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Hotels and insolvency – some issues
Blog Expert Legal Insights
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BLP)
United Kingdom March 23 2015
The hotels sector has suffered in the recession and as an asset class, hotels are capital intensive operations. They are also susceptible to volatile economic conditions, as consumer and corporate expenditure on hotels is generally viewed as a discretionary expense.
HMA structure
There are various ways in which the corporate ownership of a hotel can be structured. This note will concentrate on one of the most common structures in the hotel industry – the hotel management agreement (“HMA”).
It has become increasingly common for a hotel property to be owned, not by the chain that runs the hotel (the “Hotel Operator”), but by a separate third party investor or developer (the “Hotel Owner”). Typically, the Hotel Owner will finance part of the acquisition or investment/development cost with bank debt. To provide operational expertise and obtain for the Hotel the benefits of being part of a larger operating platform or brand, the Hotel Owner enters into an HMA with the Hotel Operator. The HMA governs the way in which the Hotel Operator will run the business as part of its group/brand.
Under the HMA, the Hotel Operator will usually have exclusive control of and responsibility for day to day operations including matters such as bookings, staff, supplies and maintenance, for which it receives fees, while the Hotel Owner will bear the risk of the business, and provide working capital. The Hotel Operator will generally act as an agent to the Hotel Owner, and be entitled to enter into contracts with third parties, and to access the Owner’s bank accounts to make payments in the course of running the hotel. The HMA will contain strict requirements for the Hotel to be maintained and operated in accordance with the standards of the Hotel Operator’s system and brand.
The HMA is often accompanied by a non-disturbance agreement (“NDA”) between the Hotel Operator and the Hotel Owner’s lender. Typically, the lender agrees not to terminate the management agreement, or to procure or consent to its termination, on default by the Hotel Owner under the financing documents, or upon the insolvency of the Hotel Owner, and the Hotel Operator agrees to stay and operate the hotel for the lender should it enforce its security. This means that the Hotel Operator can be secure in keeping the value of the HMA, and the lender knows the Hotel Operator cannot walk away immediately on an insolvency or enforcement, which is potentially extremely disruptive to the business.
In addition, a restriction can be registered against the title of the Hotel Owner at the Land Registry – in the event that the hotel is sold by the Hotel Owner or lender (in the case of repossession), the restriction will prevent a transfer of the title to the Hotel from being registered without the HMA being transferred alongside the Hotel. In practical terms this prevents a sale of the hotel asset with vacant possession.
The documentation typically used for this structure briefly comprises:
Loan facility agreement between Hotel Owner and lender.
Debenture from Hotel Owner in favour of lender containing fixed and floating charges, including a first fixed charge over the hotel property.
Security over any intercompany loans, to facilitate a share sale if necessary.
The lender should also take security over the Hotel Operator’s fixtures, fittings and equipment – if the hotel ultimately fails, the lender will need to retain the fixtures, fittings and equipment in order to trade/sell the business as a going concern.
Assignment of the Hotel Owner’s interest in all major contracts entered into by the Owner, including the HMA, and NDA, development and contractor agreements (if not contained in the debenture).
The HMA may also be secured by second ranking security, so an intercreditor deed may also be needed.
Pre-enforcement options
Pre-enforcement options which may be available where the Hotel Owner is in financial difficulties include:
amend and restate the loan to extend its term, or long stop dates;
increase the amount borrowed;
debt for equity swap;
relaxation of financial covenants;
renegotiation of HMA;
in exchange for:
a charged cash deposit;
an equity injection;
additional security from other members of the borrowing group
Before considering enforcement, a lender must ensure it has a thorough understanding of market values, the security documents, what enforcement (and pre-enforcement) options are available, and a strategy for how the asset will be developed/traded/marketed and sold. The prime aim will be to maximise value.
On insolvency of the Hotel Owner, the lender will usually be entitled to appoint an administrator/receiver under the powers in the debenture/fixed charge. The lender should bear in mind that it will have less control over an administrator than a receiver, as an administrator is an officer of the court with a general duty to all creditors. However, it is also important to note that a receiver will not have control over floating charge assets. There may also be different tax consequences to the appointment of a receiver or administrator.
The office holder to be appointed will need experience in the hotels sector, and there must be a clear strategy. The office holder must be familiar with the terms of the HMA and any NDA, including any required capital expenditure needed to preserve or maximise value – is there funding available for this? If the HMA has been terminated, there may also be a requirement for funding to continue to trade.
Any NDA will usually contain wording prohibiting the termination of the HMA by the Hotel Operator in the event of appointment of an office holder over the Owner provided that breaches of the HMA on the part of the Owner (including potentially arrears of fees) are dealt with. This means that the Hotel Operator will remain in place to run the business while the office holder carries out his planned course of action, and the office holder will not have full control of running the hotel. A good relationship between the office holder and the Hotel Operator will be essential. Having the Hotel Operator in support of the proposed strategy will assist the office holder in retaining control of the hotel, and prevent employee departures which would stop smooth running of the business. Also, the Hotel Operator’s brand and booking system are often critical drivers of new bookings to hotels and very important to maintaining the business.
The office holder may find it difficult to terminate the HMA in any event, even if he wishes to, and he will therefore have to act in accordance with its terms. These terms will include the exclusive right to run the hotel on a day to day basis free from Hotel Owner (or other) interference, and can lead to difficulties. This can be an issue where the office holder is reluctant to allow the Hotel Operator to continue without supervision, but interference from the office holder may amount to a breach of the Owner’s obligations under the HMA, and could leave the office holder’s actions open to challenge by the Operator and give the Hotel Operator the right to terminate the HMA.
Generally, a trading hotel will be more valuable than an empty, non-trading hotel. However, in some cases, the existence of an HMA can mean that the value of the property is compromised, rather than enhanced, and the office holder may want to sell the hotel quickly with vacant possession, while the Hotel Operator may want to remain in occupation. This could arise if, for example, a competitor operator was interested in purchasing the business or if third party purchasers perceived there to be value in rebranding or repositioning the Hotel or converting it to alternative use, or if a 4* hotel was built in a location more suited to a budget hotel. The office holder, whether an administrator or a receiver, has an obligation to obtain best the price for the hotel on a sale, and he will need to consider whether the cost of any liability arising from a breach of the HMA or NDA, or from a termination of the HMA or NDA without proper grounds, would outweigh the benefit of selling with vacant possession.
In these circumstances, it can be very difficult to see a way to remove the HMA from the picture, and release the value of the property, without incurring significant time and expense.
If there is no option but to sell the hotel, the office holder should also:
check whether the Hotel Operator has any rights of first offer or last refusal. This must be dealt with, as other potential purchasers may not want to be involved while this right remains outstanding.
check whether the Hotel Operator has any other rights, such as maintenance of brand standards, confidentiality clauses, is there any prohibition on sale to a competitor? These may impact on timing and sale price.
depending on the nature of the assets, and in so far as is possible, locate relevant regulatory compliance documents, for example, fire risk assessments, asbestos reports/logs, and check that they are up to date. If the office holder is able to assign the benefit of these documents, or hand them over on a sale, this will increase the speed at which a sale may be completed, and may increase the value of the assets (or avoid a potential price chip).
The office holder will need to consider funding as soon as he is appointed. Is there funding to trade the hotel in administration/receivership (including potentially arising arrears of fees not paid to the Hotel Operator)? Is there any planned capital expenditure that must be met? Does the hotel make enough money to cover immediate costs? Is the office holder able to honour all bookings and deposits received before appointment?
The Hotel Operator will of course want to continue to cover all of these costs, but the office holder may not want the Owner’s assets to be used to cover these payments. Any new obligations entered into by the Operator may also give rise to payments which must be made as expenses in an administration, and an office holder will want to have control over these obligations. As outlined above, this could lead to conflict with the Operator.
Regulatory requirements – licensing, permits, consents and related matters
The operation of a particular hotel may require a number of different permissions to be in place in order to allow the facilities offered to guests to be lawfully provided.
By way of example these might often include:
a premises licence granted under the Licensing Act 2003 (potentially authorising all or any of the following; alcohol sales, entertainment and late night refreshment);
where spa facilities are offered, a special treatments licence;
a “wedding” licence;
a premises licence and operating licence or other form of permission granted under the Gambling Act 2005 (some hotels have casino licences associated with them by way of example or may offer gaming machines); and
a tables and chairs licence in respect of the use of public highway space.
These are important permissions for two main reasons. First, any extant permissions will be required to allow the hotel to continue to trade lawfully. Trading without such a permission is backed by criminal sanction. Second, they may be valuable assets in their own right. Premises Licences, in particular, can add significant value to property values.
It is important to be aware of the effect of insolvency on those permissions. Many of the permissions will lapse upon certain insolvency events, with premises licences and gambling licences falling into that category. There is then a limited window available to the office holder within which to reinstate the licence (by transferring it to an appropriate solvent vehicle).
Where a licence is lost it may not be possible to obtain a new licence on the same terms (or in some cases at all). Thus, it is vital to be aware of this.
So administrators need to be aware of their responsibilities. Preparation is vital, as some of the time periods available for reinstatement of a licence are short. In a hotel group situation, each separate premises will have separate licences, so this may be a time consuming process, but it must be done carefully.
If trading the premises, the administrators should ensure there are licences in place and what the requirements of the licences and legislative scheme are. For example, many licences will have detailed conditions attached to them and failure to comply with them may amount to a criminal offence. In addition, where sales of alcohol are concerned each licence will have an individual named on the licence fulfilling the role of “designated premises supervisor”. Without a named “dps” who is responsible for particular premises then alcohol sales are unlawful. In addition, if the terms of licences are not being adhered to then this may put the licences in jeopardy of enforcement action, possibly with a view to revocation in the case of serious breaches. An office holder is unlikely to obtain proper recovery in monetary terms for an hotel site with potential enforcement issues hanging over it.
There may also be other regulatory requirements which the office holder should ensure that he or she is aware of and able to comply with as failure to do so may result in criminal liability. Again by way of example, there is a wealth of regulation around food safety which includes requirements to keep certain records in relation to food handling.
Similarly, there may be agreements in place for maintaining or servicing particular plant, machinery or equipment which are vital to the hotel’s operations. Again, a failure to keep these arrangements in place may have significant adverse consequences.
On appointment, an office holder will need to also give consideration to issues such as staffing, and whether any redundancies will be needed, or whether jobs can be preserved via a sale of the business as a going concern.
The office holder should also check all supplier contracts: is there provision for termination by suppliers on the appointment of an insolvency officeholder? There may be an immediate need for cash, as suppliers may demand payment of arrears before they will supply further. Is there a source of cash funding?
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BLP) - Claire Mowbray
Just sign here …the risks of oral contracts *
How long is the term of a contract? *
Wills and probate in the United Kingdom *
The responsibility of wealth – should rich people give away their money? *
Comment on Advocate General’s position that “Teckal” companies can’t eat their cake and have it too *
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Major issues in hotel management agreements *
Hotel Management Agreements: The new hotel product that won’t be announced at IHIF this year *
Operator Consolidation: At the Owners' Expense in More Ways than One *
Why do we need a non-disturbance deed between the owner, manager and financier? * - Global
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Hotel lending lawyer: what every hotel lender needs to know about SNDAs * - USA
Senior Legal Counsel, Bankwest Business
Bank of Western Australia Ltd
"Lexology is one of the few newsfeeds that I do actually look over as and when it comes in - the information is current; has good descriptive headings so I can see quickly what the articles relate to and is not too long."
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Churches embracing homosexuality prepare members to accept the Anti-Christ: Russian Orthodox leader
His statement came as the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it is ending 'formal contacts' with two Protestant churches in Europe for rejecting Christian sexual morality.
Fri Jun 5, 2015 - 7:29 pm EST
By Fr. Mark Hodges
MOSCOW, June 5, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – Churches that have deemed homosexuality morally acceptable have rejected Christianity and are preparing their followers to accept the Anti-Christ, according to one of the leading figures in the Russian Orthodox Church.
His statement came as the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it is ending "formal contacts" with the United Protestant Church of France and the Church of Scotland over those churches' abandonment of traditional Christian sexual morality. In its statement, the church said ecumenical dialogue was pointless after France's United Protestant Church last month voted to allow pastors to officiate at same-sex "marriages" and the Church of Scotland approved ordaining clergy who are in same-sex civil unions.
"The Russian Orthodox Church holds the firm position based on Holy Scriptures and has repeatedly declared that [homosexual 'marriage' is] inadmissible for moral teaching," the statement reads. Churches that offer to "marry" homosexuals "trample upon the principles of traditional Christian morality."
The statement explains that over a period of years, the Orthodox Church has shared her concerns with these Christian bodies and warned of ecumenical consequences if they adopt same-sex "marriage."
"Regrettably, the words of warning have not been heard," Orthodox officials concluded.
Following the decision, the Very Rev. Fr. Dimitry Smirnov – the chair of the Russian Orthodox Church Commission for Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood – told one of the leading Russian television stations the new moral teachings place these liberal denominations beyond the pale of Christianity.
"We separated ourselves from them as from the plague, as it's contagious,” he said. “The Russian Orthodox Church cannot support with its authority something that is just an iniquity from the Biblical point of view.”
“These are not Christian communities anymore. This is another community with its own distinct name of 'LGBT.' Its future is simple and clear – the 'fire of Gehenna' – this is just what the Holy Scripture says,” Fr. Smirnov said.
By rejecting the Christian faith's immemorial teaching on sexual morality, “the former Christian peoples are preparing themselves for the solemn reception of the Anti-Christ."
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has stated many times that gay “marriage” is incompatible with Christian teaching.
The Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion, explained, "The legalization of same-sex cohabitations, tolerant attitude to euthanasia and prostitution, disruption of the centuries-old institution of marriage and family, pose a clear threat to the future of humanity."
Archpriest Jason Kappanadze of the Orthodox Church in America, the "daughter" church of Moscow, called the Moscow Patriarchate's move "an appropriate statement of moral clarity," noting that "certain Protestant denominations that have crossed the line away from Christianity...making further dialogue impossible."
Kappanadze was careful to point out that the reason for Moscow's decision is not hatred but its care and concern for the well-being of all. "We stand with firm love for the salvation of our fellow human beings!"
Father Hans Jacobse of the American Orthodox Institute told LifeSiteNews, "People will look at the decision by the Russian Orthodox Church and think it is unfair. One must understand that the Russian Orthodox looks at gay marriage as a grave distortion of God's design for men and women.”
Fr. Jacobse said the Russian Orthodox Church is concerned with the long-term societal effects of sanctioning homosexuality. "The Russians have always been brilliant long term thinkers," he told LifeSiteNews. Orthodox leaders believe that legalizing same-sex "marriage" "will change our understanding of who God created us to be, and that will have destructive ramifications for society down the road."
The Russian Bishops’ Council of 2013 explained that "Dialogue with confessions which openly defy the Biblical moral norms is impossible." The Church's Department for External Church Relations "does not see any prospects in maintaining official contacts" with such groups.
Noting a tragic liberal trend throughout the Protestant world and implying there may be more severing of ties to come, the Moscow Patriarchate statement read, "We regretfully acknowledge, that today we have a new divide in the Christian world, not only regarding theological subjects, but regarding moral issues as well."
The Russian Orthodox Church previously cut ties with The Episcopal Church in the United States in 2003 after it consecrated an open, practicing homosexual as bishop. Two years later, it severed its ecumenical relationship with the Swedish Lutheran Church after it sanctioned ceremonies for same-sex civil unions in 2005.
The bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, which together are called "the Holy Synod," have made several public statements against homosexuality. "Homosexuality is to be approached as the result of humanity’s rebellion against God, and so against its own nature and well-being," one such synodal statement from 1992 explained. "It is not to be taken as a way of living and acting for men and women made in God’s image and likeness."
Those suffering from same-sex attraction are to be treated in the Orthodox Church with compassion.
"Men and women with homosexual feelings and emotions are to be treated with the understanding, acceptance, love, justice and mercy due to all human beings," the bishops said. "They are to seek assistance in discovering the specific causes of their homosexual orientation, and to work toward overcoming its harmful effects in their lives."
Click "like" if you want to defend true marriage.
However, homosexuals "who still want to justify their behavior" are barred from Holy Communion, "since to do so would not help, but harm them."
dimitry smirnov, hans jacobse, orthodox church, russian orthodox, same-sex 'marriage', same-sex union
The Orthodox Church strongly endorses the March for Marriage, encourages all faithful to participate
Russian Orthodox Church condemns gay ‘marriage’ legislation in UK, France
Russian Orthodox Church calls for nationwide ban on homosexualist propaganda aimed at minors
Churches embracing homosexuality prepare members to accept the… Churches embracing homosexuality prepare members to accept the Anti-Christ: Russian Orthodox leader News By Fr. Mark Hodges
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Notes Playlist
Movie Soundtracks Buy This Song
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The band has sold over 40 million albums worldwide throughout its career. The group was inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004. more »
1 The Bling Ring 2013
2 House of Cards 2013
3 The Prince of Egypt - Inspirational 1998
4 Underworld Blood Wars 2017
"Power Movies." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 21 Jan. 2021. <https://www.lyrics.com/movies/216344/The+Doobie+Brothers>.
Discuss the Power Movies with the community:
James Taylor tracks
"Money for nothin' and ________ for free."
A. chicks
B. rings
C. drinks
D. chips
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Ruth and Clarence Mader
Memorial Scholarship Fund
2021 COMPOSITION COMPETITION
The Ruth and Clarence Mader Memorial Scholarship Fund is announcing a Composition Competition for an organ work to mark the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Fund. The goal of the competition is to honor the Mader name through a work that will become a lasting staple of the organ repertoire.
Ruth and Clarence Mader will always be an inspiration to those privileged to have known them. The Fund is a response by students, colleagues, family and friends to widespread expressions of appreciation for the high ideals and artistic accomplishments of Ruth and Clarence Mader.
The competition is open to contestants on January 1, 2021. The deadline for receiving entries is December 17, 2021 (the exact date of the 50th anniversary of the Mader Fund founding). The winner will be announced by February 1, 2022.
Contestants will submit a work for organ based upon the name RC MADER.
Thematic basis for work:
The theme of this work will be based on the pitches: D C E A D E-flat D-flat (pitches derived from note names and solfege to represent the name MADER, including the initials for first names of both Ruth and Clarence).
While it is a requirement that the composition contain the theme provided herein, the committee also acknowledges the composer’s freedom to vary and develop the theme according to his/her needs and tastes.
Length of work: Approximately 8-12 minutes.
Form: At the discretion of the composer.
Premiere performance (details to be determined)
Who is Eligible: Residents of the United States (U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and international students residing in the U.S.)
Age Limit: None
Compositions must be submitted electronically (PDF file).
Composers will include their names on page 1 of the score, but they will remain anonymous to the judges.
Recordings, either live or via MIDI, must also be submitted.
Materials should be submitted via email to Dr. Craig Phillips, Committee Chair, at: mdrcomp21@gmail.com.
A distinguished panel of judges will review all entries, the winner will be chosen accordingly and announced by February 1, 2022.
Mader Composition Competition Committee:
Craig Phillips, Chair
Cherry Rhodes
Ladd Thomas
All contestants must complete the submission form and return with your entry.
Contact the Chair
Questions may be submitted using this form.
© 2020 Ruth and Clarence Mader Memorial Scholarship Fund. All Rights Reserved.
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Rare terns back at Minsmere reserve
Published: 4:00 AM July 2, 2009 Updated: 9:36 PM October 10, 2020
For the first time in more than 30 years hundreds of threatened sandwich terns have settled to nest at a Suffolk nature reserve - providing a spectacular sight and sound for visitors.
The terns were once a familiar sight at RSPB Minsmere, regularly breeding there until 1978, but since then only a handful of pairs have nested at the reserve.
Now, to the delight of bird enthusiasts, the terns have suddenly returned, joining record numbers of gulls at the site.
During the last fortnight more than 1000 terns have arrived en-masse on the Scrape and nearly 400 pairs have started to nest on the shingle islands.
It is not known why the terns have suddenly come back to Minsmere, but as they arrived late, experts say it suggests that they may have moved from a site elsewhere, possibly in North Norfolk, following some unknown disturbance.
But Adam Rowlands, senior site manager at Minsmere, said their return was no coincidence. 'Sandwich terns are known for nesting among large colonies of black-headed gulls, where they benefit from the extra protection offered by the gulls against larger predators, especially big gulls,' he said. 'It is no coincidence that the terns have returned to Minsmere, with record numbers of black-headed gulls on the Scrape.'
He added: 'Minsmere's Scrape is a true seabird spectacle this year, with 1100 pairs of gulls, nearly 400 pairs of sandwich terns and 190 pairs of common terns - the most since 1974. If you're lucky you might even spot a rare roseate tern or Mediterranean gull among them.'
The RSPB said that unlike their larger cousins, it looks like being a poor year for the scarce little tern, with only two or three pairs nesting on the beach at Minsmere.
After a good season last year, it appears that the tiny seabirds have relocated further north, with some nesting on the shingle beach between Dunwich and Walberswick, and good numbers settling within the main colony on Yarmouth's North Denes.
Like most terns, sandwich terns nest in large colonies. Their chosen nest sites, usually on coastal lagoons, islands or beaches, are easily disturbed, leaving colonies vulnerable.
There are about 12,500 pairs at various colonies around the coast. Up to 750 pairs nested at Minsmere form 1965 to 1978, but apart form 23 pairs in 1995 there have only been occasional nesting attempts since then.
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Settling Native American Water Rights in the American West: An Interview with Joe Ely
By Graham Chisholm
Joe Ely, now a project coordinator for Stetson Engineers, Inc., was a young man in his 20s when he took on a problem everyone told him could not be solved, even the Supreme Court. As the chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, he found a way. The court had ruled that the tribe had no valid claim of a water right to support Pyramid Lake, which was being steadily dried up by upstream reservoirs and diversions to farms and growing subdivisions.
But the tribe got a second chance. When Stampede Reservoir began to fill up behind a new federal reservoir in the Sierra Nevada, the tribe sued again, claiming the federal government had an obligation to protect the cui-ui, an endangered species that only lives in Pyramid Lake. This time they won, forcing the federal and state governments, the upstream cities of Reno and Sparks, and farmers in the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District to a negotiating table convened by Sen. Harry Reid in 1987.
Joe Elly discusses the legacy of his work on "<a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/projects/the-new-west-and-the-politics-of-the-environment" href="https://www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/projects/the-new-west-and-the-politics-of-the-environment">The New West and the Politics of the Environment</a>," an "Earth Focus" special.
The New West and the Politics of the Environment (Preview)
Lessons from Pyramid Lake
Graham Chisholm: What were the lessons you learned during the negotiated settlement?
Joe Ely: That process was a sharp learning curve. And I had some good mentors. I was a green wet-behind-the-ears kid doing that stuff and learning it as I went along.
One of the very first things I learned was that you don't have to lose. Even if you go to the Supreme Court and they tell you you're done, you've lost, you haven't lost. There's always a different route to the same place. You can still find a way to achieve your goals. But you can't achieve those goals without leadership. After the settlement, I spoke at a number of conferences. One of the things that I continued to say was leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, not only on the tribal level leadership, but in the overall process.
There was never a doubt at Pyramid Lake that we were going to get it done. We stated to everyone that until we have water for our fish, we're not going to stop. As long as there's one of us left breathing, we're going to fight this fight until we win. And then we had Senator Harry Reid come in. He didn't have a reverse. He never had a doubt that we were going to get this done.
