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POLL: Who’s the most famous Irish person of all time?
There have been many famous Irish people throughout history, and many more Irish living today who are revered and admired. But who is the best known Irish person of all time? We’re taking a poll to find out.
Irish flag waving in the sunshine iStock
We selected 10 of the most famous Irish people of all time, from literary giants like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, to contemporary musical icons like Bono and Enya (might be something to this one name business after all), to rising stars like Conor McGregor.
Who’s the most famous? That’s going to be up to you! Vote in the poll, and if you’re having a hard time deciding you can give yourself a little refresher by reading their bios, below. Have another candidate in mind for the most famous Irish person of all time? Tell us in the comment section.
On February 2, 1882, James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar. Of course, he became Ireland's national treasure, James Joyce.
Known for such classics such as “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and “Dubliners,” he will forever be inextricably linked to his masterwork “Ulysses,”detailing the exploits of one Stephen Dedalus over the course of a day in Dublin. Joyce’s life itself would make for a fascinating story as there is much about the author unknown even to his most ardent fans.
Bono, born Paul David Hewson, was born on May 10 1960, in Dublin. He joined U2 while he was still in secondary school (high school) but it was their six album, The Joshua Tree, that made the band international stars.
Over the years Bono has used his celebrity status to bring the world’s attention to problems such as world poverty and AIDS. In 2005 he was named “Person of the Year” by TIME magazine and in 2007 Queen Elizabeth II made him an honorary knight for his service.
The famous and beloved redhead was born in Ranelagh, Dublin on August 17, 1920 and passed away October 24, 2015 in Boise, Idaho at 95 years of age. Maureen O'Hara was noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude, most famously in The Quiet Man, Miracle on 34th Street, Mclintock! and How Green Was My Valley. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. Her autobiography, “'Tis Herself”, was published in 2004.
Arthur Guinness
The only known portrait of Arthur Guinness.
Born into the aristocratic Guinness family, Arthur’s exact place of birth is unknown but is believed to have been in County Kildare. His exact year of birth is also unknown but the Guinness estate estimated it to be September 28, 1725.
Fortunate Guinness came into £100 when he was in his 30s on the death of the Archbishop of Cashel, Dr. Arthur Price in 1752, for whom his father acted as a land steward. Guinness established a lease on his first brewery in Leixlip three years later. He had immediate success and in 1756 he bought a long lease of an adjacent site as an investment property. Guinness then set his sights on the country's capital Dublin, coming across a dilapidated brewery he felt he could develop in the southwest area of the city center known as St. James's Gate Brewery. It was here that history was made. He signed a 9,000-year lease on the brewery for £45 a year. It is around this very spot that the Guinness world still revolves almost 300 years later.
Michael Collins, born October 16, 1890, assassinated August 22, 1922 at Béal na Bláth in Co. Cork, was an Irish revolutionary, soldier and politician who was a leading figure in the early 20th century Irish struggle for independence. Collins fought in the Easter Rising and was imprisoned in the Frongoch internment camp but was released in December 1916.
Collins, known as “The Big Fella,” was Ireland’s Minister for Finance, one of the delegates to sign the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and Commander-in-chief of the National Army.
Conor McGregor is arguably one of the biggest sporting stars in the world today. The brash talking Irishman, known as “The Notorious,” has not been shy at promoting himself and it has certainly paid dividends for him. Since signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2013, McGregor has quickly risen to the top of the sport.
McGregor, from humble roots in Crumlin, Dublin, is the biggest pay-per-view draw in MMA and worth over $10 million. He’s also known for his extravagant lifestyle, trash-talking, and his massive fan base. He and his long-time partner Dee Devlin have a son, Conor, Jr.
Born in Ballymena, Co. Antrim in 1952, Neeson began his climb to fame in the 1980’s after being cast as Sir Gawain in the film ‘Excalibur’ about England in the reign of King Arthur.
He then went on to win an Oscar for his performance in ‘Schindler’s List’ and is best known in Ireland for playing the part of celebrated Rebel hero Michael Collins in a movie of the same name. He's now one of the biggest (unexpected!) names in action films, thanks to the massive success of the Taken franchise, and other blockbuster roles. Neeson is a a supporter of peace-building initiatives in Northern Ireland.
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson, born 1944 in Ballina, Co. Mayo, was Ireland's first female president and the seventh person to hold the title of President of Ireland. A renowned solicitor, Robinson won the 1990 Irish presidential election, defeating Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan and Fine Gael's Austin Currie as the first Independent candidate for president, nominated by the Labour Party, the Workers' Party and Independent Senators.
After her seven years in office, she served as the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights and has worked on a number of important initiatives such as the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice.
Born in Dublin on October 16, 1854, Wilde became perhaps one of the most famous writers in history – not just for his creative works, including “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “The Importance of Being Earnest,” but also for his witty criticisms and dandyism style. Wilde was one of the first people to be famous simply for being famous.
He studied classics and philosophy at Trinity College Dublin and was a figurehead of literary aestheticism. The Victorian novelist, poet, playwright and later gay icon faced worlds of scrutiny throughout his life of 46 years, which ended in imprisonment and exile.
Born in Gweedore, County Donegal on May 17, 1961, the amazing musician, famous for shying away from the public, still managed to come out on top as the highest earning female music artist in Britain and Ireland.
She is best known for her albums Watermark and A Day Without Rain, which featured the single “Only Time” – the proceeds of which she donated to the FDNY families who lost loved ones in 9/11. Enya began her music career when she joined her family's famous band Clannad in 1980 on keyboards and backing vocals. She left in 1982 to pursue a solo career and developed her unique and soothing sound, which would win her seven World Music Awards, for Grammys, and see her nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for "May it Be," the song she wrote for the Lord of the Rings.
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itbusinessedge > Blogs > IT Unmasked > Pegasystems Adds Advanced AI Capabilities to CRM Applications
Pegasystems Adds Advanced AI Capabilities to CRM Applications
By Mike Vizard, Posted March 6, 2017
Pegasystems adds machine learning, robotic processing to Pega Customer Service and Pega Sales Automation.
There’s no doubt at this point that organizations will soon be taking advantage of all sorts of advanced algorithms with a broad range of applications that will collectively make up a new intelligent enterprise. The only real issue is how they will manifest themselves.
Pegasystems today announced it has infused the Pega Customer Service and Pega Sales Automation applications that make up its customer relationship management (CRM) suite of offerings with machine learning algorithms and robotic processing capabilities that can be invoked via the cloud.
Don Schuerman, CTO and vice president of product marketing for Pegasystems, says the biggest issue many organizations are wrestling with as far as various forms of artificial intelligence (AI) applications are concerned is figuring out where to start. By adding these capabilities within an application that is focused on a specific set of business processes, Schuerman says, it becomes possible to leverage AI to provide an immediate impact for the business.
“It doesn’t have to be a Big Data science project,” says Schuerman.
The additions are based on technologies that Pegasystems gained when it acquired OpenSpan last year, and Schuerman says Pegasystems is enabling organizations to take a two-phased approach to AI. The first involves using machine learning algorithms to identify inefficiencies associated with, for example, the length of time being spent per customer. The second phase gives organizations the option to apply robotic processing to fix it or simply coach the individuals involved to achieve a better outcome.
Longer term, it’s unclear to what degree AI technologies will drive convergence across types of enterprise applications. But certainly, most organizations are about to have a much deeper understanding of how their processes work than ever before.
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October 25, 2017 | This Bubble Gets Its “Alternative Paradigm”
John is author or co-author of five books, including of The Money Bubble, The Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit From It, Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green-Tech Boom and How to Profit from the Coming Real Estate Bust. A former Wall Street analyst and featured columnist with TheStreet.com, he currently writes for CFA Magazine.
Towards the end of financial bubbles, asset prices behave in ways that can’t be explained with rational/historical metrics. So new ones are invented to make sense of things. In the 1990s tech stock bubble, earnings were “optional” and “eyeballs” – that is, the number of visitors to a dot-com’s website – were what determined value. In the 2000s housing bubble, home prices would always rise, which justified pretty much any selling price and asset backed security structure.
Now David Einhorn, a high-profile (and highly frustrated) hedge fund manager, has offered an explanation for today’s bubble:
David Einhorn: ‘We wonder if the market has adopted an alternative paradigm’
(Yahoo! Finance) – Hedge fund billionaire David Einhorn is struggling to make sense of the stock market. In his latest investor letter, the founder of Greenlight Capital raised an interesting question about valuation.“Given the performance of certain stocks, we wonder if the market has adopted an alternative paradigm for calculating equity value,” Einhorn wrote in a letter to investors dated October 24. “What if equity value has nothing to do with current or future profits and instead is derived from a company’s ability to be disruptive, to provide social change, or to advance new beneficial technologies, even when doing so results in current and future economic loss?”
Einhorn, who identifies as a value investor, said the market “remains very challenging” for folks like himself as growth stocks with speculative earnings prospects outperform value stocks.
“The persistence of this dynamic leads to questions regarding whether value investing is a viable strategy,” he wrote. “The knee-jerk instinct is to respond that when a proven strategy is so exceedingly out of favor that its viability is questioned, the cycle must be about to turn around. Unfortunately, we lack such clarity. After years of running into the wind, we are left with no sense stronger than, ‘it will turn when it turns.’”
It’s tough being a value investor these days
Greenlight Capital returned 6.2% in the third quarter, bringing the fund’s year-to-date returns through September 30 to 3.3%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 4.5% during the period, bringing its year-to-date return to 14.2%.
Value investors like Warren Buffett and finance academics would argue that a company’s true intrinsic value can be derived by discounting its projected future profits. Of course, it’s almost impossible to accurately forecast a company’s future profits. Furthermore, it’s widely accepted that a company’s market price in the short-run is affected by other factors including investor emotions.
One of the most widely-reported signs that the market as a whole is expensive is the cyclically-adjusted price-earnings ratio (CAPE), a measure of stock market value popularized by Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Shiller. CAPE is calculated by taking the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and dividing it by the average of 10 years worth of earnings. It has a long-term average of just over 16. Currently, CAPE is just above 31, which some view as trouble. The only other times CAPE climbed like this was before the market crash of 1929 and the bursting of the tech bubble in the early 2000s.
Einhorn explained that his investment strategy “relies on the assumption that the equity value of a company equals the market’s best assessment of the current and future profits discounted at the company’s cost of capital.” The fund should outperform when it finds opportunities where “the market has misestimated current or future profitability or miscalculated the cost of capital by over- or underestimating the risks.”
Unfortunately, that strategy hasn’t worked well as momentum stocks have continued to move higher.
“It’s clear that a number of companies provide products and services to customers that come with a subsidy from equity holders. And yet, on a mark-to-market basis, the equity holders are doing just fine,” he wrote.
Consider Amazon, Tesla and Netflix
Einhorn has placed bets against a handful of high-flying momentum stocks that he’s dubbed “The Bubble Basket.”
He pointed to Amazon (AMZN) as an example, writing that the company recently revealed “a much lower level of long-term structural profitability, causing consensus estimates for the next five years to drop by 40%, 22%, 18%, 14% and 8%, respectively.” Even still the company’s stock dipped less than 1% during the third quarter, he noted.
“Our view is that just because AMZN can disrupt somebody else’s profit stream, it doesn’t mean that AMZN earns that profit stream. For the moment, the market doesn’t agree. Perhaps, simply being disruptive is enough.”
Next, he brought up electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA), which he described as having an “awful quarter.” While shares dipped 6%, Einhorn felt it “deserved much worse.”
“So much went wrong for TSLA in the quarter that it is hard to only provide a brief summary,” Einhorn wrote. He went on to list numerous issues with the company including manufacturing challenges, reduced gross margins, markdowns on showroom vehicles, and intense competition.
Lastly, he brought up Netflix (NFLX), where he noted that competition has been heating up with Disney pulling their content for its own streaming service plans.
“NFLX continues to accelerate its cash burn as it desperately tries to compensate for its inability to rely longer-term on licensed content. On the second quarter conference call, the CEO stated, ‘In some senses the negative free cash flow will be an indicator of enormous success.’ To us, all it indicates is that NFLX is capable of dramatically changing the economics of stand-up comedy in favor of the comedians,” Einhorn wrote.
These companies have all raised red flags for Einhorn. Unfortunately, the market often doesn’t cooperate with what investors consider to be rational analysis.
“Perhaps, there really is a new paradigm for valuing equities and the joke is on us,” he said. “Time will tell.”
This has been an especially brutal bubble for hedge funds of every type except trend followers. As governments intervene in formerly free markets, historical relationships that drive black box trading models stop working, forcing the closure of a long list of big-name funds. As for value investors, peak bubble is always a time for questioning assumptions, as stocks that are the opposite of value seem to take over the world.
But not once has a new-age, this-time-it’s-different bubble rationale turned out to be valid. Fundamentals always win out — eventually. As Einhorn says, time will tell.
John Rubino October 25th, 2017
Posted In: Dollar Collapse.com
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VMware, Microsoft Servers,Linux,Unix and Cisco Networking Technologies
Applications, Microsoft, News
Microsoft to buy Yammer for $1.2 billion
Posted on June 26, 2012 by kartook
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) agreed to buy online social network firm Yammer Inc for $1.2 billion in cash, which will allow the software company to offer a service like Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) to corporate customers.
Talk of a deal had circulated earlier this month, but the two companies only confirmed an agreement on Monday.
Four-year-old Yammer, which has 5 million users of its private, in-company social networks, helps companies’ internal communications and collaboration by allowing employees to form groups and interact with each other freely. Companies such as Ford Motor Co (F.N), Supervalu (SVU.N) and Deloitte are customers.
The 400-employee firm will keep its headquarters in San Francisco but will become part of Microsoft’s Office unit under Kurt DelBene in Seattle. Yammer will still be led by current CEO David Sacks, a former PayPal executive.
The service should fill a growing gap that Microsoft was struggling to fill with its SharePoint application for creating private websites for intra-company projects.
“This acquisition will immediately make Microsoft a strong competitor in the enterprise social market,” said Larry Cannell, an analyst at tech research firm Gartner. “It was a stretch to call the capabilities in SharePoint’s MySite feature a social network site.”
With Yammer, employees can use a private, online company directory to contact co-workers, form networks, chat, share links and post news. A basic version of Yammer is free, but a subscription buys more security and integration with other company-wide software. Yammer’s subscription-based business model makes it different from ad-driven network companies like Facebook or LinkedIn Corp (LNKD.N).
The deal, which values Yammer’s users at about $240 each, may ignite interest in companies offering similar services, such as Salesforce.com Inc (CRM.N), Jive Software Inc (JIVE.O) and Telligent.
The area of internal networking for companies has attracted other big tech companies such as Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O), which has a similar offering to Yammer called WebEx Social, and International Business Machine Corp (IBM.N) with a rival product called Connections.
Microsoft, which owns a small fraction of Facebook shares, has been looking for ways to make its desktop-bound products more interactive and attractive to its core corporate users and home consumers, and has even been experimenting with its own social network called So.cl (pronounced ‘social’).
Last year it paid $8.5 billion to buy online chat company Skype, which it is integrating into its offerings, including the next version of Office.
Microsoft’s Office suite of applications – including Outlook email, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentation program – is the bedrock of most companies’ day-to-day working software.
The Office unit is Microsoft’s most profitable, contributing 60 percent of its profit last year, and amassing more sales than its flagship Windows operating system.
Microsoft closed down 2.7 percent at $29.86 on Nasdaq.
Try below :
Microsoft Office 2013 Consumer Preview
2007 M$ Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS
Microsoft to buy display maker Perceptive Pixel
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Stranger Than Fiction review – a delightful and heart-warming comedy
by David Axcell | 1 Jun 2017 | Film Reviews
‘Harold Crick works for the IRS and lives a solitary, repetitive existence until one day he begins hearing a woman’s voice narrating his life.’
Before he went big with the likes of Quantum of Solace (2008), Machine Gun Preacher (2011), and World War Z (2013), Marc Forster made some great and small independent films. One such film is the smart and original Stranger Than Fiction, which is one of his most heart-warming and whimsical movies. It’s also noteworthy for staring a very against type Will Ferrell in a really subdued role, showing us that he could do more than play those screaming man-child characters like Ron Burgundy from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), for which he’s far more known for.
In what was his first dramatic role, of which there’s only a few, he plays taxman Harold Crick, who lives his life strictly by his wristwatch and adheres to a rigid schedule on a day to day basis. We’re shown this excellently through his very angular and clinical apartment, which represents his boxed in and solitary existence, and an opening montage that gives us a detailed description, via Emma Thompson’s narrating voiceover, of Harold’s daily routine. With the apt use of the limited visual effects, we see text and numbers being thrown up on the screen to gives us a picture of how his analytical mind works.
Everything changes though, when on the same day he meets baker Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who he is tasked with auditing, he suddenly hears Thompson’s narrator as she describes his actions. Try as he might to ignore this voice, he’s suddenly concerned when she foretells of his imminent death. Scared and confused, Harold turns to literacy professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) for help, and tries to figure out what’s going on.
The reveal comes pretty early in the film, and the trailer spoils a lot of the plot, but my recommendation is to go into Stranger Than Fiction as cold as possible to really get the most out of it. Innovative and intelligent, the story feels totally unique, made only better by the superb cast. Furthermore, combined with Zach Helm’s script, there’s lot of layers with plenty to enjoy, so even if you have seen this film before, it’s still a great one to revisit.
With the inclusion of Hoffman’s literacy professor, it becomes somewhat meta, where the audience is invited to guess what kind of genre Harold is in. At the very beginning, it feels like a drama about a man losing his grip on reality. Then, a romance, where Harold learns to break free from his monotonous life with the help of the more spirited Ana. Maybe we’re watching a tragedy unfold, a comedy, or all of the above. Whatever it is, Forster plays with all those various tropes as we go on this journey with Harold, as he tries to work out what is happening to him, what kind of story the narrator has placed him in, and if there’s any chance of changing it.
On top of those numerous genres, there’s also a great sense of humour running throughout. Observational and character based, the comedy’s more deadpan and dry, where you may not be laughing out loud all the time, but you’ll have a smile as you watch Harold try to make sense of what is happening to him, and his interactions with other characters.
Forster balances all these elements with confidence, knowing exactly what he wants from his film. Despite a story about a man experiencing an existential crisis, and who thinks he’s having a mental breakdown, he expertly keeps the tone light, while at the same time never undermining those weightier themes. Skilfully pacing the story, he takes his time, and focuses purely on Harold as a character, making sure we really get to know and care for him. By the time we get the answers, Forster has already made sure the audience will be invested and engrossed about this ordinary man, going through an extraordinary experience.
This is all down to Ferrell’s outstanding acting, and he really shines as the unassuming and punctual Harold. It was a bold move for Forster to take this actor, who was mostly known for these larger-than-life and brash characters, and give him a role that required some delicacy and subtlety. Fortunately, it paid off, and Ferrell brings a really restrained performance, and actually, a fair amount of depth and gravitas. Not only that, he also succeeds in displaying a convincing transformation from someone who lives to a fastidious schedule, to someone who embraces the more chaotic and unpredictable tendencies of live.
Ferrell’s not alone, and he’s aided by a brilliant supporting cast of eccentric and oddball characters who all bring something to this tale. Gyllenhaal’s Ana is the perfect antithesis to Harold, yet they have this authentic and sweet chemistry between each other that’s quite endearing, and feels organic. She adds a lot of passion to Ana, who plays a big part in Harold’s journey of enjoying life. What’s more, as a female romantic interest, it’s refreshing to have her with a sense of agency, where she’s not just there to progress the hero’s story, but has her own autonomy, and is a fully fleshed out character in her own right.
‘Forster has made a delightful film, and even though it’s over a decade old, it still feels very fresh and original. Wonderfully directed and well written, and with Ferrell’s revelatory performance, there’s no doubt that Stranger Than Fiction is a movie that you’ll love from beginning to end, and keep coming back to again and again.’
David Axcell
David has quite a broad taste in film which includes big budget blockbusters and small indie films; including International and Arthouse cinema. As long as it’s good in that particular genre, he’ll watch anything.
This article is copyright owned by Keltar Limited. All rights reserved.
Plagiarism or unauthorised copying is not permitted.
All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.
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Iraqi Sermons
The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases Iraqi Friday Prayer sermons from last week.
“Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 21 Sep
Iraq — OSC Summary
Major Iraqi television channels – Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah, Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Channel, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad Al-Furat, Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah, and Baghdad Al-Diyar – are observed on 21 September to carry the following reports on Friday sermons:
Al-Iraqiyah: Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic – government-sponsored television station, run by the Iraqi Media Network – is not observed to carry any reports on today’s Friday sermons due to a technical failure.
Baghdad Satellite Channel: Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Television in Arabic – television channel believed to be sponsored by the Iraqi Islamic Party – is observed to carry at 0919 GMT a Friday sermon from an unidentified mosque in Baghdad. Shaykh Dr Harith al-Ubaydi delivers the sermon.
In this Friday sermon, Al-Ubaydi discusses the “great importance Islam attaches to the social field in life,” as well as the special care, taking into consideration that the “foundation of the structure of societies is based on the organization of relations among the members of that society.”
The preacher says that God created people with different languages and different colors. He says that this is one of the signs of God which urges people to cooperate with each other. The preacher then quotes the following verse from the Koran: “If thy Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people: but they will not cease to dispute. Except those on whom thy Lord hath bestowed His Mercy: and for this did He create them.” (Koranic verse, Hud, 11:118)
The preacher urges “positive and peaceful relations” among peoples in order to exchange benefits. He then quotes the following verse from the Koran: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other).” (Koranic verse, Al-Hujurat, 49:13) The preacher also urges solidarity and sympathy among Muslims.
On Muslims’ relations with other non-Muslims, he says that God urges us to treat them kindly and with the best means based on the following Koranic verse: “And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation).” (Koranic verse, Al-Ankabut, 29:46)
The preacher concludes by urging the government to achieve security to the citizens, adding that the “Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces should play their national role in achieving security and peace for every Iraqi individual and family.” He calls on the government to make efforts to “return the Iraqis who left Iraq to neighboring and other states and to compensate them so as to allow them to live in their country.”
Al-Sharqiyah: Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah Television in Arabic – independent, private news and entertainment channel focusing on Iraq, run by Sa’d al-Bazzaz, publisher of the Arabic language daily Al-Zaman – is not observed to carry any reports on Friday sermons for the day.
Al-Furat: Within its 1700 GMT newscast, Baghdad Al-Furat Television Channel in Arabic – television channel affiliated with the Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council (IISC) led by Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim, carries the following report on today’s Friday sermons:
“Ammar al-Hakim has called on the blocs that withdrew from the government to return to it and to effectively participate in the political process. In a Friday sermon at the Buratha Mosque in Baghdad, Ammar al-Hakim said that the political process has witnessed a great impetus over the past period in favor of the government after achieving security successes in Baghdad and the governorates. He added that the withdrawals were among the negative phenomena of the political process, noting that this will not be confined to certain blocs. He said that this method weakens the political process.”
The report adds: “His Eminence stressed that the Al-Tawafuq Front is an important and main partner in the political process. He called on it to return to the government to contribute to safeguarding the interests of all Iraqis. Ammar al-Hakim has also called on the Al-Sadr and Al-Fadilah blocs to return to the Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC).”
Al-Hakim says: “From this holy place, and from the Friday pulpit, I call on the dear brother, Muqtada al-Sadr to make a brave decision, along with our honorable brothers in the Al-Sadr bloc, to return to the UIC and to seriously and persistently work to make the political process succeed, support the Iraqi Government, and avoid and solve any problems. Through serious and constructive dialogue we can solve problems and continue work to serve the citizens’ interests.”
The report adds: “Ammar al-Hakim rejected indiscriminate arrests of the Iraqis. He stressed the need that the security forces and the multinational forces should be accurate and do not target anyone other than offenders. Reacting to some statements to the effect that the agreement among the four effective forces was the reason behind the withdrawal of the Al-Sadr bloc, Ammar al-Hakim said that the UIC did not make it difficult to any side to conclude agreements in favor of the political process.”
Commenting on the Petraeus-Crocker report, Al-Hakim says: “It spoke about great positive achievements in the political process and the successes on the security, political, and economic levels. It also spoke about the strong will the international community sees in the Iraqi leaders to advance forward and to make their achievements, including national reconciliation. However, despite its positive points, this report ignored many important and key files concerning the objective assessment of the developments of the situation in Iraq. Among the most important of these files is the role of the religious authority in this cohesion and national accord and in standing in the face of the civil war plan, which some others used to advocate, such as the takfiris (holding other Muslims to be infidel), Al-Qa’ida, and their likes. They issued statements and made speeches on this issue. The religious authority served as a safety valve. It supported and backed the entire political plan and called for self-restraint, something which calmed down many people and prevented a civil war.”
The report says: “Ammar al-Hakim said that the Petraeus-Crocker has foiled many of the internal and regional wagering on disrupting the political process or harming the achievements of the Iraqi people.”
The report adds: “Friday preachers in the country denounced attacks on the representatives of the religious authority, particularly in the Basra Governorate. They also called for expediting the results of investigation into the Karbala incidents and for revealing the criminals. Other preachers urged the government to work seriously to render services to the citizens after the improvement of the security situation.” . . .
The channel carries an episode of its weekly “Friday Sermons” program at 1810 GMT, as follows:
The program begins with Ammar al-Hakim’s Friday sermon, covered in the Al-Furat’s above 1700 GMT report. Here, he says: “What contributed to the growing impetus of the political process is the sharp drop in the number of terrorist operations, which used to target citizens everywhere and led to the fall of entire areas which became outside the government’s control. These areas were controlled by the terrorist, takfiri, and criminal gangs.”
Shaykh Muhammad al-Haydari, imam and preacher of the Al-Khillani Mosque, says that “it is clear that the security situation is improving.” He adds that the government and local councils should “benefit from this improvement to improve their performance.” . . .
Shaykh Sadr-al-Din al-Qabbanji calls on the Al-Sadr bloc to return to the government and to “reexamine their position to see whether it is in the interest of the Iraqi house, or the Shiite house in particular.” He adds: “We do not accept the fragmentation of the Shiite house. We also do not accept this to the Iraqi house. You are part of the Shiite house. You are a key element and component in the Shiite house. The withdrawal means a rift. We hope that they will reconsider their position and maintain their real, effective, and positive participation. We do not support the option of violence or the option of withdrawal. We say this to all sides. We said this to Al-Tawafuq (Accord) Front and to others.”
Shaykh Hasan al-Zamili, imam and preacher of Al-Diwaniyah Mosque, says that the “government is called upon to provide security to the nation’s scholars, preachers, and honest ones.” He adds that the “government should implement the law against the criminals.”
Al-Baghdadiyah: Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah Satellite Television in Arabic – Private Iraqi television known for its opposition to the US presence in Iraq – is not observed to carry any reports on the Friday sermons for the day. . . “
Filed Under: Iraq
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Matt Soergel: Duval sisters, 105 and 104, recall their own hard times
Matt Soergel
msoergel@jacksonville.com
A few days ago, I went to visit my friend and neighbor, Genevieve DeLoach. She’s 104 and lives in Atlantic Beach with her sister — her older sister. Esther Ewing is 105.
Little sister Nell Tyrell, a mere 98, lives in Arizona.
I wanted to talk with them about our world’s current troubles and the troubles they had seen in more than a century of life in America.
They were eager to talk, even if their memories — which start with each falling victim to the Spanish flu — had become fuzzier in recent years.
They’ve stayed largely isolated as the coronavirus pandemic has unfolded around them, not leaving the house. It hasn’t changed them much, they joked. Going out wasn’t something they did much these days anyway.
For them the pandemic is something seen only the TV news, something hinted at in the face masks of their visitors, the distance these visitors keep, and the hugs they no longer give.
Genevieve, who’s known to some as Gene, to many as Nanny, said they’ve been trying to keep up with the news.
“Yes, that’s all you hear on some stations. But it’s good to hear,” she said. “I’d like to hear when they say the coronavirus has disappeared.”
She laughed. “I want to hear that.”
The sisters grew up in Cleveland, a few blocks from Lake Erie. Their earliest memories are of the Spanish flu, which from 1918 to 1920 killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, around 675,000 of them in America.
About one-third of the world’s population contracted it, including the two little sisters from Cleveland.
“I remember the bed even,” Gene said. “I can see it in the memory. The bed was very comfortable and it held two of us. We slept in it every night.”
They remember being sick for a long time, and weaker for even longer.
“We were just one of the sick little girls, and we were put to bed and my mother took care of us,” Gene said. “She learned from her neighbors what to use for medication. She went right ahead, because she was Slovenian, and she went ahead and treated us the best way she knew.”
They grew to become young teenagers in a time that seemed idyllic. Gene remembers the sunny days of 1929, when she was 13 and had a boyfriend named Bill, who was camping with family for the summer at Euclid Beach Park, an amusement park near her home.
She went swimming in Lake Erie with Bill and went out with her girlfriends for jaunts in his uncle’s roadster, racing to see who’d be the first to get in the rumble seat.
One day he bought them ice cream cones, and she remembers sitting with hers in the rumble seat, feeling like a queen.
Late October that year, the stock market crashed, and those easy days came to an end.
“The Depression?” Esther said. “It was pretty bad. We couldn’t buy things that we wanted. Didn’t have any money for anything. It was bad.”
Their father Charles, who like his wife Josephine was born in Slovenia, was a tool and die maker.
“He worked on automobiles, when they came around on a track, and he would have to hammer the doors on the car,” Gene said.
He lost his job during the Depression. “Everybody did,” Esther said.
The girls lived on what was then the outskirts of Cleveland and don’t recall seeing many scenes of down-and-out people. They were young still and largely sheltered.
“We were youngsters and we didn’t bother much about what was going on outside,” Gene said. “Just so long as we had something to eat and a place to sleep. Kids don’t think about much more than that anyway.”
“Until they grow up,” Esther said.
Meanwhile, life settled into a routine.
“We were able to go to certain points in the city where we could pick up food,” Gene said. “There was one place where we went to, I remember, it had cheese and butter items. We would just walk up, maybe Mom had a ticket or something to show what we wanted to get there.
“Then they had another little store, with a front opening, and mother could get meat in that,” she continued. “Vegetables were not a problem because we had a small garden next to the house, and we could get our vegetables from that.”
They both graduated in 1933, six months apart, in the heart of the Depression. Neither went to college. Who could afford college?
Gene eventually did go, at 53, enrolling at the University of Florida, getting her master’s degree in speech and language therapy at 58. She then worked as speech therapist in Clay County schools for 10 years.
As fresh high school graduates, though, Esther did office work, while Gene worked in restaurants.
At 21, looking for a fresh start, Gene went to Florida, catching a ride with a lawyer who had been a Cleveland politician. He was to check on property he owned in Sebring and told her that if she got her driver’s license she could help him make the long drive.
She did, ending up in Tampa before moving to Jacksonville, which she recalls still had a bustling downtown.
Then came Pearl Harbor and World War II. They remember pitching in with the war effort.
“We knitted socks or gave things. We were always making up packages to send to Europe,” Gene said. “We were all sewing as fast as we could.”
America went through troubled times in the decades to come: the Cold War, assassinations, Vietnam, economic slowdowns, terrorist attacks.
Of those years, the sisters recalled little: The conversation had gone on for a while, and the effort was perhaps showing.
But when questioned, they agreed on something that they had seen over and over again for more than 10 decades. In times of trouble, people tend to pull together, to help their neighbors and those they don’t know.
“Yes, as far as I could see,” Gene said.
Esther, meanwhile, nodded, emphatically, “A very bright statement,” she said.
Matt Soergel: (904) 359-4082
COMPLETE COVERAGE | Coronavirus in Florida
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Times-Union Readers
Dredging campaign looks like
the secretive JEA sales process
The Jacksonville Port Authority’s dredging project is the latest example of an independent city agency moving forward with a project without much input from locally elected officials.
The port authority is asking for $70 million from the city to finish the last stretch of deepening the St. Johns River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began deepening the channel from 40 feet to 47 feet in early 2018 without the port authority asking the Jacksonville City Council whether this was a project that should be undertaken by the community.
Are we to ignore the fact that the St. Johns Riverkeeper still has a federal lawsuit that contends that the Corps of Engineers failed to realistically evaluate the environmental consequences of dredging?
We need a community discussion before an elected group on deepening the river reflecting the other unmet needs in the city such as hundreds of malfunctioning septic tanks that pollute the river.
JaxPort is not alone. JEA began the process of selling the city-owned utility without any authorization from the City Council.
These two projects illustrate the current mode of governance in City Hall. The mayor engineers a project behind the scenes and it only moves to City Council after all the real decisions have been made.
Dan Dundon, Jacksonville
Florida GOP should expand Medicaid
to help lower infant mortality
Kudos to Times-Union Editorial Page Editor Mike Clark, who received an award recently from Healthy Start of Northeast Florida for editorials on the infant mortality rate.
A statewide report of the March of Dimes shows progress, but the infant mortality rate for African- Americans remains stubbornly higher — two to three times the rate for whites.
Florida remains among the states that have not expanded Medicaid, which means people who earn too much to now qualify for Medicaid and too little to get subsidies in the Obamacare marketplace don’t have access to affordable health insurance.
Advocates say expanding Medicaid is one answer to reducing infant mortality rates. A recent report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families showed that Medicaid coverage, especially for minority and low-income women, plays a key role in improving the health of mothers and babies.
Expansion of Medicaid in Florida is not even on the table in Tallahassee this year. Instead, the GOP is intent on narrowing reproductive options of women.
This continued indifference exposes the Achilles heel of the so-called pro-life movement and its GOP political allies: The fetus is sacred, the life that results from birth is of minimal concern.
Actually being pro-life requires an authentic commitment to lowering the infant mortality rate.
Michael Hoffmann, Duval County
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Freemovers
The term "freemover" has no formal status. It is used loosely to designate a student who is accepted to study at a university in another country, usually for a semester, sometimes for a year, outside of any regular or standard programme (e.g. Erasmus, a special bilateral agreement exchange programme between the two universities, etc.). As such, the student in question is being accepted at the host university as an act of good will on its part.
This of course means that every university has a different policy. Some do not (or cannot, for legal reasons) admit freemovers at all. Others, particularly those wishing to increase the international student presence at their institution, welcome them, especially if a general wide university agreement on cooperation has been signed with a student’s home institution. In come cases they may require some fees to be paid. In any case, it is totally at the discretion of the university in question as to whether it wants to accept the student or not, and under what conditions. Often this is done when a student wants to come because of a particular specialization offered there, or the presence of a professor who is the leading expert in his or her field.
At the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice it is at the discretion of individual faculties whether or not to admit freemovers. If you would like to study at the University of South Bohemia with the status of “freemover”, please contact the international office or the office of studies of the faculty in question. Direct links to their websites:
International Relations Offices at Faculties of the University of South Bohemia:
Faculty of Economics: http://www.ef.jcu.cz/international-office
Faculty of Philosophy: http://www.ff.jcu.cz/cs/web/ff/uvod
Faculty of Education: http://www.pf.jcu.cz/international_relations/
Faculty of Science: http://www.prf.jcu.cz/en/
Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters: http://www.frov.jcu.cz/en/
Faculty of Theology: http://www.tf.jcu.cz/en/study
Faculty of Health and Social Studies: http://www.zsf.jcu.cz/en?set_language=en
Faculty of Agriculture: http://www.zf.jcu.cz/root_frontpage-en/view
Support in Emergency and Crisis Situations
Instructions for arrival to the Czech Republic during Covid-19 pandemic
Courses in foreign languages
International Visegrad Fund
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Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
Home | Films | Explore Films | Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)
Alan Partridge is the most well-known of the many comedy characters of actor Steve Coogan, who first appeared as a football commentator on BBC radio before getting his own chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You. He's a bit like an out-of-touch, embarrassing uncle who has somehow ended up on television - a parody of cliched media personalities. Later series I'm Alan Partridge and Mid-Morning Matters explored his decline from national celebrity to local radio obscurity in his home county, Norfolk - the setting of his long-awaited movie, in which Alan is asked to resolve a dangerous hostage situation in his workplace.
Declan Lowney
Steve Coogan,
Anna Maxwell Martin,
Colm Meaney,
Contains strong language
The King of Comedy(1982)
Painfully perceptive Scorsese film in which Robert De Niro gives an unforgettable performance as stand-up wannabe, Rupert Pupkin.
Dog Day Afternoon(1975)
Thriller about two criminals who try to rob a New York bank but have things go horribly wrong, taking hostages and finding themselves under siege.
Network(1976)
Satire of the ruthlessness of TV companies from the '70s, about a newsreader having a meltdown who is sacked, then re-hired to help ratings.
Hot Fuzz(2007)
British action comedy in which a pair of mismatched cops investigate a sinister village conspiracy involving murder and competitive flower arranging.
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Intelligence for Institutional Investors
Investment Operations
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Home > Roundtables > Toward an end-to-end process for handling mental health insurance claims
Toward an end-to-end process for handling mental health insurance claims
Staff WriterSeptember 4, 2009 - 3.35am
Insurance claims for mental healthrelated illnesses are more complicated than those for physical injuries. Many of the problems relate to social attitudes toward those with psychiatric disorders. In this gathering of Industry Fund Forum members, legal and mental health experts, and group insurer CommInsure, an attempt is made to identify the extent of mental health-related claims – no easy feat – while steps being taken to improve the process between funds, administrators and insurers are outlined.
Participants at the roundtable were: • Amalia Faba, manager business development and strategy, Superpartners • Nick Galanakis, senior consultant, IFS Insurance Broking • Peter Gebert, operations manager, Cbus • Heather Gray, partner – funds management and superannuation, DLA Phillips Fox • Helen Hewett, executive officer, Industry Funds Forum • Damian Hill, CEO, REST Super • John Mendoza, chair of Superfriend Mental Health Reference Group and chair of National Advisory Council on Mental Health • John Mok, national BDM, CommInsure • Lisa Munsie, executive manager wholesale risk business relationships, CommInsure • John Paul, CEO, ASSET Super • Sean Scallan, BDM, Conexus Financial • Greg Staunton, senior insurance manager, AustralianSuper • Colin Tate, director, Conexus Financial Helen Hewett: From the outset, there were two objectives for the Industry Fund Forum’s insurance reference group, and one of those was to look at the IFSA code of practice because most, if not all, of our insurers have signed up to that.
We wanted to look at whether there were any changes we thought should be made to that, to better reflect the industry fund position, and to then build a process for handling claims which begins when the member first makes contact with either the fund or the funds administrator, and covers the whole engagement with the member rather than just the way the insurer might behave in relation to mental health. The other big project we asked them to look at was in relation to how records are maintained for mental health claims, so that we have a better understanding of what contributions mental health issues have in TPD, death and income protection insurance claims…A number of the insurers talked about how very often, mental health was a contributing factor but the death, disability or lost time was often classified as back injury, a chronic back injury and there was no record of mental health’s contribution. So we want to have a better understanding.
We think that would be very valuable for funds, for insurers and for mental health practitioners, so that’s the other project that we’re working on. So this first one, we’ve asked for the insurers to go and do some work on that, and representatives from Hanover Re and CommInsure have been coordinating those efforts . Sean Scallan: I think that leads very nicely into our first guest speaker of the day, Nick Galanakis who is senior consultant at IFS Insurance Broking. Nick is going to talk about the current process for handling mental health-related claims. Nick Galanakis: I’ve put together a brief flyer that will give an overview of our CURE initiative, which stands for Claims and Underwriting Re-Engineering [Note: the CURE flyer can be obtained by contacting Galanakis at [email protected] mail.ifs.net.au ] It’s looking at current procedures for claims processing, and effectively strengthening those. There will definitely be some synergies with respect to a number of initiatives that IFF are running with at the moment regarding mental health, because we will be looking at all causes of TPD claims, and all claims that result due to mental health type conditions. CURE is a broad-based, industry-wide initiative.
It’s effectively targeted, identifying the current best practice for claims processing both in Australia and internationally… The project will consider alternative processing methods, because there’s quite a bit of empirical evidence to suggest that the member experience of lodging claims is not that great. Now, of late we have seen some significant market growth, particularly in industry funds. We’ve seen premiums increase by 20 percent in the years 2007 to 2008, we’ve seen a lot of product development aimed at making the product more accessible to members. We’ve seen a lot of funds being very proactive in terms of increasing default levels of the cover, to automatically provide additionally high cover for members and the like… So these are all positives, but I guess the Achilles Heel of it all is the member’s experience with respect to the underwriting process, in addition to when they lodge their claims. In the flyer you’ll see that the average industry pe- riod in terms of getting a resolution on TPD claims is approximately 170 days.
We appreciate there’ll be some claims that are a much shorter period and there are some that take many years to assess and find the final determination. But the importance of this statistic here, is when you actually add the fact that there is a six month qualifying period on a typical TPD product, on average members are waiting at least six months. Actually that statistic doesn’t also take into account the time that the trustee will review the claim to make sure it meets the conditions of release as dictated by the funds trustees. So the time would actually be longer than that. But this is to provide an indication generally of what we’re seeing in the industry. Peter Gebert: Those TPD claims, are they claims that have been admitted or are they claims that have been admitted and declined? Nick Galanakis: It’s a combination of both.
We sampled about four thousand claims for that number. In terms of underwriting, where members are obviously making active decisions to access funds prior to increasing their amount of insurance relative to what’s provided automatically, we’re seeing a range of factors that are effecting members accessibility to that cover. Some of the funds that we serve, we’ve seen quite significant dropout rates of up to 26 per cent. That in itself is a statistic that’s of concern, given that the dropout rates range across the funds from around 11 per cent to 26 per cent. In many respects it highlights member disengagement with the process, because they’ve actively gone out there and said ‘yes, we want more insurance cover’.
But then as they’ve actually gone through the process, they’ve come to the conclusion it’s either too hard, too complicated, too many requirements, they just don’t want to go ahead with it so they effectively cancel the application…Now I know there have been some initiatives to try to address that with respect to increasing the amounts of cover available through short forms, long forms, personal statements and the like. But they effectively will address the cleanskin underwriting. The issue is those members that have to go through the health process – blood tests, medical examinations and the like. John Paul: You make the comment that you’re worried about the fact that there’s 26 per cent that don’t proceed. I just wonder whether you’ve got, underneath that statistic, some indication of whether these people have sought to get underwriting because they’ve developed cancer or they’ve got some other reason for seeking that cover.
They‘ve then got the form and they‘ve realized that, okay, I‘m not going to be able to go through that process because I‘m going to identify this problem, and therefore they don‘t proceed. So have you done anything on that? Nick Galanakis: That’s a very good question. The analysis hasn’t gone into that sort of depth as of yet. I guess the CURE initiative will be looking at a high level, an outline of why we’re actually undertaking it and from there we’ll start focusing on exactly what it is the funds are trying to get out of the information, and what we’re seeing out there. So the short answer to your question is no. That will be something we’ll want to look at. Damian Hill: There’s quite a diversity among funds in your percentage of cases declined there. Can you attribute that to any different underwriting standards, like 100 per cent ‘accept the client’ versus perhaps being accepted with exclusions or loadings? Nick Galanakis: Definitely. That’s actually spot on.
The reality is there’s some funds with some arrangements where they don’t actually cater for loadings or exclusions, where there are other funds that do. So for those ones that don’t, there’s a higher decline rate. In addition to that, it’s important to highlight that we do see the high decline and drop out rates where a fund has a higher blue collar demographic. So that translates to looking at member communication. Damian Hill: One of the outworkings of this could well be, if there is a mental illness aspect to the claim, this sort of delay is loading up extra financial stress to it, so it can have flow on effects. Nick Galanakis: On that, we are also going to be taking steps to clumping particular claims into broad groups and analysing the sort of experience we get in respect of those claims. We’ve looked at claims that have been experienced over a period of about 20 years, a sample of just under 6000 claims of which about 560 relate to mental health conditions.
The accept/decline ratio for mental health claims of about 80/20 aligns with what we’re seeing with respect to other sort of conditions as well, but what length of delays are there for individuals with these sort of conditions. For example, we might see on average 170 days to assess and get a conclusion on a TPD claim overall in terms of the industry, but what are we seeing specifically for mental health patients. Is it substantially longer? What sort of requirements are being put on these individuals that possibly they’re finding it extremely difficult to facilitate and provide the information the insurer needs. It’s probably interesting to note as well although this covers some samples of claims going back 20 years, up until about 10 years ago, underwriters weren’t really properly categorising cause of claims, so a lot of mental health claims going back 10 years were actually just lumped into an ‘unknown’ basket. So moving forward, we need to make sure that we do get to the right sort of information and being able to benchmark and track that. Greg Staunton: Nick, would this be claims with mental illness as the primary cause and therefore recorded.
There’d be a lot more. Nick Galanakis: Correct, there are a lot more. There’s some notes down the bottom, what we basically said was there was a number of claims that might be, for example, depression from a back injury. That claim might have been lumped in with back injury not depression – there are a lot more on those lines. Peter Gebert: Another point I just want to clarify, until about five or six years ago many of our funds did not have all their members covered for insurance. So I also believe there’s another large sector that are not even probably in here because these are only the insured claims. Is that right? Nick Galanakis: Correct. Peter Gebert: We have a lot of other claims that are still processed that have no insurance but still have to be processed either as a death claim or a disability claim. And we haven’t got that data. Nick Galanakis: That’s a very good point, Peter. Moving forward we’d like to capture much more accurate data to be able to benchmark and track that sort of information. Helen Hewett: Can I just ask in relation to those claims Peter’s talking about, the uninsured claims.
I don’t know what you have to do now but you used to just have two doctors certificates, without really any reason much. So are funds moving towards collecting more information so in the future we will be able to look at factors such as mental health? Nick Galanakis: That’s definitely what we would like to see. Whether its insured or uninsured, we can actually track it back to a specific condition at the time that it related to. Sean Scallan: Nick, can you just talk us through the timeframes on CURE. Nick Galanakis: In the next two to three weeks we will actually start that project. We believe the project will take somewhere around twelve months from beginning to end. The outcome of the actual project will actually be several reports. The first will be a generic report providing an overview of what we see across the whole industry. The gaps, deficiencies, duplications and the like.
The second will be a customised report on that for each participant, the funds and insurers. Sean Scallan: Moving on to the second guest speaker, we will go on to Lisa Munsie, executive manager of wholesale risk business relationships at Comminsure. And the topic is, why should the claims process around mental health conditions be improved. Lisa Munsie: I’ve been involved in the Superfriend project for the last year or so now. It’s been a collective input from a number of insurers, funds and administrators, all keen to work at improving the end to end process for the treatment of mental illness claims. I think overall the main problem is it isn’t an end to end process. So we’ve worked very closely with Superpartners on a case management process, that Amalia Faba will talk about shortly, where they’ve got the actual case manager sitting within the administrator.
The thing we need to focus be honest about is it doesn’t matter where the qualified people sit, but it needs to be somewhere where claimants of mental illness can actually speak to somebody that has the expertise and ability to listen to their concerns and enable the action of their claim. Most insurers will not have a different claim form for someone that has a back injury to someone that has a mental illness. So these are basic type things. Similarly, the experts they get to deal with cases may not have the technical expertise to actually deal with patients with mental illness and to assess the claims. We see quite a few generic issues that continue to arise – the percentage of ‘stress’ claims we still see coming, which isn’t actually a diagnosis, so it’s very hard for us to look at proactive case management strategies when we see these generic labels coming in.
Another issue is how can we train our case managers to effectively and safely question the treatment strategies of our treating doctor practitioners. Because return to work really is a part of the recovery process, and it’s a win win for everybody. John Mok: I’ve been working with a lot of our funds to address the underinsurance issue in the industry in Australia. Obviously income protection is part of this, it’s a great area that we have severely uninsured. We’ve been marketing to funds that income protection is really very different to TPD, the payment’s a lot quicker than what a TPD benefit would provide. There’s no six month waiting period, your income protection waiting period is often a lot shorter. But we need to make sure the process is efficient, especially on mental illness claims.
We know that mental illness claims account for 17 per cent of all IP claims, but more significantly they also accounts for 30-40 per cent of all IP claims cost. The average duration for a mental health-related IP claim is over four years. Workers comp doesn’t cover a lot of these mental illness claims, unlike physical injuries at work, so I think that proves that members are relying a lot on their life insurers to provide this sort of cover for their members. Sean Scallan: Our next guest speaker, is Amalia Faba from Superpartners, who’ll elaborate on call centre possibilities. Amalia Faba: I should just clarify the roles that we take in terms of administering the claims and insurance within Superpartners. From a claims perspective we have the case management teleclaims interviewing process that we launched in December, and have seen some really positive results.
We also have the other claims service model which is your standard, acting as an administrator I guess or the liaison point between the insurer and the member. And whichever scenario, whichever model you’re looking at, our experience is the less touch points, the better. The ability for the member to contact somebody who can help them from start to finish or be their central point of contact has proven to be quite successful. We’ve seen a reduction of close to 59 per cent in the TPD turnaround times. The other thing we’ve done is provide our people with some tools and coaching around how to deal with people that do have some sort of mental illness. We work very closely with Lifeline, and have our people go through a Lifeline training program. It has now become part of our standard so that people know how to deal with those sorts of situations.
In terms of the call centre, the teleclaims interview does predominantly go through professional or experienced claims assessors – we would not want these sorts of claims going through a call centre that doesn’t understand the process, because we need to reduce the number of touch points. And we need to be able to have the information on hand for these people. Colin Tate: I noticed John Mendoza shaking his head at the notion of more than one touch point. Why do you feel so strongly that the one point is critical? John Mendoza: It’s all about the quality of the relationship. And trust. Trust is paramount when dealing with people with mental illness. Partly due to the stigma issues, but also you’ve got to understand they often interpret things in very negative ways. So it’s no exaggeration that many people with mental illnesses like anxiety disorders and depression will put a negative prism on anything that’s coming to them.
Feelings of paranoia, of being stigmatised, self stigma, that all plays into that so there’s no question that the quality of the relationship, if its managed well and it’s a single point of contact or as few as possible will be in everybody’s interest. Amalia Faba: That’s absolutely our experience so far regardless of what role you’re playing, whether you are just the administrator or acting as the liaison point. The other part of that is from time to time, if mental illness was a primary cause of illness, we have needed to work with the case manager. And that has been quite successful as well, being able to get access there makes life a lot easier. Sean Scallan: I think that leads pretty well into John Mendoza’s discussion. He’s chair of Superfriend’s Mental Health Reference Group, chair of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, and he’ll discuss the differences between mental health claims and physical injury claims.
John Mendoza: I’m not a claims expert in any way, shape or form. But I guess I drew on thinking about today the evidence that I’m familiar with in terms of attracting and retaining people with mental illness in the workplace has some relevance here. The Howard government’s ‘welfare to work’ reforms didn’t work very well for people with psychiatric disability, who make up about a third of those that are on the Commonwealth Government’s disability support program (DSP). If you look at welfare stats for Australia over the last two decades, we’ve been consistently bringing down our unemployment rate, but what we haven’t been good at is keeping a lid on the growth in disability support payments… The lesson that’s very clear, in the international evidence in trying to place people with a psychiatric disability into work, is the sooner that service can be provided in the workplace, in situ, in the workplace the better the outcome. With most employment support programs run by governments around the world, what they concentrate on is pre-employment preparation. So preparing someone for placement into work.
That works against the way psychiatric disability works – you’re continuing to put more pressure and expectation on the person. They become more and more stressed and agitated by that, rather than placing them into the workplace quickly in an appropriate workplace environment, providing the support directly to them, their employer and their colleagues. to enable them to continue operating as effectively as possible in the workplace. Holland has a tremendous rate of success in relation to the employment of people with psychiatric disability, their participation rate is double what we achieve in Australia, where only 27 per cent of people with a psychiatric disability have employment. So what are they doing differently? Well, they do their employment support fundamentally the reverse of what we do. We tend to put all our eggs into the pre-employment process.
So what are the lessons out of this for claim management? I think Amalia has touched on a number of them. It’s around the quality of the engagement and the relationship. It’s about being quick to respond. So that any anxiety developing in the mind of the person concerned in minimised. It about capturing their story once, not having it repeated over and over and over. Not subjecting them to more and more assessments. Putting probably putting greater reliance on the evidence provided by treating physicians. If someone’s been hospitalised with a mental health condition, then that’s very, very strong evidence they’ve got a strong claim. If they’ve spent some weeks in a psychiatric unit in Australia, getting in there is harder than getting into the Australian cricket team. Beds are in short supply, so you have to be pretty unwell to be admitted in any state. Colin Tate: John, did our industry statistics surprise you?
John Mendoza: It didn’t surprise me that stress, as Lisa [Munsie] says – its not a mental health disorder. But historically it’s been the catch all, it’s the euphemism. For the First World War it was ‘shell shock’. You know there were lots of soldiers returning to this nation with shell shock, what they had of course was post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of those poor fellows went on and suicided as we know through the ‘20s and ‘30s, because there wasn’t any effective treatment. I would certainly encourage the industry to get rid of the concept of ‘stress’ as a legitimate claim. Eliminate that from the nomenclature, and start to train people that really that’s not going to be accepted, what people have to have is one of the M5 Project categories of illness, which are coming out shortly. Damian Hill: John you’ve [spoken before] about the episodic nature of some mental illnesses, how they can be incredibly valuable to the workforce for the vast majority of the year but at times not so.
But when you look at how we have designed our insurance products, it’s TPD – so it’s got to be total and permanent, and episodic doesn’t seem to fit those definitions all that well. So maybe income protection is a bigger part of it. But also the rehabilitation is going to be a key part of it. What’s your views on whether Australia is set up to rehabilitate people sufficiently? John Mendoza: What the DSP has done for people who have been granted that pension for psychiatric disabilities is put them in a holding pattern, it doesn’t actually try and move them back into participation in the workplace, it just simply gives them a slightly below the poverty line pension and allows them to exist. Damian’s point about the industry’s product arrangements and recognising the episodic nature of mental illness do need to be thought about. TPD, I think, for psychiatric disability is a bad product. It’s not necessary for the vast bulk of mental health conditions.
There will be a few people who are so seriously impaired they cannot participate in the workplace, 40-50,000 in Australia. But there are hundreds of thousands that experience mental health problems each year that need a short time out of work, need effective treatment and can get back into work. The industry has to have a really good hard look at how its product offerings are responding to the evidence now around work participation for people with mental illness. Lisa Munsie: John, do you think there is a danger in labeling somebody totally and permanently disabled? John Mendoza: Oh yes. John Mok: Just on a return to work perspective, I think the insurers find it a lot easier to encourage members to go back to work when they’re claiming income protection, rather than TPD. With TPD, the interests are not aligned. After waiting for six months for their waiting period, there’s always a long delayed claim assessment process as we see here.
Most members are only concerned about getting the payment as soon as they can, whereas for income protection they really just genuinely say, well I’m temporarily disabled, I need an income protection benefit to support my current needs, but we find a lot of the time they are quite keen to participate in a rehab program that we propose to them. So we do find income protection a lot easier to work with in encouraging them to go back to work. Lisa Munsie: That’s right, the products certainly complement each other I think. If somebody’s putting in a claim for TPD and they don’t have income protection as an option. they’re hardly about to say, hey yep, sign me up for the next rehab program, because it defeats the purpose of claiming TPD in the first place. John Mendoza: The industry needs to think about, say, someone who gets a diagnosis of bipolar – the prognosis is they might have short cycle bipolar so they might every three months go through a full cycle. But that’s uncommon, more likely a couple of times a year they’ll have a depressive episode which will make work impossible for a period of up to six weeks.
What they need is a product that actually can respond to that, so that twelve weeks of the year they have another option than digging into long service or rec leave or whatever because they will use up all their sick leave. They need a product that can cover that sort of occurrence. So I think there’s opportunities for great innovation. Based on a much more thorough assessment of the way these different illnesses manifest, and what the prognosis for return to work is for most conditions now. Helen Hewett: As well as having the insurance arrangements, we also need to have a good education program to educate employers about issues and to look at how much more flexible work arrangements can be when people are having these episodes.
Because one of the employers who speak to us said that they’ve been very supportive and they’ve made it know to all of their employees. But still there were a number of employees who were very reluctant to come forward and put their hand up and say I need some time out or to change my working arrangements, because they felt it might mean the end of their advancement in the company. Sean Scallan: Now Heather Gray, a partner specialising in funds management and superannuation at DLA Phillips Fox, will talk us through the risks to funds if the claims process is not improved. Heather Gray: As a lawyer I tend to see the hard cases, the situations where the normal fund processes haven’t worked that well. The one that’s dragged on forever, the one that seems to be intractable, the one that’s heading to the Super Complaints Tribunal, the one where the administrators or people within the fund are at the end of their tether because they don’t quite know what to do. So the impression I have about these sorts of claims is that they’re a complete nightmare.
