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A Strategy for Pensions at Risk of Extinction
Companies could change, or even eliminate, pension plans, but workers were entitled to the benefits they had already earned. A government agency was set up to guarantee that pensions would be paid even if the sponsoring company went broke. This year may well be remembered as the one when the fundamental tenet of Erisa, as the law came to be known, was abandoned.
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the agency set up 40 years ago to guarantee those pensions, made clear in its annual report released last month that one group of pension funds would most likely run out of money within a few years. Absent new legislation, the already modest pensions of some retired workers will be eliminated.
The endangered pensions are not in the P.B.G.C.’s largest program, which insures pensions backed by a single company. That program is said to have a multibillion-dollar deficit, but there is no immediate danger for pension recipients.
The problem is in the area known as multiemployer pension plans. Those plans, often involving unionized workers, were once common in industries like coal mining, trucking and construction. Those plans seemed so solid in 1974 that they were not even required to be covered under Erisa. When they were added, years later, they were put into their own separate insurance scheme. Now that scheme is in danger of failing.
When those funds run out of money to pay benefits, it will be up to the P.B.G.C. to step in. It now pays a maximum of $12,870 a year for workers who spent 30 years digging coal or driving trucks, even if the plan called for larger payouts. A worker with only 15 years of service gets half of that. But the P.B.G.C. says its multiemployer plan might run out of money in 2018 and is virtually certain to fail by 2025.
In another era, a consensus would have been reached that something should be done to prevent that from happening. But this is the 21st century. When a commission was set up to look for solutions to the multiemployer problem — one that included representatives of pension plans, unions and employers — it started from the assumption that no government money would be available. The proposal it came up with was to allow such plans to cut benefits quickly, on the theory that depriving current retirees of income would leave some for future retirees. Such cuts would require legislation.
There are those who are outraged by the proposal. AARP, the lobbyist for retired people, protested that “the anti-cutback rule,” barring the reduction of benefits already earned and vested, “is perhaps the most fundamental of Erisa’s participant protections.” But in the current century, spending taxpayer money to help the unfortunate is unpopular.
It may not help that the multiemployer plans generally benefit union members, a group whose political influence is waning. Nor does it help that the Central States Teamsters fund was legendarily corrupt a few generations ago, although that fact does not seem to be a cause of its current problems.
Erisa never covered public pensions, and there are plenty of troubles in that area now. While few companies still offer defined-benefit pensions, many local and state governments still do. But Detroit was able to reduce its obligations in bankruptcy, and some states are seeking ways to get around legal protections for pension benefits.
The baby boomers now retiring — a group that includes me — may be the last American generation to leave work assured of adequate income in old age. In place of defined-benefit pensions, future generations will be left with their own savings.
Employers, private or public, are no longer willing to accept the investment risks that come from managing plans that promise benefits, so that risk has been transferred to workers. Whatever one thinks of 401(k) defined-contribution plans, they offer no guarantees and no assurances that even retirees who build up substantial balances will not outlive their money. And the evidence is that most people are not saving much money. They say the typical household nearing retirement has only $110,000 in a 401(k), an amount that will not go far.
They want to raise payroll taxes to shore up Social Security and to make it automatic for workers to join 401(k) plans. Employees could still opt out, but research shows inertia leads people to stay in if they are in and to stay out if they are out. They think we should work longer and save more.
Now, with retired coal miners in danger of losing meager pensions, the political system seems unwilling to even consider a taxpayer-supported solution.
Click here to access the full article on The New York Times.
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you are here: Annual Report 2010 / Investor Relations / 10 years on the stock market
Our first 10 years on the stock market
In 2010, Deutsche EuroShop celebrated its 10th anniversary. But are 10 years really that significant in the life of a company? Probably not. Yet, for some players on the stock market, even three months can seem "long term". Despite the short-term thinking that frequently prevails on the capital markets, 10 years on the stock exchange can be an eternity. We share this view, given that the stock markets have seen two major crises in 10 years which have not exactly made things easier for us or anyone else on the capital markets.
How did our story begin? In September 2000 – under the aegis of Deutsche Grundbesitz – a shelf company was renamed and Deutsche EuroShop commenced business operations. Our IPO followed just a few days later, with investors able to submit buy orders from 2 October 2000 to 29 December 2000, subject to a minimum subscription obligation of 50 shares at the fixed price of €38.40 (before 1:2 share split on 6 August 2007). As befitting a stock borne of the retail sector, a discount also came into play: those who subscribed to shares as early as October 2000 received a €0.30 discount per share, with a €0.15 discount being granted to all subscribers in November 2000.
Since 2 January 2001, the shares of Deutsche EuroShop have been listed for official trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
With the dot-com bubble having just burst, Deutsche EuroShop did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. It took almost three years – having already created an internal professional structure to coordinate communication with the capital market – for us to place all the shares owned by Deutsche Bank and, in doing so, significantly increase our free float. Until this task was complete, few investors on the capital market were interested in us. It was only when Deutsche Bank concluded its exit in mid-2003 that things changed.
Our company is now emerging from its fledgling years, and we again believe that we are equipped to grow further.
Analysts then began to cover our stock, and trading volumes on the stock market increased numerous times over. We subsequently made it onto the SDAX and then, one year later in autumn 2004, onto the MDAX.
Since then, we have been among the 100 biggest listed companies in Germany, even though we are the smallest on the exchange in terms of staff numbers. And as the stock market loves comparing figures: not only are we streets ahead of Daimler, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom and co with regard to sales and profit per capita, but we are also one of the best in terms of liabilities per capita.
At the end of 2004, banks discovered the growth potential of real estate shares, and this fuelled further interest. More and more analysts published reports on Deutsche EuroShop, and the press also began to cover us. Real estate shares had suddenly gone from wallflower status to becoming the stock market's flagship. The real property market saw much the same phenomenon. For investors worldwide, Germany became the place to be. This led to sharp price rises and, conversely, to diminishing returns. We therefore decided at the end of 2006 to refrain from participating in this race and put our investment activities on ice. At the time, we had no idea that it would be three years before we saw attractive conditions on the market again. Once banks started experiencing difficulties half a year later, a wider public began to wonder when the bubble would burst. Nevertheless, it would be another 14 months before Lehman Brothers collapsed.
Looking back at our first decade, we can conclude that four of the last 10 years were good and six were difficult. Last year was one of our good years, and we think this will also be the case for 2011. This is because the crisis barely affected Deutsche EuroShop, although the impact on our operating environment was severe. By maintaining a relatively good level of performance on the stock market, we not only became Germany's biggest listed real estate company at one stage, but the public at large now also regard us as an exemplary public company. This, above all, is down to exercising restraint.
Our company is now emerging from its fledgling years, and we again believe that we are equipped to grow further. The prices for shopping centers are high again, albeit at levels that seem acceptable. In cooperation with lenders, we are able to put up investments which also stand up to the requirements of the capital market. This allows us to raise the necessary equity via the stock market. And our aim is to make hay while the sun shines – not only to keep our company right at the top of the German stock list but, in particular, to close the gap on our major European competitors in the shopping center sector. After all, a sizeable presence on the capital market also enables us to become a must-have stock and thus helps reduce capital costs.
Deutsche EuroShop AG – the first 10 years for shareholders*
Since the IPO, the share price has risen by 130%.
In the last 10 years, the Deutsche EuroShop share has outperformed the DAX, MDAX and EPRA indices (+7%, +117% and +83% respectively).
What began as investments totalling €10,000 are now worth €23,027.
Investors who participated in the two rights issues in 2010 have seen the new shares increase by 37%.
Crisis? What crisis? Since 2007, DES shareholders have enjoyed average annual growth of 12.2%, whereas the DAX has lost an average of 5.0% per year.
The dividend has risen steadily, from €0.96 per share for the 2001 financial year to €1.10 per share for 2010
Investors who have stayed with us since the IPO have, to date, received €9.04 per share in the form of dividends. In June 2011, they will earn another €1.10 per share.
Investors who participated in one of the four capital increases have all profited as a result.
Investors holding DES shares over the last 10 years would have achieved an average return of 10% per year.
Our 100 biggest shareholders, accounting for 1% of our 10,000 shareholders, hold almost 80% of our shares.
* As of 31 December 2010; our performance calculator is available online at: www.deutsche-euroshop.de/
Continue reading: Conferences and roadshows 2010
Back to: The shopping center share
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Follow @ahess247
Recent Posts by Arik Hesseldahl
Lying Apple Gadfly Mike Daisey Still Doesn’t Get It
March 19, 2012 at 4:18 pm PT
“… story should always be subordinate to the truth, and I still believe that. Sometimes I fall short of that goal, but I will never stop trying to achieve it.”
Boy, oh boy, is Mike Daisey confused.
After a weekend of savage pounding by the media, Daisey, the opportunistic fabulist who was caught lying to one of the most respected radio documentarians in the history of broadcasting, reemerged in public today. In his latest attempt to mitigate the damage done to his reputation, he appears to compare himself to Mark Twain, opening his latest blog post by quoting — his words — another famous monologuist: “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
Instead he seems to be borrowing from Phineas T. Barnum, the great American showman who is often credited — perhaps apocryphally — with saying “There is no such thing as bad publicity.”
I couldn’t tell you how ticket sales to Daisey’s show have been affected by the ensuing controversy and, frankly, I don’t care. I know that Daisey addressed it in opening comments before his performance of “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” on the night of March 17 in New York.
In summary, his defense is that his work is theater based on a body of facts that are largely true, and though they shouldn’t have been aired as factual on “This American Life,” he stands by it as theatrical work. Never mind that he insisted, not once, but repeatedly according to one account, that the words “This is a work of non-fiction,” be printed on his show’s Playbills. (For an example see page 3 of this PDF.)
But the money quotes that give the deepest insight into his state of mind are these:
“Especially galling is how many are gleefully eager to dance on my grave expressly so they can return to ignoring everything about the circumstances under which their devices are made. Given the tone, you would think I had fabulated an elaborate hoax, filled with astonishing horrors that no one had ever seen before. …
“If people want to use me as an excuse to return to denialism about the state of our manufacturing, about the shape of our world, they are doing that to themselves.”
Right. Mike Daisey, a confessed liar who parlayed his appearance on “This American Life” into a months-long string of media appearances on CBS, MSNBC, HBO and PBS — which helped raise his public visibility, built buzz and goosed ticket sales — thinks he can retake the moral high ground?
The only benefactor of all this attention certainly hasn’t been Chinese workers, but Daisey himself. Some 70,000 people have seen his show in 18 cities, and tickets in New York have been going for $75 to $85.
Worse, he continues to believe it is he alone who has been shining a light on the problems that have emerged over the years with Apple’s manufacturing arrangements in China and around the world. “Given the tenor of the condemnation, you would think I had concocted an elaborate, fanciful universe filled with furnaces in which babies are burned to make iPhone components …”
Sorry, Mike, but the discussion about Apple, Foxconn and its employees was going on well before you elbowed your way onto the scene.
For openers, at the D8 conference in 2010, AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg asked Apple’s then-CEO Steve Jobs about the situation at Foxconn, in the wake of a string of suicides.
That same year — indeed, only weeks after nine suicides by Foxconn employees — Bloomberg Businessweek’s Fredrik Balfour conducted a three-hour interview with Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, and also several unsupervised interviews with Foxconn workers, for a story featured on the magazine’s cover. The Atlantic Monthly considered Foxconn in the wider context of the rise of China as a leading economic power. The BBC looked at Foxconn after the suicides. Indeed, there had been a great deal of attention paid to matters related to Apple, Foxconn and workers in China, well before the days of Daisey. Who does he feel has not been talking about this?
In fact, let us not leave Apple itself out of that conversation. The way Daisey tells it, you might assume that the electronics giant is sweeping its dirty laundry under the nearest rug.
This is not the case. Awakened to allegations that emerged in 2006 of worker abuses and bad conditions at a Foxconn plant in Longhua — in a British tabloid newspaper, no less — Apple started issuing an annual document it calls its “Supplier Responsibility Progress Report.” The latest one, from 2012, is here (PDF). Reports are available from 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007.
These reports hardly let Apple off the hook. Rather, they document progress made, as well as progress yet to be made. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted to The Wall Street Journal earlier this year that a priority for 2012 is to reduce the number of hours that employees at Foxconn and other companies work. It is, as you can see by Apple’s own admission, the most difficult of its China labor issues to solve.
Hard as this is to believe, employees often want to work long hours — and to earn the overtime pay that comes with them. In being too aggressive, they run afoul of Apple’s demand that no one work more than 60 hours a week, six days a week. And keeping accurate records that prevent employees from overworking themselves is proving difficult. If you visited Foxconn, Apple’s own disclosures suggest, you would probably have no trouble finding someone who recently worked more than 60 hours in a week.
What you would have trouble finding are the underage workers that Daisey said — in a now-debunked statement from his stage show and radio appearances — were so plentiful. Apple’s 229 audits found none of those at the final-assembly plants owned by Foxconn and others, and found only five active and 13 historical cases of underage workers at other facilities it does business with.
You would also have trouble finding people poisoned by n-hexane. As Apple documents in its 2011 report, a poisoning incident did happen, and when it did, Apple ordered the factory in question to stop using the chemical, the use of which I understand, is already a violation of Chinese law. Most of the 137 people who were poisoned had returned to work by the time the report was published. One plant using the chemical was shut down entirely by local authorities.
Read any of these reports by Apple, and you’ll find not the PR-sanitized language you might expect, but instead a rather unvarnished assessment of a company trying to come to grips with the human costs of a deeply complex industrial operation. Each report, which Apple releases voluntarily generates a new round of negative press coverage. Meanwhile, China is, despite its size, still a developing nation, and it will be some time before workplace standards there come close to resembling what we take for granted in the U.S. It is an evolving situation, one that will improve over time.
And while I readily admit that consumers and activists should continue to pressure and engage Apple on the subject of workers’ safety and rights, in China and in the other countries where it does business, it rarely gets any credit for the progress it has made and the leadership it has shown.
On that note, I think the discussion on the matter has been a healthy and engaging one for the better part of a decade. Contrary to his own inflated sense of self-importance, Mike Daisey has added nothing of value to it, and should consider shutting up.
I said as much on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” yesterday, and have embedded the video below:
CNN Reliable Sources March 18 2012 from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.
Tagged with: Apple, CBS, CNN, Foxconn, Hon Hai Precision Industry, iPad, iPhone, manufacturing, Media, Mike Daisey, New York Times, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, theater
Apple Denies Working with NSA on iPhone Backdoor
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CIOs Brand Enterprise Social Tools as Most Overhyped Technology of the Year
Malware Attacks by Syrian Pro-Government Hackers Are on the Rise
There’s a lot of attention and PR around Marissa, but their product lineup just kind of blows.
— Om Malik on Bloomberg TV, talking about Yahoo, the September issue of Vogue Magazine, and our overdependence on Google
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ALS Often Gets The Short Straw When It Comes To Unintended Consequences
Iplex and Insmed are back in the news.
From Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSBNG6673520090727
UPDATE 1-Insmed stops supplying Iplex to new patients
Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:20am EDT
July 27 (Reuters) - Biopharmaceutical company Insmed Inc (INSM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it had stopped supplying new patients with its experimental drug Iplex for treating Lou Gehrig's disease, and it said its limited inventory on hand must be conserved for treating existing patients.
Insmed, which sold its Colorado manufacturing facility to Merck & Co (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) earlier this year, said it has no longer the ability to manufacture the drug and it would not initiate further clinical trials with the drug at this time.
Iplex is approved for treating a growth hormone deficiency but is not currently sold for that purpose because of a court order related to patent infringement.
The company is studying Iplex as a potential treatment for muscular dystrophy.
About 70 patients currently receive the drug, including 12 in the United States, the company said. Most of the patients receive Iplex pursuant to a court-ordered extended access program to use the drug in Italy to treat patients with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the company said.
ALS causes muscles to weaken and eventually deteriorate. It usually develops in people between the ages of 40 and 60.
The company said it has sufficient Iplex inventory to supply these patients for no more than 24 months.
Any agreement with a third party to manufacture Iplex would not result in any production of the drug for at least 12 to 18 months, it said.
If anybody wanted to write a soap opera about ALS and the straws of hope that patients try to grasp, off-label use of FDA-approved drugs, the long and expensive process of getting new indications for FDA-approved drugs, the confusing patent and regulatory situations that can cause availability of drugs in Europe but not in the United States, and the lack of ALS therapies (thus driving patients to try things or be guinea pigs)... Iplex could be the star.
Offer To Help WIth The Little Things
Michael Goldsmith, who accomplishes big things, speaks wisely of how all can make a difference.
From The BYU Universe --
http://universe.byu.edu/node/1080
BYU professor promotes ALS awareness
By Adrienne Gorge
- Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:45
Photo courtesy of Michael Goldsmith. BYU professor Michael Goldsmith takes a cut at a pitch during a fantasy camp game.
With the bases loaded, the batter stepped up to the plate again. With two strikes against him, he nervously looked at the pitcher. Quickly the ball released from the pitcher and came whizzing toward the plate. With a surge of confidence, the batter swung. Crack. The ball went sailing into the air.
Michael Goldsmith, a law professor at BYU, hit a triple to get his Little League baseball team back into the game. It was a defining moment for him.
“It gave me confidence so that I never let two strikes worry me again,” he said.
When Goldsmith was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2006, baseball became his refuge and his medium for awareness of ALS.
“Watching part of yourself die every few days makes it very personal,” he said. “Life has now become a race against the clock,” he said.
After attending a Baltimore Orioles baseball camp in 2008, Goldsmith decided to become an activist for ALS. He wrote an essay and submitted it to Newsweek magazine.
“I knew that my writing skills exceeded my baseball skills so I submitted an essay to Newsweek,” he said. “This was very much a long shot because Newsweek publishes just one essay out of 200 submissions, but this was better than no shot at all. I knew if I didn’t try I had no chance at all.”
Newsweek published the essay, and it caught the attention of Major League Baseball commissioner, who contacted Goldsmith and put him in charge of the event for ALS awareness.
Goldsmith said, “I was just a small part of a superb team whose efforts inspired me and provided a helpful distraction from my own difficulties.”
On July 4, Goldsmith threw the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous speech on the disease named after the Yankee Hall of Famer.
“I was naturally very excited but I tried not to personalize it,” Goldsmith said. “I viewed myself as representing everyone afflicted with ALS.”
As Goldsmith released the ball, it zoomed toward the plate.
“It was by far the worst throw I have ever made,” he said. “But my effort showed the crowd how pitifully weak ALS makes you. They gave me — and everyone I represent — a five minute standing ovation.”