Joe Ely | Still from "The New West and the Politics of the Environment," an "Earth Focus" special.
The second thing I learned was that we're writing the law. Do you know how hard a concept that is for people to grasp? That gives you the ability to have the creativity that you need to solve problems that were really created over a century ago with the mindset of a century ago. And, yes, to the extent that we can stay within the confines of existing laws, so we don't completely topple the apple cart, we'll try to do that. But if a few apples fall off, we'll pick them up. We'll put them back on the cart.
The third lesson is that we had to do something different. And when you do something different, it requires you to know the other side. This is really important and something I've carried with me the entire time. It takes a settlement from numbers, priority dates, and the law, to people. People have needs, people have demands, people have ways of life. They have lifestyles. You need to understand what those are. And we had to find a way for them to recognize that our way of life was just as important to us as theirs was to them. It forced people to get to know each other.
Settling Water Wars Around the West
Jon Christensen: How did you come to spend the rest of your life working on water settlements for Native American tribes?
Joe Ely: The settlement at Pyramid Lake was ratified less than a month before I had to leave office. I had term limits. I was going to leave the chairmanship. And I needed to go find work.
Other Water Wars
Autumn Peltier: ‘Water Warrior’ for Marginalized Communities
At that time, Stetson Engineers was the leading engineering firm working on behalf of tribes in Indian Country. They used to work for me as chairman. And they asked me if I wanted to continue to do what I did for other tribes. I went to work for them. It worked for me because I got to stay in the work that I liked to do and that I'd been doing for quite some time.
Graham Chisholm: What was the next settlement you worked on and how many settlements in all have you played a role in?
Joe Ely: After Pyramid Lake, Duck Valley was the next one that we completed. It was different from Pyramid Lake, where farmers diverted water from the Truckee River to another river basin before it could get to Pyramid Lake.
At Duck Valley, all of the water users were above the reservation. They were on small creeks and streams that the water came down very fast for a short period of time. They just moved the water on to their fields to irrigate. The water went back into the creeks, then into a reservoir, and down to other users, but all of it eventually got down to the reservation.
The non-Indian farmers upstream didn't want to change. They wanted to keep things exactly the way it was. So, we said, okay. We're fine with it because we knew the water would eventually get to the reservation. So that's what made that settlement work there.
That came from lessons we got from Pyramid Lake. It was being able to be creative that made it work, being unshackled by the way things are supposed to be done, and instead do it in a manner that benefits everybody, without a fight.
As we worked it all out, though, we still had to get it through Congress. And you know, who got it through Congress for us? Senator Reid.
I sat down this morning and itemized settlements I’ve been involved in, many as a major player. I count a total of 11 settlements so far, with eight different tribes: the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Shoshone-Paiute Tribe of Duck Valley, Round Valley Indian Tribes, Ute Tribe of the Uintah-Ouray Reservation, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Zuni Pueblo, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Osage Nation.
Working with Diverse Tribes
"I don't work for a river. I don't work for a lake. I don't work for a fish. And I don't work for a bale of alfalfa. I work for the tribe and I want to know who it is that I work for. I want to know who they are, because it is their water. It is their life that we're trying to improve through this process."
Jon Christensen: How are the tribes different in their approaches to these settlements?
Joe Ely: When I get a new client, I go out and meet with the tribal council, the water boards, the department of natural resources, whoever I need to meet with. But I always get there a day or two in advance. I get in the car and I drive through where the tribal members live. I want to see how they're living, what they're doing with their lives. It gives me an indication of what is going on. I stop at the stores that are owned by the tribe. I walk in and buy lunch.
I try to interact with the tribe itself before I get to the tribal leadership and get a good idea of what is this tribe made of? Who are they? I go on their websites. I read about their history. I read about who they are, because I don't work for a river. I don't work for a lake. I don't work for a fish. And I don't work for a bale of alfalfa. I work for the tribe and I want to know who it is that I work for. I want to know who they are, because it is their water. It is their life that we're trying to improve through this process.
On the Importance of Leverage
Graham Chisholm: At Pyramid Lake, you had leverage with the Endangered Species Act and the Supreme Court’s decision that Stampede Reservoir had to be used to protect the cui-ui. How important is that kind of leverage in negotiating a settlement?
Joe Ely: Without leverage, you're not going to have a settlement. If a man can take it, he'll take it. It's just the way it is. I like the idea of being able to sit down and work it out to benefit of the whole. But I don't want anyone to put any kind of halo or mantle of any sort on me, because if we could take it, we take it. And everybody does.
I’ve talked with tribes for years. And I always say, “use your water, use your water.” Because now you're going to affect other users. And you can now have the ability to go to the table with some leverage. All of a sudden people who may not have wanted to talk to you sit down and talk with you. The sooner you can get to that point of actually sitting down with each other and having to work this out, the better off you are.
Look, it's terribly expensive to stay in litigation for decades. And it's also very hard to plan in some areas, when you're a farmer or an irrigation district and you have a looming cloud of an endangered species living in the river that you take your water from. They have incentive to negotiate. Pyramid Lake was one of those instances where people in the West saw exactly what the Endangered Species Act can do.
On Conflict
Jon Christensen: Why do we so often hear stories of conflict in the American West and so seldom stories of negotiation, compromise, and cooperation?
Joe Ely: Because there is conflict. There are people competing for the same resource. And in some instances, it's not solvable. It's very difficult. Somebody is going to have to give up more than what they want to give up to make it work.
Unfortunately, water management in the West has been pretty poor for the last century. People were allocating water and giving out water rights and over appropriating streams and building far beyond the amount of water that existed to sustain it.
And in many instances, tribes have come along in the last half-century and asserted their water rights. And as they have, they have moved into areas where streams and rivers, watersheds are already over-appropriated. And now a new group of users who were ignored when they shouldn't have been ignored are quantifying their water rights. And they're starting to use that water.
So that means that somebody has to give. Remember we didn't reach a settlement with the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, because they weren't willing to give. And so, we went to court and we took it from them.
Graham Chisholm: Have you seen a changing of the guard around water in the West?
Joe Ely: I do see as the old guard leaves, the newer ones that are coming in, not only are they coming in with a different perspective, but they're also coming in with a whole different set of problems and the magnitude of problems that have to be addressed. There's a whole lot more people and a whole lot more demand than there used to be. And so that's forcing more and more people to be more susceptible to trying to sit down and solve things.
They're not ingrained with some of the steadfastness that they used to have as far as, “this is ours, we developed it, we're seventh generation farmers” kind of thing. They're more “how can we work this out?”
Most of us who do this work are getting old. There are a few that are younger, that are coming up, but not as many as there should be. Also, we're settling these issues and each time you settle them, you have one less to settle. So, the goal is hopefully to work ourselves out of work before we all die off.
Water rights settlements are difficult. A tough part of this is that settlements seem to take a long time, 15 years on average start to finish, and that doesn't include implementation.
Joe Ely and his grandchildren fishing on Pyramid Lake. | Still from "The New West and the Politics of the Environment," an "Earth Focus" special.
The Legacy of Pyramid Lake
Jon Christensen: What is the legacy of the negotiated settlement?
Joe Ely: Pyramid Lake is still pretty famous for being one of the longest and ugliest battles out there. But people don't remember it the way they did 15 years ago. I am disappointed about how many people in the area, who lived through it being in the newspaper and on television every day, now sort of take it for granted. I sometimes try to remind them, as I look out around Reno and Sparks and say, “All that development you see out here, all of this growth, all of this prosperity would not exist if it wasn't for the settlement. Because you got stopped in your tracks. When the tribe won Stampede Reservoir in the Supreme court, the ability to grow just stopped. The settlement is what made it work. And so we are able to now allow Stampede Reservoir to be used for a drought water supply in Reno and Sparks. You're able to grow in trade for water and timing of flows that we would get for Pyramid Lake. And the result is all of this.”
And I talk to fishermen at Pyramid Like. They say, “I just can't believe it. The fish that we're catching are huge. And it is amazing to us what's out there.” And I’ll say, “That's the Pyramid Lake settlement.” And, people just go, “Oh, I didn't know that.”
Graham Chisholm: Any last thoughts you’d like to leave us with?
Joe Ely: I’ll tell you what. The Lord has blessed me. I've been hanging around rivers all my life, as a kid swimming in rivers and fishing in rivers. And of course, working with tribes for as long. I've been very fortunate to be able to do this all my life. Indian water right settlements are very difficult to achieve and are very time consuming. I have been blessed to see a number of them to completion with lasting effects. I'm very blessed in that the Lord Jesus has empowered these processes and had his hand in them, showing me where he's had his hand in them, too, to see these things through.
Top image: Pyramid Lake | Still from "The New West and the Politics of the Environment," an "Earth Focus" special.
Sen. Cortez Masto Sustains Nevada’s Pragmatic Approach to Environmental Policy
Following in the footsteps of former Sen. Harry Reid, Cortez Masto’s work on environmental issues suggests she might pursue a middle path, backing less-partisan climate policies while supporting bolder federal policies.
By Spencer Robins
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Museum Project
1968-69 Winter Lay-up Fleets
Problems and Mishaps That Have Plagued The Cunard Line
STADACONA is reported to have been sold by C. S. L. to Reoch and will be renamed NORDALE.
BELVOIR has been sold to Peruvian interests and is reported to have left Sorel about December 1st.
GLENEAGLES was damaged by fire during the week of January 10th at her winter berth in Port Colborne. The mess hall, galley and chief engineer's quarters were damaged. Repairs are already underway.
JAMES NORRIS is spending the winter in drydock at Port Weller,
Ship Registry Fees may go up shortly - Ottawa, Proposals for new shipping registration fees have been circulated to shipping companies for comment, the Transport Department said recently. The new rates, which will go into effect April 1 if approved, more than double the rates first set in 1954. There will also be a fee for fishing vessels, formerly required to register but at no charge.
Under the new rates ships less than 50 tons, formerly charged $3.00 for a first registry, will pay $10.00. Rates go to $12.00 from $4.00 for ships up to 100 tons and to $16.00 from $6.00 for those up to 200 tons. Beyond that the rate per 100 tons goes to $3.00 from $1.50.
New fees are also proposed for re-registry, change of name, transfers and other transactions relating to ships.
New Bow Section - The bow section of United States Steel Corp.'s new 858-foot ore carrier has been completed at the Lorain, Ohio, yard of American Ship Building Co., according to the shipbuilding company.
The yard also announced that work has begun on a new 1000-foot drydock in which the stern section of the new vessel is being built. Construction of the dock and stern section will be conducted simultaneously. The new ship is scheduled to be completed in 1970.
Soviet Liner - The first regularly scheduled Soviet-flag trans-Pacific freight liner service was inaugurated in Vancouver this week with the arrival of the l4,000 ton OSTROGOZHK. The ship and two others, the OLA and ORSHA, will sail between principal Japanese and B. C. ports on a regular three-week schedule,
They are owned by the State-controlled Far-East Steamship Co. of Vladivostok, The Pacific service, known as the Fesco-Pacific Line, does not belong to the trans-Pacific conference of steamship lines that sets freight rates. The new Soviet flag line is offering rates 15 percent below basic conference tariffs.
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Ship of the Month No. 49 Alexandria
Lake Shipyard Orderbooks Full
Report on April Dinner Meeting
A Laker's Log by Skip Gillham
Port Huron Marine Show
Some Late Marine News
William Woodger
It is difficult today to imagine travelling to our nation's capital by steamboat but back about the time of Confederation things were much different and the Ottawa River supported a thriving shipping industry. The most famous of the vessel operators was the Ottawa Steamers Company which in 1864 was incorporated as the Ottawa River Navigation Company. This firm operated a passenger and freight service through from Montreal to Ottawa using combination passenger and package freight sidewheelers together with barges towed by steam towboats.
ALEXANDRIA is upbound in the St. Lawrence canals in this photo taken very near the end of her active life. Bascom collection.
The route was divided into two sections, the lower portion of the trip taking travellers from Montreal up the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers to Carillon while the upper section covered the stretch on the Ottawa from Grenville to Ottawa. To facilitate the detour around the intervening rapids on the Ottawa, the company acquired control of the Carillon and Grenville Railway whose tracks bypassed not only the Long Sault Rapids but also the small Carillon and Grenville Canal which could not accommodate the large steamers.
To assist in the towing of several barges which the company used in the freight trade on the lower route, it ordered a towboat from the Cantin Shipyard at Montreal in 1866. She was a wooden-hulled vessel and she measured 161.7 feet in length, 25.2 feet in the beam (under the guards) and 8.1 feet in depth. Her tonnage was registered as 940 Gross. Power was provided by a single overhead beam engine which she inherited from the passenger steamer PHOENIX which had been built in 1849 and dismantled in 1866. PHOENIX herself got the engine second-hand for it had originally been installed in the small steamer SPEED which operated on the upper Ottawa from 1846 until she burned in 1848.
The Ottawa River Navigation Company made a practice of naming its vessels after royalty or with names indicative of royal positions. Accordingly, the new vessel was named ALEXANDRA in honour of the Princess of Wales who was destined to become Queen Alexandra when in 1901 her husband, Albert Edward, ascended the throne as King Edward VII. As with all ships built in the Province of Quebec prior to the acceptance of a unified Dominion shipping registry in 1874, ALEXANDRA did not receive an official number.
The company owned two freight barges, the ALPHA and BETA which were built in 1866 at Lachine and in 1871 at Quebec respectively. They were used primarily to carry potash to the glass factories at Como and Hudson, and were towed by ALEXANDRA and by MAUDE, the latter being another sidewheel towboat built in 1871 by Cantin.
In 1873 the Ottawa River Navigation Company sold ALEXANDRA to the Ontario and Quebec Navigation Company Ltd. of Picton, a firm operated by the Hepburn Brothers. The Hepburns were well known in the Picton area and operated a large number of passenger and freight steamers on the Bay of Quinte. It appears that ALEXANDRA was used by them as a towboat for the first decade of their ownership but then she passed on to bigger and better things.
By the advent of the eighties, A. W. Hepburn saw that another passenger steamer was needed for the company's service to the St. Lawrence and accordingly ALEXANDRA was despatched to the Cantin yard in 1883. There she was lengthened to 173.7 feet, broadened to 31.0 feet and deepened to 8.4 feet, her tonnage being altered to 863 Gross and 508 Net in the process. She was rebuilt as a combination passenger and package freight carrier and was reregistered as a new vessel because of the extensive rebuild she had received, her new official number being 85768. In addition, she was renamed (b) ALEXANDRIA, the new name being more suitable since it honoured the town of Alexandria Bay which is located on the upper St. Lawrence River.
ALEXANDRIA was now a two-decked nightboat and was quite modern in appearance for her time. She was placed on Hepburn's service from Rochester and Picton to Montreal and Quebec, a five-day round trip costing the grand sum of $16.00. She was scheduled to sail from Picton every Monday at 1:00 p.m. In the fall, when passenger traffic dwindled, she often carried apples and cheese from Brighton to Montreal. Her winters were spent at the Hepburn shipyard on Picton harbour.
ALEXANDRIA served Hepburn on this route for three full decades and became a regular fixture of Picton harbour. Then in 1913 there came the last of a long series of amalgamations amongst Canadian vessel operators that resulted in the formation of Canada Steamship Lines Ltd., Montreal. Hepburn's Ontario and Quebec Navigation Company Ltd. was one of the eight companies which on June 11, 1913 were merged with the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company Ltd. and from this merger appeared the giant C.S.L.
As might be expected, the merger resulted in the new company inheriting not only a superfluity of elderly vessels but also a number of routes whose economic viability was open to question. The C.S.L. management embarked upon a ruthless process of "rationalization" and the result was that many of the older wooden vessels began to fall by the wayside. One of these was ALEXANDRIA which by now was becoming a bit of an anachronism amongst the modern steel steamers. She was relegated to the status of spare boat and saw very little use over the next two years.
But in 1915 ALEXANDRIA was pressed into service to fill in on the Montreal-Toronto package freight route. It would probably have been better had she stayed in lay-up, the way things turned out, but out she came, just in time to hit one of those dirty southeasterly blows that from time to time rear their ugly heads to plague Lake Ontario sailors.
On August 3rd, 1915, a Tuesday, ALEXANDRIA was upbound for Toronto and once out on the open lake she ran into just such a storm. Capt. Bloomfield decided to push on for Toronto in the hope that ALEXANDRIA would hold together long enough to make her destination in safety, but it was not to be. With only 300 tons of cargo aboard, she was riding high in the water and was easy prey for the raging wind and the heavy seas. Her 50 horsepower was simply not enough to hold her on her course and she was pushed further and further towards the lee shore. With the light of Toronto's Eastern Gap in sight, she finally lost her battle and the tired old "Alex" came in on the sands close underneath the Scarborough Bluffs, the high shoreline east of the city.
It wasn't long before those aboard the steamer and the many spectators that lined the Bluffs realized that ALEXANDRIA was doomed. The seas rolling in to shore soon began to dismantle the vessel and once she started to go she wasn't long about it. The hull began to break up about 8:00 p.m. when about 50 feet of the bow broke off. The crew then took to the boats and although these were quickly swamped, all the men reached shore by midnight with the assistance of lifelines rigged from the beach. Just about the time the last man reached shore, the stern section of the ship separated away from the wreck and broke up.
The following morning, only the midship section of the steamer was still visible, the rest having been dispersed along the shoreline as wreckage. ALEXANDRIA had been pushed very close inshore during the night and now she lay facing in a westerly direction and listing over on her port side. The cabin had been badly smashed by the waves and the top section of the funnel had disappeared over the side. Her cargo of pickles and canned vegetables had been washed away and it is said that residents along the shore as far west as Ward's Island stocked their shelves for the winter with supplies that came ashore from the stricken steamer. No doubt a few opportunists used her planking to build new sheds.
Succeeding storms soon broke up what was left of ALEXANDRIA's woodwork and all that remained above water was the walking beam and the upper portion of the boiler, these being quite visible, especially at times of low water. For over twenty years these relics were a feature of the eastern shoreline and many were the east-end children who used the walking beam as a diving platform. But in due course, with the high water and the erosion of the shoreline, the last visible remains of ALEXANDRIA disappeared from sight and local residents were left with their memories of the stormy night that "Alex" came ashore.
But the death of ALEXANDRIA brought life to yet another of the retired C.S.L. steamers. BELLEVILLE was an iron-hulled passenger and freight vessel which had been built back in 1865 as SPARTAN. She too had been laid up after the 1913 merger and had even been stripped in preparation for dismantling. But with the loss of ALEXANDRIA she was refitted and brought back to service for the Montreal-Toronto run and, in fact, managed to last for another eight years of operation.
And still ALEXANDRIA had not come to the end of her useful existence. In 1922 the Western Reserve Navigation Company was refitting the old sidewheeler HURON, (a) DARIUS COLE, which they renamed (c) COLONIAL for their cross-Lake Erie service. She needed new wheels and her owners set out to search for a pair of feathering wheels which might be suitable. They found them in Lake Ontario off the Scarborough Bluffs and an expedition under the leadership of the late Capt. Frank E. Hamilton was despatched to Toronto. In due course the ALEXANDRIA's wheels (which some years before had been redesigned by James Fennell of Cherry Valley, Prince Edward County) were brought to the surface. After reconditioning, they were placed aboard COLONIAL and there they served until September 1st, 1926 when the 41-year-old vessel was destroyed by fire on Lake Erie off Barcelona, New York.
Forty-nine years was a good long life for a. wooden steamer like ALEXANDRIA, but the old lady must have set some kind of a record by giving life to another vessel seven years after her own demise.
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Eva Chittenden, MD
Director of Educational Programs
About Eva Chittenden, MD
Eva Chittenden, MD is a general internist and is the Director of Educational Programs in the MGH Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine, which she joined in 2008. Prior, she was Associate Director of the Palliative Care Service at the University of California, San Francisco, where she developed educational programs for medical students, residents and nurse practitioners. Her main interests in palliative care have been resident, medical student and hospitalist education, code status and advance directive discussions, and the use of reflection in clinical practice. Prior to UCSF, she worked for two years on the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona and for two years at Alameda County Medical Center, an inner city public hospital in Oakland, California. She is originally from New York City, and did her medical training and residency at Harvard Medical School and Boston's Beth Israel Hospital.
"I love the mix of medical, emotional, and spiritual issues that come up when working with people and families struggling with life-threatening illness. I work with a wonderful and diverse team of providers, oversee educational programs that encourage learners to see beyond the traditional medical model, and continue to grow myself in both emotional and intellectual domains. What could be more fulfilling?"
Inpatient and outpatient palliative Care
MD, Harvard Medical School
Residency, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Railroad Medicare - ACD
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Moody Chisholm, CEO of St. Vincent's @ JU Public Policy
April 5, 2014 2 comments Print Article
Moody Chisholm does not hold back when he suggests "that we expand coverage in a meaningful way...". He is unabashed in his opinion, Florida should take the available federal funding for healthcare. This talk was given at JU Public Policy's Health Care Conference on November 13, 2013.
Link to Moody Chisholm's power point.
Moody Chisholm, CEO, St. Vincent’s HealthCare
Moody Chisholm is the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent’s HealthCare. St. Vincent’s HealthCare is the Jacksonville Ministry of Ascension Health, serving the community with nearly 5,000 associates and 1,000 physicians. St. Vincent’s ministries include St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside, St. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside, St. Catherine Labouré Manor, St. Vincent’s Primary Care and Physician Enterprise, Consolidated Laboratory and Pharmacy Services, ambulance services, and Outreach mobile health ministries that serve a 5-county region.
Prior to joining St. Vincent’s, Mr. Chisolm was with Universal Health Services for 24 years, advancing to Vice President of the Acute Care Division of the company with responsibility both as CEO and as the regional leader for multiple hospitals. He was recognized with various leadership awards from Universal Health Services, as well as awards for charitable and community leadership over his tenure in hospitals in Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Louisiana. Moody has been elected to the first class of Ascension Health’s Leadership Academy. He holds a BS in Hospital Administration and a BS in Economics from Appalachian State University and a Masters degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.
Moody sees St. Vincent’s HealthCare as having significant opportunities for growth and for enhanced service within the greater Jacksonville and Clay County areas and is committed to being an active part of both communities.
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Committee Will Study Respiratory Diseases Related to Military Burn Pits, Dust
Master Sgt. Darryl Sterling tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit in Balad, Iraq in 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo/Julianne Showalter)
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine panel has launched a study on the respiratory effects of burn pits and other pollution encountered by U.S. troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
The planned 21-month review marks the second time a National Academies committee has explored the subject: in 2011, a group of physicians and scientists, under what was known then as the Institute of Medicine, concluded there was insufficient evidence to link troops' illnesses to exposure to burn pit smoke at Joint Base Balad in Iraq.
That committee found that the level of pollutants at Balad were not higher than those measured at other polluted sites in the world and concluded that other sources of pollution, such as particulate matter and metals found in dust in the region, may have contributed to troops' long-term health problems.
The new committee, which includes just one member from the 2011 group, will review all available scientific and medical research on burn pits and airborne hazards and related illnesses. It will then evaluate and summarize them and make recommendations as warranted to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which requested the study.
More than 173,000 U.S. troops and veterans have enrolled in the VA's Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry since 2014, when the database was established. The volunteer registry includes service members who worked or lived near burn pits or other pollution sources while deployed in the Middle East since August 1990 and in Afghanistan or Djibouti since Sept. 11, 2001.
Related: What Is the Burn Pit Registry?