But of course I do only see a small number that get to that point, and I appreciate that for most of these claims, even if they take a bit longer than is ideal or they’re a bit harder than one would like to see, they do get resolved and everything’s fine. So I’ll just preface my remarks with that, because as lawyer you do tend to think the worst when you see these things because you see the hard cases. The sort of problems that I see with mental illness claims often stem from a lack of awareness on the part of the people who are handling them – and its terrific hearing around the table about some of the advances that are being made in dealing with these sorts of claims, having a single point of contact and handling them in a way that’s very sympathetic to the needs of the claimant. But nonetheless there’s still a lot that needs to be worked on. The sort of problems that I see can be quite simple things, where a claim has perhaps gone off the rail right at the very beginning because somebody had filled in a form in a odd way. And I have seen people put in forms where they were confused about when they were employed, they were confused about what they did, they were confused about why they left employment.
They’ve included extraneous material, they just put options into their claim. Now unless that’s picked up on day one, the whole thing will proceed and proceed and proceed, until it will finally get to a point and somebody at the insurer with an appropriate level of expertise will get that set of documents and look at it and will say, hang on we’ve headed off down this track, it’s maybe six months later. And the whole thing is misconceived or the information that they’ve predicated is gone. And that can cause problems such as you’ve got the wrong insurer dealing with the claim. Perhaps there’s been a change of insurer. If those things can be recognised on day one, or close to day one, it makes things a lot easier. Another problem that I see is the claimant who because of their mental illness, is incredibly difficult to deal with. And the staff at the fund or at the administrator who are dealing with that client are getting very stressed themselves, dealing with it.
And I’ve had situations where people are running for cover when they hear that so-and-so is on the line wanting to know about their claim. Unless people are trained to deal with it, it’s very difficult. And I’ve certainly seen cases where claims have run on and on, simply because that person is so hard to deal with that it kept getting put to one side, or people were reluctant to return calls and the whole thing sort of snowballed and the claim ends up in that too hard basket. I’ve seen situations where people have made claims around depressive or anxiety disorder, and yet somehow those processing the claims have not put two and two together and said to themselves, ‘this person is anxious, I will have to deal with them in a way which is consistent with dealing with an anxious person – if I don’t return their call promptly they might have issues with that’. But clearly its terrific that so much work is being done on improving these things.
So from a legal viewpoint, what are the risks to funds if they don’t get better. I actually don’t think it’s any different to not doing any particular thing well in the course of running a fund. Clearly, the obvious one is if mental illness claims aren’t handled well they’ll end up in the superannuation complaints tribunal. I think that’s the obvious thing that will happen. Sometimes they will end up in court depending on the time frames and whether or not people fit within the criteria to take those claims to the SCT. And you certainly see plenty of those. Once something is in the SCT it’s managed according to the SCT’s processes, the insurer gets brought in, you will have additional costs in dealing with that compared to in-house. That adds to the administration cost at the same time it’s adding to the anxiety issues for the claimant at the other end of the line. And sometimes you get a decision where the insurer’s made to pay extra because they’ve delayed payment beyond a reasonable time.
And you can also have situations potentially where the fund ends up paying extra, because of the situation and the view that the SCT takes about where its all ended up. The same sorts of things happen in court, although the costs in court are very significantly greater. And often it ends up in a settlement situation where payments are made and the claim really never was satisfactorily resolved. Somebody ending up getting a payment at the very last minute, but they go away from the process ultimately feeling that they received something but less than what they wanted. The fund’s not happy because its had to make a payment a lot of legal expense, great for lawyers, less good for the fund and I guess for the other members who are bearing the cost of that. And the member really doesn’t have a sense of having been heard or having their claim resolved in an orderly course. When funds are caught doing these sorts of things there’s of course a reputational risk.
I haven’t actually ever heard anybody say, well I heard suchand- such a fund is very slow at paying claims, in the same way that you do hear that about car insurance, for example. But I suspect its only a matter of time as people get more sophisticated about their super and more sophisticated about these entitlements that we will hear more discussion about funds and how good they are about dealing with claims. Particularly as people have their insurance needs more and more met within superannuation., because it’s very difficult to get salary continuance at decent levels or TPD cover outside of the funds. Helen Hewett: Heather you made a comment about trustees being obliged to act in the best interest. Are there any best interest issues you can think of in relation to mental health where trustees should either morally or legally go one step further. If, for example, they’re aware that their claims process was unfriendly, or just not useable for people who’ve got substantial mental illness.
Heather Gray: I think so. That doesn’t mean you look at each individual member and say what’s best for him or her, as we know you look at it globally and say what’s the best thing to do. But if it becomes clear that an aspect of the operation of the fund is unhelpful to people, then yes I do think there’s an obligation to improve. Clearly funds are going about doing that. One of the things that comes to my mind, from seeing examples where people with mental illnesses are running their own claims, is that maybe the trustees who go through their administrators and so on need to be a little bit more in touch. That might be proactively suggesting to a claimant that maybe they’d like to appoint a friend or family member to be a point of contact about the claim, for example.
Unless that’s offered I suspect that people wouldn’t think to ask for it themselves. Particularly if they’re labouring under issues with mental illness. So there are probably many things like that, which as a lawyer comes to light very evidently when you get yet another 30 page letter written in crayon on sheets of A3 paper that somebody’s laboured over. It obviously means a lot to them, but it’s very difficult really to make any sense of. If you persevere with that as a trustee, clearly you’re not going to achieve anything for your claimant member. But they won’t necessarily say, ‘I’m really struggling with this’, they might not even know they’re struggling with it. If you have a brother or a partner or friend or somebody who you could appoint and authorise and will deal with that person, that’s a big step forward.
The roundtable concluded with an update from Superfriend on its efforts to co-ordinate funds’ improvement of mental health-related claims processing. A summary can be found in this month’s editorial, on page 14.
claim, claims, cover, disability, illness, insurers, it’s, mental, that’s, there’s, they’ve, we’ve
One comment on “Toward an end-to-end process for handling mental health insurance claims”
I have submitted a TPD claim for mental health & they way they treat my husband, who is the claimant is a disgrace. He has severe depression, has not worked for 26months after rarely having a day off in 25years & he is treated like a leper. Nothing will ever change no matter how much they talk
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The Mahdist Revolt 1884
Blood On The Nile (The Mahdist Wars)
They charged out of the shimmering desert, thousands of fanatical warriors dressed in white, brandishing fearsome weapons. These were the Mahdi’s men and a British soldier’s worst nightmare. The Mahdi...
They charged out of the shimmering desert, thousands of fanatical warriors dressed in white, brandishing fearsome weapons. These were the Mahdi’s men and a British soldier’s worst nightmare. The Mahdi had emerged from the wilderness to lead a rebellion against the Egyptian government in Sudan. His armies overwhelmed the Egyptians and trapped Governor Gordon in Khartoum. The British launched a relief expedition, but it arrived too late. Such an insult to the Empire could not go unpunished, and the British returned to crush the Mahdists. Sudan then came under British Imperial control, but, like shifting sands, history could have turned out very differently.
Using this Black Powder supplement, you can take charge of the British army fighting in the desert, or assume command of the Mahdi’s forces in their struggle against the world’s greatest military power. Along the way, learn about the battles and campaigns of the Mahdist Wars, and the soldiers who served in them.
The free miniature with this supplement is based firmly on one of history’s great characters – Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby. For those who don’t know much about this British officer try an internet search – he almost beggars belief! This is a superbly sculpted miniature by Steve Saleh that perfectly portrays this Victorian hero.
This is a supplement for Black Powder and a copy of the BLACK POWDER RULEBOOK is needed to make full use of it.
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Juan Pablo Montoya to return to NASCAR’s Brickyard 400
Curt Cavin
Juan Pablo Montoya is returning to NASCAR's Brickyard 400, meaning he will do his own double this season.
After racing for Team Penske in next month's Indianapolis 500, Montoya will join teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski in the 400.
Montoya spent seven seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, winning two races. He has finished as high as second in the Brickyard 400. He will have Greg Erwin as his crew chief.
In preparation for the Brickyard, Montoya will race at Michigan International Speedway on June 15.
“Juan is a proven winner in multiple racing disciplines and he is one of the most versatile racecar drivers competing today,” Roger Penske said in a statement released by the team. “Michigan and Indianapolis are two important races for Team Penske. We know Juan has the ability to race for wins in both of those events while still focusing on his full-time program in the Verizon IndyCar Series.”
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Eric Ogren
Report: TXTRS SND 95.4B SMS MSGS IN 2008
Thumbs of people the world over are getting some serious action. That action comes in the form of pecking out text messages on their cell phones. So far, 2008 is on pace to smash last year's numbers by a mile. Some of the figures being touted by VeriSign are just staggering. It sent more than 52 billion messages in the second quarter, up more than 20% from the first quarter for a total of 95.4 billion messages. People sure have a lot to say.
Thumbs of people the world over are getting some serious action. That action comes in the form of pecking out text messages on their cell phones. So far, 2008 is on pace to smash last year's numbers by a mile. Some of the figures being touted by VeriSign are just staggering. It sent more than 52 billion messages in the second quarter, up more than 20% from the first quarter for a total of 95.4 billion messages. People sure have a lot to say.According to VeriSign, if things continue at this rate, it will double last year's record of 96 billion messages. That would be nearly 200 billion messages sent in one year. Dividing that by the 3 billion mobile phone users means each and every one would have to send 66 text messages in a year for the world total to hit 200 billion. The actual percentage of people using SMS services, however, is concentrated in certain types of users. Not everyone uses SMS. Not by a long shot.
Today alone I have sent and/or received 40 text messages. What can I say, it's been a pretty light day. Yesterday, I sent/received more than 100. I am just a drop in the bucket, though.
An average of 572 million messages were sent each and every day throughout the second quarter of 2008. That's 342 million more per day than were sent in the second quarter of 2007.
The highest number of messages sent in a single day comes in at 648 million. To put that number in perspective, every mobile phone in North America and Europe combined would have to send one text message to equal 648 million.
What about picture messaging? Is that getting any traction? You betcha. VeriSign reports that MMS rates through June 2008 nearly tripled 2007 delivery rates. "MMS continues to show strong growth both domestically and abroad. In Q2 2008, approximately 331 million MMS messages were sent via the VeriSign Intercarrier MMS network, up from approximately 272 million messages in Q1 2008 and nearly tripling the number of messages from Q1 2007."
At this point, I send so many SMS messages that I've opted for an unlimited bucket of them each month. Such unlimited buckets of text messages have only been around for about a year. I would bet that their availability has something to do with the surge in the number of SMS's being sent around the world.
2020: Threats in Review
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Showing posts with label PSG. Show all posts
PSG sack Tuchel, Pochettino favourite to take over
Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday confirmed the sacking of coach Thomas Tuchel, who had been at the club since July 2018, but did not name his successor.
"After an in-depth analysis of its sporting situation, Paris Saint-Germain decided to terminate Thomas Tuchel's contract," the French giants announced in a statement.
Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino, the ex-Tottenham coach and a former PSG player, is widely reported to be the favourite to take over.
Tuchel, whose axing was widely reported but unconfirmed last week, managed PSG 127 times in all competitions, with 95 wins, 12 draws and 20 defeats.
His trophy haul featured two Ligue 1 titles (2019, 2020) as well as the French Cup and French League Cup in 2020.
The 47-year-old German also led the Parisian club to their first ever Champions League final last August, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
Despite appearing to be adept at man-managing PSG's squad of superstar players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Tuchel reportedly upset the Qatari-backed club after complaining about an apparent lack of recognition at leading PSG to the Champions League final.
"I would like to thank Thomas Tuchel and his staff for all they have contributed to the club," said PSG chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi.
"Thomas has put a lot of energy and passion into the job, and we will of course remember the good moments we shared together. I wish him all the best for the future."
Less than three months on from the final defeat to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Tuchel has become the first PSG coach to leave mid-season since Antoine Kombouare was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti in December 2011.
- Barca date looms -
Tuchel departs the Parc des Princes having secured a last 16 Champions League clash with Barcelona and PSG sitting third in Ligue 1 -- a point shy of leaders Lyon -- despite being plagued by injuries, suspensions and coronavirus infections.
Should Pochettino take over, his opening match in charge will be January 6's trip to Saint-Etienne on Ligue 1's resumption after the winter break.
Then, on February 16, the Argentinian could face his first massive test against his compatriot Lionel Messi's Barcelona, with the return leg on March 6.
Pochettino was let go after five and a half years at Tottenham in the aftermath of leading the north London side to their first ever appearance in a Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019.
Although he has yet to win any silverware the former PSG defender's stock is high in managerial circles.
The Parisians will be keen to complete his signing and avoid missing their man who has been linked to the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barca in recent months.
Importantly, Pochettino, like Tuchel, is at ease in man-managing a dressing room crammed with a galaxy of stars.
Neymar has been at the centre of new controversy this week after Brazilian media reported that he is organising a huge New Year's Eve party despite the coronavirus pandemic -- claims his lawyers have denied.
Pochettino is the son of a farmer from Murphy, in the north of Argentina.
He is known as a stickler for detail, which coupled with his tactical acumen, devotion to an attractive style of play and his popularity amongst Parisian fans, makes him a potentially ideal fit as the new occupant of the PSG dugout.
He would have under his wing several compatriots such as Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes.
His anticipated arrival before the winter transfer window will allow him to bring in new faces, potentially one former Spurs charge, Inter Milan's attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen.
And looking further ahead, given their Argentine ties, Pochettino may be the catalyst for six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi to start regarding PSG as potential new employers when he is free to move from the Camp Nou at the end of the season.
Tags: Europe Football France news PSG soccer sport sports
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Ducks’ Mathis drafted by Spurs, gets chance at NBA
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Russia’s Putin orders non-working month to curb coronavirus
by: VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 2, 2020 / 07:16 AM PDT / Updated: Apr 2, 2020 / 11:12 AM PDT
Workers erect a building which will be a new hospital, on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The vast majority of Russian regions are currently on lockdown, ordering residents to self-isolate at home and not go out, unless it’s to buy groceries, medications, walk their dogs or take out trash. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (Denis Voronin, Moscow News Agency photo via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of the month as part of a partial economic shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking in a televised address to the nation, Putin said he was extending the non-working policy he ordered earlier for this week until the end of April. He emphasized that all employees should continue earning their regular salaries during the period.
Putin said some essential industries will keep operating, and grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open.
The president emphasized that Russia’s virus-prevention strategies have bought time and helped slow down the outbreak but also warned that the number of cases will continue climbing.
“The threat remains, and experts believe that the epidemic is yet to reach its peak in the world, including our country,” Putin said.
He noted that that it would be up to regional authorities to decide which companies and organizations could keep working in their areas depending on the situation.
Earlier this week, the Russian parliament empowered the cabinet to introduce the state of emergency allowing it to tighten restrictions — an authority that previously had belonged only to the president.
Some Kremlin critics have assailed Putin for stopping short of declaring a nationwide lockdown, opting instead for the vague non-working order.
Many observers pointed out that Putin’s decision to let the cabinet and regional governors decide on specific steps to counter the outbreak reflected an attempt to avoid being associated with unpopular moves and bear responsibility for the mounting number of cases.
Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center interpreted Putin’s moves as an attempt to position himself as a “supreme force presiding over the political system and intervening only in some important situations.”
Putin argued that regional authorities must be given a free hand to handle anti-coronavirus measures because the situation varies widely across the vast country.
“Our country is very big, population density differs widely and there are areas where the coronavirus already is posing a serious threat like in Moscow where we haven’t been able yet to change the situation despite the measures being taken,” Putin said.
Moscow, which has about two-thirds of all known virus cases in Russia, has introduced a strict lockdown. Following Putin’s speech, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin extended it throughout April but said there was no immediate need to enforce it through electronic surveillance as earlier planned because most residents were dutifully abiding by the restrictions.
Sobyanin said that electronic monitoring will only apply to coronavirus patients undergoing treatment at their homes.
The Russian parliament strengthened punishment for lockdown violations, introducing heavy fines and prison terms of up to seven years in cases when a breach results in deaths.
Most other regions of Russia followed Moscow’s example, but some areas so far unscathed by the epidemic have applied more lax rules.
Russian officials registered 771 new cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s reported total to 3,548 with 30 deaths.
The Russian leader said that along with safeguarding the public’s health, it’s also important to protect people’s incomes and prevent a spike in unemployment.
“An efficient and stable economy is key to solving our tasks, including in the health care system,” he added.
But the opposition said the government has failed to offer a feasible program to support business, warning that Putin’s order would effectively kill most of the nation’s small and medium enterprises and leave many Russians starving.
“The people have no money to just sit at home without working, and employers have no cash,” Russia’s top opposition leader Alexei Navalny tweeted.
There have been broad fears that Russia’s underfunded health care system would be hard-pressed to deal with the outbreak. Medical workers across the country have complained about shortages of essential protective gear and other supplies.
The government has insisted that the country is well prepared and has all the necessary supplies. Moscow has sent teams of military medics to Italy to help counter the outbreak and on Wednesday delivered a planeload of medical supplies to the United States.
The flight follows Monday’s phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in which they discussed cooperation to fight the outbreak. Trump hailed Russia’s move as “very nice.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the U.S. paid for half of the medical supplies while the other half of the cost was sponsored by Russia’s state investment fund.
Russian officials have angrily dismissed claims that the Kremlin was seeking political gains by providing medical aid to Italy and other countries. In February, Russia provided medical aid to China and later dispatched assistance to Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and various ex-Soviet nations.
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Reason Why G-Dragon and SHINee are nominated for Prime Minister Citation
BIGBANG's G-Dragon and SHINee became the nominees for Prime Minister Citation along with popular actors such as Jisung, Yoo Ah In, Hwang Jung Eum and Lee Kwang Soo. The awards ceremony will be held on October 27, while SHINee has already confirmed to attend the event.(which means it seems certain that SHINee will win Prime Minister Citation) Below is the reason why the Korean Government chose GD and SHINee as the nominees for Prime Minister Citation.(The comments are from the government)
*G-Dragon is truly top class kpop star who's made hits with countless songs for the past 10 years.
-He wrote countless own songs and has had world tour concerts as a global star who is loved by people all over the world.
-Not only as a musician but also as a fashionista, he has always been incredibly influential to popular culture.
-He is contributing to the development of popular culture by gaining great popularity as a representative hallyu star in various foreign countries including China and Japan.
*SHINee was the best rookie hallyu star chosen by foreign netizens.
-They made a debut in 2008 by releasing "Replay."
-They ranked in the top 3 of Oricon single chart 3 consecutive times, while there have been no other artists who set such a record since 44 years ago.
-They're the first kpop idol group who performed at the opening concert for the London Korean Film Festival.
Behind The News Big Bang boy group gdragon Offstage shinee taemin
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25 Kickass Random Facts List #71
Here is 25 Kickass Random Facts List #71.
1-5 Kickass Random Facts
1. Yugoslavian statesman Josip Broz Tito fed up with Stalin sending assassins wrote openly, “Stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle. If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.” – Source
2. Smedley D. Butler, a United States Marine Corps General and Medal of Honor recipient wrote a bestselling book describing how wars exist to enrich corporations in 1935. – Source
3. Chicago consultant Corey Taylor faked his own death to get out of a Verizon Wireless contract without a penalty. He forged a fake death certificate and had a friend fax it in to Verizon Wireless. He expected to receive condolences, but instead got questions about the document’s authenticity, and was eventually found out by those crafty Verizon agents. – Source
4. Actress Ethel Merman’s last film appearance was in “Airplane!,” where she played a man who thought he was Ethel Merman. – Source
5. Football player Mardy Gilyard was kicked out of the University of Cincinnati and owed the school $10,000. He then worked 4 jobs simultaneously and slept in his car just to get back into school, eventually becoming the leading wide receiver in UC history. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. After a test preview for Apollo 13, an audience member said he disliked the movie because it had a “typical Hollywood ending” and that the crew would never have survived. – Source
7. In 2002, a Chinese publisher released an unauthorized sequel to the Harry Potter series, consisting of the text of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but with most names changed to those of Harry Potter characters. – Source
8. Samuel L. Jackson requested his light saber be purple, so he could find himself among hundreds of green and blue sabers. – Source
9. A man walked 7 years straight, from the tip of South America to the northern coast of Alaska, a journey totaling 19,019 miles, a record for the longest continuous walk in human history. – Source
10. In the original story of Peter Pan, the Lost Boys do age, even in Neverland. The reason the group is always made up of children is because if they don’t die by other means (which is common), Peter “thins them out.” The author never clarifies whether this means they’re executed or banished. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. It wasn’t until he was 37 when Jack Nicholson found out that his supposed “sister”, June, was actually his mother. – Source
12. Tetanus is not caused by the rust in rusty nails. The rough surface of rust merely provides the ideal habitat for the bacteria that causes tetanus. – Source
13. American showman and businessman PT Barnum was frustrated with how long people lingered in his museum’s exhibits. So he posted large signs throughout that said “This Way to the Egress”. He knew most of the visitors would follow them, not knowing that “Egress” meant “exit.” They couldn’t re-enter without paying the entry fee again. – Source
14. There’s a Cartoon Network special crossover episode called The Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door, also featuring Ed Edd n’ Eddy, with cameos from the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Lab among other shows. – Source
15. There are approximately 10 quintillion (that’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000) insects on our planet or roughly 200 million insects for each human. – Source
16. In 2010, in Orlando Florida, heavily-armed SWAT teams raided nine barbershops and arrested 34 people for barbering without a license. – Source
17. When President Andrew Jackson was in school, he organized a dance in which he invited 2 of the town prostitutes in order to make all the proper attendees feel uncomfortable. – Source
18. The vocal effects on Osbourne’s opening line, “I am Iron Man”, were achieved by having him sing from behind a metal fan. – Source
19. The lemon is actually a hybrid between a sour orange and a citron. – Source
20. Spiders don’t jump using muscles. Instead, they control the blood pressure in their legs like a hydraulic system to propel them upwards. – Source
21. The Navy e-Reader Device, for use aboard US Navy Submarines, is pre-loaded with Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings books. – Source
22. Finland has the most heavy metal bands per capita in the world. While Sweden and Norway have only 27 heavy metal bands per 100,000 inhabitants, Finland boasts double as much, 54 bands per 100,000. – Source
23. The color pink used to be perceived as being very masculine, and blue as feminine. That’s why so many early Disney heroines, i.e., Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Wendy, Alice-in-Wonderland are swathed in varying shades of azure. – Source
24. The popular game Candy Crush exploits mechanisms of addiction in the same way some recreational drugs and gambling do. – Source
25. Carl Sagan describes the Bermuda Triangle as a statistical fallacy. He explains, “Why is it always planes and ships that get lost? It’s because they can sink in water. If we started losing trains, if we had a Duluth Triangle in which trains began disappearing, that would be interesting.”- Source
Tags Random
25 Kickass and Interesting Facts About Space Probes
25 Kickass and Interesting Facts About BBC
25 Kickass Random Advice List #1
16 Amazing Facts About Valentine’s Day
25 Amazing Facts About Dreams
25 Kickass and Amazing Facts About Colors – Part 3
25 Kickass and Awesome Facts About Colors – Part 2
10 Interesting Facts About San Jose
About Fact 18. In Ozzy Osbourne’s Boon “I am Ozzy” he says that he was able to do the “I am Iron Man” by speaking it through a long cardboard tube.
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IRS extends deadline to claim extra $500 for children from COVID-19 stimulus checks
By Austin Williams
COVID-19 and the Economy
FILE - Economic stimulus checks are prepared for printing at the Philadelphia Financial Center. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service announced Aug. 18 that it extended the deadline for people with dependent children who did not receive the supplementary $500 in COVID-19 stimulus funds.
Enacted in March, the CARES Act set up one-time payments of $1,200 for individuals who earn less than $75,000 annually and $2,400 for couples who earn less than $150,000, while also providing $500 for each child under the age of 17.
RELATED: Amazon to add 3,500 jobs within these US tech hubs
According to the IRS, people with children now have until Sept. 30 to submit information about their dependents to receive the $500 payment.
"IRS employees have been working non-stop to deliver more than 160 million Economic Impact Payments in record time. We have coordinated outreach efforts with thousands of community-based organizations and have provided materials in more than two dozen languages," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
USPS and the 2020 election: What you need to know
The Postal Service is bracing for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But at the same time the need for timely delivery of the mail is peaking, service at the letter delivery agency has been curtailed amid a series of cost-cutting and efficiency measures implemented by its new leader.
In order to receive the payment, eligible people need to submit the necessary information about their qualifying children and dependents using the agency’s “Non-Filers tool.”
“For those Social Security, SSI, Department of Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries who have already used the Non-Filers tool to provide information on children, no further action is needed. The IRS will automatically make a payment in October,” according to the agency’s website.
RELATED: Number of Americans filing for unemployment falls below 1M for first time since pandemic started
People who are not required to file 2020 tax returns are still eligible to receive the $500 payment relief, according to the IRS. Those individuals should also use the “Non-Filers tool” to receive their payment.
The IRS has been criticized for giving Social Security recipients and railroad retirement beneficiaries less than three days to act to receive the $500 payment. If people with children did not provide the IRS with the necessary information, the agency said they would not be paid until they file their 2020 tax return.
FOX Business contributed to this report.
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Week In Politics: What The Polls Are Saying, Days Before Election Day
By Ron Elving
Published October 31, 2020 at 5:46 AM MDT
More than 1.5 million people have already voted in Wisconsin. Voters have cast nearly 8 million ballots in Florida, 9 million in Texas, more than the total number of votes for president there in 2016. We begin this hour with NPR senior Washington editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Ron, thanks so much for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Happy Halloween, Scott.
SIMON: Ron, four years ago, the pollsters said it was going one way. It went another way. How do you read the polls now?
ELVING: With extreme caution, Scott. The 2016 polls were actually pretty good on the national numbers, well within the margin of error. But some of the key states were wrong and by more than the margin of error. Pollsters in those states are acutely aware of this history, and they've been looking long and hard at what happened. Among other things, there was a late break among the undecided four years ago, and it favored Donald Trump. There was also some falloff among Democrats that may have been due to complacency. That's a little less likely to happen this year. That said, this time around, it will probably take even more egregious error than we saw four years ago if President Trump is going to reverse the advantage that we now see for Democrat Joe Biden.
SIMON: And as we've gotten closer and closer to Election Day, the president has taken from diminishing the pandemic to really outright mocking it, even as coronavirus cases surge again to record heights.
ELVING: You know, it may be heartening to hear that message if you are someone who takes his cues straight from the president, directly from the president. We heard that from Donald Trump Jr. and Sr. this week. But let's say you're more inclined to trust other sources of information, such as perhaps the doctors who have been sidelined from the president's task force in recent months. In that case, it would seem just bizarre to claim that we're turning the corner or crushing the virus, two claims the president has made in recent days, when last week we set a new record for new cases at half a million a week. So even with a somewhat lower mortality rate, we're still producing frightening numbers of fatalities. And we seem to be headed toward 400,000 dead early in the new year just in this country.
SIMON: And it's only fair to wonder, Ron - isn't it? - that the president's dismissal of the pandemic - well, to ask, does it affect federal policy?
ELVING: You know, to be blunt, the COVID-19 task force - Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, some of the other people that we were hearing from back in the spring - seems to have been, let us say, dovetailed into the president's reelection effort, perhaps co-opted to some degree by the president's reelection effort. And maybe we shouldn't be surprised at this point, but the idea that information is being blocked or distorted for this purpose at this point in this pandemic is chilling.
SIMON: Joe Biden question - back in the primaries, he was flailing at one point, earned a reputation as a compromise candidate, not at the head of new movements. The candidacy obviously looks pretty strong now. He's run for office and won a lot of times. Is this at the same time mostly a referendum on President Trump?
ELVING: It is a referendum on Donald Trump, and that is just what you want if you're challenging a president. If the controversy is about the incumbent in the midst of difficult times, that gives the out party an obvious advantage. If there's more controversy about the challenger, the incumbent tends to win, which is why the president's campaign has been so busy trying to generate controversies about the Bidens.
SIMON: And let's finally remind our friends and listeners, we might not get the results Tuesday night, right? It might take several days, several weeks.
ELVING: Yes. Some of the Sunbelt states - Arizona, Florida, North Carolina - it's possible we might get results before we go to bed. But that's not a guarantee of anything. It's just possible. Otherwise, we're going to be waiting throughout the week, probably, for Pennsylvania and maybe also Michigan and Wisconsin to count their mountains of mailed-in ballots.
SIMON: NPR's Ron Elving, thanks so much for being with us.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Ron Elving
Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News, where he is frequently heard as a news analyst and writes regularly for NPR.org.
See stories by Ron Elving
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World War II Veteran Who Died Of COVID-19 Remembered By His Son
Back in April, friends and family planned a big celebration for the 100th birthday of Carroll White of Ottumwa, Iowa. But Mr. White had a small stroke. He ended up in a nursing home. And for his centennial birthday celebration, those he loved and those who loved him could only wave through a window. Two months later, Carroll White died of COVID-19. As we reflect on the loss of more than a quarter of a million people in the U.S. to COVID, we want to take time to recall that each of those lives was accompanied by its own enduring story.
Steven White, an attorney in Potomac, Md., is the son of Carroll White and joins us now. Thanks so much for being with us.
STEVEN WHITE: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this.
SIMON: Well, thank you for speaking with us. And I suppose almost any recollection of your father's life has to begin with the remarkable fact that he was one of the first U.S. troops to enter Hiroshima.
WHITE: Well, he was part of the - what was going to be an invasion force. You know, they didn't have to have that invasion. The bombs were dropped, and the Japanese surrendered. And his units happened to be close to Hiroshima. And he was really involved in setting up hospitals in that area for our troops mostly.
SIMON: He was a medic, as I understand.
WHITE: Yeah, he was a medic, right.
SIMON: I gather with respect, your father defied orders at one point.
WHITE: Well, that's right. So at some point, troops were being sent home, and he received orders to have all the medicine and medical supplies in their facility to be destroyed before they left. So he and a doctor didn't think it was appropriate and decided that they would gather everything up. And instead of destroying it, they took it to a local Japanese hospital that was dealing with a lot of casualties there.
SIMON: Your mother and father were married for more than 70 years.
WHITE: Right.
SIMON: She died just, I guess, in 2012. And I gather your father lived on his own until he was 99.
WHITE: Yeah. He stayed in the family house until he was in his, you know, late 90s. And then he moved into an assisted living apartment. Yeah, he was independent.
SIMON: Independent seems to be a real word that comes up about your father a lot. Help us understand how he - that independence, that strength, that determination he had.
WHITE: I certainly agree with that. But I think it really comes from his upbringing and the circumstances of his early life. He grew up on a small farm in southeast Iowa in the 1920s and 30s. And really it was a time when I - from, you know, the stories that I've heard that it was a - basically, farming was pre-mechanized state, and they worked from sunup to sundown. And if they didn't work, they didn't live. You know, they didn't survive. So those were his circumstances that he grew up with.
SIMON: What did you plan for your father's 100th birthday?
WHITE: Well, we'd actually planned a big party in the town where he lived in Iowa. We'd sent out lots of invitations, and we'd secured a community center place where we could have everybody over. We had made up posters and all that. So we'd been looking forward to it, and he had as well. You know, we were trying to basically match his sister's 100th birthday party, which had happened two years before.
SIMON: Oh, mercy. You had an aunt who lived to 100, too?
WHITE: Yeah.
SIMON: Oh, my word.
WHITE: And she's still alive. She'll be 103 in a couple of months. So, yeah - no, we were planning a nice big celebration for him. We ended up having to sing "Happy Birthday" to him through a window at the nursing home where he was - had gone in there just about a day before his birthday.
SIMON: What do you take from your father's life now, do you think?
WHITE: I mean, I think about him every day, and he's an example to me. So I just try to live up to, you know, his standards. And I know I never will. But he was a very selfless individual, very hard-working individual. And he did the best he could to make other people happy and to provide a good life for his family. And he did a good job at that.
SIMON: Steven White remembering his father, Carroll White, who died of COVID-19 at the age of 100. Mr. White, thanks for being with us. And if I may, our best to your aunt (laughter), your 102-year-old aunt, too. Thank you very much for speaking with us.
WHITE: Yeah, thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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NewsLocal Politics
Some U.S. senators want a commission to audit Presidential election results
By: Matt Holzapfel
U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced on Saturday that he would be joining a handful of other Republican senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, in rejecting the Electoral College results of several disputed states, unless an electoral commission is formed to conduct an audit of the election results of those states.
In a joint statement released by the senators, the group acknowledges that movement is unlikely to change the results of the presidential election, saying:
“We are not naïve. We fully expect most if not all Democrats, and perhaps more than a few Republicans, to vote otherwise. But support of election integrity should not be a partisan issue. A fair and credible audit—conducted expeditiously and completed well before January 20—would dramatically improve Americans’ faith in our electoral process and would significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next President. We owe that to the People.”
The reason why this potential objection to the results most likely will not change the outcome of the election is that the process of objecting to one or more electoral votes requires a majority vote from both chambers of Congress to agree to the objection. According to the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan public policy research institute, both houses must vote separately to agree to the objection by simple majority. Otherwise, the objection fails and the votes are counted. The Congressional Research Service also stated that these procedures have been invoked twice since enactment of the law in 1887.
So, that’s how the process works, and here’s why a majority vote seems to be unattainable for this group of senators. Democrats currently hold a majority in the House, and while Republicans currently have a slim majority in the Senate (pending the results of the January 5 runoff election in Georgia, which could give Democrats a Senate majority if Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both defeat their Republican opponents), a number of moderate Republicans have already said they would not vote to toss out a state's votes.
Other questions raised by this group’s movement are which states do they consider to be “disputed." President Trump’s legal team has targeted Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and other states won by President-elect Biden in attempts to overturn election results there, but Daines and his colleagues have not specified which states they would like an electoral commission to audit.
Also, former Attorney General William Barr, the Department of Justice, several nonpartisan officials, federal judges and even the Supreme Court of the United States have either refused to entertain claims of voter fraud or outright said there was not widespread voter fraud to the extent that it could change the outcome of the election. Despite that reality, the joint statement from the senators says, “the 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.”
Daines and the other senators also did not specify whether, if a commission was formed and if they did find significant evidence of voter fraud in a certain state to the point where the results of that election could be called into question, they would want to overturn the results of the other races on that ballot, such as the senatorial and gubernatorial races.
Senator Jon Tester’s press secretary, Roy Loewenstein, sent us the following statement regarding Daines’ and the other senators’ call for an election commission audit:
“Senator Tester believes it’s long past time for these irresponsible attacks that put our democracy at risk to end. The election is over—Senator Tester is urging both sides to focus on working together to heal our partisan divisions and address the serious issues facing our nation.”
We also asked Senator Daines whether he was concerned about potential voter fraud in Montana, or only in the states that the group is calling “disputed.”
We’ll continue to follow this story if we hear more from Senator Daines or the handful of other lawmakers involved in this movement, especially as we get closer to the next important dates in the election process — when Congress meets to count and certify the Electoral College votes on January 6, and when President-Elect Biden is inaugurated on January 20.
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USC Re-Revised 2020 Football Schedule
USC opens its 2020 slate at home on Nov. 7 against Arizona State, with kickoff at 9 a.m. PT on FOX. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show, featuring Trojan legends Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush along with Brady Quinn, Urban Meyer and host Rob Stone, will be broadcast live from the Coliseum starting at 7 a.m. PT.
It is the earliest kickoff time for a Trojan home game since at least the early 1950s when complete records are available (a home contest against Loyola in the 1891 season began at 9:30 a.m.), as well as USC’s first pre-noon kickoff since an 11 a.m. home start against Utah State in 2016. It also marks the latest date that USC has started a season since 1918, when the Trojans opened against Stanford on Nov. 23 because public gatherings in Los Angeles were banned in October due to the Spanish flu. And it is the 10th consecutive year that USC plays the Pac-12’s first conference game of the year.
After its ASU contest, USC goes to Arizona on Nov. 14 (USC’s latest road opener since 1918, when it played at Whittier Reform on Nov. 30).
The Trojans remain on the road to visit defending Pac-12 South champion Utah on Nov. 21, then they host Colorado in the Coliseum on Nov. 28 of Thanksgiving weekend.
USC stays in the Coliseum for its North Division crossover game against Washington State in a Friday night contest on Dec. 4 (the teams did not meet in 2019). It will be USC’s 14th Friday game since 1990.
Troy then plays crosstown rival UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Dec. 12, tying the latest date that the teams have met (also in 1942).
All Pac-12 teams will play a to-be-announced Championship Week opponent on the regular season’s final weekend, with the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game against the North and South Division champions on FOX at 5 p.m. PT on Dec. 18 in a home-hosted format and the league’s other teams playing on Dec. 19, with hosts to be determined. This is the latest finish to USC’s regular season since 1946, when the Trojans concluded against Tulane on Dec. 21.
Game times and television plans for USC’s other 2020 games will be announced later. All games will be nationally televised by either the ESPN channels, ABC, FOX, FOX Sports 1 or Pac-12 Networks.
Fans will not be allowed at any Pac-12 sports competitions until at least 2021, the league announced recently.
This is the fewest regular season games USC has played since 1920, when the Trojans went 6-0. This is USC’s fewest home games in a season since playing 2 in 1910 (if Troy hosts a fourth home contest on the last weekend of this regular season, it would be its fewest since also hosting 4 in 1918).
This also is the first time ever that USC plays a regular-season schedule composed only of conference opponents. The last time that USC opened its season against a conference opponent was in 1994 versus Washington.
USC’s original 2020 schedule was comprised of 12 games that included 3 non-conference foes (Alabama, New Mexico, Notre Dame) in addition to 9 league opponents (all but Washington State and Oregon State), with a Sept. 5 opener. In late July, the schedule was revised and shortened to 10 games versus conference-only opponents (kicking off on Sept. 26) to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Several weeks later, however, the Pac-12 postponed sports competitions until 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns. In late September, the league resumed the football, basketball and winter sports seasons based upon updated Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee recommendations that took into account changes to testing capabilities, the prevalence of COVID-19 and cardiac issues and updated state and local health official guidance, with the health and safety of the student-athletes and those connected to Pac-12 sports as the number one priority.
This is the first interruption since 1943-44-45 in the historic intersectional series between USC and Notre Dame. This also is the first time since 1914 that USC has not played at least California or Stanford in a season.
2020 USC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Nov. 7 – Arizona State, 9 a.m., FOX
Nov. 14 – at Arizona
Nov. 21 – at Utah
Nov. 28 – Colorado
Dec. 4 (Fri.) – Washington State
Dec. 12 – at UCLA
Dec. 18/19 – TBA, Pac-12 Championship Week
Previous Peristyle Fashion: Thom Browne
Next NFL and Alicia Keys shoot Kick-off Video at the Coliseum
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When Bobby Met Billy
Manohla Dargis March 3, 1999
Photo by Phillip Caruso, SMPSPIN AN ADVERTISEMENT RUNNING ON TELEVISION at the end of February, a purported critic — his or her name printed in fly-speck-size type — declared Analyze This the funniest comedy of the decade, as well as the best film of the year. The two claims are ridiculous and disheartening for a host of reasons, not least of which is that studio overkill invariably degrades everyone in view — the offending critic, the potential audience and most of all the filmmakers, especially the very director whose work is being sold like a used car. Here the director is Harold Ramis, who has already directed one of the most buoyantly witty comedies of the past decade, Groundhog Day, and one of the most humble, the underrated Stuart Saves His Family. Analyze This is not remotely as funny, accomplished or warmly human as either previous film, but Ramis and his reputation will survive its failings. If there were any justice in Hollywood, co-stars Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal would not.
In a premise starkly similar to that of the nifty HBO series The Sopranos, De Niro plays a mob boss who begins seeing a shrink in order to shake his panic attacks. As the psychiatrist and De Niro's straight man, Crystal evinces uncharacteristic restraint, delivering lines with his customary soulless charm, but with a touch less of his usual sugared obsequiousness. That the star and director of Mr. Saturday Night gives a more shaded turn in this film than his more celebrated co-star is a clue to just how dreadful De Niro is — it's a prodigiously bad performance. De Niro has always been the most unreliable of our great movie stars because he's never learned how to play the middle; unlike Jeff Bridges, De Niro can't do normal or nice. Which is why Scorsese's favorite narcissistic projection excels in over-the-top characterizations, whether it's for the lead role or not, and tends to flounder when tapped for anything more nuanced than homicidal rage.
In Analyze This, De Niro plays a guy whose funniness is predicated on the fact that he's suddenly responding to extremes (a hailstorm of bullets, an upcoming Cosa Nostra conference, the repressed memory of a pasta-joint murder) the way anyone would: He freaks. But because De Niro, who's essentially doing a read on his familiar mob persona, makes no sense as either the jittery crybaby of the story's beginning, or the later, newly sensitized palooka who goes misty at a father-son television commercial, the gimmick never takes. Playing tough is what made De Niro a star, and his reluctance — or inability — to send up his own clichés is understandable. Which is why he's especially awkward when he tries to be funny. (There's a reason Scorsese cast him as Rupert Pupkin.) Whether trading quips with Crystal, braving an impotence shtick or trying to give some oomph to lines that went out with the Catskills (“Slap a pair of tits on me, I'm a woman”), De Niro doesn't just seem uneasy — he seems lost.
To be fair, there aren't a lot of actors who could rescue the tits joke, save perhaps Bill Murray, who could make it work (if just a little) because he wouldn't be trying to sell the line or himself quite as hard. Ramis is listed as a co-writer on the screenplay, along with Peter Tolan and Kenneth Lonergan, and it would be nice to think the credit merely reflects a last-ditch resuscitation effort on the director's part. The film shares a similar theme of male redemption with his other recent movies, but there's not much here that comes from the heart and far too little that comes from the head. As a director, Ramis' strong suit is his flair for matching the broadly comic with a quietly assured sense of irony (the opening 10 minutes of the film, set in the 1950s, have a nice bounce). That's why he was such a good director for Groundhog Day's Murray and Stuart's Al Franken, both of whom have the ability to hold the screen even amid so much self-deprecation. Neither Crystal nor De Niro has a gift for irony or a noticeable lack of ego, and while the rest of the cast is just fine, there's not much room for them. Watching Ramis struggle with these two is like watching someone try to juggle lead weights before melting them down for a pair of shoes.
THE NEW BRITISH CRIME FILM LOCK, STOCK AND Two Smoking Barrels has one of those relentlessly hip soundtracks that makes me feel as lousy as I do when I accidentally stumble into a store like Rampage: exhausted, and more than a little intolerant of flash. The movie, which was apparently a big hit in the U.K., features songs by Junior Murvin, Dusty Springfield, the Stooges, James Brown and a raft of performers I haven't heard of, which, along with its pretty-boy cast and calculated insouciance as regards mayhem, gives it the vibe of every hipster gangster picture to hit screens since 1992. That's the year that saw Tarantino's reservoir dogs unleashed on the world, spawning a seemingly endless flow of guys-with-guns stories that have tried the patience of even the most sympathetic genre-lover. One of the better Tarantino retreads to emerge since was the Scottish film Trainspotting, which at least had literary chops, Ewan McGregor and a production design that made effluvium look like Kool-Aid.
Lock, Stock's 30-year-old writer-director, Guy Ritchie, cribs from both Reservoir Dogs and Trainspotting (the opening chase sequence is a stumble-by-stumble steal from the second), but never manages to tap into the earlier films' energy or purpose. Four friends — Tom, Soap, Eddy and Bacon, Runyonesque in name only — stake their combined funds on the poker talents of one of their number. Unfortunately for them, Eddy (Nick Moran) enters a crooked game, losing their hundred grand, plus another £500 thousand, to a criminal overlord called Hatchet Harry. The tediously convoluted plot involves the foursome's attempt to pay Hatchet Harry back his money by stealing from some malignant types who, in turn, have just ripped off a lucrative ganja operation. There are crooks with monikers like Dog, Plank and Barry the Baptist, a machine-gun-toting stoner, a man on fire, some fine-looking cinematography, enough gore to win over the ain't-it-cool school of cinema geeks, and, of course, a rollicking score. What the film doesn't have is anything resembling an engaging performance, a coherent script, or a point.
ANALYZE THIS | Directed by HAROLD RAMIS | Produced by PAULA WEINSTEIN and JANE ROSENTHAL | Written by PETER TOLAN, KENNETH LONERGAN and RAMIS | Starring ROBERT DE NIRO, BILLY CRYSTAL and LISA KUDROW | Released by Warner Bros. | Citywide
LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS | Written and Directed by GUY RITCHIE | Produced by MATTHEW VAUGHN | Starring JASON FLEMYNG, DEXTER FLETCHER, NICK MORAN and JASON STATHAM Released by Gramercy Pictures | At selected theaters
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1. A Magistrate has the power to direct the police to investigate into
(a) a non-cognizable offence
(b) a cognizable offence
(c) only a non-cognizable offence, as in a cognizable offence the police is under a duty to investigate
(d) Both (a) and (b).
2. If in a case one or more of the offences is cognizable and the rest are non-cognizable, the whole case shall be deemed to be
(a) non-cognizable
(b) cognizable
(c) depends upon the punishment provided for the cognizable offence
3. Warrant case means a case
(a) relating to an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding three years
(b) relating to an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding two years
(c) in which a police officer cannot arrest without warrant
(d) in which a police officer cannot investigate without the orders of a Magistrate.
4. In a bailable offence
(a) conditions can be imposed while granting bail by the police officer
(b) conditions can be imposed while granting bail by the court
(c) no condition can be imposed while granting bail by the police officer or by the court
(d) only mild conditions can be imposed by the court only.
5. Mark the incorrect statement:
(a) FIR can be used to corroborate the informant under Section 145 of the Evidence Act, 1872 or to contradict him under Section 157 of the Evidence Act, 1872
(b) A Magistrate can order investigation under Section 156(3) of Cr PC, 1973 only at the pre-cognizance stage
(c) Section 162 of CrPC, 1973 prohibits the use of statements made to the police during the course of investigation for corroboration.
(c) None of the above.
6. Statements recorded during investigation under Section 161 by the police
(a) cannot be used for any purpose during the trial
(b) can only be used for corroborating a witness
(c) can only be used for contradicting a witness
7. Where an accused is granted bail under Section 167(2), proviso (a) of Cr PC, 1973 and on filing of chargesheet the investigation revealed that the accused has committed a serious offence, the bail so granted under Section 167(2), proviso (a) of Cr PC
(a) cannot be cancelled in the absence of special reasons
(b) can be cancelled under Section 437(5)
(c) can be cancelled under Section 439(2)
8. For the purposes of computation of period of 90 days or 60 days, as the case may be, for the purposes of Section 167(2) of Cr PC
(a) the day of arrest of the accused has to be excluded
(b) the day on which the accused was remanded is to be excluded
(c) the day of arrest of the accused and the day on which the accused was remanded, if different, both have to be excluded
(d) the day of arrest of the accused only has been excluded and the day on which the accused was remanded, even if different cannot be excluded.
9. Objection as to the lack of territorial jurisdiction of the criminal court
(a) can be taken before or at the time of commencement of trial
(b) can be taken at any time after the commencement of trial
(c) can be taken in appeal for the first time
(d) All the above.
10. Non-compliance with the provisions under Section 191 of Cr PC where cognizance is taken by the Magistrate under Section 190(1)(c) of Cr PC
(a) is an irregularity curable under Section 460 of Cr PC
(b) vitiates the trial and proceedings will be wholly void
(c) does not vitiate the trial unless it has caused prejudice to the accused
(d) Both (a) and (c).
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Commitment by the Arnault Family and LVMH Group for Notre-Dame de Paris
© Gpesenti, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Picture cropped and turned in B&W - http://bit.ly/2GmccpY
Commitment by the Arnault Family and LVMH Group for Notre-Dame de Paris - LVMH
https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/news/commitment-by-the-arnault-family-and-lvmh-group-for-notre-dame-de-paris/
The Arnault family and the LVMH Group, in solidarity with this national tragedy, are committed to assist with the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity.
They will donate a total sum of 200 million euros to the fund dedicated to the reconstruction of this architectural work, which is a core part of the French History.
In the meantime, the LVMH Group puts at the disposal of the State and the relevant authorities all its teams – including creative, architectural and financial specialists – to help with the long work of reconstruction and fundraising, which is already in progress.
Le Bon Marché hosts LVMH Institut des Métiers d’Ex ... 17.04.2019
LVMH publishes 2018 Annual Report 15.04.2019
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Region selectorFR
Macquarie and MUFG provide £150 million of debt financing for West London social housing development
London, 20 July 2018
Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions (MIDIS) and MUFG Bank (MUFG) have provided a long-term debt facility of £150 million in the form of a three year revolving credit facility (RCF) of £30 million, a 40 year senior secured private placement of £50 million that refinances the RCF, and a shelf facility of £100 million for Shepherds Bush Housing Association (SBHA).
SBHA owns or manages over 5,000 homes that are largely social and affordable, primarily located in the popular area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The funding will allow SBHA to boost their affordable and shared ownership housing provision. The chronic shortage of affordable homes in West London, coupled with high property prices, continues to drive the need for social housing. MIDIS and MUFG are proud to be supporting SBHA’s ambition to improve the situation in West London, with SBHA targeting the development of around 200 homes per year over the next four years.
Gareth Edwards, an Associate Director in MIDIS, said: “We are delighted to be able to support the provision of greatly needed affordable housing through SBHA, and we look forward to working in partnership with them over the term of the facility. Increasingly local housing associations are looking for alternative strategies to help meet longer-term funding requirements to support further investment, which is where institutional investors come in. The social housing sector is highly attractive to many investors because it offers long-term, secure, regulated and stable cashflows, and delivers a strong social impact.”
This is MIDIS’ third investment in the UK social housing sector, taking total commitments to over £200 million. This is expected to continue as housing associations raise finance to address the housing crisis in the UK, and institutional investors are increasingly attracted to the sector.
Sanjay Narbheram, Director of Housing Finance at MUFG, said: “We are delighted to have supported SBHA, particularly as it represents their first combined bank and institutional debt transaction. The strength of SBHA’s credit allowed us to run a competitive process to source institutional funding, which resulted in us successfully working with MIDIS. We see growing interest within the sector from a debt capital markets perspective, and this deal is a wonderful example of MUFG’s desire to work more closely alongside institutional investors. The sector continues to grow in importance for MUFG as we start to widen our client base, from both a geographical and unit number perspective.”
Mohit Jain, Director of Finance and Development at Shepherds Bush Housing Association, said: “We are aiming to significantly expand our development pipeline over the next few years and are very pleased with the financing achieved with MIDIS, who has taken a long-term outlook on our business, and shown flexibility and willingness to listen to our funding needs. We look forward to building a long-term partnership. This combined with the shorter term RCF with MUFG provides a good match for our funding needs.”
About MUFG
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world’s leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with approximately 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with over 1,800 offices in more than 50 countries. The Group has over 150,000 employees, and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing.
The Group aims to be the world’s most trusted financial group through close collaboration among its operating companies, and to respond to all of the financial needs of its clients, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world.
MUFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges.
Please visit our website for more information - mufgemea.com
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Good Causes 16 Nov 2017
Supporting St Mary’s Pipe and Reed Band in Cavan
If any band deserves the support of National Lottery funding for good causes and to blow its own trumpet, it’s the St Mary’s Pipe and Reed Band in Kingscourt, which has introduced music to over 1,000 recruits in the course of the last 101 years.
Today, the County Cavan band continues to take in between 20 and 25 new recruits annually and has approximately 40 members in its junior section alone.
“There’s not a family, who, if they are not involved directly, are supporting the band through our fundraising efforts so we feel it’s a nice legacy for the area,” explains PJ Flynn (79), the band’s most senior member, who plays the E-Flat double bass.
The award-winning band has proudly represented county and country in Hungary, Switzerland, at three Wembley Tournament Games in the 1970s and at St Patrick’s Day parades on two occasions each in New York and London.
The band was formed in 1916 when £100 was raised locally to purchase a collection of brass instruments, which had been abandoned in McCullough Piggots in Dublin after a British Forces regiment was redirected to France. By Christmas that first year they were performing carols and hymns.
It became a regular feature at Oireachtai, football matches and Feiseanna through the years.
Last year, they even managed to acquire a disused crèche on a ghost housing estate in the town, providing them with first-class facilities for rehearsals and music classes.
With a €3,200 grant from National Lottery good causes funding, they purchased a photocopier, new clarinets and crucially, a piano, which has enabled their space to become a centre for the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
“The future is looking quite bright. With the wide range of instruments we now have, we are looking at the possibility of developing into a School of Music,” reveals a proud PJ.
And that surely deserves a drum roll!
Approximately 30 cent of every €1 spent on games go back to National Lottery funding for Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts and heritage. Over €5 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 30 years ago. In 2016 alone, the National Lottery raised over €210 million for such good causes.
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Early Birthday Surprise May Lead to Early Retirement for Scratch-off Fan
“Lucky Joe” of Baltimore is celebrating his $1 million top-prize win on the $1,000,000 Blowout scratch-off.
Baltimore man wins $1 million scratch-off prize
A soon to be 60-year-old Baltimore man has a lot to celebrate this month. In addition to his upcoming birthday, the scratch-off fan just won a $1 million top prize on the $1,000,000 Blowout game.
“Lucky Joe” already had big plans for his birthday and they played a role in his Lottery purchase. He and his wife are heading to Florida to celebrate his big day and the loyal player was running errands to prepare for the trip. Along the way, he stopped at Quick Mart in Towson and purchased two scratch-offs. His choices were a $5 instant ticket and the $20 $1,000,000 Blowout game. “Lucky Joe” then went home, ate breakfast and settled in the basement to play his Lottery games. He was not prepared for what was about to come next.
The $5 scratch-off delivered a $5 prize. “Lucky Joe” then started on the $20 instant ticket. He scratched off his numbers and the winning numbers first before revealing the prizes. To his surprise, there were no matches! He did, however, reveal a “diamond” symbol. “Lucky Joe” slowly began to scratch off the prize hidden beneath the symbol.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “All I saw was all these zeroes.”
As “Lucky Joe” continued to scratch, he realized that all of those zeroes equaled a $1 million prize. He told Lottery officials he double-checked the scratch-off but knew it was a big winner. The happy husband wanted to share the news, so he tried to go upstairs to tell his wife.
“I felt so faint,” he said. “I could barely make it up the steps.”
However, he did make it and told his wife the wonderful news. He soon shared news of his good fortune with other family members, including the brother-in-law who accompanied him to Lottery headquarters to claim the $1 million prize. “Lucky Joe” knows exactly what to do with the windfall. He plans to pay off his house and save the rest of the prize for an early retirement.
His lucky Lottery retailer, Quick Mart located at 8604 Loch Raven Boulevard, is also a winner. The Baltimore County business will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the $1 million top-prize winning scratch-off. This $20 game still has plenty of prizes waiting for discover, including five more $1 million prizes, 11 $50,000 prizes and 42 $10,000 prizes.
Categories: Scratch-Offs, Winners Tags: $1000000 blowout, scratch-offs, towson
← Powerball Fan Who Chases ‘Low’ Jackpots Wins $50,000
Scratch-off Homework Pays Off for Grasonville Player →
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New Curation Facility is in Business
By: Emily Freeman
State Capitol Bureau
JEFFERSON CITY - As an archaeologist for the state of Missouri, Jack Easman has excavated some interesting pieces of history. But he remembers a specific excavation from his college days as his favorite.
While completing his graduate degree in archeology at William and Mary in Virginia, Easman recalls excavating a colonial site. "I was cleaning out a brick-lined basement," he said, "and in the corner were three in-tact wine bottles from about 1750 or so. There was nothing in them, the corks were all dried up, but the brass wire was still hanging around the top so you could tell that they were full when they were placed there. Just think, 250 years of traffic is happening on top of these buried sites and these wine bottles are down there still in tact."
Although he's exchanged his colonial studies for a wider range of archaeological duties as Intermediate Historic Preservation Specialist for the Transportation Department, Easman still retains a sense of wonder associated with his job, which entails archiving and organizing archaeological collections at the new storage facility at Rock Bridge State Park.
The facility, which from the outside looks like a concession stand or information center, was built by Missouri Department of Transportation and is maintained by Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
"I've come up here on weekends and seen people walking up here thinking it was a park office," said Eastman.
The Transportation Department began to move artifacts recovered from survey sites throughout Missouri to the facility this summer, shortly after the building's completion.
One fourth of the facility's main room is dominated by rows of shelving stacked seven boxes high. Each shelving unit holds 28 boxes that are filled with carefully cataloged artifacts such as stone tool debris, animal bone, pottery shards, and botanical remains. The Natural Resources Department operates the facility, but has not yet moved their own collections into the building. "We've got shelves on order," said State Parks Archaeologist Brant Vollman. "We're just waiting for those before we move our artifacts in. But hopefully it will be soon."