Goldsmith’s mission is to promote ALS awareness and help encourage donations to finance research for a cure. He gave advice to BYU students on how to help with ALS patients. Since professional caregivers are expensive and insurance doesn’t cover in-home assistance, small acts of kindness help.
“If you offer to help with the little things — running errands, grocery shopping, house or yard work — it will make a huge difference,” he said.
These Students Are Very Aware
From Readers' Digest --
http://www.rd.com/make-it-matter-make-a-difference/make-it-matter-students-of-northport-high-school/article73412.html
"Kids Really Aren't Aware Of Who Lou Gehrig Was..."
"...and we're losing our connection with him and the disease."
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090719/NEWS01/907190331/1006/Group+putting+spotlight+on+Lou+Gehrig+s+disease
David Cone Still Pitches 4 ALS
From the New York Times, July 18, 2009 --
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/cone/
When David Cone finally made it to Suite 33 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, two buttons of his blue shirt were opened, and he looked relieved. On the 10-year anniversary of Cone’s perfect game with the Yankees, he was thrilled that he did not bounce the ceremonial first pitch....
Cone spoke at length with Chris Pendergast, a former school teacher with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) who he met in 1996. Before Pendergast left the suite, he had a pen placed in his mouth and signed his name in Cone’s guest book. Cone considered that a perfect ending to the day.
Dear Abby Readers Learned About ALS in Veterans Today
Today was certainly a good one for getting the word out about ALS and veterans' presumptive disability.
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20090718_Dear_Abby__Her_boyfriend_fears_her_fidelity_while_studying_abroad_may_be_a_mistake.html
DEAR ABBY: In May 2001, you printed my letter alerting former prisoners of war and their widows to the special veterans' benefits available to them from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The response was great; many former POWs and their dependents now have their VA benefits because of that column.
Now, as chairman of VA outreach for American Ex- Prisoners of War, I write to alert all veterans (not just former POWs) of a recent VA ruling.
On Sept. 23, 2008, Lou Gehrig's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, was made a presumptive condition for all veterans who served in our armed forces for at least 90 days.
This means that the widows of those vets who died of Lou Gehrig's disease in the past are eligible for the VA widows' monthly benefit, which is very substantial. Many people are not aware that a veteran's death due to this disease is now considered service-connected. One claim I handled recently involved an ALS death 46 years ago, in 1963.
Thank you for your help in getting the word out, Abby.
- Fred Campbell,
American Ex-Prisoners of War
DEAR FRED: I'm pleased to help you and America's veterans once again. Readers, Fred welcomes inquiries at 3312 Chatterton Drive, San Angelo, TX 76904. He can also be e-mailed atfredrev@webtv.net.
Fred Campbell of the American Ex-Prisoners of War continues to serve his country and Abby in syndication has spread the word far and wide. The scintillating headline on the column didn't hurt, either ;-)
Here Is An ALS Advocate In Argyle
Tom Watson gets it when it comes to ALS.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/sports/golf/17golf.html?em
From the New York Times, July 16, 2009...
So it was a blast of nostalgia when Watson, grinning from ear to ear, shot a dazzling 65 in the first round Thursday. Miguel Ángel Jiménez rolled in a long birdie putt on 18 to snatch the lead from Watson with a 64 later Thursday afternoon, but the day still belonged to Watson.
At 59, Watson seemed to turn back time, for one lovely day in Scotland anyway. “The body’s a little bit old, but the enthusiasm out there was very similar,” he said, still grinning after his round. “What a wonderful day to play.”
Watson’s lead held up through much of the afternoon. He was tied by Ben Curtis and Jiménez at minus-5 before Jiménez went ahead with a 66-foot putt on 18 for birdie. Turnberry counts on a usually relentless Scottish wind to give it snarl, but a windless day made it an easy target for players to shoot under par. The low scores were piling up, and a group of six golfers sat one shot behind the leaders at four under, including Fredrik Jacobson, Steve Stricker and Stewart Cink. Watson strode around the links course as one of golf’s genial elder statesmen, a revered figure who joins the PGA Tour players only twice a year now, for the Masters and the British Open. He has, however, made waves at a major championship in his advancing years, shooting a 65 in the first round of the 2003 United States Open. He became the inspirational story of that tournament, mostly because his caddie, Bruce Edwards, was carrying his bag while battling A.L.S. Edwards died a year later.
If you've never seen Tom and Bruce, here's a trip down memory lane... and the age of this video should be a reminder to us all that ALS is still doing its evil to tens of thousands of good people.
From A Horrible Situation We Have Another Teachable Moment
On July 4 as I drove to Ohio to help pass out information as part of 4 ALS day at the Reds game, I passed Ezzard Charles Drive near downtown Cincinnati. It's a small world. I had not remembered that Ezzard Charles, the world heavyweight champion, was from Cincinnati. He died from ALS. It's a very small world when you pay attention to ALS and all the people it has stolen from us.
Yesterday as more on the terrible news on the Burr Oak Cemetery in Chicago unfolded, we learned that Ezzard Charles was buried there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/15/court-appoints-new-direct_n_234527.html
Today would be a good day for us all to spread the reminder that ALS is Lou Gehrig's Disease and it has cut short the lives of many mighty athletes... even a world heavyweight champion.
It's up to us to keep the memory and connections to ALS alive in people's minds at every opportunity.
Does G.I. Joe Have A Good Side?
Gianni Lopergolo would know.
Here is a story of a talented photographer who had a pretty incredible job and employer, Hasbro...
http://www.hasbro.com/discover/giannisbook.cfm
Gianni Lopergolo has always been an artist. Whether it was his appreciation for architecture at age 15, his passion for the art of special effects as an NYU film student, or his intense love of cinematography and photography – not only as a student, but also as a teacher and a trail-blazing photographer – Gianni thrives on inspiration. Not only getting it, but also giving it.
Gianni joined the Hasbro family in 2002 and completely reinvented the way product photography was done for the toy company. With over a thousand original photographs spanning his impressive Hasbro career, Gianni admits that he has had no formal illustration or set-building training. "Anyone can do what I do," he humbly confesses. "And I want to teach them how. I've taught others in the past and I can teach more."
At the young age of 39, Gianni has been living with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease for three years. No longer able to work, but still as passionate about photography as ever, he has compiled this collection of images, which he hopes will teach, entertain and inspire.
The book will be newsworthy. Thanks, Hasbro.
How About A Commemorative Box Of Wheaties?
Wouldn't it be nice if General Mills might make a commemorative Lou Gehrig Wheaties box to celebrate Wheaties' birthday and to raise more 4 ALS awareness?
The following is from this morning's Wall Street Journal:
Remembering Gehrig With A Splash Of Milk
Wheaties, the cereal that calls itself the breakfast of champions, is celebrating its 85th birthday. Lou Gehrig was the first athlete to grace a Wheaties box, appearing on the back of the carton in 1934. Since then more than 150 individual athletes have been pictured on the box, and 50 teams have been featured. Michael Jordan was the first basketball player to get the honor in 1988, and he’s also the most frequent guest, appearing 18 times. Tiger Woods is on his heels at 16.
This Is An Example Of The Problem Posed By The Disease With The Impossible Name
Whoops... last night it seemed that this was another great example of MLB's contribution to ALS awareness. This morning the big error in the MLB story was pointed out by a reader. Ryan Zimmerman's mother has MS, not ALS. And so it goes with the problem of the "letter diseases." Even one of the biggest advocates for ALS, MLB, confused ALS with another letter disease. If MLB can't keep it straight, you know we're fighting an uphill battle!
I should have paid closer attention. If she had ALS, it would have been ZiALS foundation and not ZiMS foundation. Duh.
Thank heavens for Lou Gehrig or ALS wouldn't have name that anyone would remember.
Thanks to MLB for raising an incredible amount of ALS awareness on July 4 and for continuing to communicate moving and informative stories with an ALS connection. Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals, a first-time All Star, is featured.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090713&content_id=5861060&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Being at his first All-Star Game is even more special because his mother, Cheryl, will be in attendance. Cheryl has been afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since 1995. ALS is an unpredictable disease that affects the central nervous system.
During the first five years of her illness, Cheryl was able to work as a teacher, but it grew worse by 2000. She is now confined to a wheelchair. Ryan said Cheryl's illness helped him become even keel throughout his life. It explains why one never sees him get angry with the media or with umpires in public. "That's a big part of it." Ryan said. "Me and my brother [Shawn] had to do some things that younger kids wouldn't have to do. We were not the only kids that ever had to deal with something like that. That added to my [composure]. I don't get too high or too low. "Before that, that's the way we were brought up. That's the way my parents were when we were young. I just think it rubbed off on us."
Cheryl continues to hang in there. Today she is one of the Board of Directors of ziMS Foundation, which raises money to help find a cure for ALS. Ryan is the president of the foundation. Asked how Cheryl is doing these days, Ryan said, "It's nothing really. It's just kind of steady. There is no cure, there is nothing, so it's the same thing every day. Obviously, we have dealt with it for a long time. It's almost second nature to us.
Do You Really Think That A Moving Depiction Of ALS Is The Most Offensive Thing The Kids Might See On TV?
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Anger-over-TV-ban-on.5442507.jp
Bosses of a Northampton charity say they are puzzled why their controversial advert still remains banned from TV despite backing from an ad watchdog and other advertisers
Let's Get ALS On Their Radar - Nominate!
Surely someone with an intimate knowledge of ALS can get a seat at this table. By the way, ATSDR is the arm of the CDC responsible for delivering the ALS Registry.
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Custom.aspx?cid=21&e=de864ef7-1d96-42d4-943f-0d510fae5a26
RESOLVE, a non-profit organization specializing in consensus building in public decision making, and CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) are accepting nominations for membership in each of the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures’ six work groups. The work groups are:
Monitoring: collecting information on chemical use, exposure pathways, exposure levels, and health outcomes
John Balbus, George Washington University
Scientific Understanding: filling knowledge gaps on the health effects of chemicals
Kevin Teichman, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development
Policies and Practices: reducing harmful chemical exposures and adverse health outcomes, eliminating inequities, and spurring the development and use of safer alternatives
Chemical Emergencies: preventing, preparing for, and responding to acute chemical incidents
Andrea Kidd Taylor, Morgan State University
Serving Communities: addressing local chemical exposure concerns to promote environmental justice and improve health
Peggy Shepard, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Education and Communication: ensuring a well-informed public and a competent network of health care providers
Kathy Rest, Union of Concerned Scientists
What will work groups do?
Work groups will be responsible for addressing the following questions:
What are the major components of the United States' approach in this area?
What have been the major successes in this area over the last 40 years?
What are the major shortcomings, gaps, redundancies, and emerging priorities?
What solutions could help improve the system?
What can be done quickly (1-2 years)?
What recent or ongoing initiatives might impact this area?
Which parties can take specific actions?
As a product of their analyses, each work group will develop recommendations focusing on the role of NCEH/ATSDR and other federal agencies, while also addressing the role of non-federal partners (state and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector). Work groups will prepare reports outlining their assessment and recommendations (draft report expected March 2010, final report expected July 2010).
Work groups also will help formulate relevant questions to pose to members of the public through citizen conversation tool-kits, and to the wide range of National Conversation stakeholders through the web-discussion platform and at public regional and community forums.
Work group members should have demonstrated expertise, experience and/or interest in the topics to be covered by the work group. They should be skilled in collaborative group processes. Finally, prospective members will need to have time to devote (an average of 10 hours per month) throughout the 18-month project period and should be willing to travel for occasional in person meetings.
RESOLVE and NCEH/ATSDR are committed to forming work groups with representation from a broad range of perspectives and expertise. We are seeking balanced membership across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, including:
Federal agencies;
State and local public health and environmental agencies;
Tribal groups;
Public health and environmental organizations;
Community-based organizations;
Industry;
Academic and research institutions, and
Individuals.
Nominations for work group membership should be submitted using the online submission provess (see submit nomination button below). Self-nominations are encouraged. To nominate someone other than yourself, please confirm the nominee’s interest in membership prior to submitting the nomination form, and be sure to include your name and contact information in the “Nominating Individual” fields. Nominations will be accepted until July 20, 2009.
Each work group will be comprised of up to 30 members. Nominations will be reviewed by the work group chairs, RESOLVE and NCEH/ATSDR staff to ensure balanced representation. Applicants can expect to receive a response regarding selection by August 28, 2009.
The Casualities Of War Continue Long After The Troops Come Home
ALS is an unacceptible fringe benefit of military service.
http://www.bu.edu/today/world/2009/06/25/one-four-vets-suffers-gulf-war-illness
You May Have Missed This While You Were At The Ballpark On July 4
NBC and Today ran a piece that explains an American hero - Michael Goldsmith -- and how Major League Baseball came through with MLB 4 ALS.
Here's A Wonderful Idea
From a letter in the San Francisco Chronicle...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/06/EDKB18IUPP.DTL
Giants battle ALS
I was one of the nine ALS patients introduced at home plate before the Giants game on July 4.
Thanks to Major League Baseball and the Giants for supporting the organizations seeking a treatment and cure for ALS and for helping to create awareness of the disease.
I know I speak for the entire ALS community when I say that I hope the July Fourth "4 ALS Awareness" Day will become an annual event.
JIM BARBER Walnut Creek
Surely The Cubbies Could Have Done Better
http://www.examiner.com/x-1553-Chicago-Cubs-Examiner~y2009m7d6-Cubs-miss-the-boat-honoring-memory-of-Lou-Gehrig
ALS Registry Information To Be Released
Don't get too excited. I learned the art of the teaser from CBS last week;-)
This is information regarding the Massachusetts registry --
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/07/05/middleborough_awaits_release_of_als_registry_information?mode=PF
ALS advocates still wait anxiously for news of the June meeting of the national ALS registry investigators. If anyone has any news, please comment.
Maybe TMZ will get on the case.
This Picture Says It All
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5gCGkEUs3KRj-NvOrwfLpyGO1OgkQD997UTI80?index=0
Michael Goldsmith and son at Yankee Stadium
Here Is A "Must Read" From The July 5, 1939 LA Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/files/1939_0705_sports.jpg
Here is a nice article from USAToday about the Lou Gehrig ceremonies and 4 ALS. Dreams come true, but we have one more dream and we are all need to be part of it becoming reality. That dream is a cure for ALS.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-07-04-lou-gehrig-anniversary_N.htm
Visit Every Major League Game From July 4
Here is a great collection of videos from 4 ALS observances at all of the MLB parks (look for the video links at the left side of the page)...
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090704&content_id=5689200&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos
This Is ALS
This is ALS.
It steals the body but somehow the human spirt within grows to achieve remarkable things.
Thank you, Michael Goldsmith.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/sports/baseball/05vecsey.html?ref=sports
Kent Hrbek Rocks
...As all Major League teams honored the 70th anniversary of Gehrig's famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, Hrbek was called upon Saturday to deliver a reading of Gehrig's words. Certainly an emotional speech for Gehrig, Hrbek, too, had to hold his emotions in check as he read the words from first base at the Metrodome prior to the Twins' game against the Tigers.
"I had a hard time finishing up the speech," Hrbek said. "I got a little choked up just from the fact that you think about what this guy talked about and what kind of person he was."
Since his father, Ed, passed away from ALS during Hrbek's rookie season in 1982, Hrbek has dedicated much of his time to raise awareness of the disease and money for ALS research through various charities such as his annual golf and fishing tournaments....
He Knew Lou Gehrig and Lou Gehrig's Disease
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/04/life-touched-lou-gehrig-8212-and-disease-named-him/?metro&zIndex=126713
You have to love a man who knows how to save two cakes a year ;-)
Bill, I'm Going To Remember This Day For A Long Time
So are we, Lou.
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2009/07/03/sports/doc4a4ec78297572957600386.txt
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014204.html
Curt Schilling Speaks
"Major League Baseball is sitting in front of more people, being seen, heard and watched by more pairs of eyes than at any time in its history," said Curt Schilling, who has been a longtime champion of efforts to help fight ALS. "On July 4th of this year more people will receive an introduction to ALS, what it is, what it does and what it means, than on any day in the history of mankind. For that we have Commissioner Bud Selig to thank. ... MLB has the power to change the world when focused and delivering the right message, and I am proud to see that message being presented to the world this year."
Try The Google Test Today
Usually if you Google "Gehrig's" for news, you find a lot of obituaries and a few fundraisers. Today you find baseball news and 4 ALS and all kinds of awareness information. July 4, 2009, is a refreshingly good day to help people understand the ALS problem. Today millions of people will learn that Lou Gehrig's Disease is ALS, and nobody has figured it out 70 years later.
Thank you, Michael Goldsmith. Thank you, Bud Selig. Thank you, MLB.
If only every day were 4 ALS day!
Meet The Demmerle Brothers
There is a special stinging irony when ALS strikes a world-class athlete who is a good person. Lou wasn't the only such victim...
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sports/ci_12750649
Here Is An Interesting Slant On Advocacy This July 4
The cause isn't ALS, but the thoughts are interesting as we celebrate our freedoms this Independence Day...
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090704/LOCAL/907040443/
It Was Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day Then, And It Still Is
Newsday covers Gehrig and 4 ALS. The great articles just keep on coming this week!
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-splou0704,0,987875.column
Sports Illustrated Remembers Lou Gehrig
Dick Friedman - SI - gives us an interesting historical perspective.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/07/03/friedman.gehrig/
Check Out The Pre-Game Show
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/blog/2009/07/rain_then_clearing_in_the_bron.html
Meanwhile, this announcement from YES: during Saturday's pre-game show, which starts at 12:30 p.m., the network will air a story commemorating the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" speech. Toward the end of the piece, YES will show various members of the organization reciting Gehrig’s speech. Among those: Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Brian Cashman, Jorge Posada, Joe Girardi, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon.
Here Is A Tribute From Tampa
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/03/sp-for-a-lesson-in-courage-this-fourth-of-july-loo/
The Speech Made The Movie
Here is a nice column on Lou Gehrig from Oklahoma --
http://www.newsok.com/berry-tramel-70-years-later-lou-gehrigs-message-lives-on/article/3382574?custom_click=lead_story_title
The CBS News Story on ALS by Katie Couric Ran Tonight
CBS Evening News http://www.cbsnews.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/02/eveningnews/main5130584.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea
Watch CBS Videos Online
By Katie Couric
(CBS) Lou Gehrig might have considered himself lucky. But he couldn't have imagined that seven decades after his emotional farewell, there would still be no treatment for ALS.
"When I was initially diagnosed, the doctors, three different doctors, told me the same thing: 'There's nothing we can do. Go home and die,' basically," said Philip Carlo, an ALS patient.
But CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric reports that science may finally be making the kind of progress that would have made the iron horse proud. "Much as those Yankees featured some of the greatest teamwork in the history of baseball. We have assembled a dream team of scientists and clinicians to work on the problem," said Valerie Estess, co-founder, Project ALS. Once competitors, scientists from both Harvard and Columbia are working together - with skin samples from both patients and healthy donors to help doctors figure out what causes ALS. "Well, for the first time we can now have billions of these cells to study in the laboratory and ask why it is that they get sick," says Dr. Kevin Eggan of the
Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
In ALS, nerve cells - called motor neurons - become incapable of sending messages from the brain, to the spinal cord, and on to the muscles - resulting in paralysis and ultimately death. "You're alive. But you watch yourself die, and you can't do anything about it," said Carlo. Rather than retrieving the motor neurons from the spinal cord of patients, a procedure that's far too risky, scientists are creating them from scratch. "Skin cells are very accessible, but they have nothing to do with the disease. So that's why we've had to find out a way of turning the skin cells into motor neurons," said Chris Henderson, Do-Director, Motor Neuron Center, Columbia University.
Couric decided to donate some of her skin to science. A tiny piece of skin is put it in a Petri dish, where cells then multiply. They are genetically modified to behave like embryonic stem cells - capable of becoming any kind of cell in the body. "They have all the characteristics of embryonic stem cells but they don't come from the embryo," said Dr. Eggan. They're then able to manipulate those very malleable stem cells to become motor neurons - enabling researchers to do what's never been done before: study the progression of ALS under a microscope.
"We want to compare the motor neurons from ALS patients with the motor neurons from healthy individuals. And through that we really do believe that we'll come to a fundamental understanding of what leads to ALS," said Henderson Which in turn, should lead to more effective treatment.
Carlo said the research is essential, "we have light at the end of the tunnel. And that -you can't ask for more than hope." Hope, that even the luckiest man on the face of the earth never had. At the end of his speech, Gehrig said, "I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."
More about MLB and ALS here
More about Project ALS Here
This Week In Baseball Is All About Lou
Isn't this a great way to celebrate our nation? We celebrate a true sports hero and we do some good for a cause.
Watch The Sunday Chicago Sun-Times
Following was just tweeted:
@ScarfaceAl Read about two of my heroes, Aimee Chamernik and Lou Gehrig, in Saturday's Chicago Sun-Times.
@ScarfaceAl is the wonderful Gehrig biographer Jonathan Eig. You'll have to go to his twitter profile to figure out the name :-)
ESPN Does A Beautiful Job With The Lou Gehrig Letters
This is just an outstanding presentation of an important glimpse into history! These are not to be missed.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/flash/gehrigletters
Thanks, ESPN.
Columbia University Remembers Lou Gehrig
Here is a nice tribute from Lou's alma mater...
http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=3759032
Go Columbia, Beat ALS!
While We Wait For the Katie Couric CBS News and Today Show Segments on ALS
Please take a moment and visit this link on the Major League Baseball site --
http://mlb.mlb.com/4als/index2.jsp
It tells us what this weekend is about, and it includes some wonderful video that helps us understand the greatness of Gehrig and the horrible irony of the disease that took him out of the lineup.
We are grateful to MLB for giving us this weekend to remember and to raise much needed awareness. We are grateful to Michael Goldsmith for presenting the concept. We are grateful to all of the brave people with ALS who give us the reason to keep up the fight against this outrageous disease.
There Is A Wonderful 4 ALS Column In The Boston Globe
This one speaks volumes about Lou Gehrig and the magnitude of 4 ALS.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2009/07/02/als_event_saturday_proves_charity_begins_at_home_plate?mode=PF
Below is an excerpt.
Charity begins at home plate
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | July 2, 2009
Going to Fenway Park for Red Sox-Mariners Saturday? Bring a box of tissue. Bring your checkbook, too. Boston’s ancient baseball theater will be one of 15 major league parks honoring the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech (“I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth’’) and raising funds to support ALS research. It’s called “4ALS Awareness’’
Nice going, MLB. In 1939, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis took Gehrig off the field after 2,130 consecutive games and now baseball is joining the fight against the deadly disease.
“We’re involved with a whole series of charities,’’ explained commissioner Bud Selig. “We get asked a lot. But I’ve had inquiries about ALS from a fair number of people over the years, because of the Lou Gehrig connection. I said to myself, ‘This disease is so horrible and it affects so many people and it’s as dreaded today as it was in 1939.’ This is our chance to increase awareness, raise some money, and reach out to all the people affected and show people we do care.
“I can’t give any more reason than that. That’s how it happened. I wish my other decisions were as easy as this one.’’
Warm Up The TV For The Today Show
Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, the Today Show has a segment on the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's farewell slated.
Has CBS Found A Way To Get Us To Watch Their Evening News Every Night?
Toward the end of this evening's CBS news with Katie Couric, they ran the teaser again on their ALS story that said it will run tomorrow. "New treatments for Lou Gehrig's Disease may be as close as the surface of your skin."
Tomorrow... you're always a day away...
They're finishing up the news right now as I type. The final story is on Michael Jackson's patented shoes. They had time for that story but not ALS. Go figure.
ESPN Will Have Lou Gehrig Features This Weekend
Thanks to the heads-up from @ALSlesturner on twitter... ESPN will have Lou Gehrig features this weekend and tomorrow the great Gehrig biographer Jonathan Eig will be interviewed on ESPN.
How great is this?
We're finally getting some national resolve to get the word out about ALS thanks to Michael Goldsmith and Lou Gehrig!
Fire Up The Popcorn Popper For Sunday!
Here Is The Definitive, Good-News Press Release on 4 ALS MLB Activities
This will just make you smile when you read it. It will be a tearful smile by the time you finish.
Thanks, Major League Baseball.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090701&content_id=5636318&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Major League Baseball clubs hold special on-field ceremonies on July 4th to honor 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech
In an effort to raise awareness and financial support for organizations leading the fight against ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, every Major League Baseball Club playing at home on July 4th will conduct a special on-field ceremony to commemorate Lou Gehrig's Yankee Stadium farewell speech. During these special ceremonies, all Clubs will honor Gehrig's memory by recreating part of his "Luckiest Man" speech (Excerpt at the end of the release).
"Seventy years ago, Lou Gehrig delivered an impassioned speech that has become part of American History," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Major League Baseball is proud to devote the Fourth of July to Lou Gehrig and the disease that bears his name. We are pleased to have this opportunity to help find a cure for ALS and help those who are suffering from the disease."
The New York Yankees will host a special "4 ♦ ALS Awareness" ceremony at Yankee Stadium prior to their 1:00 p.m. (ET) game against the Toronto Blue Jays. During the pre-game ceremony, the Yankees will recognize Michael Goldsmith, a lifelong baseball fan who contributed to the development of the "4 ♦ ALS" initiative.
"Seventy years after Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, no cure exists for ALS," said Goldsmith. "Doctors have no real way even to slow its devastating progression. Because research for a cure is still in its infancy, defeating ALS will require the same determination that Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken, Jr. demonstrated in setting records for consecutive games played. I live for the day when all ALS patients can give you a standing ovation for fighting this fight with us."
On July 4th all on-field personnel, including players, coaches, umpires and groundskeepers will wear a "4 ♦ ALS" patch. In addition, to honor Gehrig, who played first base with the Yankees for 17 years, a special "4 ♦ ALS" logo will appear on top of first base in each ballpark. Authenticated first bases from the July 4th games will be auctioned off at a later date on MLB.com to raise additional funds for ALS. A special "4 ♦ ALS" video was created for Clubs playing at home on July 4th.
In addition, individual Clubs will support the ALS cause on July 4th. For example, American Idol Finalist Michael Johns will perform the National Anthem prior to the Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game; the Philadelphia Phillies have raised over $865,000 for ALS this year alone; and the Minnesota Twins are one of many Clubs that have donated a suite for ALS families.
In support of the "4 ♦ ALS" initiative, MLB Network will air an edition of "Studio 42 with Bob Costas" featuring an interview with Cal Ripken, Jr. on July 5th at 8:00 p.m. (ET) followed by the Academy Award-winning movie, "The Pride of the Yankees" at 9:00 p.m. (ET).
MLB.com has established an online community at http://mlb4als.mlblogs.com, where representatives of the four organizations working with Major League Baseball, as well as others impacted by ALS, are collaborating to share stories, research and further opportunities to unite in support of ALS. The four leading organizations working with MLB on the on the "4 ♦ ALS" campaign are: The ALS Association, ALS TDI, MDA's Augie's Quest and Project A.L.S. ALS destroys the nerve cells controlling muscles, ultimately causing complete paralysis. The average life expectancy is three to five years after diagnosis.
The ALS Association is a non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease on every front. Through global research, providing assistance for people with ALS via a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) has a single mission-to develop therapeutics that slow and stop ALS. The nonprofit Institute has a 30 person research team working aggressively by applying the best practices on behalf of today's patients.
MDA's Augie's Quest, the Muscular Dystrophy Association's ALS research initiative, is an aggressive, cure-driven effort singularly focused on finding treatments and cures for ALS. MDA funds over $23 million annually and has funded more than $250 million since its inception.
The mission of Project A.L.S. is to create a new paradigm for neurodegenerative disease research. They identity the world's leading researchers and clinicians and mobilize them to work together as teams in the areas of genetics, drug discovery, stem cells, and disease pathways. Each project is vetted and approved by its research advisory board. Project A.L.S. has raised over $38 million to fund these efforts.
Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" Speech (Abbreviated Version)
"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.
I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day?
Sure I'm lucky. When the [New York Giants], a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift-that's something.
When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies-that's something.
When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter-that's something.
When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body-it's a blessing.
When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed-that's the finest I know.
So, I close in saying that, I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."
This Is A Great Week For Googling Gehrig In The News
There are a lot of good news stories this morning about Lou Gehrig and 4 ALS and MLB and Michael Goldsmith.
Here is one of them --
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/columnists/mcgrath/story/796530.html
Hmmm... "Lou Gehrig Stadium" ... like the sound... or maybe "Cure Lou Gehrig's Disease Stadium" and then they can sell the naming rights when that name is passe.
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Dear Abby Readers Learned About ALS in Veterans To...
From A Horrible Situation We Have Another Teachabl...
This Is An Example Of The Problem Posed By The Dis...
Do You Really Think That A Moving Depiction Of ALS...
The Casualities Of War Continue Long After The Tro...
You May Have Missed This While You Were At The Bal...
Here Is A "Must Read" From The July 5, 1939 LA Tim...
Bill, I'm Going To Remember This Day For A Long Ti...
Here Is An Interesting Slant On Advocacy This July...
It Was Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day Then, And It St...
The CBS News Story on ALS by Katie Couric Ran Toni...
ESPN Does A Beautiful Job With The Lou Gehrig Lett...
While We Wait For the Katie Couric CBS News and To...
There Is A Wonderful 4 ALS Column In The Boston Gl...
Has CBS Found A Way To Get Us To Watch Their Eveni...
Here Is The Definitive, Good-News Press Release on...
This Is A Great Week For Googling Gehrig In The Ne...
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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Author: Michael Chabon
Release: September 19, 2000
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Main Character(s): Joe Kavalier, Sam Clay, Rosa Saks
Synopsis: It is New York City in 1939. Joe Kavalier, a young artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just pulled off his greatest feat to date: smuggling himself out of Nazi-occupied Prague. He is looking to make big money, fast, so that he can bring his family to freedom. His cousin, Brooklyn’s own Sammy Clay, is looking for a collaborator to create the heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit the American dreamscape: the comic book. Out of their fantasies, fears, and dreams, Joe and Sammy weave the legend of that unforgettable champion the Escapist. And inspired by the beautiful and elusive Rosa Saks, a woman who will be linked to both men by powerful ties of desire, love, and shame, they create the otherworldly mistress of the night, Luna Moth. As the shadow of Hitler falls across Europe and the world, the Golden Age of comic books has begun.
Declassified by Agent Palmer: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is Brilliant (A No Spoiler Book Review)
Quotes and Lines
We have this history of impossible solutions for insoluble problems. – Wil Eisner, in conversation
Like all of his friends, he considered it a compliment when somebody called him a wiseass. (He = Clay)
But like most natives of Brooklyn, Sammy considered himself a realist, and in general his escape plans centered around the attainment of fabulous sums of money.
“‘Forget about what you are escaping from,’” he said, quoting an old maxim of Kornblum’s. “‘Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.’”
“Never worry about what you are escaping from, he said. “Reserve your anxieties for what you are escaping to.”
“People only notice what you tell them to notice,” he said. “And then only if you remind them.” – Kornblum
Gossips, busybodies, and kibitzers were the fiends of her personal demonology. She was universally at odds with the neighbors, and suspicious, to the point of paranoia, of all visiting doctors, salesmen, municipal employees, synagogue committeemen, and tradespeople.
All of this left him hardened, battered, rumpled, and addicted to the making of money, but not, somehow, embittered. – Anapol
Sammy glared at Ashkenazy, not because Ashkenazy had insulted his work–no one was ever more aware of his own artistic limitations than Sam Clay–but because Sammy felt that he was standing on the border of something wonderful, a land where wild cataracts of money and the racing river of his own imagination would, at last, lift his makeshift little raft and carry it out to the boundless freedom of the open sea.
Joe gave up trying to think like, trust, or believe in his cousin and just walked, head abuzz, toward the Hudson River, stunned by the novelty of exile.
Her entire discourse with him appeared to consist solely of animadversion and invective.
It was, in part, a longing–common enough among the inventors and heroes–to be someone else; to be more than the result of two hundred regimens and scenarios and self-improvement campaigns that always ran afoul of his perennial inability to locate an actual self to be improved.
In the immemorial style of young men under pressure, they decided to lie down for a while and waste time.
It was not that Joe felt at home in New York. That was something he never would have allowed himself to feel. But he was very grateful to his headquarters in exile. New York City had led him, after all, to his calling, to this great, mad new American art form. She had laid at his feet the printing presses and lithography cameras and delivery vans that allowed him to fight, if not a genuine war, then a tolerable substitute.
…work that Deasey had long since concluded was only “a long, spiraling chute, greased with regular paychecks, to the Tartarus of pseudonymous hackdom.”
Neither of the cousins was much for parties. Though Sammy was mad for swing, he could not, of course, dance on his pipe-cleaner legs; his nerves killed his appetite, and at any rate, he was too self-conscious about his manners to eat anything; and he disliked the flavor of liquors and beer. Introduced into a cursed circle of jabber and jazz, he would drift helplessly behind a large plant. His brash and heedless gift of conversation, by means of which he had whipped up Amazing Midget Radio Comics and with it the whole idea of Empire, deserted him. Put him in front of a roomful of people at work and he would be impossible to shut up; work was not work for him. Parties were work. Women were work. At Palooka Studios, whenever there occurred the chance conjunction of girls and a bottle, Sammy simply vanished, like Mike Campbell’s fortune, at first a little at a time, and then all at once.
“Don’t be smart, it’s unattractive in a man.” – Rosa to Joe
To get paid vast sums for wasting one’s life, in her view, only added to the cosmic tallying of wastefulness. Most maddening of all to Sammy was the way that, in the face of the sudden influx of money, Ethel steadfastly refused to change any element of her life, except to shop for better cuts of meat, buy a new set of carving knives, and spend a relatively lavish amount on new underwear for Bubbie and herself.
When they had first started going out, he was so absorbed by his work that he rarely had time for meals, existing quite mysteriously on coffee and bananas, but as Rosa herself, to her considerable satisfaction, had begun to absorb Joe more and more, he had become a regular guest at her father’s dinner table, where there were never fewer than five courses and three different varieties of wine. His ribs no longer stuck out, and his skinny little-boy’s behind had taken on a manlier helf.
The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so thoroughly lost, that they might never have existed in the first place.
One of the sturdiest precepts of the study of human delusion is that every golden age is either past or in the offing.
“I’m tired of fighting, maybe, for a little while. I fight, and I am fighting some more, and it just makes me have less hope, not more. I need to do something . . . something that will be great, you know, instead of trying always to be Good.” – Joe
The systems that controlled the motion, sound, and lighting of Democracity and its companion exhibit, General Motors’ Futurama, were quite literally the dernier cri of the art and ancient principles of clockwork machinery in the final ticking moments of the computerless world.
What would she be saying if she did? That she wanted to marry him? For ten years, at least, since she was twelve or thirteen, Rosa had been declaring roundly to anyone who asked that she had no intention of getting married, ever, and that if she ever did, it would be when she was old and tired of life. When this declaration in its various forms had ceased to shock people sufficiently, she had taken to adding that the man she finally married would be no older than twenty-five. But lately she had been starting to experience strong, inarticulate feelings of longing, of a desire to be with Joe all the time, to inhabit his life and allow him to inhabit hers, to engage with him in some kind of joint enterprise, in a collaboration that would be their lives.
She closed her eyes and tried to recite a snatch of Buddhist prayer her father had taught her, claiming it had a calming effect. It had little apparent impact on her father, and she wasn’t even sure she had the words right. Om mani padmi om. Somehow it did make her feel calmer.
He tried to be stern and friendless but was an inveterate kibitzer.
…explorers invariably give their names to the places that haunt or kill them.
The defeat of those actual world-devouring supervillains, Hitler and Tojo, along with their minions, had turned out to be as debilitating to the long-underwear hero trade as the war itself had been an abundant source of energy and plots; it proved to be hard for the cashiered captains and supersoldiers, on their return from tying Krupp artillery into half-hitches and swatting Zeros like midges over the Coral Sea, to muster the old pre-1941 fervor for busting up rings of car thieves, rescuing orphans, and exposing crooked fight promoters. At the same time, a new villain, the lawless bastard child of relativity and Satan, had appeared to cast its roiling fiery pall over even the mightiest of heroes, who could no longer be entirely assured that there would always be a world for them to save. The tastes of returning GIs, who had become hooked on the regular shipments of comic books provided them along with candy bars and cigarettes, turned to darker, more “adult-oriented” fare: true-crime comics had their vogue, followed by horror tales, Westerns, science fiction; anything, in short, but masked men.
Rosa shook her head. It seemed to be her destiny to live among men whose solutions were invariably more complicated or extreme than the problems they were intended to solve.
The usual charge leveled against comic books, that they offered merely an escape from reality, seemed to Joe actually to be a powerful argument on their behalf. He had escaped, in his life, from ropes, chains, boxes, bags, and crates, from handcuffs and shackles, from countries and regimes, from the arms of a woman who loved him, from crashed airplanes and an opiate addiction and from an entire frozen continent intent on causing his death. The escape from reality was, he felt–especially right after the war–a worthy challenge.