Thousands of these troops say they have illnesses caused by the open-air pits, which were used to incinerate refuse of all types: household trash, batteries, plastic bottles, computer parts, medical waste, and chemicals, among other things.
More than 250 burn pits were used in Iraq and Afghanistan, the largest being nearly 10 acres across at Joint Base Balad. That pit was in use 24 hours a day.
While the National Academies review will focus on respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, constrictive bronchiolitis and lung cancer, veterans have many other illnesses they believe are related to burn pits that haven't been addressed in research such as brain cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and soft tissue sarcomas.
DoD and VA to Host Closed-Door Conference on Burn Pits
Iraq Vets are Becoming Terminally Ill and Burn Pits May be to Blame
House Unanimously Passes Bill to Improve Burn Pit Registry
Burn Pits 360, an advocacy group for affected veterans, has documented 130 deaths in its membership believed to be related to toxic exposure. Nearly 100 members have been diagnosed with brain cancers including glioblastoma, a relatively rare disease in persons below age 45. An additional 139 have skin cancer and an additional 116 have lymphoma.
From June 2007 to Nov. 30, 2018, the VA processed 11,581 disability compensation claims that included a burn pit component. Of those, 2,318 burn-pit related claims were approved.
According to Curt Cashour, the VA’s spokesman, the department continues to evaluate burn pit-related claims on a case-by-case basis. But that could change with Congress this year renewing its focus on burn pits and other environmental exposures encountered by troops, such as fine particles of dust in the war zones found to contain high levels of lead, chromium, iron and other metals, depleted uranium, chemicals, nerve agents and more.
Leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees have said they want to hear more about these exposures and are looking at the VA's process for adding diseases to the list of conditions the department presumes are related to military service -- a designation that automatically qualifies a veteran with such a condition for health care and disability compensation.
Eleven veterans and military family organizations, including Veterans of Foreign Wars, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the Reserve Officers Association and Wounded Warrior Project, have made burn pit and toxic exposure issues a top legislative priority this year.
The National Academies panel has not announced any public meetings for its review. It is expected to provide a final report to VA by the end of 2020.
-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime.
Related Topics: Military Headlines Veterans Health Care Iraq War Afghanistan War Veteran Benefits
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Hello and welcome to the First Official Newsletter for Minotaur Theatre Company’s 2014 Edinburgh Fringe performance, The Psychosocial Gathering.
WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 >
This week, we’re going to talk about fundraising. We’ve had a busy few weeks planning and organising events around the University of East Anglia, and we’re not done yet! We’ll go through what we’ve achieved so far, and give you a sneak peek into the plans that are yet to come. Thank you anyone who has donated so far, hopefully, in the coming weeks, we’ll be able to show you how your money has been put to use.
Taking a show to the Fringe costs a lot of money. To give you an idea, the venue alone costs over £2,500, and that’s not including publicity costs, costume, set or props. For a student-run Theatre Company, which is entirely self-funded, it poses a huge challenge. But it’s not one we’re going to shy away from! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Minotaur Committees (this year and last) who have supported and helped our project from the start.
We’ve organised plenty of successful fundraisers over the last few weeks:
Baking and cake sales
Every week, we banded together, baked some cakes, cookies and other confectionaries and took to the Students Union to sell them to the students.
Variety Night
Working alongside another Minotaur production, Jerusalem, we hosted a variety night. We saw singers, guitarists and comedy in this eclectic night of entertainment.
Whose Line has become an annual event here at UEA, and it only gets better. This year, UEA Comedy Society (Headlights) joined in the fun once more, and participated in the three-team comedy faceoff and won! Congratulations to them and thanks again for helping out.
Murder May
What would you do if everyone you knew could be out to kill you? Well, that’s what happened throughout May at UEA this year. Most of the Drama Students revealed their dark side when they were given an object, a location and the name of one of their friends. Get all three together and you ‘kill’ them. Congratulations to Ciara Morris, who ruled as the best serial murderer we had this year.
24-Hour Plays and 1-Page Plays
These two quick-fire performances gave way to comedy, fun and a very enjoyable two nights of entertainment. There were plays written, rehearsed and performed in 24-hours and plays, no longer than a page, performed one after the other, in a fast-paced night.
"Barry" by Tom O’Sullivan, performed by Scott Brown
A huge thank you goes to both of these people, who helped us raise some extra money by performing this monologue within the UEA Drama Studio. We hope you had as much fun rehearsing and performing it as we all had watching!
As you may have noticed, our Wefund Page hit its target within two weeks of us signing it off as live. It’s incredible and a true testament to your generosity. Of course, the more money we make, the better the show will be on the day, so if you know anyone who might be interested in donating pass on our details, or if you would like to raise any of your donations please do! We’ve updated the page recently with our new Trailer, so if you haven’t seen it, now’s the perfect opportunity.
Your money will help us buy all of the essential props, costumes and set pieces that will make our performance truly one of a kind. In a conversation with the Writer, Sam Masters, we learnt that the set will consist of a sofa, some cupboards, a table and a multitude of props. It might not sound glamorous, but we couldn’t do the performance without them. We also learnt that there we’re going to have to craft a small puppet for the performance – I’m sure you’ll be able to see it progress from a concept to a creation in the coming weeks.
Another exciting development over for us is the redesign of the website, thanks to Ed Dyer, our Production Manager. He took it upon himself to revamp the site, add in information about Minotaur Productions over the last three years and make it a site we can be proud of. If you have a spare few minutes, please check out the new website: www.minotaurtheatre.co.uk and even send us a comment through the Contact Page!
Don’t forget to check your emails for a message from us when you first donated. If you have any outstanding prop suggestions, addresses for signed posters or dates for reserved tickets, please let us know and we can sort something out for you. If your reward includes tickets to the Norwich Preview performance, we’re happy to announce that it will be taking place at 6.30pm on Thursday 24th July in Union House 1.28.
That’s all for this week, we’ll see you next time when we’ll start looking into characters of The Psychosocial Gathering! Director, Martha Geelan, and Writer, Sam Masters, have been working hard over the last few days to create a solid rehearsal schedule so we make the best show we can and we can’t wait to tell you all about it. See you then!
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Victoria Chernyak, MD
Radiology, Abdominal Imaging
Montefiore Advanced Imaging
200 East Gun Hill Road
Montefiore Medical Group-Grand Concourse
2532 Grand Concourse
Montefiore Greene Medical Arts Pavilion
Montefiore Medical Group-Bronx East
2300 Westchester Avenue
Montefiore Medical Park at 1500 Blondell
1500 Blondell Avenue
Montefiore Medical Park at 1625 Poplar
Montefiore Medical Group-Cross County
Yonkers, NY 10704-1044
Montefiore Weiler Hospital
Professor, Radiology and Urology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Administrative Title
Interim Director, Abdominal Imaging; Director, Abdominal MRI
Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), abdominal and pelvic conditions, liver, prostate and pelvic floor disorders
Hepatocellular carcinoma imaging, prostate cancer imaging
View Dr. Chernyak's publications on Pubmed
Victoria Chernyak MD, MS, FSAR is Interim Chief of Abdominal Imaging in the Department of Radiology and Director of Abdominal MRI at Montefiore. She is a Professor of Radiology and Urology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Chernyak’s clinical focus includes computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of various abdominal and pelvic conditions. She is particularly interested in MRIs of the liver, prostate and pelvic floor disorders.
Dr. Chernyak received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology at Rutgers University, graduating summa cum laude. She earned her Doctor of Medicine in 2001 from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, graduating as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Following graduation, she began an internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University Hospital of UMDNJ Newark. In 2006, she completed a residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Montefiore, earning an Outstanding Graduating Resident Award. Following that, she completed a fellowship in Abdominal MRI at Montefiore, and stayed on as a faculty since 2007. In 2014, Dr. Chernyak earned her Master of Science in Clinical Research in the Clinical Research Training Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Chernyak’s research focuses on the imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate cancer. She has had numerous original communications published in peer-reviewed journals, is currently a journal reviewer for the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Clinical Imaging, Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, European Radiology, European Journal of Radiology, Abdominal Imaging and Academic Radiology. Additionally, she is a an associate editor for Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a subject editor for the Gastrointestinal Imaging section of Clinical Imaging, and a member of the Oncology section of the Scientific Editorial Board for European Radiology.
An active invited speaker regionally, nationally and internationally, Dr. Chernyak is a member of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), Society of Computed Body Tomography & Magnetic Resonance (SCBT-MR) and the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR). She is a Vice Chair of ACR’s Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) Steering Committee, and a Vice Chair of SAR Disease Focus Panel on Pelvic Floor Imaging. In 2006, she won the Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award, Department of Radiology from Montefiore.
Dr. Chernyak has been board certified in Diagnostic Radiology since 2006.
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Head excited over academy 'challenge'
THE recently appointed principal of the Ark Academy has spoken of her excitement at landing the top job at the brand new Wembley school.
In her first interview since being appointed headteacher at the school in Forty Avenue, Wembley, Delia Smith OBE told the Observer her plans for its future.
The secondary school opens in September 2010 admitting its first 180 year 7 pupils.
Half of the places will be reserved for children from Stonebridge and Harlesden and half from Wembley.
Mrs Smith said: "Most of the main school is up now. The new year 7 pupils will be setting the tone of the school. All eyes will be on them. We will be setting a very high standard and are in the process of choosing the new uniforms at the moment, probably be grey blazers with maroon piping with kilts and trousers. It is all very exciting."
Until joining Ark Academy Mrs Smith was headteacher of St Angela’s Ursuline School, in Forest Gate, east London for sixteen years, having earlier been a teacher and an inspector of schools.
She was awarded an OBE for services to education in 2008.
She said: "This is a complete new start up in the borough. It is brand new and we have to get the team right.
"In the first year we shall be looking for experienced teachers. We are going to be the starting model for future years."
Controversy has surrounded the specialist maths academy for years and many residents opposed it being built on the Wembley Park site.
But as the new principal, Mrs Smith, who originally hails from Ealing, said it is important to reassure the community that it will benefit the borough.
She said: "I know there were many people against the academy but I think parents are pro it. There is a need for a school. We are on good transport lines, right next to Wembley Park Tube Station. We can serve the whole borough.
"It is my job to allay the fears of local residents. We won't be letting pupils out at lunch time. They won't be roaming the streets.
"Our pupils will be hard working, articulate and will follow the school's motto 'Civitas' - to be a good citizen and to carry out good work."
Academies are publicly funded, independently governed schools. Each academy has a financial sponsor, in this case it is the charitable organisation ARK Academies, and is run by agreement with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) on behalf of the Government. The DCFS funds the full running costs of the Ark Academy, which will be inspected within 18 months of opening.
Mrs Smith said: "Being a headteacher is difficult. Everything is a challenge. We need to write the curriculum and recruit excellent teachers. It is not magic running a school. It is hard work.
“I have worked in north London, south London and east London. It is now time I come back over west."
The Only Way Is EssexMick Norcross from The Only Way is Essex has died aged 57The father of Kirk Norcross ran popular nightclub Sugar Hut
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You are here: HomenextPeoplenextLay PeoplenextSurnames beginning with SnextSedman, Ann (nee Wigginton) (1836-1909)
Sedman, Ann (nee Wigginton) (1836-1909)
Transcription of obituary published in the Primitive Methodist Magazine
MRS. ANN SEDMAN, of Pickering, was one of those kindly women whose character and service contribute the best elements in church life. A native of Pickering, she died in the town of her birth on April 14th, 1909, in her seventy-second year. Ailing for years, she resolutely fought against oncoming weakness, and sat up even the day the end came. Originally a Wesleyan, she joined the Primitive Methodists on her marriage with Christopher Sedman, the respected society steward of Pickering Church. She took an intense interest in all that concerned the cause, and without her home ministry her husband would never have been able to devote the time he has done to church affairs. Almost her last concern was for the four delegates she had promised to entertain at the forthcoming District Meeting, which, however, she did not live to see.
Amid every token of esteem the remains were laid to rest in the Pickering Cemetery, after a memorial service in the chapel conducted by Rev. T. Graham.
Ann was born abt1836 at Pickering, Yorkshire, to parents James, a hairdresser (1851), and Sarah. She was baptised on 15 November 1836 at Pickering.
Ann kept house for her father, who died in 1886, before her marriage.
She married Christopher Sedman (1837-1917), a hatter & hosier (1891), in early 1887 at Hartlepool, Durham.
Ann died on 14 April 1909 at Pickering, Yorkshire.
Surnames beginning with S
Sadler, Elizabeth (nee Belmont) (1813-1904)
Sadler, Ellen (1805-1837)
Sadler, Ephraim (abt1773-1853)
Sadler, John (1806-1871)
Sage, James
Sampson, Elizabeth (nee Beckerleg) (1816-1909)
Sampson, Frank Ernest (1867-1946)
Sampson, Hannah (nee Nock) (1831-1903)
Sampson, William of West Shefford Berkshire
Sanderson, William (1834-1901)
Sant, George (1841-1906)
Saul, Esther (nee Thornborrow) (1838-1864)
Saul, Eva Elizabeth (1860-1892)
Saul, Isabella (nee Hope) (1834-1899)
Saul, Mary (nee Wadsworth) (1832-1855)
Saunderson, Robert Vickers (1836-1913)
Saxon, Aaron (1840-1917)
Saxton, James (1832-1911)
Saxton, Martha (nee Hoades) (1840-1906)
Sayer, John (abt1826-1911)
Sayers, Thomas (1847-1897)
Sayle, John Henry (1856-1931)
Scammels, William James (1849-1921)
Schofield, Alfred (1864-1942)
Schofield, Edward (1844-1923)
Schofield, Thomas (1800-1880)
Scofield, Hannah (1806-1837)
Scott, Augustus Frederic (1854-1936)
Scott, Elizabeth (nee Eastwood) (1823-1902)
Scott, James (1822-1913)
Scott, Thomas (1819-1899)
Scribbans, Mary (1781-1853)
Seaton, Matthew (1838-1915)
Selby, John (1838-1898)
Sellers, Ann (nee Beck) (1845-1905)
Sellers, George Henry (1850-1917)
Semper, Mary Ann (nee Dabb) (1835-1901)
Semper, William (1832-1902)
Sewell, Elizabeth Smith (1876-1900)
Sewell, William (1839-1919)
Sharp, Richard (1863-1941)
Sharpe, Henry (1834-1909)
Sharpe, Joe (1839-1908)
Sharpe, Mary Margaret (1864-1915)
Shaw, Albert J.P. C.C. (1867-1924)
Shaw, Alderman Joseph (Abt1841-1911)
Sheale, Louisa Marianne (Marian) (nee Burbridge) (1836-1906)
Sheen, Arthur Septimus (1863-1937)
Sheen, Fortune (nee Gwillim) (1819-1903)
Shenton, Elizabeth Ann (nee Reddish) (1843-1902)
Shenton, Walter (1859-1906)
Shepherd, Elizabeth (1793-1853)
Shield, Jonathan (1840-1917)
Shimwell, Hannah (nee Panting) (1808-1830)
Shinkfield, Martha (1772-1836)
Shipley, Thomas (1822-1902)
Short, Percy (1859-1932)
Shucksmith, Thomas (1828-1909)
Shutt, Jane (nee Annakin) (1843-1910)
Sidebotham, Henry (1841-1909)
Silby, Charles (1809-1838)
Silvester, John (1774-1869)
Simmons, John (1817-1903)
Simons, Mary (1772-1836)
Simpkin, Thomas (1829-1899)
Simpkins, James (1820-1902)
Simpson, Adam Clarke (1857-1927)
Simpson, Councillor Richard (1831-1905)
Simpson, James (b1833)
Sims, Elizabeth (1754-1837)
Sims, John (1787-1837)
Sipling, Alfred Ernest (1861-1940 )
Sissons, Isaac (abt1838-1922)
Sivil, James (1863-1928)
Sixsmith, William (1841-1907)
Sizer, Thomas Richard (1866-1916)
Skidmore, Henry (1811-83)
Skinner, Harry (1868-1954)
Skinner, James (1864-1942)
Slater, Elizabeth (nee Kershaw) (1837-1904)
Slater, Ellen (nee Holland) (1849-1903)
Slater, George Ernest (1868-1942)
Slater, James
Slater, James (1849-1927)
Slater, John (1837-1909)
Small, John
Smalley, Mary (nee Howard) (1828-1899)
Smart, Henry (1853-1941)
Smith, Alfred
Smith, Alfred John (1858-1939)
Smith, Andrew (1846-1913)
Smith, Benjamin (1849-1920)
Smith, David (abt1826-1911)
Smith, Edward (1820-1907)
Smith, Elizabeth (1784-1837)
Smith, Elizabeth (nee Birch) (1819-1904)
Smith, Emma (nee Carter) (1865-1907)
Smith, George (abt1825-1902)
Smith, George of Coalville
Smith, Henry Valentine (1857-1908)
Smith, Herbert (1885-1914)
Smith, James (1824-1901)
Smith, James J.P. (1828-1904)
Smith, John (1824-1901)
Smith, John Blackie (1851-1923)
Smith, Joseph (1846-1916)
Smith, Mary (nee Barnett) (1819-1899)
Smith, Mary (nee Chesman) (1830-1903)
Smith, Mary Robson (nee Jobling) (1840-1903)
Smith, Priscilla (nee Gaukrodger) (1810-1899)
Smith, Reuben (1854-1915)
Smith, Robert Bruce (1825-1914)
Smith, Robert Cross (1868-1907)
Smith, Sarah (nee Birchall) 1766-1822, of Englesea Brook
Smith, Sarah (nee Crossley) (1829-1908)
Smith, Sophia Elizabeth (1859-1905)
Smith, William (1841-1901)
Smith, William (abt1865-1909)
Smithson, Henry (1835-1908)
Smithson, William George A.R.I.B.A. (1860-1949)
Snowden, Cooper (1838-1901)
Snowden, Ethel, nee Annakin (1881-1951)
Snowdon, Thomas Garner (1831-1907)
Softley, William (b abt1840)
Souter, Mary (1768-1738)
South, Thomas William (1854-1908)
Sowrey, George Oddy (1841-1917)
Speed, Henry (1853-1940)
Spence, John (1816-1890)
Spencer, George (1830-1922)
Spencer, Joseph William (1872-1937)
Spencer, Thomas (1856-1923)
Spenser, William (1805-1837)
Spensley, Jane (nee Kenyon) (1833-1899)
Spibey, Freda (nee Bridge) 1914-2010
Spink, William (1842-1930)
Spivey, Maria (nee Newton) (1839-1902)
Spooner, Charles Burch (1813-1908)
Spoor, Benjamin (1822-1879)
Spoor, Ferdinand (1825-1894)
Spoor, John Joseph (Joe) (1852-1931)
Spring, Elizabeth (nee Winfield) (1821-1899)
Stableforth, William Parkinson (1850-1904)
Stabler, Emily (nee Fenn) (1841-1920)
Stabler, Jane (nee Linton) (1849-1909)
Stacey, Mary (nee Carden, nee Kirby) (1822-1897)
Stacey, Thomas (1841-1926)
Stafford, Amanda (nee Winder) (1851-1906)
Standrin, Susannah (nee Flitcroft) (1827-1861)
Stanley, Albert M.P. (1862-1915)
Stanton, J.
Starling, William (1847-1907)
Statham, Anna (nee Beaven) (1842-1906)
Steel, David (1843-1906)
Steele, James (abt1765 -1827)
Steele, Mary (nee Hunter) (1803-1834)
Stephens, Martha (nee Dodd) (1845-1915)
Stephenson, John (1845-1907)
Stephenson, Richard (1844-1916)
Stephenson, Seth George (1843-1902)
Stephenson, William (1847-1909)
Stevens, Charles Martin (1829-1904)
Stevens, George (1846-1905)
Stevens, Mrs
Stewart, Thomas (1842-1907)
Stillman, John (1831-1908)
Stobbs, Stephenson (1839-1912)
Stockbridge, Mary (nee Tapley, nee Wilson) (1815-1908)
Stocks, Ann (nee Tipling) (1826-1907)
Stocks, Richard (1826-1909)
Stoker, William (1843-1903)
Stone, Mary Elizabeth (nee Hobson) (1833-1904)
Stone, William Alfred David (1898-1919)
Stones, William (1814-1903)
Storer, Ruth Ellen (1895-1961)
Storr, Frances Bradley (1893-1970)
Story, George (1864-1909)
Stout, Ann (nee Gale) (1824-1907)
Strafford, James (1845-1913)
Stranks, Joseph (1843-1919)
Stratford, Joseph (1857-1907)
Strawson, Charles (1843-1924)
Streeton, Lavinia (nee Mortimer) (1834-1901)
Stringer, Edward Charles (b abt1859)
Stubbings, Ada Laura (1877-1901)
Stubbs, Mary (nee Whitehouse) (1815-1902)
Stubbs, Pheobe (nee Eades) (1851-1908)
Stubbs, William (1824-1911)
Summersgill, Mary Ann (nee Jefferson) (1841-1919)
Sutcliffe, John (1829-1914)
Swaby, William (1836-1921)
Swain, William (1779-1837)
Swan, John (1858-1942)
Swann, Thomas (1838-1906)
Sweeper, Joseph (1834-1911)
Swindell, Theophilus Witter J.P. (1850-1930)
Sworn, Elizabeth (1790-1837)
Sykes, Joseph (1846-1924)
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David Hamilton on Kindness in the Pandemic Age
May 29, 2020 ● By Sandra Yeyati
David Hamilton has authored 10 books, including The Little Book of Kindness, How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body and The Five Side Effects of Kindness. He holds a doctorate in organic chemistry and spent four years in the pharmaceutical industry developing drugs for treating cardiovascular disease and cancer. During clinical research trials, he noticed that a significant number of people experienced health improvements while on fake, or placebo, drugs. This inspired a career change more than 20 years ago, when he became a writer and public speaker teaching people how to understand and harness the mind-body connection to improve health.
Have you noticed an increase in kindness during the current pandemic emergency?
I think so. In the past, you said things like, “Hello, how are you?” as a greeting. But now, when people say it, they really mean it. There’s a sense of genuine compassion that I think is coming out in everyone on a scale that I’ve never seen before. We’re feeling empathy for people that are suffering, but also feeling empathy for each other, because we realize that everyone is in a similar place.
How do you explain this upsurge in kindness during social distancing and isolation?
We are genetically wired for kindness. The genes that produce the kindness hormone are some of the oldest in the human genome, like 500 million years old. So, our natural state is to care, to be kind and compassionate. But in life, we get caught up in everyday stresses and worries—financially, work-wise and in relationships—that often obscure that natural tendency to care. When a lot of that stuff is taken away, people’s natural sense of kindness and compassion come to the surface.
Do you see an opportunity for a shift in collective consciousness?
Absolutely. We’ve been called to unify, to recognize that we are part of the same human family. There’s a global outpouring of compassion. We’re transforming, becoming more aware of our own kindness and the needs of other people.
On another level, I saw a meme that said, “It feels like the universe has sent us home to our rooms to think about what we’ve done.” There’s research that correlates an increase in viruses and parasites over the last couple of years to a loss in biodiversity due to human action, like knocking down rain forests and human-induced climate change. Species extinctions are 1,000 to 10,000 times greater today than they’ve ever been in recorded history, except for 65 million years ago when an asteroid crashed into the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. Parasites, viruses and bacteria have nowhere else to go, so they’re jumping species, from bats to humans, for example. We’re being called spiritually not only to be more compassionate and kind to each other, but also to recognize the damage we’re doing to the planet and to be more respectful of nature, the environment and animals.