The Transportation Department's collections in the facility range from trash items of early frontier sites to paleo Indian sites dating back more than ten thousand years.
The artifacts are recovered when survey crews identify an archaeological site present at a current agency construction or repair site. If the artifacts recovered are deemed significant or important enough, the site is excavated and the artifacts cataloged and sent to the facility for storage. "Once we have maps of where the right of way will be (for a new road or highway), we basically put in a shovel every 50 feet to see if there are any significant remains," Easman said. "Usually it is just a lot of patient, tedious work."
The boxes of artifacts will remain on the shelves until researchers or students working on masters theses or doctoral dissertations request a viewing of the collections. "My biggest concern is that someone in 20 or 30 or 40 years can come back and use these artifacts and documents," Easman said.
"If you find stone tool debris of a certain type of chert that's only found 50 miles away from the site, then you have to wonder if these people went 50 miles to get this material or if there was some kind of trade route or exchange going on," Easman said.
Aside from the pieces of pottery, stone tools, and other artifacts recovered, human, especially Native American, remains have been excavated from the survey sites.
Under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act, any Native American human remains, burial objects, sacred objects, or cultural objects recovered have to be returned to lineal descendants or affiliated tribes.
Nationally, moire that 30,000 individuals have been excavated since Jan. 1, 2005. In Missouri there are 167 total entries filed under the Reparation Act from 11 different archaeological sites. All 167 remains have not been returned to descendants, and will soon be stored in a special room at the facility. "The reason the remains have not been repatriated is because they're so old we cannot say which modern day tribe is the direct descendant," Eastman said. While most of the entries are human remains, 12 entries were cataloged for pottery found with human remains as funeral objects.
The facility, which according to State Parks Public Information person Sue Holst is the only one of its kind in the state, cost about $370,000 to complete.
But according to Eastman, the building was a smart financial investment. "To curate one box in an outside facility would cost about $400," Eastman said. "That room will hold almost five thousand boxes. Once you get a thousand boxes in there, the building just pays for itself."
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Montana Transportation and Land Use
Design Standards & Policy - Land Use Regulations
What are land use regulations?
Regulatory tools for land development and design can be used to provide an alternative to the typical disconnected, auto-dependent developments that have commonly been built in the United States since the 1950's. Zoning codes, subdivision ordinances, parking ordinances and other regulatory mechanisms can be used to shorten distances between work, home, shopping, and recreational areas to promote walking and bicycling, and have the potential to increase transit ridership and reduce vehicle miles traveled.
Zoning codes have traditionally been used to separate incompatible land uses, such as industrial sites and residential areas. An unforeseen consequence of this separation, however, is that broad distances between homes, jobs, and commercial centers require residents to use automobiles for virtually every trip and preclude the use of other modes such as transit, walking and bicycling. In addition, some communities are concerned that isolated subdivisions, office parks, and shopping centers do not generate the sense of place desired by many local residents. As a result, there has been a trend toward crafting or updating zoning codes that regulate the form of development more than the types of land uses.
Two of the more popular tools are the Form-Based Code and Smart Code. Both the Form-Based Code and Smart Code establish zones of building types based on pedestrian accessibility and the scale and character of surrounding development. The development of zoning codes that focus on urban form can be used as a tool to encourage collaboration among local governments and public and private stakeholders to identify and implement principles that reflect local goals for quality of life.
Subdivision ordinances explain the regulatory process for dividing a parcel of land into separate independent sub-parcels. In Montana, subdivision regulations are required for all cities, counties, and towns. Local governments may use the subdivision ordinance to promote efficient land use strategies, such as cluster development and preservation of open space.
Development Permits (also called Performance Standards, Development Standards, or Permit Systems), are sometimes used as an alternative to zoning. They focus on physical elements of development (e.g., building standards and minimum lot sizes) more than land use types.
The design and location of parking space has a significant influence on community design. Traditional parking ordinances are usually based upon suburban-scale, automobile-oriented standards and can conflict with the preservation and development of multimodal urban and suburban places. Innovative parking ordinances that support compact, pedestrian-oriented development include maximum parking limits (e.g., Portland, OR), reducing minimum parking requirements in areas served by multimodal infrastructure (Pasadena, CA), and allowing shared parking for mixed land uses (e.g., Montgomery County, MD).
Who can implement it?
Zoning regulations in cities and towns, authorized (but not required) under the Municipal Zoning Act (Title 76 Chapter 2 part 3 MCA), are overseen by a Zoning Commission, and approved by the local Council. Municipalities can propose extending their zoning outside city or town boundaries. County ordinances, authorized under the County Zoning Act (Title 76, Chapter 2, part 2, MCA), are overseen by a Planning Board and approved by the County Commission.
Planning and Zoning Districts for specific geographic areas can be created within a portion of a county through a landowner-initiated petition to the County Commission, which approves the district regulations after a public hearing. A planning and zoning commission for the district is appointed by the County Commission, as authorized by the County Zoning Act (Title 76, Chapter 2, Part 1, MCA). At least 60 percent of landowners within the District must sign a petition.
Subdivision Regulations are required for all cities, counties, and towns according to the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act (Title 76, Chapter 3 MCA). The most commonly applied planning and regulatory tool in the state, they regulate the division of land into lots of less than 160 acres that must comply with local growth policies and design standards, thus considering impacts to the natural environment, agricultural and water facilities, public health, safety, and local services. Local governments may use the subdivision ordinance to promote cluster development and preservation of open space.
Landowners who propose a major subdivision of six or more lots must provide an environmental impact assessment as well as land or monies for public parks, and the local government must conduct public hearings and document their approval process. Land divided among family members usually qualifies for Family Transfer Exemptions, and is not subject to subdivision requirements.
What are the keys to success and potential pitfalls?
All regulatory requirements must be made in accordance with the growth policy or a master plan, and must consider the character and value of the district where it is to be applied.
The advantage of using Planning and Zoning Districts as a mechanism for regulating land use is that landowners are committed to the plan, having usually drawn it up themselves, and it is easier to adopt policies for a small area rather than county-wide. However, the district plan may not be particularly consistent with county-wide or regional plans or policies regarding travel demand and environmental protection.
Like zoning, development permits can be set by cities, towns, counties, and county districts designated through landowner petitions. Two of the State's 12 fastest growing counties rely on permitting as their primary tool. Authorized by the Zoning Act (Title 76, Chapter 2, Part 1 (county) and 3 (city), permitting requires well-written documents and a strong development review process in order to be effective
Where has this strategy been applied?
Examples in Montana
City of Missoula Subdivision Guide and Toolbox
The City of Missoula has assembled an online guide to information and tools to assist with the City's subdivision approval process and provide links to documents from its Public Works Department. The information available from the web site provides developers with information needed for each stage of the subdivision review and approval process and provides links to interactive GIS mapping from the City, city engineering design criteria and standard drawings, as built drawings of existing infrastructure, and links to other city and state guidance and regulatory documents. The web site provides convenient and centralized location for the information most often needed for subdivision proposals
The Montana Department of Commerce's Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) has taken the lead in helping to develop model subdivision regulations for the State of Montana that can be used as an example and reference for local governments preparing or revising their own regulations. The agency periodically produces the Montana Model Subdivision Regulations, an advisory publication that reflects regulatory changes needed as a result of revisions to the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act made during legislative sessions.
Examples outside of Montana
Model Smart Growth Zoning Codes
The Growth Alternatives Alliance is a unique partnership of local governments, the building industry, business alliances, farming organizations, and nonprofit groups in California's San Joaquin Valley. Together with the Local Government Commission, the Growth Alternative Alliance developed a set of model Smart Growth Zoning Codes and introduced numerous San Joaquin Valley communities to these codes. Jurisdictions are taking action to incorporate the principles of these codes into their own plans and regulations
Model Transit-Oriented Development Zoning Overlay District
The Columbus, Ohio MPO, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), developed a zoning overlay district ordinance for local jurisdictions. The model ordinance is intended as a starting point that communities can modify to reflect local priorities. The model ordinance identifies permitted and restricted uses, minimum and maximum densities, parking requirements, and standards for building placement, design, and orientation.
PlanCheyenne, WY
Prior to adopting any regulatory mechanism, it is important to have established a vision for the community either by adopting a growth policy or master plan that has been vetted through the public process.
http://www.montanaplanners.org/
Resources for Growing Communities
Coordination & Consensus Building
Interagency Coordination
Planning and Policy
Design Standards & Policy
Dev. Extractions & Incentives
Financing Districts
Transportation & Land Use
-Eastern Planning Initiative (EPI), VA
-Missoula Urban Fringe Development Area (UFDA) Project, MT
-PlanCheyenne, WY
-Shasta/Tehama Regional Impact Fee Program, CA
-Sedona, AZ
-Windsor-Severance, CO
-City of Billings Arterial Construction Fee Program, MT
-City of Bozeman Transportation Impact Fee Program, MT
Montana Transportation Planning 101
Key Transportation Planning Resources
Assess & mitigate impacts of new development?
Connect individual developments?
Fund transportation improvements?
Identify & plan for transportation needs?
Plan for bicyclists, pedestrians & transit riders?
Prepare local land use plans?
Establish a vision & set goals?
Coordinate plans with agencies and stakeholders?
MDT Research Home
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You are here: Home > HEi Know > HEi News > New Vice-Chancellor for Derby
New Vice-Chancellor for Derby
The University of Derby has announced that Professor Kathryn Mitchell, currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London, will succeed Professor John Coyne to become its new Vice-Chancellor from September.
Professor Mitchell's current role at UWL includes special responsibility for academic provision and quality across the University. She previously held the senior positions of Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic and Student Support Services and Dean of Students.
Professor John Coyne retires from his role of Vice-Chancellor at the end of July after 11 years’ service at Derby and more than forty years in higher education.
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Award winners to meet Duke of Edinburgh
Published: 5:19 PM May 18, 2009 Updated: 6:02 PM December 11, 2020
THREE of Devon's Duke of Edinburgh's Award winners will have the honour of meeting The Earl of Wessex on Thursday, on the opening day of this year's Devon County Show.
THREE of Devon's Duke of Edinburgh's Award winners will have the honour of meeting The Earl of Wessex on Thursday, on the opening day of this year's Devon County Show. Two of them live locally.Natasha Douglas, 17 from Talaton, and Harry Parr, 19, from Seaton, will be presented to His Royal Highness Prince Edward, and be congratulated by him on their achievements.Dillon Hughes, Devon County Council's Principal Youth Officer, said: "These young people are just a small representation of the huge number of participants in the DofE in Devon. "They have all set themselves individual challenges, risen to meet these challenges and are to be congratulated on their achievements, particularly in the commitment they have shown to completing their DofE. "Devon is particularly fortunate in having such dedicated staff and volunteers working with participants in a wide range of settings across the County and their work is also to be acknowledged at this event."Natasha has achieved her Silver Award with St Margaret's School. She has undertaken volunteering work through religious education, developed her musical and sporting talents and went on an expedition on Exmoor which she used to produce some artwork.She will be accompanied by Elaine Clark, who is the leader in the school. Elaine has been involved with the DofE for many years and St Margaret's has a very strong reputation for getting significant numbers of girls through the Award at all levels.Harry has achieved his Gold Award with Kilmington Baptist Group. Currently at Bath University, Harry completed sports leadership coaching for Sidmouth Sharks Swimming Club, driving and road skills, swimming and an expedition to Mount Kenya on foot, with an exploration of the environment and a residential conservation project at Thornbridge OutdoorsHarry will be accompanied by Anna Cope, who is the leader of the group. Anna has worked with the group for a number of years and they have a steady number of young people achieving at all levels.
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Public Health & Policy > Health Policy
Supreme Court Turns Away Another Obamacare Challenge
— Won't hear suit alleging that ACA illegally originated in Senate
by Lawrence Hurley, Reuters Staff January 20, 2016
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. Supreme Court, which delivered major rulings in 2012 and 2015 preserving President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, on Tuesday declined to take up a new, long-shot challenge to Obamacare brought by an Iowa artist.
The court turned away an appeal by Matt Sissel, who had asserted that the 2010 Affordable Care Act violated the U.S. Constitution's requirement that revenue-raising legislation must originate in the House of Representatives, not in the Senate, as the healthcare law did.
The high court left in place a 2014 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholding a lower court's dismissal of the lawsuit, which was backed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group. The suit targeted the law's "individual mandate" that Americans obtain health insurance or pay a tax penalty.
In a 6-3 ruling last June, the Supreme Court rejected a conservative legal challenge and upheld nationwide tax subsidies crucial to the healthcare law. In 2012, the justices ruled 5-4 that the law's requirement that Americans obtain insurance or pay a penalty was authorized by the power of Congress to levy taxes.
A three-judge appeals court panel was unanimous in finding that Sissel's interpretation of the law was at odds with U.S. Supreme Court precedents, including the high court's ruling in 2012. The court found that the penalty for not obtaining insurance was a form of taxation.
The law was passed by Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress in 2010 over the unified opposition of Republicans, and conservatives who call the measure a government overreach have fought it since its inception. The landmark law was designed to provide healthcare for millions of uninsured Americans.
Obama this month vetoed legislation passed by the Republican-led Congress that would have dismantled the law.
In the spring, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case brought by religious groups seeking an exemption from a provision of the law that requires them to provide contraception coverage in their health insurance policies.
The case is Sissel v. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 15-543.
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Les Alouettes - Powered by Lightspeed since 2018
Montreal Alouettes increased ticket size by 44% with Lightspeed
Founded in 1946, the Montreal Alouettes are one of the biggest teams in Canadian football. Folded and revived twice, the team is now part of popular culture in Quebec; through victory and defeat, Montreal’s Alouettes have rallied thousands of football fans in La Belle Province.
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10 home games in Montréal every year: that’s the number of chances the Alouettes get to physically sell their merchandise to fans. Renting the McGill University stadium for their matches, the football team gets the keys 48 hours before each game and gives them back 24 hours after. Within that time frame, everything has to be ready; the 9 retail stores stocked, the staff trained and the POS updated with the latest products. With a tight schedule and 23,000 fans standing by, there’s no room for error. The brand also sought out a way to make merchandise available to fans in between the games.
When time and space are of the essence, staff can’t be struggling with the POS and managing a massive flow of customers. All 9 locations sell different stock, and with Lightspeed, staff know exactly where every item is and can redirect a customer to the right location without losing the sale and avoiding confused traffic in the alleys. Lightspeed and the Alouettes teamed up to create the ideal customer experience, and it’s working; average ticket sizes increased by 44% last year. What’s more, adding online retail stores powered by Lightspeed eCom means Alouettes fans now have a way to buy merchandise between games, and the brand can expand its reach far beyond the stadium.
The Alouettes grew their merchandise ticket size with Lightspeed
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Combine living in Montreal, one of North America’s most bikeable cities, with an eco-friendly approach to bike customization, and you get...
The UK’s largest bike manufacturer, Brompton Bicycle builds and designs their unique folding bikes in London. Conceived in 1975 by Andrew Ritchie,...
Family businesses don’t only come with all your favorite items, but with a soul and history, too. Alpine Cycles grew from one family’s love of...
Two Monkeys isn’t just about giving cyclists the equipment they need—it’s a community of like-minded people who share a passion for cycling. In...
No one is more passionate about cycling than Edwin Morel. Originally from the Dominican Republic, he became the junior national cycling champion at...
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More than 98,000 deaths involving Covid now recorded in UK
Almost half of the hospital deaths in England and Wales registered during the last week of 2020 involved coronavirus
Neil ShawNetwork Content Editor
More than 98,000 deaths involving Covid-19 have now occurred in the UK, new figures show.
A total of 93,030 deaths have so far been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the latest reports from the UK’s statistics agencies.
This includes 84,449 deaths in England and Wales up to January 1, which were confirmed by the ONS on Tuesday.
Since these statistics were compiled, a further 4,869 deaths have occurred in England, plus 117 in Scotland, 245 in Wales and 118 in Northern Ireland, according to additional data published on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.
Together, these totals mean that so far 98,379 deaths involving Covid-19 have taken place in the UK.
When you can drink coffee outside in lockdown in England, and when you can't
Probe launched after picture shared of £30 free school meal hamper
Five regions of England recorded an increase in registered Covid-19 deaths in the week to January 1, the ONS said – although the number of registrations across England will have been impacted by the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day bank holidays.
In south-east England, 523 deaths were registered in the week to January 1, up from 415 in the previous week and the highest since the week to May 15.
London had 492 Covid-19 deaths, up from 299 and the highest since the week to May 1.
North-west England had 359 deaths, up from 343; eastern England 325, up from 301; and south-west England 158, up from 155
A total of 3,144 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending January 1 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is up from 2,912 deaths in the week to December 25 and is the highest weekly figure since the week ending May 15.
The ONS said the number of registrations will have been affected by the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day bank holidays.
Nearly a third (31.2%) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to January 1 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
Policing minister explains what 'local' means in exercise rules
Sainsbury's brings in new lockdown shopping rules
Almost half of the hospital deaths in England and Wales registered during the last week of 2020 involved coronavirus, new figures show.
There were 3,144 deaths registered in the week ending January 1 which mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Of the 4,956 deaths registered which occurred in hospitals, 47.7% involved coronavirus, up from 40.2% the previous week.
And deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes accounted for more than a quarter (27.6%) of all deaths in care homes registered during the seven-day period.
The ONS said that next week it will release a new dataset on the weekly deaths of care home residents.
The figures show the number of registered coronavirus deaths is up 8.0% (232 deaths) from the previous week, while the number of overall deaths fell.
Of the 10,069 deaths registered, 31.2% mentioned Covid-19 – the highest proportion of deaths involving the virus since the week ending May 1.
The ONS said the latest figures should be interpreted with caution as the period covered includes two bank holidays, meaning there is likely to have been a delay in some registrations.
A decrease between these weeks is usually observed because of the impact of the Christmas bank holidays.
The number of excess deaths that have occurred in private homes in England and Wales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has now passed 40,000.
Excess deaths are the number of deaths that are above the average for the corresponding period in the previous five years.
There were 40,114 excess deaths in homes in England and Wales registered between March 7 2020 and January 1 2021, according to the ONS.
Of this total, 3,881 – 10% – were deaths involving Covid-19.
Any death involving Covid-19 is counted as an excess death because Covid-19 did not exist before 2020.
NHSMap shows places in Lincolnshire with lowest coronavirus rates - including one place where the virus is 'suppressed'An area near the coast has less than three cases
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Home|Legal updates|NINTH CIRCUIT DISCUSSES EXCESSIVE FORCE
On January 23, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided Del Valle v. Thorne and Del Valle v. Zastrow[i], in which the court examined whether two deputies were entitled to qualified immunity for an alleged use of excessive force under the Fourth Amendment. The relevant facts of Del Valle, taken directly from the case, are as follows:
In September 2016, Thorne and Zastrow, who were then Sonoma County deputy sheriffs, responded to a neighbor’s call about a domestic dispute at Del Valle’s house. The neighbor reported that the dispute sounded verbal, not physical, and that Del Valle’s wife sounded like the aggressor. The deputies arrived to find Del Valle alone in a locked bedroom. Bodycam footage shows that when Thorne kicked open the door and entered, Del Valle was lying shirtless on the bed, using a cellphone with both hands in view. Thorne ordered Del Valle several times to stand up. Del Valle did not do so, instead stating calmly that he was calling his lawyer. Thorne reached out four times to grab Del Valle’s right forearm, and each time Del Valle pulled his arm out of Thorne’s grasp. On the fifth occasion, Thorne appeared to reach for Del Valle’s cellphone, causing Del Valle to push Thorne’s arm away. Immediately, Thorne discharged his taser into Del Valle’s bare chest from close range. Several seconds later, Thorne struck Del Valle’s right knee with a baton.[ii]“
Additionally, Deputy Zastrow, allegedly held Del Valle’s legs while Deputy Thorne struck him with baton and applied a six-second carotid restraint.
Del Valle filed suit and alleged that Deputy Thorne violated his right to be free from unreasonable, excessive force under the Fourth Amendment by tasing him. He also sued Deputy Zastrow and alleged that he violated his right to be free from unreasonable, excessive force under the Fourth Amendment as an “integral participant,” even though he did not use force against Del Valle. The deputies filed motions for qualified immunity and the district court denied the motions. The deputies then appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The first issue before the court of appeals was whether Deputy Thorne was entitled to qualified immunity from suit. In order to defeat the deputy’s motion for qualified immunity, a plaintiff must meet a two-pronged test.
First, the plaintiff must show that his constitutional rights were violated. Second, the plaintiff must then show that the law was “clearly established” such that any reasonable deputy in the same situation would have known that the conduct was unlawful under the constitution.
The court then set out to determine the first prong of the test for qualified immunity, particularly whether Deputy Thorne violated the Fourth Amendment. The court used the factors from Graham v. Connor[iii] to analyze whether the force used by Deputy Thorne was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. The factors the court considered are (1) the seriousness of the crime(s) Del Valle committed, (2) whether Del Valle posed a threat to the officer or others, and (3) whether Del Valle actively resisted.
The court of appeals first noted that Del Valle had not committed any serious crimes. Second, the court noted that Del Valle had not been verbally or physically aggressive and did not pose a threat to anyone. Lastly, the court noted that, while Del Valle did actively resist Deputy Thorne’s attempts to grab his arm and his phone, this “resistance did not involve any violent actions towards the officers.”[iv] Therefore, the court of appeals held that Deputy Thorne’s use of force in this situation was violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The court then set out to determine the second prong of test for qualified immunity, particularly whether the law was “clearly established” such that a reasonable deputy in the same situation would have known the use of the taser violated the Fourth Amendment. Regarding this, the court of appeals stated
[I]t was clearly established at the time of Thorne’s actions that discharging a taser on a non-threatening individual who had not committed a serious crime and had not engaged in aggressive or violent resistance would violate the Fourth Amendment. See Mattos, 661 F.3d at 445-46; see also Bonivert v. City of Clarkston, 883 F.3d 865, 880 (9th Cir. 2018).[v]
Therefore, the court of appeals affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for Deputy Thorne.
The court then set out to determine if Deputy Zastrow was entitled to qualified immunity. Del Valle acknowledge that Deputy Zastrow did not personally use force against him, but rather held his legs as Deputy Thorne struck him with a baton and administered a six-second carotid restraint hold. As such, Del Valle argued that Deputy Zastrow was liable as an “integral participant” to Deputy Thorne’s use of excessive force.
The court of appeals examined the law related to liability as an “integral participant.” The court stated
A defendant officer may be held liable as an integral participant in another officer’s constitutional violation if the defendant was “aware of the [other officer’s] decision” to violate the law, “did not object to it,” and “participated in some meaningful way” in the violation. Boyd v. Benton County, 374 F.3d 773, 780 (9th Cir. 2004).[vi]
Regarding the six-second carotid restraint, Deputy Zastrow stated that he did not know that Deputy Thorn was doing that because Thorne’s body blocked his view. Del Valle offered no evidence to dispute Deputy Zastrow’s account. Regarding the baton strikes, the court stated that Del Valle did not present any evidence to show that Deputy Zastrow was aware that Deputy Thorne was about to use his baton and did not present any evidence to show that Deputy Zastrow had an opportunity to object to the use of the baton. The court further noted that under the circumstances, the use of the baton occurred with “minimal forewarning.”[vii]
Therefore, the court of appeals held that Del Valle failed to show that Deputy Zastrow violated his rights by being an “integral participant” and, as such, he was entitled to qualified immunity.
[i] No. 19-15313, 19-15350 (9th Cir. Decided January 23, 2020 Unpublished)
[ii] Id. at 2-3
[iii] 490 U.S. 386 (1989)
[iv] Del Valle at 3-4
[v] Id. at 4 (emphasis added)
[vi] Id. (emphasis added)
[vii] Id. at 5
By Brian S. Batterton, J.D.|2020-12-08T09:20:15-05:00December 8th, 2020|Legal updates|
About the Author: Brian S. Batterton, J.D.
Brian Batterton is an attorney in the State of Georgia and currently a Lieutenant with the Cobb County Police Department. He has been in law enforcement since 1994 and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1999 from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. He has served as an officer in Uniform Patrol, a detective in Criminal Investigations, a Corporal in the Training Unit and as a Sergeant in Uniform Patrol. Brian is currently assigned as the Legal Officer to the Chief of Police. In addition to his work at the police department, he also lectures for the Legal and Liability Risk Management Institute (LLRMI) on both criminal law and procedure topics, as well as, police civil liability.
Indianapolis Web Design
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Enfield, N. J. (2013). Relationship thinking: Agency, enchrony, and human sociality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ernestus, M. (2013). Halve woorden [Inaugural lecture]. Nijmegen: Radboud University.
Rede uitgesproken bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van hoogleraar Psycholinguïstiek aan de Faculteit der Letteren van de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen op vrijdag 18 januari 2013
Guarin, A., Haun, D. B. M., & Messner, D. (2013). Behavioral dimensions of international cooperation. Duisburg: Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2361423.
Haun, D. B. M., & Wertenbruch, M. (2013). Forschungen und Entwicklungen zum Konzept der Ehre als Potential für Konflikte zwischen Kulturen bzw. als Hindernis für Integration. Wien: Österreichischen Integrationsfonds.
Hofmeister, P., & Norcliffe, E. (Eds.). (2013). The core and the periphery: Data-driven perspectives on syntax inspired by Ivan A. Sag. Stanford, CA: CSLI publications.
This book is a collection of papers inspired by the linguistics career of Ivan Sag, written to celebrate his many contributions to the field. Ivan has been a professor of linguistics at Stanford University since 1979, has been the directory of the Symbolic Systems program (2005-2009), has authored, co-authored, or edited fifteen volumes in linguistics, and has been at the forefront of non-transformational approaches to syntax. Reflecting the breath of Ivan's theoretical interests and approaches to linguistic problems, the papers here tackle a range of grammar-related issues using corpora, intuitions, and laboratory experiments. They are united by their use of and commitment to rich datasets and the shared perspective that the best theories of grammar attempt to account for the full diversity and complexity of language data.
Levelt, W. J. M. (2013). A history of psycholinguistics: The pre-Chomskyan era. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Describes the history of the field in terms of its multidisciplinary "roots" so that readers from different disciplines can concentrate on, or selectively read, the corresponding chapters. * Explores the history of research on brain and language, making the book valuable for aphasiologists, communication scientists and neuroscientists of language. * Covers the history of linguistic approaches to psycholinguistics - making the book of interest to both theoretical and applied linguists. * Written by a scientist whose own contribution to the field has been seminal, resulting in a work that will be seen as the definitive of psycholinguistics, for many years to come How do we manage to speak and understand language? How do children acquire these skills and how does the brain support them?These psycholinguistic issues have been studied for more than two centuries. Though many Psycholinguists tend to consider their history as beginning with the Chomskyan "cognitive revolution" of the late 1950s/1960s, the history of empirical psycholinguistics actually goes back to the end of the 18th century. This is the first book to comprehensively treat this "pre-Chomskyan" history. It tells the fascinating history of the doctors, pedagogues, linguists and psychologists who created this discipline, looking at how they made their important discoveries about the language regions in the brain, about the high-speed accessing of words in speaking and listening, on the child's invention of syntax, on the disruption of language in aphasic patients and so much more. The book is both a history of ideas as well of the men and women whose intelligence, brilliant insights, fads, fallacies, cooperations, and rivalries created this discipline. Psycholinguistics has four historical roots, which, by the end of the 19th century, had merged. By then, the discipline, usually called the psychology of language, was established. The first root was comparative linguistics, which raised the issue of the psychological origins of language. The second root was the study of language in the brain, with Franz Gall as the pioneer and the Broca and Wernicke discoveries as major landmarks. The third root was the diary approach to child development, which emerged from Rousseau's Émile. The fourth root was the experimental laboratory approach to speech and language processing, which originated from Franciscus Donders' mental chronometry. Wilhelm Wundt unified these four approaches in his monumental Die Sprache of 1900. These four perspectives of psycholinguistics continued into the 20th century but in quite divergent frameworks. There was German consciousness and thought psychology, Swiss/French and Prague/Viennese structuralism, Russian and American behaviorism, and almost aggressive holism in aphasiology. As well as reviewing all these perspectives, the book looks at the deep disruption of the field during the Third Reich and its optimistic, multidisciplinary re-emergence during the 1950s with the mathematical theory of communication as a major impetus. A tour de force from one of the seminal figures in the field, this book will be essential reading for all linguists, psycholinguists, and psychologists with an interest in language. Readership: Linguists, psychologists, aphasiologists, communication scientists, cognitive (neuro-)scientists, whether professionals or graduate students. Historians of science
Matić, D., & Lavrillier, A. (Eds.). (2013). Even Nimkans by Dar'ja Osenina. Dar'ja Osenina ewedi nimkar. Evenskie nimkany Dar'ji Oseniny. Fürstenberg: Kulturstiftung Sibirien.
Seuren, P. A. M. (2013). From Whorf to Montague: Explorations in the theory of language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Stivers, T., & Sidnell, J. (Eds.). (2013). The handbook on conversation analysis. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Presenting a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of theoretical and descriptive research in the field, The Handbook of Conversation Analysis brings together contributions by leading international experts to provide an invaluable information resource and reference for scholars of social interaction across the areas of conversation analysis, discourse analysis, linguistic anthropology, interpersonal communication, discursive psychology and sociolinguistics. Ideal as an introduction to the field for upper level undergraduates and as an in-depth review of the latest developments for graduate level students and established scholars Five sections outline the history and theory, methods, fundamental concepts, and core contexts in the study of conversation, as well as topics central to conversation analysis Written by international conversation analysis experts, the book covers a wide range of topics and disciplines, from reviewing underlying structures of conversation, to describing conversation analysis' relationship to anthropology, communication, linguistics, psychology, and sociology
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Planetary Health Daily
Makropedia.com
Dietary fats are essential to human growth and development. Fat and oil (which is fat in a liquid form) supply deep, internal heat and warmth, insulate the body, and contribute to the metabolism of vitamins A, D, E, and K. Traditional diets contain about 10 to 15 percent fat, while the modern way of eating averages 35 to 45 percent. The quality of fat also differs. Whole grains, beans, vegetables, and other plant-quality foods are high in polyunsaturated fats, while meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products are high in saturated fat, which is converted into cholesterol in the body and associated with obesity, gallbladder and liver disorders, and higher risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Monounsaturated fat, found in certain seeds and oils, falls in between polyunsaturated and saturated in its digestibility and effects.
Omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, are found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, flaxseed, fish, and several other foods. DHA is found in human breast milk. These fats lower lipid levels, reduce clotting, reduce blood pressure, and help protect against heart disease, certain cancers, arthritis, mental illness, and other disorders.
Polyunsaturated oils contain “essential” fatty acids, which promote healthy skin and hair, contribute to proper blood and its circulation, promote proper thyroid and adrenal activity, and help circulate and breakdown cholesterol. These include linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid. (Linoleic and arachidonic acids are omega-6 fatty acids that encourage blood clot formation, unlike alpha-linoleic acid which is an omega-3 fatty acid which reduces clot formation.) Unrefined vegetable quality oils are excellent sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids, while nori, peanuts, and animal products are high in omega-6 fatty acids. An imbalance in the ratio of omega3 to omega-6 oils can lead to skin disorders such as eczema and dry, flaky skin; hair loss; nail problems, varicose veins, low body weight, infertility, retarded growth, and impaired immune function.
Hydrogenated vegetable oils, also known as trans-fatty acids, such as margarine and soy margarine, can elevate cholesterol levels and have effects as harmful as the animal foods they replace. Polyunsaturated oils are susceptible to rancidity and should be properly stored and kept away from the light. See Alzheimer’s Disease, Attention-Deficit Disorder, Breast Cancer, Cholesterol, Colitis, Colon Cancer, Crohn’s Disease, Diabetes, Fish, Hemorrhoids, Hiatus Hernia, Impotence, Infertility, Lupus, Mental Illness, Multiple Sclerosis, Olestra, Paleolithic Diet, Premenstrual Syndrome, Skin Disorders, Smoking, Tofu, Triglycerides.
Dietary fiber is the indigestible part of whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Fiber in grains, beans, and vegetables protects against diverticulitis, polyps, and colon cancer, as well as lowers LDL cholesterol. See Acne, Complex Carbohydrates, Heart Disease, Obesity, Water, Whole Grains.
• Fiber Protects Against Breast Cancer
A diet high in fiber can significantly lower the reproductive hormone estradiol in women with breast cancer, according to researchers at the University of California at San Diego. Estradiol is a steroid hormone associated with increased risk of the disease. In the study, 291 women with breast cancer were evaluated after one year of dietary intervention. Those who increased their consumption of fiber, vegetables, and fruits, and who reduced fat, had less available estradiol. The scientists concluded that the high-fiber diet could help prevent cancer recurrence and prolong survival.
Source: C. L. Rock et al., “Effects of a High-Fiber, Low-Fat Diet Intervention on Serum Concentrations of Reproductive Steroid Hormones in Women with a History of Breast Cancer,” J Clin Oncol 22:2379-87, 2004.
• Fiber Protects Against Heart Attacks
In a study of nearly 44,000 men, Harvard researchers reported that men who ate at least 25 grams of fiber a day had 36 percent fewer heart attacks over a six-year period. "This suggests there truly is an association with high fiber intake and lowered heart disease. But it also suggests it is not just due to cholesterol lowering," said Eric B. Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health. The scientists reported that meals high in fiber are more filling since fibers soaks up water in the intestinal tract and reduces total caloric consumption. Fiber reduces blood clotting factors that can clog or obstruct coronary arteries, and high-fiber foods slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream and thus reduce the release of insulin. Elevated blood sugar and insulin levels are a coronary risk factor.
Source: Eric B. Rimm, “Vegetable, Fruit, and Cereal Fiber Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Among Men,” Journal of the American Medical Association 275(6):447-51, 1996.
Fibromyalgia, a potentially crippling disease involving aches, pains, and stiffness in muscles, tendons, and soft tissues, affects primarily adolescent girls and younger women.
A small volume of fish or seafood is a part of many traditional cultures and cuisines. The most healthful is white-meat fish (such as cod, haddock, flounder, trout). It contains less fat and oil than red-meat and blue-skinned varieties. Women and girls generally eat less fish than men and boys. Clams, shrimp, oysters, and other seafood are generally high in cholesterol or saturated fat.
Most healthful cooking methods are poached, steamed, or boiled. Ocean fish are usually less polluted than inland fish, which can easily accumulate harmful PCBS, pesticides, heavy metals, toxic blooms, and estrogens.
Fish and fish oil are high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) —such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—which are being extensively studied by the medical profession for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, and auto-immune disorders. See Alzheimer’s Disease, Cerebral Palsey, Environment, Menstrual Disorders, Water.
• Toxins in Fish Pose Heart Risk
Mercury, a dangerous toxin that accumulates in fish and seafood, can increase the risk of heart disease, as well as negate the cardiovascular benefits of fish. In a study of 1871 men, Finnish researchers found that those with the highest mercury content were 60 percent more likely to suffer an acute coronary event and 68 percent more likely to contract heart disease. Mercury levels were directly associated with fish consumption.
Source: J. K. Virtanen et al., “Mercury, Fish Oils, and Risk of Acute Coronary Events and Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, and All-Cause Mortality in Men in Eastern Finland,” Arterioslcer Throb Vasc Biol 25:228-33, 2005.
• Fish Intake Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
In a study of 18,115 Japanese men, researchers found that those who ate fish products four or more times each week had a 54 percent higher risk of developing prostate cancer than men who consumed fish or seafood twice a week or less.
Source: N. E. Allen et al., “A Prospective Study of Diet and Prostate Cancer in Japanese Men,” Cancer Causes Control 15:911-20, 2004.
• Fish Consumption Helps Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis
In a case-control study at the University of Washington, researchers reported that women who consumed broiled or baked fish once or twice a week had up to 58 percent less risk of rheumatoid arthritis than women who didn’t eat fish.
Source: J. A. Shapiro et al., “Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women,” Epidemiology 7(3):3256-63, 1996.
• Fish May Protect against Multiple Sclerosis
In a review of the effects of fish and fish oils on human health and sickness, British researchers reported that diets high in these substances “may be of use as a therapy for acute and chronic inflammation and for disorders which involve an inappropriately activated immune response” such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Source: P. C. Calder, “N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cytokine Production in Health and Disease,” Annuals of Nutritional Metabolism 41(4):203-34, 1997.
• Fish Protects Against Cardiac Arrest
People who ate three ounces of fish a week were only half as likely to suffer cardiac arrest as those who ate no fish, according to University of Washington researchers. The salmon and other seafood tested in the study, including herring, mackerel, and anchovies and other fish and shellfish, were high in omega-3 oils which are believed to regulate electrolytes, chemical compounds containing calcium, potassium, sodium, and others, in cells. Approximately half the people who die of heart disease annually suffer cardiac arrest, during which the electrical impulses that regulate the heart's rhythm fail to function properly.
Source: David S. Siscovick, “Dietary Intake and Cell Membrane Levels of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest,” Journal of the American Medical Association 274(17)1363-67, 1995.
• Fish Oil Cuts Risk of Mental Illness
Eating fish may protect against manic-depression and schizophrenia. Dr. Joseph R. Hibbein, chief of the outpatient clinic at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said that major depression is 60 times more prevalent in some countries than others. Consumption of fish, high in omega-3 fatty acids, appears to be an “important protective factor.” Higher levels of two omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are correlated with higher levels of serotonin, a brain chemical whose deficiency is associated with depression, suicide, and violent behavior. In one study of 18 suicidal patients, higher levels of EPA in the blood were linked to increased risk of self-destructive behavior.
In a case-control study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, 25 patients with bipolar disorder, which affects 2 million Americans, who were given 10 grams a day of omega-3 (equivalent to several servings of fish) showed relapse rates dramatically lower than a control group taking olive oil. In England, Dr. Malcolm Peet, head of psychiatry at the University of Sheffield, reported that lower levels of fatty acids were found in people with schizophrenia and that ingestion of the omega-3 oils lessened the severity of their symptoms.
Source: Judy Foreman, “Fish Oil Seen Cutting Risk of Mental Illness,” Boston Globe, September 4, 1998.
Five Transformations
In traditional Far Eastern philosophy and medicine, the universal process of change, symbolized by the complementary opposites yin and yang, can be refined further into five stages of transformation. The electromagnetic energy or vibration (ki) generated between poles of outward and upward moving centrifugal (yin) force and inward and downward moving centripetal (yang) force can be classified into five basic types:
• Upward Energy: light, upward movement arises and starts to become active (Tree phase)
• Active Energy: expansion reaches a peak, diffusing actively in all directions (Fire phase)
• Downward Energy: at its extreme, yin turns to yang and the contractive half of the cycle begins. Solidification or condensation begins with a downward or sinking energy (Soil phase)
• Gathering Energy: the contractive tendency reaches its most compact, crystallized state, producing gathering energy (Metal phase)
• Floating Energy: Under continuing pressure, yang turns back to yin. Solidification begins to dissolve and expansion, arises
In the Far East, the five phases corresponded with all natural cycles and rhythms, including the seasons, times of day, phases of the moon, tastes, senses, and personal and social cycles.
• Five Phases and Nursing Care
Mainstream medical providers are beginning to incorporate holistic and alternative approaches. In a review of traditional Far Eastern medicine, a researcher reported in a major nursing journal that modern health professionals are often unaware of the complex Chinese culture that influences their patients’ responses to care. “In order to provide culturally sensitive care for this population, the complex Chinese traditional philosophies, such as the theory of yin and yang and the five phases, as well as the philosophies related to the concept of personhood including Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism“ should be examined. These theories and philosophies not only “influence Chinese patients’ values and beliefs, but also determine their perceptions of health, illness, and nursing care.” Understanding this model has broad implications for surgical cardiovascular nursing practice, the researcher concluded.
Source: F. J. Shih, “Concepts Related to Chinese Patients’ Perceptions of Health, Illness, and Person: Issues of Conceptual Clarity,” Accidental and Emergency Nursing 4(4):208-15, 1996.
• Americans Highly Satisfied with Oriental Medicine
In the first in-depth, large-scale survey of acupuncture users in the U.S., a researcher reported that users tended to be middle aged, well-educated, employed, and making mid incomes. Users sought care for a variety of conditions, especially musculoskeletal problems, mood fluctuations, and wellness care. A large majority reported “disappearance” or “improvement” of symptoms, improved quality of life, and reduced use of selected measures including prescription drugs and surgery. Overall, they expressed extremely high satisfaction with Chinese medical care based on a health model utilizing yin and yang and the five phases.
Source: C. M. Cassidy, “Chinese Medicine Users in the United States,” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 4(1):17-27, 1998.
Flavanoids
A family of phytochemicals that act as antioxidants and protect against blood clotting, atherosclerosis, and cancer development. Foods high in flavonoids include most vegetables and fruits as well as red wine and tea. Bioflavonids refer to the biologically active or available compounds in this class of substances. See Antioxidants, Phytochemicals, Wine.
Flaxseed, derived from the seed of the plant from which linen and linseed oil are made, is high in dietary fiber, lignans, linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid), and phytochemicals that inhibit inflammation of the joints, lower cholesterol, and prevent tumor formation. It is generally taken as a supplement and not used in cooking.
Fluoride, a compound that protects against tooth decay, was added to many municipal water systems beginning in 1945. At present, an estimated two-thirds of the American people live in communities with fluoridated water. While fluoridation has reduced cavities, rates of other disorders may have increased, including damage to the bones, thyroid gland, and immune function. As a result, several European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, and Belgium, have discontinued treating water with fluoride. France and Norway never started it. In the U.S., Kansas, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Hawaii have recently rejected proposals for fluoridation, and voters in Santa Cruz refused to allocate money for fluoridation following a mandatory law passed by the California legislature.
Fluorite, a compound of calcium and fluoride that occurs naturally, is used in Oriental medicine as a tranquilizer. Prozac, the modern antidepressant drug, utilizes fluoride as an active ingredient. In food, fluorine naturally occurs in rice, rye, parsley, cabbage, sea vegetables, and bancha twig tea. See Water.
• Dental Association Says No to Fluoride for Infants
Reversing a longstanding policy, the American Dental Association warned in 2006 that fluoridated water should not be mixed into formula or foods intended for babies one year or younger. “Infants could receive a greater than optimal amount of fluoride through liquid concentrate or powdered baby formula that has been mixed with water containing fluoride during a time that their developing teeth may be susceptible to enamel fluorisis,” the association stated. It recommended using fluoride-free water instead. The ADA’s action came following similar findings by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Research Council.
Source: “No Fluoride for Infants, Say Dentists,” PRNewswire, November 13, 2006.
• Fluoridation Damages Bones
In a review of recent scientific literature, Australian scientists reported “a consistent pattern of evidence” showing that fluoridation damages bones, leading to hip fractures, skeletal fluorosis, osteosarcomas, and other disorders. Moreover, they argue there is accumulating evidence that fluoridation is of negligible benefit for teeth. They conclude by calling for an open and frank consideration of unfavorable scientific evidence by the public health community.
Source: M. Diesendorf et al, “New Evidence on Fluoridation,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 21(2):187-90, 1997.
• Fluoride Linked to Lower IQ
A Chinese study linked consumption of fluoridated water with IQ deficiencies. Children’s intelligence measured lower in all age groups in the high fluoride regions compared to the low fluoride regions for all age groups. The study also found that fluoride could lead to neurological damage of the embryo in the womb.
Source: Richard G. Foulkes, M.D., “The Fluoride Connection,” Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, April 1998.
• Fluoride Produces Alzheimer-Like Symptoms
In laboratory studies, rats exposed to low levels of fluoride (similar to municipal tap water) produced neurological changes equivalent to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Source: J. A. Verner et al., “Chronic Administration of Aluminum-Fluoride or Sodium Fluoride to Rats in the Drinking Water,” Journal of Brain Research 784(1-2):284-98, 1998.
• Fluoridation’s Origin as an Industrial Waste and Byproduct of the A-Bomb
According to health researcher Gary Null, fluoridation began in the 1940s when the aluminum and phosphate fertilizer industries convinced Grand Rapids, Mich., to become the first community to dump fluoride, an abundant hazardous waste product, into its drinking water. Waging a “public disinformation campaign” on the basis of a questionable 1930s study showing that water with traces of the compound reduced tooth decay, the chemical industries turned a potential pollution problem into a windfall profit.
Meanwhile, according to medical writers Joel Griffiths and Chris Bryson, large amounts of fluoride were used during the Manhattan Project, the secret development of the atomic bomb. Following an accident in 1944 near a DuPont manufacturing site in New Jersey that caused livestock death and human illness, the government blocked a lawsuit by farmers. To allay public fear of fluoride after the war, the chief fluoride toxicologist for the Manhattan Project promoted the compound’s beneficial effects on “tooth health.” “Much of the original proof that fluoride is safe for humans in low doses was generated by A-bomb program scientists who had been secretly ordered to provide ‘evidence useful in litigation’ against defense contractors for fluoride injury to citizens.”
Sources: Gary Null, Ph.D., “The Fluoridation Fiasco,” manuscript; Joel Griffiths and Chris Bryson, “Toxic Secrets: Fluoride & The A-Bomb Program,” Nexus, April-May, 1998.
Folate is a B vitamin found in grains and green leafy vegetables such as brussels sprouts and fruits such as apples and oranges can help prevent birth defects. Studies indicate that pregnant women who take adequate amounts of folic acid can cut the rate of birth defects in half. In 1998, the U.S. Government required that folate be added to all refined grains. The term folate includes all nutritional forms of this vitamin including folic acid and folacin. See Alzheimer’s Disease, Microwave, Prenatal Nutrition, Vitamin B-6.
• Foods High in Folic Acid Protect Against Heart Attacks and Strokes
Tufts University researchers report that folic acid might also help reduce heart attacks and strokes by up to 40 percent. Homocysteine levels in the body are associated with increased risk of heart attacks and strokes and folic acid appears to lower homocysteine.
Source: "Vitamin Deficiency Is Said to Cause heart Attacks, Strokes," Boston Globe, July 25, 1995.
Food Costs
Item for item, natural and organic foods cost more than conventional foods. However, overall, the typical natural foods household saves an estimated $1000 a year or more per person in food costs compared to the modern diet high in meat, poultry, dairy foods, and highly processed foods. In terms of increased energy, less illness, and longer life, as well as a calmer, more peaceful mind and a healthier environment, natural foods repay themselves many times over. Ultimately, they are the single best investment an individual or family can make in the course of their life. See Environment.
• Medical Savings
In a study of health care costs, the Philadelphia Dietetic Association presented brief case histories of 12 patients who saved up to $80,000 each in medical costs through nutrition therapy.
Source: Philadelphia Dietetic Association, “Medical Nutrition Therapy Improves Health and Reduces Cost,” 1997.
In 1992, the U.S. government adopted the Food Guide Pyramid, calling for Americans to consume substantially more whole grains and vegetables and cut down on meat, dairy products, fats, oils, and sweets. The Pyramid replaced the Basic Four Food Groups (including high amounts of meat and dairy) and was distributed to millions of schools, hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. See Exercise.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1992.
• 1% of Children Meet Pyramid Guidelines
Only 1 percent of children two to 19 in America meet Government recommendations for a healthy diet (summarized in the Food Guide Pyramid). A national study found that children receive on average 40 percent of their calories from fat and sugar instead of a balanced diet. Sixteen percent of the 3307 young people surveyed did not meet any of the guidelines. Only 30 percent met the recommendations for grain, fruit, and animal products, while 36 percent ate the suggested amount of vegetables.
Source: "Few Young People Eat Wisely, Study Shows," Boston Globe, September 3, 1997.
About 9,000 people die every year in the United States from food poisoning or gastroenteritis. E coli O157:H7 bacteria, which come from the intestines of cattle, are transmitted by eating undercooked beef or contaminated milk. This highly toxic strain causes bloody diarrhea and cramps and can lead to kidney damage or death. Other common causes are staphylococcal food poisoning, and eating poisoned mushrooms, seafood, plants, and shrubs. Salmonella is a food-borne disease that causes 800,000 to 4 million illnesses a year in the U.S. and from 960 to 1920 deaths. It is associated with infected meat, poultry, raw milk, eggs, and egg products. One type of Salmonella causes typhoid fever. See Chemicals, Microwave, Natto, Nori, Sea Vegetables.
• Contamination Found in Pasteurized Milk and Other Foods
Potentially harmful bacteria were found in high numbers in commercial samples of retail fish, minced meat, and pasteurized milk and cream in a Swedish study. Some of the fish and meat also tested positive for toxic E. coli bacteria.
Source: A. M. Lindberg et al., “Enterobacteriaceae Found in High Numbers in Fish, Minced Meat, and Pasteurised Milk or Cream and the Presence of Toxin Encoding Genes,” International Journal of Food Microbiology 39(1-2):11-17, 1998.
Freedom of Health
Freedom of choice in health care has become a major social and political issue. Over the last decade, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has introduced legislation in most states to monopolize nutritional and dietary counseling. The macrobiotic and holistic health communities have vigorously opposed these laws on constitutional, religious, and medical grounds, arguing that freedom of choice is protected by the 14th Amendment, freedom of religion, and that the ADA is acting as a front for the meat and dairy interests. (ADA practitioners commonly prepare hospital and school nutritional guidelines and are reportedly subsidized by the meat, dairy, sugar, and fast food industries.) Community-based coalitions have defeated monopoly legislation in many states (with the support of some progressive ADA members), but restrictive bills (including criminal penalties for offenders) have passed in many others. The campaign continues. See BGH.
Food Disparagement Laws: More recently, agribusiness companies and food industries, such as the beef, sugar, and dairy industries, have lobbied for passage of food disparagement laws that ban public criticism of a food or food product based on “junk science” claims. Anyone who speaks out against the health dangers of such foods would face million-dollar law suits.
Twelve states, including Texas, New Jersey, Florida, and California, have already passed legislation limiting public criticism. Monsanto Chemical Co., which makes Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), the first genetically approved product, is reportedly suing the State of Vermont, natural foods stores, and supermarkets that refuse to carry milk from cows fed BGH because the FDA has approved this product and the company claims consumer boycotts are scientifically groundless and disparage their industry.
In 1997, Oprah Winfrey won a landmark lawsuit in Texas where she was sued by cattlemen for stating that she would never again eat hamburger because of the danger of mad cow disease.
Free radicals, highly unstable molecules produced when the body metabolizes oxygen, can damage cells and tissues, contribute to the build up of cholesterol, and promote tumors. Though naturally found in the body, excessive free radicals are associated with foods high in unsaturated fat; low in grains, vegetables, and fruit; smoking; air pollution; and a sedentary lifestyle. Foods high in antioxidants reduce free radicals and protect against disease. See Antioxidants, Carotenoids, Vitamins A, C, and E.
As part of a balanced diet, fruit, high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, and antioxidants, is protective against many chronic diseases. In excess, however, it may lead to lowered vitality and weakness. See Antioxidants, Apple, Cancer, Fiber, Folic Acid, Heart Disease, Paleolithic Diet, Sexual Vitality, Skin Disorders, Stroke, Ulcer, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C.
• Fruit Associated with Less Heart Disease and Stroke
In a study of 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people in Britain, researchers reported that overall the cohort had a mortality about half that of the general UK population. The men and women in the study were recruited through health food shops, vegetarian societies, and magazines. Forty-three percent were vegetarian, 62 percent ate wholemeal bread daily, 27 percent ate bran cereals daily, 38 percent ate nuts or dried fruit daily, 77 percent ate fresh fruit daily, and 38 percent ate fresh salad daily. Daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with reduced mortality from heart disease, stroke, and all causes combined.
Source: T. J. Key, “Dietary Habits and Mortality in 11,000 Vegetarians and Health Conscious People,” British Medical Journal 313(7060):775-79, 1996.
© 2018 by Makropedia.com, a division of Planetary Health, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization.
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Trump-Pence Women's Empowerment Tour stops in Bellville
Courtney Day
BELLVILLE - If there was a single theme among the speakers stumping for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Bellville on Saturday, it was that Trump is "surprisingly normal."
These words came from Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, during a Trump-Pence Women's Empowerment Tour stop hosted by Richland County Republican Women and Ohio Federation of Republican Women at the Quality Inn.
She told the story of the first time she met her father-in-law at the U.S. Open and how he put her at ease with a "soft-spoken" charisma and just how normal he seemed, ordering ice cream at the tournament. Similarly, campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson spoke about how Trump likes to go through the McDonald's drive-thru.
Other speakers on the tour stop included Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, known by their YouTube personalities Diamond and Silk; Lynne Patton, vice president of The Eric Trump Foundation and senior assistant to Eric Trump; and Omarosa Manigault, best known as a contestant on the first season of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."
Lara Trump referred to her father-in-law as "the epitome of the American Dream" and someone who wants everyone in America to live the dream as well.
"I've known him for almost nine years now and I can tell you that like all of us, he would turn on the television or open the newspaper every day and he kept seeing what was happening in this country, and it kept getting worse. The world is crumbling around us, and he said, 'I can't stand by and do nothing.'"
Talking with a Politico reporter and the News Journal before Saturday's luncheon, Lara Trump said she took two months off work to join the campaign because she thinks she can bring a new perspective to the Donald Trump story.
"This group of women and I took it upon ourselves to do this because there's a false narrative out there that exists about Donald Trump, and we want to speak to the man we know and tell people about him. … We really are trying to sort of demystify the man," Lara Trump said.
Pierson said the tour is meant to address "a lot of myths in the media that apparently Donald Trump has a problem with women."
"The last time I checked, nationally now, Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton with married women," Pierson said.
None of the speakers touched on women's rights or women's health issues, instead focusing on national security, job creation and Trump's character.
Manigault gained cheers from the audience as she referred to herself as "a proud Buckeye" from Youngstown. She described how her hometown went from a thriving steel town to a shrinking and economically depressed city.
"You're wondering about how a girl went from being a Democrat her whole life to suddenly changing over," Manigault said. "I woke up. My eyes are open now. I grew up in public housing. … I grew up on welfare, and folks were handing out and handing out and handing out, and guess what, they sell you a bill of goods. They don't give you the ability to fight for yourself and earn your own living and stand on your own merit."
When asked what Trump's administration would do about the heroin epidemic, Patton praised the Trump family for supporting her in her own struggle with substance abuse and pledged to make sure Trump prioritizes support for drug treatment and prevention efforts.
Hardaway made a plea for historically Democratic black voters to cross the aisle for the November election.
"Don't even pack a bag," she said. "Stop, drop and roll right off that Democratic Party and get on the Trump train, because I know you're tired of stooping down for crumbs. It's time to start reaching for the stars. Instead of living the American nightmare, it's time to start living the American Dream. And that's why I'm on the Trump train, full speed ahead."
ceday@gannett.com
Twitter: @courtneydaynj
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Omran Belhadi
Omran represents defendants at the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court and Youth Court. He has appeared in a wide range of cases, including assaults of varying severity, drug possession and supply, causing wasteful employment of police time, public order offences, minor sexual offences and Environmental Protection Act prosecutions. Omran has also acted as court-appointed counsel in cases where defendants are prohibited from cross-examining witnesses and do not have legal representation.
Omran is regularly instructed to represent claimants and defendants in the County Court in road traffic matters. He has acted for claimants in numerous MOJ Stage 3 hearings and for defendants in Small Claims trials. Solicitors also instruct Omran to provide advice on quantum and liability in road traffic accident claims.
Omran also appears and provides advice in matters before the First Tier Tribunal, including appeals from decisions of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the Information Commissioner’s Office. As a pupil, Omran assisted senior members of chambers in submissions to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Solicitors and lay clients alike appreciate Omran’s his attention to detail, thorough preparedness and approachable manner.
Prior to joining Nexus Chambers, Omran worked at international human rights charity Reprieve on cases involving human rights abuses in counter-terrorism operations, including the cases of Belhaj and Another v Jack Straw and Others [2018] UKSC 33 and Yunus Rahmatullah v Ministry of Defence [2017] UKSC 1. Omran worked on cases challenging the UK government’s involvement in torture and drone strikes. While at Reprieve, Omran has worked on complex tort claims and judicial reviews as well as claims to the International Criminal Court.
Between 2012 and 2013, Omran worked with Justice Project Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan on litigation seeking to repatriate Pakistani citizens held by the US military in Afghanistan. He advocated for their release before US military boards and government officials from the US, Pakistani and Afghan governments.
Languages and education
Omran speaks several languages to an excellent standard including French, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish and German. Omran studied law at the University of Warwick. He spent a year abroad, studying law in Lille, France and Saarbrücken, Germany.