The newspaper articles that Joe had read about the upcoming Senate investigation into comic books always cited “escapism” among the litany of injurious consequences of their reading, and dwelled on the pernicious effect, on young minds, of satisfying the desire to escape. As if there could be any more noble or necessary service in life.
Hope had been his enemy, a frailty that he must at all costs master, for so long now that it was a moment before he was willing to conceded that he had let it back into his heart.
Now he had been unmasked, along with Bruce and Dick, and Steve and Bucky, and Oliver Queen (how obvious!) and Speedy, and that security was gone for good. And now there was nothing left to regret but his own cowardice.
“I’m much too old to be happy, Mr. Clay. Unlike you.” – Deasey
I have tried to respect history and geography wherever doing so served my purposes as a novelist, but wherever it did not I have, cheerfully or with regret, ignored them.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the deep debt I owe in this and everything else I’ve ever written to the work of the late Jack Kirby, the King of Comics.
Michael Chabon’s grandfather was a typographer who worked in a New York City plant where, among other things, comic books were printed.
Fame and fortune are coming your way.
You are interested in higher education, whether material or spiritual.
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When I arrived this morning in Sacramento, I wasn't sure why I was here. I am attending the California Academy of Family Physicians 2009 Congress of Delegates. I am one of many family physicians who have come from all over the state. They are leaders in their community, faculty in academic medicine and residency programs, department chairs, chapter presidents.
I am here because I happen to show up at most of the meetings. If you go often enough, you get nominated to be a delegate. This year especially there weren't enough of us coming from the Los Angeles Chapter so they asked for volunteers. At the registration table, my name was not listed as one of the delegates. Maybe I don't belong here.
The guest speaker is Dr. Ted Epperly, the current president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). He notes the current national crises (crisises? crisii?) and says that he believes that, after many years of failed attempts, healthcare reform is finally going to take place in 2009 because of a miracle. According to Epperly, that miracle was the election of Barack Obama.
He said that he was at the White House 2 days ago, invited along with representatives from the 3 other primary care specialties (American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatricians, American Osteopathic Association) and a host of legislators, insurance representatives and stakeholders. They were part of a White House Health Care Summit there to discuss how to fix what ails our nation's medical non-system.
During the summit, Obama asked for the cooperation and participation from all the interested parties. And when he came to physician participation, he called on Epperly (who was taken by surprise and only had about 20 seconds to speak).
What he said was:
"Speaking on behalf of over 100,000 doctors, we're ready to do our part. We very much believe that we need to expand coverage in this country to everyone, and we need to fix the work force, sir, so that all those patients have a place to go.
We'll roll up our shirtsleeves and do everything possible to make this work. Because it is the right thing to do, and I applaud you and this body for doing this today, to do it this year. And we must do it. Thank you."
Epperly said he feels it was not by accident that Obama chose a family physician to speak for American physicians. It’s because he understands that primary care is broken.
He also said the president made it clear that everyone must be at the table, everyone must listen and everyone must give up a little something. Epperly quoted Victor Fuchs, a noted Stanford economist, as saying US healthcare reform would only come about if there was a war, an economic depression or major civil unrest. (We got 2 out of 3 so far.)
The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has become more than a model of healthcare, Epperly said. It has become a symbol of a movement to restore healthcare to this country.
Epperly observed that the current healthcare system is totally unsustainable, especially in this recession. Healthcare spending rose to $2.4 trillion in 2008 and is projected to rise to $2.5 trillion in 2009. But Epperly is hopeful that reform will finally take place under the Obama administration. "More has been done in one month than has been done in the past decade as far as healthcare reform," he said. "We can't afford to keep putting it off. President Obama recognizes that if there isn't enough investment in our domestic policy, this country will fall apart."
Epperly also called on family physicians to take a more active role in advocating healthcare reform. "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu," he said. "We family physicians are in the position we are in, not because the work we do is not worth it, but because we didn't step forward when we needed to."
Even though family physicians may feel like they're not getting the respect or the payment that they deserve for their work, Epperly feels Obama recognizes the value of family physicians to care for patients and their community. "Don't lose faith," Epperly said. "It won't be easy, but a better day is coming."
At the end of Epperly's talk, I felt re-energized and motivated, hopeful that our healthcare system can and will change for the better, sooner rather than later. I will continue to try to improve my solo practice using the principles of the PCMH. And while I don't have the charisma, eloquence or leadership of Obama or Epperly, I can blog.
I guess I figured out why I am here in Sacramento after all:
To keep the faith. And to help Save Primary Care.
Posted by akifox at 10:26 PM
This is also the diagnosis
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Cycling Racing News and Opinion
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories
Buncha stuff going on...
Saxo Bank remains team co-sponsor
Denmark's Saxo Bank announced it will co-sponsor the Tinkoff-Saxo cycling team through 2015. The squad is owned by Russian Oleg Tinkoff and is managed by its former owner, Bjarne Riis.
Tinkoff-Saxo rider Alberto Contador suffering in stage five of this year's Tour de France. Photo © Sirotti
Heart Problem Sidelines Lodewyck
From BMC:
Klaas Lodewyck will be withheld from racing for an indefinite amount of time due to a problem with his heart, BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer Dr. Max Testa said Wednesday.
Thorough Investigation Underway: Lodewyck competed last month in the Tour de Wallonie, his first competition since breaking his right collarbone in a crash while racing with the Belgian national team in Halle-Ingooigem on June 25. "He had been experiencing some irregular heart rhythm during racing and training," Dr. Testa said. "We have been investigating it, first by having him evaluated by sports cardiologists in Belgium. The common decision between a specialist there and the BMC Racing Team's medical staff is to rest Klaas for an undetermined amount of time while a thorough investigation is performed." Before his injury, Lodewyck had been effective in helping teammate Philippe Gilbert win Ster ZLM Toer, Steve Cummings win Tour Méditerranéen and Taylor Phinney win the Dubai Tour. The most aggressive rider at the 2012 Tour of Oman said the situation is depressing. "Mentally, it is like I am in a big nightmare," Lodewyck said. "Since my crash, it seems like there has always been something and for the last week, I have been to the hospital almost every day for tests." Dr. Testa said an update on Lodewyck's condition will be shared when more details are known.
BMC Racing Team Signs Jempy Drucker
BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz announced Thursday the signing of Jempy Drucker to a multi-year contract, beginning in the 2015 season.
Help For The Classics: The 27-year-old from Luxembourg was runner-up last month at the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg, runner-up on Stage 5 at the Tour of Norway and finished fourth at Dwars door Vlaanderen. A professional since 2008, he has twice finished runner-up at GP Stad Zottegem (2010 and 2012) and was sixth overall last year at the Tour de Wallonie. "Jempy has a nice background in classics-style racing in the spring and summer," Ochowicz said. "He also has stage racing experience that we will be able to utilize in a number of races throughout the year. On numerous occasions, he has demonstrated his ability to time trial and deliver in the faster races solid performances and consistent results." Drucker said he was excited to receive the invitation to join the BMC Racing Team. "I think it is one of the best teams in the world," he said. "It will be a pleasure to get a chance to ride for the BMC Racing Team next year. I want to progress as a rider and become a better rider. My main races are the classics, so I hope to be able to play a big role in them and help the team get nice results or a win
Jonas Van Genechten wins the fourth stage of the Tour de Pologne
Yesterday (Wednesday, August 6) Lotto-Belisol rider Jonas Van Genechten won the fourth stage of the Tour of Poland using a huge 54 big-meat ring to win the downhill, tailwind-aided sprint. What the heck, here's Lotto-Belisol's press release, they earned a little glory:
With 236 kilometers it was the longest stage.
Boris Vallée joined an early breakaway, but it didn't get much space. Next Edmondson, Krizek and Taciak attacked. In the final Cousin and Kasperkiewicz bridged to the leaders. Eight kilometers from the end, in the last local lap of 12.3 kilometers in Katowice, all escapees were caught. There were some late attacks, like the one of Thor Hushovd. Still a bunch sprint would decide about the stage win. Jonas Van Genechten turned out to be the fastest. Jacopo Guarnieri had to be satisfied with the second place, Luka Mezgec got third. For Van Genechten it's the second win of the season after Gullegem Koerse and this in a WorldTour race.
Jonas Van Genechten: "Of course I'm very happy with this victory. It was a fast sprint, because there was a descent at the end. The right timing was important to win. With two laps to go we decided I would be the man for the sprint. Kenny Dehaes wasn't feeling 100%. The whole team believed in me. Kenny did the last part of the work in the team, up to the last three kilometers. It wasn't easy to stay together. Each rider of the team has a big part in the win. I want to thank all of them."
"Until the bottom of the last hill I was positioned well. Then I did an effort to be in a good position for the last kilometer. This victory confirms my condition and shows I can perform on the highest level. From the start of the season I am in good shape. There was an opportunity for me here and it was successful."
Theo Bos and Robert Gesink to MTN Qhubeka?
AD Sportwereld is reporting that MTN Qhubeka is courting Belkin riders Theo Bos (who won the Tour of Poland third stage) and Robert Gesink. Both have contracts with the Dutch team that are up at the end of the year.
Theo Bos wins Tour of Poland Stage Three. Photo ©Sirotti
Mark Cavendish returns to racing
Rather than take part in the Prudential RideLondon Classic, Mark Cavendish is taking a lower key return to racing by starting August 12 at the French Tour de l'Ain. Cavendish crashed out of the first stage at Harrogate of this year's Tour de France.
Cavendish ruptured all the ligaments at the AC joint, or more pedantically, the acromioclavicular joint. This is where the collarbone (the clavicle) meets the highest point of the shoulder blade (acromion).
Mark Cavendish talks with Omega Pharma team boss Lefevre at this year's Tour before going home
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How Reflection Works in Physics
Definition of Reflection in Physics
Tara Moore/Getty Images
In physics, reflection is defined as the change in the direction of a wavefront at the interface between two different media, bouncing the wavefront back into the original medium. A common example of reflection is reflected light from a mirror or a still pool of water, but reflection affects other types of waves beside light. Water waves, sound waves, particle waves, and seismic waves may also be reflected.
The Law of Reflection
Todd Helmenstine, sciencenotes.org
The law of reflection is usually explained in terms of a ray of light striking a mirror, but it applies to other types of waves as well. According to the law of reflection, an incident ray strikes a surface at a certain angle relative to the "normal" (line perpendicular to the mirror's surface).
The angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected ray and the normal and is equal in magnitude to the angle of incidence, but is on the opposite side of the normal. The angle of incidence and angle of reflection lie in the same plane. The law of reflection can be derived from the Fresnel equations.
The law of reflection is used in physics to identify the location of an image that is reflected in a mirror. One consequence of the law is that if you view a person (or other creature) through a mirror and can see his eyes, you know from the way reflection works that he can also view your eyes.
Types of Reflections
Ken Hermann/Getty Images
The law of reflection works for specular surfaces, which means surfaces which are shiny or mirror-like. Specular reflection from a flat surface forms mirror mages, which appear to be reversed from left to right. Specular reflection from curved surfaces may be magnified or demagnified, depending on whether the surface is spherical or parabolic.
Diffuse Reflections
Waves can also strike non-shiny surfaces, which produce diffuse reflections. In diffuse reflection, light is scattered in multiple directions because of tiny irregularities in the surface of the medium. A clear image is not formed.
Infinite Reflections
If two mirrors are placed facing each other and parallel to each other, infinite images are formed along the straight line. If a square is formed with four mirrors face to face, the infinite images appear to be arranged within a plane. In reality, images aren't truly infinite because tiny imperfections in the mirror surface eventually propagate and extinguish the image.
Retroreflection
In retroreflection, light returns in the direction from whence it came. A simple way to make a retroreflector is to form a corner reflector, with three mirrors faced mutually perpendicular to each other. The second mirror produces an image that is the inverse of the first. The third mirror makes in an inverse of the image from the second mirror, returning it to its original configuration. The tapetum lucidum in some animal eyes acts as a retroreflector (e.g., in cats), improving their night vision.
Complex Conjugate Reflection or Phase Conjugation
Complex conjugate reflection occurs when light reflects back exactly in the direction from whence it came (as in retroreflection), but both the wavefront and the direction are reversed. This occurs in nonlinear optics. Conjugate reflectors may be used to remove aberrations by reflecting a beam and passing the reflection back through the aberrating optics.
Neutron, Sound, and Seismic Reflections
Monty Rakusen/Getty Images
Reflections occur in several types of waves. Light reflection doesn't only happen within the visible spectrum but throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. VHF reflection is used for radio transmission. Gamma rays and x-rays may be reflected, too, although the nature of the "mirror" is different than for visible light.
The reflection of sound waves is a fundamental principle in acoustics. Reflection is somewhat different from sound. If a longitudinal sound wave strikes a flat surface, the reflected sound is coherent if the size of the reflecting surface is large compared to the wavelength of the sound.
The nature of the material matters as well as its dimensions. Porous materials may absorb sonic energy, while rough materials (with respect to wavelength) may scatter sound in multiple directions. The principles are used to make anechoic rooms, noise barriers, and concert halls. Sonar is also based on sound reflection.
Seismologists study seismic waves, which are waves that may be produced by explosions or earthquakes. Layers in the Earth reflect these waves, helping scientists understand the Earth's structure, pinpoint the source of the waves, and identify valuable resources.
Streams of particles may be reflected as waves. For example, neutron reflection off of atoms may be used to map internal structure. Neutron reflection also is used in nuclear weapons and reactors.
Huygens' Principle Explains How Waves Move Around Corners
The Photoelectric Effect
The Principles of Superposition
What Is Electromagnetic Radiation?
The Inside Scoop on Telescopes
What the Compton Effect Is and Why It's Important in Physics
What Is Wave-Particle Duality?
Skins of Metal - A Hazard in Architecture
Who Invented the Kaleidoscope?
The Men Who Helped Invent Radar
The History of Ultrasound in Medicine
This Online Geometry Course Covers Formulas, Terms, and Angles
How Long Have Humans Been Making Things Out of Glass?
Understand the Science Behind How the Ground Rumbles
6 Fascinating Facts About the Earth's Mantle
Radiation in Space Gives Clues about the Universe
посмотреть ry-diplomer.com
ry-diplomer.com/diplom-v-sterlitamake
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La Ruta Maya River Challenge Training Continues
Posted on March 9, 2012 by lesleycarter
Pau Hana Surf Supply continue their training in San Ignacio, Belize for the ultimate race, La Ruta Maya River Challenge! Four days and 170 miles of river racing on a paddleboard is my kind of adventure! Just looking at the photos gets my heart racing. For the first time in my life, I’m living vicariously through someone else. While I’m waiting for the best adventure of my life, the arrival of my baby girl, Shane is about to embark on an eye-opening adventure of his own. Check out Todd Caranto (Pau Hana), Nicholas Troutman (trainer), Shane Perrin (paddleboard La Ruta Maya racer), Doug Death (cameraman), and Jessica Wunderlich, (photos) as they prepare for the River Challenge.
Nick found a new friend who has been following them around for 3 days.
Jessica and Nicholas got up close and personal at the local market.
Todd prepped the Big EZ paddleboard, which is the same board that I’ll be using after the baby is born.
Nick talked strategy with some last second planning…
Then he was off…
The Class 2-3 rapids were no problem for Nick.
Todd went for it as well.
Shane did pretty well for his first time in the rapids.
The crew scoped out some of the rapids to practice on.
Imagine hopping onto a paddleboard every morning for four days and paddling for an average of 42.5 miles a day under the tropical sun with little support and only the supplies you’re carrying on your board! La Ruta Maya River Challenge is not for the faint of heart. I’m not sure any amount of training would prepare me for such an adventure, but Shane is going for it and I’m anxiously awaiting his first race day.
This entry was posted in Belize, Central America, Travel, Uncategorized and tagged Adrenaline, Belize, bucket list, Bucket List Publications, Central America, culture, La Ruta Maya River Challenge, landscape, Lesley Carter, photo by lesleycarter. Bookmark the permalink.
29 thoughts on “La Ruta Maya River Challenge Training Continues”
wordsfromanneli on March 9, 2012 at 1:41 pm said:
Looks like a lot of hard work. Fun too, but hard work.
lesleycarter on March 9, 2012 at 2:29 pm said:
170 miles would certainly leave you with a true sense of accomplishment when complete. 🙂
Booksphotographsandartwork on March 9, 2012 at 2:02 pm said:
I can’t even begin to imagine the strength and balance it would take to accomplish that. Good luck! I’m glad it’s you and not me!
Let's CUT the Crap! on March 9, 2012 at 2:22 pm said:
I agree. Sounds like awfully hard work. I love the photos. Nice and big too.
councilblogs on March 9, 2012 at 2:34 pm said:
Lesley, Thx for the like today. Yes, hard work indeed. But it is right up there with all your other adventures. Enjoy.
orples on March 9, 2012 at 2:46 pm said:
That looks like it would be a lot of fun on still waters. I don’t think I’d even consider the rapids.
lesleycarter on March 9, 2012 at 11:18 pm said:
I’d need a lot of practice before I’d consider the rapids, but I think it’s doable. I’d love to give it a try. 🙂
Dirty Feat on March 9, 2012 at 4:28 pm said:
Lesley,
Having liked two of my posts in the past week, I decided it was time for me to give you some props! Gotta say, you have something really meaningful going on here, Keep the positive vibes going. I will be keeping up with your entries for the benefit of my Journey to live the most fulfilling life possible!
Mona on March 9, 2012 at 6:28 pm said:
Looks like a fabulous experience.
Dominick S. on March 9, 2012 at 8:15 pm said:
Geez…I need to stop reading this blog….I keep adding more things to my list! Exciting times for you and your family!
That’s the point 😉
Keep reading and keep adding; life is for living.
Sandra on March 9, 2012 at 8:52 pm said:
Wish I had your exciting wonderful life. You live it to the full. Good for you. Love reading about your exploits.
ToggyOrderedChowder on March 9, 2012 at 9:27 pm said:
What an amazing challenge! Paddleboarding is something I definitely want to try now. Good luck to Shane on his first race. 🙂
P.S. You could do it, Lesley! 😀
Once the baby arrives and is settled in, I’m sure going to try 🙂
dabawenyo life on March 9, 2012 at 10:12 pm said:
great outdoor experience..I’m sure afterwards is muscle pains.. 😛
James Shannon on March 9, 2012 at 10:39 pm said:
I’ve always heard of paddleboarding on still water, but on rapids? That’s sounds like edgy adventure to me! Definitely trying it soon!
