much for you and @ChrisLoesch's constant support and friendship. ❤️ https://t.co/UgvDNSPvdY
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) September 22, 2017
Dana’s spat with Piers Morgan starts when a British soldier is hacked to death with knives in broad daylight. “Was the guy with the machete a member of the NRA?” she tweets. “Asking for a friend.”
“There is a time to shut up with stupid political wisecracks,” Morgan replies, “and this is one of those times. Show some bloody respect.”
Morgan eventually unfollows her and bans her from his show. “Classic. @piersmorgan bans me from a show no one watches,” she tweets.
When people say they don’t mind being shunned by Dana, she insists that they do. Or, she insists that she doesn’t mind being shunned, then makes up later and says, as she will to Morgan 236 days later (when he finally takes her back on Piers Morgan Live because their producers are friends), “I knew you couldn’t quit me, Piers.”
She will argue any point, but she cannot stand to be wrong or contradicted or ignored. “Bring it, coward,” she’ll tweet. “Don’t block me, coward.” People who dare end a protracted exchange by saying they’re “bored” are corrected instantly: They’re “owned.”
With friends, Dana is nothing like this. Leigh Wambsganss and her husband watch Fourth of July fireworks with the Loesches, grinning at the giant unicorn that takes up as much of their pool as the giant duck in the Wambsgansses’ pool. Dana’s fun, Wambsganss says, “not a prima donna at all. She’s a lot more down to earth than a lot of people who aren’t on national television. And she’s one of the most sweet-hearted people in the world: When I was in the hospital last year, she said, ‘What can we do?’ If I have a problem, she’s one of the first people I talk to.”
Dana’s advice, Wambsganss adds, “is always godly; it comes from a biblical perspective, and it’s steered by kindness and love and strength. That makes it all the more infuriating when she’s treated horribly in the public sphere. What makes me maddest is when people accuse her of not caring about children. Dana would do anything for anyone’s child. The anti–Second Amendment people that are so far out of the mental sphere are just—they’re just evil. It makes me want to dive in for her, because she’s standing in the line of fire.”
Luckily, she’s strong, Wambsganss adds: “She’s not a woman who cares about being popular.”
And yet she is.
When Wambsganss visits the NRA convention, she sees “a lot of stars there, a lot of the people we love, but the longest line was for Dana. People who know the truth love her.”
On Fox & Friends this June, Dana announces that the incivility in this country comes from “individuals on the far left who have no better way to respond to policy disputes than with violence, than with incendiary rhetoric.” She says it’s Democrats who “whip up emotion when they can’t offer anything real in terms of policy. While Trump and Republicans were talking about jobs and trade and health care, these individuals were out there telling people what bathrooms to use, and screaming about Russia and everything else, none of which has come to fruition, by the way.”
Dana’s is an unusual combination of high emotion and cold sarcasm; thick hide and defensiveness; scrappy provocation and dismissiveness. She tweets a regular reminder: “I read all hate mail & Tweets in a sponsored segment on my nationally syndicated radio show and use the profits to purchase more range ammo, (got a new Sig with it, too) and put in the plate for Jesus on Sunday. Let your hate work for me. Thank you. #DanaRadio.”
“When she knows she has just upset someone, she will laugh,” Ben Howe, a friend and former colleague, tells The New York Times.
She can write sentences like “When a policy debate begins with personal attack, it lacks any potential to be a serious, thoughtful discussion.” But she slides fast into personal attack. She’s capable of nuance, but she’ll abandon it in a heartbeat to present, in stark black and white, what people love as endangered and what they fear as encroaching.
Is it money that drives her? Couldn’t have been, initially. Who would expect to make millions starting out as a conservative mommy blogger, even a rock ’n’ roll one? These days, though…. “Just last week, I was up at 3 a.m.,” says Corcoran, “and I flipped to some station, and there was Dana doing a beet juice infomercial, half an hour long. I watched the whole thing, kept thinking she’d show some sense of irony. Nope. Serious as a heart attack.”