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Micromax A110Q with Android 4.2.1 leaks
By Jonathan Pereira On May 22, 2013
While just yesterday we saw the Micromax Canvas A92 Lite leak, now we have news about another smartphone from the company called the A110Q.
As per the leaked About page of the phone, the Micromax A110Q will run on the Android 4.2.1. Considering the screenshot to be taken directly from the phone, we can assume that the phone is almost ready for the market.
Though the details don’t reveal much about the specs of the device, the device is expected to sport a 5 inch display with at least 854 x 480 pixels resolution. The device may be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor with 1 GB of RAM.
While everything else looks good, the screenshot has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which is almost unlikely for a device like the A110Q, hence raising serious doubts about the validity of the image.
Karbonn A4+ spotted online for Rs. 5299
Review: Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
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Blog | Making a Difference
Follow the life-affirming perspective of the early church
by Tony Magliano
New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, waves as he arrives to concelebrate the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Jan. 26. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
What a sight!
Over 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life and to proclaim how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable.
As I write, I am just one day away from marching with and viewing that sea of people once again. It's always a moral and spiritual shot-in-the-arm for me.
But good as they are, the Washington "March for Life" (Jan. 27), the "Walk for Life West Coast" (Jan. 21), the "Midwest March for Life" (Feb. 4) and dozens of similar events at state capitols throughout the U.S. are simply not enough.
While significant progress has been made to lessen the number of abortions, nonetheless, according to the National Right to Life Committee over 1 million unborn brothers and sisters are killed by abortion each year.
And according to the World Health Organization, over 55 million unborn babies worldwide are aborted every year.
Throughout the entire year believers in the God of life need to pray, educate, peacefully protest at abortion facilities, donate and lobby on behalf of the unborn — the unborn can't do it for themselves.
Signing-up to receive legislative alerts from your state Catholic conference will greatly help. This will easily allow you to promote legislation protecting the lives and dignity of unborn and born human beings alike.
Additionally, you can email and call your congressperson (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121) urging her/him to fully support "The Heartbeat Protection Act" (H.R. 490). And urge your two U.S. senators to sponsor and support a companion bill in the Senate. If passed into law, this bill would prohibit abortions on unborn babies whose heartbeat is detectable.
And urge your senators to vote for the recently passed House bill "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act" (H.R. 7), which would ban taxpayer funded abortions.
The execution of over 300,000 abortions every year makes Planned Parenthood the largest abortion provider in the U.S.
Therefore, please urge your congressional delegation to defund Planned Parenthood Federation of America and redirect funds to the thousands of non-abortion comprehensive health centers nationwide.
How can any person who truly respects life support abortion — the dismembering of tiny innocent unborn babies. There simply is no morally acceptable reason to perform an abortion.
The developing human being in utero is nothing short of miraculous!
Watch this fascinating video produced by Alexander Tsiaras, mathematician and former chief of scientific visualization at Yale University's Department of Medicine. And after watching it ask yourself, "How is it possible that anyone could destroy such a marvelous work of God?"
A civilized nation does not kill babies waiting to be born. And if we dare carry this life-affirming perspective to its logical moral conclusion, we must also declare that a civilized society does not kill anyone, for any reason, period.
That was the life-affirming perspective of the early church. In their theology no blood could be spilled — no abortion, no capital punishment, no war.
It was a Gospel-centered theology based on the unconditional love of God towards every person, as best exemplified by Jesus.
We would do well to walk in the footsteps of the non-violent master and his early followers, proclaiming in word and deed that no life is disposable, and that every person is a beloved child of the God of life!
[Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.]
Editor's note: We can send you an email alert every time Tony Magliano's column, "Making a Difference," is posted. Go to this page and follow directions: Email alert sign-up.
In inaugural service, faith leaders pray for racial justice, healthcare
Slavery in the 21st century
Two bishops dine and dialogue with peace activists
No Christmas joy for oppressed sweatshop workers
America's deadly obsession with guns
Pope Francis condemns profit-centered economy
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Column | Signs of the Times
The good, the bad and the merciful: Pope Francis after six years
by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service
20190306T0903-1411-CNS-POPE-AUDIENCE-KINGDOM.jpg
Pope Francis greets the crowd during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 6. (CNS/Paul Haring)
Six years ago, on March 13, the College of Cardinals surprised the world with the election of the Argentine Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as pope. Taking the name Francis, he won the admiration and respect of Catholics and non-Catholics alike with his simplicity and concern for the poor and marginalized.
With each passing year, however, criticism of the pope has become more vocal, especially from the Catholic right, who think he is breaking with traditional church teaching, and the political right, who don't like his views on global warming, immigration and social justice. Francis has also been unable to satisfy those who say the Catholic hierarchy's response to the clergy sex abuse crisis has been inadequate.
I am a big fan of Francis, in part because I think that any evaluation of his first six years as pope shows that his accomplishments outweigh his failings.
First, his accomplishments.
Francis has successfully rebranded the Catholic Church, which had come to be regarded as a clerical institution that stressed rules and uniformity. If you wanted to be a good Catholic, you were given the catechism to memorize and told to follow the rules.
Francis hates clericalism. He is constantly telling bishops and priests not to act like princes but rather like servants to the people of God. While he is kind and compassionate to the wider world, he can be very critical when speaking to bishops and priests. He warns against the temptation to manipulate or infantilize the laity. He urges clerics to empower the laity "to continue discerning, in a way befitting their growth as disciples, the mission which the Lord has entrusted to them."
For Francis, the church is not a country club for the good and beautiful. Rather, it is a "poor church for the poor," a "field hospital" for the wounded. That is why he stresses compassion and mercy.
In contrast to the last two popes, who taught using complex theological concepts, Francis appeals to the heart. He complains that "we have reduced our way of speaking about mystery to rational explanations, but for ordinary people the mystery enters through the heart."
He believes that "we lose people because they don't understand what we are saying, because we have forgotten the language of simplicity and impart an intellectualism foreign to our people."
This is not a pope who will worry, as we did in the previous papacy, about whether the translation of the Nicene Creed should say that Jesus is "one in being" or "consubstantial" with the father.
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Pope Francis pays a pre-Christmas visit to 91-year-old retired Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 21, 2018, in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where the retired pope lives. (CNS/Vatican Media)
Francis' focus on the simple message of the gospel is quite threatening to those Catholics who confuse theology with the faith. Theology is how we explain the faith to ourselves and others. St. Augustine used Neoplatonism to explain the faith to a generation whose intellectuals were all Neoplatonists. St. Thomas Aquinas used Aristotelianism, the avant-garde thinking of the 13th century, to explain the faith in his day.
The mistake today's conservatives make is to simply quote these great thinkers, rather than imitate them in developing new ways to explain Christianity to people of the 21st century. With few Neoplatonists or Aristotelians around today, theologians must have the freedom to discover new ways of explaining Christianity, even if this leads to new ways of understanding of human rights, justice, sexuality, marriage and the role of women.
Unlike his predecessors, Francis is not afraid of encouraging discussion in the church. "Open and fraternal debate makes theological and pastoral thought grow," Francis said in a controversial 2014 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "That doesn't frighten me. What's more, I look for it."
Francis' approach has implications for the pastoral priorities of the Catholic Church. For him, the first words of evangelization must be about God's compassion and love. Everything in Christianity flows from that message, which Jesus stressed constantly in the gospels. Preaching must flow from the gospels, not merely be a presentation of the catechism and a rulebook.
In short, Francis is concerned above all with how we live the faith, more than how we explain it. Orthopraxy trumps orthodoxy.
The practical impact of this emphasis on love and mercy is a more compassionate attitude toward divorced and remarried Catholics as well as LGBT Catholics. If the church is a field hospital, then communion is not just for the heathy and perfect but for the sick and wounded.
Francis has continued the work of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue begun by his predecessors. To see a pope standing with a Lutheran bishop to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation is truly historic. Likewise, his ongoing dialogue with the grand iman of Al-Azhar is critical for interreligious understanding and peace.
And in continuing the church's concern for social justice, he has not shied away from controversial topics like immigration and global warming. Putting the church on the side of the environment is crucial for humankind in the 21st century.
But Francis is not perfect.
Until this time last year, he did not truly understand the sex abuse crisis. After learning that he had been misled by the Chilean bishops, he demanded that they all submit their resignations because they had not protected children. He also began meeting with victims of abuse to hear firsthand their stories.
This was transformative, but although he has begun holding bishops accountable for the safety of children, he still has not created a structure for doing this in a systematic way.
20190204T1202-1602-CNS-POPE-UAE-DIALOGUE.jpg
Pope Francis shakes hands with Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of Egypt's al-Azhar mosque and university, during a document signing at an interreligious meeting at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 4. (CNS/Paul Haring)
In responding to the sex abuse crisis, Francis has also called for transparency. The real test of this ethic will come with the investigation into what people in the Vatican knew about Theodore McCarrick's misconduct. Will the results be public? If the report finds that the Vatican was aware all along — before his appointment to the archbishopric of Washington — that McCarrick had slept with seminarians, it will be very embarrassing to the last two popes and the cardinals who surrounded them.
When the pope talks about women, he also fumbles, sounding like a grandfather whose grandchildren love him but roll their eyes when he speaks. He is out of touch with first world feminist language and sensitivities. His focus rather is on women's issues in the third world, which does make him an able campaigner against human trafficking and a supporter of policies that lift women out of poverty.
Francis' strength is as a pastor who calls people to conversion. He does not think like an administrator, one who establishes policies and structures to ensure things are done properly.
For this reason, his reform of the Vatican curia has accomplished little. He understands the importance of changing the culture of the church, but does not understand the importance of reforming church structures.
Hopefully, Francis will have many more years as pope so that he can appoint more bishops who support his vision for the church and deal with other issues that face the church and the world.
[Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a columnist for Religion News Service and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.]
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Column | The good, the bad and the merciful: Pope Francis after six years
Pope's New Year priorities: Refugees, youths, trips, more Curia reform
Pope names new archbishops of Madrid, Valencia
Ousted 'Bling Bishop' makes soft landing in Vatican
Pope asks bishops, young people to drop their prejudices as synod begins
When appointing new cardinals, will Francis follow tradition or continue to surprise?
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Punkit! A new percussion project for young people aged 11-14
Bedford Creative Arts and Bedford Music Hub would like to invite your child to take part in our exciting new commission PUNKIT – an explosive, fun, participatory music work for massed percussion. This is an amazing opportunity for them to work with award winning composer Stephen Deazley, and internationally renowned percussion soloist Joby Burgess.
Stephen Deazley is a composer and acclaimed educationalist. Widely acknowledged across the UK as a champion of music for children and young people, he is a former director of education for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a recipient of a British Academy of Composers Award for his education and community work. Joby Burgess is one of Britain’s most diverse percussionists, best known for his daring collaborations and extensive education work, he regularly appears throughout Europe, the USA and beyond.
The project will run for 6 weeks this June and July, with a two performances on the 16th July. Music for Bedford Borough is generously supporting us with our rehearsal venue and instruments.
PUNKIT is designed as an adventurous participatory project, offering bold, inspiring music making for up to 60 young people at a critical stage of their musical journey, ideally aged 11-14 in transition between primary and secondary school. We will broaden their musical horizons, inspire musical curiosity, and provide a model of adventurous music making that young people can aspire to. Participants don’t need to be highly trained musicians – the music is designed to be accessible to a huge range of musical experience.
Rehearsals: 03/06/15 16:00 - 18:30
10/06/15 16:00 - 17:30
15/07/15 10:00 - 15:00 * ALL DAY REHEARSAL
Concerts will take place at the Bedford Corn Exchange as follows:
Concerts: 16/07/15 13.30 - 15.00 19:00 - 21:00 * ALL DAY (from 10.00)
Bedford Creative Arts will not provide transport to and from rehearsals and performance – it will need to be arranged either by the schools or parents/carers. There is plenty of parking at Abbey School.
Bedford Creative Arts workshop leaders will take responsibility for your child during the rehearsals and event. We would welcome parent/carer engagement in the rehearsals however, so please indicate on the reply slip if you’d like to be involved.
Please visit http://www.bedfordcreativearts.org.uk/index.php/punkit-in-bedford/ to complete a consent form and return it to your child's Head of Music, or email rogeri@bedfordcreativearts.org.uk by Monday 1st June 2015 to confirm your child's place.
The Bedford Music Centre , (former Abbey Middle School), Mowbray, Bedford MK42 9XA
Roger Illingworth
rogeri@bedfordcreativearts.org.uk
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Neurons Away collaborates with leading researchers, innovative program managers while also referencing service providers across the globe to continue developing unique and highly engaging methods and material that support mental health and wellness for all ages.
On importance of new group therapy for decrease of agitation during the critical period of nursing shift changes on an acute psychiatric inpatient floor
http://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jha/article/view/17708
SUNY UPstate Hospital Case Study
SUNY Upstate Medical University Case Study
Dr. Luba Leontieva, M.D., Ph.D, Medical Director at SUNY Upstate Medical University was facing a constant challenge with her acute inpatient unit. The therapy and coping techniques they were using weren’t consistently producing the desired results they were looking for in their patients. They were experiencing low engagement rates in therapy sessions, elevated levels of anxiety and high violence parameters from their patients.
Dr. Leontieva’s unit was awarded a grant so she began researching for a new therapy program she could implement. She was seeking a program that focused on long-term neuronal changes in her patients to help them think in a new way and how to solve their suffering in a manner that was more expressive and artistic. This is when she discovered Neurons Away. She contacted the founder, Sally Safadi to learn more. Dr. Leontieva was impressed with Sally’s unique approach, in-depth therapy program and knowledge of psychosocial intervention. She hired Sally to implement her Neurons Away program for her unit.
After only a few months of Sally working with Dr. Leontieva’s patients, she began noticing a multitude of improvements. Sally’s workshops were receiving very high attendance levels which was a stark contrast from previous programs they tried. Not only that, but the patients were highly engaged in the education they were receiving and artistic therapy techniques they were learning. Dr. Leontieva noticed the overall mood of her unit was calmer and her individual patient rating was improving.
One incredible example of the success Neurons Away therapy program had was on an acute patient of Dr. Leontieva’s. This patient spent 25 years in prison, 12 of which were in solitary confinement. The patient couldn’t participate in any other group due to their past trauma. Once the patient began attending Sally’s neurological therapy program he was able to interact with others socially and express his feelings and emotions in an artistic manner. They got her interactive book, Fill In the Space, which helps nurture mental flexibility, encourages natural intelligence, and problem solving. Dr. Leontieva says “This patient left a completely different person than the one that was admitted.”
Upstate medical UNIVERSITY research study
Effectiveness of Interactive Mental Flexibility Groups for Patients on Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
Luba Leontieva1, MD. PhD, Sally Safadi3, BS, Cheryl Roe2, MS
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Department of Psychiatry, Syracuse, NY USA
Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
Neurons Away LLC, Syracuse NY, USA
AIM: Our aim was to examine the effects of group sessions focused on mental flexibility and imaginative thinking to decrease agitation, improve mood, and create a positive environment.
METHODS: A 3-month quality improvement research project was facilitated on the acute inpatient psychiatric unit of Upstate Medical Hospital in Syracuse, NY. Group sessions were implemented to target inpatients experiencing distress, anger, low self-esteem, and/or ineffective coping strategies. Patients were presented with activities, creative questions, and prompts that encourage cognitive flexibility and imaginative thinking. Sessions were designed to be enjoyable and approachable while also giving patients the opportunity to express their responses through drawing, writing and group discussions. Sessions were 1-hour long and facilitated in a common space for maximum participation. A set of Likert-type scales were administered before and after each session for participants to rate levels of happiness, sadness, and anger. Incidents of agitations, and as-needed medications administration were traced during and 4 hours after each sessions.
RESULTS: The average daily census on the unit was 17 patients. Average group attendance was 41%. Average agitation incidences were 2% of daily census, and the average of as-needed medications administrations was 10% of daily census. After their initial session, patients indicated an increase in happy feelings (mean 0.46, SD 0.978), a decrease in sad feelings (mean -0.44, SD 1.078), and decrease in anger (mean -1.15, SD 1.984).
CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that implementing mental flexibility group sessions on acute psychiatric floor is viable and well received by both patients and staff. The sessions helped to decrease agitation and reduced the need for extra medication administration. The patients’ feedback on their emotions indicated that the group helped them to feel happier, less sad, and less angry. Many patients enjoyed the groups sessions and expressed a boost in self-esteem and more positive outlook on life.
The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health
A REVIEW OF CURRENT LITERATURE
Visit this site to read more.
This review explores the relationship between engagement with the creative arts and health outcomes, specifically the health effects of music engagement, visual arts therapy, movement-based creative expression, and expressive writing. Although there is evidence that art-based interventions are effective in reducing adverse physiological and psychological outcomes, the extent to which these interventions enhance health status is largely unknown. Our hope is to establish a foundation for continued investigation into this subject and to generate further interest in researching the complexities of engagement with the arts and health.
Stuckey, Heather L., and Jeremy Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” American Journal of Public Health 100.2 (2010): 254–263. PMC. Web. 30 May 2018.
Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the value and impact of the arts in healthcare settings
Go to this site to read the full literature
BACKGROUND:Internationally there is growing interest in the use of the arts in the healthcare context evidenced by the number of research studies reported in the nursing and medical literature. Establishing successful projects in healthcare environments will to some extent be reliant on the cooperation of staff working in these settings: healthcare professionals and their cultural values will be the lynchpin in the relationship between the artists organising the activities and the patients. This review appraises healthcare professionals' perceptions of the value of the arts in healthcare settings, and the impact of the arts on healthcare professionals.
METHODS:A critical review of the literature between 2004 and 2014 was undertaken. The following databases were searched: MedLine, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science and ASSIA. Searches included words from three categories: arts activities; healthcare settings, and healthcare providers. Studies were included if they were written in English, explored the attitudes of healthcare professionals on the use of the arts in healthcare settings or the impact of arts activities on healthcare staff. Studies conducted in community venues and/or reporting on arts therapies (art, drama or music) were excluded. An initial 52 studies were identified and following screening for relevance and quality 27 articles were reviewed. Arts interventions were diverse and included music listening, visual arts, reading and creative writing, and dance.
RESULTS:Despite some methodological limitations of the reviewed studies it was found that the majority of staff believed that engaging in arts interventions has a positive impact on patients' health and well-being. The findings suggest that arts interventions are perceived to have an impact on patients' stress, mood, pain levels, and sleep. Furthermore, staff believed that the arts can enhance communication between staff and patients, helping to build rapport and strengthen interactions. The majority of reported staff outcomes were positive, with arts activities in healthcare settings found to: decrease stress, improve mood, improve job performance, reduce burnout, improve patient/staff relationships, improve the working environment and improve well-being.
CONCLUSIONS:This review fills a gap in the literature, providing the first review of healthcare professional's views of the arts in healthcare settings and the impact of arts activities on healthcare staff. The largely positive perceptions of staff will aid in the implementation of arts activities in healthcare settings, which will enhance care and benefit both patients and healthcare staff.
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Annals of Technology
Sinister Minds: Are Left-Handed People Smarter?
By Maria Konnikova
Cesare Lombroso, the father of modern criminology, owes his career to a human skull. In 1871, as a young doctor at a mental asylum in Pavia, Italy, he autopsied the brain of Giuseppe Villela, a Calabrese peasant turned criminal, who has been described as an Italian Jack the Ripper. “At the sight of that skull,” Lombroso said, “I seemed to see all at once, standing out clearly illuminated as in a vast plain under a flaming sky, the problem of the nature of the criminal, who reproduces in civilised times characteristics, not only of primitive savages, but of still lower types as far back as the carnivora.”
Lombroso would go on to argue that the key to understanding the essence of criminality lay in organic, physical, and constitutional features—each defect being a throwback to a more primitive and bestial psyche. And while his original insight had come from a skull, certain telltale signs, he believed, could be discerned long before an autopsy. Chief among these was left-handedness.
In 1903, Lombroso summarized his views on the left-handed of the world. “What is sure,” he wrote, “is, that criminals are more often left-handed than honest men, and lunatics are more sensitively left-sided than either of the other two.” Left-handers were more than three times as common in criminal populations as they were in everyday life, he found. The prevalence among swindlers was even higher: up to thirty-three per cent were left-handed—in contrast to the four per cent Lombroso found within the normal population. He ended on a conciliatory note. “I do not dream at all of saying that all left-handed people are wicked, but that left-handedness, united to many other traits, may contribute to form one of the worst characters among the human species.”
Though Lombroso’s science may seem suspect to a modern eye, less-than-favorable views of the left-handed have persisted. In 1977, the psychologist Theodore Blau argued that left-handed children were over-represented among the academically and behaviorally challenged, and were more vulnerable to mental diseases like schizophrenia. “Sinister children,” he called them. The psychologist Stanley Coren, throughout the eighties and nineties, presented evidence that the left-handed lived shorter, more impoverished lives, and that they were more likely to experience delays in mental and physical maturity, among other signs of “neurological insult or physical malfunctioning.” Toward the end of his career, the Harvard University neurologist Norman Geschwind implicated left-handedness in a range of problematic conditions, including migraines, diseases of the immune system, and learning disorders. He attributed the phenomenon, and the related susceptibilities, to higher levels of testosterone in utero, which, he argued, slowed down the development of the brain’s left hemisphere (the one responsible for the right side of the body).
But over the past two decades, the data that seemed compelling have largely been discredited. In 1993, the psychologist Marian Annett, who has spent half a century researching “handedness,” as it is known, challenged the basic foundation of Coren’s findings. The data, she argued, were fundamentally flawed: it wasn’t the case that left-handers led shorter lives. Rather, the older you were, the more likely it was that you had been forced to use your right hand as a young child. The mental-health data have also withered: a 2010 analysis of close to fifteen hundred individuals that included schizophrenic patients and their non-affected siblings found that being left-handed neither increased the risk of developing schizophrenia nor predicted any other cognitive or neural disadvantage. And when a group of neurologists scanned the brains of four hundred and sixty-five adults, they found no effect of handedness on either grey or white matter volume or concentration, either globally or regionally.
Left-handers may, in fact, even derive certain cognitive benefits from their preference. This spring, a group of psychiatrists from the University of Athens invited a hundred university students and graduates—half left-handed and half right—to complete two tests of cognitive ability. In the Trail Making Test, participants had to find a path through a batch of circles as quickly as possible. In the hard version of the test, the circles contain numbers and letters, and participants must move in ascending order while alternating between the two as fast as possible. In the second test, Letter-Number Sequencing, participants hear a group of numbers and letters and must then repeat the whole group, but with numbers in ascending order and letters organized alphabetically. Lefties performed better on both the complex version of the T.M.T.—demonstrating faster and more accurate spatial skills, along with strong executive control and mental flexibility—and on the L.N.S., demonstrating enhanced working memory. And the more intensely they preferred their left hand for tasks, the stronger the effect.
The Athens study points to a specific kind of cognitive benefit, since both the T.M.T. and the L.N.S. are thought to engage, to a large extent, the right hemisphere of the brain. But a growing body of research suggests another, broader benefit: a boost in a specific kind of creativity—namely, divergent thinking, or the ability to generate new ideas from a single principle quickly and effectively. In one demonstration, researchers found that the more marked the left-handed preference in a group of males, the better they were at tests of divergent thought. (The demonstration was led by the very Coren who had originally argued for the left-handers’ increased susceptibility to mental illness.) Left-handers were more adept, for instance, at combining two common objects in novel ways to form a third—for example, using a pole and a tin can to make a birdhouse. They also excelled at grouping lists of words into as many alternate categories as possible. Another recent study has demonstrated an increased cognitive flexibility among the ambidextrous and the left-handed—and lefties have been found to be over-represented among architects, musicians, and art and music students (as compared to those studying science).
Part of the explanation for this creative edge may lie in the greater connectivity of the left-handed brain. In a meta-analysis of forty-three studies, the neurologist Naomi Driesen and the cognitive neuroscientist Naftali Raz concluded that the corpus callosum—the bundle of fibers that connects the brain’s hemispheres—was slightly but significantly larger in left-handers than in right-handers. The explanation could also be a much more prosaic one: in 1989, a group of Connecticut College psychologists suggested that the creativity boost was a result of the environment, since left-handers had to constantly improvise to deal with a world designed for right-handers. In a 2013 review of research into handedness and cognition, a group of psychologists found that the main predictor of cognitive performance wasn’t whether an individual was left-handed or right-handed, but rather how strongly they preferred one hand over another. Strongly handed individuals, both right and left, were at a slight disadvantage compared to those who occupied the middle ground—both the ambidextrous and the left-handed who, through years of practice, had been forced to develop their non-dominant right hand. In those less clear-cut cases, the brain’s hemispheres interacted more and overall performance improved, indicating there may something to left-handed brains being pushed in a way that a right-handed one never is.
Whatever the ultimate explanation may be, the advantage appears to extend to other types of thinking, too. In a 1986 study of students who had scored in the top of their age group on either the math or the verbal sections of the S.A.T., the prevalence of left-handers among the high achievers—over fifteen per cent, as compared to the roughly ten percent found in the general population—was higher than in any comparison groups, which included their siblings and parents. Among those who had scored in the top in both the verbal and math sections, the percentage of left-handers jumped to nearly seventeen per cent, for males, and twenty per cent, for females. That advantage echoes an earlier sample of elementary-school children, which found increased left-handedness among children with I.Q. scores above a hundred and thirty-one.
Lombroso’s scientific conclusions about criminal physiology may be closer to Franz Joseph Gall’s phrenology than to any modern understanding of the brain. But he might not have been so far off the mark when he hypothesized that by looking at someone’s hands, we could learn something about the inner workings of their minds—though those workings have more to do with cognitive achievement than any inclination to commit highway robbery. Michelangelo and da Vinci were left-handed, after all. As were three of the last four occupants of the White House; the only right-handed President since the end of the Cold War has been George W. Bush.
Maria Konnikova is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.” She has a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University.
Maria Konnikova is the author of “The Confidence Game” and “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.”
More:DiscoverersElementstechpages
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THE ART OF REBELLION
The Art of Rebellion is the sixth studio album by American crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, originally released in 1992. The album maintains its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album to date, and the songs "Nobody Hears" and "I'll Hate You Better" have the distinction of being the only top 40 hits in Suicidal Tendencies' career.
180 gram audiophile vinyl
More SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
Catalog # : MOVLP1670 Format : 1 LP, 180 gram Releasedate : 2016-09-26
Barcode : 8719262001237 Sleeve : 3mm Original Release : 1992
1. Can't Stop
2. Accept My Sacrifice
3. Nobody Hears
4. Tap Into The Power
5. Monopoly On Sorrow
6. We call This Mutha Revenge
1. I Wasn't Meant To Feel This/Asleep At The Wheel
2. Gotta Kill Captain Stupid
3. I'll Hate You Better
4. Which Way To Free?
5. It's Going Down
6. Where's The Truth
The songs on The Art of Rebellion show the band's continuing experimentation with funk that had begun on this album's predecessor, Lights...Camera...Revolution! [MOVLP749], as well as more progressive song structures, a somewhat more alternative atmosphere, and even pop-oriented sounds. This helped the band not only outride the explosion of alternative in the early 90s, it also helped them gain a fan base within that community. Nonetheless, the album still stays true to the band's thrash and punk roots on many of the songs. The Art of Rebellion has achieved gold status and peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200.
WITH THEIR NEW FACE ON
WISEBLOOD
WHITE SKY
NEW FOUND POWER
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Another New Coronavirus Variant Found in Japan
Society Lifestyle Jan 10, 2021
Tokyo, Jan. 10 (Jiji Press)--Another new variant of the novel coronavirus has been found in Japan, from four people who had arrived in the nation from Brazil and tested positive in airport quarantine, the health ministry said Sunday.
The new mutant strain is different from variants that were detected in Britain and South Africa, respectively, and reported also in Japan, but shares part of the mutation features with the previously found variants, according to the ministry.
There is almost no information on the transmissibility of the newly found variant, whether it could cause severe symptoms and possible impacts on the effectiveness of vaccines. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases has reported the discovery to the World Health Organization and is conducting detailed research on the new variant.
Of the four people, who flew into Tokyo International Airport at Haneda from Brazil on Jan. 2, a man in his 40s showed no symptoms upon arrival, but later developed breathing difficulties and was hospitalized, the ministry said. A woman in her 30 has symptoms such as headache. A man in the age group of 10-19 has a fever, while a woman in the same age group is free of symptoms.
The newly found variant has the same mutation pattern as that in the variant detected in Britain, which is highly transmissible, in the structure of the spike protein on the surface, according to the ministry. The virus attaches to human cells using the spike protein.
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Improving Access to Disaster Health Information
Health & Disasters: Understanding the International Context
On this page...
Common Disaster Health Issues
Health Impacts of Selected Types of Natural Hazards
Climate Change: A Growing Driver of Disaster Risk
Activity: Application
Section 2: The Health Impact of Disasters
Disasters often have a significant impact on public health. In more vulnerable parts of the world, that impact can be exacerbated by weak or nonexistent health care systems and infrastructure. In this section, we will explore some of the most common health issues associated with international disasters.
Following are some of the most common health impacts of disasters. Select each issue to learn more about it.
Common Disaster Health Issues: Water and Sanitation
Water supply and sanitation issues are some of the most pressing problems after major natural disasters. Unfortunately, these are also some of the least visible issues. This contributes to the constant challenge of ensuring that in non-disaster periods these systems are maintained properly. The systems themselves are often very expensive. And more often than not, they are in a state of disrepair.
When a water system fails and the quality of drinking water is affected, and where there are deficiencies in disposing of solid wastes, conditions can become favorable for the spread of a number of diseases. One of the most common is diarrheal disease. This is a major killer of children in other parts of the world and directly related to the lack of clean water and consequently to water systems that are damaged by disasters. Learn more about disaster risk reduction in the water and sanitation sector.
Many communicable diseases are spread through fecal contamination of drinking water and food. Therefore, every effort should be made to ensure the sanitary disposal of excreta. Emergency latrines should be made available to the displaced, refugees, relief workers, and residents in areas where toilet facilities have been destroyed. Even if toilets are physically intact, they cannot be flushed without a water supply. Lime should be used in communal trench latrines to reduce the development of methane gas and odors. If no sanitation facilities are available, people should bury their excreta. Proper disposal is required for wastewater from camps for refugees and displaced persons, field hospitals, feeding centers, and washing facilities. Learn more from WHO.
Personal hygiene tends to decline after natural disasters, especially in densely populated areas and where there are water shortages. The following measures are recommended:
Provide basic hand washing facilities (shelters, temporary settlements, and camps)
Provide washing, cleaning, and bathing facilities (camps for refugees and displaced persons)
Make adequate amounts of water available (disaster stricken areas and camps for refugees and displaced persons)
Avoid overcrowding in sleeping quarters
Launch education campaigns on personal hygiene, basic sanitation, and waste management.
Communicable and Vector Diseases
Common Disaster Health Issues: Communicable and Vector Diseases
In certain circumstances, a sudden impact disaster can create the potential for a massive outbreak of infectious diseases to occur (such as the cholera outbreak following the earthquake in Haiti).
Communicable diseases such as acute respiratory infections or meningitis occur most often when large groups of people are clustered together in crowded temporary facilities as a result of population displacement. These conditions often foster the spread of diseases. In emergency conditions, the routine disease surveillance system is either not up to the task, is disrupted as a direct consequence of the disaster, or cannot provide data quickly enough for timely decision making. It is recommended, therefore, that a more flexible surveillance system be set up that can report more quickly than the normal surveillance system.
Certain types of disasters, especially hurricanes and floods, can increase the chance of vector borne diseases. Standing water promotes breeding sites for mosquitoes and the rains or the flooding can wash away any residual pesticides left in the area. Malaria, zika virus, and dengue can be a concern in these scenarios.
Learn more about communicable diseases and disasters.
Health Facilities Damaged
Common Disaster Health Issues: Health Facilities Cannot Function
The damage caused to health infrastructure as a result of a disaster is an important problem and is discussed later in the course, where you will find many information resources.
The photo shows what was left of the Ministry of Health in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Unfortunately, not only did the building collapse, approximately 250 employees of the Ministry of Health were killed in the disaster. The Pan American Health Organization had worked with many of these people for years, building a cadre of trained disaster health professionals in Haiti. It was impossible to put a price tag on the tremendous human loss that resulted from the collapse of the health infrastructure. Learn more about the health response to the earthquake in Haiti.
Looking as far back as 1985, Mexico City suffered a similar fate when an earthquake caused 13 hospitals to collapsed, killing 886 people. Hundreds of those were health workers. Losing the capacity of 6,000 beds in a matter of minutes was a devastating blow.
Later in this course we will examine what is being done internationally to address the safety of health facilities.
Ministry of Health, Haiti
(Image Source: J.C. Scott, CPSC)
Common Disaster Health Issues: Mental Health
With respect to mental health, there is a need to think beyond individuals in the affected community. It is also important to consider the mental health of the humanitarian workers responding to a disaster and the expatriate diaspora of the affected country. For example, when major hurricanes have occurred in the Caribbean, the large expatriate population on the U.S. east coast was understandably anxious and worried because they had no contact with their families in the affected countries. Therefore, we must consider the mental health of the survivors, their families, and the humanitarian workers.
It is common to feel stress before or after a crisis. Natural and human-caused disasters can have a devastating impact on people’s lives because they sometimes cause physical injury, damage to property, or the loss of a home or place of employment. Anyone who sees or experiences this can be affected in some way. Most stress symptoms are temporary and will resolve on their own in a fairly short amount of time. However, for some people these symptoms may last for weeks or even months and may influence their relationships with families and friends.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Disaster-Related Mental Health Resources
Resiliency in Disaster Behavioral Health—Podcasts that inform behavioral health agencies about strategies for building resiliency in individuals and the community before, during, and after a disaster
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings—Checklist produced by the U.N. Inter-Agency Standing Committee
IASC Reference Group Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Assessment Guide (2013)—Provides agencies with key assessment questions for those involved in mental health and psychosocial support
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Disaster Situations in the Caribbean—Mental health and psychosocial support for disaster professionals in the Caribbean, which has a limited number of mental health professionals and high vulnerability to natural hazards
Population Displacement
Common Disaster Health Issues: Population Displacement
In the context of emergencies, displaced people are people who have had to leave their homes as a result of a natural, technological, or deliberate event. People who are displaced within their own country are referred to as internally displaced. People who are displaced across international borders are referred to as refugees.
Large-scale population displacement can occur in the wake of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Population displacement can also be a result of civil strife. Temporary settlements or more permanent camps can arise as a result of such crises. Some settlements disband rather quickly, but others may become more permanent, particularly in the case of large refugee populations.
Although refugee camps are established to provide safety and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations, health conditions are often complicated because camps and temporary settlements present the greatest potential for communicable diseases once the immediate disaster has passed. Temporary settlements often become permanent, even when that is not the intention. The overcrowding contributes to the spread of communicable diseases, as mentioned earlier.
Large-scale population displacement can have an impact on urban areas as well, quickly overwhelming public services that are unable to meet the increased demand, exacerbating health problems.
The World Health Organization has compiled a variety of technical resources related to environmental health issues resulting from the displacement of large number or people, such as the lack of safe water, poor sanitation, and improper waste disposal.
Learn more about complex hazards and displaced populations from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Examples of Population Displacement
More than 7 million people are internally displaced due to the decades-old armed conflict
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reports that inside Syria, as of publication of this course:
13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance—a twelve-fold increase since 2011.
This includes 6.3 million people who are internally displaced.
More than 4.8 million refugees have fled Syria to neighboring countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, an increase of almost a million people since the end of 2013.
13 million people need emergency health care.
Source: UN Humanitarian
1.3 million people were living in temporary shelters in the month following the earthquake.
An estimated 600,000 people moved from Port-au-Prince (Haiti's capital) to the countryside or across the border into the Dominican Republic.
All major disasters potentially present an increased risk of communicable diseases due to overcrowding and deteriorating sanitation. Table 1 summarizes several additional health impacts of selected disaster types.
Disaster Type
Severe injuries requiring extensive treatment
Damage to health facilities
Damage to water systems
Food shortage
Major population movements
Earthquakes Many Many Severe, structure and equipment Severe Rare (may occur due to economic and logistic factors) Rare (may occur in heavily damaged urban areas)
High winds, without flooding Few Moderate Severe Light Rare (may occur due to economic and logistic factors) Rare (may occur in heavily damaged urban areas)
Tidal waves / flash floods Many Few Severe, but localized Severe Common Common, generally limited
Slow-onset floods Few Few Severe, equipment only Light Common Common, generally limited
Landslides Many Few Severe, but localized Severe, but localized Rare Common, generally limited
Volcanoes / Lahars Many Few Severe, structure and equipment Severe Rare Common, generally limited
Table 1 - Health Impact of Selected Major Disasters
Notice, for example, that earthquakes cause many deaths, while slow-onset floods generally cause few. Floods produce serious food shortages, whereas earthquakes, which are localized, generally do not.
Note that the information in Table 1 does not even consider the impact of climate change on health. The World Health Organization now considers climate change one of the top ten threats to global health.
The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It was established in 1988 to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.
The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations (U.N.). It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical, and socio-economic climate change information produced worldwide. It does not conduct any research or monitor climate-related data or parameters.
Check back frequently with the website to view the outcomes of various Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and related events.
View the latest assessment reports on climate change.
Yale University's Program on Climate Change Communication conducts research on public climate knowledge, risk perceptions, decision making, and behavior so that educators and communicators have the knowledge and tools to more effectively engage their audiences.
Distinguishing Between Weather and Climate
The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is the set of meteorological conditions at a particular time and place—wind, rain, snow, sunshine, temperature, and so on. By contrast, the term climate describes the overall long-term characteristics of the weather experienced at a particular location.
Image Source: NOAA
How Climate Change is Affecting Health
The projected changes in climate are likely to alter the health status of millions of people. Heat waves, floods, storms, fires, and droughts will increase the number of deaths, cases of disease, and injuries. Increased malnutrition, diarrheal disease, and malaria in some areas will jeopardize public health. Development goals will be threatened by longer-term damage to health systems from disasters.
The World Health Organization states:
Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health—clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food, and secure shelter.
Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
The direct damage costs to health (excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture, water, and sanitation) is estimated to be between U.S. $2 to 4 billion per year by 2030.
Areas with weak health infrastructures—mostly in developing countries—will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.
Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food, and energy use choices can result in improved health, particularly through reduced air pollution.
Additional Resources on Climate Change and Health
WHO Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems
WHO Factsheet
WHO Climate Change Portal
CDC Climate and Health Program
ISDR Strengthening Climate Change Adaptation through Effective Disaster Risk Reduction
International Research Centre on El Niño (in Spanish)
Climate-smart healthcare : low-carbon and resilience strategies for the health sector
Compact of Mayors
The Compact of Mayors was launched at the 2014 U.N. Climate Summit and is the world's largest coalition of city leaders addressing climate change. The agreement set targets around greenhouse gas emissions reduction and urban resilience. It also established a reasonable time frame to conduct and disclose a greenhouse gas inventory and climate vulnerability assessment. The purpose is to make clear to the community of nations just how much cities and local communities are leading in the area of climate change. The same rigor and disclosures are expected from countries around the world.
We have now described some of the most commonly occurring health problems in disaster situations. We provided links to reference documents that provide more in-depth information on these issues. Complete the following exercise to determine how you can use this information in your work. If desired, download the Application Activity document to note your thoughts and responses.
Take some time to reflect on disasters or emergencies that you have experienced or read about. You can use the example of a local emergency in your state or region, or a major U.S. disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or Superstorm Sandy.
Were there problems related to water? Infectious diseases? Mental health? Damage to hospitals? Evacuation and/or displacement? Describe these.
What other problems or issues have you encountered in the aftermath of an emergency or disaster that were not mentioned previously? How were they managed? Do you think these issues are unique to the U.S. or do they occur in other countries?
In this section, we covered the following main points:
Some of the most common disaster health issues include water and sanitation, communicable diseases, dysfunctional health facilities, mental health problems, and population displacement.
Climate change is a growing threat to global health as it impacts the social and environmental determinants of health, including clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food, and secure shelter.
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The Cabinet of Curiosities: Taboo: The Sixth Sense
by Shaun Jex | Jul 19, 2019 | 1980s, Reviews | 2 comments
There are many dark and dusty corridors in the Cabinet of Curiosities, musty passageways filled with cobwebs and lit only by the eerie glow of a computer monitor or television screen. At night, you can hear the pitiful cries of frustrated gamers, mourning the loss of their last life. Weird, digital music echoes through the hallways.
Follow a winding set of steps into the darkened bowels of the museum, and you may find yourself in a small, candle lit room where you’ll come face to face with a fortune teller. She has sunken eyes and sharp cheeks and sits behind a table, holding a deck of cards. She offers to tell your future.
Should you find yourself here, you’ve likely drifted into the world of Taboo: The Sixth Sense. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in April of 1989. It was not a video game. At least, not by any reasonable definition of the term. Yes, it was a cartridge for a gaming system, and it was developed by Rare (who would later go on to create games like Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007), but beyond that…not so much. There was no story, no characters, no levels, or objectives. The fortune teller described above was a creation of your humble author.
Taboo: The Sixth sense was nothing more than a digital tarot reading. You put the cartridge in and were taken to a screen which proclaimed: All that has been and all that will be is here for you to know…Dare You Glimpse the Future Dare You Even Ask…? Taboo The Time Machine on Nintendo! You were then asked to enter your name, birth date, and sex. After that, you entered a question. Any question at all. Cards from a full deck of 78 cards, including the major and minor arcana, were dealt out into a Celtic Cross. The cards were then turned over one by one, with a brief explanation as to what the card signified.
I suppose you could say there was infinite replay ability, as the game would randomly shuffle the cards and you could answer any question you wanted. In addition to answering your deepest, most burning questions, the game would give you lotto numbers. You just had to enter your home state.
Though it was released in the 1980s, somehow the game does not seem to have caught the attention of the “Satanic Panic” crowd. Nor does it seem to have developed the reputation as such “dark” and “evil” games as the Ouija Board or Dungeons and Dragons.
And that, my dear reader, is today’s exhibit.
Until next time, I remain…
Just Another Geek In The Geek Kingdom
Shaun Jex (127 Posts)
Shaun Jex is a lifelong gamer, a journalist, and pop culture historian.His love of video games began with a Commodore 64 he played growing up, late night sessions on his NES, Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and frequent trips to the local Tilt arcade. He edits the Citizens' Advocate newspaper in Coppell, Texas and writes about Disney and Walt Disney World history for Celebrations Magazine and the Celebrations Magazine blog. He runs a weekly vlog called "The MCP" dedicated to retro video games, and a channel with his wife Kara called "The Marceline Depot," dedicated to Disney, amusement parks, and travel.
Bill Donohue on July 20, 2019 at 8:40 am
Shaun,
Darkened bowls? Do you burn a lot of stuff when you’re cooking?
Shaun Jex on July 20, 2019 at 9:50 pm
Ah, the ever dreaded typo. Thanks for the heads up!
The Video Game Outlet
Disc Replay
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Mum living a 'nightmare' as she slowly goes blind while homeless with her son
She says temporary housing options have not been suitable for someone who is disabled
Joseph LockerDigital News Correspondent
Paula Lydamore, 27 and her son Kyden Wilmot, 9 (Image: Nottingham Post)
A mum who is slowly going blind says she is living in a "nightmare" as she tries to secure a home for herself and her nine-year-old son.
Paula Lydamore, 27, who grew up in Clifton, was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was just five years old and is now gradually going blind due to a rare complication known as diabetic retinopathy, where the retina is damaged due to high blood sugar levels.
Ms Lydamore told Nottinghamshire Live that she feels as though she has been "flashbanged" - with a permanent white light obscuring the centre of her vision, making it impossible to use her insulin injections on her own.
"It has been a nightmare," she said.
"If it was not for having to be with my son I think I would have just given up. I cannot play on my phone, I cannot read properly, I cannot do anything. It is really disorientating.
Alan Fallows, 44, carer, Paula Lydamore, 29 and Kyden Wilmot, nine (Image: nottingham Post)
"I went to walk my little boy to school and if it was not for him shouting me I would have walked out into the road and into a car. I can't even do that anymore.
"I just end up staring into thin air."
At the end of October, Ms Lydamore was made homeless with her ex-partner, Alan Fallows, who has now become her carer, and her son, Kyden.
Their accommodation in Loughborough had fallen through, and they had no other options but to seek help from Nottingham City Council's housing aid team.
But she described her situation as "groundhog day", arguing the numerous temporary accommodation options she has been put up in, from bed and breakfast hotels to family hostels such as Mellors Lodge, have been "unsuitable" considering her needs.
More than £80,000 donated to Attenborough Nature Reserve's £1m lifeline appeal in first week
Nottingham City Council said it realised the emergency bed and breakfast accommodation she was first helped into was not "ideal" and herself, Kyden and Mr Fallows agreed to be placed into a family hostel after declining the first offer, arguing it was simply not suitable for someone who is partially blind.
"The [council] pointed out they did not want to keep putting me in hotels, so they put us in Mellors Lodge on November 21," she said.
"[The room] was on the first floor, but it was up four flights of stairs and my son pointed out if there was an emergency how would I get down these stairs if the lift was out of order?
"I cannot guide myself. They had these sensor lights in there and it felt like I was getting flashbanged when they turned on.
"It seems like I am being picky. It's not the best scenario but even being on the ground floor with suitable lighting would help.
"It's just acknowledging that I have a disability."
They said they had no choice but to leave the hostel on November 25 after just four nights, and are now sofa surfing with friends and family.
Alan Fallows, 44, said he has stayed by Ms Lydamore as a friend and now helps care for her and her son.
The former construction worker said he was earning around "£400 to £500 per week" before he left his job and offered to look after her.
Now, he says, he is given just £305 each month in carers' allowance.
"I have watched a very good friend crumble with her eyesight," he said.
"Anything that happens to her or Kyden will come back to me so I look after them. I have to do all her medication and if Kyden needs collecting it comes down to me.
"She suffers with her eyes on a normal day but these lights were really hurting her."
Ms Lydamore added: "There is not a lot of help for people like Alan. I thank God that he still wants to help."
Family's agony continues as inquest rules death of man found slumped on bins was due to drugs
On Tuesday, December 3, Ms Lydamore said she finally underwent a risk assessment and hopes to find somewhere that is suitable for someone with a disability.
And on Wednesday, December 4, they are visiting Loxley House in a bid to help her get on the social housing waiting list.
Mr Fallows said he is hoping that afterwards, things might begin to look up.
Nottingham City Council said it has been doing all it can to help, and will continue to support her.
A spokesman for Nottingham City Council said: “We’re sorry that Ms Lydamore feels she hasn't received adequate help and we are very sympathetic to her health needs.
“We've worked really hard for a number of weeks to offer support to her family. Initially, we helped her into emergency bed and breakfast accommodation but we realised this wasn't ideal, so we found a place in a hostel for families.
"This offer was turned down and we identified an alternative facility for families where we said they could stay until a longer-term solution was found.
“Ms Lydamore accepted this place but then chose to move out a few days later because the lighting was too bright.
"While we go to every effort that we can, we’re unfortunately not in a position to be able to grant every individual request inside emergency accommodation.
"If a person has a carer or support in place, however, that can continue during their stay and the accommodation support workers will always work with families to help them access any other specialist services to meet their health and wellbeing needs.
“We are continuing to support Ms Lydamore to help her find a longer-term solution for her family.”
People who were stranded after Yourbus ceased trading celebrate getting new service
Anger voiced as thieves smash into volunteer-led café and charity office
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Novo-monde Bolivia / Chile / Travel
The Sajama and Lauca National Parks: one of the top things to do in Bolivia
Take a look at the volcanoes topping at more than 6000m that are reflected in lagoons while llama and alpaca herd: Welcome to Sajama in Bolivia
We were in Sucre, planning how we would reach Chile. When we realized that Bolivia’s highest mountain, the Sajama volcano, was just a few
kilometers from the Chilean border. After searching for some information, we learn that the region, although rather unknown, is in fact one of the most beautiful national parks in the country. Perfect!
Welcome to the land of the llamas, alpacas and other vicuñas who graze quietly on the altiplano with in the background volcanoes among the highest in South America. And all this far from the tourist hustle and bustle of La Paz or the salar of uyuni!
Pure hapiness!!!
Sajama National Park: Bolivia
So, Sajama National Park is not only the Sajama volcano (6548m). It is also the twin volcanoes: Parinacota (6348m) and Pomerape (6282m) that are on the other side. But also magnificent lagoons, thermal springs, llamas – alpacas – vicuñas and above all absolute tranquility.
In short, nature lovers, hikers and climbers will be absolutely delighted in this park! The small village of Sajama (perhaps 250 inhabitants) will serve as a base for you to visit the surroundings. You will find simple accommodation, some small shops with the bare minimum (no fruit and vegetables for example) and information on things to do.
Getting to Sajama : Fortunately, the international paved road between La Paz and Arica (Chile) passes right next to the park, making it much easier to access. To get directly to the village of Sajama, the easiest way is to stop in Patacamaya. A small village located between La Paz and Oruro. (ask the bus driver to drop you there). From Patacamaya, a direct minibus to Sajama village leaves every day between 10am and 1pm (the bus leaves when it is full and costs 25 bolivianos). Thus, make sure be early enough in Patacamaya.
Park entrance fee : Once you arrive in Sajama, you will have to pay 40 bolivianos for the entrance to the national park and you will also receive a park map.
Hôtel : There are several small and very simple hostals in the village. We recommend the “Pachamama” at the entrance of the village. We stayed 4 nights and the Mamita who runs the house is a pure blessing! In addition, she cooks super well! which is clearly a plus in a small village where there is no way to buy much.
Things to do in the Sajama National Park
Lago Huanakota :
This lake is located 12 km from the village of Sajama. It takes 2h30 – 3h on foot to reach it by continuing on the track that arrives at the village of Sajama. You can’t miss it. Frankly, this place is breathtaking! The majestic Sajama volcano is reflected in the water while pink flamingoes and other vicuñas quench their thirst there. Pfiouhhhh, just magic! Come on, a little panorama will give you a better idea of the beauty of the place.
The Geysers :
They are located 8km from the village of Sajama. To get there you have to follow the track that goes towards the Pomerape and that goes behind the village church. Allow about 2 hours to reach them. On the way, you will probably encounter about 1000 llamas/alpagas and some wild vicuñas. There are worse ways to go for a walk. If you are lucky, you will see the geysers explode/giculate! On our side, when we arrived on the site, we saw a muddy geyser explode from afar and then… nothing in 2 hours! It seems this is quite a matter of luck 😉
Thermal Baths in Bolivia
Halfway between the Huanakota lagoon and the village of Sajama, these hot springs are a pure delight. You will splash around in very hot water (according to Fabienne it was not that easy to get in…) with a breathtaking view of the Sajama. A little tip: if you sleep at our mamita’s house in the “Pachamama”, you can swim for free in her own thermal baths. Otherwise you will have to pay 30 bolivianos for the swim!
The Viewpoints:
It is impossible to miss the path that starts absolutely straight from the village in the direction of Sajama…. There are actually two mirradors. You will reach the first one in just 1 hour and you will already have a beautiful panoramic view of the area. The 2nd one seemed much higher to me. I guess it takes two more hours to get there. But I can’t tell you for sure as we didn’t go there. I had another ascent waiting for me the next day and thus wanted to spare my legs a little. ;-).
High altitude Lagunas
These altitude lagoons are located above the geysers. It is a hike that takes 2 days from the village of Sajama or 1 day if a 4×4 takes you to the geysers (although I imagine that if you leave early in the morning, you can do the tour in 1 day). We heard it was a very nice walk. But be careful, have good equipment to camp around the lagoons which are almost at 5000m altitude . Cold temperatures are clearly to be expected! (expect anything between -10°C and -15°C)
The highest forest in the world:
This is not the most spectacular thing in the park for tourists, but it is the reason why there is a national park here. The Quenua forest, which grows between 4500m and 5200m, is the highest forest in the world. #YouMightHaveLearntSmth
Climbing on top of a volcano in Bolivia
That, on the other hand, is the main reason that tourists come to the national park. You can climb the volcanoes Sajama (6548m), Parinacota (6348m) and Pomerape (6282m). I will talk to you about this point again in the next article since I climbed on the Parinacota ;). But know that there is no equipment in the village of Sajama (only the agencies of La Paz have equipment). There are only guides in the village and since you will need crampons, ice axes and harnesses to climb the Sajama and Pomerape… Guess why I chose the Parinacota 😉
Lauca National Park (Chile)
He’s the Chilean brother from Sajama National Park. It is bordered to the south by the national reserve las vicunas, the Salar de Surire and is located to the east of the city of Arica, in the far north of Chile. Its main attraction is Lake Chungara, which serves as a refuge for hundreds of bird species and offers a spectacular panorama with the Parinacota volcano in the background.
Getting to Lauca : To get to Lauca from Sajama, take the only 6:00 bus that will drop you off on the international asphalt road at the hamlet of Laguna. From there, there are buses that shuttle to the village of Tambo where you will be blocked until around 8:00. There, ask the bus or truck drivers if they can drop you off at the Lauca refuge (where you can camp by the lagoon) or in the village of Putre to find hotels. In the meantime, you will obviously have to cross the Chilean border. Be careful, all foods such as vegetables, meat, cheese are forbidden to be taken over the border! To get to Lauca from Arica or Putre, there are 1 or 2 day tours that will stop at the main attractions or you can also hitch a ride easily as there is only one road.
Spending the night in Lauca : There is no way to find a hotel in the national park. So it is mandatory that you camp if you want to visit the park by yourself. You can camp at the refuge which is located on the shores of Lake Chungara, near the viewpoint, for 3000 Chilean pesos. But be careful, the lake is at an altitude of more than 4500m. We camped there in mid-September (spring in Chile) and it was -10°C at night with snow. Thus, adapted equipment was mandatory. If you want to find a hotel, you will have to go to the village of Putre which is located 1 hour by car from Lake Chungara.
Review of our stay in Sajama
So I’m not going to blab for hours for nothing. See for yourself why it’s worth stopping for more than 5 minutes in this park! (we didn’t have to force ourselves for the pictures ;-)). However, if you want to explore the “la vicunas” reserve and the Surire salar, you will need a 4×4 that is easily organized from Putre.
So that’s it, Bolivia is over… and the least we can say is that we will have finished beautifully for what will remain until now the most scenic country we have ever visited. The Uyuni salt flats are also particularly noteworthy for their supernatural landscapes and these two national parks for their volcanoes, lagoons, llama/alpaca herds and the tranquility found there.
We’ll see you soon for the ascent of the Parinacota volcano!
Hiking in the Huerquehue National Park: a little gem near Pucon, Chile
Chilean Patagonia: a beautiful trek in the Vicente Perez Rosales Park
Our visit to the San Pedro Atacama desert
Things to do in Valparaiso, Chile
The Uyuni Salt Flats, Laguna Verde and Geysers
Titicaca Lake on the Bolivian side: Our stay on Isla del Sol
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Thanksgiving In New York City
Autumn in New York is always a comfortable and beautiful season.
Celebrating Thanksgiving in New York City is a favorite occasion for many people. One of the "big six" major holidays of the year, Thanksgiving Day has been an official United States holiday since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, proclaimed that Thursday, November 26, should be a day of national feasting and gratitude. Before that, Thanksgiving celebrated the survival of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, who had to endure a brutal first winter in New England. The first Thanksgiving feast consisted of fish, wild fowl, venison, harvest grains, vegetables, and dried Indian maize. According to most accounts, it lasted three days and fed 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November! In 2017, Thanksgiving falls on November 23; and in 2018, on November 22.
Thanksgiving Day is a United States Federal Holiday. That means schools, banks, and post offices will be closed. Many restaurants, stores, and NYC attractions will be closed, as well.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®
One of the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in New York City is by attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since 1924, a traditional event in New York City like no other! This famous NYC parade, first established in 1924, is tied with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit for the second oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade in the United States. With more than 3.5 million spectators and 10,000 participants, it is also one of the largest parades in New York. At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, you can expect dazzling musical performances, cool floats, and awe-inspiring helium balloons. Click here to learn more, get answers to frequently asked questions and to view the parade route map and photo tours covering many of the most popular events that surround the most famous parade in America! click here.
Attractions at the Thanksgiving Day Parade®
Live dancers and music are just a part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade excitement.
Live Music: Like most parades in NYC, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade features live musical performances by popular bands and recording artists. In 2010, Kylie Minogue, Jessica Simpson, Gladys Knight, and India Arie performed live alongside some of the best marching bands in the United States.
Parade Floats: The Macy's Day Parade is renowned for its famous parade floats. Among those that appeared in the 2010 parade were Mount Rushmore's American Pride, Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, and Pokemon's Reshiram and Zekrom.