I tried riverboarding a couple of years ago (with a body board) and it was amazing! I can’t wait to try paddleboarding on rapids too. 🙂
Jamie Dedes on March 10, 2012 at 3:33 am said:
Looks so fun. Thanks for sharing photos here.
insaniteeni on March 10, 2012 at 5:57 am said:
That looks like a lot of fun! I may have to try something like that.
genekgarrison on March 10, 2012 at 7:28 am said:
The adventure is exciting. I’m very impressed with the photography too.
Yolanda Presant on March 11, 2012 at 3:36 pm said:
For the last couple of years my daughter has been paddleboarding off the coast in Vancouver, BC. She likes it too.
rsouth on March 11, 2012 at 6:15 pm said:
How have I lived this long without knowing about this awesome sport? Thanks for the post!
Ruth2Day on March 11, 2012 at 10:31 pm said:
that is surely going to be an adventure. hope to follow more of it with you on the blog!
karcherry on March 12, 2012 at 2:58 am said:
I can’t believe my eyes… what an adventure!
granbee on March 12, 2012 at 9:58 am said:
Just absolutely adore white water activities of any kind, anywhere! Love that produce market and that dog, as well! So great of you to share such wonders with us here! Very energizing and inspiring!
Pingback: La Ruta Maya River Challenge Training Continues | Bucket List … | cayoscoop
Cayo Scoop on March 12, 2012 at 4:22 pm said:
Awesome! You’re on the Cayo Scoop!
http://www.scoop.it/t/best-of-san-ignacio-cayo/p/1391598383/la-ruta-maya-river-challenge-training-continues-bucket-list
We want a paddle board.
stacey on March 12, 2012 at 5:24 pm said:
Great Effort SHANE!! I did it in a canoe last year that was tough enough…….. but who knows maybe one day i could follow in shane’s footsteps…..
lesleycarter on March 12, 2012 at 5:25 pm said:
Shane completed the race, and he was the first person to do it on a paddleboard!
What an accomplishment and adventure!
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Edgar DegasYoung Woman with Ibis
Young Woman with Ibis
Degas made sketches of this composition in a notebook he used during his second stay in Rome in 1857–58. Originally conceived as a depiction of a pensive woman, the picture assumed a mysterious air when Degas added the imaginary Middle Eastern cityscape, the pink flowers, and the two red ibises around 1860–62. About the same time he also considered adding the brilliant birds to his large historical painting Semiramis Building Babylon (Musée d'Orsay, Paris).
Edgar Degas, born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, French: [ilɛːʁ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ ɛdɡaʁ də ɡɑ]; 1834 – 1917, was a French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, although he rejected the term, preferring to be called a realist. He was a superb draftsman, and particularly masterly in depicting movement, as can be seen in his rendition of dancers, racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation. At the beginning of his career, Degas wanted to be a history painter, a calling for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course, and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern life.
The Dance Class
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Why we are fasting…
Posted on February 8, 2018 March 26, 2018 by Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Exactly one month from today on March 8th, International Women’s Day, CIW members will be standing in the streets of New York to hold a press conference ahead of next month’s Freedom Fast and Time’s Up Wendy’s March. To celebrate a day where women around the world stand up to protect their rights, farmworker women from Immokalee will announce why they are planning to give up a week’s worth of work — and five days of food — to advance their struggle to end sexual violence in the fields.
Today, we bring you a preview of their message. (And, if you have not done so yet, make sure to register for the action and check out all the details on the fast itself over at the Freedom Fast website!)
#TIMESUPWENDYS: JOIN THE FAIR FOOD PROGRAM!
Inspired by the unprecedented power of the #MeToo movement, women across the country are searching for long-term, proven solutions to sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. An answer to this national scourge has emerged from one of the most unlikely corners of society: the farmworker community of Immokalee, Florida.
For generations, farmworker women have endured some of the most hostile working conditions this country has to offer. Farmworker women have referred to the constant barrage of catcalls, groping, and sexual assault as “our daily bread” in the fields, and in one study, four out of every five farmworker women reported experiencing sexual harassment or violence at work.
But in 2011, after nearly two decades of hard-fought organizing with consumers across the country, farmworker women and men with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) launched the Fair Food Program (FFP) and, within a few short years, put an end to sexual assault and other human rights violations in the $650 million Florida tomato industry.
When asked by CNN to describe the change, one worker said simply, “Our dignity has been restored by this program.” By harnessing public awareness and the purchasing power of more than a dozen of the world’s largest retail food companies, the FFP has radically transformed working conditions for tens of thousands of farmworkers and has been recognized for its unique success by human rights observers from the White House to the United Nations. Today, the FFP extends to seven states and three crops, and all the major fast-food companies – McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, KFC, and Chipotle – are on board.
All except Wendy’s.
For years now, Wendy’s has turned a deaf ear to workers’ and consumers’ calls to join the Fair Food Program. Worse yet, in response to pressure to join the FFP, Wendy’s abandoned its longtime Florida tomato suppliers altogether and shifted its purchases instead to Mexico, where sexual harassment and assault in the fields are endemic and farmworker women are intimidated into silence by a culture of fear, violence, and corruption. Rather than do its part to support the leading program for ending sexual violence in corporate supply chains, Wendy’s has chosen to partner with an industry where – despite widespread abuse — its brand will be protected because women there are afraid to complain and are forced into silence.
Today we are breaking that silence.
From March 11-15, farmworkers from Immokalee, together with their consumer allies, are launching the five-day Freedom Fast outside the Manhattan hedge fund offices of Nelson Peltz, Wendy’s largest shareholder and Chair of its Board of Directors. The Fast will demand that Wendy’s join the rest of the fast-food industry in supporting the Fair Food Program’s groundbreaking worker protections, and will protest the ongoing human rights abuses faced by workers in Mexico’s produce industry where Wendy’s currently buys its tomatoes. The Freedom Fast will then culminate with a massive march on March 15 in the heart of Manhattan.
The time is up for corporate leaders, like Mr. Peltz, who have the power to end sexual violence against women in their supply chains and yet, do nothing. For market giants like Wendy’s, refusing to take meaningful action to end sexual violence in the supply chain — when a proven solution is right at their fingertips — is no longer an option.
The Atlantic: The Fair Food Program “represents hope for workers in an industry where, for generations, there’s been very little…”
BREAKING: Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach to march alongside CIW at Time’s Up Wendy’s March!
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Bennet, Burr, Warren, Hatch Introduce Bill to Help Patients by Facilitating Faster Development of Drugs for Rare Diseases
Posted by PPMD on September 15, 2015 at 5:10pm
We are thrilled to announce that the Advancing Targeted Drugs for Rare Diseases Act bill dropped in the Senate today (see press release below)! PPMD has been working with the Senate HELP Committee and Sarepta for the last several months on this 21st Century Cures provision which morphed into stand-alone legislation (view PPMD's most updated endorsement of this legislation).
According to PPMD President Pat Furlong, "It is our expectation that this bill will enable sponsors developing therapies for Duchenne - and other devastating rare diseases and disorders with profound unmet medical needs – to leverage similar or closely related underlying technologies and/or data to accelerate the development pathway for additional targeted therapies.”
The bill has the support of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Duchenne Alliance, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).
Read today’s announcement to learn more about the bill and stay tuned for ways you can help this important legislation move forward:
Bipartisan bill would help pave the way for advancing new drugs for rare diseases
Washington D.C. – Today U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act of 2015. This bipartisan bill will help advance the development of targeted drugs for patients with serious or life-threatening rare genetic diseases.
“Companies developing these targeted therapies are saving and lengthening lives, and if we allow them to expand the scope of their current testing we can potentially save even more lives,” Bennet said. “We have met with Coloradans suffering the effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, cancer and other life threatening diseases who have asked us to remove red tape and help them access cutting edge treatments. By allowing these innovators to safely test new therapies on patients with the same disease, but a different mutation, we can unleash a host of lifesaving new breakthroughs.”
"This is an exciting era of medicine that holds great potential for personalizing treatments to improve and save lives," said Burr. “This bipartisan legislation will help fulfill this potential for patients in North Carolina and across our nation by facilitating the development of targeted drugs for rare diseases. I’m proud of North Carolina’s innovators and the work they are doing on behalf of patients, and it is my hope that this legislation will facilitate many life-saving treatments that give hope to families who are battling rare diseases.”
“Targeted therapies are a promising form of treatment for people living with rare diseases who often have no other treatment options. We should use all the tools we can to help bring these new therapies to market, while maintaining the FDA’s strong safety and effectiveness standards,” Warren said. “By clarifying the FDA’s current authority to consider research supporting previously-approved targeted treatments, this bipartisan bill will help innovators advance the next generation of precision medicines.”
“Innovation in treatments is critical for patients with rare diseases. The Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act will enable more patients suffering from rare diseases to benefit from advances in precision medicine,” said Hatch. “By removing difficulties involved in conducting conventional trials for genetic subgroups of many rare diseases, this legislation will incentivize new drug development, create greater efficiency in the drug review process, and bring needed treatments to patients faster. I am proud to work with Senators Bennet, Burr, and Warren on this meaningful, bipartisan legislation.”
Many rare diseases like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, and certain cancers have genetic origins. Different mutations within a gene can result in the same disease, meaning some diseases are further fractured into various subtypes. Advances in medicine have made it possible to develop treatments targeted to a particular genetic subtype, but the use of these targeted therapies is limited to patients with an exact mutation. Targeted therapies are usually developed first for the most common genetic subtype.
Developing drugs for rare diseases is particularly difficult because of the small patient populations available for clinical trials. Therefore, there would need to be dozens of therapies to treat the full spectrum of certain genetic rare diseases.
The Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act of 2015 affirms the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) authority to allow innovators to use their own data supporting the approval of a targeted therapy to help facilitate additional targeted therapies to treat patients with the same rare disease.
This bill does not change the FDA’s current approval standards and has the support of the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Duchenne Alliance, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).
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Fronted by the late Yvon Vromman, The Honeymoon Killers were a provocative band with a strong pop sensibility. They became the darlings of the music press all around Europe (including in the UK, a rare feat for a French-singing act), and their delirious live shows gained them a strong following. Les Tueurs also included vocalist Véronique Vincent, guitarist Gerald Fenerberg, drummer Jeanf Jones Jacob III and Aksak Maboul members Marc Hollander (who is also the founder of Crammed) & Vincent ...
"Chez les Aborigènes", the first single off "Ex-Futur Album"...
... the avant-pop opus from 1980-83 by Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul
Soon out: "Ex-Futur Album" by Veronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul
At the extreme pop end of Aksak Maboul's broad musical spectrum, an album will soon be coming out with a slight delay of… 30 years!
THE HONEYMOON KILLERS
Ex-Futur Album
Special Manubre
Les Tueurs de la Lune de Miel
Contains videos & live footage, free mp3s & streams, pictures, press quotes & clippings, and maybe even personal contributions from the artist.
Come In Now!
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Random thoughts and information from a published author, S. Evan Townsend.
Treasure of the Rogue Moon
Treasure of the Pirate Planet
Treasure of the Black Hole
Gods of Strife
The Terror of Tombstone
The Huskies are 8-0!
I was in meetings in Lewiston, Idaho literally all day Saturday from 6:30 AM to nearly 9:00 PM with about an hour break around 4:15. Because of that, I had to DVR the University of Washington Huskies game against Utah and watch it today when I got home.
Before the game, the Huskies were ranked (AP writers poll) #4 in the nation and Utah #17. Utah was 7-1 and on top of the Pac-12 South Division. If the Huskies have any hopes of going to the playoffs, they have to stay unbeaten so they can stay high in the rankings (their soft pre-conference schedule is hurting their chances). Also, this might be a preview of the Pac-12 championship game in December if both teams stay on top of their divisions. The Huskies went into this game undefeated.
At first it looked like it might be another Husky blowout game, even playing in Salt Lake City in front of a hostile crowd. They Huskies jumped up to a 14-0 lead by early in the second quarter.
The Utah made 17 unanswered points. One touchdown was basically due to a Husky player's Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty. The Utes had a running back named Thompson the Huskies struggled to stop. Husky quarterback Jake Browning threw one of his rare interceptions that the Utes capitalized on.
In the second half, the Huskies began playing better. Even though the Utes held the lead a short time, the Huskies scored on their next series. By the end it came down to stopping a Utah drive that could tie the game. And the Husky defense was up to the task. The final score was 31-24.
The Huskies are 8-0 for the first time since I don't know when.
On the AP poll, the Huskies stayed at #4. The Utah Utes, I guess for holding their own against a #4 team, moved up one to #16. And the Colorado Buffaloes, who had a bye this weekend, moved from 23 - 21. Also, The Washington State University Cougars are now ranked at #25.
Which means of the four Pac-12 schools ranked in the AP Top #25 poll, none are the big California schools that are usually so dominant.
Next week the Huskies take on California in Berkeley. Right now, I don't see a team in the Pac-12 that could beat them. Utah was their toughest opponent yet. And they beat them.
Posted by S. Evan Townsend at 1:55 PM No comments:
Labels: huskies, sports
Halloween Giveaway Almost Over!
The colossal Halloween Giveaway is nearly over. Get your entries in before it's too late. Top prize: $100 PayPal cash. And there's lots of books and other goodies available. So check it out:
Posted by S. Evan Townsend at 8:06 AM No comments:
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Rebecca Besser and S.F. Edwards
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Rebecca Besser and S.F. Edwards.
Rebecca Besser
Rebecca Besser resides in Ohio with her wonderful husband and amazing son. They've come to accept her quirks as normal while she writes anything and everything that makes her inner demons squeal with delight. She's best known for her work in adult horror, but has been published in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a variety of age groups and genres. She's entirely too cute to be scary in person, so she turns to the page to instill fear into the hearts of the masses.
Rebecca's Books:
Zombies Inside
Nurse Blood
Re-Civilize
Rebecca's Links:
S.F. Edwards
S.F. Edwards and family recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest after spending the last nine years as a flight and operational test engineer for the United States Air Force. Prior to that he spent his time travelling the world ensuring that self defense weapon systems of the US Navy were ready able to protect thousands of American Service members. S.F. has a diverse background in engineering as well as in aviation and space education as a former instructor at the US Space and Rocket Center's Aviation Challenge program. To this day his passion for all things aviation and space permeates his life.
S.F. currently calls the area around Edwards Air Force Base home with his wife and five sons, one of whom is afflicted with a severe, lifelong disability. The boys are his greatest joy and he works hard to make sure that they will become responsible, capable young men.
S.F. is the creator and author of the Spiral War series of military science fiction novels. S.F. is also a regular contributor to and a Veteran Reviewer with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Online Writers Workshop.
S.F.'s Books:
Spiral War: On The Cusp
Spiral War: On Dagger’s Wings
Spiral War: In Death’s Shadow
S.F.'s Links:
From Today's Show: The Universe has Ten Times the Number of Galaxies as Thought
Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.
Labels: Speculative Fiction Cantina
I found a new blogging challenge and this one is a 52-week challenge so that should last me about a year (depending on how many I skip).
The first prompt is "Meet my best friend."
This might sound a bit unusual, but my best friend is probably Sarah. Sarah lives in Eastern Canada (and I live in Western U.S.). We communicate mostly via text, sometimes emails. We've met twice face to face when she was visiting a friend of hers in the U.S. not far from where I live.
Sarah is a walking dictionary. If I needed to know how to spell a word, I text her. She has proofread all my novels (and needs to get on the one I sent her quite a while ago).
Sarah is a Jeopardy! freak. She does the test online whenever she can and has twice advanced to auditions. They always say "we'll call you if we want you" at the end and they've never called her. When she watches the show, she gets frustrated when someone does poorly, wondering why they selected them and not her.
She used to have a blog but doesn't anymore.
And that's my best friend. Do you have a best friend?
Huskies are #4!
The biggest news this week for the University of Washington Huskies is that #2 Ohio State lost to unranked Purdue. This knocked Ohio State down in today's AP Poll to #6. And that moved Michigan from #3 to #2, Clemson (who had a bye this week) from #4 to #3, and the Huskies from #5 to #4. This is likely the Huskies' highest rating since sometime in the 1990s.
If they can maintain that ranking (i.e., not lose to somebody) they have a good chance of going to the FBS playoffs competing for the national title.
As for their game against Oregon State yesterday, they won 41-17. They were brilliant the first half of the game, zooming out to a 31 - 0 lead in front of a home crowd.
But in the second half they played as if they didn't care, allowing Oregon State to score those 17 points. Even quarterback Jake Browning, who is in Heisman Trophy contention, wasn't hitting receivers with the precision he normally does.
As happens a lot in Husky games, Browning came out in the fourth quarter (with about nine minutes left) and second stringers started playing.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Colorado beat Stanford who, since losing to the Huskies, have been fading fast. Colorado is now ranked at #23 in the AP Poll.
Utah beat UCLA, which moved them from #19 to #17 in the AP Poll. Those are the only other two ranked teams in the Pac-12 this week.
Washington State beat Arizona State in Tempe, which is not easy to do. I'm almost surprised WSU isn't ranked but that first-game lose to an FCS team probably keeps them out of the top 25.
While the Huskies are 7-0 (their best record for a long time, probably the 1990s), and 4-0 in conference, the WSU Cougars are 5-2 but also 4-0 in conference. That puts them squarely in second place in the Pac-12 North behind UW.
The Pac-12 South has the Utah Utes in first place at 7-1 and 4-1 in conference. The Colorado Buffaloes are right behind them at 6-2 over all, and also 4-1 in conference. The big California schools (USC and UCLA) who normally dominate the Pac-12 South have to contend with being behind upstarts Utah and Colorado.
Next week the Huskies play Utah in Salt Lake City. This will probably be the toughest test yet for the Dawgs. And could be a preview of the Pac-12 championship game. The Huskies will have to contend with the elevation with is over 4,000 feet there while they are used to playing at near sea level.
Unfortunately, I have a meeting all day that Saturday. I will DVR the game and maybe watch it Sunday if I can keep from seeing/hearing the score. That means no social media. That'll be tough.
Author Appearance in Wenatchee, WA.
I will be at the Pybus Market in Wenatchee, WA today from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM selling and signing books including my latest, Treasure of the Pirate Planet. Come by and say "hi." I'd love to see you and talk to you there.
The address for the Pybus Market is 3 N Worthen St. in Wenatchee. Turn right on Orondo from Wenatchee Ave. to find it.
This is a multi-author signing.
Labels: author appearances
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Richard Keller and Trey Dunham
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we welcome writers Richard Keller and Trey Dunham.