What are the positive physical effects of kindness?
Physiologically speaking, kindness is the opposite of stress. Where feeling stressed can increase blood pressure, tense the nervous system and suppress the immune system, feelings induced by kindness reduce blood pressure, calm the nervous system and elevate the immune system.
Are certain acts of kindness better than others?
It doesn’t matter what you do. What matters most is that you do it because you mean it; you genuinely have a sense of empathy and want to help someone. All of the physiological benefits of kindness come because the feelings induced by kindness generate what I call kindness hormones, the most important one being oxytocin, which is a female reproductive hormone that also plays a big role in cardiovascular health.
Can a small act of kindness really make a difference in the world?
Absolutely. It’s been charted scientifically that if you do something kind for somebody, that person will be kind or kinder to five other people over the next day or two because of how you made them feel. Those five people will be kind or kinder to five further people, which turns into 25 people, and each of those 25 will be kind to five people, which takes it to 125 people’s lives that can be changed and affected in small and large ways three social steps away from you simply because of one tiny little thing you did.
Sandra Yeyati is a freelance writer in Naples, Florida. Connect at [email protected]
In-Print, Wise Words Feature National Content Coronavirus June 2020
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Home > Audio & Video > Books on CD >
Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World (CD)
By: Matthieu Ricard
Author: Matthieu Ricard
Description About the author
In Happiness, Matthieu Ricard demonstrated that true happiness is not tied to fleeting moments or sensations but is an enduring state of soul rooted in mindfulness and compassion for others. Now he turns his lens from the personal to the global with a rousing argument that altruism -- genuine concern for the well-being of others -- could be the saving grace of the twenty-first century. It is, he believes, the vital thread that can answer the main challenges of our time: the economy in the short term, life satisfaction in the mid-term, and environment in the long term. Ricard's message has been taken up by major economists and thinkers, including Dennis Snower, Amartya Sen, Joseph Stiglitz, and George Soros.
Matthieu Ricard makes a robust and passionate case for cultivating altruistic love and compassion as the best means for simultaneously benefitting ourselves and our society. It's a fresh outlook on an ardent struggle -- and one that just might make the world a better place.
Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World, Matthieu Ricard, Hachette Audio and Blackstone Audio, 2015, 24 CDs, 30 hours, $50.00
- Ricard has been featured in Time, Self, O Magazine, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine.
- Ricard has served as interpreter for the Dalai Lama and also works with many influential thinkers within the scientific community, including Brian Greene and Daniel Goleman.
- With his father, Jean Francois Revel, Ricard co-authored the French bestseller The Monk and the Philosopher, which was translated into 21 languages. He also co-authored the 2001 book The Quantum and the Lotus with astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan.
Related Products....
Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World
By: Matthieu Ricard Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill, Audio CDs
Audio & Video > Books on CD
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Federal government appoints three new bilingual NEB members
By Elizabeth McSheffrey & The Canadian Press | News, Energy, Politics | December 12th 2016
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr has appointed three new bilingual members to the National Energy Board. File photo by Mike De Souza
The federal government has appointed three new bilingual members to the National Energy Board (NEB) in a move that could get the stalled Energy East pipeline review back on track.
The temporary appointments by Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr fill a void left when the previous panel examining TransCanada Corp.’s proposed 4,500−kilometre pipeline stepped down in September due to perceptions of a potential conflict of interest. Peter Watson, the NEB's chair and chief executive officer, also recused himself from choosing the next panel over the same conflict concerns.
Carr did not specifically name the new members — one each from New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec — to the Energy East review panel because it’s up to the acting chair of the NEB to assign duties. But the government news release Monday pointedly noted the two men and one woman are all qualified to be considered for the pipeline review.
"The National Energy Board now has all the temporary members they need," Carr told reporters outside of the House of Commons on Monday. "They will determine — because they are, after all, (at) arm’s length from government — what panels they’ll appear on. So we’ve now appointed seven (temporary members). I’m very pleased about these three all fluently bilingual from Ontario, New Brunswick and Quebec and now it will be up to the National Energy Board to determine how they’ll be deployed."
Charest affair prompted panel recusals
The three new members are Don Ferguson of New Brunswick, Carole Malo from Ontario and Marc Paquin of Quebec.
Pandemic a roller-coaster ride for this restaurateur
The NEB did not have any bilingual members available to step in and pursue the review when its Energy East panel stepped down due to evidence uncovered by National Observer that two of them had met privately with a paid TransCanada consultant, former Quebec premier Jean Charest. So the government began a job search for new panel members that the Board could appoint for the review of Energy East.
TransCanada said in a statement that it was not its place to comment on the process.
"We will await further instructions from the NEB on what the next steps will be," spokesman Tim Duboyce said in an email to National Observer.
But André Bélisle, president of Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique, a Quebec environmental group, says any new Energy East panel will have no credibility if it is allowed to proceed without major reforms to the NEB.
André Bélisle, president of the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique, attends a climate change rally in Montreal on Oct. 3, 2016. Photo by Mike De Souza
In an interview, Bélisle said that evidence uncovered in recent months by National Observer shows that the Board was actively developing a strategy to convince Quebec residents to accept the project, instead of leading an objective review. He added that all of these matters need to be investigated before a new panel begins its work.
“The review (of Energy East) is unacceptable as long as there is no public inquiry," Bélisle said.
Carr made the announcement in a news release that was issued after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had concluded a news conference with reporters on Monday morning.
Several environmental groups have called for the hearings to start from scratch, but Carr said it would be up to the NEB to decide how to proceed since it is independent from the government.
"I don't think it would be appropriate for me to say to the National Energy Board that I have a preference," Carr said. "The hearings will be run by the Board, as they should be. They now have the resources they need to have to do a proper job. That was the government's responsibility that we discharged today."
What you need to know about the new panelists:
Don Ferguson is a public servant with 35 years of experience, and the current chief strategy officer at the New Brunswick Institute of Research, Data and Training. He holds a bachelor of science in geology from the University of New Brunswick and an honorary doctorate in public administration from the Université de Moncton.
Carole Malo has worked in the development, procurement, and implementation of large energy and infrastructure projects — including pipelines — for 25 years, both in Canada and internationally. She currently runs her own consultancy firm, but has held senior roles in both the public and private sector for Hydro-Quebec, Project Finance, Infrastructure Ontario, and others.
Marc Paquin is a seasoned lawyer whose career has focused on sustainable development, environmental assessments, environmental law, public hearings, and corporate social responsibility. Since 2002, he has served as CEO of the UNISFÉRA International Centre, an independent think tank focused on governance, sustainability, corporate responsibility, climate change and international development.
A map of TransCanada's proposed Energy East pipeline route. Graphic provided by the National Energy Board
Largest oil pipeline ever proposed in Canada
Energy East is the largest pipeline project ever proposed in Canada, and if constructed, would cross nearly 3,000 waterways from Alberta to New Brunswick. It would ship up to 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day across six provinces.
Critics of the project argue that it could put the drinking water of five million Canadians at risk and violate indigenous land rights, while supporters believe it will create thousands of jobs, boost local economies, and get Albertan oil to tidewater.
Elizabeth McSheffrey
National Reporter
@emcsheff
Pipeline panel recuses itself, chairman reassigned from Energy East duties
By Mike De Souza | News, Energy, Politics | September 9th 2016
Ottawa appoints high-level adviser on Arctic spending needs
By Bob Weber | News | August 5th 2016
Quebec's Jean Charest had private meeting with pipeline watchdog after TransCanada hired him
By Mike De Souza | News, Energy | July 7th 2016
OK. The article shares
Public Interest | Mon, 12/12/2016 - 13:42
OK. The article shares information thought to be necessary to readers.
However, it merely regurgitates biased information already provided on the NEB website.
Other than being bilingual, and living in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, what are the "qualifications" of these newly appointed Board Members to sit on the Board and make the decisions of the necessary magnitude and import they are assigned to do? Another industry flunkie chosen. That pretty much loads the Board.
But where are the qualfied representatives from landowner and environmental groups?
Is the NEB afraid of the truth? In either language, c'est la même chose: La verité!
There can be NO "social license" or acting in the public interest, without the TRUTH being told, and decisions made without the biases and prejudices that current and newly named Members bring to the Board.
The NEB remains flawed, and needs to be replaced from the ground up, BEFORE any further deliberations on any outstanding issues.
Why has Carr chosen at least
Ian MacKenzie | Tue, 12/13/2016 - 13:49
Why has Carr chosen at least two of the three newbies whose most superficial involvements, past and present, reveal connections to oil interests. Are we to believe that there is such a paucity of Canadian multilingual talent that he has no choice? Or is the truth closer to the need to restack the deck with more of the same in order to gain a panel that is acceptable to the oil industry? My advice is to disband the existing NEB totally and replace it with a new panel chosen by a committee of COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT and UNBIASED, KNOWLEDGEABLE people who represent equally all federal parties and the same number of indigenous people.
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Monique A. Cenac
Sarah T. Hunt
Securities & SEC
SEC Adopts Amendments to Require Exhibit Hyperlinks in Registration Statements and Exchange Act Reports
On March 1, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rule amendments that require reporting companies to include an active hyperlink to each exhibit listed in the exhibit index, including those incorporated by reference from a previous SEC filing made on EDGAR in registration statements filed pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and periodic and current reports and registration statements filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act).
The rule amendments are intended to facilitate access to exhibits listed in an SEC filing’s exhibit index by allowing investors and other market participants to click a hyperlink that goes directly to exhibits included in the current filing, as well as those incorporated by reference to a previous SEC filing made on EDGAR, rather than requiring a search through the registrant’s prior filings to locate and access exhibits incorporated by reference.
Under the amended rules, registrants will be required to include an active hyperlink to each exhibit listed in the exhibit index in the registration statement or in the current or periodic report, whether or not the exhibit is included with the filing or incorporated by reference from a previous SEC filing made on EDGAR. With respect to registration statements, exhibit hyperlinks must be included in the initial registration statement and in each subsequent amendment thereto (including pre-effective amendments).
The amended rules apply to Securities Act registration statements and Exchange Act reports that are subject to the exhibit filing requirements under Item 601 of Regulation S-K.1 Foreign private issuers filing a Form F-10 or a Form 20-F will also be required to comply with the amended rules.
In addition, because the text-based American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format cannot support functional hyperlinks, the final rules also require companies to submit all filings subject to the rule amendments on EDGAR in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) format.
The exhibit hyperlink requirement will not apply to (1) exhibits filed with proxy statements, (2) exhibits filed with Form 6-K, (3) exhibits filed with the multi-jurisdictional disclosure system used by Canadian issuers, (4) exhibits filed with Form ABS-EE, (5) XBRL exhibits, or (6) exhibits filed in paper pursuant to a temporary or continuing hardship exemption under Rules 201 or 202 of Regulation S-T or pursuant to Rule 311 of Regulation S-T. In addition, the amended rules will not require registrants to refile electronically any exhibits that were previously filed only in paper form.
Under the amended rules, a registrant will be required to correct nonfunctioning or incorrect hyperlinks by filing a pre-effective amendment for a registration statement that is not yet effective or for effective registration statements or Exchange Act reports, in the next Exchange Act periodic report that requires or includes an exhibit pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K (or, for foreign private issuers, pursuant to Forms 20-F or F-10) or by filing a post-effective amendment to the registration statement. The SEC has clarified that an inaccurate hyperlink alone will not render a filing materially deficient, nor will it affect a registrant’s eligibility to use short-form registration statements.
The SEC will be issuing an updated EDGAR Filer Manual that will describe the procedures needed to create a hyperlink to an exhibit that the registrant previously filed on EDGAR, as well as the procedures needed to create a hyperlink to an exhibit that is being filed at the same time as a registration statement or report.
While the SEC has encouraged early compliance, registrants are required to comply with the amended rules for filings submitted on or after September 1, 2017; however, non-accelerated filers and smaller reporting companies that submit filings in ASCII format will not be required to comply with the amended rules until September 1, 2018.
1.The amended rules affect filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, S-1, S-3, S-4, S-8, S-11, 10, 20-F, F-1, F-3, F-4, F-10, SF-1, SF-3, and 10-D. For certain filings on Form 10-D, a separate phase-in period applies to allow the SEC staff to work on programming changes to EDGAR to permit issuers to include the Form 10-D and Form ABS-EE in a single submission so that the required hyperlinks can be created at the time the Form 10-D is filed. Additional information will be available on the SEC’s website and in the Federal Register when the compliance date for Form 10-D is determined.
© 2020 Jones Walker LLPNational Law Review, Volume VII, Number 81
Monique Cenac is a partner in Jones Walker’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group. She joined Jones Walker in 2002 and was elected to partner in 2009. Ms. Cenac’s practice focuses on the representation of public companies with an emphasis on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting, corporate governance, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Since 2004, Ms. Cenac has played a critical role in the representation of a group of public companies that share managerial and administrative resources, and with whom Jones Walker has a full-service...
mcenac@joneswalker.com
www.joneswalker.com
Sarah T. Hunt is an associate in the firm's Corporate & Securities Practice Group and practices from the Baton Rouge office. Her practice focuses on corporate governance matters and mergers and acquisitions for private and publicly held companies. Additionally, she assists public companies on disclosure requirements of the securities laws, including the review and filing of proxy statements; annual, quarterly, and current reports; and press releases.
shunt@joneswalker.com
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Denver Nuggets convert two-way contract of Bol Bol to NBA contract
The Denver Nuggets have converted the two-way contract of Bol Bol to a standard NBA contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.
Bol Bol, who will remain a rookie for the 2020-21 season as he did not appear in an NBA game prior to the hiatus on March 11th, appeared in seven games for the Nuggets during the seeding games in the Orlando Bubble and averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting .500 from the field and .444 from beyond the arc.
The 21-year-old impressed in the Nuggets three scrimmage games prior to the Seeding Games in Orlando, posting averages of 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game. He also appeared in eight games for the Windy City Bulls of the G League in 2019-20, averaging 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 19.3 minutes.
Bol, 7-2, 220, was selected with the 44th overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2019 NBA draft and was acquired by the Nuggets in a draft night trade. He appeared in nine games as a freshman for Oregon in 2018-19, averaging 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 29.8 minutes before a season-ending foot injury. Bol reached double figure scoring in every game and tallied four double-doubles.
The 19-year-old native of Khartoum, Sudan, is the son of former NBA great Manute Bol who played 10 seasons for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.
Bol, Bol, Nuggets
Bol, Bol
HIGHLIGHTS: Bol Bol makes first-ever NBA start vs. Brooklyn Nets (01/12/2021)
Denver Nuggets 116, Brooklyn Nets 122: Three takeaways
Nuggets-Blazers postgame interview (12/18/2020): Bol Bol
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Sixthman Login
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Jr. Suns
Suns Charities
Suns Make Important Trade for Future
by Jeramie McPeek
VP, Digital
The Phoenix Suns today announced that the club has acquired second-year center Miles Plumlee and high-flying forward Gerald Green, as well as a lottery protected 2014 first-round pick from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for veteran forward Luis Scola.
“The trade is consistent with our stated plan to continue to acquire young assets,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “With this trade, we now have the potential for three first-round picks in the 2014 draft and five first-round picks in the next two drafts.”
“Although Luis’s time here in Phoenix was short, he certainly ingratiated himself to all of us in Phoenix with his hard work and professionalism. He will be an important contributor to a contending team in Indiana.”
“We are excited to add Miles and Gerald to our young core group of players,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Miles was one of the best players in the Orlando Summer League, and Gerald's scoring ability and athleticism will help us as we continue to build a team that plays an exciting, up tempo brand of basketball.”
Plumlee, a 6-11, 255-pound center, was selected by the Pacers with the 26th overall pick (first round) of the 2012 NBA Draft and played in 14 games for a deep Indiana team that pushed the NBA Champion Miami Heat to a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Earlier this month, he played on the Pacers summer league squad in Orlando and averaged 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks while shooting 51.5 percent (17-33) from the field in 27.0 minutes.
A four-year collegiate performer at Duke University, Plumlee was a member of the Blue Devils squad that won three ACC championships and the 2010 NCAA National Championship. As a senior, he averaged 6.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks on 61.0-percent shooting in 20.5 minutes.
Green, a six-year veteran, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 18th pick (first round) of the 2005 NBA Draft out of high school after averaging 33.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists. After doubling his production to 10.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in his second season with Boston, he was included in a multi-player trade for Kevin Garnett.
A 6-8, 210-pound small forward, Green owns career averages of 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 272 games with Boston (2005-07), Minnesota (2007-08), Houston (2007-08), Dallas (2008-09), New Jersey (2011-12) and Indiana (2012-13). After a brief stint playing overseas in Russia and China, he returned to the states for the 2011-12 season and played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League before being called up by the New Jersey Nets. Last season with the Pacers, he averaged 7.0 points in 18.0 minutes and came off the bench in the playoffs to average 6.1 points and 1.3 rebounds on 42.0-percent shooting in nine appearances.
A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Scola was awarded to Phoenix on July 15, 2012 after the club submitted the winning bid in the league’s amnesty process. In his first five NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets, he averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on 51.0 percent shooting. Scola appeared in all 82 games (67 starts) for Phoenix a season ago and averaged 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.6 minutes. The six-year NBA veteran played a full slate of games for the fifth time in his career and has appeared in 468 of a possible 476 career games.
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Profiles from the Archives: Leonidas P. Denmark
Matthew M. Peek, Military Collection Archivist
Leonidas Polk Denmark (who went by “Polk”) was born on December 2, 1892, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to James William and Juanita Polk Denmark. Leonidas Denmark grew up in Raleigh, attending Raleigh public schools. He graduated from North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (modern-day North Carolina State University) with a degree in civil engineering in 1915. Denmark went to work for the Electric Bond and Share Company, serving as the chief draftsman on topographic survey of the Yadkin River. He left his job to enlist in May 1917 for military service in World War I at the age of 24.
Denmark was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Engineers Reserves in August 1917 at the American University in Washington, D.C. He would be assigned to the 105th Engineer Regiment at Camp Sevier in Greenville, South Carolina. Denmark was sent to seven different training camps before he was called for duty overseas in July 1918. He went on to volunteer for the U.S. Army Air Service, and attended aeronautical training at Post Field on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in January 1918.
After receiving his wings, Leonidas Denmark entered Aerial Gunnery School at Selfridge Field in Harrison Township, Michigan. He would sail for service overseas in Europe in July 1918, arriving in France. Denmark would serve as an instructor for seven months in aerial observation at the 2nd Aviation Instruction Center in Tours, France. He served overseas in WWI until January 31, 1919, and was honorably discharged on February 5, 1919.
While being stationed either in Texas or New Jersey, Denmark met a Miss Lorena Patterson, and the two began corresponding as war-time pen pals. Denmark opened up to Patterson about his thoughts of the war and military training, his personal life, and expectations for the future after the war would end. After the war, Denmark and Patterson continued writing each other, though it would tail off through the 1920s and 1930s. The two continued to update each on developments in their lives during this period.
When he was discharged, Leonidas Denmark returned home to Raleigh, North Carolina. According to his papers, Denmark had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. He eventually took a position as an engineer for the North Carolina Highway Commission in the Roadway Department. In 1922, Denmark left the Highway Commission to serve as a land grant clerk in the office of the North Carolina Secretary of State, remaining in this position for five years. In 1923, Leonidas Denmark married Anne Burt Stainback.
In 1925, Denmark was called again for active duty in the U.S. Army Air Service Reserves. He was made an Acting Executive Officer of the 81st Division Air Corps at Chattanooga, Tennessee where he trained potential aviators and observers. In 1928, Denmark was transferred from the Air Service Reserves to the Officers’ Reserve Corps. Denmark was an active member in veteran affairs after the war, such as attending memorials and social groups, like the Association of the 105th Engineers in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1939 he applied, unsuccessfully, for War Veteran’s Disability.
From 1931 to 1937, Denmark worked as the Alumni Secretary at North Carolina State University. He returned to the North Carolina Highway Department in 1937 as the Chief Draftsman and Cartographer. In 1960, Denmark retired and spent his free time on doing genealogical research at the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the summer of 1964, he became ill. Leonidas P. Denmark died on September 30, 1964, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.
To learn more about Leonidas Denmark’s WWI service, check out his collection Leonidas P. Denmark (WWI 35) held in the WWI Papers of the Military Collection at the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C. The State Archives also holds another collection of his wartime correspondence in the Private Collections.
This blog post is part of the State Archives of North Carolina’s World War I Social Media Project, an effort to bring original WWI archival materials to the public through the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ (NCDNCR) various social media platforms, in order to increase access to the items during the WWI centennial celebration by the state of North Carolina.
Between February 2017 and June 2019, the State Archives of North Carolina will be posting blog articles, Facebook posts, and Twitter posts, featuring WWI archival materials which are posted on the exact 100th anniversary of their creation during the war. Blog posts will feature interpretations of the content of WWI documents, photographs, diary entries, posters, and other records, including scans of the original archival materials, held by the State Archives of North Carolina, and will be featured in NCDNCR’s WWI centennial blog.
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Nejat Society - NejatNGO, Nejat Society
NewsPics
Nejat NewsLetter
Pars Brief
Iran Blasts HR Bodies for Attempts to Cleanse MKO Terrorists’ Crime History
Families of MKO members Last updated Jan 21, 2021
Spokesman of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Keivan Khosravi rapped certain human rights organizations for their attempts to erase the history of the terrorist crimes committed by Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI).
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is among the victims of terrorism and most assassinated Iranian citizens and officials have been killed by the Monafeqin (Hypocrites as MKO members are called in Iran) terrorist group but human rights bodies are trying to clean up their black record without paying attention to their crimes," Khosravi said in a meeting with a media delegation from Albania on Tuesday.
He called on the European media to clarify the dangerous approach adopted by the MKO ringleaders against their members to meet their illegitimate interests.
The MKO has been incarcerating, torturing and killing all dissident members as well as those suspected of future plans for defection. The terrorist organization has assassinated many of its defected members in Europe and Canada.
Secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council Mohammad Javad Larijani in a letter to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in November called on the European states to annul the legal immunity of MKO members.
"The spread of plights and dangers of terrorism in the European countries as well as its negative consequences, including the refugees crisis which has inflicted the European states too, have more than ever shown the necessity for real serious determination to fight against it," Larijani wrote in his letter.
He stressed that the European states’ double-standards on human rights issues and their support for the MKO terrorist group whose hand is stained with the blood of the Iranian and Iraqi people and even its own members is not acceptable at all.
"Therefore, I ask your excellency and other relevant European officials to consider the numerous crimes committed by Monafeqin terrorist group and adopt serious measures to prevent the free activities of the terrorist group’s members in Europe, try its leaders and criminal members and make them account for their deeds," Larijani concluded.
The MKO, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and western targets.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by the MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in September 2012, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under the US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with the American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.
In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty. Hundreds of the MKO terrorists have now been sent to Europe, where their names were taken off the blacklist even two years before the US.
The MKO has assassinated over 12,000 Iranians in the last 4 decades. The terrorist group had even killed large numbers of Americans and Europeans in several terror attacks before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some 17,000 Iranians have lost their lives in terror attacks in the 35 years after the Revolution.
Rumors were confirmed last September about the death of MKO ringleader, Massoud Rajavi, as a former top Saudi intelligence official disclosed in a gaffe during an address to his followers.
Rajavi’s death was revealed after Turki al-Faisal who was attending the MKO annual gathering in Paris made a gaffe and spoke of the terrorist group’s ringleader as the "late Rajavi" twice.