Parade Balloons: The first Macy's Day Parade balloon, an enormous, air-filled Felix the Cat, was engineered in 1927 to replace the live animals that had formerly participated in the parade. In 1982, the parade introduced the Olive Oyl balloon, the first to represent a female character. In recent years, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has featured representations of Shrek, Dora the Explorer, Spider-Man, SpongeBob SquarePants, Super Mario, Snoopy, and the Energizer Bunny.
Here is more information about the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade New York City:
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NY begins at 9am EST at 77th Street and Central Park West
The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade NYC ends at 12pm EST at 34th Street
Tours Taking Place during the Thanksgiving Holidays
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Rockefeller Center Tour Package
Radio City Stage Door Tours
The Ride NYC
Discounts on the Attractions You'll Want to See!
Big Apple in a Day
NYC Museum Pass
Spectacular City Views
Restaurants in Manhattan
NYC Event Tickets
MondayFeb 01 8:00 PM
Trevor - A New Musical
Stage 42 - New York - New York
No Fees.Low Prices.
Created by Fans
TuesdayFeb 02 8:00 PM
Ambassador Theatre - NY - New York
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre - New York
Music Box Theatre - NY - New York
Belasco Theatre - NY - New York
Walter Kerr Theatre - New York
Broadhurst Theatre - New York
Virginia/August Wilson Theatre - NY - New York
Hirschfeld Theatre - New York
Mrs. Doubtfire - The Musical
Stephen Sondheim Theatre - New York
Six The Musical
Brooks Atkinson Theatre - New York
TuesdayFeb 02 8:45am
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and 9/11 Memorial Walking Tour With Pedestal Access
Attractions4Us Walking Tour - Battery Park - New York
Full Price: $135 | Our Price: $67.50
Winter Garden Theatre - New York - New York
Majestic Theatre - NY - New York
Lunt-fontanne Theatre - New York
Shubert Theatre - NY - New York
Broadway Theatre - New York - New York
Gershwin Theatre - New York
WednesdayFeb 03 11:00am
Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO Neighborhood Tour
In front of the Tweed Courthouse Building - New York
Full Price: Coming Soon | Our Price: Sold Out
WednesdayFeb 03 2:00 PM
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - Part 1
Lyric Theatre - New York - New York
WednesdayFeb 03 3:30 AM
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - Part 1 & 2 (2PM & 7:30PM)
New World Stages: Stage 1 - New York
Market Hotel - NY - Brooklyn
WednesdayFeb 03 8:45am
Other Fun Things to Do in New York City on Thanksgiving Day
If parades are not for you, consider some of these other fun things to do in NYC on Thanksgiving Day:
The Central Park Zoo is open year-round, and makes a good alternative to the crowd of the parade.
Central Park: If you'd like to avoid the crowds on Thanksgiving Day, take a relaxing stroll through Central Park NY. You might sit down with a picnic lunch, spend the afternoon in a rowboat on the Lake, or visit the Central Park Zoo, which is open year-round. Here, in the heart of the park, you'll be enchanted by the vibrant fall foliage, the crisp, cool breeze, and the subdued chatter of the park's woodland birds. By the end of the day, you'll feel refreshed and ready for the Christmas season.
Ice Skating: Looking for family-friendly things to do in New York City on Thanksgiving Day? Try ice skating at Rockefeller Center. The Rockefeller Center Ice Rink is open on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Note that the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is not lit until the week after Thanksgiving.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum: Unlike many New York City attractions, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum remains open on Thanksgiving Day. This NYC museum is home to the disarmingly lifelike, expertly crafted wax statues of Hollywood stars, sports heroes, and historical figures. Recent additions to the museum include President Barack Obama and musician Taylor Swift.
Empire State Building: Another fun thing to do on Thanksgiving is visit the Empire State Building. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986, this 102-story Art Deco skyscraper was erected in 1931 and has remained a popular NYC tourist destination ever since. In the United States, its height is surpassed only by Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower. It was the world's tallest building for over 40 years.
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Thanksgiving Parade Pt. 1
Macy's Day Parade
Thanksgiving Parade
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November in NYC
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Macy's Thanksgiving Parade NYC
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Passing of a Visionary: Tony Hsieh, former Zappos CEO, dies at 46
by: 8NewsNow staff
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Tony Hsieh, former CEO of retail giant Zappos and founder of DTP, has passed away at the age of 46.
DTP Companies, formerly known as the Downtown Project, confirmed the visionary died peacefully with family by his side in Connecticut. The company released a statement, including words from Hsieh’s family. It reads:
Tony’s kindness and generosity touched the lives of everyone around him, and forever brightened the world. Delivering happiness was always his mantra, so instead of mourning his transition, we ask you to join us in celebrating his life.
On behalf of all DTP Companies employees and staff, we would like to express our deepest condolences to Tony’s family and friends who have all lost Tony as a cherished loved one, visionary and friend. Tony was highly regarded by all of his fellow friends and colleagues in the tight-knit family at DTP Companies, so this heartbreaking tragedy is one that affects many involved.
We ask that you continue to respect the family’s privacy during this most difficult and challenging time.”
DTP Companies and the Hsieh Family
Courtesy: Zappos.com
Downtown Partnership spokesperson Megan Fazio later added:
He was a humanitarian. A forward thinker who saw the happiness ahead of dollars. He bridged businesses, community and all walks of life towards the end.
Tony was a kind visionary. He helped revitalize DTLV and believed in people’s passions.
There is no human that met Tony and didn’t fall in love with his humanity.”
Hsieh was often called a visionary, but he didn’t start that way. He once said his passion for business didn’t begin with shoes, but with earthworms. When that didn’t pay off, he tried other things.
“Bought a bunch of them and thought I could produce more worms, but that didn’t work out,” Hsieh shared in an earlier interview. “They all escaped … There was the lemonade stand. There was the small mail order button business, where I would make the buttons that people would pin on.”
After graduating from Harvard, he created and sold a website with his roommate and made $265 million. After that, he invested that money into Zappos back in 1999.
The retailer, which started out purely selling shoes, expanded its empire to include everything from handbags to clothing and accessories. Headquarters were moved to Henderson in 2004, and Amazon eventually bought the company in 2009 for around $1.2 billion.
8 News Now’s Tedd Florendo got to speak with Hsieh back in 2012. They spoke about his goals and success. When asked if he considers himself ambitious, he replied:
“I guess I wouldn’t say ambitious. Just the type of person who gets bored easily.”
Hsieh stepped down as Zappos’ CEO back in August 2020.
He also founded DTP in 2012. The initiative put $350 million into real estate, entertainment and tech startups around Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas.
Gov. Steve Sisolak expressed his condolences in a Tweet Friday night:
Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas. Kathy and I send our love and condolences to Tony’s family and friends during this difficult time https://t.co/7TXBUDWZe0
— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) November 28, 2020
Derek Stevens, owner of two Downtown Las Vegas properties, Tweeted:
Supporting this City and the people within it, Tony Hsieh changed the landscape of Downtown Las Vegas. Our community will miss him greatly, rest in peace. I will miss him greatly. pic.twitter.com/eWmAvgLyPM
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) November 28, 2020
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Texas Tenors to open Civic Hall's 25th anniversary season
RICHMOND, Ind. — A celebration of Civic Hall Performing Arts Center’s 25th anniversary season begins Saturday, Oct. 6, with the return of a nationally touring trio made famous on TV.
The Texas Tenors will perform pop, classical, country and Broadway music at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Civic Hall.
They made their national debut on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” a few years ago and have since earned three Emmy Awards for their PBS special “You Should Dream.”
This is the fourth time that the Texas Tenors have appeared in Richmond because of audience requests, although this is the first local performance of their latest show, “Rise,” which also has been shown on PBS. They have performed more than 1,000 concerts around the world, according to a release.
Tickets are $35 for adults and $27 for students, with group rates available. Seats can be purchased by calling 765-973-3350 or at the box office between 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. weekdays. Tickets also will be sold at the door as available, with limited seats remaining for the evening concert. A $5 fee is charged for credit card processing.
Tickets are currently on sale for other performances this season. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. and cost $30 for adults or $22 for students and active military unless otherwise indicated.
Nov. 3: The 20-something Quebe Sisters from Texas are champion fiddlers and sing in multi-part harmony. They’ve shared stages with American music legends such as Willie Nelson, George Strait, Merle Haggard and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.
Nov. 9: The Indiana University Singing Hoosiers will perform at 7 p.m. The Richmond High School Chamber Choir will perform, too. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door, or $8 for students.
Nov. 16: The Jeff Hamilton Trio, featuring Hamilton, an RHS graduate who performs with Diana Krall and other well-known musicians, will play with Indiana University Jazz Student Big Band at 7 p.m. Hamilton will conduct a student clinic earlier in the day. Tickets are $25.
Dec. 8: The Holiday Spectacular features three tenors in GENTRI, short for “The Gentlemen Trio,” accompanied by members of Richmond Symphony Orchestra. The three tenors are pioneering a signature sound they call “Cinematic Pop.” Their music is transfused with lush, epic orchestrations and rich, dynamic three-part harmonies. They’ve shared the stage with Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth and Journey. Tickets are $30 for adults, $22 for students.
Feb. 22: Ohio State Men’s and Women’s Glee Club will perform at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $12.
March 9: The 1940s musical revue In The Mood brings a company of 22 singers, dancers and a big band orchestra to perform music by Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, The Andrews Sisters and others.
May 11: Rockapella performs contemporary version of Motown, pop and soul classics and original pop songs. The group became famous in the 1990s on PBS’s “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?”
Information: civichall.com
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Hidden Hazards: A Family Product Safety Guide
Our homes are filled with products containing potentially harmful chemicals that have long gone unregulated. Finally, progress is being made—but you still need to be vigilant about protecting your family.
By Crayola Beauty Lips
Credit: Priscilla Gragg
When I was pregnant, I was pretty convinced that with research and savvy shopping, I could protect my baby from all the Big Bad Scary Chemicals in the world. After all, I had written a lot about how to "go green." How hard could it be?
Then my daughter was born—and, wow, was I naí¯ve. It turned out that the glass bottle I'd chosen didn't have a nipple she liked and, later, she thought the spout on the BPA-free sippy cup was too hard. As a busy mom, I just don't have enough time to worry about all the invisible chemical threats—even though I know that those risks are real.
The crisis with the water system in Flint, Michigan, is a scary reminder that toxins can be right under our roof. "There are more than 84,000 chemicals used in consumer goods today, but no law requires them to be tested for safety," says Parents advisor Philip Landrigan, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. "Studies have shown that many of these chemicals accumulate in our body and may play a role in our children's risk for problems including asthma, cancer, and developmental delays." High on the list: chemicals that are known to be endocrine disruptors, including BPA and phthalates, which can mimic hormones or interfere with the production of them—and are often not listed on product labels.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical companies, points out that many chemical ingredients have benefits: "Chemicals are present in products because they provide characteristics that enable a product to perform better," says Jenny Heumann, director of product safety and stakeholder communications. "For example, the polystyrene used to line children's bicycle helmets provides crucial protection in case of an accident."
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) its authority to regulate chemicals in consumer products—but this law hasn't been updated since 1976, back before many chemicals even existed. Fortunately, reformed legislation to give the EPA more jurisdiction is working its way through Congress. At press time, different bills had passed in the Senate and the House, and now legislators need to agree on a reconciled bill for a final vote. Until we have stricter regulations, the responsibility falls on parents to evaluate options. Since you shouldn't need a Ph.D. in chemistry to pack a lunch or choose a cup for your kid, we'll give you the essential details.
Parent Priorities
This is what you need to be most concerned about, according to leading children's- and environmental-health experts.
WHAT GOES IN YOUR KID Feed your children lots of fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods because processed foods tend to contain more synthetic additives, some of which have been associated with negative effects, including an increased risk of cancer. Going organic as often as you can is your best defense, as produce farmed that way is much less likely to carry residue of pesticides. The potentially endocrinedisrupting chemicals in plastic cups, plates, and food-storage containers can also be ingested if they leach into your child's food. Try to trade plastic for glass, ceramic, or wood, and keep plastic out of the microwave and dishwasher.
WHAT GOES ON YOUR KID Any chemical that sits directly on your child's skin can be absorbed or ingested. Use the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database at ewg.org/skindeep to choose safer shampoos, lotions, and other personal-care products, and check "Best Buys" on page 120. Unfortunately, brands that have the best rating from Skin Deep often tend to be more expensive, in part because they are made by smaller companies and because safer ingredients generally cost more. If you need to prioritize, you might splurge on staples (such as lotion or sunscreen) rather than on specialty items. It's best to choose sunscreens that are made with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which sit on top of the skin and create a physical barrier, over those made with ingredients that absorb into your child's skin, such as oxybenzone or retinyl palmitate.
WHAT YOUR KID SITS (AND SLEEPS) ON If you're replacing your sofa or your child's mattress, shop around for a flame-retardantfree option, but don't feel pressured to replace all your foam furnishings and pillows. A more affordable strategy is to regularly mop and vacuum (with a HEPA filter if possible) to stay on top of dust, which is where chemicals accumulate, and for everyone to wash their hands before eating. If you have the option, choose hardwood floors over carpeting in the rooms where kids sleep and play.
Download These Home Safety Guidelines!
Hard-Won Victories
While we've been waiting for Washington to get its act together, advances have been made at the state level.
Fewer Flame-Retardants In 2014, California updated its flammability standards after years of legislative efforts. (Regulations there affect all of us: Companies don't want to make separate sets of products to sell in different states.) To meet the requirements of the previous law, the foam cushioning in crib mattresses, changing pads, and nursing pillows, as well as chairs and sofas, were treated with flame-retardant chemicals.
However, decades of data have shown that the chemicals pose health risks to humans— including decreased fertility and an increased chance of cancer and obesity—and they provide questionable fire-safety benefits. The new California law doesn't ban flame-retardants, but manufacturers are able to meet the flammability standard without using them. However, the new law makes children's products exempt from flammability standards, so many products are likely to be flame-retardant-free. Labeling for flame-retardants is not required, so to make sure a product is flame-retardant-free, check with the manufacturer. Car seats must comply with a motor-vehicle standard and continue to contain flameretardants. Furniture companies including Crate & Barrel, IKEA, La-Z-Boy, Pottery Barn, and The Futon Shop now stock flameretardant-free options.
Clearer Ingredient Labels In 2013, retailers Target and Walmart began disclosing the ingredients of many personalcare products on their websites to encourage manufacturers to remove questionable chemicals. Although the products must list ingredients on the label (often in tiny type), there is one gray area: fragrance. "The scent can contain dozens of chemicals that are considered a trade secret," says Richard Denison, Ph.D., a lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Household cleaning products aren't required to tell you much about what's in them. SC Johnson (which owns brands like Glade and Off!) now lists ingredients for air-care products on its website and will add other product categories. Clorox lists on its site any ingredients identified as allergens by the European Union. In general, try to avoid any product with "fragrance" as an ingredient.
Get Kids' Bath Products at Shop Parents!
Chemical FAQs
Q. I want to paint my baby's room, but I'm worried about the fumes while I'm pregnant. Which paint is safest?
A. Women who are pregnant (and children) should leave painting to others. Then choose a low- or noVOC paint to avoid volatile organic compounds—chemicals that keep paint in a liquid state during application. They evaporate as the paint dries—and off-gas right into the air you breathe, probably for weeks or even months. VOCs have short- and long-term effects, including eye irritation; respiratory problems; loss of coordination; headaches; nausea; damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Even no-VOC paints aren't completely toxin-free (many contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen), so be sure to open the windows. Choosing the right paint is only half the battle. "Every year we see a few cases of fetal lead poisoning because new parents have scraped down the nursery walls and exposed old lead paint," warns Dr. Landrigan. "The results are devastating." If your home was built before 1978, consider hiring a professional who is certified in lead-paint removal.
Q. Does "BPA-Free" mean my son's sippy cup is safe? A. Not necessarily. The chemical BPA (Bisphenol-A) is used to make the plastic in many cups and plates, as well as in food-storage containers.
A. It became a symbol for the saferchemicals movement after studies linked it to asthma, fertility problems, and cardiovascular issues. Many manufacturers have ditched BPA, but experts aren't sure the chemicals used instead are much safer because studies haven't been done on them yet. "Most brands use Bisphenol-S, which may also be an endocrine disruptor and pose many of the same risks," says Dr. Landrigan. For food purposes, it's better to limit your use of plastic and melamine altogether.
Q. My daughter's body lotion says it's "organic." What does that mean?
A. If you also see the USDA's organic seal, at least 70 percent of the lotion's ingredients should be certified organic (and likely plant-based), which means no pesticides were used to grow them. However, you still don't know what's in that other 30 percent. Odds are good that a brand using some organic ingredients is making an effort to formulate a clean product, but it's still worth checking it out in the Skin Deep Database.
Steer Clear
The Environmental Working Group recommends buying products with a shorter list of ingredients and avoiding these listed here:
Benzisothiazolinone
2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
Diazolidinyl urea
DMDM hydantoin
Isobutylparaben
Isopropylparaben
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Quaternium-15
Sodium borate
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
Triethanolamine (TEA)
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Is Trump’s Idea of Acquiring Greenland Folly or Genius?
Newsletter | No Comments
President Donald Trump rolled the dice and landed on Greenland. Now he wants to buy it.
No, this is not a new version of Monopoly he’s playing with Cabinet members in the Oval Office.
It’s real. It’s strategic. Anyone who thought Trump was joking when he floated the idea doesn’t know him very well.
Of course, it’s probably impossible. But it’s making for interesting water cooler conversations around the world.
Danish PM Calls Idea ‘Absurd’
First let’s take a look at Greenland. Then we’ll examine why Trump wants to make a purchase that Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen labeled as “absurd.”
Greenland is the world’s largest island at 811,000 square miles. Approximately 80 percent of the Danish territory is ice-capped. It’s located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
There’s something that comes as a surprise to people who have not looked at a globe recently. It is part of the North American continent.
For many years it has been more closely associated with Europe. Especially Norway and Denmark. As well as Iceland. But it’s actually in North America.
U.S. Has Air Force Base There
The population of Greenland is roughly 58,000. That makes it the least densely populated territory in the world.
The majority of residents are Inuit. They are concentrated on the southwest coast of the island. Residents have been self-governed for the past 40 years.
Greenland is divided into five municipalities. One of the two unincorporated areas – Thule Air Base – is controlled by Denmark. But it’s administered by the U.S. Air Force.
The U.S. base has operated in Greenland since 1943. And thanks to a 1951 treaty, it’s rent-free. We have a ballistic missile early warning system there. Plus a satellite tracking system.
It’s All About Natural Resources
Fishing and tourism are the country’s two main economic drivers. But that’s not what makes Trump intrigued about acquiring the island.
He’s much more interested in the potential financial impact of the island’s natural resources. These resources include zinc, copper, iron ore, coal and rare minerals.
Nobody really knows how many resources exist. But the country’s geopolitical influence is on the rise. Countries including China are very interested in it.
As recently as last year, China proposed building new airports and mining facilities on Greenland.
Shipping Lanes Opening
Another reason Greenland is coming into the spotlight in recent years is what’s happening around it.
With polar ice caps melting, North Atlantic shipping lanes are opening. These lanes reduce travel times and expenditures. And they provide a way to “borrow” natural resources.
Frederiksen insists Greenland is not on the market. As an outcome, Trump cancelled a recent trip to meet with her.
Many are criticizing Trump for even discussing the idea of acquiring Greenland. But President Harry Truman did the same thing in 1946. In fact, he proposed $100 million in gold for the island. Some say the country is worth at least $1 billion today.
Acquiring land from Denmark is not without precedent. In 1917, the U.S. got the Virgin Islands from the Danish for $25 million in gold. That would be about $500 million today.
But even if Frederiksen were willing to consider anything, the negotiations could get very complicated.
Iwan Morgan is with the University College of London’s Institute of the Americas. He said such a deal would involve treaties and legislative processes in Denmark. As well as in Greenland and the U.S. The European Union would also want to get involved.
And any potential reward would be years in the future. If not decades. Much of Greenland is undeveloped, and the conditions are harsh.
Greenland Citizens Hopeful
Even if it never happens, Greenland residents may benefit from the interest and publicity.
Verner Hammeken is chief executive of Greenland’s Royal Arctic Line. He says: “When you stimulate investment in an area like Greenland, magic wonders can happen in mining, tourism and infrastructure.”
Greenland has only one commercial airport. And no roads between its 17 cities. If a deal leads to improvements in roads, airports, mines and tourism, that means job creation. That would be welcome in a country where unemployment is 9 percent.
“We’ve seen that when the United States catches interest in certain areas around the world, investments from private American companies follow,” Hammeken added.
Back in 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward suggested acquiring Alaska from the Russian Empire. At the time of the $7.2 million deal, many Americans called it “Seward’s Folly.”
In hindsight, it was a steal. And one of the most strategic moves the U.S. has ever made.
If Trump somehow succeeds in acquiring Greenland, will we eventually look at it the same way? Will we see repercussions or will we gain from a deal?
Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
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Acts of Kindness Rule… and They’re Truly Golden
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Quoted Book Reviews
A Novel Cover Up
A Diversified Bookcase
Once Upon a Retelling
Bloggers Get Real
Sex in Teen Lit Month I
Sex in Teen Lit Month II
Body Image and Self-Perception Month
Death and Bereavement Week
LGBTQ YA Month
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children's book, fairy tale retelling, review, russell brand, the pied piper of hamelin
Review: The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand
09:00 Jo No comments
The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand, Illustrated by Chris Riddell(review copy)
'They say cometh the hour cometh the man. This means when a situation demands it, the right person - it could be a woman, despite what Sexist Dave would tell you - will appear. This was the hour and in this case the man was a Piper. A Pied Piper.'
You'll be enchanted and revolted in equal measure by the host of characters you meet in Russell Brand's Hamelin: the anarchic rats, the arrogant townspeople, sharp-eyed Sam and of course the Pied Piper himself, all brought to life in Brand's inimitable style and with the illustrations of Children's Laureate Chris Riddell. From Goodreads.
I have admired the hardback of The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand, illustrated by Chris Riddell from afar for quite a while. Having read and loved The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, another fairy tale retelling that Riddell illustrated, I was really intrigued to see what he would do with this interpretation, too. However, I must admit, that I wasn't sure how seriously Brand would take retelling a fairy tale, so I've always been a bit wary. But my desire to see Riddell's illustrations won out when I was offered a review copy of the paperback from Canongate books.
As this is a retelling of a well known fairy tale, I'm not going to summarise the story: we all know the general premise. I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Brand has written this comedic retelling how he speaks, with intelligence but with his unique turn of phrase. Fans of Brand are going to love this for his wonderful way with words, and what's brilliant is that he hasn't dumbed himself down for this children's book. There are "big" words and slang terms throughout, but each new word a child reading might not understand is defined on the page, and there's a glossary at the back, too.
The fairy tale is written with Brand's usual humour, but also including jokes, like toilet humour, children will also find funny - and it will be no surprise to anyone that Brand easily blends the two. With The Pied Piper of Hamelin, he's created a brilliantly funny take on a classic story that will amuse adults and children alike.
Despite the fact that adults will enjoy this too, it's definitely a children's book. Considering this, what's brilliant is Brand's moral additions to this story. As well as the general snobby attitude the Hamelinians have, Brand has included Sexist Dave, who has some awful opinions, and Brand makes it quite clear this behaviour is not acceptable. The book also includes phrases like, "what matters are invisible things like truth, love and honour," "all children are perfect," "important prizes can't be won by individuals, only by us all," and "you should always want to know more" - all wonderful ideas to instill in children.
And look at those gorgeous illustrations! Riddell can easily create beauty, but he also has such a knack for the grotesque. This is a book of art as well as a brilliant story, and one to be admired for the artwork as well as read for the humour. Brand and Riddell make the perfect partnership, as Brand's storytelling and descriptions give Riddell so much to work with to show off his unique style.
This is the first in Brand's Trickster Tales, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he writes next in the series - and I really hope Riddell will illustrate the future tales, too!
Thank you to Cannongate Books for the review copy.
Published: 1st October 2015 Publisher: Cannongate Books
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Bobby Sumpter (2013)
For outstanding scientific impact in computational soft matter and nanoscience through cross-discipline collaboration to address materials problems and discover new functional materials
Stan Wullschleger (2013)
For outstanding leadership and pioneering research in climate and the environmental sciences
Jon A Kreykes (2009)
For far-reaching accomplishments on national security issues relating to nuclear weapons proliferation, security of nuclear materials, and counterterrorism.
Robert J Harrison (2005)
For studies of the electronic structure of molecules, computational chemistry, and high-performance algorithms and computing.
Thomas G Thundat (2005)
For developments in biomedical engineering and biotechnology, micromechanical devices, and nanoscale imaging and detection.
James R Beene (2004)
For innovative research in nuclear structure physics, particularly in areas leading to a quantitative understanding of the excitation and decay of the elementary collective modes of nuclei, and for vision and scientific and technical leadership in building the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility into a forefront laboratory for nuclear science.
Al Geist (2002)
For internationally recognized contributions in distributed and cluster computing, including the development of the Parallel Virtual Machine and the Message Passing Interface standard now widely used in science to solve computational problems in biology, physics, chemistry, and materials science.
Stephen J Pennycook (1996)
For development of Z-contrast microscopy, which allows the direct imaging of materials at the atomic scale.
(-) Active Research Fellow (4)
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CBC Takes Calls from Concerned Black Americans
Author: D. Kevin McNeir Published: 3/25/2020 Washington Informer
First of a two-part series
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) continues to convene teleconferences with the Black Press, elected officials, nonprofits and other interested African Americans providing updates on how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the lives and livelihoods of the Black community and what the future may hold.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), CBC chair, led the most recent conversation March 20 which focused on the stimulus bill (estimated to be a package totaling $1-2 trillion) which Congress hoped to approve in the coming days, the Census and the 2020 vote.
“We’re in crisis across the nation but we cannot lose momentum,” Bass said, referring to the importance of African Americans to reply to recently-mailed questionnaires from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as registering to vote and preparing for the general election in November.
“We really want to hear from you so you can tell us how the pandemic and economic crisis are impacting the Black community in the District and across the U.S.,” she said.
She further acknowledged what remains prominent among the challenges facing Blacks and others including the elderly, the homeless, the incarcerated and the infirm who routinely find their issues placed on the back burner in America — their health.
“Naturally, our folks want to know, quite simply, how they can keep themselves safe from the coronavirus,” she said. “But members of the CBC remain committed to making sure that as the third stimulus package becomes fine-tuned and approved, that the bailout helps those who clean our airports or provide services as hourly employees first before any financial assistance goes to the airlines.
“If Congress doesn’t protect the most vulnerable members of our society, then we’re prepared to vote against any proposed legislation,” Bass added.
Coronavirus: Far More Contagious, Deadlier Than the Flu
Two associate professors at the University of Virginia School of Medicine [UVASM], both Black, joined the teleconference to answer questions and clarify misconceptions about the coronavirus.
“COVID-19 is a member of the coronavirus family with each strain as far reaching as the common cold,” said Dr. Ebony J. Hilton, UVASM, Anesthesiology Dept. “But it’s this newest strain spread mostly through air droplets, which no one has been able to secure an immunity, which is highly-more contagious than the flu and which since its emergence has proven to be far deadlier than any we’ve ever experienced.
“The infection rate for COVID-19 is 2.5 times higher than that of the flu which causes about 56,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. In comparison, the Centers for Disease Control estimate the death rate from coronavirus could be from 200,000 to as high as 1.7 million Americans by year’s end. We hope we can steer people to realize just how deadly this virus is,” Dr. Hilton said.
Dr. Hilton said beliefs about coronavirus being more dangerous for the elderly remain misleading if not inaccurate.
“While those 80 or over represent 20 percent of the nation’s population more likely to die from coronavirus complications, 40 percent of the hospitalized in the U.S. are under 50 years old — 20 percent of those requiring hospitalization between the ages of 20 and 44 years old,” she said.
Should Americans follow recommendations related to the practicing of social distancing? Dr. Hilton says, “definitely,” especially if you live in highly-populated areas.
“In the U.S., we face both a health and a financial crisis, especially in urban areas which are highly-populated by Black and brown residents — 22 million, or 80 percent of the American population, represent urban dwellers — that equates to between 160 and 200 million Americans becoming infected,” Dr. Hilton emphasized.
“Without adhering to social distancing and being diligent in checking for symptoms and getting tested — all ways to better contain the virus — we may see as many as 1.7 million Americans not living to see 2021.”
Dr. Taison Bell, UVASM, Infectious Disease and Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine, answered questions about how the coronavirus is impacting Blacks. So far, he said, data released from the CDC has been highly objective and not indicated if Blacks, who already represent the top tier from among eight-of-thirteen leading causes of death in the U.S., despite representing less than 14 percent of the total U.S. population, represent greater numbers of those infected by or succumbing to the coronavirus.
“We cannot say whether Blacks are being tested at rates equivalent to whites,” Dr. Bell said.
“In most areas, what we’re seeing is three criteria that tend to raise one’s chances of being tested, particularly given the inadequate number of test kits currently available: wealth, white and womb-less [a woman without children]. We’re still hoping that both the CDC and the W.H.O. will make the testing rates and related information more transparent,” he said.
In his comments about testing, Dr. Bell further noted frustrations for health care providers and hospital systems being further stymied due to the delay of America in recognizing the severity of the coronavirus.
“At this point, we’re in different stages of the virus — we’re well beyond the ability to contain it and have now entered mitigation — that’s advising maintaining a distance of six feet or more to help flatten the curve and slow the capacity. Still, it’s spreading rapidly in urban centers (New York City has now become the epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S.),” he said.
“Also, we’re still in high flu season which puts additional strain on our hospitals which are already at an inadequate capacity for beds,” Dr. Bell said. “Now we’re focusing on access to resources, access to care and the unique characteristics of the virus which collectively make this such a highly-contagious and fast-spreading virus.”
In part two of this series, we will look at the issues raised by the Black business community and leaders including words from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and how the pending stimulus package (which was still being vetted as this edition went to press) will benefit African Americans, manly of whom work in the service industries or are part-time employees. Comments and questions will further address food and water deserts in the nation as well as concerns about housing shortages and the challenge Black families continue to face in paying utility bills or securing the Internet.
Ronald Bethea March 28, 2020 Uncategorized
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Archive for month: June, 2019
You are here: Home / News / SPECIAL EVENTS WEEK / 2019 / June
Potoroo Palace’s new quoll in need of a name
This young spotted-tail quoll is Potoroo Palace’s latest arrival – but he needs a name.
Potoroo Palace has a new arrival who has come all the way from Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary, in Tasmania. A young spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) male, just one year old now living at his new sanctuary and settling in wonderfully.
His new neighbours happen to be a pair of white winged choughs who seem to find their new arrival very fascinating, as he now provides them a novel distraction.
The mission of the local sanctuary is always to excite and inspire, while raising awareness of the plight and irreplaceable value of our native wildlife. Australia has suffered one of the greatest loss of mammals of any continent and the acquisition of quolls enables the sanctuary to highlight yet another vulnerable animal, once abundant in the wild.
Australia is home to four species of quolls, which are the largest carnivorous marsupials on mainland Australia. Foxes and cats prey on quolls and directly compete with them for food. Other human-induced impacts include illegal shooting, car accidents and the ingestion of poison baits set for dingoes and wild dogs.
A captive breeding program is in the pipeline, once the further acquisition of a girlfriend or two can be secured! Meanwhile, this young man needs a fitting name and staff would like to throw it out to the public to choose one.
A fundraising competition is being held, with the winning entry having their own name proudly displayed on the outside of the enclosure and a free pass into the sanctuary. All proceeds will go towards supporting the continuing educational work of the sanctuary.
More information can be found by clicking here
https://www.potoroopalace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Quoll-boy-3-Gabby-2.png 853 675 potoroo palace https://www.potoroopalace.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/logo-purple-black-slogan-500px.png potoroo palace2019-06-14 10:24:292019-06-14 10:39:15Potoroo Palace's new quoll in need of a name
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Every Child Matters the focus of Orange Shirt Day
Preeceville Progress
Chase Danielson of Preeceville wore his orange shirt in support of Orange Shirt Day.
Preeceville School staff and student representative council paid tribute to victims and survivors of residential schools when they wore orange shirts during Every Child Matters day on September 30. Photographed in class, from left, were: Christian Acosta, Bill Dodge and Eli Kashuba.
On September 30 each year, thousands of people gather across Canada to remember the victims and survivors of residential schools as part of Orange Shirt Day.
The Preeceville School staff and student representative council paid tribute to the day on September 30 when they wore orange shirts.
"This is an opportunity for First Nations, local government, school and communities to come together in a spirited reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come," said Doug King, principal of Preeceville School.
The annual event is a chance to have meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind,” according to the Orange Shirt Society’s official website.
The Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, B.C. in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself. It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region.
The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation, continued the website information. Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories.
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of this project. As spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her, a six-year old girl
The annual Orange Shirt Day opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind, a discussion all Canadians can tune into and create bridges with each other for reconciliation, a day for survivors to be reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected. Every Child Matters, even if they are an adult, from now on.
The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
It all started in the Cariboo, and as a result, School District No. 27 was chosen by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) to pilot curriculum changes for all Grade 5 and Grade 10 students reflecting the residential school experience, which have now been implemented province-wide.
Resolutions have been passed in support of Orange Shirt Day by local governments, school districts, and First Nations in the Cariboo and beyond. The AFN Chiefs-in-Council passed a resolution declaring Orange Shirt Day “a first step in reconciliation” and pledging to bring the message home as well as to the government of Canada and the churches responsible. Several provincial governments have proclaimed Orange Shirt Day, and in March of 2019, the Government of Canada passed a bill designating September 30 National Truth and Reconciliation Day. Unfortunately, that bill died in the Senate.
On this day of September 30 “we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it,” concluded the website information.
For more stories pick up a print edition of the Preeceville Progress. Please support the Preeceville Progress by purchasing a subscription here.
Local gardener surprised at treasure in garden
Popular Local News
Ice fishing rules and regulations are mainly the same for the new season
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The World Of William T. Vollmann
William T. Vollmann
Viking ($39.95)
EXPELLED FROM EDEN
A William T. Vollmann Reader
Larry McCaffery and Michael Hemmingson, eds.
Thunder's Mouth Press ($17.95)
a consideration by Justin Taylor
I. Where The Sublime is Invoked
“Of course I was also practical. As Heidegger writes: The upward glance passes aloft toward the sky, and yet it remains below on the earth.”
—Vollmann, "Maiden Voyage" (Europe Central)
In the middle of Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son—a slender whirlwind which does not know if it is a novel or a book of stories—there is a single sentence (repeated once later, so it appears twice in the text) which has stuck to the hard, fast insides of my skull and will likely always be with me. Johnson's drug-addled narrator surveys a landscape and asks: What can be said of those fields? It is a question for which there is every and no answer, which is why the sentence, once encountered in context, situates itself in the mind's great room like a piece of statuary added to a permanent collection. I think of it whenever I am overwhelmed or adrift in the beauty and confusion of the world.
If I had to pick a sentence of equal caliber from the unwieldy and multitudinous canon of William T. Vollmann, it would be a mere fragment, ten simple words that conclude a sentence almost two pages long: And I want to send history to the bright fires. That idea, anchored in the holy simplicity of brightness, is a sublime moment, a feat of literary transubstantiation which, once achieved, makes The Writer worthy of the time it takes to hold down the shift-key and capitalize that job description. Here, if nowhere else, Vollmann has his Moment.
Which is not to say that this is a singular brightness, shining in one fragment but otherwise missing from the millions of words comprising Vollmann's exquisite corpus, which even now expands and dazzles as surely as the universe at night: a heaventree of stars hung with humid nightblue fruit.
II. Where We Confront Certain Truths
“The capacity to intend is like a flame, and the capacity to discern like the light that comes from it.”
—Swedenborg, Heaven & Hell
Let me dispense with all pretense and tell you as simply as I can the nature and peculiar difficulty of the task that sits before me. (My friend Megan, who is very pretty, sits on the edge of my futon, but this is an entirely different story.) Let us imagine the paradox as a figure model, naked and prone. Then we'll see what it takes to sketch the pale swells of the buttocks of our problem, the impossible folds of skin where the breast and the armpit conspire against me, forcing me to say, finally, that these are two important works by a man whose importance can hardly be overestimated, and yet I didn't particularly like either of them.
III. Where I Pose the Impertinent Question: Is Europe Central Another Argall?
“For the convenience of my countrymen who lose their way in Russian novels.”
—Vollmann, on including a list of patronymics in Europe Central
If it hasn't become clear to you yet, then you probably aren't paying attention; but, all the same, let me say that when it comes to William T. Vollmann I am an advocate, a fan, and perhaps a bit of a hero-worshipper. Think of Nicholson Baker writing U and I about John Updike, and what it means to truly be affected by a still-living author (whose complete works you may well not have read).
Of course, there are only so many reading hours in a lifetime, and so the right honorable reader (to borrow a phrase of Vollmann's) must be excused for making some difficult decisions. If, for example, I decide that The Rainbow Stories is so good I shall read it two or three times, then during such re-readings I read nothing else—not by Vollmann, not by anybody. And if every week I read The Nation from cover to cover, then whatever time I give to Arthur Danto's take on the new MoMA is lost to Danilo Kis (whose A Tomb for Boris Davidovich Vollmann cites as a work of signal importance to him), to the poet Anna Akhmatova (who plays a key role in Europe Central), etc.
One Vollmann title I've steered away from is the third installment in his Seven Dreams series, Argall, which explores the story of a pirate captain, the romance of John Smith and Pocahontas, and the further “settling” of the American continent—and all composed in Elizabethan English. Assuming readership of such an arduous work is exhausting even to consider.
Some may feel this way about Europe Central, a mammoth tome in which Vollmann captures the very essence of the Eastern Front and the broad and specific horrors of war. (At least it feels like he has. Vollmann, after all, has sought out battlefields. All I've ever sought from my Portland, Oregon, apartment is the writings of Vollmann—and, perhaps, in a moment of indiscretion, Megan). Vollmann conjures the socio-spiritual properties of the societies in question. The Russian stories shriek silently like skulls from beneath a sheet of dirty Moscow ice, from the blue-white core of their Russianness. The uncanny optimism of Nazi Germany (cut like cocaine into crack by the steady creep of its fate) blares from the page like the grand march from Tannhauser. This is a work that roils and teaches—a seemingly endless sprawl of historicism and empathy, secret police and love affairs. (Human, all too human, Nietzsche would have said, and he would have been right).
Yet, as with Jesus' Son, I don't think Europe Central knows whether it is a novel or a collection of stories. Both books feature recurring characters, a consistent narrative voice, and incidents in later stories that build on incidents in prior stories, making a linear reading (that is, treating the stories as chapters) more rewarding than a hunt-and-peck approach (like the one Vollmann encourages his readers to adopt in the foreword to The Atlas). But where Johnson's book is told by a common dope fiend, a fucked-up guy rightly named Fuckhead by his friends, Vollmann's narrator is not so much a person as a force, something like Philip K. Dick's V.A.L.I.S. crossed with Vollmann's own Big George, the undying and all-seeing thing that lurked in the digital backstreets of You Bright and Risen Angels. If I had to name this emanation, which (unlike in Johnson's book) is ostensibly many different narrators, I would call it The Bureaucrat.
As in the Seven Dreams works, which like this one are all painstakingly researched historical fictions (and all offered up as novels, I feel inclined to point out), Europe Central is governed by metaphysical and symbolic reagents which Vollmann uses to amplify the implications and significance of his war stories. He invokes Jewish mysticism first and to greatest effect in “The Saviors: A Kabbalistic Tale,” as well as elsewhere throughout the text as it suits his purpose. Music is also a fundament of both the book and the cultures it treats. Many of the stories concern the life of the Soviet composer Shostakovich, and Wagner's legacy alternately haunts or informs pretty much anything the Germans do in this book. But above and beyond the above-named items (and others I have not mentioned), there is The Telephone—the magic wand of our unlikely magician-bard The Bureaucrat. Sometimes an anonymous German functionary or a member of the Russian secret police, occasionally a metatextual and bodiless creature (as in some of the most underrated scenes from You Bright and Risen Angels, when Big George tormented The Author), the “I” in Europe Central just says what it came to say and then goes again. Sometimes it tells you who it is supposed to be, other times it simply speaks. And like Big George who controlled the computers and the network, the “I” is the voice on the other end of every telephone, and when “The Telephone Rings” something serious is about to happen (either to Shostakovich, as in the story so-titled, or to someone else).
Many will feel these “I”s are ugly intrusions into the otherwise intricate and seamless diegesis of Vollmann's dreamworld (a word I choose advisedly, thinking secretly to myself that perhaps this text is the unacknowledged Eighth Dream in his series). Personally, I found them refreshing and always welcome, as I was relieved—however briefly—of the burdens of meticulous historicism, of Russian patronymics and countenances, of the endless miseries and narcissisms suffered by Shostakovich. When Vollmann (again recalling You Bright and Risen Angels—this time the Clara Bee sequence) suddenly stepped in as himself in the middle of “Breakout” to lament being left by a woman who stopped loving him, I said: Ah, here is a voice I recognize, and telling of a hurt so familiar it is almost comfortable. (Perhaps my readers will think now of Megan, who has left the apartment to return a skirt to a store on Hawthorne Street—but no, she has never broken my heart and as far as I know we have never even been in love with each other.)
IV. Where the Problem of Excerpts and the Problem of Genius Are Both Considered
“If…Nabokov knew he was a genius back when he was writing Glory at the age of thirty, he knew it only intermittently: it was a fleeting suspicion, not certain knowledge, something incredibly exciting and jinxing and unthinkable that kept peeking at him over the rise of his best paragraphs, distinct from arrogance, mixed in with probably-nots and bright, leaping maybes.”
—Nicholson Baker, U and I
“The genius meets with a group of students. The students tell the genius that the concept 'genius' is not, currently, a popular one.”
—Donald Barthelme, “The Genius”
Also released recently, and certainly more accessible on the face, is Expelled from Eden: A William T. Vollmann Reader. Larry McCaffery and Michael Hemmingson compiled and edited this material, which spans the breadth of Vollmann's career. Selections from his major works abound (even two stories from Europe Central are included, and an excerpt from his forthcoming nonfiction work Imperial), as well as juvenilia (“A Bizarre Proposition,” for example, is a real letter Vollmann sent to the Saudi Embassy volunteering to be shot into space and mine asteroids), forewords and afterwords, journalism, appreciations, lists, and other miscellany.
This book might serve as a good introduction to Vollmann's style and concerns, but I don't think the selections from the larger works do justice to the wholes from which they are extracted. To experience Vollmann fully you need to confront him—or better yet, let him confront you. This problem isn't so grave with the short stories, which are self-contained, and I'll grant that McCaffery and Hemmingson are remarkably good at selecting portions of the novels that can stand on their own. But still. A scene like “The Agony of Parker” is first-class writing, but I can only guess whether a reader who does not know it in context will be able to comprehend what Vollmann is getting at.
Another handicap is that McCaffery's "chronology" of Vollmann's life goes on for over fifty pages—most of it not about Vollmann. McCaffery tries to explain this away by writing that he has “also included references to historical and political events that Vollmann has written about in his fiction and journals.” That “also” is an understatement so bold it borders a lie: the "chronology" starts in the primordial era with the sentencing of Atlas to hold up the world, then notes the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, and proceeds in this fashion for almost thirty pages until finally, in 1959, William Vollmann is born. Sure, a lot of this information is interesting, but it's all obtainable elsewhere. McCaffery has taken up a significant fraction of the total page-count of this book and has offered little we couldn't have gleaned from reading the novels and stories themselves. Vollmann is not the kind of writer who attempts to mask his influences or interests; the blessed majority of his books have appendices rife with citations, source notes, even suggestions for further reading.
In the final appraisal, Expelled from Eden is more a book for fans and scholars of Vollmann's work than a way to discover him. Some of the most interesting inclusions here are letters from Vollmann to his editors or prospective publishers outlining his literary goals, arguing against manuscript cuts, comparing Whores for Gloria to The Grapes of Wrath, and so on. In these forthright, telling selections, we see exactly what William T. Vollmann thinks of himself and his “life's work.” His suspicions are not fleeting, as Baker imagined Nabokov's must have been. Vollmann knows exactly what he is. His struggles derive not from trying to achieve genius, but from trying to get it all out, to keep it intact, and to do something good with it. Such honesty is unfashionable, and it's certainly a bit disconcerting on the first read, but Vollmann's statements, which could be construed as incredibly pretentious, are devoid of bravura or self-congratulation—“distinct from arrogance,” as Baker put it.
For an audience to read of such high self-regard and not come away disgusted, however, it takes more than a lack of braggadocio. Agreement with the author's conclusion is practically a precondition. That is: if you think, as I do, that Vollmann is a genius (in precisely that Barthelmeic sense which persists despite being unpopular) then these selections offer a rare chance to get inside the head and heart of such genius. Surely Baker, who agonized over questions like these apropos Updike, would have given his non-writing hand for an Updikean volume analogous to Expelled from Eden. On the other hand (the one which was not severed), if you didn't think Vollmann was a genius already then hearing him say he is one is not likely to convince you.
Genius aside, Europe Central and Expelled from Eden help us understand, more than ever before, that William T. Vollmann is an utterly unique beast in the fields of literature. What can be said of those fields? Let Vollmann take you with him, if you can. There is something there that cannot be discovered anywhere else.
Click here to purchase Europe Central at your local independent bookstore
Click here to purchase Expelled from Eden at your local independent bookstore
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged spring 2005 on December 13, 2013 by admin.
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Qualcomm Makes 368,000 EURO (US$500,000) Donation to Friends of Ecole Polytechnique Inc.
Donation Enhances Research Capabilities in Computer Science and Communication Engineering
Nov 21, 2008PARIS
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, today announced its donation of €368,000 (US$500,000) to the Friends of Ecole Polytechnique Inc. to support the development of Ecole Polytechnique, one of France's leading academic institutions. Qualcomm's contribution will enhance the research capabilities of Ecole Polytechnique in the fields of computer science and communication engineering through LIX, the research lab of Ecole Polytechnique specialising in Computer Science. LIX is the joint research lab of the Ecole Polytechnique and the CNRS (National Scientific Research Center).
“Qualcomm is proud to make this donation to the Ecole Polytechnique,” said Laurent Fournier, senior director of business development and France country manager, Qualcomm Europe. “Research and development are at the heart of Qualcomm's business model. This donation will help ensure the continued strength of both the French and European engineering communities in which Ecole Polytechnique plays a fundamental role, particularly in the advancement of telecom and computing technologies.”
The Ecole Polytechnique is actively developing new modes of interaction with key players in today's international marketplace, bringing together education, research, innovation and industry. Founded in 1794, the Ecole Polytechnique is the most prestigious graduate institute of science and technology Grande Ecole in France (Grandes Ecoles is the name given to some of France's leading universities). The Ecole trains the scientific, industrial and economic elite of the nation. Over the last two centuries, scientists of international reputation, many of whose names are now attached to fundamental laws and concepts such as Monge, Laplace and Becquerel, have walked its halls as students or professors. The additional resources given to scientists thanks to Qualcomm's gift, will aid developing partnerships and collaborations in computer science and communication engineering.
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 100 Index, the S&P 500 Index and is a 2008 FORTUNE 500®. For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com.
Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Home » Varian Medical Systems Reports Fourth Quarter Results
Industry HeadlinesNDT
Varian Medical Systems Reports Fourth Quarter Results
Varian Medical Systems is reporting net earnings from continuing operations of $0.87 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, up 12% from $0.78 in the year-ago quarter. Net earnings per diluted share from continuing operations for fiscal year 2010 climbed to $2.96, also up 12% from $2.65 in fiscal year 2009. Including discontinued operations, net earnings were $0.87 per diluted share for the fourth quarter and $2.91 for the fiscal year. Compared to the same periods in fiscal year 2009, fourth-quarter revenues grew 2% to $652 million and revenues for fiscal year 2010 rose by 6 percent to $2.4 billion.
Net orders rose by 12% to $777 million for the fourth quarter and increased by 10% to $2.6 billion for the fiscal year, excluding from the year-ago periods a $62 million proton therapy system order that has been cancelled. Excluding the proton order, the year-ending backlog rose 10% to $2.2 billion. Including the proton order in the year-ago periods, net orders rose 3% for the fourth quarter and 5% for the fiscal year, and the year-ending backlog rose 7%.
"Our Oncology Systems and X-Ray Products businesses each generated solid order gains and achieved double-digit increases in backlog with the help of strong demand for new products, particularly our TrueBeam system and flat panel detectors," said Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems. "Total revenues expanded modestly, reflecting the economic challenges and slower order activity that we experienced in the previous year, particularly in North America. Product and territorial mix shifts within the Oncology business, a comparatively stronger dollar, and product launch costs contributed to a decline in the company's margins for the fourth quarter, but margins were up for the year."
The company ended the fiscal year with $520 million in cash and cash equivalents and $43 million of debt. During the fourth quarter, the company spent $255 million to repurchase 4.8 million shares of common stock, including an accelerated buyback of 3.9 million shares. The company ended the quarter with accounts receivable days sales outstanding of 82, an increase of one day from the year-ago quarter.
Oncology Systems
Oncology Systems' fourth quarter revenues totaled $512 million, down 3% from the same period of fiscal year 2009. Oncology revenues for fiscal year 2010 were $1.9 billion, up 4% from fiscal year 2009. Fourth-quarter net orders were $657 million, up 15%, with a 24% gain in North America and a 7% increase in international markets. Net orders for the fiscal year rose to $2.1 billion, up 10% from the last fiscal year, with a 4% gain in North America and a 16% increase in international markets.
"Customers placed more than 60 orders for our TrueBeam radiotherapy and radiosurgery system during the quarter, bringing cumulative orders for this exciting new product to more than 125 units since its introduction in the second quarter of this year," said Guertin. "TrueBeam together with RapidArc helped to stimulate a recovery in the North American oncology market. Service added to growth for Oncology Systems and it now represents nearly 30% of annual orders and revenue for this business."
Fourth quarter revenues for the X-Ray Products business were $107 million, up 16% from the year-ago quarter, and revenues for fiscal year 2010 were $403 million, up 22% from the prior year. Compared to the corresponding periods in fiscal year 2009, X-Ray Products' fourth quarter net orders rose 15% to $112 million, and fiscal year net orders rose 24% to $419 million.
"This was a record quarter for our X-Ray Products business with strong growth in orders and sales," Guertin said. "Flat panel detectors, including our newer panels for digital radiography, led the expansion in this business. Orders for X-ray tubes grew solidly for the quarter and the year. Record sales volumes and a mix shift toward panel shipments contributed to strong gross margins and record quarterly operating earnings for this business."
The company's Other category, which is comprised of the Security and Inspection Products business, the Varian Particle Therapy business, and the Ginzton Technology Center, recorded fourth quarter revenues of $33 million, up 47% or $11 million from the year-ago period. Revenues for fiscal year 2010 totaled $91 million, up 8% from fiscal year 2009.
Excluding the cancelled proton order, fourth quarter net orders in the Other category were $8 million, down $19 million from the year-ago quarter, and net orders for fiscal year 2010 totaled $61 million, down $27 million from the prior year. "Tender award protests in the U.S. continued to hinder our security business," Guertin said. "Consequently, the company restructured this business and booked a $2 million restructuring charge in the fourth quarter to bring costs in line with actual business activity."
Nanometrics Reports Third Quarter 2011 Financial Results
Varex Imaging Completes Separation from Varian Medical Systems, Lists on the Nasdaq Stock Market
Bruker to Release Financial Results March 3rd
Bruker to Acquire Certain Varian Product Lines
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David Kochel
For thirty years, David Kochel has been in the trenches of GOP campaign politics. Getting his start in 1984 as a field staffer to Iowa legislative campaigns, Kochel has held just about every job in politics. An inside participant in six presidential campaigns, Kochel has maintained his home in Iowa. Most recently, Kochel served as the senior strategist to the Jeb Bush campaign. He joined the team in early February, 2015, drafting the campaign plan, recruiting senior staff, and managing the effort prior to Bush’s launch in June. In October 2015, Kochel was diagnosed with leukemia, and immediately began seven months of intensive chemotherapy. Throughout treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, Kochel continued to lead the early state teams and participate in campaign strategy, limiting travel and work hours to accommodate a successful battle against cancer. He is currently in remission and finished chemotherapy in May.
Prior to 2016, Kochel spent ten years working in and around Gov. Mitt Romney’s political network, providing direct mail in the 2002 Massachusetts governor’s race, helping launch Commonwealth PAC in 2004, and leading Gov. Romney’s Iowa effort in 2008 and 2012. His firm, Redwave Communications, provided voter contact services in a half dozen swing states in the general election.
For Romney, Kochel designed the “all-in” strategy that failed in Iowa in 2008. Never one to quit, in 2012 he developed and implemented the “let’s try that again” strategy that allowed Gov. Romney to successfully navigate the tricky expectations of the Iowa starting gate. After months of avoiding Iowa in 2011, Governor Romney barnstormed through the Hawkeye state in the closing weeks, winning the caucuses by a whopping eight votes — the closest in history.
In 2014, Kochel was a key strategist and early backer of US Sen. Joni Ernst, organizing her debate prep and earned media message, beating better-funded primary and general election opponents.
David Kochel is a part-time pundit and full-time practitioner of campaign politics. Over the years, he and his firm have consulted with the Republican National Committee and other national GOP committees, and designed voter contact campaigns for candidates, third party groups, and corporate clients in more than 30 states.
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All this week the Guardian’s daily 5pm newsletter will be giving away copies of Carrie Dunn’s Roar of the Lionesses. Sign up for free for a sideways look at the football news – and your chance to win.
Carrie has just finished a successful book tour whose biggest night was at the Manchester Football Writing Festival last week – see pic – talking ‘Fifty Years of Hurt’ on a bill along with Henry Winter, Rory Smith and MC Caroline Barker.
The Roar of the Lionesses tells the tale of an increasingly popular, yet still woefully underrepresented sport, exploring the dawn of a new era for women’s football in England on the back of the Lionesses’ success at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Read the book and discover:
What it’s really like playing in the WSL – and for England;
What goes on behind the scenes;
How part-timers and amateurs balance football with real life;
How female footballers cope with serious injury;
What it takes to run a football club – from grassroots to the top flight;
The financial challenges facing clubs all through the footballing pyramid;
What the trailblazers for women’s football think about the current state of the game;
The problems the game’s governing bodies have yet to tackle;
What lies in the future for women’s football...
Click here for more information, or to read a sample from The Roar of the Lionesses.
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Difference between revisions of "Ece438f19bhelfrechtbonus" - Rhea
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The result of this expression, ''x[n]'', is a discrete time signal where each value is taken from ''x(t)'' at an integer multiple of the sampling period T. Therefore, the CT signal ''x(nT)'' is equivalent to the DT signal ''x[n]'', where ''n'' is an integer and indexes the DT signal.
If a DT signal is created by sampling a CT signal faster than a certain rate known as the Nyquist rate, the original CT signal can be perfectly reconstructed from the DT sampling. The Nyquist rate, f_0, is defined as:
If a DT signal is created by sampling a CT signal faster than a certain rate known as the Nyquist rate, the original CT signal can be perfectly reconstructed from the DT sampling. The Nyquist rate, <math>f_0</math>, is defined as:
f0 = 2fmax, where fmax is the greatest frequency in the signal of interest, ''x(t)''.
<math>f0 = 2f_{max}</math>, where <math>f_{max}</math> is the greatest frequency in the signal of interest, ''x(t)''.
If the sampling rate of a signal is not greater than f0, the sampled signal will exhibit aliasing, which results when two distinct frequency bands overlap in the Fourier domain. In other words, aliasing occurs when the original signal’s frequency profile is altered after sampling. In this case, the CT signal cannot be reconstructed from the DT sampling without error.
Sampling rate conversion: an intuitive view
In signal processing, sampling is the act of converting a continuous-time (CT) signal into a discrete-time (DT) one. Although it may be easier to mathematically process a CT signal directly, this is not possible in reality since storing a real-world signal would require an infinite amount of memory. Consequently, all signals are sampled before being processed by a computer system. Sampling is performed at a certain rate limited by hardware known as the sampling rate/frequency (samples per second, or Hz), or with a certain time between samples known as the sampling period (seconds). It should be noted that these terms are reciprocals of each other. That is,
$ f_s = 1 / T_s $
The connection between these two terms means that when we reduce the sampling rate, we increase the sampling period and vice versa. Therefore, reducing the sampling rate increases the length of time between consecutive measurements.