She’s even more serious about her political views, which seem every bit as heartfelt as the liberal rants of her youth. Maybe she’s simply found, like comedian Lewis Black, that genuine anger and frustration presented in a public forum can be profitable.
Pinning the opinions of a woman this independent on her husband, Bill Clinton, and 9/11 seems a little, to use one of Dana’s favorite words, disingenuous. But in the context of her hunger for home, security, belonging, and inviolable truths, the opinions make sense. And her temperament’s always tipped toward sarcasm. Her uncle Jim Scaggs still can’t figure out where all that anger came from: “The things that fuel Dana are probably things that happened later in life,” he says, “not in our neck of the woods. Dad wasn’t like that. None of the siblings were like that.”
She takes aim at other conservatives, too. (She was thoroughly disgusted by those who fell for Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America? pranks.) But she’s hewing pretty close to the NRA’s party line these days. She’s breezy about the release of blueprints for 3-D–printed guns, referring to “what Democrats call ‘ghost guns’ and the rest of us simply call freedom and innovation.” After the August shooting in Jacksonville, her response is to call for an end to gun-free zones.
In moments that count, Dana stops jousting and gathers the likeminded close. At the 2018 NRA meeting, she addresses the crowd warmly, saying, “You know what, family?”
She’s found that sense of belonging again, the feeling she had with her cousins, at the college newspaper office, mothering her children, being mentored…
“They don’t hate guns; they just don’t want you to have them, because they think they’re better than you,” she continues. “I’m proud to own a buttload of guns. I’m proud to be carryin’.” Gun owners delivered the presidential election, she says, and the job’s not done yet. “The fight isn’t at the federal level anymore. It is in your backyard.
“There’s a storm comin’. But you all are the thunder.”
Sources for this profile include Dana Loesch’s books, radio shows, TV shows and guest appearances, colleagues, relatives, and friends. After multiple attempts to contact the Loesches, we sent a letter by old-fashioned post, using the address on public record. Many weeks later, Dana’s executive producer emailed to say that she would not be cooperating and pointed out that the letter had been mailed “to her new home, which we feel puts her family at risk.”
Update: This article has been updated to reflect Dana's response after publication. "I was a terrible liberal once upon a time, and in the beginning of things, quite harsh," she emailed. "Age, the wisdom that comes with it, and watching kids grow changes a person."
October 2018 Longform
Jeannette Cooperman
SLM contributor Jeannette Cooperman is intrigued by people's lives, ideas, relationships, and struggles.
Read more by Jeannette Cooperman
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Honsinger impresses with another World Cup silver in Dendermonde
Proving that her silver medal at the UCI World Cup round in Namur was no fluke, US cyclo-cross champion Clara Honsinger followed it with another runner-up finish in Dendermonde on Sunday in epic weather conditions.
Winter storm Bella soaked the venue in heavy rains, forcing the organisation to alter the course but even still, whole sections of the course were unrideable. The cold and wet conditions suited Oregon native Honsinger perfectly.
“The weather conditions made the race exciting,” Honsinger told DirectVelo. “I have never had such a hard race in the mud. It was really a challenge.”
The 23-year-old had a slow start and worked her way up from a chasing group in around tenth position on the first lap to sixth at the midpoint before moving into a podium position at the start of the final lap.
After catching world champion Ceylin Alvarado, the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld rider started going after Brand but ran out of time on the final lap and finished 15 seconds down in second.
“I was getting closer towards the end. It’s great to show that I could almost catch her,” Honsinger said. “If I continue to perfect my technique over the next few years, I think I will be able to get an even better result than today.”
Honsinger relocated to the Netherlands in November to race a full European season since all of the North American races were called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is the first time that I will stay for three months in Europe. We have great conditions for training,” Honsinger said. “It’s just easier, there is no jet lag, no travel. The races are closer to each other. There are more technical parts, and the competition is much tighter here.”