Faced with Faisal’s surprising gaffe, Rajavi’s wife, Maryam, changed her happy face with a complaining gesture and cued the interpreter to be watchful of translation words and exclude the gaffe from the Persian translation.
MKO's terrorist activities
Iran: accusing Iran won’t absolve EU responsibility for housing Mojahedin Khalq (MEK)
European support of MKO against Security Council resolutions
khoshroo: US accountable for MKO terrorist acts
Iran MP slams EU for MKO meeting
Complaint of Mr. Haj Sakhid Saeedfar to the UN Committee on…
Letter from Mr. Ali Akbar Gholami Khairabadi to WHO…
Democracy and Human Rights According to Maryam Rajavi and…
MEK leaders regard the dead as commodities to be exploited
Protest against MEK in Albanian city, Manza
Anti-Iran Terrorist Group Mojahedin-e Khalq’s Ties to Iraqi…
© 2021 - Nejat Society. All Rights Reserved.
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To authors
Scientific and practical journal “Neonatology: News, Opinions, Training”.
Target Audience: neonatologists, pediatricians, family doctors, clinicians of related specialties, health care managers.
The journal is intended to become a guide for medical practitioners being a part of the continuing medical education of physicians in Russia.
The most urgent and reliable articles reflecting the state of the art and written by leading Russian and international authors are chosen for the Journal. The aim of the Journal is to improve the quality of advanced medical studies and the quality of public health care.
Articles of the journal “Neonatology: News, Opinions, Training” are available to everyone as free open access to the results of research contributes to the increase of general knowledge. No part of the publication can be reproduced without the written consent of the editorial office. Any reprint of publications with the consent of the editorial office is allowed provided the work is properly cited.
Main headings:
Original researches
Analytical reviews
Clinical practice recommendations
Announcements of scientific events
The journal’s editorial board follows the principles of international organization “Committee On Publication Ethics - COPE).
Degtyarev Dmitriy Nikolaevich - doctor of Medicine, professor, deputy director for scientific and research activity at V.I. Kulakov Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology National Medical Research Center of Ministry of Healthсаre of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Head of the Chair of Neonatology, Faculty of Pediatrics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
Frequency of publication: once every 3 months
Circulation: 3000 copies distributed free of charge among the neonatologists of the Russian Federation.
Subscription indexes in the “Press of Russia” Agency catalogue: 93502
Degtyarev Dmitriy Nikolaevich
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Deputy Director for Scientific Research of the V.I. Kulakov Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology National Medical Research Center of Ministry of Healthсаre of the Russian Federation, Head of the Chair of Neonatology at the Clinical Institute of Children's Health named after N.F. Filatov, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Russian Society of Neonatologists, Moscow, Russian Federation
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Early signs were clear for Crisafulli to lead LNP
The man now set to lead the LNP in Queensland appeared always destined to be a star, writes Jeremy Pierce.
by Jeremy Pierce
3rd Nov 2020 1:37 PM
"There goes the next premier of Queensland."
The words were uttered in a reverential tone by a rank-and-file LNP member, and they were talking about David Crisafulli.
Crisafulli set to become LNP leader as Mander pulls out
But it wasn't this week. It wasn't even this year. In fact, he wasn't even a sitting member of Queensland parliament.
It was May 2017 and Mr Crisafulli, a one-time rising star of the short-lived Campbell Newman government, had just beaten incumbent Broadwater MP Verity Barton for pre-selection for the northern Gold Coast seat.
The LNP wag's logic was that Mr Crisafulli would win his seat at the upcoming election (which he duly did), that the LNP would lose (which they duly did) and that Mr Crisafulli would rise from the ashes as opposition leader in time to lead the party back to the promised land at the 2020 election.
They got two out of three.
Queensland LNP member for Broadwater David Crisafulli is shaping up to become the new leader of the opposition. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)
In truth, they weren't the first person to earmark Mr Crisafulli as a future leader.
Born and raised in the north Queensland country town of Ingham, Mr Crisafulli was the son of local sugar cane farmers, but started his own working life as a journalist, working in both print and television as well as lecturing in journalism at university.
But a life of politics called early.
At 24, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Townsville City Council in 2004 and in the next term he was elected deputy mayor, serving in the role for four years before he contested and won the seat of Mundingburra at the 2012 Queensland election.
He was recognised as a potential star and appointed local government minister.
A victim of the 2015 bloodbath that saw the Newman government turfed after just one term, he retreated quietly into the background, moving to the northern Gold Coast suburb of Hope Island while running a consultancy firm.
The local seat of Broadwater was already held by the LNP, but sitting member Verity Barton had been plagued by a number of gaffes.
Far from the usual reaction to candidates 'parachuting' in to new seats, the LNP's Broadwater branch members quickly took to Mr Crisafulli and sensed a chance to oust Ms Barton.
The pre-selection vote was resounding and branch members were quick to congratulate Mr Crisafulli, ambitious, polished and still young enough to represent a fresh face of the party many thought had gone as stale as old bread.
After winning the Broadwater seat in the 2017 election, he was appointed the opposition's tourism spokesman.
It was not an easy assignment.
Tourism is, or at least it was before COVID, a feel-good portfolio where stories abound of increasing visitor numbers pouring billions of dollars into the state's economy.
Labor Tourism Minister Kate Jones was arguably the government's most popular performer and the industry loved her.
It was not like the health or police portfolios where constant issues make sitting ministers an easy target for the opposition.
But Mr Crisafulli worked hard.
Industry leaders were impressed with his work ethic and willingness to listen, even if he wasn't constantly in the media sniping.
He also stayed quiet on rumours that he would challenge for the LNP leadership in the lead-up to last week's election.
Until now, when in the aftermath of another election defeat he has put his hand up for a tilt at the LNP leadership.
The LNP wag from three years ago might be right after all.
Originally published as The man who would be king: How early signs were clear for Crisafulli
david crisafulli
lnp leadership battle
queensland politics
david crisafulli lnp lnp leadership battle queensland politics
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How Paclitaxel Works
Cancerous tumor cells are characterized by their rapid rate of cell division, which is no longer controlled as in normal tissues. Somatic cells of the body normally undergo a resting period during the G0 phase of the mitosis, and differentiate into functional cells no longer capable to divide.
In case of active tumors, the cells are activated by specific kinases (enzymes that add phosphate groups to other molecules) and enter a phase of relentless proliferation. Such cells typically display abnormalities in the mechanisms that regulate normal cell division, differentiation and survival.
In order to accommodate these changes, malignant cells show signs of morphological and cytoskeletal alterations. Prevention of such restructuring and subsequent cell division is a key mechanism of the drug paclitaxel, which makes it an effective treatment for aggressive cancers.
Affecting the function of microtubules
In general, structural proteins do not represent important drug targets. One of the exceptions is a protein named tubulin, a heterodimer formed by an alpha and beta-subunit with 40% sequence identity and virtually identical three-dimensional structures.
Tubulin polymerizes into small tubes called microtubules, which are responsible for mitosis, cell movements, preservation of cell shape, signal transmission, as well as the intracellular trafficking of organelles and macromolecules. Microtubules arise from the specific longitudinal self-assembly of tubulin dimers to form protofilaments, which interact to constitute the wall of these structures.
Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules and reduces their dynamicity, promoting mitotic halt and cell death. Unlike other drugs that act on microtubules and induce the disassembly of microtubules (for example vinca alkaloids), paclitaxel boosts the polymerization of tubulin and overproduction of microtubules. The drug binds to the N-terminal 31 amino acids of the beta-tubulin subunit in the microtubule.
Hence microtubules that are formed under the influence of paclitaxel are exceptionally stable and dysfunctional, causing the death of the cell via disruption of the normal microtubule dynamics and vital interphase processes. Simply put, an affected cell can no longer use its own cytoskeleton in a flexible manner.
Other modes of action
Further research has shown that paclitaxel drug plays a vital role by binding to a anti-apoptic agent that prevents cell death, Bcl-2 (B-cell Lymphoma 2), and stopping its function. The drug attacks the serine residues at site 70 and 87 while they act on microtubules; therefore being a tubule poison, this drug can also kill cancer cells that express Bcl-2.
Paclitaxel induces the expression of the genes for the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1, as well as several other inducible genes in macrophages. It causes a reduction in the surface expression of TNF-α receptors as well. Such properties add significantly to its antitumor efficacy.
In addition to his main mode of action as a microtubule stabilizator, paclitaxel may also act as a molecular mop by sequestering free tubulin, thus effectively depleting the cell’s supply of tubulin monomers and dimers. This activity can also trigger apoptosis (the process of programmed cell death).
Mechanisms of acquired resistance
The efficacy of paclitaxel is significantly limited by the development of acquired resistance. Two principal mechanisms of resistance have been described for this drug. Some tumors are known to contain tubulin subunits with a reduced ability to polymerize into microtubules and inherently slow rate of microtubule assemblage, which can be normalized by paclitaxel and other taxanes.
In the second mechanism, membrane phosphoglycoproteins that function as drug-efflux pumps are amplified. The multidrug-resistant phenotype of tumor cells can result in varying degrees of cross-resistance to natural products with bulky structures, i.e. a group of drugs where paclitaxel can be found as well.
Recent research has shown that an increased expression of TNFAIP1 (tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 1) results in acquired resistance to paclitaxel. TNFAIP1 competes with paclitaxel for binding to beta-tubulin, preventing in turn tubulin polymerization, cell cycle arrest and ultimate cell death.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199504133321507
http://www.pnas.org/content/103/27/10166.full
https://honors.usf.edu/documents/Thesis/U37713068.pdf
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/54/22/5779.long
www.pharmatutor.org/.../review-on-role-of-paclitaxel-in-cancer-mechanism-and-enhanced-bioavailability
http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v33/n25/full/onc2013299a.html
All Paclitaxel Content
Paclitaxel - What is Paclitaxel?
Paclitaxel History
Paclitaxel Production
Paclitaxel Side-Effects
Meštrović, Tomislav. (2018, August 23). How Paclitaxel Works. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 21, 2021 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Paclitaxel-Works.aspx.
Meštrović, Tomislav. "How Paclitaxel Works". News-Medical. 21 January 2021. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Paclitaxel-Works.aspx>.
Meštrović, Tomislav. "How Paclitaxel Works". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Paclitaxel-Works.aspx. (accessed January 21, 2021).
Meštrović, Tomislav. 2018. How Paclitaxel Works. News-Medical, viewed 21 January 2021, https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Paclitaxel-Works.aspx.
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Gliding amidst the clouds and above the Valley
Nancy Sorrells
WAYNESBORO – It is 9:30 a.m. when I pull into the parking lot at Eagle's Nest Airport in Waynesboro. Already there is a buzz of activity. At the far end of the runway on the outside of the fence a canopy has been set up and a number of people in blue shirts are scurrying around, filling up the tables under the canopy with food, soft drinks, tea and water and organizing an area with a board of flight schedules and other aviation information.
Once I introduce myself several members of the group are eager to walk me down to the other end of the airport to the very last hangar where they are chomping at the bit to get their toys out to play. All of these folks, from 5-year-old-Simon Skretta to Jack Fridley who was celebrating his 14th birthday, to club leaders Graham and Jeanne Pitsenberger, are gearing up for a day-long tailgate party of sorts. Only they aren't preparing to go into the confines of a stadium, rather they are remaining in the great outdoors all day, where the sky's the limit — literally.
I am here to hang out with the Shenandoah Valley Soaring Club members and their families, learn about gliding and soar into the heavens on a glider. The club is just that, a group of folks who enjoy flying and soaring in gliders which, they contend, is the purest form of flying. Members spend every Saturday and Sunday and most holiday Mondays at the airport and, really, as much time as possible above the Valley.
These folks are addicted — to air. Not the common kind of air that you and I need to breathe. No, they need to ride the air up in the heavens in whatever form possible. Most glider pilots have some other sort of license and rating and fly everything that leaves the ground from helicopters to single engine airplanes to commercial jets.
Back to the morning's preparations though, where a group of members prepared to free the gliders from their hangars. Working seamlessly and silently, the crew moved one glider out of the hangar and then lowered a second one from the ceiling. Parts were examined and checked.
Dak Davis, 16, and a newly certified glider pilot, sprayed and cleaned the cockpit dome while young Fridley helped position the second glider for removal from the hangar.
"Notice that our gliders don't have 'hangar rash' (dings and scratches from careless hangar removal)," said club president Graham Pitsenberger. "That is because no one speaks. If everything is going well then no one speaks. If someone speaks then everyone stops and pays attention."
That might seem like a small detail to the casual observer, but it sums up every aspect of the club's day. While everyone is there to have fun, safety is paramount, whether it is safety while removing the aircraft from the hangars, hooking the rope to the tow plane or preparing for take off.
Once the gliders are out of the hangars, they are slowly towed by either an old car or a golf cart to the other end of the runway. And the fun begins. Everybody jumps in to help prepare the aircraft for the air. The gliders are lined up and inspected and the red and white tow plane, a Piper Pawnee, is checked out as well. The tow plane has been converted from a former life as a crop duster.
As the day's schedule is set up, each glider gets a column on a white board and the order of flying is established. On this day as the cloud ceiling lifts and the day heats up, it looks like there will be a lot of flying. There are students to teach — Fridley is scheduled to learn about how to handle spins. And records to set — Kenneth Whittemore is going for his B Badge, earned by spending at least 45 minutes of sustained flight after release from the tow plane. Two guests have also signed up for a ride — Staunton's Nick MacNeil and his daughter, Laura MacNeil, from New York. And then there is me.
The club, which was founded about 30 years ago by Jay Darmstadter, has five aircraft — four gliders and the tow plane. Each glider has a trailer so that it can be pulled around the country to other events and competitions. The Pitsenbergers stand at the center of the club's activities. Nearly five decades ago just after college, Jeanne saw a sign at the Lynchburg airport advertising flying lessons. She wound up marrying her flight instructor, Graham. That was almost 44 years ago.
Today the Pitsenbergers and everyone else is busy in the glider area as the aircraft are checked and double checked for safety. Finally it is time for take off. The MacNeils are readied for flight. Laura gets to go first. She is buckled into the front seat of the two-passenger glider with veteran pilot Darmstadter (any passenger who rides is paired with an FAA commercially licensed pilot). Together the pair go over the take-off list. Then the clear dome is closed and the glider is pulled to the end of the grassy strip. A 200-foot long, 1/5th of an inch Dacron rope is attached to the tow plane (the power plane in soaring parlance) and the glider. The hitches are checked twice.
Ready, tow, soar
When both pilots are ready, the tow plane inches forward. Because neither the glider pilot nor the tow plane pilot can see the rope, a ground man outside of the aircraft, called a wing runner, uses hand signals to tell the pilots when the rope is taut and take-off can begin. And then the take-off does begin as the Piper revs its engines and starts down the runaway. The light glider achieves flight first and then the tow plane as the pair head up into the sky.
At 3,000 feet above the earth, the glider pilot tells the front seat passenger to (gulp) pull the yellow handle that releases the tow plane. In an instant the glider is free and the tow plane dips down back to the airport. The glider sails into the air currents alone. For tow plane pilot Walter Grooms, it is back to the airport where he swoops low over the glider area and drops the rope before landing and taxiing back to the grassy strip, ready to go again.
A few minutes later, Nick is buckled in, and he prepares for take-off with pilot Jeanne Pitsenberger. Soon they are up in the air as well. Forty-five minutes or so later, both father and daughter are back on the ground with big smiles on their faces. "It was great," said Laura. "A combination of perspective and gravity pressing through your throat. When I had the controls and he said 'fly' I realized I had no idea what I was doing!"
Nick was pleased to get an aerial perspective of his hometown as Jeanne pointed out a lot of things from the air. "The first time we went into a turn, I wanted to lean like in a canoe, but it didn't work that way," he added.
Soon it was my turn to go up. Jeanne was my pilot and we were going up in the slickest, coolest glider sitting in the grass (in my opinion), the two-year-old ASK 21, a high-performance glider also referred to as a sailplane. The aircraft only has about 300 flying hours to its credit. We got in the glider and went over the safety checklist. My feet were in stirrups up front that connected to the rudder controlled by Jeanne from the back. The stick between my legs controlled the nose of the plane. And then on my left was the bright yellow knob that would release the rope from the tow plane once we were 3,000 feet in the air. Releasing the rope was my job.
We were soon moved to the take-off area — with the glider nose (with me right behind it) pointing straight down the runway. The tow plane moved in front of us, pulling the rope taut and then we were rolling along the grass and up in the air climbing, climbing. The view was gorgeous, and it was almost surreal to realize that the Piper right in front of us was our ride up. The green fields and building rooftops of the Shenandoah Valley spread out before us. Now and then we crossed through wispy clouds. In front of me the tiny yaw string attached to the canopy showed Jeanne what she needed to know about the slipstream of the glider so that she could pilot the craft without having to look down at her instruments.
Within a very few minutes came the moment of truth when Jeanne told me to pull that yellow handle and release the tow rope. I did and the power plane dipped off our left shoulders and was gone. And there we were quietly riding the waves of air.
A glider of just over 1,300 pounds once released gently glides down about 100 to 200 feet per minute so flights are short unless the pilot can find some lifting air — a thermal of warmer air rising from the earth — of more than 200 feet per minute.
Cloudy with a chance of lift
For the glider pilot, the pretty puffy cumulus clouds are best friends. "We look for those cumulus clouds after the passage of a cold front when the earth is heating back up. Beautiful puffy clouds with concave bottoms are an indicator of lift. Today there are some, but they are not booming thermals. You can also get lift over pavement or freshly plowed fields because they are dark and there is warm air rising off them. Over the mountains you also get ridge lift."
Somewhere over Augusta Health Hospital, Jeanne did find a good thermal and we rose up and around, the quiet broken only by the variometer, the instrument that tells soaring pilots whether they are going up or down both visually and audibly so the pilot can keep an eye on the skies watching for other aircraft or feathered friends.
"One day I was flying in a thermal and I had a hawk come up next to me, cross behind me and then just fly with me like he was checking out this strange big bird," she said.
All too soon it was time to land, but my half hour or so in the air was enough to make me understand what this air addiction was all about. When you are riding the air waves with nothing between you and the clouds but a thin piece of plastic, it is easy to forget about everything but the moment in all its quiet and beauty.
To someone like Graham Pitsenberger, who is licensed and rated for just about every type of aircraft and situation imaginable and who won Virginia's lifetime aviation achievement award last year, soaring is the purest form of flying. For those interested in learning to fly, he recommends starting with gliders and then graduating to power planes. He pointed out that all cadets at the Air Force Academy begin their flying experiences in gliders. "Starting with gliding first is better because you learn what makes it fly and it's NOT the engine. The glider is harder to learn than the power plane but the controls are the same."
I finally pulled myself away from the soaring tailgate party at 2 p.m. but the group was going strong. I came away from the day with a great appreciation for what this local soaring club is doing. They want to hook you on air as well. They have taken 100-year-olds in the air and 5-year-old Simon has traveled aloft on numerous occasions. The experience is not scary, but rather peaceful and relaxing. (OK except for the last few seconds when we landed in the grass and were coasting along at about 45 mph and hit a low place that made a bump. That was a surprise.)
If you would like to learn to soar, go for a ride or just check out the club's activities and visit www.svsoar.org. And, as an honor to our veterans who have served, any World War II veteran or Korean War veteran who wants to soar can do so for free at Shenandoah Valley Soaring.
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The girls in the prison had done some bad things, but what they did to themselves was worse
The bit they don’t tell you is that agency workers are often brought in when something bad has happened.
By Suzanne Moore
Follow @@suzanne_moore
"The girls, like all girls of that age, were bolshy and manipulative, and everything revolved around cigarettes". Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
“It must be so cool to be in prison,” said my 14-year-old the other day. Orange Is the New Black is her favourite programme. “I know it’s not, really, but they make it look that way.”
They certainly do, and I wanted her to know how terrible it is.
“How do you know? You’ve been in prison, haven’t you?”
My children suspect me of all sorts of things. This is a new one.
“No. I’ve never been locked up. But I know what it is to lock someone up.”
She’d catapulted me back to one of the worst jobs I have ever had, which I’d wiped from my memory somehow.
For a couple of weeks in my mid-twenties I was sent to work in a girls’ lock-up unit. When I say “sent”, I mean by the agency where I’d signed up to do “residential social work”.
Most of the jobs were OK: a children’s home in Deptford, the elderly and people in sheltered housing in Lambeth.
The bit they don’t tell you is that agency workers are often brought in when something bad has happened. A riot, an accident, some kind of neglect that has caused permanent staff to leave suddenly.
This job involved working with girls under 18 who’d done really bad things. I didn’t ask what these were. I was let in to the building through a series of doors with locks, buzzers, codes and alarms and bombarded with information about emergency procedures and fire alarms.
The girls, like all girls of that age, were bolshy and manipulative, and everything revolved around cigarettes.
My first week in the job my stomach churned and I didn’t want to be there. I could see how quickly these kids could go from zero to ten in terms of violence, but that was not my greatest fear. Mostly they’d stolen stuff, refused to go to school and been fighting, but I began to see what the bad things they did really were.
The bad things were what they did to themselves.
They faked periods by cutting themselves. Inside. Yes, there. Not to mention burning and endless vomiting. This got them attention, “privileges”, and less time locked up. When I was instructed not to give one girl sanitary towels “because she’s done that to herself”, I walked out – well, let myself out through the complex system.
In the mid-Eighties no one discussed self-harm. We let them bleed.
Some years later a girl with cropped hair came up to me at a bus stop.
I did. She’d been one of the worst ones but now she looked happy and she introduced me to her girlfriend. I explained this to my daughter, who asked: “Are you saying she was locked up for being gay?” No wonder I’ve tried to erase that time, that place, that memory.
Suzanne Moore will be appearing in an NS event at Latitude Festival on 16 July
› Bo-Jo's blond ambition: Boris' bumbling is beginning to bore
Suzanne Moore is a writer for the Guardian and the New Statesman.
How Covid-19 changed the rules of relationships
Leader: The welfare conundrum
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ARTIST SHOWCASE
Raising Money and the Law: Beware the Ask
April 2, 2013 | By Robyn Guilliams
Even the basics can get tricky, according to our specialist in arts and tax law
Creative fundraising strategies are all to the good, but keep a watchful eye: Nonprofit organizations are subject to the laws and regulations of the state in which they operate (and possibly other states as well, which we’ll get to in a minute). Tax-exempt entities—also known as 501(c)(3) organizations—also are governed by federal law. Don’t know the difference between a nonprofit organization and a 501(c)(3)? [See What’s the difference between a nonprofit and a 501(c)(3)?]
The agencies that regulate nonprofits vary from state to state. For example, in New York, it’s the New York Attorney General’s office; in New Jersey, it’s the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Always check the official list posted by the National Association of State Charity Officials to be sure where to register. Meanwhile, here are a few common mistakes to watch out for.
Soliciting donations in a state without registering there:
Almost every state requires an organization to register before it can solicit donations. The definition of “solicit” is pretty broad, and includes any type of fundraising directed at state residents. This includes not only actual fundraising events but also written or verbal solicitation communications including advertising and publicity.
Here’s an example: a small nonprofit theater produces several shows a year in New York City. It solicits donations in Manhattan and Westchester, which is okay because it has registered with the New York Attorney General’s office. After several seasons, the company has a hit, and begins to attract patrons from New Jersey and Connecticut. But if it plans to solicit donations in those states, it must first register to do so, in both.