With this information, we can express the sampling of a CT signal x(t) in terms of its sampling period T:
$ x(t) → $sampling with period T$ → x(nT) = x[n] $
The result of this expression, x[n], is a discrete time signal where each value is taken from x(t) at an integer multiple of the sampling period T. Therefore, the CT signal x(nT) is equivalent to the DT signal x[n], where n is an integer and indexes the DT signal.
If a DT signal is created by sampling a CT signal faster than a certain rate known as the Nyquist rate, the original CT signal can be perfectly reconstructed from the DT sampling. The Nyquist rate, $ f_0 $, is defined as:
$ f0 = 2f_{max} $, where $ f_{max} $ is the greatest frequency in the signal of interest, x(t).
For the purpose of this report, we will assume that we have measured a band-limited, real-world signal x(t) with maximum frequency fmax (in Hz). During measurement, the CT signal is sampled with sampling rate f1 = 1 / T1 to produce a DT signal x(nT1) = x1[n]. Note that the original time-domain signal is not accessible because it cannot be stored by a computer. The question is: can we convert the sampled signal x1[n] to a different signal x2[n] with sampling rate T2 that is equivalent to a signal obtained by directly sampling x(t) with sampling period T2? The figure below provides a graphical view of this question:
As we will see, it is indeed possible to obtain x2[n] from x1[n] by various means--downsampling, decimation, upsampling, and interpolation--collectively known as sampling rate conversion.
Downsampling:
We will begin by providing a motivating example for downsampling. Let’s say that a scientist aboard the International Space Station (ISS) would like to communicate with the engineers at Mission Control. The scientist’s voice has a maximum frequency fmax = 1,000 Hz, and the high-end analog-to-digital converters in his communication radio sample his speech well above the Nyquist rate at fs = 10,000 Hz. However, a signal sampled this quickly contains a large number of data points, which will greatly increase the transmit power required to send the signal back to Earth. Due to limited power availability aboard the ISS, the scientist would like to keep all communications as low-power as possible. What can the scientist do to reduce his power consumption?
To reduce the required transmit power, the sampling rate of the speech signal must be reduced, or downsampled. Downsampling allows us to extract a second signal x2[n] with sampling period T2 from another signal x1[n] with lower sampling period T1. That is, downsampling requires T2 > T1, where T2 is proportional to T1 by a factor D, which is an integer greater than 1. From this, we establish the following relationship: T2 = D * T1 or equivalently T1 = T2 / D
The second equation may be useful in the future to help distinguish downsampling from upsampling, in that T1 and T2 appear in order left-to-right, and the factor D appears below (down from) T2. Overall, downsampling creates a new signal x2[n] by taking every Dth sample of x1[n].
In the time domain, downsampling effectively removes all data between each Dth sample. In the frequency domain, this process increases the signal’s maximum frequency (and therefore its bandwidth) and decreases its amplitude, both by a factor D. Why does this happen? Let’s take a look at an example.
Let x10000[n] be the scientist’s speech signal sampled at 10,000 Hz. Note that 10,000 Hz is the sampling frequency, so the sampling period, Ts = 1 / fs, is 1/10000 seconds (0.1 ms). To save transmission power, he would like to downsample the signal by a factor of D = 4 to reduce the sampling rate fs to 2,500 Hz (Ts = 1/2500 seconds, 0.4 ms). From the connection between sampling rate and sampling period, it may seem like this increase in time between samples will decrease the maximum frequency of the original signal since samples are being taken less often (less frequently). However, it is important to note that this is not the case. Instead, the maximum frequency of the downsampled signal actually increases because samples of that frequency are moved closer together when data between them is removed. See the illustration below:
This explains the bandwidth increase seen after downsampling. The amplitude decrease is related to the Fourier transform formula.
Because downsampling increases the bandwidth of the original signal, one must be careful to prevent aliasing. To ensure that no aliasing occurs when downsampling, x2[n] must satisfy the Nyquist criterion. It can be shown that if x2[n] has a lower sampling rate than x1[n], if x2[n] satisfies Nyquist, then x1[n] will also. To meet this condition mathematically, we require:
fmax < 1 / 2T2 or equivalently fmax < 1 / 2DT1, since T2 = D * T1
If we look at these requirements in terms of radians/sec which is commonly used when expressing the discrete-time Fourier transform, we get: 2𝜋 * T1 * fmax < 𝜋 / D or equivalently 2𝜋 * T2 * fmax < 𝜋, since T2 = D * T1
This conversion comes from the fact that w = 2𝜋f in continuous time. However, a sampled signal introduces an extra factor T, which is the sampling period of the signal. From this, we define the discrete time frequency w = 2𝜋fT.
Finally, one should note that downsampling a signal with original sampling period T0 by a factor D is equivalent to resampling that signal with sampling period T1 = D*T0. In terms of the initial sampled signal x1[n] and its downsampled version x2[n], we have:
x2[n] = x1[nD]
Decimation:
Sometimes it is not possible to prevent aliasing in a sampled signal. We will provide an example of this by changing the scenario given above. Let’s say that it is the birthday of one of the engineers at Mission Control and the scientists aboard the ISS want to send them the “Happy Birthday” song which has fmax = 3,000 Hz. As before, the scientists would like to downsample the song by a factor of D = 4 before transmission to conserve power, but this will cause aliasing since fmax will increase to 12,000 Hz after downsampling. How can the song be sent without introducing aliasing?
In cases where the sampling rate is not sufficient to prevent aliasing after downsampling, decimation can be used instead. This technique will remove high frequency content from the original signal by first passing it through a low pass filter to ensure the final downsampled signal satisfies the Nyquist criterion. See the illustration below:
x1[n] → Low pass filter with cutoff 𝜋 / D and gain 1 → Downsample by factor D → x2[n]
This technique is used to band-limit x1[n] to 𝜋 / D before downsampling by a factor of D which increases the frequency range back to [-𝜋, 𝜋]. This process guarantees that no aliasing occurs because the DTFT of a signal with bandwidth 2𝜋 (and period 2𝜋, by the definition of the DTFT) will never overlap itself. However, some high frequency content from the original signal is inevitably lost.
For our example the original sampled signal x1[n] sampled at T1 = 10,000 Hz must first be low pass filtered with a cutoff frequency of 𝜋 / D = 𝜋 / 4 to remove the frequency content that will cause aliasing when its bandwidth is increased by a factor of 4. Downsampling by a factor of 4 will then cause the bandwidth to fill [-𝜋, 𝜋]. The result will be x2[n], sampled at 2,500 Hz. Although some high frequency content was lost, the resulting signal does not show aliasing in the frequency domain, which would have occurred if the low pass filter was not applied.
It is important to note that downsampling and decimation produce equivalent results if the original signal x1[n] satisfies the Nyquist condition for the sampling period T2 of the downsampled signal x2[n]. In other words, if no aliasing will occur after downsampling (equations XXX and XXX are satisfied), the low pass filter used in decimation will have no effect, and both processes will produce the same result. In the example where the scientist only sought to transmit his voice, both downsampling and decimation would have produced the same result since fmax after downsampling would be 4 * 1,000 Hz = 4,000 Hz. Since fs = 10,000 Hz < 2fmax, 2 = 8,000 Hz, the Nyquist criterion is satisfied for T2 = 1 / 4,000.
Below is a summary of downsampling and decimation in pictorial form:
[SUMMARY ILLUSTRATION]
Note the low pass filters used when sampling x(t) with period T1 and T2. We use these filters because we have specified that fmax > 1/2T1, so aliasing is guaranteed to occur when sampling with T1. If aliasing will occur with smaller sampling period T1, it is also guaranteed to occur with larger sampling period T2, hence the cutoff frequency of 1/2T2 for x2[n]. These filters ensure that no aliasing occurs during the initial sampling of x(t) to create x1[n] and x2[n].
Upsampling:
There are some instances in which the sampling rate of a given signal is lower than we would like it to be for processing. To demonstrate this, we will continue our previous scenario by imagining that the engineer’s radio at Mission Control has a fixed playback rate of 10,000 Hz. If he tries to play the signals sent by the scientist in the ISS back at this rate, they will be played 4x too fast. To solve this problem and to play back the audio at the proper speed, the engineer must upsample the signal by a factor of 4 to bring its sampling rate back to 10,000 Hz.
In contrast to downsampling and decimation, upsampling allows us to extract a second signal x2[n] with sampling period T2 from another signal x1[n] with higher sampling period T1. In other words, upsampling requires T1 > T2, where T1 is proportional to T2 by a factor D, which is an integer greater than 1. In the time domain, x(nT1) is sampled less often than x(nT2). With this, we can establish the following relationship:
T1 = D * T2
If we compare the above equation to equation XXX, we can see a convenient pattern in upsampling versus downsampling. In the upsampling formula above, T1 and T2 appear in order left-to-right, and the factor D appears in the numerator (up) with T2. Overall, upsampling creates a new signal x2[n] by placing D - 1 zeros between every sample of a given signal x1[n]. This process is also known as zero-padding. Mathematically, we can represent the relationship between x1[n] and x2[n] as:
x2[n] = { x1[n / D], if n / D is integer { 0, otherwise
In the time domain, zero-padding causes the samples of x[n] to occur less often, thereby decreasing the frequency content of the signal. In the frequency domain, this compresses the frequency axis by a factor D so that multiple copies of the original signal may appear in the range [-𝜋, 𝜋]. The new signal is now periodic with period 2𝜋 / D. This rescaling also increases the amplitude of the upsampled signal’s frequency profile by a factor D by the definition of the Fourier transform.
Similar to the fact that downsampling is not necessarily the best way to decrease the sampling rate of a signal, upsampling is not necessarily the best way to increase the sampling rate of a signal. When the signal’s frequency content is scaled down by a factor D, more copies of the signal may appear in the interval [-𝜋, 𝜋]. These extra copies contribute to aliasing when the signal is transformed back to the time domain. To fix this, the upsampling equivalent of decimation known as interpolation can be used.
Interpolation:
Aliasing introduced by upsampling can be prevented by low pass filtering the upsampled signal with a cutoff frequency of 𝜋 / D and gain D. This low pass filter eliminates the frequency copies not centered directly around w = 0 in the frequency domain. See the diagram below: x1[n] → upsample by factor D → low pass filter with cutoff 𝜋 / D and gain D → x2[n]
The low-pass filter ensures that only the center frequency copy remains in the interval [-𝜋, 𝜋] and eliminates aliasing when the inverse Fourier transform is taken.
In summary, downsampling, decimation, upsampling, and interpolation can all be used to convert one sampling rate to another. In some cases, care must be taken to prevent aliasing. These methods allow one to convert a given sampled signal into a second signal sampled at a different rate, which can be useful in many situations.
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Home News & Analysis Alaska Permanent Fund grapples with non-fund investing
Alaska Permanent Fund grapples with non-fund investing
Tim Walsh, the high profile former advisor to the under-allocated and underperforming sovereign wealth fund, advised it to 'stop direct real estate investing immediately' in the name of simplicity. His advice has had little effect.
As more US institutions shift strategies toward non-fund methods of real estate buying, the topic of investing directly versus using commingled funds remains rife with debate.
Opposing viewpoints on the matter were on display during the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation’s quarterly meeting last week. Tim Walsh, a now-former advisor, gave a frank rebuke to the sovereign wealth fund’s decades-old direct investment program.
“Stop direct real estate investing immediately,” he told the board. “In my opinion, APFC needs more simplicity not complexity.”
Timothy Walsh
An industry veteran who once led New Jersey’s state pension fund, served as president of Gaw Capital’s US office and is now a managing director at the New York-based private credit firm Owl Rock Capital Partners, Walsh was asked by the board to assess its real estate program in December. In his report, he detailed a portfolio that was top-heavy, over exposed to retail and chronically underperforming.
With a net asset value of $4 billion, APFC’s real estate holdings account for just 6 percent of its overall portfolio, half of its 12 percent target. While most US investors are below their target allocations to real estate – a side effect of both a greater appetite and vastly increased public equities values – the typical pension in the US is underweight the asset class by less than 1 percent, according to the 2019 Allocations Monitor report issued by Hodes Weill & Cornell University. Alaska is, thus, some way behind.
The real estate it does have is also underperforming. Last year, it produced a 0.18 percent return, according to meeting documents, well short of its 6.24 percent target. Similarly, it delivered 2.27 percent over the past three years against a 6.76 percent target and 6.11 percent over five years against an 8.61 percent target. It also lagged its targets over seven- and 10-year periods.
Walsh – who is no longer affiliated with APFC, having tendered his resignation in January – compared the fund’s real estate performance to other US institutions, such as his former employer New Jersey Division of Investment, which invests primarily in commingled funds, and the State Teachers’ Retirement System of Ohio, which also has been investing directly for decades. He concluded there are “limited competitive advantages” to APFC continuing its direct program. To do so successfully, he argued, would require significant staffing increases. APFC recently hired its fifth real estate investment executive, while STRS Ohio employs 40 and has offices in five cities.
Advice rejected
Walsh’s advice has had little effect. Marcus Frampton, APFC’s chief investment officer, told PERE the sovereign wealth fund took no action on Walsh’s comments and plans to continue its non-fund investment program, alongside its fund investing. However, he also acknowledged that his real estate portfolio’s shortcomings.
APFC’s investment infrastructure is modest compared to peers such as the Teachers’ Retirement System of Texas, which aims to grow its principle investment portfolio to 50 percent of its holdings and add a Singapore office to its current locations in London and Austin to do so. Other investors, such as the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, have natural advantages in terms of talent recruitment and deal sourcing because of where they are located. “There is a point that we’re in a difficult game without a lot of resources,” he said.
Frampton said APFC’s real estate struggles are less the result of direct investment gone awry and more indicative of bad timing. In 2016, the sovereign wealth fund removed its $550 million REIT exposure from its real estate portfolio. The following year, it sold its stake in Simpson Housing, a joint venture with the State of Michigan Retirement System, for $1.4 billion – a disposition triggered by a clause in its ownership structure, Frampton said. Both transactions resulted in the fund being left underallocated to real estate and overexposed to poor performing property types. Retail – a sector that produced a 1.9 percent total return in 2019 according to the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries’ Property Index – comprises 46 percent of its portfolio, well above its 25 percent target and the 22 percent average for the index. Its office exposure, at 36 percent, was well above its 25 percent target.
These overexposures were exacerbated by external factors, including markdowns to key retail holdings as well as properties in the UK hampered by Brexit, Frampton said. The CIO has a five-year plan to get the fund’s real estate exposure back on target.
First, he will roll its REIT holding back into its real estate allocation next fiscal year. Then there are plans to deploy $650 million a year, with a focus on industrial and multifamily assets. At 7 percent and 8 percent, respectively, APFC is significantly underweight to both property types.
Frampton, who took over as CIO in 2018, said the fund would continue to focus on direct investment into real estate. But he added it remains open to engaging commingled funds. During the past two years, the APFC has committed $528.6 million to three opportunistic funds compared to $359.1 million of direct deals. “I would like to have a different market environment and put the money to work all direct, but given our resource constraint, funds and REITs have to be part of the equation.”
APFC is not the only US investor to reconsider its direct real estate program. In addition to Texas TRS and CalSTRS, which have committed to doing more non-fund investments, other institutions have looked at direct investment with skepticism. Last year, the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension board explored the possibility of direct investment and determined it did not have the staff or resources to compete properly.
Ben Maslan, managing director of RCLCO, APFC’s California-based consultant, said committing to funds can provide investors scale and diversification, while non-fund investments can be difficult to execute with a limited staff. However, he argues that direct investment provides more control and come with significantly lower management fees.
While asset allocation is an issue at APFC, Maslan said that should not be attributed to direct investment. “Other funds where they are deploying the majority of their portfolio through a direct approach are not seeing asset allocation misalignment,” he said. “If anything, you have greater control over directing your assets and allocation because you have greater liquidity.”
Regardless, the issue no longer sits with Tim Walsh. He has had his say.
allocation strategy
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EU Blocks Further Limits on Human Embryo Research, Backlash Hits
A European bid to impose additional limits on research involving human embryos has been defeated.
By Peter O’ Donnell, Applied Clinical Trials.
European Union officials decided last week (May 28) that there was no need to introduce new legislation in this area, since it is already regulated, and the existing policy received endorsement from the European Parliament and member states only weeks ago.
The call for tighter controls had come from a public campaign entitled “One of Us.” The avowed goal was “to greatly advance the protection of human life from conception in Europe,” and it specifically asked for an end to any EU financing of “activities which presuppose the destruction of human embryos, in particular in the areas of research, development aid and public health.” The campaign was one of the first under a new EU mechanism designed to give the public a greater say in policy formation, the European Citizens’ Initiative. This obliges EU officials to examine any proposal that has won the backing of one million EU citizens from seven or more of the member states.
Over recent weeks the “One of US” initiative - which had gathered two million signatures across 20 member states - had been the subject of a hearing in the European Parliament and of high-level meetings between the campaign organizers and EU officials. It was supported not only by the public but also by stem-cell researchers from Spain, Italy, France, and Poland, who said it was “scientifically grounded and necessary from an ethical standpoint.” But the proposal was vigorously opposed by research organizations anxious at the prospect of new controls. It also came under attack from civil society organizations who saw it as an assault on women’s rights. They warned that the campaign, “spearheaded by ultra-conservative, anti-choice movements,” was seeking a ban on funding “for any organizations that are involved in the provision of indirect or direct abortion or ‘abortion-related’ services in low and middle-income countries.”
As an indication of how seriously the EU itself was taking the campaign, the meeting last month with campaign organizers involved the European commissioner for research, innovation and science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, as well as the Commission’s director general for research and innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, and a deputy director general for development and cooperation. And the hearing in the parliament was attended by Geoghegan-Quinn and by European commissioner for development Andris Piebalgs. A formal statement from the Commission at the time said: “We at the European Commission intend to give this initiative all due attention. The Commission is very much in listening mode.”
When the Commission issued its decision, it provided an extensive range of complementary material to explain and justify its rejection of the plea, ranging from detailed discussions of embryonic stem cells to accounts of EU support to developing countries on health issues, along with rebuttals of any suggestion that EU health programs promote abortion as a method of family planning. This was no more than common prudence, since it clearly anticipated the likely response from the campaign supporters.
The response was immediate. The campaigners expressed “deep disappointment towards a deaf Commission which today makes a decision contrary to ethical and democratic requirements.” It complained that the Commission “claims to possess the right of veto downstream, against initiatives having yet successfully obtained the required popular support,” and argued that “such veto power is illegitimate and anti-democratic.”
But development and women’s rights groups were equally outspoken in their welcome for the decision. The initiative “could have had catastrophic consequences for maternal and global health,” said a coalition of organizations that had opposed the petition from the outset. “In standing firmly against it, the Commission has reaffirmed its support for, and international commitments to, maternal health, family planning, and sexual and reproductive health and rights more broadly,” it said. And Pierre Galand, president of the European Humanist Federation, saw a welcome sign of EU support for science in the rejection. The Commission has “clearly renewed its support for human embryonic stem cells research which remains one of the most promising fields for regenerative medicine, reproductive health, and genetic disease research,” he said.
The irony of the Commission’s decision is that it comes immediately in the wake of the European Union’s most traumatic setback in its history, with the massive popular vote last week revealing discontent with current EU policies right across Europe. This decision on the One of Us campaign will be cruel confirmation of their worst fears to those who see the EU as a Brussels-focused elite dismissive of public sentiment. At the same time, and by an even more exquisite irony, the action that the Commission has taken in rejecting the campaign’s proposal is in fact precisely in line with those critics who demand a less intrusive EU and call for Brussels to step back from imposing its will gratuitously on every aspect of European life. Once you get a bad reputation, practically nothing you do can please your critics!
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HomeReal EstateEncumbrance Certificate in Property Buying.
Encumbrance Certificate in Property Buying.
The encumbrance certificate may be a mandatory document utilized in property transactions as an evidence of free title/ownership. When buying a house, flat or plot, it's important to verify that the property doesn't have any monetary or legal dues. And encumbrance certificate (EC) ensures that there's an entire ownership of the property with none monetary or legal liability. The EC for property are often obtained from the sub-registrar’s office where the actual property has been registered.
Importance of an EC
The encumbrance certificate is vital for those applying for a home equity credit or obtaining a loan against property or when one wants to sell or buy a property. “Encumbrance” means the liabilities created on a selected property, whereby it's held as a security for any debt of its owner, which has not been discharged as on date. An encumbrance certificate contains all the transactions registered concerning a specific property for a particular period (as required). These details also consist any claims or encumbrance on the property.
Government authorities and financial institutions like banks usually demand 10-15 years of encumbrance. However, you'll also invite up to 30 years encumbrance certificate to be checked. If you continue to have doubts, you'll take a Possession Certificate of the ownership of the actual land, which is out there from the village office.
What is Form no. 15 & 16?
The encumbrance certificate is issued in Form No. 15 and 16. If the property doesn't have any encumbrance during the said period, Form 16 are going to be issued i.e., certificate of Nil Encumbrance. If the property has any encumbrance registered during the said period, then form No. 15 will be issued. The certificate in form 15 reveals the documents registered with regard to the property, nature of the encumbrance like gift, partition, lease and mortgage, the parties involved, the registered number of the document and other details during a date-wise manner.
Note that, if you're asking an EC for a specific period, you'll get the small print just for that period and less . The details are going to be given from the entries available within the register available with the sub-registrar.
How to obtain an EC?
Given below is that the procedure to get an EC.
• First and foremost, download the Form 22. Affix it with Rs 2 non-judicial stamp and address to the Tahsildar, giving an attested copy of your residential address and therefore the purpose that the certificate is required.
• Provide the small print of ownership like correct survey number and place where the property is situated. It is vital that the amount and full description of the property are mentioned clearly within the application.
• The requisite fee needs to be paid. The fee is to be paid consistent with the amount of encumbrance. The encumbrance year commences from April 1st of a calendar and closes on March 31st, of subsequent civil year . The EC is additionally usually provided within the regional language. An English translation could also be obtained by paying a further fee.
• the appliance should be submitted to the jurisdictional sub-registrar’s office, under which the property is registered.
Time Duration?
The time taken to get an EC is typically 15-30 working days.
While an EC may give the small print of the encumbrance on a property, there are certain documents that are exempt from being registered at the sub-registrar’s office. As such, these won't appear within the EC. Hence, it's advised that the customer obtains both the EC and possession certificate as a symbol of complete ownership of the property
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Daily Watch – NIMASA gives vessels 3 months to register, Osinbajo reacts as SARS criticism intensifies
Home /News/Daily Watch – NIMASA gives vessels 3 months to register, Osinbajo reacts as SARS criticism intensifies
The seven COVID-19 deaths recorded last week represents Nigeria’s lowest death toll in five months. According to data sourced from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the last time Nigeria saw a similar number of weekly deaths was the nine deaths recorded between 12 and 18 April. 12 persons died from the virus in the week preceding the record week (20-26 September) while 16 deaths were recorded in the penultimate week (13-19 September). The record week marked the 40th week since Nigeria reported its first COVID-19 case, a week that saw a total of 1,089 new infections, 1,053 new cases in the previous week (September 20 – 26). NCDC data from the week also showed that 28,727 samples were tested, up from 25,929 samples the previous week. Additionally, 996 people recovered and were discharged last week, down from 1,175 recoveries the previous week. So far, Nigeria has tested 535,733 samples, of which 59,287 cases have been confirmed, along with 1,113 deaths and 50,718 recoveries. There are 7,456 active cases in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has expressed ‘anger’ at the activities of police officers who harass, assault and sometimes kill innocent Nigerians. Mr Osinbajo stated this Sunday when questioned by journalists in Abuja, according to his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, in a statement. “I am very concerned, in fact, very angry about what I see, happening to young men and women who are arrested, in some cases maimed or killed by men of the police force,” Mr Osinbajo was quoted as saying. Mr Osinbajo’s reaction came hours after the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, banned some police units, including the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), the Special Tactical Squad (STS) and Intelligence Response Team (IRT) from undertaking routine patrols as well as stop and search duties following withering public criticism of their activities. In his statement Sunday, Mr Osinbajo vowed that culpable police officers will be punished and prosecuted.
Nigeria plans to bar vessels without a valid licence to operate in Nigerian waters and has given shipping companies that trade in its coastal and inland waters three months to register, the maritime regulator said on Sunday. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it will notify international oil companies to bar vessels without valid certificates after the three months expire. Most of the vessels that use Nigerian waters are owned by foreign companies. They mostly transport crude oil for international oil companies. The regulator said the new regime would also apply to vessels whose licences have already expired. The government is pushing to boost revenue and increase its foreign exchange earnings after the new coronavirus pandemic triggered a collapse in the price of oil, Nigeria’s main export. Levies — import duties and shipping charges including taxes — are big revenue earners for Nigeria, which relies on international trade, especially oil exports.
Malian authorities have released 180 Islamic extremists from a prison in the capital and flown them to the country’s north, an official confirmed late Sunday, fuelling speculation that a prominent opposition politician held by jihadists could soon be freed after more than six months in captivity. The militants who abducted Soumaila Cisse back in late March were believed to be seeking a prisoner exchange with the Malian government. Some 70 men were released on Saturday and another 110 on Sunday, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. There was no immediate comment late Sunday from Mali’s transitional government, which was only recently put in place more than a month after the country’s democratically elected president was ousted in a military coup. Cisse, a 70-year-old who has run for Mali’s presidency three times, was campaigning ahead of legislative elections not far from Timbuktu at the time of his abduction. His bodyguard was killed in the attack, and the only proof of life has been a handwritten letter delivered back in August. Government efforts to negotiate his release were thrown into upheaval after the coup that forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power, though it did not appear progress was being made toward Cisse’s release. Islamic militants are active throughout northern and central Mali, though typically launch attacks on the Malian military and U.N. peacekeepers. A 2013 French-led military operation dispersed the jihadists, who then regrouped and have expanded their reach in the years since.
The week ahead – All systems fail
Video: The economic cost of Nigeria’s insecurity
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Western Press Review: Combat Fatigue Takes Toll Among Commentators
By Don Hill
Dora Slaba
Prague, 6 May 1999 (RFE/RL) -- The exhausting quality of prolonged warfare isn't only a hazard for the military. In its recent commentary, the Western press also reveals growing weariness.
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: There is no moral equivalence between the aggressor and the victim
Internationally known and respected CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour writes in an essay published in the International Herald Tribune about news reporting problems especially posed by the conflict over Kosovo -- trying to maintain impartiality in the midst of repression, censorship and horror.
She writes: "A fundamental problem of covering the war concerns objectivity. I have learned that 'objective' does not mean 'neutral.' The sometimes obsessive desire to accord equal weight to two sides is often wrong. There is no moral equivalence between the aggressor and the victim. Objectivity means trying to give all sides a hearing. It does not, in my view, mean treating all sides as equal."
She continues: "At the Kosovo-Albanian border, watching what was happening, seeing babies, the old and the sick being forced to march out of their country, and listening to the stories, I reported the tragedy. The second difficulty when covering war, especially in places such as Serbia, which is a dictatorship and has state-controlled media, is censorship."
Amanpour says: "Consider the way some Western news organizations covered Arkan, who has been indicted by the war crimes tribunal at The Hague. He was either sought out or offered himself up for interviews. He is a legitimate news story. But if one is going to give a man like that airtime, in my view, one is obliged to challenge him (to face him with knowledge and information). Anyone indicted for the most grave of crimes against humanity is not a talk show guest."
The CNN war correspondent concludes: "What price access? How (does one) maintain objectivity without forcing equality on an unequal situation. How (does one) get around censorship? How (does one) keep honor and credibility (and) access?"
WASHINGTON POST: Milosevic may be getting away with war crimes
Columnist George F. Will expresses revulsion in The Washington Post at the notion that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will go unpunished. He writes: "It is deeply demoralizing, and perhaps even de-moralizing, for civilized people to watch justice traduced. In recent years Americans have been mesmerized by the extremely public spectacles of O. J. Simpson essentially getting away with murder and Bill Clinton essentially getting away with perjury and obstruction of justice. Now Milosevic may be getting away with war crimes on a scale not seen in Europe since the Third Reich collapsed 54 years ago this week."
ALGEMEEN DAGBLAD: The Kosovars must be able to return to their homes
The Dutch Algemeen Dagblad takes an uncompromising editorial stand: "The people who have been expelled from Kosovo must be able to return to their homes. They must be protected by a well-equipped army (and) lightly armed U.N. troops would be a misfortune. The Serbian military must not be permitted to play a future role in Kosovo (and) Milosevic's role in the Balkans must be terminated. He belongs before the tribunal in The Hague. When peace is established in the Balkans then Serbia can again take its place too, but only a clean and practically unarmed Serbia."
OBEROESTEREICHISCHES NACHRICHTEN: Almost always ethnic cleansing has proven to be final
But Austria's Oberoestereichische Nachrichten says in an editorial that it is already too late for the Kosovar Albanians:
"Even if those pulling the strings and those striving for a solution to the tragedy succeed in removing Slobodan Milosevic, which is at present highly unlikely, it is still naive to believe in a general return of the refugees to their razed homes. The ethnic cleansing which has always existed in history has been, with almost no exceptions, final."
REPUBBLICA: Clinton wants to prove he has a clear vision
Repubblica, Rome, says that U.S. President Bill Clinton's European trip had a partly domestic message: "The political scene in America is confused and insecure. The Senate is split and has rejected a proposal put forward by the Republican hawk John McCain (a proposal opposed by Clinton, himself). In the given situation, Clinton wants to prove to Congress, the country, NATO and to a certain extent to himself that he has a clear vision and a project that promises success."
BERLINGSKE TIDENDE: So far little of substance has been reported from Belgrade
From Copenhagen, Berlingske Tidende urges the West to settle in for a longer campaign: "Although (Viktor) Chernomyrdin, the special Russian envoy for Kosovo, is working hard to establish diplomatic contacts between NATO and Yugoslavia, one should have the wisdom to come to terms with a long-term Kosovo conflict. So far little of substance has been reported from Belgrade." The editorial continues: "As American President Clinton has so succinctly declared, three POWs were allowed to return home, but nearly one and a half million ethnic Albanians from Kosovo are still fleeing. (Until Yugoslavia allows the Kosovar Albanians to find relief), NATO air strikes must continue."
SUEDEUTSCH ZEITUNG: First Italian to be promoted to a senior military officer position in the Alliance
Writers in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Welt examine a switch in NATO military leadership. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Klaus Brill sets the scene: "In the midst of a Balkan war, (Italian Admiral Guido Venturoni) is taking over the chairmanship of the NATO military committee from General Klaus Dieter Naumann of Germany. For three years, he will be the senior officer in the North Atlantic pact. (In) the 50 years of NATO's history Guido Venturoni is the first Italian to be promoted to senior military officer in the alliance. For him personally, this is the culmination of a varied career.
DIE WELT: No one except the Italians is pleased about the change in NATO command
In Die Welt, Andreas Middel comments: "No one except the Italians is pleased about this change of command in the middle of the current crisis." The writer says: "Officials say bringing a new commander at such an inopportune time -- in the middle of a war -- could mean strategic planning difficulties. In the view of some other NATO countries, Italy is a less than fully reliable ally in the Balkan action, its commitment to the attack on Yugoslavia only lukewarm."
DIE WELT: The Yugoslav military remains essentially unbroken
Two other German commentators, Thomas Kirchner in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Boris Kalnoky in Die Welt, take a jaundiced view of the West's progress. Kalnoky writes: "Six weeks after the beginning of NATO's aerial attack, the Yugoslav military remains essentially unbroken. NATO bombs and missiles have severely damaged the country's infrastructure, but the Yugoslav army still has the use of most of its heavy weaponry and can still range across Kosovo as freely as before, subject of course to the deployments of Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas."
SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG: Instead of sowing fear and terror, Apaches blow up by themselves during training
Kirchner focuses even more specifically on what he calls a NATO farce. He writes: "Non-deployment of the tank-busting Apache, vaunted by the Pentagon as the 'world's best and deadliest helicopter,' is rapidly turning into a farce. Weeks have passed since NATO commander General Wesley Clark requested two dozen of the low-flying Apaches. (Then) the Apaches took almost four weeks to arrive in Albania after Clark requested them. Transferring them there meant moving thousands of tonnes of material and more than 5,000 US soldiers to the Balkans to support and protect them.
"(And then), nearly two weeks ago, Clark announced that the deployment of the Apaches was imminent -- but the American administration dragged its feet, fearing the weakened but still capable Yugoslavian air defenses. (And now) the AH-64s reportedly are ready for action. Their effectiveness as a credible threat to the Serbs has already been badly damaged, though: instead of sowing fear and terror, they blow up by themselves during training."
INDEPENDENT: Pressure is mounting on all participants
A more hopeful columnist, Rupert Cornwell in the Independent, London, claims to spy signs of progress, however faint. Cornwell writes: "Pressure is mounting on all participants. The West bears pressures of time and public opinion, as it wonders how to bring an end to a war conceived of the noblest humanitarian motives but whose conduct has thus far been a series of strategic errors. But Mr. Milosevic, too, is under pressure not betrayed in the almost uncanny serenity of his public appearances -- intense diplomatic contacts between Russia and Western powers which could lead to a deal ratified in the U.N. Security Council and, as such, be impossible for him to resist whether he approved it or not."
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Ethiopia: UN Relief Organization Tries To Avert Famine
April 04, 2000 00:00 GMT
As the drought in the Horn of Africa threatens millions with famine, relief agencies are rushing aid to the area. RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel speaks with the UN World Food Program about the crisis.
Prague, 19 April 2000 (RFE/RL) -- The prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa has put up to 16 million people at risk of famine, half of them in Ethiopia.
RFE/RL spoke by telephone with Roberta Rossi, a spokesperson for the UN World Food Program in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. She works with relief programs in southeast Ethiopia, known as the "Somali region," which is one of the worst affected areas.
Rossi said there has not been significant rainfall in the region for four years, causing desperate shortages of food and drinking water today.
"We feel we are definitely trying to avert a famine. There are a large number of people who are affected by this drought [and] the biggest intervention need, besides ongoing food [aid], is water. Some of the UN agencies and NGOs are recruiting water engineers for digging new wells and water holes, so that is definitely the biggest consideration right now. In that region, the Somali region, there has not been a significant rainfall in over four years."
Rossi said it is difficult to know how many have died in the drought so far.
"It is very difficult for us to know exactly because this is a nomadic region, they are pastoralists, they move a lot. So in some of the areas, some of the towns -- very small towns, even villages -- there are no hospitals, so it is very hard for us to get an accurate picture of what is happening. But we do see a lot of children coming in [who are] in stages of acute malnutrition, and also they are very ill from the tainted water that they are finding. Some of the bore holes, or the wells, have now completely become salinated, so they are drinking the salt water. And because of that a lot of the children are in very serious, critical condition and even dying from malnutrition-related causes such as upper respiratory infections, measles, tuberculosis, diarrhea. And all this is affecting them so much because they are very vulnerable in such a weakened state from not having enough food."
"The numbers [of deaths] that we are hearing are in the hundreds, but you have to understand that we are talking a lot about children under the age of 5. And because [the people] are nomadic, in some cases to get close to where there is water or food distribution, they have been walking five, seven, we have even heard of 20 days. When we did an assessment in November and December, we estimated that 1.3 million people in the Somali region would need food assistance. But we see that that number has probably increased [since then] ... It is difficult to know where [these drought-affected nomadic people] are at any given time, but as they are coming closer to the towns, we are seeing that the numbers are much higher than we estimated."
The World Food Program spokesperson said that increasing amounts of aid are now coming to the region, much of it prompted by the extensive media coverage of the crisis over the past weeks.
"The media attention [which has been] focused on this area is helping in the sense that there are a lot of interventions which just have happened overnight. ICRC (International Commission of the Red Cross) is sending in a planeload of high-energy biscuits every day for the next two months. The other NGOs and contributions have just been coming in. [The] WFP has just airlifted down some high-energy biscuits that were given us by the U.S. government as well as oil. I definitely think that the interventions are increasing."
However, the costs of providing enough food to see people through the crisis until next year's rainy season are dauntingly high. Rossi says:
"The WFP emergency operation that we appealed for at the end of January is valued at $136.8 million and we know that we are going to have to increase that. And that is to assist 2.3 million people with 250,000 metric tons of food assistance, cereal basically, and supplementary food. So it is quite a lot, and the [Ethiopian] government appeal itself is for more than 800,000 metric tons."
She says that experts estimate that for the entire drought-affected area of the Horn of Africa, some 1 million metric tons of food will be needed.
But reaching those most in need of aid remains a problem. Rossi said that because the Somali region is inhabited mostly by nomadic clans with little central government control, security for aid workers is a problem.
"In the Somali region, what also makes it difficult is that it is insecure. UN staff do not spend the night there ... we work through our local NGO called the Ogaden Welfare Society, and it is through them that many of the donors are working. Also, the roads are very inaccessible there, it is lacking in infrastructure, so those are the challenges we face in that area. For us it is a priority to get the distributions as close to the people as possible, because it is in that stretch, when they are walking from wherever to a place where there is a distribution, that they become so weakened so that by the time they get there, already their health has deteriorated so much."
Bringing large quantities of food to the region by ship is difficult because of another regional problem -- the ongoing hostility between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Ethiopia has no outlet to the sea, and the Ethiopian government recently refused a UN request to ship food through the Eritrean port of Assab.
That refusal has forced the world body to switch to a port south of Eritrea, in Djibouti. But to increase the Djibouti port's ability to handle the thousands of tons of wheat which must be delivered, the UN will first have to spend close to $3 million rehabilitating the port's facilities.
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Iraq: Turkey Regards Crisis As A Quiet Issue
Turkey and Iraq are building closer ties a decade after the Gulf War. In the second part of a two-part series, RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel looks at how the Iraq crisis is regarded in Turkey.
Istanbul, 18 August 2000 (RFE/RL) -- For 10 years, U.S. and British warplanes have taken off daily from Turkey's Incirlik airbase to patrol over northern Iraq. And during the past two years, the planes -- flying from southern Turkey -- have frequently bombed Iraqi air defenses which challenge them, causing Iraqi casualties.
The bombings have made the Turkish airbase a sore point between Turkey and Iraq, which accuses its neighbor of aiding what it calls a bombing campaign against it.
But the charges seldom receive a public reply from the Turkish government.
They have gotten little attention as well from Turkish political parties, thereby disappointing Iraqi hopes the bombing issue might become a wedge between Turkey and its NATO allies.
The lack of Turkish public interest in the air war over Iraq is surprising because the northern no-fly zone initially was opposed by some Turkish politicians when it was created without a UN-mandate by the United States, Britain, and France in 1991.
The northern no-fly zone was declared after some 1 million Iraqi Kurds fled northern Iraq in the wake of a failed rebellion following the Gulf War. It was meant to reassure them they could safely live in northern Iraq without fear of air reprisals by Baghdad.
One outspoken critic of the northern no-fly zone's creation was Bulent Ecevit, now Turkey's prime minister. Then a left-wing opposition leader, Ecevit criticized the government for too readily following the U.S. lead in determining its regional policies. Islamist politicians were also critical. They wanted to see Turkey strengthen its cultural and political ties with the Muslim East.
But Turkish analysts say that over the past decade, the public debate over the no-fly zone debate has disappeared in their country, along with much of the polarization which previously characterized Turkey's politics.
Ozdam Sanberk of the Istanbul-based Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation says that recent years have seen a migration of Turkish political parties toward the mainstream. Parliamentary elections last year resulted in a winning coalition of left and nationalist parties at the expense of the Islamists. That, in turn, has put many who once criticized Ankara for too closely following Washington and London into the position of having to implement Turkey's past agreements with both. Ozdam Sanberk says:
"At the moment, all the poles of the Turkish political spectrum are now more or less in the same political establishment. We have a coalition government which includes a far-right party, a center-left party, and center-right party. So who is going to bring this issue into the political agenda?"
The current strongest opposition force -- the Islamists -- held power in the mid-1990s. During that time they, too, were responsible for implementing Turkey's past agreements, bringing their Virtue Party close to the government's position on Iraq today.
In one measure of the Turkish government's consistency on Iraq over the years, Ankara has stuck to supporting the northern no-fly zones even as another NATO-ally, France, has withdrawn from it. Paris stopped participating in the policing of the northern zone over Iraq in 1996 and now maintains only a partial commitment to the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
Turkish politicians say that when their parties discuss Iraq today, they limit the discussion to humanitarian issues only.
Oya Akgonenc, a Virtue Party parliamentary deputy from Ankara, says all parties share a strong sympathy for the suffering of the Iraqi people under the UN sanctions and look for occasions to say so:
"Now that so many years have passed, after a decade, we feel sorry for the people of Iraq, not the administration [in Baghdad]. And we try to express our thoughts. Especially, whenever there is a new action [to extend the UN's oil-for-food program for Iraq], usually people from all parties give statements to the effect that there should be an effort to make peace, to change the situation, and improve the condition of the people of Iraq."
But Akgonenc says parliament's statements on the issue stop short of calling on the government to take any action because it recognizes the Turkish government's official commitment to observe UN resolutions on Baghdad.
Still, the sanctions on Iraq are genuinely unpopular in Turkey, partly because they also have had a strong impact on Turkey's own economy through lost trade with its neighbor. This unpopularity is giving rise to efforts by the Turkish government to argue privately in international circles for a rethinking of the UN sanctions policy even as publicly it stays quiet on the subject.
A top Turkish Foreign Ministry official (unnamed) told our correspondent that Turkey's diplomats are telling everyone quietly and privately that it is time to rethink whether economic sanctions are as effective a tool now as when they started.
The official said that, while Ankara continues to attach great importance to Iraq's disarmament under UN resolutions, it feels Turkey has suffered tremendous losses from the Gulf Crisis. He said these losses, plus what he called the security threat to Turkey from the power vacuum in northern Iraq, cannot be allowed to continue forever.
Turkey estimates its losses since 1990 from UN sanctions on Iraq at some $40 billion. Prior to the Gulf Crisis, Iraq was Turkey's fourth-largest trading partner and its major supplier of crude oil.
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Lin Gallagher MSc Executive-in-Residence, U of R
Executive-in-Residence, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
linda.gallagher@uregina.ca
Consultation and stakeholder engagement
Legislative and regulatory tools
Organizational culture and leadership
Lin Gallagher joins Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy after 38 years with the Saskatchewan Public Service. She began her career as a biologist and has taken on a variety of roles in government with her most recent positions as Deputy Minister of Parks Culture and Sport and Deputy Minister of Environment. Lin is a public service culture champion with a focus on strong client centred operations. She has been a leader in applied public sector governance and is a certified Professional Director sitting on variety of boards. Some of her career highlights include leading the development of Saskatchewan’s Climate Change Plan: Prairie Resilience, the establishment of a results based environmental regulatory model for the province and Saskatchewan’s first Biodiversity Action Plan.
Lin has a Masters of Science in Environmental Management from the University of London, UK.
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Some sites and stories I’ve seen recently that I wanted to share.
I’m a big fan of RSS feeds and think that they give many sites a chance to have a much larger readership than they would otherwise. How widespread has the use of syndication through RSS feeds grown? Ravenews takes a look at the use of RSS last year in RSS Year in Review. (via Dana VanDen Heuval)
Over the last few years, it’s become increasingly clear that Dr. Jakob Nielsen knows at least as much about marketing himself as he does about usability, if not more. I’m not sure that there are too many other people online who can attract as much attention with an article as he can, and he’s done a good job of doing so with his latest, Search Engines as Leeches on the Web.
I’m finding it difficult to agree with some of his opinions, and this is an opinion piece without any usability of scientific backing behind it, but I do agree that it isn’t a good idea to rely solely on search engines, and their paid and organic listings. Danny Sullivan has a very nice response to a number of the issues that Dr. Nielsen raises at: Search Engines As Leeches, The Difference Between Paid & Free Listings & Keyword Price Rises.
Henry Blodget presents a worst-case scenario involving Google, and what might happen to the company if their Adwords program would fail in Google: The Bear Case. It’s a vision worth considering intelligently as this Internet Outsider article has done.
Seems like I’m picking on search engines with my selection of stories so far. A quick digression in praise of sleep then. Sleep seems to be a popular topic in the news recently, with two articles that captured my attention. The first is on not getting enough sleep – Losing sleep undoes the rejuvenating effects new learning has on the brain. The second is on having to act immediately after waking up – Sleep study is unwelcome wake-up call. I’m going to try to do a little less late-night posting to get a few more sleep cycles. Can’t hurt.
While I’m at it, another one on assumptions. The North Star is one of those bodies in the night sky that many of us, even without any training in Astronomy can pick out. But there is no North Star. There are three of them.
I’ve been posting about acquisitions that Yahoo! and Google have been making. It’s been an interesting exercise, and I’m working on the time between 2000 and 2003 for Yahoo! still. Yahoo! recently announced another purchase with the acquisition of a site that tracks timelines for streaming media – as Jeremy Zawodny notes in Webjay Joins Yahoo!, Yahoo Music Blog Launches, and the perceptive Loren Baker mentions in Yahoo Acquires WebJay: Exclusive Interview. (Thanks for the mention, Loren.) Make sure you follow the link in Loren’s article to an interview with Lucas Gonze, who was the founder of Webjay. It provides some insight into why Yahoo! would make this purchase.
Google hasn’t made a new acquisition, at least that we are aware of, but an old one has come to light. Reqwireless (link no longer available), which produced a very popular and acclaimed web browser for mobile devices was bought by Google last year. The products the company made are no longer on the market, though we may see them back as a Google mobile browser – I hope so after reading a few reviews for the browser that the purchased company had released. Mark Evans has more in the Financial Times – Waterloo gets Googled.
One of the fascinating aspects of the web is that it knows no political boundaries. The moral, political, and ethical boundaries that we act within can come under tensions that might not have been quite as visible, or talked about, in the days before the internet. Rebecca MacKinnon wrote about Why Microsoft censorship in China matters to everybody almost a week ago. She has added a couple of updates to her post involving responses from folks at Microsoft. Something to think about.
I haven’t written or said much about Yahoo!’s foray into serving the web on multiple devices since their announcements last Friday on the different Yahoo! Go lines. But, I did come across an article that discusses those topics from a somewhat unique perspective that I liked. Luke Wroblewski writes about product access points over at Functioning Form. Charlene Li’s perspective on Yahoo! Go was also something I had bookmarked as worth returning to Yahoo! Go shows how to connect the Internet to devices.
This one was mentioned on the Search Engine Watch Blog by Gary Price in Regulating Search Symposia Recap; Google Attorney Speaks at Oxford, but if you missed the link to the papers from that event, here’s another one. The Yale Information Society had a Symposium on Search Engines, Law, and Public Policy in Early December 2005. While it is too late to attend, it’s the right time to take a look at some of the papers that accompanied some of the presentations made. They are an interesting collection, and worth a look, on topics such as search as an application platform, search engine bias, search engine liability for trademark infringement, and more.
I’m finding some interesting stuff at Mauro Cherubini’s Moleskine, including this recent description of the I-Spy Search Engine, which uses Google results, and adds collaborative ranking and filtering.
To close, a couple of links about attitude towards life, and towards the industry. The first, on the industry, is Andrew Goodman’s excellent article on Search Marketing’s About People and Principles, Not Just Algorithms, Part 1. I’m looking forward to part 2, tomorrow. The second is one that borders on preachy, but I still enjoyed it. It’s Scott Berkun’s essay on How to make a difference. In it he describes his last day working at Microsoft, the value of spending time with the people you care about, and the importance of thanking people for doing things that make a difference in your life. Scott has a lot of other essays on his site, and I’ve learned a lot from them.
See you around the web.
Categories Metablogging Post navigation
Some new Microsoft patent applications
Google’s most popular and least popular top level domains
3 thoughts on “Around the web”
Ed Kohler
I’m a big fan of RSS as well. Personally, I’ve become hooked on Bloglines, because I like having a web-based RSS reader I can access from more than one computer and a mobile. However, I think their service could be better and more reliable, so if someone out bloglines Bloglines, I may make the jump.
Which RSS reader do you prefer?
William Slawski
Bloglines here, too.
I’m presently at 378 feeds on Bloglines. It’s such a timesaver, and makes it easy to keep track of, and up to date with blogs, news services, and even stuff on Craig’s list.
I agree with you that part of my reason why I like it so much is because I can access it from more than one computer. And it does work well on my PDA.
I also think most of the features are set up to work well. There are some aspects of it that I don’t find myself using, like “clippings,” which I may start using more.
WebtrafficJunkie
This is an awesome article. I learned a lot of great tips and pointers. Thanks for the information!!
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Contemporary Art in the Greek Economy
SFAQ — March 5, 2012
Vassilios Doupas
Director of the Apartment Gallery, Athens
Interview by: Maria Nicolacopoulou
Vassilios Doupas. Portrait: Caroline May
With the global financial crisis well underway and Greece being the central financial nucleus, I had the chance to speak with one of the main protagonists of the contemporary Greek art world. A graduate of Goldsmiths Curatorial MA, Vassilios Doupas is the Director of ‘The Apartment’: a contemporary art gallery in Athens, Greece and a member of both the Greek Art Galleries Association and the New Art Dealers Alliance in New York, NY.
Mr. Doupas has lectured at Deree College, Athens, The Southampton Institute, UK and Goldsmiths College, London. He was a Visual Art Assessor for the London Arts Board in 1999-2000 and sits on the board of several committees, including the Pedagogical Institute in Athens, which evaluates the quality of art books in higher education. Together, we navigated the recent economic crisis and its effect on Greek contemporary art and cultural life.
What do you think are the main issues that have affected or affect the production and generation of contemporary art in Greece and how do they relate to more global developments? Do you think those issues transcend the locality to an international level or are they more isolated and site-specific?
During the last 30-40 years cultural developments in Greece have been following closely the methodologies of the western model, yet we have not been entirely in sync with it. Contemporary Greek art went from being an intersection of politics and ideology in the 70s, largely in response to the dictatorship, to the self-complacent 80s and 90s, when we experienced a climate of postmodern freedom. The 80s and 90s were crudely individualistic and any debate on the role of art was painfully absent. It was also a time when the country entered the EU. A lot of Greeks benefited from the new opportunities, and a new lifestyle was embraced. They started to travel abroad visiting museums and art fairs and they wanted to follow through. But as there was no serious infrastructure to critically appreciate art from other countries, value its differences and seek similarities to our condition, it soon ended up being a question of trend. And, as issues concerning the role of Greek art in a globalized world and the status of contemporary art production were not being addressed, the local scene remained small and inaccessible to a wider audience. Certain private galleries and some visionary collectors were the only ones to assume an educational role and pave the way for an open-ended dialogue with colleagues abroad. Thanks to them, over the last ten years we have been experiencing a strong interest from curators, collectors and museums in contemporary Greek practices. Today, many young Greek artists are exhibiting internationally in biennales, museums and important institutions.
What is interesting for me at this point is that artists are re-visiting the past – essentially what had been produced in the 70s when art was a radical gesture towards the dictatorship – and looking for new tropes to address similar concerns. They also try to connect with other cultures regarding common sociopolitical conflicts that globalization has foregrounded. Hence there are a lot of Arab artists in the current Thessaloniki Biennale, who question the current state of democracy and a lot of European counterparts who tackle postmodernism and the free economy in the 3rd Athens Biennale, aptly called ‘Monodrome”. What I am trying to say is that we no longer consider issues about national identity and “the self” in times of global capitalism as if they were only happening to us. We now seek to share ideas, concerns and artistic collaborations which sometimes extend beyond the boundaries of the art world.
What does it mean to have an art gallery today in Greece under the current sociopolitical conditions, in relation to the recent past of approximately 10 years?
When I left London for Athens in 2001, I was highly optimistic about being part of a new scene in the making. It was a time of general elation as the stock market was doing well, people’s taste was changing, younger people were at the forefront of culture and of course we had won the 2004 Olympics.Things were booming; there were new collectors, international coverage, quick sales and a general enthusiasm about the young Greek art. Of course those were the market’s boom years everywhere: in the West with the rise of Art Basel Miami, hedge funds investing in art and an unprecedented and misrepresented focus on emerging artists.
When the global recession hit us, Greece was still in the dark. Politicians had done their best to dissuade any suspicion that there might be an end to our fake prosperity. Consequently, an acute identity crisis followed at all levels: national, personal, political, and geographical. It had to do with Greece’s position in and its relationship to the world. It was particularly unclear among gallerists and curators what to present in uncertain times. Many artists started to redefine the principles behind their work as the market was no longer a viable force. Out of this environment, experimentation began, pushing art and culture in new directions.
For better or worse, the art world has now returned to its ‘exclusive’ nature. My shows for example are geared more towards the art lover who can engage in the familiar art vocabulary, rather than to a wider audience, hungry for images that can potentially re-shape the canon. There is less traffic in the gallery but I am pleased that those who decide to visit the exhibitions are now more knowledgeable and involved. Having said that I miss the ‘epiphany’ that art can have on the uninitiated audience.
Vassili Balatsos. Pyramid Paradox, 2007
How has the crisis affected the art scene in Greece not only commercially, but in terms of cultural initiatives that are trying to tackle and respond to the situation? Do you think the global financial situation will push the Greek art scene to the forefront of the global cultural epicenter, like what happened with China?
There is a return to substance. There are more artist-run initiatives, artists are opening their studios and there are more lectures and public talks being organized. There is a desire and an awareness of art’s more profound role as an examining lens of society. For the first time in Greece, we see a valid re-examination of the past in relation to its influence on today’s society. Feminism is being discovered – in Greece there was never really a major feminist movement or any feminist academic discourse. The formalist approach towards art hasn’t changed, but the context has. Art’s position is being reshaped. There is a new sense of creativity generated by this chaotic situation, which was recently highlighted through ReMap3, a private initiative to map a new cultural geography. Contemporary art was at the heart of this, with galleries showing work in run down spaces and dilapidated buildings in the center of Athens. Greece is often being portrayed as the black sheep of the EU by several media and TV outlets, but this is a motive for us to prove to the world the relevance of Greek art. If you examine the Greek sociopolitical paradigm closely, you can see that why the local is simultaneously global.
What do you think the result of this adjustment would be for the Greek art world – and beyond perhaps if you want?
One thing is for sure: Greeks are uncomfortable with the capitalist system. We are still very keen consumers, but we are not ready to give up our civil liberties for the sake of corporations. This is the reason people feel the need to go out and speak, express themselves, protest, and for the first time, this applies to everyone, not just activists. Now you see the guy next door with his family out in the streets protesting against corrupt politicians who only care about their own interests. The Greek crisis is not economical, it is primarily political and structural: “A corrupt country where everything is done by politicians to murk the waters rather than provide solutions.” There will be major changes, with new political alliances to be formed. It’s a decisive moment for Greece and it is a great time to be here and experience all this change. Every corrupt politician is, for once, scared of the ramifications.
In terms of Greek art, I think it is also a decisive moment in repositioning Greek art globally, making it more visible, because now it is relevant to all of us. I remain optimistic and am looking forward to what the future brings.
Installation view in The Apartment Gallery
What are some major cultural initiatives currently taking place in Greece that you believe will affect the future development of the art scene, whether short or long-term?
The state never had a bigger plan concerning the dissemination of contemporary Greek culture; money was often being plunked into shortsighted initiatives. There have been so many missed opportunities. Recently, the private initiative has been more reliable. I don’t simply mean businesses, who still do not understand why they can play a pivotal role by supporting art. I also refer to the several private foundations who support Greek and international art and culture and have an exceptional program of events. The Stavros Niarhos Foundation, which is currently being built in a huge complex and includes a public library and the new opera house, will most certainly affect the social, cultural and even architectural landscape of the city. It will not only rejuvenate a whole area, but will redefine the way Greek people connect with art and culture daily. It will enrich their lives. The fact that this change will come out of a private initiative demonstrates once again the absence of the public sector in Greek culture and its inability to understand the role it could play. The SNF represents the model of a new philanthropy, which is inclusive, innovative and with a bigger vision for the country and its people.
Tags: Contemporary Art in the Greek EconomyGreekSFAQvassilios doupas
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What Is Rotary
Time - Membership - Community - History - Speakers
It's like gold. Your schedule is hectic. It makes you dizzy just looking at your calendar. Your job demands long hours, perhaps travel. You have to keep your family in balance too. Perhaps you're a two income family. Raising children. You have to be there.
Somehow, though, you feel something's missing. You realize you have a duty to your community.
Where do you begin? How do you sort through the hundreds of worthwhile organizations in the Twin Cities to find the one that matches your interests?
We'll save you the time.
Here's one organization that's as broad and diverse as the Twin Cities area itself. It touches virtually every facet of your community. It's time tested, solid and vital. It's been around more than half a century.
It's The Rotary Club of Shakopee.