Today’s best deals on cyclo-cross bikes
Santa Cruz Bicycles Stigmata…
French Federation issues professional licences to top-tier female road cyclists for the first time
Pinot reportedly set to miss 2021 Tour de France and target Giro d’Italia
How did Matthew Holmes make it to the WorldTour? By nearly giving up and not going mad eating salad
Thibaut Pinot will not ride the 2021 Tour de France, according to reports
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Another record day of new cases
A. Drew Smith
adsmith@swtimes.com
Tuesday saw another all-time high of new COVID-19 cases in Arkansas with 374 new positive tests. This number does not include the one new case in a correctional facility.
With the rise in cases, the number of hospitalizations reached 132, another high for the state. There were 31 patients on a ventilator on Tuesday.
While there were no new deaths on Monday, there were three COVID-19 deaths by the time Gov. Asa Hutchinson presented his daily briefing. It brought the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in Arkansas to 136 since the coronavirus pandemic began.
On Tuesday, the number of positive cases reached 7,818 with 2,115 of those being currently active. With 73 active cases in nursing homes and 53 in correctional facilities, there were 1,989 cases currently in the community.
This spike in new cases lead to the continued rise of the seven-day rolling average at a sharper rate than the previous peak.
Hutchinson shared the official new goal for testing in June to be 120,000 tests, 50,000 of which would be in nursing homes. While this goal was commended at the federal level, it would require 1% of Arkansans to be tested each week.
Alma testing site opens
In an effort to help Hutchinson reach the goal of 60,000 COVID-19 test for the month of June, and to provide a service for citizens of Alma and the surrounding area, the City of Alma announced Tuesday it would be in partnership with River Valley Primary Care Services to have a mobile COVID-19 testing site located at the parking lot of CV’s (corner of Highway 64 and U.S. 71 North) between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
This is drive-thru testing site, with no symptoms and no appointments required, and no out-of-pocket expense, a City of Alma news release states.
Hutchinson briefly commented Tuesday on the protests occurring across the state and nation. He noted one protest was peaceful until about 10 p.m. Monday when people turned to violence and vandalism.
When showing a picture of the protests in Benton County, Hutchinson stated that while social distancing is difficult, most of the protesters were wearing masks which meant they were taking the virus seriously.
Hutchinson was not willing to speak on behalf of the protesters in relation to their motivation and could not say if there was a correlation to that and the increase in minority COVID-19 cases.
The governor highlighted the plan to invest in improving minority healthcare. Interim Arkansas Health Secretary Jose Romero took the opportunity to remind the community that testing is free.
Hutchinson was asked about the protests on the national level and if President Donald Trump has requested any Arkansas troops to be deployed to Washington, D.C., in response. The governor said that Arkansas has not asked for federal aid and neither had the federal government asked for aid from Arkansas.
Health Secretary Nate Smith urged those who are “part of the protest (to) still be mindful of risks to you and others.”
Hutchinson spent Monday evening at the command center where he said it “taught me the complexities of it all” when it comes to responding to protests.
As of Tuesday, there was no correlation between the protests and the rise in cases, but tests in the coming days will paint a more accurate picture. Smith admitted that, if that does happen, contact tracing will be next to impossible.
© 2021 www.swtimes.com. All rights reserved.
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Green Pastures For Greensky Bluegrass
By Jessica Novak
From humble beginnings to national success for Greensky Bluegrass.
When Dave Bruzza, Michael Arlen Bont and Paul Hoffman met at a Kalamazoo open mike in 2000, there was an instant connection. But that simple Michigan meeting didn’t just lead to more open mikes and eventually gigs: It led to national tours with the formation of Greensky Bluegrass.
Hoffman, the mandolin player, vocalist and songwriter for the group, says that even through 17 years of playing, the band hasn’t ever lost a member, it has only added to the tribe. Aside from Bruzza (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Michael Arlen Bont (banjo, vocals), the outfit also includes Anders Beck (dobro, resophonic guitar) and Michael Devol (bass, vocals).