Hiring a fundraiser who gets a “cut” of the funds raised:
While this type of arrangement is not illegal in itself, it does create a number of potential legal pitfalls. Because charitable donations cannot be used for “private inurement” (legal jargon meaning the money is going into someone’s pocket instead of toward the nonprofit’s charitable mission), certain limitations must be in place beforehand to keep the arrangement legal. First, the commission or percentage received by the fundraiser must be “reasonable,” as must the fundraiser’s compensation. (“Reasonable” here means that the fundraiser provides services, and that the total compensation is commensurate with the time spent rendering services.)
Example: an orchestra hires a professional fundraiser to solicit donations. The fundraiser agrees to spend 10 hours doing so, and as compensation he will take a 20% commission. Miraculously, he raises five million dollars! A million dollar compensation is hardly reasonable for 10 hours of work. On the other hand, if the agreement stipulates that the fundraiser will spend a specific number of hours on specific fundraising tasks, AND there is a cap on what he can earn, AND that cap is not unreasonable for services rendered, then the arrangement would be acceptable. The bottom line is, the total compensation to the fundraiser must be reasonable in relation to the amount of time spent soliciting.
One last note: Many states regulate “professional fundraisers” and “fundraising counsel.” Be sure to check out the guidelines in your state—and any one in which you’ll be soliciting.
Improper documentation of charitable contributions:
The Internal Revenue Service and many states require that most charitable contributions be documented. A 501(c)(3) organization must adhere to the following:
1. All monetary gifts (cash, checks, etc.) of $250 or more must be acknowledged in writing and “contemporaneously.” This does not mean that you must send out an acknowledgement minutes after you receive a contribution. “Contemporaneously” means only that a donor must receive written acknowledgement no later than the timely date he files his or her tax return for the year the contribution was made. Example: Joe Smith gives the ABC Dance Company, a 501(c)(3) organization, a $500 donation on June 1, 2013. ABC’s acknowledgment to Mr. Smith must be sent to him before he files his 2013 tax, or April 15, 2014, whichever is earlier.
2. All in-kind contributions (i.e., non-monetary) valued at $250 must also be acknowledged in writing and contemporaneously, with an accurate description of the item(s) being donated. The acknowledgement also must state either that no goods or services were provided by the organization, or describe the goods and/or services that were provided and give a good faith estimate of their value. (See IRS Publication 561)
3. These written acknowledgments need not be lengthy or involved! Here are two acceptable examples:
“Thank you for your cash contribution of $300 that (organization’s name) received on December 12, 2012. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.”
“Thank you for your cash contribution of $350 that (organization’s name) received on March 6, 2013. In exchange for your contribution, we gave you a cookbook with an estimated fair market value of $60.”
4. All donations of property valued in excess of $5,000 requirethe receiving the donor to complete Form 8283. Before the donor submits the form to the IRS, the receiving organization must complete Part IV, which acknowledges receipt of the donated property.
Additional IRS Resources and Forms
Publication 1771: Charitable Contributions—Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements
Publication 3079: Gaming Publication for Tax-Exempt Organizations (recommended reading if your organization is planning a bingo or casino night!)
Publication 4302: A Charity’s Guide to Vehicle Donations
Robyn Guilliams is a partner in the law firm of Goldstein & Guilliams PLC (GG Arts Law) and a contributor to the Law and DisOrder blog on MusicalAmerica.com. She is a frequent speaker at national arts conferences, and is a co-author of the web site Artists from Abroad.
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1. Tisch Center for the Arts Director to Exit
2. In Dallas, Guest Conductor Tests Positive, Concerts Cancelled
3. Reps of 14 Major U.S. Orchestras Honor the New President & Vice President
4. NEA Chief Exits on the Very Inaugural Day
5. LA's Swed Joins the Culture Secretary Bandwagon
6. Director Elijah Moshinsky Dies at 75
7. New Recordings of Old Rep. A List.
8. Out-of-the-bubble Guest Artists Can Put an Orchestra at Risk
9. In Converting Music Venues to Vaccine Sites, IATSE Says, 'Let Us Help.'
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BLOGS & SOCIAL
REBECCA COWEN - HIRSCH
Inmarsat Government
REBECCA COWEN-HIRSCH
Senior Vice President, Government Strategy & Policy US Government Business Unit - Inmarsat Government
MSUA Board Member
Rebecca M. Cowen-Hirsch is Inmarsat Senior Vice President for Government Strategy and Policy in the United States Government (USG) Business Unit, based in Washington. With 25 years of broad experience in executive leadership, systems engineering, experimental flight testing, program and spectrum management, she served as the Program Executive Officer for SATCOM, Teleport and Services at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). She also established the Defense Spectrum Office, serving as its first Director. A decorated member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) within the DoD, Ms. Cowen-Hirsch was a rated experimental flight test engineer, and became the first female civilian Mission Commander for the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) mission. She was awarded the Exemplary Service Medal for her years of selfless service to the Department of Defense.
Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch MSUA Member Interview
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David Allen is the president of David Allen & Co. He has over twenty years of experience as a management consultant, executive coach, trainer, speaker, and educator. David has been called one of the world's most influential thinkers on productivity. He has developed and implemented productivity programs for over a half million professionals in hundreds of organizations worldwide, including many Fortune 500 companies.David Allen has been a keynote speaker and facilitator for such organizations as Microsoft, Lockheed, the U.S. Department of Justice, Oracle, L.L. Bean, QVC, and the World Bank.
His work has also been featured in Fast Company, Fortune, and the Los Angeles Times.
Fast Company has referred to David Allen as "the personal productivity guru." Having logged thousands of hours working with individuals and senior professionals, David has developed a revolutionary, unique, and highly practical system for improving personal and organizational productivity.David Allen's thirty years of pioneering research, coaching and education of some of the world's highest-performing professionals and corporations has earned him Forbes' recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the United States.
He was also named one of the "Top 100 thought leaders" by Leadership Magazine.Time Magazine labeled his first book, Getting Things Done as "the defining self-help business book of its time." David Allen is the author of three books: Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Ready For Anything, and Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. Getting Things Done has been a perennial business bestseller since it's publication in 2001, and is now published in 28 languages. Nightingale-Conant's audio program Getting Things Done with Work-Life Balance blends some of the most insightful messages from his bestselling books with new ideas and philosophies.
David Allen's personal journey
David Allen grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended the New College of Florida in Sarasota and did graduate work in American history at University of California, Berkeley. His career path has included jobs as a magician, karate teacher, vitamin distributor, glass-blowing lathe operator, gas station manager and more. He claims to have had 35 professions before age 35.
Getting Things Done with Work-Life Balance
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Artist Essays
Kronos Marks UNESCO's Year of Astronomy with "Sun Rings" Premiere in Paris
Zoran Orlic
Kronos Quartet is in Paris to help launch the International Year of Astronomy, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations with a telescope. Opening ceremonies were held this morning, bringing together scientists, artists, diplomats, and industrialists from over 100 countries to mark the occasion. Conference events continue through Friday evening, culminating in a closing ceremony, in which Kronos will give the French premiere of Terry Riley's Sun Rings in a private performance at UNESCO.
Sun Rings features celestial sounds captured by plasma wave receivers built by physicist Don Gurnett and flown on spacecraft over a period of 40 years. The piece also features visual design by Willie Williams, including images from NASA's archives.
For further details on conference events and other upcoming events related to UNESCO's International Year of Astronomy, visit un.org.
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https://www.nonesuch.com/journal/kronos-marks-unescos-year-of-astronomy-with-sun-rings-premiere-in-paris-2009-01-15
on January 15, 2009 - 2:29pm
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Kronos Quartet is in Paris to help launch the International Year of Astronomy, organized by UNESCO. The year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations with a telescope. Opening ceremonies were held this morning, and conference events continue through Friday. In the closing ceremony, Kronos will give the French premiere of Terry Riley's Sun Rings, which features celestial sounds captured by plasma wave receivers and images from NASA's archives.
featuredimage:
Kronos Quartet, "Sun Rings" Earth by Zoran Orlic
Featured Image Width:
Mountain Man to Lead Streaming Concerts Three Thursdays in December
Mountain Man will perform three unique, ticketed streaming concerts on three Thursdays next month—December 3, 10, and 17—for their Live From the Garden series. The band filmed the shows in North Carolina: in the woods, at home, and by the fire. Each night has a different set list. Tickets are on sale now.
Journal Topics: Artist NewsOn Tour
Punch Brothers Present Live from Blackbird, Two Streaming Concerts from Nashville, November 15 and 22
Punch Brothers present Live from Blackbird, a pair of livestreamed performances from Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN, where they made their 2012 album Who’s Feeling Young Now? and where they are currently at work on their next record. The shows begin at 8pm ET the next two Sundays: November 15 and November 22. The band members reunited this week for the first time since before the pandemic began. Each Live from Blackbird concert will be unique, with no repeated songs. A VIP option is also available and includes a Q&A with the band at the end of the livestream, accompanied by cocktails; VIP ticket buyers will be sent a cocktail guide with recommended recipes.
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AC/DC POWER UP
(Leideplein Presse) Buy it from Insound
If you're AC/DC, you can't end your career by titling your last album Rock or Bust. But back in 2014, the future was uncertain for the Australian legacy act after guitarist/co-founder Malcolm Young left the group when he was diagnosed with dementia in 2014. With rhythm guitarist Steve Young taking over the reins, the nephew of Malcolm and lead guitarist Angus Young, POWER UP is more like a family enterprise trying to keep the lights on with their primal, dependable rock n' roll. And in what has proven to be a very challenging year, it's the no-frills escapism that maybe we all need— especially since the future of live shows remains uncertain.
Right off the bat, POWER UP opens with lead vocalist Brian Johnson's yowling vocals before going to the back-to-basics rhythm section we'd rightfully expect from them. Though considering anything in their extensive catalog as groundbreaking is a stretch, it's the most "progressive" cut on here with its restrained fuzz guitars and some genuinely compelling backup vocals. It ain't exactly High Voltage's It's a Long Way to The Top, but as far as AC/DC openers go, it'll age well when we come back to it since there's been a reappraisal of their work as of late. It's also a little more thoughtful than, say, Flick of the Switch's Rising Power, a track that is hard to return to without going back to that particular time.
But the other question that should spring to mind is, could AC/DC at least come up with a few memorable choruses to sing along to? Because, really, that's all we could ever ask for at this rate. And lead single Shot in the Dark does come close, where we genuinely feel the passion in Johnson when he cries, "I got a hunger, that's the loving truth," perfect for that Friday-night binge. Witch's Spell could also prove to be a future fan favorite, as Johnson adds that a little kick to his delivery that's just infectious. The sound is clear and punchy, and Angus does his damndest to pay tribute to Malcolm—coming back full circle just like he did in Back in Black after the passing of Bon Scott in 1980.
All things aside, POWER UP is also one of the horniest AC/DC albums in recent memory. On Rejection, Johnson is ready for some action (and he won't take no for an answer): "If you reject me, I'll take what I want." But that's subtle compared to Money Shot, which, in the lead up to the album, Young swore that the song title is an anecdote to how photographers tried to capture photos of the band during their prime. The lyrical content says otherwise: "Doctor, what's the antidote? Lady, try the money shot." Johnson is even oddly specific on Kick You When You're Down, where he's trying to put a woman in her place, and it's not reassuring: "Seeking all power, girl I'll hunt you down/Goin' out on a flash, gonna knock you out." The band will assume that you're only paying attention to the innocuous choruses, and it works every single time. I mean, who goes deep into analyzing AC/DC songs?
But ultimately, POWER UP revitalizes a brand that continues to endure after 45 plus-years, even if what we're getting is exactly what we'd expect from them. And if this were the end for the band, then at least they redeem themselves with the bluesy, Aerosmith-like closer Code Red. "Loading up the battery, raising the insanity/ Beating out the old-time blues," Johnson sings, committed to keeping the classic rock legends alive and well. Even at their blandest, and truthfully their dumbest, AC/DC make a compelling case why they're so good at this rock n' roll business. As it turns out, the secret is to stick to the formula until their dying day.
16 November, 2020 - 20:49 — Juan Edgardo Rodriguez
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IFMA’s Distributor Awards recognize three foodservice companies that do things right
Caroline Perkins 1 | Oct 19, 2009
It’s always good to report on companies that are doing things right, especially in a prolonged downturn like the one we are in. Foodservice distributors who are “doing things right” can be judged by peers or by sales performance. I have the pleasure to report on both.
First, the 2009 IFMA, or International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, Distributor Awards have been announced. I head the IFMA committee that handles the nomination process and judging, although I do not vote myself. The judges are all foodservice industry experts and include Ellen Koteff, editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, and Jim Sullivan, industry guru and NRN contributing editor on human resources, among others.
There are three awards. This year, the IFMA Excellence in Distribution Award was given to Ben E. Keith Foods of Fort Worth, Texas. The award honors the quality of management and leadership, customer and supplier relations, and contributions to the industry and the community. The company is the No. 8 Technomic Power Distributor, with sales of more than $2 billion.
The IFMA Distributor Sales & Marketing Performance Award was presented to Agar Supply Co., in Taunton, Mass. Agar is No. 13 in the Power Distributor lineup. The award is given for successful planning and execution of creative sales and marketing programs.
The two awards above are based on nominations made by IFMA members. The third award, the IFMA Distributor Achievement Award, is decided by the judges. Criteria for selection include enlightened leadership and innovative management that have contributed to the growth and development of the industry. The winner this year is Larry Pulliam of Sysco Corp. Pulliam previously was executive vice president, global sourcing and supply chain, and has assumed new executive management responsibilities for Sysco’s specialty companies.
Congratulations to all the winners of those prestigious awards. They will be presented at the IFDA/IFMA President’s Conference in November. I also will profile the winners in greater depth after the awards ceremony.
As for the leading distributors as judged by sales performance, Technomic has announced its Power Distributor, or PD, list. This consists of companies with revenues exceeding $150 million and is based on the ID Top 50 Broadline Distributor Report. This year there are 35 companies with an average growth rate of 16 percent. As a group, the PDs grew 10 percent over last year’s sales. Total PD sales for 2008 were $96.08 billion, 40 percent of all broadline distributor sales.
The largest sales increase was a result of a merger. Performance Food Group, or PFG, the No. 3 PD, generated revenues of $6.3 billion in 2007. When it merged with Vistar Corp. and Roma Foods last year, combined sales jumped to $10.2 billion, an increase of 62 percent. The company is now known as Performance Foodservice.
The largest percentage increase was achieved by Doerle Food Services in Broussard, La. Doerle picked up two chain accounts lost by competitors. Sales jumped from $105 million to $226 million, a gain of 113 percent. Carolyn Doerle, president and chief executive, won the IFMA Industry Achievement Award in 2008.
Reinhart FoodService of La Crosse, Wis., the No. 5 PD, increased sales through acquisition of three broadliners. Otherwise, most of the sales gains were achieved organically, through market penetration and new business. Companies that had gains of more than 30 percent include Saladino’s in Fresno, Calif.; Merchants Foodservice of Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Maines Paper & Food Service of Conklin, N.Y.
There were more PD companies this year than others that had slower growth than usual. Sysco, for instance, grew sales at 4 percent. However, in dollars, this increase was $1.5 billion, second only to PFG’s growth. Six companies had flat sales. Even so, the PDs as a whole deserve credit for staying at the top of their game during tough times.
TAGS: Archive Technology
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Taylor Bryant
Photo Via Marvel.
‘Black Panther’ Is Already Breaking Records
All hail the King!
Black Panther comes out a month from now, but it’s already making headlines—and breaking records.
Tickets for the Ryan Coogler-helmed film went on sale Monday and, according to Fandango, it’s sold more pre-sale tickets than any other Marvel movie (the top spot was originally held by Captain America: Civil War in 2016). Even Lupita Nyong’o, one of the stars of the film, tried to buy a ticket… with no luck.
Pre-sale numbers don’t necessarily mean that the movie is going to be a box office hit, but it’s definitely a good indicator. What we do know is that Black Panther was the ninth most tweeted about film of 2017 (the only on the list that hasn’t been released yet), so it is, indeed, one of the most anticipated of the year. What this also shows is that people are willing to put coins behind their hype.
Most importantly, though, it shows that movie-goers want to see representation in films—and that includes superhero-led ones. If you look at the success of Wonder Woman combined with that of Girl’s Trip, you’ll find a pattern, and that’s inclusivity. People want it and, as we’ve learned, are willing to pay money to see it.
Your move, Hollywood execs.
Nylon Nights
FBTWIGPTYT
©2021 NYLON. All rights reserved.
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Dwyane Wade tells Ellen DeGeneres about 12-year-old Zaya's journey: 'We are proud'
Rasha AliUSA TODAY
Dwyane Wade's 18-year-old son, Zaire, penned a touching message to his younger sibling Zaya shortly after their father revealed the 12-year-old wanted to be referred to using different pronouns.
Zaire shared two throwback photos of him and Zaya when they were younger and recalled how he used to beg his mom for another sibling.
"Man, I remember bugging my mom as a kid telling her I wanted a brother so bad. I was the only child looking for company and someone to look after and take care of. I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years," Zaire wrote. "We did everything together...we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried. But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind."
He continued his message noting his love and support for Zaya.
"But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind... I’ve told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth. I don’t care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there’s no love lost on this side," Zaire ended his message.
Zaire's supportive note comes just a day after his dad appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," and talked to DeGeneres about how he has supported his 12-year-old since she told her parents she wanted to be referred to using female pronouns.
"Once Zaya… originally born Zion as a boy – came home and said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I'm ready to live my truth, and I want to be referenced as 'she' and 'her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,' " Dwyane recalled. "So internally, now it's our job to… go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have."
The former NBA player said wife Gabrielle Union reached out to the cast of the FX show "Pose" to help get informed. "Pose" is a drama series centered around Black and Latino LGBTQ characters.
"We're just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunities to be her best self," Dwyane said.
He recalled telling Zaya she had an opportunity ahead of her.
"I looked at her and said, 'You are a leader. You are a leader and this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice,' " he said. "Right now it's through us because she's 12-years-old, but eventually it'll be through her."
The former Miami Heat star, 38, is also father to Zaire, 18, and Xavier, 6. He and Union, 47, welcomed daughter Kaavia in November 2018.
"First of all, me and my wife… are proud… parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we're proud allies as well," he said. "And we take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously."
He continued: "So when our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can," he said. "And that doesn't change because sexuality's now involved in it."
In tweets the same day, Union thanked those who have acted as a resource in their lives.
"Huge huge huge THANK YOU to everyone whose dms I slid into, friends, & family who provided information, resources, love & encouragement," she said. "We are humble LGBTQ+ allies with ALOT to learn & grateful for all the support. We encourage yall to check us as needed. Again, thank you!"
She also shared a video of Zaya encouraging those who feel judged to not "even think about that, just be true to yourself."
"Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people," Union said.
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3-year-old nearly drowns at Boy Scout camp
By Lauren Steussy | Orange County Register
A 3-year-old girl left unattended at a pool near Orange was found unconscious Saturday night but was revived by lifeguards and is expected to survive, officials say.
The near-drowning occurred just before 6 p.m. at a Boy Scout camp at 2 Irvine Park Road. Bystanders found the girl underwater, said Capt. Steve Concialdi, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.
When the girl was pulled from the pool, she was not breathing. Lifeguards immediately started CPR until she began vomiting. She was taken to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in moderate-to-serious condition. She is expected to survive, Concialdi said.
The girl’s parents told officials that they left her unattended at the steps of the pool for less than a minute.
“But that’s all it takes for a child to get away and be submerged,” Concialdi said.
There were more than 100 people at the pool at the time of the incident, all for a family day at the Boy Scout camp, which is in an unincorporated part of the county called Orange Park.
“We always reminds parents that when their child is 3 years old or younger to stay in arms length at all times,” Concialdi said. “These drownings happen so quickly, and they drown without a sound.”
The incident was the third water-related incident in Orange County in three days and the 45th this year. Eighteen of those have been fatal, and many of the rest have left victims with long-term nerve damage, Conciadi said.
On Wednesday, 16-year-old Chinese exchange student Yuan Zhao died after he was found unresponsive in a residential pool in Anaheim. Then, on Friday, a 63-year-old man died in Placentia after falling into a pool while wearing a leaf-blower on his back. The Orange County coroner has not yet released the identity of the gardener.
Contact the writer: lsteussy@ocregister.com
Lauren Steussy
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The Bravery of Being Hated: In Praise of Complicated Characters
By Daniel Carlson | Think Pieces | October 30, 2013 |
The other night, I saw The Last Days of Disco for the first time. It’s a Whit Stillman film, which means it’s built on trenchant, bittersweet insights into the paranoia of young professionals who are trying to figure out what it means to be independent adults even as they struggle with their desire to continue defining themselves as members of exclusive groups (e.g., Harvard grads, ad execs, etc.). It’s a good movie, but what caught my eye was Kate Beckinsale’s performance as Charlotte, a grating, self-absorbed young woman who keeps her friend Alice (Chloe Sevigny) in check by saying things like, “Maybe in physical terms I’m a little cuter than you, but you should be much more popular than I am.” Alice is one of several main characters, and while hers is one of the bigger arcs, it’s still very much an ensemble piece, which means characters like Charlotte are integral to the narrative. And Charlotte’s a fantastically realized, expertly drawn, convincingly acted pain in the ass. She has to be. Her character is that of a confused, jealous, insecure post-grad (admittedly a somewhat redundant phrase), and what’s more, the story isn’t about her coming to terms with those failings or growing in some small way as a person. Things happen to her, but she doesn’t reinvent herself. That’s not what she’s here to do. I was struck not only by the acuity of the performance, but the bravery required to accurately write and perform it. Roles like that are thankless.
They’re also plentiful, though, in large part because of what we expect from film narrative. A protagonist is going to progress through a series of internal changes as a result of external action, and that arc can be heightened by placing it next to someone who stays relatively flat. And not just flat, either, but still kind of aggressive and annoying and what we’d think of the as the “before” picture. When these characters are treated as real people — complex, screwed up, naturally self-interested people, just like everyone else — then a film has the potential to rise to a higher level of art and observation. It’s so easy to want to make these people villains, or at least villainous, but it’s infinitely more rewarding to watch a movie where they act like real people that you might know.
Writing, directing, and performing roles like this anything but easy. Written too broadly, these characters become mean jokes or cheap caricatures that you just want to see squashed. Wobbly direction can make them feel insignificant or detrimental. The acting requires total commitment to the idea that everybody is the hero in the story they tell themselves; there can’t be any judgment or distance present on the part of the actor. Beckinsale so totally inhabited that role that I found myself reacting to her the way I would a human, not a cartoon or stock movie character. It’s the feeling you get that makes you refer to fictional characters as “realistic” and “grounded” without quite knowing why.
There are so many others, too. Guy Pearce does a hero’s job in L.A. Confidential playing Ed Exley, an insecure and conniving detective who wants to do the right thing but get plenty of glory along the way. He definitely evolves over the course of the film, softening a little toward the men he once viewed as obstacles to his success, but it’s still a tightrope that Pearce walks with amazing skill. The film has Russell Crowe playing a two-dimensional he-man, but Pearce is the really magnetic one. The scene where Exley tries to put the moves on Lynn (Kim Basinger) is fantastic precisely because of Exley’s desire to seem full of himself but somehow subtle about it. He swaggers around, trying on lines that sound corny and sad at once, and you get so much of who he is in these moments. Pearce — and director Curtis Hanson, and writer Brian Helgeland — know exactly what makes this guy tick, and it’s more complicated and difficult to pin down than any of the other leads. He’s what makes the film work.