Rotary is exclusive and inclusive.
We look for business and professional people who are leaders and want to make a contribution to their community. People who, as we say, put "service above self."
We are fussy about who can be nominated for membership. Most of our members either have decision-making authority in their business or own their own company. Many are professionals. We also look for "comers" - 25 to 35 year olds, preparing to be leaders in businesses and firms and the community.
You will find the membership of Shakopee Rotary diverse in age, gender, race, creed and lifestyle. Our membership spans generations; we have members in the early 30s and members in their 80s. 15 percent of our members are women and the number is growing.
If you are not able to attend a regular Tuesday meeting, you can "make up" at any of the 29,000 Rotary clubs worldwide including dozens in the Twin Cities area.
Committee participation is the best avenue for community service. Extra club service earns attendance credit.
As a member of Shakopee Rotary, you'll be part of an organization that gives back to the community in thousands of ways that make a difference:
Rotary Youth Exchange - Each year for more than 25 years, the club has annually selected and sponsored several high school students to study abroad in nations around the world.
Rotary Community Service Fund - Each year the club raises tens of thousands of dollars for worthwhile non-profit organizations in the Twin Cities and around the world. Since 1980, the club's grants have totaled more than a half million dollars.
Rotary was founded in 1905 by a Chicago lawyer, Paul Harris, who felt alone and disconnected in a big city. His group of business people rotated meeting sites among members' offices and also rotated the chairman of each meeting - thus "Rotary."
Today, there are more than one million members of Rotary and more than 29,000 clubs in 160 nations - the world's largest continuous community service organization.
Every member of Rotary seeks to follow what is called the "Four Way" Test:
The club's Tuesday luncheon is a widely-recognized forum for prominent speakers, newsmakers, and public officials - including U.S. senators, governors, university presidents, network correspondents, and CEOs of prominent local businesses.
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Grammy Crisis: Is Jay Z Eligible This Year? (No)
by Roger Friedman - November 2, 2009 12:00 am
Here’s an interesting problem:
Jay Z’s “The Blueprint, Pt. 3″ is the hot album of the fall. The duet with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind,” is the single of the season. Neither of them is eligible for the Grammy Awards.
Let’s backtrack: this year’s Grammy deadline was August 31st, a month early. The Jay Z album was not released until September 8th.
But we knew going in that the early Grammy deadline was crazy. Whitney Houston just made it under the wire. But Mariah Carey missed it, leaving her in the mix just for her “Obsessed” single.
At this rate, whatever gets nominated for Best Album, Record, and Song is a toss up, and not a popular one.
The odds on favorite would be The Black Eyed Peas album, “The E.N.D.” The single, “I Gotta Feeling,” is the odds on favorite for Best Record and Song.
There are scant others. Lady GaGa is headed into the Amy Winehouse section as novelty hit of the year. You can’t begrudge her anything, but she has the feel of a one-hit wonder.
There’s a lot of support for rock band Kings of Leon, too. But they may wind up in the rock categories.
Other possibilities: Kanye West’s “808s and Heartbreak,” U2’s “No Line on the Horizon,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream,” Rob Thomas’s excellent “CradleSong” (with the song “Someday”), and, of course, Whitney Houston’s “I Look to You.” Houston is likely to score well in the Grammys simply because it’s a slow year.
But the absence of Jay Z and Alicia? Immeasurable impact. Especially since the bogus American Music Awards ‘ in which everything is eligible including Michael Jackson’s greatest hits ‘ lets anything go as long as there are ratings and sponsors.
Meantime, I do hope the Grammy committees are aware that Stevie Wonder had a great single out in January, called “All About the Love Again.” It was included on the inauguration soundtrack. What a shame if it’s overlooked.
The Grammys have historically always been screwy anyway. Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” and Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” were never even nominated. How do you like that? The Beatles always got short shrift too. For example: In 1969-70, “Abbey Road” ‘ now considered one of the great classics of all time ‘ was beaten by Blood Sweat, and Tears’ self titled album. Other nominees were the Fifth Dimension, Johnny Cash, and Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut LP. Even worse: in 1963, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and Stan Getz all lost to Vaughn Meader’s comedy album, “The First Family.”
“This Is It” Extended Through Thanksgiving
Michael Jackson: ‘This Is It’ at No. 1; Beatles Under Siege
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Why Realtors Love Working with Showhomes
Ask any Realtor, and they'll tell you one of the hardest parts of selling a home is telling a seller their home needs to be redecorated for a sale. That's where Showhomes, the U.S.'s largest home-staging franchise, steps in.
Showhomes, founded in 1986, has helped Realtors and homeowners sell more than 30,000 homes for a market value of over $10 billion thanks to its comprehensive approach to home staging.
Home staging has emerged as a lucrative industry in the red-hot real estate market of 2020 as designers and Realtors recognize the tremendous value that a well-furnished and decorated home brings to a property sale.
But not every home-staging business is created equal. Realtors love Showhomes specifically because of its comprehensive approach and ability to deliver on any project.
"It's not even a question," said Ginny Sylvester, a real estate broker and owner with two decades of experience in the Western Chicago suburbs said of Showhomes. "I will get more money for your house, and it will sell faster."
Showhomes has developed a reputation for real success that has enabled them to post impressive numbers in 2019 and keep growing amid a pandemic.
What makes Showhomes so special? "They keep up with the trends," said Sylvester. "They have great furniture that looks modern but still appeals to any type of buyer."
Other Realtors pointed to Showhomes' ability to get the job done no matter what the scope. Showhomes doesn't just stage homes; the brand offers four different services that correspond to separate revenue streams for franchisees: vacant home staging, home restyles, home updating and executive home staging.
"I had Showhomes go into a home to do a remodel of the kitchen," Earla Clark, a North Carolina-area Realtor said. "We put it on the market shortly after that and it sold far above the asking price because of that kitchen. We were in a $160,000 neighborhood and got $199,000 for that house. It was because of the design and the quality of materials used by Showhomes."
Another Showhomes-specific service Realtors love is home management. With this service, a vetted home manager lives in a house while it's being shown. They maintain the property, mow the lawn, keep lights on and clean and in a moment's notice they'll have the home ready for a showing.
"I just love the all-inclusive home manager option because you end up getting the whole house furnished or staged, and when showing requests come in they take care of that," said Suzanne Ramm, a North Carolina Realtor. "It's hard to leave a vacant house. You never know if a pipe is going to burst or something will happen that ruins your next showing."
But with Showhomes, Realtors can finally be sure their homes will show in tip-top shape every time.
"Professional, talented, and efficient are what define Showhomes of the Triad to me. The team is extremely responsive to the needs of the homeowner and the real estate professionals. I highly recommend Showhomes of the Triad to anyone looking to spruce up their environment and aid them in the selling process," Frances Giamo, a Realtor with The Giamo Group in Greensboro, North Carolina said.
Realtors say that Showhomes' quality of work makes them an essential part of the real estate community. Showhomes takes on more of the role of a trusted consultant than a glorified short-term furniture rental company, as some staging businesses position themselves.
"I list a lot of larger, upper-end homes, and a lot of time they are the original owners," Tamara O'Connor, a Realtor and the broker and owner of Premier Living Properties in suburban Chicago said. "They're well-maintained but were probably last decorated 20 years ago. I can talk to sellers about staging the home to appeal to the masses, but Showhomes will meet with them and do a walkthrough. Through their voice, they can tell them what they need to do and get rid of. It's a huge value, and not as emotionally upsetting as when a Realtor tells them to get rid of their furniture. It makes the sellers not hate me!"
For O'Connor, it makes sense for her to pay Showhomes even when her sellers won't.
"At the end of the day, if I go with Showhomes, the house is going to sell faster. They're going to get their sale faster, and I'm going to get my check faster. Plus it's a higher sale, so my staff likes it," she said.
With 60 Showhomes offices in 18 states, the brand is becoming a real part of the real estate community. When Realtors say they love Showhomes, they mean it.
"They're just a fun group to work with," said Clark. "It's not just a company we do business with. They're people I want to have a drink with."
The estimated initial investment to own a Showhomes franchise ranges from $85,600 to $164,500. This includes a $49,900 franchise fee.To learn more about franchising with Showhomes, please visit https://www.showhomesfranchise.com/.
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Golden retriever Monty survives fall from cliff
Stephen Sumner
Published: 6:30 AM February 23, 2016 Updated: 6:50 PM November 7, 2020
Sidmouth Lifeboat and crew back at the boathouse on Sunday afternoon. Ref shs 07-16SH 1680. Picture: Simon Horn - Credit: Archant
A family did ‘exactly the right thing’ and called the coastguard when their dog went over the cliffs near Otterton Ledge on Sunday (February 14).
In its first callout of 2016, Sidmouth Lifeboat launched and sped to the site at 1.20pm - but faced a rocky approach to the shore.
The only option was for crew member Guy Russell to swim the 150 metres to reach Monty, an excitable but unharmed golden retriever, and get him to safety.
“The dog half-fell and half-scrambled down the steep cliff,” he said. “There was no way in hell he was going to be able to get back up. He was very lucky he didn’t injure himself. He was quite young and excitable.”
Guy said a woman and child kept watch on the cliff-top while a man tried to make his way down to Budleigh Salterton beach, but Monty was across the fast-flowing River Otter at the base of the cliff. The man tried to get across, but knew it was not safe and called the coastguard.
“The owner tried to get across to get his dog, but that would’ve been an absolute disaster,” said Guy. “The river was running very fast. As soon as he lost his footing, he would’ve been gone. He did exactly the right thing [and called the coastguard] – he would’ve been swept out to sea.”
The rocky sea floor, the winter swell and strong currents combined for dangerous conditions, but Guy managed the 150-metre swim from the lifeboat to the shore and got a rope around Monty. He could not make it across the river with the dog, so Exmouth Coastguard crew members threw him a line from Budleigh beach.
Guy hailed the communication between the teams and said the professionalism of the operation was a good confidence boost for Guy Bennett on his first time at the helm of the lifeboat after he qualified last year. He added: “When people lose dogs like this, their initial reaction is to go in themselves, but it’s not always the best option. Some people feel silly calling the coastguard – it’s what we’re there for.”
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Truckee Police Reports: June 4 – 10, 2008
The following are taken from the Truckee Police Department’s logs.
At 1:45 p.m. on Brockway Road, police received reports two suspicious males were sitting in a red vehicle watching children in a playground. Officers contacted the subjects and found one in possession of a dagger and the subject was arrested.
At 10:05 p.m. on Donner Pass Road, police received reports that a subject was walking aimlessly around a store, creating problems for the customers. Officers contacted the subject and arrested him for public intoxication.
At 12 a.m. on Donner Pass Road, a known suspect used unlawful force against a victim.
At 12:30 a.m. on Donner Pass Road, police stopped a vehicle for a code violation and subsequently arrested the driver for driving under the influence.
At 5 p.m. on West River Street, officers responded to a single-vehicle roll-over collision.
At 10:40 a.m. on Donner Pass Road, officers responded to reports two high school students had engaged in mutual combat on school grounds.
At 1 p.m. on Bridge Street, police received reports an unknown female entered a store and stole clothing.
At 5 p.m. on Hillside Drive, a female entered the police department to report a domestic violence incident that occurred the previous night. Based on her statements and the injuries sustained, officers located the suspect, interviewed and arrested him.
At 6:30 p.m. on Union Mills Road, police received reports that a 15-year-old female had voluntarily run away and a missing persons report was taken.
At 11:10 p.m. on Donner Pass Road, police responded to reports that an intoxicated subject was challenging bar patrons to a fight outside the bar. The subject was contacted and arrested for public intoxication.
At 11 a.m. on Donner Pass Road, a subject reported his vehicle was backed into. The suspect fled the scene and a witness recorded the license plate of the vehicle, but the suspect has yet to be located.
At 11:25 p.m. on Jeffery Pine, police stopped a vehicle for several code violations and the unlicensed driver gave officers a false name, and he was arrested. During a subsequent search, officers found the suspect to be in possession of marijuana and he was cited.
At 1:45 on Northwoods Boulevard, a subject reported terrorist threats had been made toward a golf course employee. The suspect was contacted and arrested.
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Nature Ecology & Evolution: Promoting the Importance of Biodiversity to the Wider World
By: Laura Graham-Clare, Wed Jul 4 2018
Tackling global challenges with ecological and evolutionary research
One of the youngest Nature Research Journals, Nature Ecology & Evolution launched in 2017 as an online only publication. Despite being one of the newest additions to Nature’s growing family of research journals, the fields of ecology and evolution reach furthest back in Nature’s history, with the first issue featuring an article about a study by Darwin.
The broad range of fundamental research covered in Nature Ecology & Evolution impacts almost every one of Springer Nature's Sustainable Development Programme, with biodiversity and the global consequences of its depletion connecting all of the journal’s subject areas.
“Ecological and evolutionary research is becoming more and more directly relevant to social and global concerns.” Patrick Goymer
In addition to its core mission of furthering research in every aspect of ecology and evolution, Nature Ecology & Evolution is actively working to promote dialogue and collaboration between researchers and policymakers. Without greater interaction between the science, government and business communities, widespread and effective application of solutions to the SN Sustainable Development Goals will be almost impossible.
Nature Ecology & Evolution intersects directly with many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health & Wellbeing (3), Life Below Water (14) and Life on Land (15). Amongst some of the journal’s most prominent topics and those regularly reflected across its research, editorial, news and comment are: conservation biology, protected areas, agriculture, aquaculture, endangered species and infectious disease.
Each issue of the journal has added to the range of topics covered within its broad scope. An article in the first issue explored the effect of international trade on biodiversity, particularly in relation to developing countries. What is the impact, for example, of a London office worker buying a morning cup of coffee on the developing world? The journal’s research and analysis of global food and agriculture ranges from honey bees, other pollinators, and the impact of pests on crops, to areas as niche as different styles of agriculture and resulting ecologies either side of the former iron curtain. Coverage of oceans, fisheries and aquaculture spans topics such as the degree to which food security can be satisfied by marine life and the micro-plastic crisis.
One of the pillars of Springer Nature's SDG Programme is Climate Change and Nature Ecology & Evolution addresses the biological aspects of this threat. The journal assesses the impact of climate change on biodiversity and how species are both migrating and declining in response to global warming. However, ecosystems such as oceans and forests are not just the victims of climate change but also an important part of the solution through their crucial roles in the carbon cycle.
“Human activity has caused a vast increase in the extinction rate, and the ecosystem services we depend on are severely threatened.” Patrick Goymer
Author: Laura Graham-Clare
Bringing evolutionary history into health, human behaviour and conservation
Nature Ecology & Evolution has less obvious but important links to the UN’s SDGs 11 and 12: Sustainable Cities & Communities and Responsible Consumption & Production. Amongst topics of interest to the journal in relation to cities and urban ecology are the consequences of light pollution and the changing structure of microbial ecosystems.
Evolution plays a huge role in improving global health and tackling the many challenges associated with this ambition. Since its launch last year, the journal has published extensive original research on the antibiotic crisis as it relates to evolution, varied explorations of disease susceptibility, and the presentation of vaccination and cancer as evolutionary processes.
“antimicrobial resistance crisis, which is an evolutionary problem, rates alongside the climate and extinction crises in terms of existential threat to humanity.” Patrick Goymer
It also explores the complex subject of human-environment interaction, how this has evolved over thousands of years, and what it can teach us about tackling issues such as climate change.
Supporting global initiatives
Tackling any one of the SDGs not only involves effective collaboration between different professions, it also requires active and ongoing communication across a network of different global organisations, from research institutions, publishers and funding bodies, to scientific societies and NGOs. Nature Ecology & Evolution works in tandem with many such organisations, inviting and publishing articles, comment and reviews from scientists and practitioners working for bodies such as the IUCN; the Wildlife Conservation Society; the global network of tree diversity experiments: TreeDivNet; and the Cultural Evolution Society. In addition to publishing contributions from these organisations, the journal also facilitates active discussion across its community of readers on significant ecological projects such as the Ocean Health Index and the 2020 target for protected areas on land and sea. By being in active conversation with the people driving these global initiatives and publishing their research, Nature Ecology & Evolution provides a further stage for global collaboration in tackling threats to the world’s ecosystems.
Deepening conversations between science, policy and the public
Having already published significant research in the biological and environmental sciences, Nature Ecology & Evolution has big ambitions for the future. Speaking about his vision for the journal, Chief Editor Patrick Goymer stressed the growing link between ecology and evolution when it comes to tackling some of the most pressing challenges faced by the planet. He and his editorial team aim to integrate more disparate areas of research over the coming months and years. They want to get research subfields such as population genetics, climate science, and evolution and conservation biology talking to each other more. They also want to bring conservation biology into much greater exposure, which will mean publishing more evidence-based research in the field. Goymer is also keen to increase the journal’s health-related content and build its portfolio of research in the applied health implications of areas such as antibiotics and cancer. Finally, in a bid to make more impact on some of the grand societal challenges, the Chief Editor wants Nature Ecology & Evolution to use its coverage and its community to narrow the gap between scientists and practitioners, and reduce evidence complacency.
“Our research should be embedded deep in the world-views of policymakers and public alike, not just as an optional add-on which can be rejected without significant consequences.” Patrick Goymer
Patrick Goymer joined Springer Nature in 2005 as an Assistant Editor at Nature Reviews Genetics and Nature Reviews Cancer. In 2008 he moved to Nature, where he served as Senior Editor covering ecology and evolution, before becoming Chief Editor of Nature Ecology & Evolution in 2016. He has handled primary manuscripts and review articles across the entire breadth of ecology and evolution, as well as advising and writing for other sections of Nature. Patrick completed his DPhil in experimental evolution in Paul Rainey’s lab at the University of Oxford, and did his postdoctoral work on evolutionary and ecological genetics in Linda Partridge’s lab at University College London in association with Charles Godfray’s lab at Imperial College London.
This article was written by Emma Warren-Jones, Director of Edible Content, from an interview with Patrick this year.
Contact us for more information about Nature Ecology & Evolution
Laura Graham-Clare is a Senior Content Marketing Manager, based in London. Working between our publishing, sales and marketing teams, she is focused on thought leadership trends, developing product insights and information resources for staff, librarians, and information professionals.
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Child Safety Standards
Weekend Mass Booking
Take away Sheets
Special Prayers and Daily Readings
St. Andrew's Parish
"Big Enough To Serve And Small Enough To Care."
Fr. Albert Yogarajah - Parish Priest
Fr. Albert Yogarajah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka as the seventh and last child to devoted Catholic parents on 16th November 1955. Due to the strong faith upbringing, five siblings chose married life as their vocation, while one daughter and Albert chose religious life as their vocation. After having his priestly education in Kandy, Sri Lanka, he was ordained a Priest on 2nd August 1982. After ministering in the war torn Jaffna Diocese for seven years, he went to London and was blessed to work in a Parish under Cardinal Basil Hume.
Fr. Albert came to Australia in June 1990 and since then has been ministering in various Parishes in the Melbourne Archdiocese. He was Assistant Priest at St. Mary’s Parish in Thornbury, St. John’s Parish in Heidelberg and at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Mill Park. In 2001 he was made Administrator of St. Andrew’s Parish in South Clayton, after a few months became Parish Priest and ministered there for ten years. In 2010, he was asked by the Archbishop to become the Parish Priest of St. Kevin’s Hampton Park. He is now appointed as the Parish Priest of St. Andrew’s Parish, Werribee. St. Andrew’s seems to be chasing him once again after eight years. Each Parish has been a unique experience for Fr. Albert, spiritually rich and strengthening in faith. He has learnt a lot from his people in the Parish, more so than in the Seminary. He is grateful to all his former Parish Priests, Assistant Priests, staff members both in the Parish and the schools and above all the people for continually supporting him in many ways and helping him to grow as a minister of Christ.
Fr. Albert has heard a lot of good things about St. Andrew’s Parish which is his new family. He is sure that he will feel at home to continue his ministry among its members. So trusting in God’s grace and the support from parishioners, he is looking forward to walk and work with St. Andrew’s Parish, Werribee in the vineyard of the Lord.
Fr. Dong Tran - Assistant Priest
Fr. Dong Tran was born in Nam Dinh, Vietnam on 1st January 1982, the youngest of six children, 3 sons and 3 daughters. He was born and raised in a very religious Catholic family in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. Fr. Dong completed his two Bachelors in Vietnam. He stayed with his local Parish Priest for 3 years and then he took the exam to enter the Seminary of the Major Archdiocese of Hanoi in 2005 and he had a scholarship one year after.
In 2007, Kiet Ngo Quang, his Archbishop, who sent him to Melbourne, Australia to be commented studying for Hanoi, Vietnam. He studied at Corpus Christi Seminary in Carlton from 2008 – 2014 and he finished his degrees. However, after 7 years of training in the Corpus Christi Seminary in Australia he decided to transfer to the Archdiocese of Melbourne forever. Archbishop Denis Hart ordained him a deacon on Saturday 13th September 2014 at St. Patrick Cathedral, East Melbourne.He was immediately appointed to Queen of Peace Church, Laverton. He worked here full time as a deacon. On Saturday12th September 2015, Archbishop Denis Hart ordained him a priest in St. Patrick Cathedral. He was appointed as Assistant Priest at St. Mary’s Parish, Greensborough for 3 years. In 2018, he was Assistant Priest of St. Kevin’s Hampton Park for 2 years. He is now appointed as Assistant Priest at our St. Andrew’s Parish, Werribee.
Fr. Dong believes that God has chosen and ordained him to serve His people. He felt so blessed to live in different parishes and gained more pastoral experiences. Fr. Dong would like to ask you kindly to continue keeping him in your daily prayers as he begins his priestly ministry in our parish, and also be assured of his continuing prayers for you and your loved ones always.
Our parish is a vast and colourful landscape that draws its living breath from so many families and individuals living either side of the Princes Highway – or the Werribee River which flows across coastal plains emptying into Port Phillip Bay. Many natural communities have developed within our Parish of St. Andrew’s over the years.
Our Parish has always been a multicultural Parish since the first Catholic Mass was celebrated at St. Michael’s, Little River by Fr. Ronald Rankin from Scotland in 1857
See About the Church Page for more details
WELCOME TO ST. ANDREWS PARISH
I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU MY PEOPLE . . .
Copyright © 2020. St Andrew's Parish Werribee
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Oregon death row inmate's murder conviction overturned
Whitney Woodworth
The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned the aggravated murder conviction of a death row inmate accused of stabbing another inmate at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
David Lee Cox, 54, received ineffective counsel after his defense attorneys failed to investigate a witness who testified that Cox had killed Mark Dean Davis, 31, in a murder-for-hire plot, according to an appeals opinion released Wednesday.
Cox was convicted of stabbing Davis once in the back on Sept. 13, 1998, as the inmates were filing in from the recreation yard. Davis died 90 minutes later at Salem Hospital.
Cox, originally from the Portland area, was already serving a lengthy sentence for attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping, burglary and vehicle theft. He claimed Davis was a violent, unpredictable drug user and had threatened him with a homemade stabbing device in the months leading up to the murder.
Cox admitted to stabbing Davis, but insisted he meant to send a message, not kill him.
Prosecutors argued Cox meant to kill. Instead of attacking Davis in a less vulnerable area, he plunged a sharpened rod up through Davis' ribs toward the heart.
A Marion County jury rejected Cox's manslaughter claim. After deliberating for 18 hours, they found him guilty of aggravated murder. The jury later decided Cox should be sentenced to death.
After the fire:Still retro, but refreshed; Geppetto's Italian Restaurant reopens
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled his murder conviction should be reversed and remanded back to Marion County because his defense counsel — Noel Grefenson and Tom Bostwick of Salem — did not properly investigate and refute the prosecution's theory.
"I am very relieved that Mr. Cox's conviction has been overturned," Grefenson said. "In 30 years of practice as a trial lawyer, his was the most grueling trial that I can recall."
He described Cox as a gracious and thankful client.
"His conviction was absolutely devastating to me, particularly since I was convinced he was convicted based on a fabricated theory of murder for hire," Grefenson said.
A prosecution witness claimed Cox was paid $5,500 in drugs by the Lakota Club, a group for Native American inmates for socializing and participating in religious ceremonies.
According to witness testimony, club members wanted to kill Davis for "burning" them on illicit tobacco and heroin transactions. But the one witness who testified to this was later found to have lied repeatedly, according to court records.
The witness described himself as "War Chief" in the club with high status and knowledge of the club's dealings. He testified that he witnessed club members sharpening a shank on the concrete floor of the clubhouse and instructing Cox to stab Davis in the liver and below the ribs.
The witness later testified at Cox's post-conviction trial that he had entirely made up the "murder-for-hire" plot. He said he never saw weapons being made in the club and was never their "War Chief." The Lakota Club would have never made weapons because doing so would jeopardize the club and their members, he said.
Keizer complaints:Bill targeting stray bullets from Polk County quarry passes Senate
He also said the club would never hire a white inmate to resolve a dispute.
Cox argued that, during his original trial, his defense attorneys failed to investigate the witness's conspiracy and call witnesses who could've easily refuted the man's claims.
Grefenson said the witness' story materialized in the last stages of prosecution.
"Although we attacked him with what we had, as the court found, we should have done more," Grefenson said.
The post-conviction court conceded the witness' testimony was seriously flawed, but rejected all of Cox's claims for relief.
"The post-conviction court concluded that, in any event, even if the murder-for-hire theory were or had been discredited, it was unlikely that the jury would not have convicted petitioner of aggravated murder," the appeals justices wrote in their ruling.
The appeals court found the defense counsels' decision not to investigate the witness' assertions "was not a reasonable exercise of professional skill and judgment."
Oregon Department of Justice officials said they are still reviewing the court's opinion and have not made a decision on whether they'll be appealing.
Marion County District Attorney officials did not immediately respond to request for comment.
"Death penalty trials are incredibly difficult and complex and, in my experience, increase the probability of serious error," Grefenson said. "We put an enormous amount of time and effort into this case and yet we still came up short."
"Mr. Cox did not receive a fair trial and no person should stand convicted of any crime, let alone aggravated murder, without one."
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Limp Bizkit Tickets
Thu Jul 15
Rockfest 3 Day Pass with Korn, Disturbed, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and more (July 15-17, 2020, Rescheduled from July 16-18, 2020) 12:59 - CV Music Festival, Cadott, United States
Fri Jul 16
Rockfest Friday Only with All That Remains, Limp Bizkit, Anthrax and more (Rescheduled from July 17, 2020) 13:00 - CV Music Festival, Cadott, United States
Rockfest Saturday Only with Limp Bizkit, Chevelle, Hollywood Undead (Rescheduled from July 18, 2020) 13:00 - CV Music Festival, Cadott, United States
Tue Aug 3
Limp Bizkit Stuttgart 20:00 - Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
Sun Aug 8
Limp Bizkit Tilburg 19:00 - 013 Poppodium Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands
Mon Aug 9
Limp Bizkit Frankfurt am Main 20:00 - Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Wed Aug 11
Limp Bizkit München 20:00 - Zenith München, Munich, Germany
Sat Aug 14
Limp Bizkit Prague 20:00 - Forum Karlín, Prague, Czech Republic
Limp Bizkit Madrid 19:00 - WiZink Center (Palacio de los Deportes), Madrid, Spain
Thu Oct 7
Aftershock Festival 4 Day Pass with Metallica, My Chemical Romance & many more (October 7-10, 2021, Rescheduled from October 9-11, 2020) 12:58 - Discovery Park, Sacramento, United States
Aftershock Festival Thursday Only with Limp Bizkit, Parkway Drive, Testament, Hatebreed, Exodus and many more 13:00 - Discovery Park, Sacramento, United States
Fri Oct 8
Aftershock Festival 3 Day Pass with Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit and many more 12:59 - Discovery Park, Sacramento, United States
Limp Bizkit rap-metal pioneers
Formed in Florida in 1994, Limp Bizkit became one of the most important bands on the burgeoning rap-metal scene in the 1990s. If you want to see singer Fred Durst sending the crowd wild with classics like "Break Stuff", then buy Limp Bizkit tickets right here at StubHub. Limp Bizkit managed to attract the attention of metal band Korn who passed on Limp Bizkit's demo tape to their producer Ross Robinson. Soon after, the band was chosen to tour with House of Pain and the Deftones and then signed a record deal with Flip/Interscope. Within just a couple of years Limp Bizkit had become one of the most-hyped bands in the rap-metal and nu-metal scenes. With fans desperately waiting to hear the new Limp Bizkit album Stampede of the Disco Elephants, those not patient enough to hear new Limp Bizkit songs can watch the band perform their best hits at a Limp Bizkit concert. Get your Limp Bizkit tickets today!
Limp Bizkit music
Limp Bizkit have sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide since the release of their debut album Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ back in 1998. The band's true breakthrough came in 1999 with the hugely anticipated release of their album Significant Other. Featuring some of Limp Bizkit's most famous songs like "Break Stuff", "Nookie", "Just Like This" and "N 2 Gether Now", the album debuted at number one and the album has sold at least 16 million albums worldwide. 2000 saw the release of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water which also debuted at number one, selling over 1 million copies in its first week. Tracks include "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)", "Take a Look Around" and "My Way". Then, after a three-year break, Limp Bizkit released Results May Vary (2003). In 2011, Limp Bizkit released Gold Cobra, the album received mixed reviews and "Shotgun" is probably the most notable single from the record. There is endless speculation as to when Limp Bizkit will release their long-awaited sixth album, but whatever happens. With Limp Bizkit you can enjoy some of Limp Bizkit's best music.
Limp Bizkit concert experience
If you are looking to get rowdy and raucous, then there's nothing better than going to a Limp Bizkit concert. Limp Bizkit members Fred Durst, Wes Borland, DJ Lethal, Sam Rivers and John Otto are known for inciting crowds to break stuff and mosh. Their controversial Woodstock 1999 performance highlights the negatives of this approach, but there's no doubt that there is no shortage of people looking to let off some steam and with Limp Bizkit concert tickets you can do just that! Looking for more of the same, get yourself to a Papa Roach concert.
Buy tickets for Limp Bizkit at StubHub US
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Jordan Feliz
Boletos Jordan Feliz
sáb 6 feb
TobyMac with Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers and more 19:00 - H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Estados Unidos
Desde US$31.2 $692
sáb 2 oct
TobyMac with Tauren Wells, Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers and more (Rescheduled from March 20, 2020) 19:00 - TaxSlayer Center, Moline, Estados Unidos
dom 3 oct
TobyMac with Tauren Wells, Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers and more (Rescheduled from March 14, 2020 and August 6, 2020) 19:00 - Enterprise Center, Saint Louis, Estados Unidos
lun 4 oct
TobyMac (Rescheduled from March 21, 2020 and August 5, 2020) 19:00 - BOK Center, Tulsa, Estados Unidos
mié 6 oct
TobyMac with Tauren Wells, Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers and more (Rescheduled from March 13, 2020, August 14, 2020, and January 17, 2021) 19:00 - Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, Estados Unidos
lun 11 oct
TobyMac with Tauren Wells, Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers and more (Rescheduled from March 27, 2020) 19:00 - Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Estados Unidos
mar 12 oct
TobyMac with Jordan Feliz, We Are Messengers, Ryan Stevenson, Aaron Cole and Cochren & Co (Rescheduled from March 26, 2020) 19:00 - United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Estados Unidos
Buy tickets for Jordan Feliz at StubHub US
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Legal Help Nationwide440.519.9900 Email: steven@goldberglpa.com
Legal Help Nationwide888.637.6463 Email: steven@smglegal.com
About Steven Goldberg
Life-Changing Claims
Drugs / Devices
Steven M. Goldberg
Dr. Laurel A. Matthews
Karl E. Novak
Home Our Firm — Our Mission — Our Firm — How we work for you — About Steven Goldberg Practice — Mesothelioma — Personal Injury — Life-Changing Claims — Wrongful Death — Medical Malpractice — Drugs / Devices — Will Disputes Attorneys — Steven M. Goldberg — Dr. Laurel A. Matthews — Karl E. Novak Results Resources Juries Newsletter Blogs Contact Us
Meet Dr. Laurel A. Matthews
Meet Karl E. Novak
Meet Steven M. Goldberg.
He knows how to help you.
Sometimes the things we need the most can hurt us. A diagnosis about our health that turns terribly wrong. A drug prescribed to help that harms us instead. Treatment that intends to heal but causes pain and suffering due to negligence. A quality of life tragically disrupted by an avoidable accident. A workplace designed for productive jobs that may cause cancer. Products designed to make life easier but instead jeopardize our safety.
Steven M. Goldberg knows what to do when your hurt needs healing.
Yes, he’s an attorney – one of the top-rated personal injury lawyers in the nation. So, you’ve come to the right place if you’re seeking justice or compensation for the way you’ve been treated. No one is more successful than Steven at righting the wrongs of those harmed by the wrongful conduct of others.
But, Steven is more than an accomplished attorney who’s dedicated to fighting for you. He’s an authority on the intricacies of health and well-being – your health and your well-being – in a time of fast-changing institutional medicine, medical science, treatment, drugs and risks in our turbulent world. He’s your advocate for justice, your clear voice in a noisy world, your scout through a complex system of justice.
More than just a lawyer, Steven Goldberg is a man of parts: family man, father, friend, fighter, medical authority, courtroom super-hero. He knows what to do when your hurt needs healing.
Accomplished and relentless, a ‘top-rated’ lawyer who gets multi-million dollar results.
Expertise. Steven M. Goldberg has successfully obtained several multi-million dollar results in a wide variety of cases, involving medical and hospital malpractice, asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma lawsuits, pharmaceutical drug litigation, and catastrophic personal injury claims. He has participated in high profile pharmaceutical cases including Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra, Gadolinium, hip and knee implants and Zyprexa.
Steven M. Goldberg named 2020 Best Lawyers© “Lawyer of the Year” in the Cleveland area.
Goldberg Legal Co., LPA attorney Steven M. Goldberg was recently recognized by Best Lawyers© as the 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs in the Cleveland area.
Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.
In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Steven M. Goldberg was also listed in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers© in America in the following practice areas: Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs and Product Liability – Plaintiffs.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers© has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Medical Malpractice Law and Product Liability (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).
Goldberg Legal Co., LPA is proud to announce Steven M. Goldberg’s selection by his peers for the fourth consecutive year for inclusion in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© for professional excellence in the practice areas of Medical Malpractice Law and Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs.
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected attorney ranking service in the world and is universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Lawyers are not allowed to pay a fee to be recognized. Therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. More than 83,000 leading attorneys globally are eligible to vote. Since being first published in 1983, more than 13 million votes have been cast to determine the legal abilities of lawyers based on their specific practice areas.
Goldberg Legal Co., LPA selected for inclusion in U.S. News – Best Lawyers© “Best Law Firms” (2019, 2020)
For the second year in a row, Goldberg Legal Co., LPA has been ranked in the 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers© “Best Law Firms” list and regionally (Cleveland) in 2 practice areas:
Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
Firms included in the 2020 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
The 2020 Edition of “Best Law Firms” includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 122 metropolitan-based practice areas. A “Law Firm of the Year” is named in 74 of the 75 nationally ranked practice areas.
Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.
AV® Preeminent™ rating. Earned and maintains AV® Preeminent™ rating (5.0/5.0) from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest possible rating for an attorney for both ethical standards and legal ability.
The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Named to the list of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers, a professional association comprised of America’s most accomplished trial lawyers.
Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, The Top Trial Lawyers in America®. Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, The Top Trial Lawyers in America®, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the U.S.
One of ‘Cleveland’s Top Rated Lawyers.’ Recognized as a “Top-Rated Lawyer” in Cleveland, Ohio in the 2013 and 2014 editions of “Cleveland’s Legal Leaders,” published in The Plain Dealer and The Wall Street Journal.
Licenses. Licensed to practice law in the Ohio Supreme Court and all Ohio state courts, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts (Ohio), U.S. District of Illinois, and U.S. Court of Claims.
Memberships. Member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Federal Bar Association, Northern District of Ohio Chapter, Ohio Association for Justice, Ohio State Bar Association, Cleveland Academy of Trial Lawyers, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and Mahoning County Bar Association, Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association.
Since 1989, Steven M. Goldberg and associated attorneys have been building a reputation throughout Ohio for providing passionate personal injury representation and pursuing the maximum compensation you may be entitled to under the law. Learn more about how we work for you.
Laurel A. Matthews, MD, JD
Dr. Laurel A. Matthews, special counsel to the firm, is both an attorney and a licensed physician trained in general, vascular, thoracic and transplantation surgery. Our clients benefit from her extensive medical knowledge and her ongoing practice as an emergency room doctor. Laurel’s extensive civil trial experience speaks for itself. She has successfully represented plaintiffs in both state and federal courts on a wide variety of matters. She has successfully obtained several multi-million dollar results in settlements and verdicts.
Karl E. Novak, special counsel to the firm, is a member of Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, LLC in Charleston, South Carolina. Karl is an aggressive trial lawyer specializing in asbestos, products liability, and complex litigation nationwide. He has gained a reputation winning multi-million dollar results in settlements and verdicts. Karl works closely with the firm as associated counsel, and our clients benefit from his national reputation in prosecuting mesothelioma cases.
Goldberg Legal Co., LPA
31300 Solon Road Suite 12
Cleveland, Ohio based The Goldberg Law Firm Co., LPA is a law firm practicing in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, mesothelioma, auto/truck accident, drug recall and defective medical device claims.
Legal Disclaimer | Sitemap
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Doug Hallman honoured by Science North
June 20, 2018 — People Stories
Science North recognized two of Sudbury’s scientists as Honorary Life Members.
Douglas Hallman, professor emeritus of physics at Laurentian University and director of communications at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, and Amadeo Parissenti, scientist and principal investigator at the Health Sciences North Research Institute, a tenured full professor at Laurentian University and Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and chief science officer at RNA Diagnostics, were honoured at the celebration.
The two community leaders have contributed a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their fields of science.
Hallman was recognized for his work with the Nobel prize-winning Sudbury Neutrino Observatory and in supporting Science North in communicating the complex science behind it. He was heavily involved in the development of the Secrets from the Sun and Between the Stars object theatres at Science North and the more recent New Eyes on the Universe travelling exhibition. All visitor experiences communicated the science of particle physics.
“Dr. Hallman was one of the founding members of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) scientific collaboration in 1984 and has worked tirelessly in many areas of the experiment, leading the Laurentian University scientific team. He was the communications director for SNO and collaborated with Science North on many exhibits including the original object theatre and the recent New Eyes on the Universe travelling exhibition. SNO owes a major debt of gratitude to Doug for his extensive contributions and I am really pleased that Science North is recognizing him as an Honorary Life Member,” said Art McDonald, 2015 co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics.
To mark this achievement, proceeds from the event will be shared between Science North and the Northern Cancer Foundation.
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Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council,Boy Scouts of America > Privacy Policy
The Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America is committed to respecting and protecting the personal privacy of its members and those who visit its Web site. It is our policy to acquire personal information from users only by overt and voluntary means, only when it is in the interest of the user to provide it, and to utilize this information only for the purpose it was provided.
The information that follows explains the kinds of information the BSA Web site collects, how it is used, and the conditions under which it is made available to third parties.
NOTE: This privacy policy applies only to the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council Web site. This privacy policy does not apply to any unit Web site, as their content is not controlled by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council or the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Please contact the administrator of any council, unit, or other Scouting-oriented Web site for information about their own privacy policies and the information they collect about their site visitors.
What information does this site collect?
This site collects anonymous data that is not indicative of and cannot be traced to an individual without the cooperation of their Internet Service Provider. This data includes information about the user’s remote IP address, referral data (which page “linked” to the present request), and the browser software’s user-agent string. This information is accepted passively from the HTTP headers that are sent from the user when requesting any file from the server. Other anonymous data entered by the user may be collected in a common repository, including terms entered into the search engine, etc.
Personally identifiable data is collected only by means of form interfaces on the site, into which the user must voluntarily enter the information requested. This information is requested only when it is necessary to accomplish the overt purpose indicated by the interface containing the form that requests it. Such for interfaces require only the information reasonably necessary to accomplish the overt purpose indicated on the interface.
No attempt is made to covertly or “quietly” collect personally identifiable information, nor are cookies or any other tracking technology used for the purpose of coordinating information that a user may opt to enter in various interfaces on the site.
What organization is collecting the information?
Information entered by site visitors is retrieved directly by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America, mailing address: 970 W Julian Street, San Jose CA 95126 – telephone 408.638.8300.
How does the SVMBC use the information it collects?
The anonymous information collected is used to monitor the usage of this Web site and the interests of those who use it. Data such as the volume of traffic to the server, the number of visitors a certain section of the site receives each month, or the most popular search terms are analyzed to derive general statistics about the site’s reach and the audience’s usage patterns.
Personally identifiable information is used only for the express purpose for which it was submitted. For example, if a user enters their contact information in a registration form for a training course, the information will be used only to correspond with them regarding that course.
With whom does the SVMBC share the information that is collected?
The SVMBC does not share personally identifiable information about its Web site visitors with anyone.
Reports, statistics, and other analyses of aggregate anonymous information may be shared within the organization or provided to third parties at the sole discretion of the Boy Scouts of America. This information does not include any personally identifiable information.
Exception: the Boy Scouts of America reserves the right to use all information at its disposal and to share this information with ISPs and other third parties as necessary to investigate any incident of misuse or abuse of its site, server, or information systems.
Policy Modifications and Deviations
We may modify this privacy policy and will post those changes here. If the privacy policy changes in the future, we will not share any personal information you have submitted to us under the current Privacy Policy in a manner that is materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, without your prior consent.
It may be necessary to deviate from this general policy in unique instances and for specific purposes. In such instances, a link will be provided to a description of the deviation. This link will be placed where it can be reasonably expected to be noticed prior to submitting any information for which this privacy policy is modified or exempted in any way.
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Dan Aykroyd bringing Crystal Head Vodka to Hard Rock
Dan Aykroyd will serve drinks and answer questions at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Editor’s note: Crystal Head Vodka presents an exclusive evening with Emmy-award winning, comedic legend Dan Aykroyd at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. Fans and spirit enthusiasts will also get an intimate experience with the beloved Blues Brother during an in-depth Q&A, and meet and greet. General admission tickets are $49. A $69 ticket includes an autographed bottle of Crystal Head Vodka.
Who ya gonna call? The Ghostbusters? The Blues Brothers? Maybe you should just call Dan Aykroyd.
We did.
Tahoe Onstage caught up with Aykroyd before his intimate sit-down-and-chat appearance (and maybe have a shot or two of Crystal Head Vodka) on Sunday, Sept. 29, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe. We had oh-so-many questions.
Here’s what the 67-year-old Canadian comedian, actor, bluesman and entrepreneur had to say:
How do fans react to the opportunity to meet you?
I do quite a bit of these events tastings, bartender education sessions, and if you have a chance to meet a tyrantosaurus and not have them bite, wouldn’t you come out? He’s not going to bite. His teeth are all worn down to nubs now but he still is a monster, a dinosaur and a spectacle so people come out because they can’t believe that I’m still alive.
You are coming to Lake Tahoe for a drinking event, a question-and-answer session and tasting of Crystal Head Vodka. Can you tell me about that?
We are really delighted by our enjoyment with some of the Hard Rock Casinos around the country — to be able to ally to great brands that are known for quality and for a full joy of people’s entertainment, which Hard Rock is and which Crystal Head is. It’s just a great opportunity to unite these brands that are known for quality. Hard Rock, the administration of the casino business in Nevada, it’s clean, it is there for the consumer to have a fun experience that will have them coming back as a repeat customer. Likewise, we have the same values with Crystal Head. We have used no additives in Crystal Head. We are all about quality and the customer coming back and buying that bottle again and so as a result we’ve taken out all the terpenes, all of the lipides and all the glycerine that is usually in vodka. They are substances that are not going to kill you but would you rather have, if you’re a bartender and you had an opportunity to make a mixed drink, would you rather have a mixed drink that doesn’t have glycerin in it, which is a cousin of glycol, which is antifreeze. Wouldn’t you rather have a vodka that doesn’t have terpenes, which turpentine is made of. It’s a cousin. So we don’t have any sugars or anything like that we just have the water and the mash and that’s it. We were winning awards all over the world with it.
Dreu Murin interviews Dan Aykroyd during the Crystal Head Vodka tasting event in 2017 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Do you own the company?
I capitalized the company, so my family owns the majority share and then I have three other partners. The designer of the bottle, John Alexander, he is a world renowned landscape painter and portraitist, one of the most-talented painters on the planet and he loves skulls and imagery like that so he designed this bottle. I had learned about this business because I brought Patron tequila into Canada. I learned a lot about vodka and I learned that they add the glycerin, the lipides, the sugars and I thought well what if we try a vodka that doesn’t have that in it. Let’s try that. What better vessel to put it in this beautiful, clean-looking skull that tells the story of clean living and clean drinking and enlightened drinking so that you don’t have to settle for a polluted vodka you can you can have one that is clean and have a taste great?
Our notes on our first vodka, the corn that we make in the clear bottle, our sweet vanilla dry crisp with a kick of heat off the finish. I mean for a vodka maker what notes sweet vanilla, dry crisp with a kick of heat off the finish? When you smell our vodka it smells like alcohol, it doesn’t smell like perfume. Many vodkas, you uncork them and they smell like perfume because they’re adding lemonine, which is the turpine that they add for fragrance and to mask the alcohol. We don’t do that.
Our other one is the Aurora. It’s the one with the rainbow style pattern in the bottle and in our notes there are anise, peppercorn drier crisper and again a littler fire off the tongue if you’re just drinking it in a cold shot with a little a little lime. So the notes are there, the awards are there and the audience is there for Crystal Head and it’s so great we’re going to be able to do this feature at Hard Rock and people who haven’t heard of it are going to be converted. They won’t go back once they hear my rap, like I’m giving you, and once they try the product the way I’m going to demonstrate it they aren’t going to go back to what they’re drinking.
Is it less conducive to hangovers?
It doesn’t have any glycol in it and glycol glycerin is a cousin to ethylene glycol, which they used to cool Spitfires in World War II. So you don’t want to be put in that in you body and you don’t want to put a cousin of that your body. That’s what causes hangovers. I would say for me, I’m a big guy, like six shots guaranteed no hangover. Eight shots. maybe not. Beyond that, it is alcohol and you have to be careful. You know, everything in moderation that’s what I always say.
Jaclyn Baird, left, and Katie Cox serve Crystal Head Vodka Orange Whips.
Are you are working on a new Ghostbusters project?
We have a live-action Ghostbusters project that we’re very excited about. I can’t say too much about it but it sort of blends the new and the old and we’re looking forward to that we have an animated idea, which is really neat, and then we have a concept floating around called Ghostbusters High, which is basically them meeting in 1969, the three of them and having an adventure in high school kind of a little you know like “Stranger Things,” except they’re older. And from that we would probably develop a television show.
Would you direct or be in that?
However I needed I will pitch in, mostly probably writing duties. There are so many great young directors around who have really come out of video and come out of social media, you know making short films for You Tube, and then they know how to edit and they know how to exploit the medium a little better than I do. I think younger sensibility might be needed there.
Since the Blues Brothers, haven’t you continued to support blues music?
There was the “Elwood’s BluesMobile” (radio show). We were on for almost 30 years of broadcasting and then we’ve had to end it because the syndicator said nobody’s buying advertising on a blues show. They’ll buy it on a country show, a rap show, a hip-hop show, they’ll buy it on that kind of music. They’ll buy it on talk or sports, but they’re not buying advertising it on a blues show. So after almost 30 years of promoting the artists, selling tickets for them, selling records, interviewing and getting the word out to over 185 stations to almost 600,000 people, that’s all over. So that window for artists is closed, making it all the more harder for blues artists to make a living.
Can you tell me how Oregon singer and harmonica player Curtis Salgado helped the Blues Brothers?
Well, first of all, Curtis Salgado is a Blues Brother. We wouldn’t have been able to have done some of the material we did without him. Working on the harp, he was so good and generous with me and he really taught John (Belushi) a lot. And when John came home from the “Animal House” set he was really fired up on blues music and ready to put together the revue that we did that we took on tour.
Is it true that Belushi was new to the genre?
John and I met in Toronto for the first time and we were listening to Downchild Blues Band, the great blues band from Canada, and he said, “What’s that?” and I said, “It’s just a local blues band, you’re from Chicago, you should know.” He said, “I’m into heavy metal (and) I like Grand Funk and Cream,” and I said, “Well, you teach me about that and I’ll teach you about blues. It’s all from the blues anyway.”
The next time I saw him in New York, prior to “Animal House” and prior to even doing the show, he had a stack a blues records. So he was into the research but he needed a real mentor, a tutor and a professor of blues to really bring him along and that’s really what Curtis Salgado did. He took him deeper than John thought he could go.
Did the Blues Brothers start with Duke Robillard and Roomful of Blues?
We thought about having Duke in the band in the band but there were there wasn’t no room in one band for both Duke Robillard and John Belushi, or Jake Blues. It had to be one or the other. But Duke Robillard is one of the most powerful artists in the world. It was two alpha males up onstage and we knew it wouldn’t work.
But then Willie Nelson said we’ll play behind you, so one of our first backup bands was Willie Nelson, his band with Mickey Raphael on harp. We had the full uniform, the briefcase, the keys the handcuffs. We did the whole act. I think we did three or four songs with Willie at the Lone Star Café. Amazing. And then Steve Martin was another honorary Blues Brother because he said come and open my show at the Universal Amphitheater. So John took his paycheck for “Animal House” and he bought the sound truck and the equipment and the staff and labor and recorded our first record, “Briefcase Full of Blues” and that went on to sell 4 million copies, quadruple platinum, which many artists today would take and be very thankful.
I remember a San Francisco Chronicle review of a Blues Brothers concert. It wrote Dan Aykroyd might not be the greatest harmonica player in the world but he looks like he is.
We never touted our abilities as musicians or dancers or vocalists. Even today, we’re going to play the Mystic Lake Casino in Minnesota (Saturday) right after we do the Hard Rock. We play casinos all the time and so we’d love to come up to Tahoe and bring our show. But we always said and we’d say today with John’s brother Jimmy doing the show we are the weakest components in our band and certainly we were with the original band in the band I have now.
We hired the greatest guitar players in the world, Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper and Matt Murphy, we had one of the top R&B revues in the world and we were frontmen. So we took a little sprinkling of musicianship, a sprinkling of capable vocals and some you know choreography and moves, which John was more than capable of as a because he was all-state football player and he was he was in shape and I was in shape at that time; so little sprinkling of dancing, a little sprinkling of humor and vocals all of the spirit of like when Wynonie Harris or Cab Calloway or Jimmy Lunsford or Johnny Otis. Those guys were clowns. They came out there and it was a clown show. They were trying to make people laugh. There was double sexual innuendo going all along, you know Wynonie Harris’ “all she wants to do is rock, rock and roll all night long.” That was where rock and roll was originated in that song in 1948.
We took humor we took vocals we took dancing and we sprinkled it all together into a mix and and then have the greatest band behind us and that’s what we do and that’s why I’m still doing it 40 years later. I’m still doing that same act with Jimmy. I’ve got an amazing harp player in my band now, Jimmy Wood, who has played with the Stones, the Imperial Crowns. All of the band members that I have now are Grammy winners, producers. They’re outstanding people.
The Original Blues Brothers Band released “The Last Shade of Blue Before Black” was produced By Steve Cropper and Blue Lou Marinia and released on Oct. 6. Matt “Guitar” Murphy appears on the record. Are you familiar with it?
Yes, absolutely. Matt is not playing live gigs too much anymore but he’s in the studio and I just wrote some notes for that for that record because that’s the original Blues Brothers Band. They’ve got Rob Paparozzi and Eddie Floyd, so it’s a really hot show. They play mostly in Europe. I’ve joined them of couple of times on special occasions but we’re covering the legacy of North America, Jimmy and I, and they’re covering the legacy in Europe.
Who are the blues bands that you really like right now.
Of course I loved Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. I love Nathanial Rateliff & the Night Sweats I love the Carolina Chocolate Drops, The 24th Street Wailers, Homemade Jamz, they are great. And I listen to classic R&B. The Stax/Volt catalog is on all the time. And I always have a little Junior Wells around.
Why do you think the blues is so important to support and to our culture?
One of the greatest contributions to the world is that music because basically it’s given us country and pop, hip-hop, rap — the whole world moves to the beat of the rapper now.
-Tim Parsons
Related story: Dan Aykroyd shares stories, Crystal Head Vodka at Hard Rock.
ABOUT Tim Parsons
Tim Parsons is the editor of Tahoe Onstage who first moved to Lake Tahoe in 1992. Before starting Tahoe Onstage in 2013, he worked for 29 years at newspapers, including the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Eureka Times-Standard and Contra Costa Times. He was the recipient of the 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive award for Journalism.
Nice article, Tim
Briefcase Full of Blues is a recording I would like to listen to.
Joan and you are sure to be enjoying your new home.
Congratulations to both of you
Kath and Don
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Track By Track: Polar Bear Club ‘Clash Battle Guilt Pride’
Andrew Kelham 7 September 2011 at 14.28
Vocalist Jimmy Stadt talks Rock Sound through the band’s third album ‘Clash Battle Guilt Pride’.
Click on the player above to get a first taste of Polar Bear Club's new album 'Clash Battle Guilt Pride'. A massive anthem, just one of the many on album three, due for release in the UK on September 12.
According to vocalist Jimmy Stadt, the forthcoming record has surprise moments that are reminiscent of Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson and The Police. Seriously, read his track by track preview of the record below and head over to clashbattleguiltpride.com to get more on this incredible album and band.
01. Pawner
We had this song floating around, it was new and weird for us but we all loved it. We never planned on opening the record with it but it just came together so nicely in the studio. We needed to get the right guitar tone for the beginning and it's easily my favorite tone on the album. We decided to add some piano to the big crash hits and it just blew us all away. Lyrically, it's about life choices and seeing them through. How doubt can test your love of what you do but also about facing reality.
02. Killin It
This was the first song we wrote for the record. It's about loving something so much that you hate it a little bit too. It has the album title in one of the lyrics as well. Musically we always had a pretty strong idea of how the song would go. When we got into the studio we added some really cool guitar leads that we never saw coming and it gave a new spin on the song for us which was great.
03. Scream In Caves
We worked through a couple of different arrangements of this song. Finally we focused on the vocal melodies until it was just a solid, simple song. It's about feeling a little lost and letting something go to realize how much you loved it in the first place.
04. Kneel on Nails
This was the last song we wrote for the record and we almost scrapped it. We kept it becausewWe just knew there was something to it that we hadn't discovered yet. We hadn't demoed the song with vocals so no one knew what it sounded like until we got into the studio. We finalized the music and then I laid down the vocals with "mock" lyrics because I had yet to write them. We were all so surprised at how it came out. We were certain it would be a B-side or, at most, a later track on the album but we really grew to love it and it's ended up being one of our favourites.
05. My Best Days
This song came together really nicely. People who have heard the record describe it as being akin to a Foo Fighters song or something like that. It's about relationships changing, a lot of the record is. You start out your life and everyone tells you that you can do whatever you want and be who ever you want to be and sooner or later people start looking at you like, 'still?' That's a little but of what it's about.
06. Life Between the Lines
I'm not sure what to say about this song. It has a (sort of) funky chorus. Our producer Brian McTernan described as Michael Jackson-esque. Who knew PBC could do that?
07. I'll Never Leave New York
A bit of a love song I guess, in more realistic terms. Rediscovering young love in a long relationship but not forgetting what you've learned along the way. Musically, it's pretty straight forward and one of the shorter songs on the record. Definitely a personal favourite.
08. Bottled Wind
We had this song for a while and it never really solidified until Nate wrote that guitar lead in the intro. We all heard that and we're like "WOAH!" It's about ambition in a way, what that means and how it changes.
09. Slow Roam
Love this song! There's a real percussive 'Police' vibe in this one. Real different song on the album. It's a little bit about touring and expectations. Musically, it's really plucky - and almost snappy - but grooving. Solid track, lots of different guitar tones on it and a tasty bass line too.
10. Religion on the Radio
Brian McTernan describes this song as a "diddy". It's to the point, just a solid rock song. Again, it's about relationships. It's the sister song to 'I'll Never Leave New York' but the other side of the coin.
11. 3/4 Tango
The most different song on the album for us. Not sure how to describe it musically but lyrically it's a narrative song, something that we never really do. The verses are all different stories tied together by the choruses. I don't want to say too much about this one, it reminds me of Sunny Day Real Estate or Elliott, thats all I'll say!