Richard Keller
Richard Keller is an author, speaker, talk show host, and owner of Wooden Pants Publishing. He started his life as an avid science fiction reader to the point he tried to get through Dune in one sitting while still a tween. His first writing experience was for his third grade teacher and his first short story, a terribly bad rip-off of Knight Rider was submitted when he was 12. Richard has written over two thousand pieces in newspapers, magazines, and online over the last several decades. His science fiction series, Saunders’ Savages, features an oversexed and wealthy CEO of an intergalactic corporation who moonlights as the leader of a pay-for-hire army.
Richard's books:
Coffee Cup Tales 2 – Extra Foam
Paradise Not Quite Lost
Authors, and the Zombies they Emulate
Richard's Links:
Trey Dunham
Trey Dunham is a writer, speaker and storyteller with a proven ability to attract and motivate audiences.
He is the author of several books including: From a Gun to the Plow (New Hope Publishers, forthcoming, with Steve Finn), Strangers and Aliens: Thoughts on 1 Peter (CreateSpace, 2013), We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This: A new Look at the Gospel of Mark (CreateSpace, 2014), The Meaning of Technology: A Theology of Technique in Jacques Ellul (CreateSpace, forthcoming), and Loophole: A Novel (CreateSpace, 2015, with Jason Hostetler, movie rights optioned by JC Films). He has been blogging on spiritual, family and personal topics at TreyDunham.com since 2009 His published poetry has won awards from literary groups at Denison University.
Dunham wrote and delivered sermons regularly to as many as 3,000 people, as a teaching pastor at one of West Virginia’s largest churches. He quadrupled the size of the church’s campus ministry to over 200 students in his eight years there. He opened a popular Fair Trade coffee house as a satellite ministry near the West Virginia University campus. The café became a hub for service projects and social-justice events Dunham organized, drawing hundreds of students into volunteer projects for local charities. In 2010, he led a team to plant CityChurch in Morgantown, WV.
For four years, Dunham told the story of SustainU, a maker and marketer of recycled, natural-fiber clothing manufactured exclusively at U.S. plants. As the startup’s marketing director, he helped drive a thirteen-fold sales increase to $2 million. He used Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and press releases to generate positive coverage for SustainU in The New York Times and other metropolitan and local media.
Dunham, who holds a doctoral degree in Technology Education, has taught and spoken before a wide variety of audiences. He has travelled and lived around the world, heading a mission in the jungles of New Guinea and overseeing a hospital-construction crew in the Himalayas of Nepal. He has presented his research at two international conferences of scholars in his field. And he has led hundreds of campus Bible study groups in deeply personal discussions about faith, and finding meaning. Over the years, he has counseled dozens of singles and dating, engaged, and married couples.
Dunham lives in Morgantown, WV.
Trey's Books:
Catch for Us the Foxes
Jesus and the City
The Beams of Our House
Trey's Links:
From Today's Show: Maybe Alien Life Runs on Cosmic Rays.
Listen to today's show at 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.
I've been watching Star Trek the original series on Netflix in honor of the show's 50th anniversary. But the episodes on Netflix aren't entirely original. Somebody replaced all the cheesy 1960s special effects with modern state-of-the-art CGI effects. And they've been having way too much fun. They've put rings around planets, showed a small asteroid hit a disabled starship and break apart, and other changes. The most blatant were probably in the episode "The Galileo Seven" which, for old Star Trek, was heavy on the special effects.
And I can't decide how I feel about it.
I hate when they colorize films. To me that destroys the director's original vision. But with Star Trek, in the 1960s they were limited by technology and money and probably time. I admit, I remember the special affects looking pretty bad (every planet looked the same, except a different color, for instance). But every now and again I find myself trying to remember how they did a certain special effect originally. I wish they'd give you a choice, old effects or new ones.
At least the people who did the CGI are reasonably faithful to the original effects. For instance, in the Doomsday Machine, the machine is still a lumpy conical tube (it was originally a windsock dipped in concrete) but it looks black and menacing and not quite so, well, cheesy.
So, I'm conflicted. I like the new special effects, except I wish I could see the old ones.
Labels: movies and television, Random Thoughts
Huskies Still Number Five!
My beloved University of Washington Huskies had a bye this week, so there's no game to talk about.
So what else happened in the Pac-12 and the Top 25?
In the Pac-12, The WSU Cougars beat UCLA in a soggy game in Pulman. The final score was 27 - 21.
That gives the Cougars the same conference record as the Huskies (3-0) but their overall record is 4-2 whereas the Huskies are 6-0. That also puts WSU solidly in second place in the Pac-12 North after the first-place Huskies.
The Nike Ducks (last place in the Pac-12 North) didn't lose yesterday. They, too, had a bye.
The Pac-12 South Division is wide open. The Utah Utes are still on top with a 6-1 record (3-1 in conference). But the Colorado Buffaloes (!) are in second place with a 3-1 conference record and a 5-2 overall record. Utah beat Oregon State yesterday. Colorado beat Arizona State.
The Pac-12 championship game might be Washington vs. Utah. A preview of that game will be on October 29th when Washington plays at Utah. Unfortunately, I will miss that game due to a previous commitment. I might DVR it and try to avoid learning the score but I won't be able to watch it until Sunday.
In the top five teams in the top 25 (Washington is #5), Michigan (#4) also had a bye. But Clemson (#3) had to go into overtime to beat unranked North Carolina State. That dropped them to #4 and moved Michigan to #3. Washington stayed at #5 (unfortunately).
And #2 Ohio State had to go into overtime to beat #8 Wisconsin. But they are still #2. And Alabama is, of course, still #1.
The only other Pac-12 team in the top 25 is Utah which moved up to #19 from #21.
This was Week 8 of college football. So we are half-way through the season. Should be exciting to see what happens in the second half. Go Dawgs!
Posted by S. Evan Townsend at 11:11 AM No comments:
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Jamie Wyman and DT2
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome Jamie Wyman and DT2.
Jamie Wyman
After a misspent adulthood pursuing a Music Education degree, JAMIE WYMAN fostered several interests before discovering that being an author means never having to get out of pajamas. (However, she can eat/spin fire, tell you a lot about auditioning to be a Blue Man, and read/write in Circular Gallifreyan.)
Jamie also works as an editor. In addition to freelance work, she works with sci-fi/fantasy publisher Dragon Moon Press.
As an author, Jamie’s favorite playgrounds are urban fantasy, horror and creepy carnival settings. You can find novels, novellas, short stories and flash fiction by Jamie in a variety of places. Start looking here. Jamie also writes articles for Cracked.com.
When she’s not traipsing about with her imaginary friends, she lives in Phoenix with two hobbits and two cats. She is proud to say she has a deeply disturbed following at her blog. Send chai.
Jamie's books:
Uninvited (coming October 18th)
Unvieled
"The Case of the Tattooed Bride" (short story in an anthology)
Jamie's Links
DT2 (David Taylor)
David Taylor II (DT2) is an award winning author, playwright, songwriter and producer. His latest book, Lucifer: Soldiers, Serpents and Sin – Book 1 is an internationally best-selling book. He has created an entire story world called The Realm from that first book and continues to expand it through the book’s companion website, www.SecretsofTheRealm.com
Taylor writes sci fi, fantasy, Christian fiction, and Children’s Literature.
He is a co-composer for the smash hit theater production, Eye of the Storm:The Bayard Rustin Musical, nominated for 3 Black Theater Alliance awards.
In 2015 his book Wayward Pines:Survival, from the hit Fox TV show of the same name, broke top 10 in the Amazon best seller list and is currently still there.
He is also the author of the new children’s favorite, Diary of a Chocolate Midas.
He is the proud father of two, as well as a lover of football, pizza, and a good glass of lemonade.
DT2's books:
Lucifer: Soldiers, Serpents and Sin
Wayward Pines: Survival
Diary of a Chocolate Midas
DT2's Links:
From today's show: New Dwarf Planet Found.
Listen to today's show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.
The sequel to Treasure of the Black Hole has been released!
Treasure of the Pirate Planet is now available in paperback and Kindle (it's so new, it hasn't merged yet on Amazon).
. . . if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
Rick Bailey is living a nice, quiet life on the planet where he retired, enjoying the money he found in the Treasure of the Black Hole. Without warning, he is arrested for helping his former lover, Jil, break out of prison where she was serving a 20-year term for murdering an alien. Hoping to clear his name, Bailey goes after Jil. But the slime-bed mate of Jil's victim is also after her.
Now, Bailey's only hope for saving Jil is to find a treasure buried on a planet over ran with cannibalistic pirates. He teams up with a Core Empire Intelligence Corps officer, but she might have motives of her own. Can Rick save Jil and keep himself out of the clutches of the Core Empire that wants to vivisection him, the police who want to jail him, and the alien who wants vengeance for his brother's murder?
This exciting novel is the second book in a planned "Treasures of Space" trilogy.
Get your copy today in paperback or Kindle (Also available at Barnes & Noble).
Posted by S. Evan Townsend at 12:46 PM No comments:
Labels: Treasure of the Black Hole, Treasure of the Pirate Planet
Back to the 30-day Blogging challenge and this is the last one, and it's a hard one, for me, at least. The prompt is "One thing you're excited for."
Hell, I'm 56 years old. My health is deteriorating. My writing career has never taken off. What am I excited for? Not much.
But at the moment I'm just living day to day, doing my freelance work and trying to write fiction (which I'm still not having much luck at. And NaNoWriMo is coming and I don't even know if I'll participate this year. I have zero ideas for a novel to write.
Maybe grandchildren, if my sons will get on the ball and produce some (preferably after getting married to a nice girl). My older brother has grandchildren but he's older than I and his kids are older than mine are (his youngest is a little older than my oldest). So maybe I'm excited for grandchildren. If I ever get any.
University of Washington Huskies Still #5
As I said yesterday, the AP top 25 college football poll was delayed until this morning. So here's what happened:
First of all, the University of Washington Huskies remained at #5. It's going to be hard for them to get much higher. The top 6 teams all have 6-0 records. One of the top four teams (Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and Michigan) would have to lose for the Huskies to move up.
Stanford fell off the top 25 poll after their loss to Washington State. I was a little worried that might lower the Huskies in the poll as people realize Stanford is not as good as they thought they were when they were #7 and the Huskies beat them badly.
The Colorado Buffaloes also dropped off the poll after their loss to USC.
And the Utah Utes beat Arizona and moved up to #21 from #24. So they are the only other Pac-12 team in the top 25.
So week seven is done. The Huskies have a bye next week then they face Oregon State who beat California this week.
The Huskies are Dominating the Pac-12
On November 14th, 2015, the University of Washington Huskies lost to the Arizona State Sun Devils in a game in Tempe, Arizona.
That was the last game the Huskies lost. They have now, as of last night, won nine games in a row.
This season, except for the close Arizona game (their first away game and first conference game), they have scored 40 or more points on every opponent.
And they are 6-0 this season (3-0 in conference) with the best record in the Pac-12.
Finally, after last night's game, I don't know if there's a team in the Pac-12 that can defeat them. They may go 12-0.
What happened last night? The Huskies, #5 in the AP poll, decimated the hated and un-ranked University of Oregon Ducks by a score of 70-21.
This was supposed to be a tough test for the Huskies. They have lost before this game 12 in a row against the Ducks. They were playing in front of a very motivated crowd at Oregon's Autzen Stadium.
But the Huskies dominated from the beginning, staring with an intercept on the first play for scrimmage in the game. Toward the end of the game (as has been happening a lot with the Huskies), the starters were pulled out and the second string players went in. Even then, the Huskies scored a touchdown and stopped a Duck goal line stand to keep them from scoring late in the 4th quarter.
It was an amazing game to watch. And it was wonderful to finally beat the damn Ducks.
The Huskies are currently ranked #5 in the AP poll. It's going to be tough for them to go much higher as the 1-4 teams are also very good. We'll have to see. Unfortunately, the poll has been delayed until Monday due to hurricane Matthew.
Also around the Pac-12, Washington State beat #15 Stanford 42-16. It will be interesting to see if Stanford drops out of the AP top 25 poll.
USC beat #21 Coloradeo. That probably will drop Colorado out of the top 25.
Number 24 Utah beat Arizona. That may move them up a bit.
And Oregon State, the doormat of the Pac-12, beat California in a high-scoring squeaker.
What's at Stake Today
Today is for University of Washington Husky fans probably the second biggest game of the year, after last week's defeat of Stanford. Why is this game so important? Because it's against hated rival Oregon Ducks.
Oregon has beaten the Huskies in the past twelve (!) times these teams have met. That means the Huskies haven't won since 2003.
Time was when the Ducks were a team you played (and always beat) before the Huskies went on to play the tougher California teams (Stanford, Cal, USC, and UCLA). Then Nike founder Phil Knight started pouring money into his alma mater's football program. And the Ducks got better. For about a decade they've dominated the Pac-10/12. They've even played in at least one national championship game (and lost). They are also known for having a different uniform for every game, usually something florescent green or yellow (their school colors).
And Husky fans hate them and hate losing to them. Here's a blog post from 2011 explaining part of that hate.
But this year is different. The Huskies are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference coming off that big win against Stanford. They are in first place in the Pac-12 North division. The Ducks are 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference and in fifth place in the Pac-12 North (which has six teams). And the Huskies are nine-point favorates.
But this is the Oregon game and it's going to be played on Oregon's turf in Autzen Stadium. Emotions run high. The crowd will be ready to help their Ducks beat the Huskies.
It all probably comes down to Husky head coach Chris Petersen getting his team ready and not letting them believe the hype and get over-confident. But that's hard when your team is #5 in the AP poll.
The game is at 4:30 Pacific Time on Fox.
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Carlo Kennedy and Ted D. Berner
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Carlo Kennedy and Ted D. Berner.
Carlo Kennedy
Carlo Kennedy is an Irish-Italian-American author.
Carlo's Books:
Time Signature II: The Regrets of Our Past
"The Test" (free short story)
Carlo's Links:
Ted D. Berner
Ted Berner grew up in the Mountains of Montana and has lived on a ranch for half of his life. He’s blessed to live with a wonderful wife and several four-legged furry friends. Much of his time is spent in the air as an airline pilot and when on the ground, ranch work occupies several hours each week, but his fascination for the lost wisdom of the ancients is a craving he just can’t hide from. Although his first love is spending time at home with his family, Berner’s passion for the unknown will undoubtedly be the driving force for another novel.
Ted's Book:
Proof the Novel
Ted's Links:
Website Store
From Today's Show: Water-Powered Cubesat.
Listen to today's show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.
And it's back to the 30-day blogging challenge that I'm doing over 30 or so weeks. Today's prompt is "The night of your 21st birthday."
Hell, I'm 56, I don't remember my 21st birthday. And it's not because I drank so much, it's because it apparently wasn't very memorable. Or was that the birthday with the wine? If so, that's a story I don't want to tell.
Okay, I'll tell the story. This is a tale my wife and I have kept secret for thirty-five years. The minister of the church we went to was on vacation. He and his wife had someone house sitting. My then-fiancee conned him into letting us use the house for a nice dinner. I brought a bottle of red wine. Sometime during the course of the dinner we spilled a bunch of wine on the dark oak table. My fiance ran to get a towel but, to our horror, the wine almost immediately soaked into the wood, leaving no mark or stain. I looked under the table, expecting to see wine dripping out of the bottom of the table, but there wasn't. It was as if the wood simply absorbed it like a sponge. We never told anyone, until now. Sorry Dick and Betsy.
One recent birthday (within the past five years) was when my wife made a cake with bacon. She made a three-layer white cake with caramel frosting, which I thought would go good with the bacon. She layered the bacon between the layers of cake and then on the outside of the cake and covered it all in caramel frosting. It was delicious but very rich.
What's your favorite birthday memory?
Do you Believe?
Yesterday was a very good day in the world of sports. Well, it actually started on Friday.
Friday night on ESPN in front of a nation-wide audience the #7 Stanford Cardinal played the #10 Washington Huskies. I was expecting a close game, hard fought, with several lead changes and it might come down to who has the ball last. And if the Huskies lost, it would be close and not drop them too far in the AP rankings.
But it was nothing like that. From the beginning the UW Huskies dominated Stanford. They shut down their star player McCafferty (he had only one good play the entire game), they sacked the quarterback six time (or was it seven, I kind of lost count in all the excitement), and routed Stanford 6 - 44. Stanford made one touch down in the third quarter, went for the 2-point conversion instead of the PAT, and didn't get is. Interestingly, Washington's first PAT attempt was tipped by Stanford and missed. I remember thinking "I hope we don't lose by one point."
Stanford never led, had trouble converting on third downs, and was basically beaten by the Huskies in every way possible.
Then on Saturday, Arizona State and Utah both lost leaving the Huskies the only team in the Pac-12 that is undefeated at 5-0 (2-0 in conference). The Huskies now lead the Pac-12 North. This is the first time they have been 5-0 since 1992 (when they went 7-0). They have won their last eight games going back into last season.
Do you believe in the Huskies now?
Another great thing that happened yesterday is the Seattle Mariners lost, eliminating them from any wildcard contention. They play today and then their year is over.
Finally, the AP rankings came out at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (11:00 AM Pacific Time). And the UW Huskies are #5 in the nation according to the AP poll. That has to be their highest ranking in a long long time.
Stanford dropped to #15 and Utah dropped to #24.
UPDATE: This is the highest ranking UW has had since 2001. And Colorado is now it the top 25 at #21.
Posted by S. Evan Townsend at 11:08 AM 1 comment:
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S. Evan Townsend
S. Evan Townsend has been called "America's Unique Speculative Fiction Voice" and writes novels that cause thrills and rapid page-turning. After spending four years in the U.S. Army in the Military Intelligence branch, he returned to civilian life and college to earn a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. In his spare time he enjoys reading, driving (sometimes on a racetrack), meeting people, and talking with friends. He is in a 12-step program for Starbucks addiction. Evan lives in central Washington State with his wife and has three grown sons. He enjoys science fiction, fantasy, history, politics, cars, and travel. He currently has ten published fantasy and science fiction novels.
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Rebecca Besse...
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Richard Kelle...
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Jamie Wyman a...
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Carlo Kennedy...
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Home Bio Photos Songs Video Comments Contact
For those who don’t know Dakota...
You’ll get to know this talented 21 year old singer/songwriter and all she feels, as you listen to the emotionally-charged songs of her first self-titled CD. Her songs speak to the heartbreak of love-- from the start of love unnoticed to “The Burning Ending”. They are inspired by the boys who have been a part of her life…some up close and personal, some through friends, and some from a distance.
But where did it all begin?