The group received major validation when they won the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition. By 2011 Rolling Stone was hailing them as the new representation of bluegrass for an entire generation, as they were playing with people like Larry Keel, Railroad Earth and Del McCoury.
“It’s all different and all the same at the same time,” Hoffman reflects. “We’ve come a long way and had some monumental achievements: playing Red Rocks, playing with Phil Lesh. Some are small and some are big, but it’s been like climbing a stairway. We’ve had consistent growth, not some big, overnight success that landed in our lap. I’m stoked to be able to do what we do and be more meaningful for people every time. It’s more than we could have asked for.”
Greensky Bluegrass plays the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m., preceded by opening act Fruition. Tickets are $20, available at thewestcotttheater.com. More information on the band is available at greenskybluegrass.com.
While Hoffman was traveling through a snowy Colorado wonderland, he took a few minutes to speak with the Syracuse New Times about the growth of the band, their new album and how many things have changed and some have stayed exactly the same.
When did you start playing music?
I started viola when I was 9 or 10, then guitar and mandolin when I was 18. I saw David Grisman play and was intrigued, so I bought one. It was serendipitous that I became a mandolin player.
Before you won Telluride, what were gigs like?
We had a gig where they paid us $200 and gave us a place to stay. We went all the way to West Virginia (from Michigan) for that.
How did things change?
Telluride is not a huge festival, maybe 10,000 people, but it has a really wide grasp on the country. People from all over go to it. So after we won, we’d run into someone in Wisconsin or Iowa or Atlanta who would say, “We saw you win the contest!” It was a little whisper in everyone’s ear.
It put wind in our sails that we weren’t wasting our time, so we started really going for it. All these albums later, we’re still doing the same thing: trying to get more people to see us in every town. We’re trying to bring new ideas and try new things with our instruments that people haven’t done before.
I’m honored and excited to go places with our music. I’ve gone across this entire country more times than I can count. There aren’t a lot of highways I haven’t been on. It’s awesome that music can do that. That contest gave us the confidence that we were onto something and not just wasting time and postponing life.
Your new album is titled Shouted, Written Down & Quoted. What are you trying to say with that?
There’s a lyric in one of the songs on the album (“Hold On”): “But there’s always two sides to the way both of the stories go/ sometimes things left better unspoken/ should be shouted, written down and quoted.” There are obvious things you shouldn’t say, where things will get assumed and then messed up. That’s the easy meaning. It’s interesting what the title has to say. We’re not intentionally saying something political. But it’s not unintentional, either.
Who is pictured on the album cover and what is happening?
It’s Douglas Fairbanks, the highest-paid actor during World War I. He and Charlie Chaplin were the charismatic front men used to rally support for war bonds in America. It’s a stock image we thought worked well with the title.
When you’re in the studio making a record, it’s unromantic. People are on their phones a lot during downtime. Our bass player started designing examples for a cover. Some were ridiculous, some were serious. The ridiculous ones were great. We pursued this one with an artist and really loved it.
Tell me about your writing style.
I try to write from the perspective of every man’s voice. It’s specific and vague. I’m not trying to be vague for effect; I’m trying to be vague for the art form. I like to remain neutral and unbiased, but when I write songs, I’m deliberate. Commentary or analysis are not my job as the artist. I said what I meant and if I comment, it can take away the experience of the listener.
In a song it’s about what you say, or don’t say. I can write a song about my dog dying, but if I never write the word dog in it, it can apply to some greater idea of loss and heartbreak I could never do deliberately in the hope it elevates the art.
How has your songwriting changed over time?
Myself and the guitar player are the primary writers. We’ve changed as we’ve learned things. In some ways it becomes more advanced and more complex as I learn more about my instrument and my craft. It’s a paradox of learning to do less. As you get older, you feel less of a need to prove your craft with more: more notes, more words, more tricks.