Andrew Kelham
Hevy
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Rational Pharmacotherapy in Cardiology
Racionalʹnaâ farmakoterapiâ v kardiologii
Home > Vol 13, No 3 (2017) > Belyalov
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE AND RENAL DYSFUNCTION
F. I. Belyalov
The ischemic heart disease (IHD) with comorbid kidney dysfunction has more severe course and worse prognosis, regardless of the chosen therapeutic strategy for the treatment of coronary disease. Traits of diagnosis and treatment of IHD in patients with renal dysfunction, including end-stage kidney disease, are discussed. The analysis of the studies showed increasing difficulties in the diagnosis of IHD, and decrease in the effectiveness of drug and invasive treatment.
Results of large randomized and observational studies can help to treat patients with IHD and comorbid renal dysfunction more effectively and safe.
ischemic heart disease, renal dysfunction, chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease
Irkutsk State Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education
Farid I. Belyalov - MD, PhD, Professor, Chair of Gerontology & Geriatrics, Head of Cardiac Arrhythmia Centre
Yubileinii mkrn100, Irkutsk, 664079
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58. Mehta R.H., Honeycutt E., Patel U.D., et al. Impact of Recovery of Renal Function on Long-Term Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. The American journal of cardiology. 2010;106(12):1728-34.
59. Garg A.X., Devereaux P.J., Yusuf S., et al. Kidney Function After Off-Pump or On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2014;311(21):2191-8.
60. Singh M., Singh P., Grewal P., et al. Clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with mild versus moderate renal insufficiency at 30-day and 1-year follow-up. Am J Ther. 2014;21(3):184-92.
61. Charytan D.M., Varma M.R., Silbaugh T.S., et al. Long-term Clinical Outcomes Following Drug-Eluting or Bare-Metal Stent Placement in Patients With Severely Reduced GFR. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2011;57(2):202-11.
62. Parikh P.B., Jeremias A., Naidu S.S., et al. Impact of severity of renal dysfunction on determinants of in-hospital mortality among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2012;80(3):352-7.
63. Morel O., El Ghannudi S., Jesel L., et al. Cardiovascular Mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Is Mainly Related to Impaired P2Y12 Inhibition by Clopidogrel. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;57(4):399-408.
64. Charytan D.M., Kuntz R.E., Chhabra A., Cutlip D.E. Relationship of chronic kidney disease to cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction following coronary stenting. J Nephrol. 2006;19(6): 764-70.
65. Green S.M., Selzer F., Mulukutla S.R. et al. Comparison of Bare-Metal and Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (from the NHLBI Dynamic Registry). The American Journal of Cardiology. 2011;108(12):1658-64.
66. Wang Z.J., Harjai K.J., Shenoy C. et al. Drug-Eluting Stents Versus Bare-Metal Stents in Patients With Decreased GFR: A Meta-analysis. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2013;62(4):711-21.
67. Gradaus F., Ivens K., Peters A.J. et al. Angiographic progression of coronary artery disease in patients with end-stage renal disease. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2001;16(6):1198-202.
68. Ohtake T., Kobayashi S., Moriya H., et al. High Prevalence of Occult Coronary Artery Stenosis in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease at the Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy: An Angiographic Examination. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2005;16:1141-8.
69. Herzog C.A., Littrell K., Arko C. et al. Clinical characteristics of dialysis patients with acute myocardial infarction in the United States: a collaborative project of the United States Renal Data System and the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction. Circulation. 2007;116:1465-72.
70. Sharma R., Pellerin D., Gaze D.C., et al. Dobutamine stress echocardiography and the resting but not exercise electrocardiograph predict severe coronary artery disease in renal transplant candidates. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. 2005;20(10):2207-14.
71. Mann D.M., Fernandez S., Mondal Z., et al. Role of Coronary Angiography in the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk in Kidney Transplant Candidates. Am J Card. 2016;118(5):679-83.
72. Koulouridis I., Alfayez M., Trikalinos T.A., et al. Dose of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents and Adverse Outcomes in CKD: A Meta-regression Analysis. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2013;61(1):44-56.
73. Wetmore J.B., Mahnken J.D., Phadnis M.A., et al. Relationship between calcium channel blocker class and mortality in dialysis. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2015;24(12):1249-58.
74. Kitchlu A., Clemens K., Gomes T., et al. Beta-blockers and cardiovascular outcomes in dialysis patients: a cohort study in Ontario, Canada. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012;27(4):1591-8.
75. Shireman T.I., Mahnken JD2, Phadnis MA2, Ellerbeck EF. Effectiveness comparison of cardio-selective to non-selective β-blockers and their association with mortality and morbidity in end-stage renal disease: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2016;16:60.
76. KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for Lipid Management In Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney inter. 2013;3 (suppl.):259-305.
77. Ikari Y., Kyono H., Isshiki T., et al. Usefulness of Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent Implantation in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis. American Journal of Cardiology. 2015;116:872-876.
78. Yasuda K., Kasuga H., Aoyama T., et al. Comparison of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Medication in the Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease in Hemodialysis Patients. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2006;17: 2322-32.
79. Chang T.I., Montez-Rath M.E., Tsai T.T., et al. Drug-Eluting Versus Bare-Metal Stents During PCI in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(12):1459-69.
80. Hiremath S., Holden R.M., Fergusson D., et al. Antiplatelet Medications in Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review of Bleeding Rates. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;4(8):1347-55.
81. Charytan D.M., Kuntz R.E. Risks of coronary artery bypass surgery in dialysis-dependent patients— analysis of the 2001 National Inpatient Sample. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2007;22:1665-71.
82. Charytan D.M., Desai M., Mathur M., et al. Reduced risk of myocardial infarct and revascularization following coronary artery bypass grafting compared with percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int. 2016;90(2):411-21.
83. Krishnaswami A., Goh A.C.H., Go A.S., et al. Effectiveness of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease. Am J Card. 2016;117(10):1596-603.
84. Bangalore S., Guo Y., Samadashvili Z., et al. Revascularization in Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease: Everolimus-Eluting Stents Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;66(11):1209-20.
85. Marui A., Kimura T., Nishiwaki N., et al. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease Requiring Dialysis. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2014;114:555-561.
86. Shroff G.R., Solid C.A., Herzog C.A. Long-Term Survival and Repeat Coronary Revascularization in Dialysis Patients After Surgical and Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization With Drug-Eluting and Bare Metal Stents in the United States. Circulation. 2013;127(18):1861-9.
Belyalov F.I. ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE AND RENAL DYSFUNCTION. Rational Pharmacotherapy in Cardiology. 2017;13(3):409-415. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.20996/1819-6446-2017-13-3-409-415
THE NEW FIXED COMBINATION OF AMLODIPINE AND RAMIPRIL IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION
EFFECT OF MORNING AND EVENING RAMIPRIL TAKING ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE PROFILE IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION
Interaction of rivaroxaban with amiodarone, verapamil and diltiazem in patients with atrial fibrillation: terra incognita
MITRAL ANNULAR CALCIFICATION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS. CLINICAL AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Orthostatic Hypotension: Definition, Pathophysiology, Classification, Prognostic Aspects, Diagnostics and Treatment
COMPARISON OF ENALAPRIL AND PERINDOPRIL IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND LEFT VENTRICLE SYSTOLIC DYSFUNCTION
Boytsov S.A.
Keywords acute coronary syndrome amlodipine antihypertensive therapy apixaban arterial hypertension atherosclerosis atrial fibrillation beta-blockers cardiovascular diseases cardiovascular risk chronic heart failure dabigatran hypertension ischemic heart disease metabolic syndrome myocardial infarction obesity risk factors rivaroxaban statins warfarin
Moscow 101990, Russia
Petroverigsky per. 10
е-mail: otsec@sticom.ru
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cc/2021-04/en_head_0035.json.gz/line2752
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Campaigns, News and views
Portsmouth MP and All Call Signs join forces to lobby coroners in bid to break deadlock over recording of veteran suicide
Portsmouth MP pens joint letter with city-based organisation All Call Signs to 98 coroners in bid to break deadlock over Government recording of veteran suicide
In his latest action on the matter, Local MP, Stephen Morgan is lobbying all coroners across the country requesting their expert opinion on how to progress with the recording of veteran suicide.
The need to record this data is unprecedented, some estimates suggest that 1 veteran every 5 days takes their own life, without a quantifiable record it could be much higher.
Mr Morgan has said:
“The response that I have had from the Prime Minister and the Government Minister responsible has been the same when I have asked them to implement the recording of this data, that coroners are ‘fiercely independent’ and the Governmernt cannot force them to note suicide in the veteran community.
Our armed forces personnel deserve better than for us to crumble at the first hurdle. They show untold resilience every day, the least we can do is push on this.
I along with All Call Signs will not be taking no for an answer. If the Government has said coroners are the obstacle, we will get to the root of the problem and see how it can be overcome it.”
The joint letter, sent out to all coroners across the UK, has asked for feedback on what barriers stand in the way of introducing this small change. Mr Morgan has said that he is keen to get coroners views on what beginning to record veteran suicide would mean, what barriers stand in their way and generally the implications of these changes for their profession.
“The goal here could not be simpler, get coroners on board with this small change that would have hugely positive effects for our armed forces community. There is wide spread support for this policy, from grassroots veteran organisations to the former head of the armed forces, it is undeniable that these changes would pave the way for better public services for our armed forces.
Westminster can sometimes be a place where a lot is said and not a lot done. I want to make sure that when dealing with a case of such gravity, we see actions not words. I hope that this introductory letter to coroners is the start of a partnership that cracks the code when it comes to seeing these changes on the ground.”
Mr Morgan, along with All Call Signs, The News and other local campaigners have been making attempts to get these changes enforced for some time.
The Portsmouth MP has written to the Prime Minister several times, written to the Defence Secretary, asked the PM directly in PMQs, hosted a Westminster Hall debate and submitted countless written questions.
29th June 2019 /by David Baker
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/img_5259.jpg 350 450 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-29 08:00:402019-06-29 08:00:40Portsmouth MP and All Call Signs join forces to lobby coroners in bid to break deadlock over recording of veteran suicide
City MP pitches policy idea to improve Armed Forces Covenant
Stephen Morgan MP pitches policy idea to Defence Secretary that would help Armed Forces Covenant give more teeth
The Portsmouth South MP has written to his neighbour in the north of the city, Defence Secretary Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, with a an idea that would see the current Armed Forces Covenant given more teeth, more scope and more depth.
Mr Morgan has backed a call for the introduction of an Armed Forces Ombudsman that would monitor the standards of care given by public services to our armed forces community.
“In my role as an MP in the home to the Royal Navy, and on the Public Accounts Committee, I am fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with both serving personnel and veterans. When it comes to the covenant, the messages are clear, it does not go far enough, and it lacks clout.
An ombudsman could help combat these inadequacies by introducing a regulatory body that can oversee and invigilate the standards of public services when they deal with our armed forces.
It would give these brave people a platform to raise complaints and would provide reassurances to regions where the delivery of the covenant is not up to scratch. It is the least we owe to the people who devote their lives to keeping us safe.”
Portsmouth has been given a gold standard review with regard to the delivery of their Armed Forces Covenant.
Despite this, Mr Morgan has been signposting areas where society could do more to improve the standard of service given to serving and ex serving troops. It is not the first time Mr Morgan has called on the Government to do more.
Mr Morgan added:
“For some time now, I have been calling for the covenant to be more far reaching and to include a nationwide mentoring service, to implement training not just for veterans but employers, increased investment in specialised mental health treatment, an extended transition period, and proper enforcement across the country.
The introduction of an Ombudsman to oversee the administration of the covenant would be a step in the right direction when it comes to giving it more teeth and would show that we as a nation are serious about prioritising our forces community.”
Mr Morgan’s policy proposal is to introduce an Armed Forces Ombudsman as part of wider campaign aimed at improving the wellbeing of our service personnel.
He has hosted a Westminster Hall debate on getting coroners to record veteran suicide, has written out to all coroners in the country, regularly meets with veterans’ organisations in his constituency and has written to both the PM and the Defence Secretary a number of times in relation to armed forces access to public services.
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/img_5260.jpg 388 620 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-28 17:43:112019-06-28 17:43:11City MP pitches policy idea to improve Armed Forces Covenant
‘Lessons must be learned’ says city MP over Portsmouth dental practice closures
Stephen Morgan MP calls NHS England bosses to Parliament to share concerns over local practice closures and dental crisis in Portsmouth
Following the news that three dental practices in Portsmouth (Portsea, Southsea and Paulsgrove) will be closing their doors next month, Stephen Morgan MP hosted a summit with NHS England to get to the bottom of the problem. The action follows writing to both the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS England’s Chief Executive about the crisis in dental services for Portsmouth people.
The meeting, attended by the Regional Director of NHS England and dental commissioner, sought to understand the reasons for the closures, raise concerns over how services are set up and seek assurances that no patient in Portsmouth will lose out on vital treatment. The MP also probed about replacement services and when these will be provided in the city.
Following the urgent summit Mr Morgan said:
“The conversations with NHS England are about two things. Ensuring Portsmouth people affected by these failures are not left without access to oral healthcare and identifying the structural shortcomings in NHS Dentistry that allowed this to take place.
NHS England have provided assurances that patients currently receiving treatment or have work that remains outstanding, will finish their treatment.
I will be continuing discussions with the representatives who attended the summit to ensure that this is the case and to relay thoughts and concerns of constituents who continue to be affected.”
Another concern at the summit was the lack of communication with the community and key stakeholders. On this, the Portsmouth MP said:
“With not one, not two, but three practices closing, I shared concerns that Portsmouth people shouldn’t have heard about the company pulling out of our city via the media.
NHS England were made aware of these closures in April, I was regrettably not informed until June and therefore much time was wasted to support our community.
Lessons must be learned from our experience in Portsmouth. I am assured NHS England now recognise this. They cannot allow this to happen again and it is important they continue to be held to account for this.
I will continue to take action in Parliament to protect dental services in our city and stand up for residents affected. We must see improvements for patients in the future so I will be keeping a close eye on developments”.
The Portsmouth MP has written about the important matter to the Department of Health and Social Care, raised concerns in the House of Commons, as well as tabled a series of questions to Ministers. It is hoped a Westminster Hall debate will be secured to discuss the future of dentistry in Portsmouth.
The MP has also arranged meetings with Healthwatch representatives and the British Dental Association.
David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-27 20:13:282019-06-27 20:13:28‘Lessons must be learned’ says city MP over Portsmouth dental practice closures
‘The Time Is Now’ – Portsmouth MP and local activists come together to protect our planet
Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan, has spent time with local climate activists in Westminster as part of the nationwide lobbying effort, The Time Is Now.
The meeting provided people from Portsmouth with the opportunity to discuss their major climate concerns with their local MP and hear about the work being conducted by Mr Morgan in Parliament.
“This country-wide campaign to keep climate change at the forefront of the Westminster political agenda was an excellent opportunity for local people to have their voice heard by Parliamentarians.
I always relish the opportunity to meet with local activists to discuss the environmental issues that most concern them and explain what work I am doing in Parliament on the matter.
This is undoubtably the most urgent and significant issue faced not just by the UK, but the world. It is essential that politicians reflect this in their work and it is inspiring to see many people take to our streets in to call for more comprehensive action”
Thousands of protestors descended on Westminster as part of The Time Is Now to meet with local MPs. The event culminated in attendees setting off their phone alarms in synchrony to hit the message home that the clock is ticking when it comes to climate change.
Stephen Morgan MP, since his election, has been advocating for more comprehensive and binding legislative measures when it comes to tackling climate change both locally and nationally.
“Following action from the Labour Party, Parliament voted in favour of declaring a climate change emergency. It is deeply concerning that the Government has still not ratified this and has failed to take action commensurate to the size of the crisis we now face.
I hope that the inspiring direct action demonstrated by Portsmouth activists and others at The Time Is Now helps to prompt the currently complacent and inactive Government into moving forward with implementing climate change legislation. “
Today’s meetings with local activists are part long running support for initiatives that tackle the climate emergency.
Mr Morgan regularly hosts meetings with organisations such as Friends of the Earth, has submitted a steady stream of written questions on the matter, was part of the Labour Group that declared a climate emergency at local authority level and yesterday pushed the prospective PM, Jeremy Hunt, in his capacity as Foreign Secreatry about what more can be done to bolster international cooperation on tackling climate change.
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/img_5169.jpg 3024 4032 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-26 21:22:562019-06-26 21:22:56‘The Time Is Now’ - Portsmouth MP and local activists come together to protect our planet
Portsmouth MP presses prospective PM over Government lack of action on climate change
Portsmouth MP presses prospective PM over Government lack of action when it comes to Climate Change
Ahead of the mass lobby on climate change set to take place this Wednesday, Stephen Morgan MP has pressed a prospective Prime Minister over tackling environmental degradation through international cooperation.
The questions posed to the Secretary of State during Foreign and Commonwealth questions in the House of Commons sought to promote the need for the Government to declare a ‘Climate Change Emergency’ and keep the nation’s most significant matter at the forefront of the Westminster agenda.
Following his appearance in the chamber, Mr Morgan said:
“Climate Change is the most pressing, severe and universally damaging issue faced by the world. The Government are not treating it with proportionate level of care and urgency.
Labour are leading the charge on tackling this crisis and through an Opposition Day Debate have already managed to push Parliament to vote in favour of declaring a Climate Change Emergency, yet the Government still has not acted.
In Portsmouth, it was the Labour Group taking the reins and getting the council to finally realise the emergency that we are currently in by pioneering the climate change emergency motion.
The commitments that have been made by Government are too little and too reductive, I will continue to push for urgent action.
I was hoping the potential future Prime Minister, responding to me today, may have shown leadership qualities in his response. However, what we got was a refusal to take ownership of the issue and unjustified flattery of his cabinet colleagues. “
In one of the recent meetings with Friends of the Earth, Mr Morgan discussed the issue of offshore plastic waste and the implications that this has for his city, something that he raised separately with the Secretary of State.
“Portsmouth, more than most cities, must pay close attention to how we look after our oceans.
We know that Britain does not have the facilities or infrastructure to process large portions of our own plastic waste, but we have a responsibility to ensure that those who can do so with the diligence and respect for the environment.
The ban on plastic exports to China has seen the UK offloading its waste to nations with questionable records on marine pollution meaning that thousands of tons of plastic finds its way into our precious oceans.
This is not acceptable. We must see efforts across all Government departments to take responsibility for our own waste and where it ends up. Ultimately, pollution does not respect borders and Government policy should acknowledge that”.
The Portsmouth MP’s actions in the chamber are a small part of a wider campaign to see UK emissions reduced and greater prominence given to climate change issues in Parliament.
On the 26 June, Mr Morgan will be joining the many thousands of people descending on Westminster as part of The Time Is Now mass lobby for climate change in a bid provoke a proportionate reaction from the currently complacent Government.
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Repoly-from-Gov-big-cats.jpg 1203 820 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-25 15:22:522019-06-25 15:22:52Portsmouth MP presses prospective PM over Government lack of action on climate change
About town, Fun things, News and views
‘Aim high, work hard and you will achieve’ says Fratton-born MP launching new local awards
Fratton Big Local and Stephen Morgan MP jointly launch a bid to recognise ward-wide talent
Stephen Morgan MP, who was born and raised in Fratton and attended local schools, has co-created with Fratton Big Local, the first-ever ‘Inspiring Fratton’ awards. The awards, which seek to celebrate the achievements of people within the Fratton area, dictate that nominees must either work or live in the ward.
Since being elected the MP has been visiting local schools in the ward and supporting the Fratton Big Local, an initiative backed by £1m of Big Lottery funding to improve life for all in the area.
The Portsmouth South MP said:
“As someone who was born and raised in Fratton, I know that there are certain people in the community who go out of their way to enrich their local area, day in day out.
These are the people that make Fratton not just a place to live, but a place to call home. From inspiring teachers to budding sportspeople, these are the individuals who make Fratton a place in Portsmouth to be proud of.
The Inspiring Fratton Awards is a means to celebrate the actions of those who make the area what it is and an opportunity for the local community to recognise talent and commitment in their area.”
The initiative was the brain-child a group of local people who met with Mr Morgan to see how aspirations could be raised in the area.
There are a number of categories in the awards process to reflect the cross-section of the ward and to encourage a range of people to be given the opportunity to be recognised.
“I never thought I boy from Fratton could one day represent the city he loves in Parliament. Not a day goes by when I don’t pinch myself about that opportunity and privilege. So my message to every person, and especially all young people in Fratton, is this: aim high, work hard, and you will achieve.
I hope these awards in partnership with the fantastic team at Fratton Big Local show that where you are born, shouldn’t determine where you end up in life”.
If you think you know someone who makes Fratton shine a bit brighter, please nominate using the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8W2CQKH
23rd June 2019 /by David Baker
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/unknown.jpeg 996 1280 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-23 21:14:522019-06-23 21:14:52‘Aim high, work hard and you will achieve’ says Fratton-born MP launching new local awards
‘Be proud and be you’ says city MP at Portsmouth Pride
The fifth Portsmouth Pride took place at Castle Field today – Saturday 22 June. Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan, who sponsored the event and spoke on the main stage following a parade along Southsea seafront, gave the people of the city a message of ‘working together to create a place where no one has to hide who they are, or who they love’
The event, organised entirely by local people as volunteers, has gone from strength to strength, saw thousands of people flock to the seafront to share in the celebrations with the LGBT+ community.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“Portsmouth Pride is a vital celebration of our city’s vibrancy and diversity. It is fantastic to see the event open to all go from strength to strength.
The celebrations also showcase the city’s ability of local people coming together to volunteer and put on a large-scaleevent.”
In addition to speaking on the main stage and sponsoring Portsmouth Pride, Mr Morgan has hosted a variety of pre-Pride events to promote the day of celebration including the volunteer organisers and sponsors.
While Portsmouth Pride is about the celebration of the LGBT+ community, the city MP also emphasised the additional need for the events to take place due to the recent rise in hate crimes.
“This event is not just a celebration, it is a show of unity and force in the face of oppression. Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community have risen by nearly 150%, we have seen vicious attacks in London over the past few weeks and people spouting hate speech outside schools is commonplace.
We must not forget how these Pride marches started nearly 50 years ago in Manhattan. They were a reaction to years of hatred, ignorance and oppression.
We owe it to those who marched all those years ago and made such immense sacrifices to ensure that the society we create is fairer and freer”.
In response to this recent spate in hate crime, Mr Morgan set up a public stall at Portsmouth Pride where attendees were invited to sign a postcard to the Home Secretary to urge him to tackle hate crime.
The action follows Mr Morgan raising concerns directly with the Home Secretary in Parliament, writing to the Minister responsible and called on local police and crime commissioner to outline his strategy.
Concluding his speech, the City MP said:
“At a time of such division in our country and hate in our nation we owe it to those brave people 50 years ago to pick up the baton, protect the rights our predecessors afford us today and to continue this fight for justice.
We owe it to the next generations to create a society that is tolerant and fosters a culture of acceptance.
I am proud Portsmouth is a not a place for hate, but a place of hope for a better future. So let’s continue to work together to create a city where no one has to hide who they are, or who they love.
My message to every single one of you today is simple: Always remember be proud, and be you.”
22nd June 2019 /by David Baker
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Local MP and Pompey Pensioners join forces over Government’s snatching of free TV licence
Portsmouth Pensioners Association and Stephen Morgan MP have joined forces in a bid to urge the Government to reconsider their decision to means test TV Licences for over-75s.
The decision to co-sign a letter to the Prime Minister follows a long running local campaign pioneered by Mr Morgan and was agreed to at a roundtable discussion hosted in the MP’s constituency office.
“It is essential the Prime Minister listens to those who are most affected by this regressive and unjust policy U-turn. The Government decision to remove the universally free TV licence for over-75s will have devastating effects on social isolation and loneliness.
I hope that in sending this joint letter with Portsmouth Pensioners Association, the Prime Minister understands the gravity of these changes for over-75s and hastily realises that broadcasting organisations should not be responsible for distributing benefits.”
Dr Alan Burnett, President of Portsmouth Pensioners Association has said:
“The decision to remove the universally free TV licence for over-75s will have real consequences for some over-75s in Portsmouth. The orientation around Pension Credit means that these changes will hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest.
I am delighted that Stephen Morgan MP continues to raise this issue in Parliament and the constituency, I look forward to our continued co-operation on this matter.”
Hundreds of Portsmouth Pensioners have expressed their outrage at this Government decision, with many of them writing in to the MP’s office to share their personal stories. The fact that 1.3 million over-75s are eligible for Pension Credit but do not claim means that many of society’s most vulnerable people will lose their one connection with the outside world.
The Portsmouth MP has said:
“I am committed to continuing to work with organisations like Age UK, Portsmouth Pensioners Association and others in a bid to make the government see sense and uphold their 2017 manifesto pledge.
Many people in our communities and across the nation battle social isolation and loneliness. For many in our city the TV is their friend. Saving the current scheme would mean so much to so many older people in Portsmouth.”
The Joint letter concluded with a final plea to the Prime Minister to safeguard benefits for over-75s:
“We jointly call on you to show leadership and in one of your final acts as Prime Minister, commit to your Government taking back responsibility for this social benefit.
Please honour your party’s manifesto pledge, listen to what Portsmouth pensioners have to say, and maintain the free TV licence for over-75s.”
21st June 2019 /by David Baker
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skynews-tv-pensioner-licence_4691537.jpg 900 1600 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-21 10:47:402019-06-21 10:47:40Local MP and Pompey Pensioners join forces over Government's snatching of free TV licence
50 years on: let’s pick up the baton and promote principles of unity, togetherness and Pride
Tonight Portsmouth people came together to pay tribute to those who fought for the equality and rights we enjoy today. The event was organised by the fantastic team of volunteers behind Portsmouth Pride this Saturday.
The candlelit vigil took place in Guildhall Square this evening and marked 50 years since the Stonewall Riots that led to the first ever pride protest in New York.
Stephen Morgan MP was unable to attend as was on parliamentary business, but Cllr George Fielding read the following statement of support from the Portsmouth South MP:
“Despite the fact that the Stonewall riots took place nearly 50 years ago, the actions of those brave people still resonate here in Portsmouth today and have come to shape the modern fight for LGBT+ rights.
We owe a great debt to those, who in the face of the greatest adversity, stood strong and fought hatred and oppression in the name of equality and justice.
Without the trailblazing spirit displayed by those during the Stonewall riots the great strides that we have made over the past 50 years would not have been possible. We must ensure that they are commended for these bold actions.
While we must celebrate what has been achieved so far, we must all agree there is still progress to be made. The rate of LGBT+ hate crime is up by 144%.
We here in Portsmouth must take inspiration from those who came before us in this battle for equality and do everything in our power to rid our society of this kind of behaviour.
The greatest tribute we can pay to those who took part in the Stonewall riots is to pick up the baton and promote principles of unity, togetherness and of course, Pride“.
https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/img_4949-1.jpg 225 400 David Baker https://www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SM-Logo-680.png David Baker2019-06-19 21:12:082019-06-19 21:12:0850 years on: let’s pick up the baton and promote principles of unity, togetherness and Pride
Portsmouth MP joins call on PM to leave ‘parting gift’ for children’s services
Stephen Morgan MP and sixty-five MPs and councillors – representing areas that have faced some of the deepest cuts to local government funding in the country – have backed a call and signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent investment in young people.
The letter – which was hand-delivered to Downing Street today and signed by MPs and councillors from across England – claimed those from disadvantaged backgrounds in particular were paying a heavy price for austerity and demanded that Theresa May use her last weeks in office to leave a parting gift for children’s services.
Spearheaded by the interest group SIGOMA the action has the support of Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne MP along with a number of opposition MPs.
Signatories are urging the Prime Minister to address the £8bn funding gap which councils continue to face by 2025, and to use her remaining time in office to deliver a parting gift aimed at supporting social mobility, which Theresa May has been reportedly considering.
MPs from SIGOMA areas represent some of the most deprived communities in the UK. In these constituencies, the effect of cuts to council services has meant many councils have had no choice but to cut services at every level, including libraries, youth services and community centres.
Stephen Morgan MP, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, said:
“Local councils, like our own, are on the frontline of government, delivering the services which people rely on and which both support and enrich our communities on a day-to-day basis.
By 2020, local authorities will have faced a reduction to core funding from the Government of nearly £16 billion since 2010. That means that councils will have lost 60 pence out of every £1 the Government had provided to spend on local services. Next year, 168 councils will receive no more core central government funding at all.
This is having a drastic impact on local government services across the country, and in our city of Portsmouth.
It was important to sign this letter with colleagues in response to concerns being raised with me about the wider pressure that central government is putting on local councils to deliver vital services without adequate funding, as a result of cuts.
By working together with other parliamentarians and councillors, I hope the Prime Minister will finally recognise that the Tories’ cuts to local government are deeply unfair and takes action”.
Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, Chair of SIGOMA, the voice of England’s towns and cities added:
“The cuts have been unfairly applied to local government for years, with those representing the poorest communities facing cuts twice as deep as those serving the most affluent areas.
We are marching to Downing Street today to highlight the severe impacts austerity is having on some of the most vulnerable in society, taking opportunities away from those that need them most. We urge the Prime Minister to use her remaining time in office to leave a parting gift of £3.1bn to plug the existing funding gap in children’s services and to give council leaders the flexibility to invest in social mobility. Young people must no longer pay the price for austerity and now is the time to cut the cuts.
This cause has attracted support from around the country. Week after week this year we have heard stories and reports about the impact of deprivation on the life chances of young people.
The Prime Minister has the chance to be remembered for something other than the divisive topic of Brexit but she must act now.”
The Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities is the voice of England’s towns and cities, representing 47 Unitary councils and Metropolitan Boroughs outside London.
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Tag: global warming
A Bright Christmas and Solstice Magic
Ice Beauty
I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas—sunny with temperatures approaching the low 70s. The iconic “White Christmas” is so 1940s! Forget the fact that Bing Crosby’s version of Irving Berlin’s song is the best-selling single of all time. A white Christmas is a historical song from 1941. We must look on the bright side of global warming as it relates to “climate change.” We just need to change our perspective. Speaking with my 87-yr old dad in Maine, he remarked that as a kid, he and his friends were always skating by Thanksgiving. I reminded him, that we—his kids—were also skating by Thanksgiving! During my Maine childhood a white Christmas was a given. Now, ponds and lakes barely hold ice in some Maine winters. But of course, a Maine winter is why this Maine native lives in the Ozarks.
Spring Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Ice Storm 2009
Every time I experience, feel, and see beauty in nature, I am humbled and awed. I love how water changes into myriad forms of beauty in ice. I also love each and every strand of evolving, changing, adapting, mutating DNA that is The creator’s building block of creation. I don’t believe in DNA, the stuff of The creator’s evolutionary magic. I don’t have to. It exists whether I choose to believe in it or not. Recent religious thought teaches us that the Earth is flat and the Earth is the center of the Universe. And “recent” I define as what historians calls the “early modern era” beginning about 1500. As one historian friend put it, “Anything that happened after 1500 is by definition current affairs.” I don’t believe in global warming. I don’t have to believe in it. Science has blessed me with a magic wand known as a thermometer. Burn me at the stake.
The beauty of snow, sleet and freezing rain
Which brings me to snow, sleet and freezing rain, and what differentiates them. Snow is created when a mass of cold, freezing air is uniformly below freezing from the Earth’s surface to the upper atmosphere. Sleet
Crescent Hotel, Ice Storm, January 29, 2009
is formed when the air aloft is like a sandwich. In this case, the upper levels of the atmosphere are below freezing and when it snows, the snow passes through an atmospheric layer above freezing, causing the snow to partially melt. It then passes through a relatively shallow layer of below-freezing air at the surface, creating sleet. Freezing rain forms when rain from warm air aloft reaches below-freezing surfaces at ground level, caused by a shallow layer of cold air at the surface. Expect to see plenty of all three types of frozen precipitation this winter—courtesy of global warming.
Hoar Frost Beauty
Hoar frost on the edge of a Sycamore leaf.
And I love the beauty that all that ice in it’s myriad form creates. Take hoar frost for example. We’ve had beautiful hoar frost (also known as hoarfrost this year. But what is hoar frost? I turned to the website of the National Snow and Ice Data Center for a definition “Hoarfrost: A deposit of interlocking ice crystals (hoar crystals) formed by direct sublimation on objects, usually those of small diameter freely exposed to the air, such as tree branches, plant stems and leaf edges, wires, poles, etc., which surface is sufficiently cooled, mostly by nocturnal radiation, to cause the direct sublimation of the water vapor contained in the ambient air.”
Chickweed with hoar frost.
That certainly sounds like definition like that comes from a program with some association with the government. Specifically, the National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC is part of the University of Colorado Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (UCCIRES), and is affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). NSIDC also supports the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Arctic System Science Data Coordination Center (ASSDCC [can you say “I work at ASSDCC”]) and the Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC) or so Wikipedia says. In other words, the good folks at NSIDC know a good deal about frozen water on or about earth. An advance degree in acronyms is required for employment there.
Dandelion leaf hoar frost
Hoarfrost, therefore, is like dew, except when it’s cold enough outside to freeze water (that is when it’s 32°F or 0°C), and there’s moisture in the air, then hoar crystals (flat crystals that interlock together), form from the moisture in the air when it comes in contact with the edge of the object that is below freezing (or vice versa?). So if you get up early enough, especially after a clear cold night, you can experience the direct sublime beauty of hoarfrost in all its simplicity.
Hepatica leaf
Glorious Ice Ribbons
American dittany frost flower.
Another winter beauty phenomena I love is frost flowers and ice ribbons. Perhaps new to your natural history vocabulary, we can also call this phenomena “crystallofolia,” a term coined by Bob Harms of the Plant Resource Center, University of Texas, Austin, who has been investigating the phenomena we commonly call “frost flowers”— those beautiful ice formations that are produced at the base of only two native plant species in my Ozark home. Our two native plant species that exhibit this phenomenon are American dittany (Cunila origanoides) and white crownbeard or frostweed (Verbesina virginica) both of which are late-blooming wildflowers. Their frost flowers or twisted ribbons of ice appear for a few days (up to a couple of weeks) after the first hard freezes in autumn. These ephemeral sculptural beauties in ice appear at the base of the plant.
Frost flowers from
The delicate, elegant ice formations emerge laterally from the stem, just above the ground in the case of American Dittany, but from ground level to two feet up the stem in the case of white crownbeard. Why does this phenomenon only occur in a select few plant species instead of all plants? Speculation is that a combination of characteristics unique to the plant in combination with the external physical forces provides a perfect opportunity for the frost flowers to develop. The xylem, vascular tissue within plants that helps conducts water upward in the stem, is probably quite firm, with secondary rays at a right angle that is strong enough to conduct water during a frost event but its tensile strength reaches a point during the first cold frosts, that freezing water burst through the epidermis at a right angle to the stem. As it does so, it ever so slowly punches moisture into the freezing air extruding ribbons of ice. I love these beauties of nature.
Pennsylvania physician, William Darlington (1782-1863) seems to be one of the first to record observations of frost flowers in Cunila, or as he called it, Maryland Cunila. In the second edition (1837, p. 350) of his Flora Cestrica (an herborizing companion for the young botanists of Chester County, Pennsylvania) he writes: “In the beginning of winter, after a rain, very curious and fantastic ribbands [sic.] of ice may often be observed, attached to the base of the stems of this plant—produced, I presume, by the moisture from the earth rising in the dead stems by capillary attraction, and then being gradually forced out horizontally, through a slit, by the process of freezing. The same phenomenon has been noticed other plants.”
White Crown-beard frost flower.
Predicting When Hell will Freeze Over
How do you survive a cold winter? Perhaps the best way, short of a long trip to a tropical location or being condemned to a mythical inferno, is to get a comparative perspective on someone else’s cold winter. In the English-speaking world we can turn to England, which has the longest series of monthly temperature observation datasets recorded back to 1659. This dataset is known as the CET (Central England Temperature), recorded in Celsius.
Icy Christian Icon
The winter of 1683-84 is believed to be the coldest winter since records have been kept, with a “great frost” settling in by mid-December for the UK and Central Europe. By January of 1684, the Thames River was frozen all the way up to London Bridge. The Thames itself remained frozen for over two months, with ice measured to a depth of 11 inches. In southwest England, in Somerset, it is said that the ground froze to a depth of four feet. Southwest England, has a relatively mild climate, tempered by the Gulf Stream in the winter months, and Azores high pressure systems in the summer. The winter of 1684 had thee coldest CET at –1.2 deg. C. This period of cold winters lasted for several centuries. From 1408-1814, the Thames froze over 24 times; sometimes the ice was deep enough to support “frost fairs” on the Thames (the last one in 1814).
This is all within a period known as “the Little Ice Age”, a phrase first used in the scientific literature until 1939. It is loosely defined as a period from about 1350-1850, with three particularly cold periods around 1650, 1770 and 1850. Attributed causes include low cycles of solar radiation, increased volcanic activity and variables in ocean circulation.
Goji berry on ice
Fewer sun spots may cause cooling. The years 1645-1715 represent a period of weak solar activity (fewer sun spots) known as the Maunder Minimum period (in which only one-thousandth of “average” expected sun spots occurred). This solar lull is theorized to have trigged regional cooling in the Northern Hemisphere. Since 2008 we have been in a period of “solar maximum” yet only half of the sunspot activity expected has occurred. This has led some scientists to speculate that we could be heading toward a period of “cooler “solar activity within the next 40 years. Add that into the global-warming equation, and you still get climate change
Posted on December 22, 2016 Categories Events, Nature, Photography, Plants of Interest, TravelTags chickweed, climate change, crystallofolia, Cunila origanoides, dandelion, frost, frost flowers, frozen, global warming, hoar frost, ice, ice ribbons, ice storm, Lycium chinense, snow, trees in ice, white crown-beardLeave a comment on A Bright Christmas and Solstice Magic
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Mish Way (White Lung) Talks Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence
Forget everything you know about Lana Del Rey. That’s what I had to do to hear — really hear — her latest album Ultraviolence. Like when you...
By Mish Way | July 7, 2014
Mish Way
Talkhouse Contributing Writer Mish Way is the frontwoman of the band White Lung. Her freelance work can be found in The Guardian, Dazed & Confused, Salon and VICE, amongst others. She prefers writing about sex over music. You can follow her on Twitter here.
celebrity zeitgeist
Forget everything you know about Lana Del Rey. That’s what I had to do to hear —really hear — her latest album Ultraviolence. Like when you watch a Roman Polanski movie or listen to Fang, you have to treat Ultraviolence as though it was written by a notorious pervert or a woman-beater: by separating the artist’s personal affairs from the work.
I have to do this with Lana Del Rey, because Lana Del Rey, the star, is annoying. She is the embodiment of the celebrity zeitgeist. From her perfectly curled hair, to her manicured nails, to her clean, blemish-free skin and soft, heart-shaped lips, she is physically flawless. In a recent cover story in the Fader, she (I assume calmly) told the journalist, “My career is a reflection of journalism, current-day journalism. My public persona and career has nothing to do with my internal process or my personal life. It is actually just a reflection on writers’ creative processes and where they’re at in 2014. Literally has nothing to do with me.” Lana Del Rey willingly gives herself up to the public like a projector screen and says, “Reflect. I don’t fucking care.”
By seemingly giving away all control, she has the most of it. Forget the alleged success-via-daddy’s-dollars-rumors. Forget Lizzy Grant and May Jailer (or whatever thing she was trying to be before she realized the way to the top is to relinquish power), Lana Del Rey is a success because she gave the world exactly what they needed: a woman to critique and an easy face to hate, a face that said, “Fuck if I care.”
In terms of our so-called public personas, Lana Del Rey and I could not be more opposite (and don’t for a minute here think I don’t realize she and I are not even close to the same level — Lana Del Rey is a pop star; I’m a chick in a band) and this is perhaps why she confuses me, why I’m so attracted to her presentation, and why I can’t decide if I love or hate her while, either way, I admire her drive. I admire her manipulation. I admire her celebrity. But she pisses me off and this is why I have to treat her like Roman Polanski.
Born to Die, her 2012 debut, sucked because it tried too hard. But Ultraviolence is LDR really sorting it out. (Sometimes it takes eight or nine attempts to get it right.) On first listen, Ultraviolence is confusing. Some lyrics are so embarrassing you have to rewind to make sure you heard it right. When I first heard the album, I was lying in the back seat of our tour van as we drove from New York to Montreal. When we stopped for gas, I had to start the LDR discussion with my bandmates. That’s the genius of LDR: she facilitates discussion. She lets you do the talking.
“These lyrics,” I said to my bandmates Hether Fortune and Anne-Marie Vassiliou. “If she is being facetious, it’s genius, but if she is taking herself seriously on ‘Guns and Roses’ and ‘Brooklyn Baby’ then she sounds like someone’s mother painting a picture of what ‘the Google’ told her was ‘rock & roll’ or whatever.”
“Heavy metal love of mine/I should’ve learned to let you stay…/He loved Guns and Roses.”
Anne-Marie laughed.
“She’s definitely not being serious,” Hether said.
“But are you sure?”
(The discussion continued for miles.)
Produced by that nerd from the Black Keys (the worst band on the planet), the actual composition on Ultraviolence is not what this album is about. This album is about showcasing Lana Del Rey’s incredible voice and Keys frontman Dan Auerbach did his job. Going more “rock” (which, in this case, means getting a whammy bar, a Fender Twin and all the reverb pedals in Tennessee) was the right choice. She is suited for ballads and guitars soaked in digital delay. Ultraviolence is wet.
The chorus of “Shades of Cool” has her pulling off delicate opera notes, while “Brooklyn Baby” is a sing-along track with hilarious lyrics that (allegedly) rip on the Greenpoint girls you’d find burning away their trust funds at Coachella. “Well, my boyfriend’s in a band/He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed/I’ve got feathers in my hair/I get high on hydroponic weed.” She even pronounces “talking” like Fran Drescher would —”twalking” — on the bridge. It’s so stupidly camp it has to be funny on purpose. Right? Right?!
The entire first half of the album, all the way up until “Sad Girl” (a jazz-inspired song that tells the story of the submissive, torn-up-by-men Lana Del Rey that the feminists just love to hate) is solid. And then a few duds creep in, although “Money Power Glory,” “Old Money” and “West Coast” make up for the mediocre tracks, especially the extra ones on the deluxe edition. Obviously, bonus tracks aren’t going to be of the same quality as the main tracks (which is why they’re bonus tracks). Girl, “Black Beauty,” “Guns and Roses” and “Florida Kilos” didn’t need to happen. “Guns and Roses” is dull and trying too hard. It finds LDR playing the “old lady” of some metalhead biker while also casting light back on all those old rumors that she was dating Axl Rose. “Motorcycle love, divine/I should’ve learned to let you play/I wasn’t the marryin’ kind/I should’ve done it anyway/He loved Guns and Roses.” LDR is always searching for herself through someone else and sometimes she hits the mark and embodies the character perfectly. The other times, she should have done a little more research.
Early on Ultraviolence, LDR shows you what she can do with her voice, and as it progresses, it becomes repetitive. I mean, when you’re driving long distance, stoned and bored, the extra length is useful and beautiful, but I come from the school of “leave them wanting more” when it comes to making albums. Lana doesn’t do this with Ultraviolence. Instead, she does it with her celebrity. Again, I am enthralled with her ability to do the opposite of what I know how to do.
Still, Ultraviolence grew on me because I let it. Instead of thinking about Lana Del Rey the embodiment of the celebrity zeitgeist, I let the record just be a goddamn record and I listened. I heard a woman with a killer voice, so inimitable I couldn’t even try to sing along, I just had to listen. LDR sings about all the things we want: dope, diamonds, money and love. She paints you into a fantasy: an old, unrealistic world that seems dead when you look at your own bank statement. She is luxury. She’s fantasy. She’s mystery. And she is always up for discussion.
Joe Swanberg (Happy Christmas) Talks Ben Falcone’s Tammy
Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) Talks La Roux’s Trouble in Paradise
Mish Way (White Lung) Talks Kurt Vile’s “KV Crimes”
Sadie Dupuis Talks Lana Del Rey’s Short Film Tropico
Mish Way (White Lung) Talks Waxahatchee’s Cerulean Salt
Amy Klein (Leda, Hilly Eye, Titus Andronicus) Talks Lukas Moodysson’s We Are the Best! and the Joy of Starting a Band
Mish Way (White Lung) Talks the Three Best Bands That Spawned the Worst Bands
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This Day in History: The origins of the Flag Code
On or around this day in 1942, the United States Congress considers amendments to the United States Flag Code. Did you know that the first Flag Code wasn’t written until 1923? Or do you know why it provides for us to stand and put our hands over our hearts? Or how the tradition of flying the flag at half-staff got started in the first place?
Believe it or not, the latter custom can be traced back to the 1600s.
The first recorded instance of a flag being flown at half-mast occurred in 1612. The British ship Heart’s Ease was looking for the Northwest Passage when her captain was killed by Eskimos. The crew responded by lowering the flag to half-mast, which was the first sight that Londoners saw when the ship returned to port.
No one is exactly sure what made the crew lower the flag to half-mast, but there are a few possible explanations.
One theory stems from a sailor’s love of order and discipline on a ship. Any departure from that orderliness indicates that things are awry. “The half-masting of colors is in reality a survival of the days when a slovenly appearance characterized mourning,” Lt. Commander Leland P. Lovette wrote in the 1930s. “Even in the British Merchant Service today there are recent cases of trailing rope ends, slacking off of rigging, and scandalizing yards as a sign of mourning.”
A second theory is that lowering the flag to half-mast would make room for an invisible black flag of mourning above it.
Either way, the custom spread, and it is commonly used by countries all over the world today.
The tradition of standing and placing our hands on our hearts also has surprising origins—and it was this very tradition that Congress would have been considering on this day so long ago. But even those deliberations had been a long time coming.
As early as the Civil War years, some Army veterans were working to protect the flag from certain types of commercial advertisements and other signs of disrespect. They’d put their lives on the line for that flag! They couldn’t stomach its desecration now. Despite their work, the flag-protection movement didn’t really gain steam until after World War I. Finally, on Flag Day in 1923, the American Legion and more than 60 other patriotic, fraternal, civic and military organizations met for the first National Flag Conference in Washington, D.C. Their purpose? Draft a code of flag etiquette. A second Flag Conference was held one year later. The Flag Code was finally made law in June 1942.
Early versions of the Flag Code contained a provision that might surprise modern Americans today: The pledge of allegiance was to “be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart; extending the right hand, palm upward, toward the flag at the words 'to the flag' and holding this position until the end, when the hand drops to the side.”
Maybe you won’t be surprised to hear that this tradition was soon dropped. It looked too much like a Nazi salute! On December 22, 1942, FDR signed an amendment to the Flag Code simplifying the provision so that we now stand “with the right hand over the heart.”
Today, the Flag Code is codified in Title 4 of the United States Code. It’s a code of etiquette and respect, created because the “flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” But it’s as code of etiquette only: There are no criminal sanctions for violating the Code’s provisions.
Obviously, there has been controversy lately regarding whether individuals “should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart” whenever the national anthem is played. There’s a certain amount of irony in the protests, given the flag protection movement’s origins. “[The flag] served as a unifying symbol—especially after the end of the Civil War—for a relatively young nation made up predominately of immigrants,” one biographer of the flag concludes.
How will the controversy end? Perhaps the end of this history story is still in the future.
Primary Sources:
Joint Resolution to amend Public Law Numbered 623, approved June 22, 1942 (approved Dec. 22, 1942)
Joint Resolution to codify and emphasize existing rules and customs pertaining to the display and use of the flag of the United States of America (approved June 22, 1942)
Leland P. Lovette, Naval Customs Traditions and Usage (United States Naval Institute; 1939) (3d edition)
Marc Leepson, Don’t Mess With the Stars and Stripes (N.Y. Times; Sept. 1, 2016)
Marc Leepson, Flag: An American Biography (2005)
Public Law 94-344 (approved July 7, 1976)
Robert Kastenbaum & Christopher M. Moreman, Death, Society, and Human Experience (12th ed. 2018)
The American Legion: Flag CodeThe Star-Spangled Banner: Flag Rules and Rituals (Smithsonian National Museum of American History)
John R. Luckey, The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions (CRS Report for Congress; April 14, 2008)
Title 4, United States Code
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from Tara Ross
Thanks for loving history with me!
© Copyright 2020 by Tara Ross.
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Chucky, the doll that just won't die: the story of Don Mancini's friend 'til the end
1988's Child's Play
20 June 2019 • 1:11pm
For young children, the central conceit of the Toy Story franchise – that your beloved dolls, action figures and cuddly animals are secretly alive, springing into motion whenever your back is turned – is irresistible.
Of course, when you think about it rationally, the realisation of this fantasy would be utterly terrifying – a fact which horror writers and directors know only too well. The more humanoid a toy is, too, the more uncannily frightening it can be rendered, and scary movies across the ages have consequently been filled with a plethora of demonic dummies and possessed dolls (just think of that horrible clown in Poltergeist).
Perhaps the most notorious evil doll of all, however, is Chucky, star of the Child's Play franchise. The pint-sized villain is now over 30 years old, and was this week given a new lease of life thanks to a big-screen reboot from the producers of It.
The first film in the series, Tom Holland's Child's Play, came out in 1988, and tells the story of how a dungaree-clad, ginger-locked "Good Guy" doll, the latest must-have toy for kids, is taken over by the spirit of ruthless killer Charles Lee Ray (voiced by Brad Dourif).
The doll is picked up by single mother and widow Karen, who is desperate to please her young son Andy. Before long, six-year-old Andy is in a mental hospital, suspected of being responsible for Chucky's campaign of terror. Meanwhile his murderous "friend 'til the end", understandably fed up with being trapped in doll form, plots to take over Andy's body.
Childs' Play 3 Credit: Universal Pictures
The film's co-writer Don Mancini, who created the concept of the Chucky character (producer David Kirschner was responsible for Chucky's distinctive look), was inspired in part by the Eighties craze for the wildly successful but undeniably creepy-looking Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.
Mancini was also interested in the intimacy of a child's relationship with his or her favourite toy, and by the way in which branding and marketing were selling the concept that a doll should also be your "best friend".
"Whenever Don writes anything he does, it's always a reflection of the times that we live in," Kirschner revealed in a 2008 interview with Movieweb.com. "At that point, Cabbage Patch was at its height and people were hurting each other to buy a Cabbage Patch and he really wanted to make a commentary on the fact that who we were as a society, that Madison Avenue was programming dolls to be your child's best friend. That's where the concept came from."
Physically speaking, while the film's Chucky doll was expertly animated by the special effects department, the contribution of actor and stunt double Ed Gale, who is 3ft 5in tall, also helped create the illusion that the chracter really was alive.
Gale, who donned blue dungarees, stripy jumper and red wig to play Chucky during scenes in which the villain moves about, runs, or falls, was cast after Holland learned that he had helped play the lead in the 1986 film Howard the Duck. He would later return for two more sequels.
“He [Holland] wanted someone physically capable of bringing the costume to life. I was known for doing just that," Gale later explained.
Three decades on, Child's Play is still a very scary film. For me (and, I am sure, countless others) its most chillingly jumpy moment comes when Karen, unconvinced by her son's insistence that the battery-operated talking doll, who has been uttering his innocuous pre-programmed phrases throughout the film, really is "alive", picks up the box he came packaged in... and discovers that his batteries were never inserted in the first place.
She hesitantly picks him up, checks the back cavity (no batteries!), and stares down at the still, silent doll in her hand... who suddenly springs into malevolent life.
"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?"
Child's Play was followed by Child's Play 2 (1990) and Child's Play 3 (1991), which continue the story of Chucky and Andy, and by the more comedic Bride of Chucky (1998) and Seed of Chucky (2004), which focus on the character's amusingly dysfunctional relationship with equally evil partner Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), who is also transformed into doll form.
Mancini, whose career betrays a longterm devotion to his creation, later took over as director, helming Seed of Chucky, and then rebooting the franchise with 2013's Curse of Chucky, which attempted (fairly successfully) to bring back some of the horror elements of the original films. The film also featured Brad Dourif's daughter, Fiona Dourif, in a starring role (one that effectively required her to be terrorised by her own father, or at least by the doll bearing his voice).
Packed with knowing references and in-jokes, it employed an enjoyably tense slow build, during which an unwitting family, later revealed to have a tragic past link to Ray, were tortured anew by the evil antagonist.
The latest straight-to-VOD film, Cult of Chucky, moved the setting to a mental health institution, employing ambitious, surreal dream sequences. "I don’t know why people would take the approach of doing the same things with a sequel," Mancini has said. "Sequels offer the opportunity to subvert expectations. All good storytelling is about good surprises."
At London's FrightFest in 2013, Mancini spoke about how moved he was by the enduring affection that British fans seem to have have for the franchise. Even the critically panned "Seed", which focuses in part on Chucky and Tiffany's child, has a place in the hearts of ardent Chucky aficionados.
Seed of Chucky (2004) Credit: AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo
This country's relationship with the films hasn't always been straightforward, however. For some, the series will always be inextricably linked to the tragic 1993 murder of 3-year-old James Bulger, who was killed by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.
At the time of the pair's trial, the influence of violent movies – the infamous "video nasties" – was cited by the press as a possible motive for the boys' horrific behaviour. Particular emphasis was placed on Child's Play 3, which Venables's father was said to have rented out ahead of the crime.
Videos, it was also believed, could have a much more serious effect on malleable audiences than cinema screenings, due to the fact that viewers could pause them and replay scenes of extreme violence and/or gore again and again.
In the March of 1994, an alliance of 25 child psychologists and experts called upon Home Secretary Michael Howard to crack down on video violence, submitting a report by the psychologist Professor Elizabeth Newson to back up their claims. "Many of us hold liberal ideas dear, but now we begin to feel that we were naive in our failure to predict the extent of damaging material and its all too free availability to children," the group said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in a piece for The Times titled "The Nasty Truth", journalist Margarette Driscoll argued that the influence of violent material on children was undeniable, and that it was time for decades of misguided "permissive liberalism" to be overturned.
Jon Venables (left) and Robert Thompson, pictured after their arrest in 1992 Credit: PA
"The genie is out: what the specialists have finally confirmed that continued exposure to violence, murder and mayhem adversely affects our children has been plain as a pikestaff to any caring parent for years," she concluded. "The tenor of our society has been set by the very people who are belatedly admitting they might be wrong. The irony is that the children most likely to be damaged are those being brought up in sink estates where family values no longer hold sway – the products of the 'anything-goes' society."
In fact, however, while the public outrage at the crime was understandable, as was the desire to find something or someone to blame, the widespread moral panic stemmed from a misconception. There was simply no evidence that either of the two young killers had ever seen the film, a fact later confirmed by Inspector Ray Simpson, one of the police officers who dealt with the case.
"If you are going to link this murder to a film, you might as well link it to The Railway Children," he told the Guardian at the time.
A suggestion by the trial judge, Mr Justice Morland, that violent videos might have been to blame for the atrocity, was also later challenged by investigating police.
"I don't know where the judge got that idea from. I couldn't believe it when I heard him," an officer told The Independent in 1993. "We went through something like 200 titles rented by the Venables family. There were some you or I wouldn't want to see, but nothing – no scene, or plot, or dialogue – where you could put your finger on the freeze button and say that influenced a boy to go out and commit murder."
Despite the many refutations across the years however, however, the pervasive belief in a link between Child Play 3 and the Bulger murder will perhaps never be fully dispelled. Indeed, the Daily Mail was still arguing that the film was to blame as recently as 2010.
In the main part, however, society has moved on – as proved by the new big-budget reboot of Child's Play. With Star Wars' Mark Hamill voicing the killer doll, it is the first Chucky film to be made without Mancini's involvement, and the stars of his ongoing franchise are none too happy about it. "#NotMyChucky" tweeted Tilly, while Brad Dourif posted a threat from the doll himself.
A “Child’s Play” Remake, what do you think about it?
Photo by amovieguy14 on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/V87ReRAAS6
— Brad Dourif (@Brad_Dourif) July 12, 2018
“MGM retained the rights to the first movie, so they’re rebooting that," Mancini explained in a 2018 podcast interview. "They asked David Kirschner and I if we wanted to be executive producers. We said 'No thank you', because we have our ongoing thriving business with Chucky. Obviously my feelings were hurt.
"You know, I had just done two movies [Cult and Curse]… forgive me if I sound defensive, [they] were both at 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Even though they didn’t get theatrical releases, they were well regarded. And I did create the character and nurture the franchise for three f---ing decades...
"So when someone says,'Oh yeah, we would love to have your name on the film...' it was hard not to feel like I was being patronized. They just wanted our imprimatur of approval. Which I strenuously denied them”
However, Mancini has not been put off by the row: he is currently working on a Chucky TV series for Universal, expanding on the shared universe of his films, and expected to premiere in 2020 on the Syfy channel. With two rival Chuckys now in existence, it's proof that the "Good Guy" won't be going away any time soon.
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