Vince Vaughn used to excel at this. Before he went for the roles that let him be a likable clown, he made a pair of comedies with Jon Favreau that required him to be prickly, irritating, somewhat endearing, and a little tough to take. In Swingers (written by Favreau and directed by Doug Liman) and Made (written and directed by Favreau), Vaughn plays men who mostly make Favreau’s characters look even better. He’s a cad and struggling actor in Swingers, there to support his friends in tough times but also unable to see much of the world from someone else’s perspective. In Made, he’s even more aggressive, a kind of lazy, cynical coaster who thinks far more of his people skills and career prospects than anyone else does. He’s not the enemy, though, in either film, and he’s not just a foil for the lead. He has the presence of performance to risk being disliked simply for being a rounded person that you might not want to hang out with all the time. He’s pitiable, but not pathetic; grating, but loyal.
Many films try to do this; just as many don’t succeed. I have to think it’s because, while complexity might sound appealing in the abstract, it turns out to be a lot harder to do in practice simply for the risks involved. We want to know who the good guys and bad guys are, and if we’re dealing with anti-heroes or people who slowly break bad, we want that spelled out for us, too. But there are fringes where certain characters can thrive, and where storytellers can give life to men and women who say or do the wrong thing just because it’s what someone like that would do. It’s not always comfortable being reminded of who we are and what we can be, but what else is art for?
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a member of the Houston Film Critics Society and the Online Film Critics Society. You can also find him on Twitter.
5 Shows After Dark: "These Are Just My Tuesday Face Jewels, Saturday's Are Really Elaborate"
In Celebration of Halloween, We Present Horror's Sexiest Butterfaces
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Portland golfer wins car with hole-in-one 37 years after father did same on same hole
Peter and Sheldon Jones pose in front of the Porsche that Peter won for making a hole-in-one during a member-guest tournament at Waverley Country Club.
By comments@oregonlive.com
Peter Jones has been a good enough golfer – having competed in the Oregon Amateur and other area tournaments – that a hole-in-one wasn’t a huge surprise.
In fact, while playing a practice round for a member-guest tournament at Waverley Country Club last Wednesday, he got one, acing the 125-yard ninth hole with a pitching wedge. It was his ninth hole-in-one. Ho-hum.
But on Friday during the tournament, Jones, 58, got a hole-in-one he’ll never forget. Playing in the day’s first group, he aced the 157-yard sixth hole with a 7-iron, winning a Porsche that the tournament offered for a hole-in-one on that hole. But that was just the beginning.
It turns out his father, Sheldon Jones, 87, had aced the same hole, in the same member-guest tournament, in 1976, also to win a car. Sheldon Jones gave his prize – a Buick Skylark -- to Peter, who was a student at the University of Oregon at the time.
“I was hitchhiking home all the time – it was different era, and you could do that,” Peter Jones, who kept the car for six or seven years, said with a laugh. “He gave me the car, got me off the highway.”
Waverley recently underwent a significant renovation, but the sixth hole wasn’t altered beyond a few tweaks to bunkers, and the green contours were left alone. So the Joneses had their car-winning aces on a hole that played about the same 37 years apart.
“It wasn’t dramatically changed,” assistant pro Geoff Coffin said.
Peter Jones, a graduate of Grant High School who works as a stockbroker, will have to pay taxes on the Porsche, but the prize won’t affect his amateur standing. In 2011, the United States Golf Association changed its rules to allow winners of hole-in-one prizes to retain their amateur status; previously, they would have been deemed professional for accepting anything worth $750 or more for an ace.
Peter Jones is pleased about that, and he’s even more pleased to able to share the details of a remarkable coincidence he now has with his father.
“It’s hard to believe,” he said. “I gotta tell you, I’m amazed every time I tell the story.”
-- Mike Tokito
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Philip B. Payne
1 Cor 11
1 Cor 7
1 Tim 2
Eph 5
Man & Woman
Rom 16
Question: Why not interpret 1 Cor 14:34-35 as a false prophecy that Paul refutes in 14:36-38?
written by phil
I received this question from Don Johnson, who is reading my book.
Question: I am enjoying your book. I love your exposition of Eph 5. I have a question on 1 Cor 14. Before reading your book, I favored the idea that 1 Cor 14:34-35 is a quote from legalists at Corinth. The way I taught this is “the law/Torah says” is a ref. to the so-called Oral Torah of the Pharisees, which does limit women; and the 2 eta’s (sometimes translated as “or” but which I translate as “Bunk!”) in v. 36 which can be expletives of repudiation, per Nyland’s The Source New Testament (which she translates as “Utter Rubbish”) and others likewise.
Answer: Thanks for your thoughtful question. The repudiation of a false prophecy interpretation of 1 Cor 14:34-35 is, I believe, the most credible of the many attempted interpretations of these two verses viewed as a part of Paul’s original letter delivered to the church in Corinth. For a while I was a proponent of this view after I realized the anachronism of trying to interpret in a narrow sense the thrice-repeated unqualified prohibition of speech by women in 1 Cor 14:34-35. That was before I looked closely at the text critical question and realized how powerful the arguments for interpolation are.
There is a strong appeal to the view that 1 Cor 14:34-35 repudiates a false prophecy, for it resolves the internal contradiction of these verses with so many other statements by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 that affirm speech by women or by “all” in the church. Nevertheless, this view has six key weaknesses:
1. 1 Cor 14:34-35 is not introduced in a way that would let readers know that the view of Paul’s opponents is being stated. This is particularly problematic since the view it expresses was the conventional wisdom of Paul’s day as expressed in Hellenistic and Jewish laws and oral traditions. Consequently, most readers would assume that it is the viewpoint of the author unless it had been specifically introduced as the view of Paul’s opponents.
2. “As even the law says” is something that normally would be heard as support for the prior statement, and so would tend to confirm that Paul approved the prior statement. For example, both Tertullian and Origen read verses 34-35 as Paul’s own statement even though they acknowledge the tension between them and other statements by Paul approving prophecy by women. My book discusses this on pages 219 and 264-65.
3. Nothing in verses 36-38 requires that these verses refute verses 34-35. Although four times in 1 Corinthians Paul uses eta to introduce a question that challenges an immediately preceding statement of something the Corinthians were doing, in each of these, the translation “or” fits the context adequately, and “or” is clearly the meaning of eta in the next verse (37), though here eta is not in a question.
4. Although Paul quotes and opposes slogans of his opponents repeatedly in 1 Corinthians, all the others are brief slogans. None is nearly this long, nor does any include a theological defense (“as even the law says”) or explication (verse 35). It seems implausible to me that the entirety of 14:34-35 was an identifiable slogan of Paul’s opponents. It is just too long to be a slogan.
5. Verses 34-35 interrupt the flow of Paul’s argument, introducing something extraneous to the topic of the entire chapter, which throughout is about prophecy and tongues. Furthermore, if my book’s analysis on pages 254-55 of the chiastic structure of 1 Cor 14:26-40 is correct, the inclusion of verses 34-35 also breaks the chiastic structure of this passage.
6. This interpretation does not explain why, as Fee argues on page 700 of his commentary on 1 Corinthians, the Western Church unanimously accepted verses 34-35 after verse 40 for at least 300 years while the rest of the church put them after verse 33. Bengel’s first principle applies: “The form of the text that best explains the emergence of all other forms is most likely the original.” No scribe of any surviving manuscript of any of Paul’s letters ever made an analogous change of the order of Paul’s argument in a passage this long. Only if these verses were written in the margin does it make sense that they would end up in these two locations. Consequently, only viewing verses 34-35 as an interpolation that was not originally in the text but was inserted into it later at different points by different scribes fulfills Bengel’s first principle adequately. This is why there is such broad support among textual critics that verses 34-35 is an interpolation, as shown by the scholars cited in my book’s footnote 39 on pages 226-27.
Only if verses 34-35 were originally written in the margin, possibly by the bearer of Paul’s letter, to make it clear to his readers that verses 36-38 were about this false prophecy would this interpretation provide an adequate explanation for the presence of verses 34-35 after verse 40 in the Western text-type tradition. Similarly, only their origin in the margin solves the objection that they interrupt the flow of Paul’s argument. It is highly unlikely, however, that Paul put them in the margin because there is not nearly enough room in a typical papyrus margin for that much text in Paul’s large letters, as Paul wrote in Galatians 6:11, “See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand” (NRSV, cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:17).
Without verses 34-35 in the text, however, it is doubtful that verses 36-38 could be plausibly attributed to such a particular false prophecy since they fit so well as a general repudiation of the sorts of disorder in worship addressed in verses 29-32, summed up in the climax of Paul’s chiastic structure in verse 33. Correspondingly, if Paul originally wrote 14:26-33 immediately followed by 36-40, it is only natural to view what he originally intended verses 36-40 to convey his general disapproval of disorder in the Corinthians worship. The view that verses 36-38 is Paul’s repudiation of a specific false prophecy is inherently speculative since nothing in the text identifies it as a quotation.
It is the combination of these weaknesses in the view that verses 34-36 repudiate a false prophecy that women be silent in church with the strengths of the interpolation view, as expressed in my book on pages 225-67, that caused me to abandon this interpretation in favor the interpolation view.
1 Cor 14, Man & Woman
Seven Cox
Dear Philip, a question please. In your opinion, does 1 Cor 11:18, “when you come together as a church” (same verb 17, 20, 33, 34) allow the possibility that 1 Cor 11:2-16 allows a wider circle of contexts than just the “First Day” or eucharist/agape? Were women able to pray and prophesy in other contexts than that envisaged in 1 Cor 11:17-34 “when you come together as a church” and in references to the “whole church” in 1 Cor 14?
The Bauer Arndt and Gingrich Greek Lexicon, page 795 lists the following meanings for this verb: “come together, lit. assemble, gather, with dative: come together with someone, assemble at someone’s house, come together to meet someone, ‘you hold your meetings to your disadvantage.'” The verb itself, then, can be used quite broadly from just two people coming together to a large group coming together. Its meaning must be derived from the context and, where appropriate, should be applied with common sense to our day.
1 Cor 11:33-34 “when you come together to eat” implies there may be times when believers come together but do not eat.
1 Cor 14:23 “when the whole church comes together” implies there may be times when believers come together, but not the whole church.
This verb occurs in this part of 1 Corinthians in 1 Cor 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34; 14:23, 26.
So, does 1 Cor 11:18, “when you come together as a church” (same verb 17, 20, 33, 34) allow the possibility that 1 Cor 11:2-16 allows a wider circle of contexts than just the “First Day” or eucharist/agape?
The first thing is to deterine the relationship between 1 Cor 11:2-16 and 17-34. Paul praises the Corinthians in 1 Cor 11:2 but begins verse 17, “But in the following instructions I do not commend you….” Consequently, it is clear that the two sections are dealing with different issues. I argue that the first section deals with an issue that Paul had not addressed before but is a novel error that has surfaced in Corinth. That is why he can refer to the shame of what they are doing in verses 4-6 and 14 but in v. 2 he says, “you maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.”
Since the verb you mention “come together” does not occur in 1 Cor 11:2-16, we can only determine the setting by what Paul does state, namely that this shameful activity is being done by people praying and prophesying. Since prophesying is a public activity and is typically part of worship, Paul is clearly referring to a public gathering of believers in which prophesying takes place. This, however, is not restricted to just the “First Day” or eucharist/agape services, so we have no right to restrict its application to services only on the “First Day” or only to services in which there a eucharist/agape celebration.
If, however, you are only considering 1 Cor 11:17-34 (and not also including any possible application of 11:2-16), then it is clear that Paul is specifically writing about abuses in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. He specifically associated “when you gather together as a church” with, “When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.” (v. 20) and proceeds to give regulations for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Nowhere in this passage, however is the Lord’s Supper restricted to the “First Day.”
Steven Cox
Dear Philip
Your comments above confirm my own reading, thank you. I also agree with you that it is a reasonable assumption that the 1 Cor 11:2-16 issue/worship context, can (and in Corinth did) overlap with the 11:17-34 “when you come together as a church” “whole church” agape/eucharist context.
Just one question: You say “Since prophesying is a public activity and is typically part of worship, Paul is clearly referring to a public gathering of believers in which prophesying takes place.” I feel that your mention of prophesying as worship (not merely prediction) is correct, and supported by “prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals.”(1 Chr. 25:1-3) and perhaps Exodus 15:20 “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.” (at least as this verse was apparently interpreted by Therapeutae judging by Philo’s description of their 7th Week feast and vigil).
That is a fair conclusion. But I’m wondering how “public” is public? Anna’s prophesying is public and “praise” (Acts 2:36-38), but we do not know how “public” is the prophesying of Philip’s daughters in Acts 21. I wonder if it is correct to note the difference at Caesarea of “church” (Acts 18:22) and “house” (Acts 21:8), and infer that though “Paul is clearly referring to a public gathering of believers in which prophesying takes place.”, that this may be semi-public, for example a mid-week house meeting, rather than in the market place. I apologise if this question seems too obvious to ask. Just want to get your reading on how public is “public”. Can the context for prophesy extend from the temple court to just a few believers in a house? Or extend as it did with Therapeutae from the feast in Cont.Life, to the praise in angelic tongues of the daughters at the end of Test.Job. (I am not aware of any other 1stC source material for Jewish women prophesying outside NT and these two Therapeutae documents, you may know of other sources I do not)
Thank you, Steven, for your thoughtful comments regarding prophecy and your question regarding prophecy, “how “public” is public?”
My father, J. Barton Payne, who probably studied prophecy as deeply as anyone has (evidenced by his books: The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, Biblical Prophecy for Today, Revelation in Sequence, The Theology of the Older Testament, and dozens of articles), often used “forth-telling” as a synonym for prophecy. “Forth-telling” implies an audience. Matt 18:20 states, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Consequently, it would seem to be illegitimate to restrict the prophecy of women to gatherings of the “whole church” or meetings “on the first day” or meetings where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. Logically, if women are permitted to prophesy in the larger, more regular meetings of the church (which merely means “the assembly [of believers]”), how much more should they be permitted to prophesy in smaller gatherings of believers as well.
The two examples you mention bear this out. We do not know how large a group was present when Anna met the baby Jesus in the temple (Luke [not Acts] 2:36-38), and this was certainly not limited to a meeting of Christians for celebration of the eucharist.
Acts 21:8-9 says that Paul and presumably Luke “came to Caesarea and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him, and he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.” There was apparently room in the house not only for Philip, his four daughters, Paul, and Luke, but for other people as well since 21:12 states, “When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.” Verse 10 explains, “While we were staying for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us he took Paul’s girdle and bound his own feet…” “Coming to us” in this context seems to imply that the assemply took place in Philip’s house in Caesarea. This prophecy by Agabus exemplifies public prophecy in a house and strongly suggests that Philip’s daughters also prophesied at least in this same “public” house-space. Since a special visitor came to meet with assembled believers in Philip’s house, it is the most likely candidate for the setting of the reference to the church you mentioned in Acts 18:22, “When he had [Paul] landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.”
You write, “I wonder if it is correct to note the difference at Caesarea of “church” (Acts 18:22) and “house” (Acts 21:8).” The above observations suggests that they are probably one and the same. Even if the setting was different, the parallels show that Philip’s house could have been the same location where Paul “greeted the church” in Acts 18:22.
So I agree with you that, yes, the public gathering of believers in which prophesying takes place “may be semi-public, for example a mid-week house meeting, rather than in the market place.”
Philip, many thanks.
Hi Philip,
Sorry, just coming back with a couple of quick follow-up Qs please:
1. If “prays and prophesies” (1 Cor 11:4,5) can be on other occasions than “when the whole church comes together” (1 Cor 14:23) then “head covered” 11:4 or “head uncovered” 11:5 (irrespective of what covering/uncovering meant) can also be on other occasions than “when the whole church comes together” (1 Cor 14:23), correct?
2. The audience, if any, for “prophesy” in Hebrew can be very informal:
* Num 11:26 Eldad and Medad prophesied “among the tents”, not “in the tabernacle” with the Seventy.
* 1 Sam 8:10 “The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved (hithnave’, prophesied) within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand…”,
..correct?
3. Therefore there is no need for prophecy to always be “in church”? The audience may only be a handful? Yes/No?
I am afraid, Steven, your syllogism is faulty at several points.
First, in 1. you assume without stated justification that the answer to when prophesying can occur will be equally appropriate to when head coverings can occur. In fact, we know from a large amount of manuscript evidence that a man wearing effeminate hair was regarded as shameful in any context, and we know from a huge amount of graphic evidence and some manuscript evidence that a woman wearing her hair down in public was shameful. Wherever the location of prophecy is identified in Paul’s letters, however, it is always in the context of Christian worship, and the nature of prophecy as the “forth-telling of a word from God” presuppose a message to an assembly (in most contexts explicitly including believers, no matter how few). Since the extent of the application (as regards occasion, location, and/or audience) in these cases does not appear to be the same, the transfer in your statement 1. from the location where prophecy occurs to the location where headcoverings occur appears inappropriate. It is not just that you do not mention that you intend to restrict the statement to headcoverings during prayer and prophecy in church, which could alleviate this problem, but that you appear in 3. to be moving to conclusions of what may transpire outside of church.
Second, one cannot assume that what Paul means by his use of a Greek word for prophecy is co-extensive with what Hebrew words for prophecy may mean.
Third, and most important, you appear to assume a definition of “church” limited to gatherings entailing the whole church by your statement in 1., “when the whole church comes together,” and your conclusion in 3., “Therefore there is no need for prophecy to always be ‘in church’,” as though smaller groupings are not “in church.” “Church” literally means “the assembly [of believers].” There is strong evidence that “church” refers primarily in the NT to gatherings of believers, and that Christ is there “in the midst” even if only two or three are gathered (Matt 18:20). The references to “the church in the house of…” support this, as do descriptions of relatively small gathering of believers where, e.g. Agabus’s prophecy of Paul’s imprisonment occurs. In my previous comment I argued that Agabus’s prophecy in the house of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8-12) strongly suggests that Philip’s daughters also prophesied at least in this same “public” house-space. Since a special visitor came to meet with assembled believers in Philip’s house, it is the most likely candidate for the setting of the reference to the church you mentioned in Acts 18:22, “When he had [Paul] landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.”
The combination of Paul’s repeated calls that “all” in the church “prophecy” in 1 Corinthians 14 and its specific application to both men and women in 1 Cor 11:2-16, indicates that he thinks primarily (if not exclusively) of prophecy as an activity in church, namely something done with other believers present, whether that gathering of the church be small or large. The explicit affirmation of women prophesying in church is one of many reasons to regard 1 Cor 14:34-35 as an interpolation that was not originally in the text of this letter. I deal with this in detail in my book and briefly in my separate post of October 16, 2009 on this web site, “Question: Why would 1 Cor 14:34-35 be an interpolation?”
Hi Philip
Thanks for those comments.
1. FWIW there’s no syllogism in 1, since I was simply asking the question. No, I am not assuming (either without or without stated justification) that the answer to when prophesying can occur will be equally appropriate to when head coverings can occur. To me it is common sense that prophesying and head coverings are two sets of activities which would not have a hermetic overlap (cf. Petrarch’s Roman Questions on headcoverings, and Therapeutae prophecy contexts for starters).
2. Re. “the nature of prophecy as the “forth-telling of a word from God” presuppose a message to an assembly.” There is strong evidence that “church” refers primarily in the NT to gatherings of believers is evidently correct. But the extension of “only two or three” [witnesses] from Matt 18:16, 20 to define “in church” in 1 Corinthians is not tenable since Paul speaks of “when the whole church comes together” and the very words “whole church”; and “come together” indicate the existence of “not the whole church” and “not come together” contexts.
My fundamental question remains whether “prophecy” was possible in the “not the whole church” and “not come together” contexts. You seemed to allow earlier that it was, but are now, it seems, reluctant to allow that, can I ask, what has changed?
Thank you for your comment, Steven.
You write, “But the extension of “only 2 or 3” [witnesses] from Matt 18:16, 20 to define “in church” in 1 Corinthians is not tenable since Paul speaks of “when the whole church comes together,” and the very words “whole church” and “come together” indicate the existence of “not the whole church” and “not come together.”
It is a non-sequitur to conclude that because Paul can speak of “when the whole church comes together,” that two or three believers (or by implication anything less than “the whole church”) is not also “the church” gathered. While Matt 18:16 is specifically speaking about two or three witnesses, verse 17 states, “tell it to the church, and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” It is after this reference to “the church” (where things are bound or loosed on earth and in heaven, v. 18) that Jesus states, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This affirmation of the authority of small groups of believers since Jesus is in their midst following after statements about the authority of “the church” undermines the view that only “when the whole church comes together,” can it be regarded as “the church.”
You write, “My fundamental questions remains whether “prophecy” was possible in the “not the whole church” and “not come together” contexts. You seemed to allow earlier that it was, but are now, it seems, are reluctant to allow that. Can I ask, what has changed?”
What has changed is not my view that this should apply not only to gatherings of the whole church, but to all gatherings of the church, including gatherings of small groups of believers. What has changed is that you appear now to be arguing that prophecy is allowable to women only in small groups but not when “the whole church comes together.” This view is based on two errors. First, it equates in a restrictive way that the NT does not, “the church” with gatherings when “the whole church comes together.” Second, it appears to repudiate the most obvious application of Paul’s words (namely to public assemblies of believers). This most obvious application is supported by the rest of 1 Cor 11 being about the Lord’s Supper and 1 Corinthians 14’s various affirmations of “all” prophesying and by the ways in which 1 Corinthians 14 defines “prophecy” as public.
My earlier point, a point I have not changed, is that Paul specifically regulates the practice of prophecy by men and women in 1 Cor 11:2-16 in a letter to the church in Corinth (1 Cor 1:2), a letter intended to be read to that church. The most obvious application of these instructions is for public assemblies of the church. If Paul were referring only to private prayer there would be no need to regulate “head coverings,” which I argue in my book most naturally refers to hair covering the head in the case of both men and women. Both cases regard a “covering” that is “disgraceful.” There would be no disgrace if this were private. Garment coverings were not disgraceful for either men or women, but effeminate hair was disgraceful for man, and hair let down loose was disgraceful for women in that culture as is evident in literature and a wealth of graphic depictions.
Furthermore, many times in chapter 14, which is explicitly about assemblies of believers, Paul encourages “all” to prophecy. Since 1 Cor 11:2-16 had just regulated prophecy by men and women, Paul’s readership would naturally understand “all” to include men and women. 1 Cor 14:1 calls the Corinthians (not just the Corinthian men) to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” Verse 4 explains that the one “who prophesies edifies the church” (14:4). This defines the function of prophesy as “edifying the church.” This presupposes that prophecy is an activity in the church, namely in an assembly of believers. Verse 5 makes it explicit that this refers to all in the church: “Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.” Verse 24 reinforces this, “if all prophesy [unbelievers are convicted] as does verse 26, “each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” Verse 31 is also explicit, “For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.” Again, prophesy is defined as an act for public learning and public encouragement. The imperative in verse 39 “So my brothers [a term Paul uses for all believers, not just male ones] earnestly desire to prophesy.”
These statements that “all” and “each one” may prophesy, and, indeed, should “earnestly desire to prophesy” constitute part of the internal evidence that 1 Cor 14:34-35 is an interpolation that was not originally in Paul’s letter, but was added later. I argue this on important external manuscript evidence as well as extensive internal evidence in Man and Woman, One in Christ. I argue with extensive evidence that most text-critical scholars who have published their analysis of this passage regard it to be an interpolation.