What advice do you have for artists who want to do what you do?
It’s just important to have fun. The other bands I know who are succeeding and doing well are the bands who enjoy what they do and have fun with it. There’s no secret. If the band is having fun every night, it’s worth witnessing. That joy and dedication is reciprocal. People feel it and they see it. They want to witness it. They want to enjoy it.
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Superior Swings To Profit Despite Flat Sales
SOUTHFIELD — Superior Industries International Inc. (NYSE:SUP), the Southfield-based manufacturer of aluminum wheels for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles, reported net income of $4.9 million or 19 cents a share in the third fiscal quarter ended Sept. 27, up from a loss of $2.4 milion or 9 cents a share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter was $175.7 million, down 0.4 percent from $176.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
For the nine months, net income was $15.8 million or 59 cents a share, up from $7.4 million or 27 cents a share a year earlier. Revenue was $533.3 million, down 4.6 percent from $558.8 million a year earlier.
“Our strong third quarter results demonstrate the progress we are making in executing our strategic initiatives,” Superior presiden and CEO Don Stebbins said. “The prior closure of our older and less efficient manufacturing facility and the continued ramp-up of our newest facility, coupled with improved cost performance in each of our other manufacturing plants, drove a significant increase in adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA margin versus last year. I am also pleased by the increase in our wheel shipments this quarter, which outpaced the growth in North American light vehicle production. Moving forward, we remain focused on continuing to drive efficiencies across the business, while pursuing strong shipment growth.”
The company said the increase in net income was largely driven by higher profitability related to the previous closure of a U.S. plant and reallocation of production to other plants, including the newest facility in Mexico, which will complete its ramp up in production in the fourth quarter of 2015. Improved earnings also reflected cost improvement at all of the company’s other plants.
The loss for the prior year period also included a $3.3 million after-tax restructuring charge for the plant closure and other actions announced during the third quarter of 2014.
The sales decline was due primarily to lower value for aluminum. Unit shipments were 2.8 million in the third quarter of 2015, an increase of 6 percent compared to 2.6 million in the same period a year ago. Value-added sales, a non-GAAP financial measure that represents net sales less the value of aluminum and outsourced process costs that are passed through to customers, were $87.9 million for the third quarter of 2015, up 0.9 percnet from the same period in 2014.
Selling, general and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2015 were $8.4 million, or 4.8 percent of sales, down 15.4 percent from $10 million, or 5.6 percent of sales, in the prior year period. The decrease primarily reflects a favorable comparison resulting from charges taken in the third quarter of 2014 of $1.2 million associated with the company’s aircraft, which have been disposed of, as well as lower legal and general consulting fees, partially offset by transition costs related to the relocation of the company’s corporate office from Van Nuys, Calif. to Southfield.
The company also released an “adjusted EBITDA,” quarterly profit of $17.4 million or 19.4 percent of value-added sales, up from $9.6 million or 11 percent of value-added sales a year earlier. The company defines this figure as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and impairments of long-lived assets and investments.
The company also reported net cash flow of $39.1 million for the nine months ended Sept. 27, up from $5.7 million in the same period last year. The company said the improvement stemmed from favorable changes in inventory, other assets and accounts payable.
The company has raised its previously issued guidance for full year 2015 value-added sales and reported and adjusted EBITDA margin, while adjusting its previously issued guidance for net sales to reflect lower than expected aluminum prices. Superior expects net sales to be in the range of $715 million to $740 million and EBITDA margin to increase by 250 to 275 basis points. Value-added sales, which represent net sales less the value of aluminum and outside process costs that are passed through to customers, are expected to be in the range of $355 million to $375 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin as a percentage of value-added sales is expected to increase by 500 to 520 basis points.
To listen to a replay of a conference call discussing these results, visit www.supind.com.
Posted in Auto Suppliers, ManufacturingTagged Aluminum Wheels, Earnings, featured, Revenue, Superior Industries
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