Born in New York City and raised in Basking Ridge, NJ, Dakota started showing her musical talents at the age of six. Classically trained in piano, she performed before audiences and judges for more than 7 years, gaining trophies and accolades. But the classics didn’t have the lyrics and lyrics are everything to Dakota. Soon, she was writing lyrics on scrap pieces of paper everywhere, and turning melodies in her head into pop songs on the piano. Today, Dakota trades off between the piano and guitar, writing and singing songs that cross pop, country, and rock.
Dakota has been recording her songs at the Vault Recording Studio in Hoboken, NJ working with Dan McLoughlin, an amazing multi-talented producer who has brought her songs and vision to life. In the recording of her first CD, Dakota also had the chance to have renowned seasoned professionals be a part of her music—like Matchbox 20 players Ryan McMillan on drums and Matt Beck on lead guitar.
Influenced by a diverse range of artists including Taylor Swift and Jewel, Dakota is most excited about performing her songs live. Her first performance in 2010 was the ‘Hoboken for Haiti’ charity concert at Maxwells. The next day’s news captured her vibe… “Dakota Davenport played keyboard and sang sweet, sad songs with a voice you wouldn’t think would come out of someone so young.”
As you listen to the first CD of Dakota Davenport, the voice of heartbreak will win your heart.
For those of you who know Dakota, but want to know a little bit more…
Dakota’s middle name is Rae. She doesn’t like being asked North or South. She likes eating apples and peanut butter (together) at night. She has a huge fear of spiders. She hates eyelash curlers. She drives a ford fusion which has blue and black leather seats (: oh yeah!
For everyone who ever listened to one of Dakota’s songs…
She wants you to know “It means so much to me that you would take the time out of your day to listen. I love you times a billion for that and can't thank you enough <3"
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You are here: Home / Social Sciences / Education / Keith Whittington: Tolerating Campus Dissent, Left and Right
Keith Whittington: Tolerating Campus Dissent, Left and Right
April 25, 2018 by PUP Author
The reminders come nearly daily that tolerating freedom of speech and thought on college campuses—and in American society—is hard. It is very easy to say that we love freedom of speech in the abstract. It is much harder to adhere to that conviction when confronted with speech that we ourselves find to be, well, intolerable. When we encounter ideas or rhetoric that we find abhorrent, we are tempted to look for loopholes in the freedom of speech, to rationalize efforts to silence those who make us uncomfortable. This instinct is only natural and all too human, but it is an instinct at odds with the requirements of a liberal democracy and very much at odds with the ideals of a modern university.
The passing of Barbara Bush unfortunately became the occasion for another such reminder. An English professor at California State University, Fresno took to Twitter to celebrate the former first lady’s death, denouncing Bush as a “racist” and the mother of a “war criminal.” No stranger to provocative Twitter posts, the professor seemed to initially revel in the outrage she had generated before retreating from the increasingly intense public glare.
Fresno State president Joseph Castro was soon engaged in damage control, but in doing so did not represent the principles of either the university or the Constitution well. Castro did not content himself with reminding members of the public that the professor spoke only for herself and not the institution and did not even get around to emphasizing that universities are home to a large number of independent-minded individuals who hold a wide range of views and frequently disagree with one another. Instead, he chose to join the outraged public in denouncing a member of his own faculty for expressing views “contrary to the core values of our University,” which he identified as values of “empathy” and “respect.” The president subsequently emphasized that “we are all held accountable for our actions.” Indeed, the tweet was, in Castro’s view, “beyond free speech,” apparently because it was “disrespectful.”
Castro is, of course, correct that everyone is accountable for their actions. The question is what accounting is appropriate for appalling opinions expressed on a personal social media account. The speech of university professors can and should be criticized when it is wrong. Students and colleagues may choose to avoid quarrelsome professors. University professors are subject to discipline, and even termination, if they engage in professional misconduct. When American citizens who happen to be members of the faculty at a state university express unpopular political opinions in the public sphere, their speech is constitutionally protected from reprisals by state government officials, including university presidents. When members of the campus community spend their free time engaging in public debate, any university leader should refrain from asserting that “disrespectful,” uncivil, or odious comments are beyond the bounds of freedom of speech and subject to official sanction.
Universities should strive to nurture campus communities that are open to intellectual diversity and raucous debate. University professors should strive, even in their free time, to contribute positively to our social discourse and not to drag it further into the gutter. But freedom of speech is often messy and sometimes unpleasant. The disagreements among members of a diverse society are often deep and intense, and those disagreements will sometimes be expressed with passion. We are quick to recognize when others have offended us, but slow to recognize when we have given offense. We make greater progress in overcoming those disagreements and in making productive use of unconventional thinking, however, when we accept that we will sometimes be offended and we tolerate that with which we fervently disagree. Not every expressed idea is a good one. Not every disagreement will give way to greater insight. But intellectual and social progress is best made when we tolerate dissent rather than shout it down, when we criticize rather than punish, when we turn away from the provocateur rather than fan the flames.
Keith E. Whittington is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University and a leading authority on American constitutional theory and law. He is the author of Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech.
Filed Under: Education, PUPinions Tagged With: campus dissent, Censorship, first amendment, free speech, hate speech, protests, safe spaces, social media, trigger warnings
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Category: history of arts
mely Posted in history of arts No comments
Art & The History Of Art
Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus (250-260 CE), with battle between Roman soldiers and barbarians. All units in the School for Studies in Art and Culture (SSAC) have graduate programs at the Masters level (for more information about the Art History MA please click here ). As well, most full-time faculty members in the SSAC can supervise PhD dissertations through the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture (ICSLAC).
Students nominated to participate in the 1960’s Scholars Program invite outside speakers to campus, creating some of the most anticipated and exciting arts programming at the College from the ground up. Students exhibit their own work throughout the year in the Wilde Gallery in the W. L. S. Spencer Studio Art Building and at the annual Senior Studio Art Exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art.
While personal reminiscences of art and artists have long been written and read (see Lorenzo Ghiberti Commentarii, for the best early example), 8 it was Giorgio Vasari, the Tuscan painter, sculptor and author of the Lives of the Painters , who wrote the first true history of art.
Although the history of art is commonly seen as being mainly concerned with civilizations that derived from European and Chinese cultures, a significant amount of arts and crafts appeared from the earliest times around the periphery of the known world.
Cited as the ultimate champion of high-potential undergraduates, and often referred to as a junior Nobel Prize”, the Undergraduate Awards is the world’s largest international academic awards programme, recognising excellent research and original work across the sciences, humanities, business and creative arts.…
Dr. R. J. Belton of the Department of Fine Arts at Okanagan University College has produced this excellent guidebook to Art History. Students nominated to participate in the 1960’s Scholars Program invite outside speakers to campus, creating some of the most anticipated and exciting arts programming at the College from the ground up. Students exhibit their own work throughout the year in the Wilde Gallery in the W. L. S. Spencer Studio Art Building and at the annual Senior Studio Art Exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art.
The History and Arts Commission consists of community volunteers with a demonstrated interest, experience, or related professional qualifications in historic preservation and/or cultural arts. A minimum of two units (or equivalent) must be selected from the MA modules in the History of Art and Archaeology department listed below. Together, Amherst’s arts programs host more than 300 events in the performing, literary and visual arts each year.
The Fund supports both undergraduate and graduate student travel to conduct research in the history of art and architectureat archaeological sites, archives, collection and allows undergraduate and graduate students to participate in curatorial, conservation, and exhibition projects of long or short duration at the Rhode IslandSchool of Design Museum, the boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Worcester Art Museum, or other museums.
See in particular the renaissance of French Decorative Art (1640-1792), created by French Designers especially in the form of French Furniture , at Versailles and other Royal Chateaux, in the style of Louis Quatorze (XIV), Louis Quinze (XV) and Louis Seize (XVI).
Our majors have gone on to thrive in graduate MA and PhD programs in art history and in careers in College and University teaching, museums, and the art market; for others, art history coursework has proven outstanding preparation for a broad range of disciplines, including law, business, and medicine. …
Bibliography Of The History Of Art (Getty Research Institute)
The PhD programme is designed to provide a suitable scientific and professional qualification within the European panorama for research in art history in all of its accepted meanings, with particular attention paid to the appreciation of artistic-cultural, territorial and environmental heritage. Faculty have won major prizes from the American Association of Italian Studies, Archaeological Institute of America, College Art Association, and Renaissance Society of America. Tamryn McDermott (MA, Fine Arts Administration, 2005) has been appointed the Director of Admissions for Tyler. To be delivered at the Humanities Research and Education Association Annual Conference in San Francisco on April 9, 2015. This programme is a unique opportunity to study the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This may be undertaken with the museum’s archivist The result is to occasionally find a strong emphasis on the history of media in conjunction with the history of culture.
Art History offices and seminar rooms are located in Fayerweather Hall, where faculty and students enjoy close proximity to the Fralin Museum, Ruffin Hall and the Studio Art program, the Fine Arts Library, and the School of Architecture. In first year, students follow the BA (Omnibus) programme, combining History with three other subjects. Many work as curators, teachers, and administrators in the arts (see Alumni pages). The art and the history of art major is organized into two distinct programs: The History of Art and The Practice of Art.
Congratulations to History of Art students Sorcha Flanagan and Johanna Varadi who both came highly commended in the Art History, Music, Film & Theatre category of the Undergraduate Awards, 2016. They consider theoretical and methodological questions and are invited to question the relevance of the disciplinary distinction between History of Art and Archaeology to the study of the non-Western world. A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The legacy of psychoanalysis in art history has been profound, and extends beyond Freud and Jung.
Through history we can understand our past, explain our present and be better equipped to predict the future. Any units listed for this area of study relate only to the ‘Requirements’ outlined in the Faculty of Arts component of any bachelors double degrees. Carly studied History of Art and English Literature and now works in the Paintings Department at Lyon and Turnbull Auctioneers.
The History of Art program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the appreciation and understanding of European art and architecture. The Golovine is the official Blog for the Department and takes its name from one of the most popular artworks in the collection of The Barber Institute of Fine Arts: Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s c.1797 Portrait of Countess Golovine.
History Of Art Graduate Department Of Art
You’ll develop key communication and presentation skills, and the ability to think creatively and critically. An unsuspecting turn for the history of art criticism came in 1914 when Sigmund Freud published a psychoanalytical interpretation of Michelangelo’s Moses titled Der Moses des Michelangelo as one of the first psychology based analyses on a work of art.
The methodical orientation of these modules allows the central perspectives of art history research to be developed: Image and space concepts, mediality as well as theories and contexts. Both the making of art, the academic history of art, and the history of art museums are closely intertwined with the rise of nationalism.
History is listed in A2000 Bachelor of Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a minor, major or extended major, and A0502 Diploma of Liberal Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a major. The History and Theory of Architecture program explores the history, meaning and social significance of the built environment, and how it both reflects and shapes human circumstances, needs and aspirations. The BA in History is a qualification well suited to a range of career paths and an avenue to further training of a more vocational nature. Discussion hub for those studying the Arts & Humanities Pathway with Pathways to Success.…
History Of Art And Design Subject Areas
Based in Norman Foster’s world-famous Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts on the UEA campus, Art History and World Art Studies offers a unique and exceptional working environment for Undergraduate and Postgraduate study. Although the history of art is commonly seen as being mainly concerned with civilizations that derived from European and Chinese cultures, a significant amount of arts and crafts appeared from the earliest times around the periphery of the known world.
At the time of the Spanish conquest of Yucatán during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maya were still powerful, but many communities were paying tribute to Aztec society The latter culture was thriving, and it included arts such as sculpture, painting, and feather mosaics.
An unsuspecting turn for the history of art criticism came in 1914 when Sigmund Freud published a psychoanalytical interpretation of Michelangelo’s Moses titled Der Moses des Michelangelo as one of the first psychology based analyses on a work of art.
C.G. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist , an influential thinker, and founder of analytical psychology Jung’s approach to psychology emphasized understanding the psyche through exploring the worlds of dreams , art, mythology , world religion and philosophy Much of his life’s work was spent exploring Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy , astrology , sociology , as well as literature and the arts.…
Art And Photographic Portraits
Getting an incredible photograph of your artwork is easy with right now’s great digital cameras. Within the Middle Ages , many of the art in Europe confirmed people from the Bible in work , stained glass home windows, and mosaic tile floors and walls. For one of the best ends in nice art photography, spend money on top quality, dependable digicam and understand that lighting and staging vastly affects the standard of your images.
The qualified candidate can have a Bachelor’s degree in Art Historical past or related discipline and a minimum of 3 years of experience in non-revenue fundraising, preferably within the visible arts. Take a tour of the world’s largest artwork web site and study why a whole lot of 1000’s of artists, photographers, artwork galleries, and iconic brands have partnered with FAA to deal with their sales, marketing, website design, and order-achievement.
Drawing comes from the host of artwork types you associate with effective arts. We carry together the worldwide inventive and cultural neighborhood to generate worth from art. Ultimately, to expertise 3D is to have interaction with questions in regards to the nature of notion, the allure of illusionism, and our relationship with the technologies that create such images.
As various as cultures and people of the world are, so are kinds of pictures. One, similar to a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is in a position by advantage of creativeness and talent or ability to create works of aesthetic worth, particularly within the high-quality arts. LACMA opened its new Wilshire Boulevard location to the public in 1965, with the everlasting collection in the Ahmanson Building, particular exhibitions within the Hammer Building, and the 600-seat Bing Theater for public applications.
Expertise in the following areas is required: mastery of Excel and Microsoft Access, including pivot tables and data visualization; robust SQL skills and familiarity with VBA or different programming languages, akin to Python; working knowledge of SQL Server Management Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio; proficiency with reporting tools similar to Crystal Studies and SQL Server Reporting Companies; experience utilizing Google Analytics and 3rd-occasion revenue reporting devices; and person-degree expertise with growth CRMs reminiscent of Raiser’s Edge and Tessitura.
In recent years, LACMA has dedicated to expanding, upgrading, and unifying the museum’s 20-acre campus by means of the addition of latest buildings, together with the Broad Modern Artwork Museum (BCAM) (2008) and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion (2010), as well as monumental public artworks and open-air gathering places for the group.
In consequence, nude photography and erotic pictures at all times discover themselves branded in multiple methods, and labelled as works of inventive freedom, aesthetics, kitsch, junk or provocation. Artwork is divided into the plastic arts , where one thing is made, and the performing arts , where one thing is completed by people in action.
No matter self-discipline, artists use these parts as foundations for producing art work. Collections Administration ensures artistic endeavors in storage areas are accessible, housed beneath proper environmental conditions, and …
School Of Liberal Arts
While maintaining a reputation for excellence in the traditional academic pursuits of teaching and research, the Department of History and Art History undertakes three additional and distinctive missions. With Griselda Pollock ‘s reading of French feminist psychoanalysis and in particular the writings of Julia Kristeva and Bracha L. Ettinger , as with Rosalind Krauss readings of Jacques Lacan and Jean-François Lyotard and Catherine de Zegher’s curatorial rereading of art, Feminist theory written in the fields of French feminism and Psychoanalysis has strongly informed the reframing of both men and women artists in art history.
It is one of the founding and leading institutions for research in Design History with professors who are world authorities and research that includes international design, feminist art curation, self and identity, the photography of scenes of conflict and postcolonial collecting and representation.
Although the history of art is commonly seen as being mainly concerned with civilizations that derived from European and Chinese cultures, a significant amount of arts and crafts appeared from the earliest times around the periphery of the known world. …
Welcome To The Department Of History And Art History
Our teaching and research covers a wide variety of themes, perspectives, time periods, and regions. Art history at Tulane focuses largely on Europe and the Americas, the latter including the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. History is about the study and interpretation of past events and their significance for understanding ourselves and our contemporary world. In summary, your first year will introduce you to history of art as a discipline.
With Griselda Pollock ‘s reading of French feminist psychoanalysis and in particular the writings of Julia Kristeva and Bracha L. Ettinger , as with Rosalind Krauss readings of Jacques Lacan and Jean-François Lyotard and Catherine de Zegher’s curatorial rereading of art, Feminist theory written in the fields of French feminism and Psychoanalysis has strongly informed the reframing of both men and women artists in art history.
In any event, the style had a massive impact on Parisian and world art, and was the gateway to a series of colour-related movements, including Post-Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, Pointillism, Divisionism, Fauvism, Intimism, the American Luminism or Tonalism, as well as American Impressionism , the Newlyn School and Camden Town Group , the French Les Nabis and the general Expressionist movement.
Faculty have won major prizes from the American Association of Italian Studies, Archaeological Institute of America, College Art Association, and Renaissance Society of America. Tamryn McDermott (MA, Fine Arts Administration, 2005) has been appointed the Director of Admissions for Tyler. To be delivered at the Humanities Research and Education Association Annual Conference in San Francisco on April 9, 2015. This programme is a unique opportunity to study the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This may be undertaken with the museum’s archivist The result is to occasionally find a strong emphasis on the history of media in conjunction with the history of culture.
Renewed patronage of the visual arts and architecture was a key feature of this propaganda campaign, and led to a grander, more theatrical style in both areas. On the BA History of Art you will develop an independent critical involvement with works of art and visual culture. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments. Art historians employ a number of methods in their research into the ontology and history of objects. It appeared simultaneously in America and Britain, during the late 1950s, while a European form (Nouveau Realisme) emerged in 1960. The history of 20th-century art is a narrative of endless possibilities and the search for new standards, each being torn down in succession by the next. …
Trinity College Dublin, The University Of Dublin, Ireland
Art History, which is devoted to the study of all the visual arts, is one of the broadest fields in the humanities. Study History of Art at Edinburgh College of Art and you can expect to examine diverse visual media, as well as, of course, the traditional art forms of painting, sculpture and printmaking. We have the strongest focus on New Zealand history of any university in the world and New Zealand themes are central to our academics’ research. Study in a department that combines an innovative approach with passionate academics, and makes full use of London’s many opportunities to study art history and curating. Museum studies , including the history of museum collecting and display, is now a specialized field of study, as is the history of collecting. This education is designed to foster a life-long interest in, sensitivity to, and appreciation of the significance of artistic production as a fundamental historical and cultural form of human expression and communication. I’ve written a history book for the centennial celebrations of a girls’ school in Marton.
Students in many fields may also find that art history is relevant to their studies. I enjoyed history at school and university and became really interested in medical anthropology – the interaction between people and medicine. Students can broaden their education at one of Temple’s international programs, especially those in Rome and Japan, which offer a range of Art History classes. Vasari’s approach held sway until the 18th century, when criticism was leveled at his biographical account of history.
Our majors have gone on to thrive in graduate MA and PhD programs in art history and in careers in College and University teaching, museums, and the art market; for others, art history coursework has proven outstanding preparation for a broad range of disciplines, including law, business, and medicine.
Students nominated to participate in the 1960’s Scholars Program invite outside speakers to campus, creating some of the most anticipated and exciting arts programming at the College from the ground up. Students exhibit their own work throughout the year in the Wilde Gallery in the W. L. S. Spencer Studio Art Building and at the annual Senior Studio Art Exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art. …
We are one of the largest and most diverse History of Art Schools in the UK, and part of a vibrant and creative community of students and academics at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). History is listed in A2000 Bachelor of Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a minor, major or extended major, and A0502 Diploma of Liberal Arts at Caulfield and Clayton as a major. The History and Theory of Architecture program explores the history, meaning and social significance of the built environment, and how it both reflects and shapes human circumstances, needs and aspirations. The BA in History is a qualification well suited to a range of career paths and an avenue to further training of a more vocational nature. Discussion hub for those studying the Arts & Humanities Pathway with Pathways to Success.
Narrative or history painting was another important genre in Romanticism: leading exponents include: Francisco Goya (1746-1828) Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), James Barry (1741-1806), Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) and Eugene Delacroix (1798-63), as well as later exponents of Orientalist painting , and moody Pre-Raphaelites and Symbolists.
Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. Another very important movement – anti-impressionist rather than post-impressionist – was Symbolism (flourished 1885-1900), which went on to influence Fauvism, Expressionism and Surrealism. Thus, books about the visual arts of the United States , such as Francis Pohl’s Framing America, start with the conquest and reconstruct manifold traditions. Kaelin Jewell (PhD student, Art History), presented a Spotlight Lecture on Judith Leyster’s The Last Drop (The Gay Cavalier), painted ca. Your fourth option module could be a History of Art module, or a Related Study module from another department within Goldsmiths.…
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Remarks at the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the New Bayon’s Radio and Television Station at Reussey Sross Village, Nirudth District, Khan Mean Chhey
Your Venerable Monks,
Your Excellencies, Oukgna, Ladies, and Gentlemen, Members of the National Assembly and the Senate, Government Officials
Distinguished National and International Guests,
Today, me and my wife are very honored and delighted to participate with your venerable monks, your excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen, members of the National Assembly and the Senate, government officials, distinguished national and international guests in the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the New Bayon’s Radio and Television Station, at Reussey Sross Village, Nirudth District, Khan Mean Chhey, Phnom Penh.
On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and myself, I would like to warmly congratulate and sincerely praise your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, who are the Director General, Deputy Director General, Executive Manager, Assistant to the Director General, and all the staff working at all levels of the Secretariat of Bayon’s Radio and Television Station who have exerted their utmost efforts to actively fulfilled their duties to serve the broadcasting sector by managing and showing real live and breaking news from both inside and outside the country to the local and some international viewers from all walks of life, on time.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express a sense of pride for the management of the whole Secretariat of Bayon’s Radio and Television Station in appropriately and clearly disseminating the news with high quality. It is a private radio and television station which through its ongoing efforts to improve and expand the power and coverage of its broadcast not only in the provinces within the country but also in some other countries.
Actually, the information sector and the dissemination of news is a very important sector in our new era because this sector contributes in the renovation of human civilization evolution and also play a role as the accelerator in the communication and information interchange between communities, countries in the region as well as in the entire world in various sectors such as culture, art, economic, politic, trade socio-economic and modern science.
I remember that after the 7th January 1979 we have only one state-owned broadcasting system. That broadcasting system included the state radio and television channel which broadcasted in a limited frequency and could not cover the whole country. Now we have so many broadcasting systems which cover the entire country.
In this regard, I would like to confirm that this official inauguration of the new Bayon’s Radio and Television Station is not just only the proof of the development in physical infrastructure of the broadcasting system sector, but it is also the proof of the improvement in the spirit and concentration on the education and training for journalists and reporters and also to display to the national and international public to clearly understand about the willingness of the Royal Government in the development of the broadcasting system, professionally and responsibly in contributing to the establishment of a democratic society in Cambodia.
In this new era, the broadcasting of news through radios and televisions is efficient because it is a particular type of media which not just requires the audiences to spend less fees on, but also allow them to gain a lot of knowledge, know-how and many breaking news. Even with small radios they can receive various information and knowledge at anywhere and anytime by just spending fair price for the radio and its batteries. Likewise, with televisions, the viewers can also get clear view and sound at anyplace.
With the appropriate and efficient view, good television programs could provide tremendous benefits such as relaxation, entertainment, releasing stress from work, receiving hot news and events as well as other education and training programs, etc. There are some doctors who recommend their patients living with stroke and mental disease to watch funny TV programs and laugh for 2 to 3 hours per day every evening. They claimed that most of those patients get better after watching those recommended TV programs. Currently the professional surgeons of mental and physiological related diseases who are working in the northeast provinces, use the TV programs to educate the girls who had lived in the forest for more than 18 years. This method has proved to achieve considerable benefit.
Moreover, the broadcasting via radios and televisions has actively contributed to the education sector. Via radios and TVs we can disseminate the education and training to the citizens of all ages, skin colors, and anywhere and actively participated in the improvement of the general knowledge and know-how of the citizens. This contribution will upgrade the intelligence, basic and primary knowledge in other related sectors for their everyday lives. In fact, radios and televisions contribute in the dissemination of public services information on the technical aspects of health, hygiene, daily living, agriculture, plantation, production and the knowledge on the market movement and other accelerators. Since most of the rural people do not like reading books and other educational texts, the broadcasting via radios and televisions play an active role in providing further education and training for them.
Base on this concept, the audiences may improve their knowledge by listening to radios and watching TV programs with high quality and additional value based on the basic education and training. Therefore, both the state and private owned media require the concentration on quality of organizing and producing its radio and TV programs and the producers must be real professional with good morality.
In the advanced countries, they use all available means to educate and disseminate the knowledge to their people based on the preference and suitability of the livelihood, circumstance and life style as well as the surrounding environment. In this sense, I would like to highlight that at anytime and anyplace, all citizens can receive the same information, knowledge and education. For a certain group of people who prefer to stay around and relax at the urban center, business center or public places that are crowded, the dissemination and education at those places have been organized through creating entertainment programs which instilled with educational information. Hence, they only have to spend a little time to obtain new knowledge and education as well as entertainment.
For some certain groups of business people who work by utilizing their eyes and hands, education and dissemination of news can be done through Radio. They can work as normal while obtaining information and knowledge as someone else can via some good programs that have been carefully made. For those who like to spend time with television, a good TV program is very important to convey the knowledge and education. TV broadcasting requires more attentions because it includes both the sound and image. Therefore, the acting, dressing, attitudes and wording must be done professionally and ethically.
Once again, me and my wife would like to express our deep appreciation to Her Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are the Director General, Deputy Director General, Executive Manager, Assistant to H.E. Director General and all the staff of theSecretariat of Bayon’s Radio and Television Station who have exerted their utmost efforts in leading and working with high responsibilities and adhering to clear professional ethics and dignities.
Finally, me and my wife would like to wish all of you with Five Gems of Buddhist Blessings. May I know announce the official operation of the New Bayon’s Radio and Television Station from now on.
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Home Tech News Changing seasons create new driving challenges around the world in Microsoft’s ‘Forza Horizon 4’
Changing seasons create new driving challenges around the world in Microsoft’s ‘Forza Horizon 4’
The reveal of Forza Horizon 4, at Microsoft’s official pre-E3 briefing show. (Microsoft Photo)
The Forza series of racing games goes back to 2005 and the original Xbox, where the original Forza Motorsport served as Xbox’s answer to Sony’s exclusive Gran Turismo franchise. Since 2012, releases in the Forza series have alternated between Motorsport, a series of racing simulators with intensely realistic physics, and Horizon, a series of open-world racing/exploration games that run on the same engine, with the same intensely realistic physics. Forza has been published directly by Microsoft since its inception, and has traditionally been one of the big exclusives for the Xbox line of consoles.
Forza Horizon 4 takes the open-world half of the franchise back to the U.K., to the home of the sub-series’s traditional developer, Playground Games. The central conceit of Horizon is that you’re one of the racers who’s come to attend the traveling Horizon Festival, a street-racing event that encompasses Britain, Wales, and Scotland. This year, it’s in the English countryside, modeled after the environment right outside Playground Games’s window. As an attendant at the festival, you can collect and customize a fleet of real-world cars — each one precisely modeled to match a murderers’ row of current and classic machines — by winning the races you encounter out in the world.
Two of the classic British cars available to collect in Forza Horizon 4. (Microsoft image)
The key phrase during the demo was “living the Horizon life.” Past Horizon games were boldly plotless affairs that were mostly about treating the game as sort of a dream vacation, letting you drive around, enter races on a whim, and engage in activities against the backdrop of some endless picturesque summer environment. This time out, you actually have a goal, and a narrative: you aren’t a guest or administrator at the festival, but a permanent resident. You stay at the festival year-round, collecting cars, buying properties to use as fast-travel points, and accruing influence at the festival through your contributions, until you finally manage to achieve the rank of Horizon Superstar.
Typically, this would mean winning as many races as possible, but Horizon 4 notably subverts that. You can earn influence in a variety of ways, such as through photography or detailing rides. Theoretically, you can reach the end of the Horizon 4 narrative without ever leaving your garage; you could spend the entire time detailing cars and streaming via Microsoft’s Mixer service and still achieve enough influence to become a superstar. There are also promised narrative missions, such as stunt driving or working as a cabbie, which should be worth some decent influence, including one that’s rumored to play a lot like the classic Dreamcast game Crazy Taxi.
The year-round residency in the festival area also means that you can watch the seasons change. Every week, the Horizon 4 world will cycle to the next time of year, taking you through spring, summer, fall, and winter, with the world around you changing to match. This brings new challenges with it, including inclement weather, frozen lakes, dry river beds, and muddy terrain to race over or through.
Two official pieces of Forza Horizon 4 art, on the wall of a dressing room at the Microsoft Theater, showing the same cottage in winter and spring. (GeekWire Photo / Thomas Wilde)
You can opt to play the entirety of Horizon 4 by yourself, using “Drivatar” bots as your racing opponents, or play entirely online on instanced servers that can support up to 72 players at once. In order to prevent griefing, any player that you are not actively grouped with will be “ghosted”: they simply have collision detection turned off entirely, and other cars treat them like they’re intangible.
Forza Horizon 4 is slated for exclusive release on Oct. 2 as an Xbox “Play Anywhere” title — buy it once, and you can then play it on any Xbox One or a PC running Windows 10. The standard edition retails for $59.99; you can also purchase the deluxe edition for $79.99, which comes with a “Car Pass” that gives you two new cars for your collection every week for the next 21 weeks, starting on Oct. 2. Serious Forza fans can buy the ultimate edition for $99.99, which automatically includes two planned expansion packs, VIP membership, the car pass, and early access to the game starting on Sept. 28.
All editions of Forza Horizon 4, if pre-ordered digitally, come with a Formula Drift Car Pack, which works with both Horizon 4 and the forthcoming Motorsport 7, and adds seven new Formula Drift cars to your collection.
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Quality — and Quantity — of Life
It’s been the conventional wisdom for years that in the last half-century, there has been phenomenal economic growth in most countries, but the overall level of “inequality” between countries has not changed much. That is, even though the poor countries are getting richer, the rich countries are also getting richer, so that on average the rich countries are richer than the poor countries by about as much as they’ve been for a while. (The same countries aren’t all in the same “rich” or “poor” categories as before; this is for a comparison of “countries that are rich and poor now” compared to “countries that are rich and poor then” — but that’s another topic.)
Now mostly this sort of thing is measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita — that is, the total output of all goods and services per year in each country, divided by the total population of that country. Most people think this is a fairly good measure of the standard of living in any given country, probably because they were told so in their first economics class, or even earlier in life. This is true even though anyopne who was paying attention in economics class knows that there are all sorts of problems with measuring GDP, especially over long time periods and across countries with different types of economies. The main problem, really, is that there isn’t a really good alternative measure.
Unless you are creative. In a recent paper, Gary Becker, Tomas Philipson, and Rodrigo Soares make the obvious (now that they mention it!) point that what matters in determining the total quality of your life is not just how well you live each year of your life, but how many years you get to live. In other words, it’s not just “quality of life” that counts, it’s “quantity of life,” too.
(You know, given how much effort we all put into living longer (as well as better), it’s really surprising nobody seems to have thought of this before — but this is why Gary Becker has a Nobel Prize and most of the rest of us don’t.)
It turns out, when you take into account the increase in longevity, there actually has been a decrease in inequality between rich and poor countries over the last four decades. Much of this is due to the fact that longevity gains have been much larger in poor countries than in rich countries. In short, there has been a huge decrease in longevity inequality, and if this is properly included as part of the measure of economic well-being, there has been a decrease in economic inequality as well.
The paper is here, and the abstract is here:
GDP per capita is usually used to proxy for the quality of life of individuals living in different countries. However, welfare is also affected by quantity of life, as represented by longevity. This paper incorporates longevity into an overall assessment of the evolution of cross-country inequality, and shows that it is quantitatively important. The absence of reduction in cross-country inequality up to 1990’s noticed in previous work is in stark contrast with the reduction in inequality after incorporating gains in longevity. Throughout the post-war period, health contributed to significantly reduce welfare inequality across countries. The paper derives valuation formulas for infra-marginal changes in longevity and computes a “full†growth rate that incorporates the gains in health experienced by 96 countries for the period between 1960 and 2000. Incorporating longevity gains changes traditional results; countries starting with lower income tended to grow faster than countries starting with higher income. We estimate an average yearly growth in “full-income†of 4.1 percent for the poorest 50% countries in 1960, of which 1.7 percentage points are due to health, as opposed to a growth of 2.6 percent for the richest 50% countries, of which only 0.4 percentage points are due to health. Additionally, we decompose changes in life expectancy into changes attributable to thirteen broad groups of causes of death and three age groups. We show that mortality from infectious, respiratory and digestive diseases, congenital, perinatal, and “ill-defined†conditions, mostly concentrated before age 20 and between ages 20 and 50, is responsible for most of the reduction in life expectancy inequality. At the same time, the recent effect of AIDS, together with reductions in mortality after age 50 – due to nervous system, senses organs, heart and circulatory diseases – contributed to increase health inequality across countries.
N.B. Gary Becker writes half of The Becker-Posner Blog.
Hunger in America
Jane Galt debunks the latest hunger numbers, which, if taken seriously, would imply that there is substantial overlap between the portion of the poor population that’s obese and the portion that of the poor population that can’t afford enough food to survive.
One of the truly amazing facts of everyday life in America today is that we are one of the few societies in the history of the world in which there are poor people who are fat. Typically, “poor” has meant “can’t afford enough to eat.” In Leo Rosten and Leonard Ross’ 1937 novel set in the early 20th-century, The Education of Hyman Kaplan, the title character, a student in an English-for-immigrants class, is asked what word is the opposite of “rich.” He responds, “skinny.” This is meant as an error, but an understandable one — in 1910, or for that matter in 1937, only the rich could afford enough food to become fat.
When I point this out to people, the most common response is, “Well yes, poor people are fat because they eat at McDonald’s, and all that meat is fattening.” Well yes, that’s the point — in times past, and in other countries, the poor can’t afford to eat meat, not in enough quantities to get fat, anyway. When the first McDonalds’ opened in Moscow in 1990, a burger cost the average worker two days’ wages. That’s an “average” worker, not a “poor” worker. In the Soviet Union, even aveage workers couldn’t afford to get fat at McDonald’s.
Dinesh D’Souza links the Soviet perception of America to that of a would-be immigrant from Bombay:
Indeed, newcomers to the United States are struck by the amenities enjoyed by “poor” people. This fact was dramatized in the 1980s when CBS television broadcast a documentary, “People Like Us,” intended to show the miseries of the poor during an ongoing recession. The Soviet Union also broadcast the documentary, with a view to embarrassing the Reagan administration. But by the testimony of former Soviet leaders, it had the opposite effect. Ordinary people across the Soviet Union saw that the poorest Americans have TV sets, microwave ovens and cars. They arrived at the same perception that I witnessed in an acquaintance of mine from Bombay who has been unsuccessfully trying to move to the United States. I asked him, “Why are you so eager to come to America?” He replied, “I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat.”
(Emphasis added.) (I believe this story is retold in D’Souza’s book, What’s So Great About America?)
The fact is, in America, most people going to bed hungry do so because they are on a diet. Been there, done that.
Sidenote: I experienced a very nice blogger-moment when I realized that I’d been meaning for the last two weeks (that’s an eternity in blog-years!) to link to the above post by Jane Galt, with whom I’ve had no prior contact, when I realized she’d just linked to my Medicare post and sent me a torrent of readers. Thanks, Jane, and welcome to Jane’s readers!
Reality, or The Onion? #3: Requirement for High School Graduates
— Different River @ 8:51 am
I’d have thought this was a put-on, or from the The Onion, but it’s from the Mainstream Media, so it must be true, right?
According to this article in the Connecticut Post, the school board in Milford, Connecticut has decided that starting in 2009, high school students will be required to know how to read in order to graduate.
Glad to know they have some standards there…
The article also says that the school board’s decision “allows Associate Supt. of Learning Larry Schaefer to form a task force that will explore how the new standard could be implemented at Jonathan Law and Foran high schools. The group will be comprised of city educators.”
“Associate Supt. of Learning”? What are all the other “Supts.” in charge of? Forgetting?
“[T]o form a task force that will explore how the new standard could be implemented”? I have an idea: teach students to read!
“The group will be comprised of city educators.” Oh — is that the problem?
(Hat tip: James Taranto.)
One Right at a Time
Delegate Mamye E. BaCote (D-95) has introduced a bill (HB1785) in the Virginia House of Delegates that would allow localities to ban possession of firearms in public libraries.
I guess this means she thinks citizens should be able to exercise their First Amendment rights (freedom of the press) or their Second Amendment rights (to keep and bear arms) — just not both at the same time.
UPDATE (1/23/05): This bill has been “passed by indefinitely,” that is, defeated in committee, by a vote of 18-2.
Grand Rounds XVII
— Different River @ 12:24 am
Thanks to Waking Up Costs for including my post on Medicare in this week’s Grand Rounds, the weekly roundup of medical blogs coordinated by Blogborygmi.
And, welcome to all of you who got there from here!
Dr. King and the Iranian Refugee
For many reasons, we should stop regarding Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and an exclusively African-American holiday. Here’s another example why.
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