Paul speaks of Phoebe as “deacon of the church at Chenchrea [the port of Corinth].” This specifies that there was a “church” in the area of the port of Corinth. Presumably, there were other house churches in other parts of Corinth. Some would have been larger than others, and their meeting would necessarily have varied in the number attending since Paul specifically mentions that outsiders or unbelievers might attend (verses 23-25). Whether the number was large or small, the same principles would apply. Paul encourages in “all” believers in such assemblies to prophesy.
Thanks, Steven, for your thoughtful comments.
You ask, “I wonder if it is correct to note the difference at Caesarea of “church” (Acts 18:22) and “house” (Acts 21:8), and infer that though “Paul is clearly referring to a public gathering of believers in which prophesying takes place,” that this may be semi-public, for example a mid-week house meeting, rather than in the market place.”
Although it is not explicitly stated, several pieces of evidence suggest that the meeting place for both of these cases where Paul sought out the church in Caesarea was in Philip’s house.
Acts 18:22 states, “When he [Paul] had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.” In this instance, “the church” identified Paul’s audience, namely the believers in Caesarea who gathered to be with Paul at that time. Nothing in the context indicates that “the church” was a location. One cannot “greet” a location. One only “greets” people.
Acts 21:8-14 RSV states:
On the morrow we departed and came to Caesarea; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. And he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. While we were stayiing for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us he took Paul’s girdle and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem… And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “The will of the Lord be done.”
There is no indication in Acts 21:8-14 of a change in location from “the house of Philip the evangelist.” In particular, the reference to “a prophet Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us he took Paul’s girdle…” specifies “coming to us.” This constitutes evidence that Philip’s house is probably where Agabus came. “We [Paul and his companion(s), including Luke] and the people there” confirms that this location, presumably Philip’s house, was large enough to accommodate them all. Philip’s house was thus probably the location to which a traveler coming all the way from Judea went to find Paul, where a church meeting including Agabus’s prophecy and exhortation took place. The reference to Philip’s four daughters who prophesied coming right after “we entered the house of Philip the evangelist” shows that the house would have to be big enough for them all to live there. Since Agabus apparently prohesied in that house, it would be odd if Philip’s own daughters never prophesied there.
Since this was the place where Paul and his companion(s) went to greet the church in Caesarea and since it also were Agabus went to find Paul, it was, most likely, the regular meeting place of the church in Caesarea. Since both Acts 18 and 21 describe Paul going somewhere in Caesarea to meet believers, and since Acts 21 specifies the location as Philip’s house, it is more likely that Paul’s earlier visit to the church in Caesarea in Acts 18 was to Philip’s house than anywhere else.
At the very least, it would be precarious to assume that Philip’s house was not the meeting place where Paul greeted the church at Caesarea in Acts 18:22. Consequently, one should not assume a difference in location between “church” (Acts 18:22) and “house” (Acts 21:8). Both passages deal with a public meeting of the church in Caesarea.
Thank you, Steven, for these comments and questions.
Comment on point 1: Since Paul is talking about shameful demeanor in worship, he is clearly talking about public display. What is shameful in public may be unobjectionable in the privacy of ones home. It is true that Paul does not specify “the whole church” in this passage, and it is also true that gatherings for worship such as Paul has in mind in 1 Cor 11 would almost certainly have included “home-sized” church gatherings since home gatherings for worship are described in the NT. What is not warranted, however, is to imagine that Paul does not have a worship setting in mind as the context of 1 Cor 11:2-16 or that the worship setting can be regarded as something other than transpiring at “church,” namely within the assembly of believers. This is evident from “every man praying or prophesying ‘having down from the head’ disgraces his head,” “every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered,” and “we, the churches of God, have no such custom.”
Comment on point 2: The passage you are referring to is not 1 Sam 8:10 but 18:10. Clearly Saul’s raving is not comparable to the kind of edifying prophesying that Paul refers to in 1 Cor 11-14. Consequently, it is irrelevant for determining the kind of setting Paul had in mind. Just because this Hebrew word for prophesy can be applied to a wide range of situations does not mean that all must apply in Paul’s use of a Greek word for prophesy in 1 Cor 11.
Comment on point 3: This point is stated broadly, but in light of its context you seem to be assuming that its answer will apply to 1 Cor 11:2-16. One should not assume that the broadest possible semantic range of meaning of a word will apply in any particular situation. Nor should one assume that the situations in which an activity can occur must all be considered as part of the situation being addressed in a particular reference to that activity. You ask whether the audience of prophesy may be only a handful. Theoretically, yes. Is such a small group what Paul has in mind in 1 Cor 11? He probably has in mind a typical church gathering in Corinth. We don’t know how big those were typically. Rom 16:1 refers to “the chuch of Cenchrea [the port of Corinth].” This shows that there were localized “churches” in Corinth. The churches in Corinth probably had recognized meeting places or homes where they would gather for worship, but they may have had worship in a variety of places. Could any of these have included worship of just a handful of people? There is no reason it could not. Is it likely that Paul had such a small group in mind when writing 1 Cor 11:2-16? Probably not.
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Eric Schmidt: 'The Internet Will Disappear'
During an appearance at the World Economic Forum, the Google exec painted a very different future for the Web.
By Stephanie Mlot
https://www.pcmag.com/news/eric-schmidt-the-internet-will-disappear
There are plenty of dying markets: DVD rentals, newspaper publishing, appliance repair. And, according to Google's Eric Schmidt, the Internet.
During an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Google executive chairman argued that, one day, "the Internet will disappear."
But before you envision a connectivity-free future, Schmidt's comments suggest that the Google exec envisions a future where the Internet as we know it will evolve into a system that's just there and always on.
"There will be so many IP addresses … so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with that you won't even sense it," he said, as published by The Hollywood Reporter. "It will be part of your presence all the time.
"Imagine you walk into a room, and the room is dynamic. And with your permission and all of that, you are interacting with the things going on in the room," he continued. "A highly personalized, highly interactive and very, very interesting world emerges."
On mobile, Schmidt is less certain. "All bets are off … as to what the smartphone app infrastructure is going to look like," he said. "I view that as a completely open market at this point."
The panel, which included Schmidt, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Vodafone chief Vittorio Colao, was led by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who extolled the importance of an expanding global Web presence.
With 5 billion people around the world still without Internet access, "the only way this changes is if it gets cheaper," Sandberg said, as reported by The New York Times.
Facebook and Google are both taking steps to bring more people online: The social network continues to broaden its Internet.org service, while Google's Project Loon is moving into new locations.
A separate WEF technology panel, meanwhile, saw Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Salesforce.com head Marc Benioff discussing the need to regulate privacy standards on the Internet.
"Only through radical transparency will we get radical new levels of trust, which is where we need to get to," Benioff said.
Mayer took a slightly less drastic approach, telling the audience that "You need to have transparency but you also need to afford the individual choice and control."
About Stephanie Mlot
Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She has also written about technology, science, culture, and Doctor Who for PCMag sister site Geek.com. She is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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TikTok Is Testing a Q&A Feature for Easier Creator-Fan Interactions
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Microsoft Details 2013 Government User Data Requests (37K So Far)
The total number of requests for the first half of 2013 seems to be right on track to mathc up with with 2012's totals.
By David Murphy
https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-details-2013-government-user-data-requests-37k-so-far
The latest figures from Microsoft are out regarding the number of requests that governments have made for various bits of the company's user data.
The verdict? Just over 37,000 total requests thus far for the first six months of 2013, affecting a total of 66,539 accounts. If that sounds like a lot, it is; however, it also appears to be right on track compared to last year's overall total for 2012: 75,378 requests affecting 137,424 accounts.
As for Microsoft's response, the company maintains that it didn't offer up a single bit of data for roughly one-fifth of the requests made. Around 77 percent of the requests – or just under 29,000 requests or so — got Microsoft to cough up what it refers to as "non-content data." The company doesn't go on to describe exactly what that is, but ZDNet's Larry Seltzer postulates that it's likely just "metadata about the user" related to his or activities with the account, as opposed to specific data from a user's account.
A total of 2.19 percent of requests — just over 800 or so — resulted in Microsoft coughing up information about the actual data found within users' accounts. And a significant percentage of these requests, 92% in total, were made by law enforcement agencies found within the United States. Microsoft maintains that these figures are pretty much in agreement with what the company saw when disclosing these statistics last year.
Most of the requests Microsoft received, in total, came from five countries: The United States, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.
However, it's important to keep in mind that some governmental requests – specifically, national security orders — are not included in the data that Microsoft is currently reporting. Microsoft did publish the total volume of security orders it received in 2012 as soon as it was given permission to do so a few months ago, but such has not been the case so far for 2013.
"While we believe that had some value in quantifying the overall volume of requests we received, it is clear that the continued lack of transparency makes it very difficult for the community—including the global community—to have an informed debate about the balance between investigating crimes, keeping communities safe, and personal privacy," reads Microsoft's report.
The company is currently involved in a lawsuit in an attempt to receive additional permissions to publish information about the various government orders it receives for user data.
"For example, we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email. These figures should be published in a form that is distinct from the number of demands that capture only metadata such as the subscriber information associated with a particular email address. We believe it's possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk. And unless this type of information is made public, any discussion of government practices and service provider obligations will remain incomplete," reads a letter posted by Microsoft executive vice president Brad Smith in late August.
About David Murphy
David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he later rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors. For more tech tidbits from David Murphy, follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).
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Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 Review
By Jill Duffy
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-visio-pro-for-office-365
Microsoft Visio is a powerful diagram creation and editing tool, but it's challenging enough to set up that it's best suited for bigger businesses with the IT resources to handle the process.
15.00 Per Month, Yearly Plan Microsoft Visio for Office 365
Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 Microsoft Visio Pro for O
Purchasing and Setup
Pricing and Comparisons
Using Visio
Data-Driven Files
Supported File Types
Collaboration and Integration
Better for Bigger Businesses
Huge library of templates and objects.
Wide array of export formats.
Not available on Mac, Linux, or as a web app.
Confusing purchasing process.
Limited collaboration capabilities.
Clunky and cluttered.
It used to be a burden to draw flowcharts, organizational charts, floorplans, networking diagrams, and other visuals commonly used in business. Visio was one of the earliest pieces of software to simplify how it was done by providing premade shapes and objects, rather than virtual pens and protractors. Visio, which has been owned by Microsoft since 2000, is still one of the most important flowchart and diagramming apps available. It's powerful and chock-full of options, but it's best for bigger businesses with some IT support, as the purchasing and set-up process is confusing.
Getting Visio is tricky for a few reasons. Part of the problem is that you can't just go to a website and buy Visio. You first have to make sure you have or sign up for the right kind of Microsoft account, either a business account (when you sign up, you get an email address that ends in "onmicrosoft.com") or an account with an Office 365 ($99.99 at Dell) subscription. Then, depending on what kind of account you have and which version of Office you have installed, you have to find out which version of Visio you can install. Once you log into your Microsoft account, the website at least checks your eligibility and prompts you toward the right options, but getting to that point takes some doing.
Another hindrance is that Visio is only available as locally installed software on Windows. You can't use it on a Mac or Linux machine, and there is no browser-based version. Despite its name, Visio Online is not a fully functioning web app. More on that in a bit. In an era when so much business software is solely web-based, and you can get to it from any machine with an internet connection, this might be frustrating enough to turn you away from the start. All the other diagramming apps I've tested—Creately, Draw.io, Gliffy, Lucidchart, and SmartDraw—offer web apps.
Read Lucidchart Review
SmartDraw Cloud
Read SmartDraw Cloud Review
Read Creately Review
Read Gliffy Review
Read Draw.io Review
Assuming you get this far, there are three up-to-date versions of Visio: Visio Standard 2016, Visio Pro 2016, and Visio for Office 365 (which is the version I've reviewed here). Two older versions, Visio 2010 and Visio 2013, are still kicking around and may be the right version for some people, depending on their system requirements and Microsoft account. See Microsoft's Visio comparison chart for more information on Visio 2010 and 2013.
Visio Pro for Office 365 (the version I tested) and Visio Pro 2016 are nearly identical, except that with Pro for Office, you're buying a subscription that includes updates to the product as they're made available. The Pro for Office version also has a few more templates and shapes, particularly those pertaining to education. Visio Standard, however, is different in that it does not include any support for collaboration and it has far fewer templates and shapes.
Visio Pro for Office 365 is sold on a subscription basis. It costs $15.50 per month or $13 per month with an annual commitment, which works out to $156 for the year. Visio Standard 2016 costs $299.99, and Visio Pro 2016 costs $589.99. Both of those latter two prices are one-time fees.
Compared with other diagramming apps, Visio is expensive. Lucidchart (9.95 Per Month at Lucidchart) , for example, is a top pick for this kind of software, and it only costs $5.95 per month or $59.40 annually for a Basic single user account. A Pro account, which is the tier I recommend, costs $9.95 per month or $107.40 annually. Lucidchart is only available in the browser, so there's no need to worry about compatibility.
SmartDraw is also an Editors' Choice, and its price is closer to Visio's. The online version, called SmartDraw Cloud, costs $179.40 annually. SmartDraw also has a desktop app for Windows, and it's available in three tiers: $297 for Standard, $397 for Business, and $2,995 (starting price) for Enterprise.
There are also other diagramming tools that cost even less. Draw.io is totally free, and it offers a pretty good service. Two other apps, Gliffy and Creately, have a very low prices. Gliffy offers a few tiers of service, but its least expensive one costs $14.85 every three months, which is equivalent to about $3.99 per month or $59 per year. Creately costs nearly the same. An online subscription to Creately's web app runs $5 per month or $49 per year for a Personal plan. A downloadable desktop version of Creately costs a one-time fee of $75 for individuals (called Desktop Personal) and is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Acquiring a copy of Visio may be confusing, but getting started with it once you launch the app is not. It has a familiar Microsoft Office layout for navigating basic menus and options. Your workspace is in the center with a tabbed menu bar (Ribbon interface) at the top. To the left is a panel that holds objects. What you find there changes based on what kind of diagram you're creating or editing. More options appear at right when they are relevant, such as formatting options when particular objects are selected.
Templates can make or break a diagramming app, as a huge reason diagramming apps are useful in the first place is because they help you make flowcharts, floor plans, and other visuals without having to draw them by hand the way you would if you were using vector software. Visio has dozens of templates. A few examples of the categories of templates you'll find are Business, Flowchart, Engineering, Network, and Floorplan.
Within any of the categories are plenty of more specific templates. The Floorplan group has options for a Home Plan, Site Plan, Office Layout, Directional 3D Map, Electrical and Telecom Plan, and more. Keep exploring and you'll find Gantt charts, brainstorming diagrams, and even very specific diagrams relating to SharePoint use.
Some of the templates have content in them when you open them up. When I started an org chart, for example, it came pre-populated with a chief executive, a few managers below that position, and employees below them. But other templates start you out with a blank canvas and list of likely shapes and objects you'll use from the panel on the left.
It's very easy to drag and drop objects, resize them, rotate them, add text, add connecting lines to show relationships, and so forth. The tools are straightforward, but there are a lot of them, and the interface could certainly stand to be pared down. It's clunky in the same way many Microsoft software products are. There's so much packed into one app that wading through menus and options can get tiresome. Adobe, another company that struggled with how to fit hundreds of features into a single app, has had some success with creating customized workspace, so that depending on the kind of work you're doing, the interface is pared down to your needs. Diagramming apps, Visio included, tend to do this same thing in terms of giving you appropriate object selections, but in the case of Visio, it might work well to pare down the rest of the interface, too, based on the template you select.
Right-clicking on an object or group of objects brings up relevant tools, too. You can easily align and distribute objects, group and ungroup them, and make other changes, although once again the list of options is longer than it needs to be.
Visio does have a few conveniences, most of which are also offered by the competition. For example, I drew a floor plan and wanted to group together some objects. When I looped my cursor around the objects I wanted, the app intelligently did not select the walls or the shape representing the general floor space. Another example is the ability to quickly remap the org chart I had made into a different arrangement, such as side-by-side, vertical, or horizontal. There are styling options as well, like the kind seen in Microsoft PowerPoint, that change the color scheme of the entire diagram in one click. If you work with a touch-enabled Windows machine, you can use a stylus or your finger to work with Visio as well.
One of the biggest selling points of Visio is that you can connect a diagram to a data set from another Office product and generate diagrams based on the data. It's similar to creating a chart in Excel based on data in other cells. When you change the core data, the diagram automatically updates.
You can make data-driven diagrams and charts using data from a few different sources, such as Excel (must be hosted on SharePoint) and Microsoft Access, and you can output the final diagrams as web drawings so that anyone can view them, even people who don't have a copy of Visio.
When it comes to working with a wide variety of file types, Visio is the app to beat. It has more options for importing and exporting than any other diagramming app on the market. Visio can export to BMP, EMF, GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, TIF, WMF, and many more formats when you use the Save As, rather than the Export, option. PDF, AutoCAD drawing, stencil VSS, and template VST, are just a few examples. Visio also has the strongest support for the types of files you can import: BMP, DIB, DWG, DXF, EMF, EMZ, GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, SVGZ, TIF, TIFF, and WMF.
Supporting all these files types may be important to your work if you swap diagrams often with people using other tools, such as AutoCAD.
Note that Visio doesn't support importing formats from competing diagramming apps, however, such as the proprietary file types used by Editors' Choice Lucidchart.
Visio supports some collaboration, but there are a few requirements you must first meet in order to get it working. Collaboration is only supported by Visio Professional 2016 and Visio Pro for Office 365 (not Visio Standard 2016), which means all the collaborators first have to meet all the requirements necessary to get one of those apps. Then, everyone who wants to collaborate needs either SharePoint or an Office 365 account, in addition to having the Visio software.
If you meet the requirements, then you get coauthoring, commenting, and annotation tools. As with other Office products, you can also set up Skype for Business integration to meet virtually by Skype while working together.
To put it more concretely, you can fully collaborate with others in Visio, but only if everyone has a working copy of Vision Professional or Visio Pro already installed. So it might work for intra-organization collaboration.
How do you share diagrams with people outside the organization or those who don't have a copy of Visio? Microsoft released Visio Online recently (it had been in beta since late 2016), but it don't get too excited—the name it a bit misleading. If what you're expecting is, say, an online app that offers the same functions as the Windows versions of Visio, you're in for disappointment. Visio Online is much more limited than that. Let's say I create a diagram and want to share it with Susan, who doesn't have a copy of Visio. I can send her a link to a view-only version of my file that will appear in her web browser. Susan can see the file and add comments to it. But she can't edit it. She would still need a locally installed copy of Visio for that.
If Susan does have a copy of Visio, she can go from looking at the online version to editing the diagram in just a click or two. Visio Online finds the file for her so she doesn't have to go searching for it. That's it—not particularly impressive.
If collaboration is important to your work, I would recommend scrapping Visio and looking at Lucidchart instead, because it offers real-time collaborative editing, and you don't have to jump through any hoops to get it. It works simply and easily, and it works for all tiers of service. The only word of warning is that the limitations of different account types still apply when collaborating. For example, if someone with a Team subscription invites a free account holder to collaborate on a diagram, the free user can only edit the file if it has fewer than 60 objects on it and if it doesn't include any objects that are limited to paying users.
Visio is an undeniably powerful app with a ton of capabilities. It's also tricky to get started with, expensive, and it only works on Windows computers. Plus, you can't collaborate with non-Visio users by sending them a link to a diagram and having them log into a web app. There are other diagramming apps that are easier to get, cost less, and do what most people need them to do.
Visio is quality software, but it's probably best suited to large organizations with IT administrators who are responsible for the purchasing and setup. Despite Visio's power, small business owners might find other choices more attractive. Editors' Choices Lucidchart and Smartdraw in particular are much easier to get started with and use.
Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365
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About Jill Duffy
Jill Duffy is a contributing editor covering productivity apps and software, as well as technologies for health and fitness. She writes the Get Organized column, with tips on how to lead a better digital life. Follow her on Twitter (below) or get in touch on the Jill Duffy contact page.
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Concerts/Performances Portfolio
News Events Images
President Donald Trump stumps for South Carolina Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Henry McMaster at Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina on June 25, 2018. McMaster is in a Republican primary runoff with candidate John Warren on Tuesday. McMaster was Lt. Governor under Nikki Haley and took the office when Haley was named Ambassador to the United Nations.
Several hundred protestors gathered at the South Carolina State House on Saturday June 30, 2018 as part of the more than 700 nationwide Families belong Together protests and marches.
Thousands of people gathered in Washington, DC on Saturday April 29, 2017 to protest many of President Trump's recent executive orders on environmental policies. At the forefront of the protest were a number of Native American groups protesting the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the degradation of their ancestral lands.
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Video: Christian TV host says Scouts lifting gay ban will allow ‘predators and paedophiles’
Joseph McCormick February 6, 2013
A Christian television host has questioned whether “predators and paedophiles” would be allowed to be Scout Masters if the Boy Scouts were to lift its ban on openly gay scouts, volunteers and staff.
Speaking on his own programme, 700 Club, on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Pat Robertson said that he hoped that the BSA would do “what it feels right”, rather than bowing to pressure from the “political correct crowd”.
The Boy Scouts of America announced last week that it could soon lift its national ban on allowing gay members, volunteers and staff. Its National Executive Board has been in discussions since Monday, and a decision is expected this week.
In the video, posted by Right Wing Watch, Robertson says: “This isn’t a public organisation the state needs to get involved in, but what’s happening is that they are making it look more like a congressional thing so that the Congress gets involved.
“They have no business fooling with the Boy Scouts, and the Boy Scouts should be free to do what they want to do, and the board should feel free to do what it wants to do. That’s just the way it is.
“I think that this organisation has done so much for so many young men, and the question is: are there predators, as boy scouts, paedophiles who would come in as scout masters, and if they are then of course parents wouldn’t want their sons being involved in the Boy Scouts, or their daughters in the Girl Scouts.
“That’s not a pleasant situation but it’s a private organisation… The board is not meeting to deliver today, they’re going to vote tomorrow on what to do, so our prayers are with them that they will do what they feel is right for them, not what the political correct crowd thinks is right for them.”
The issue of the BSA’s board voting on whether to lift its ban on gay scouts has proven to be divisive over past weeks.
President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he thought gay people should be allowed in the Boy Scouts of America, and that “nobody should be barred” from the experience of being a scout.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, however, said last week that he though the Boy Scouts of America shouldn’t remove the ban.
On Monday, a rally delivered a petition with 1.4 million signatures pushing for the Boy Scouts of America to drop the ban.
Earlier this week, the head of a Christian legal firm in the US said that the reason that the Boy Scouts of America may make moves towards dropping its ban on gay scouts was “spiritual pressure” from Satan.
Last week one US radio host said the scouts should “shut down” rather than allow gays in, and that these are signs of the “end times”, and another said that allowing gay scout masters would allow “gay activists” to “spread deviant sexuality”.
More: Americas, Barack Obama, Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts of America, BSA, rick perry, US
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Crackpot rabbi well and truly roasted after claiming COVID vaccine turns people gay: ‘Can you get gay twice?’
Why we’ll never really know how Martin Luther King Jr felt about LGBT+ rights
Reiss Smith - January 18, 2021
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Speaking at Interactive Session on Reforming India through Video Conferencing, in New Delhi
Janmashtami celebrations – which I had not realised when we fixed up this programme. At the outset, I hope all of you in Mumbai enjoy the Dahi Handi festival in Mumbai. I am missing it this time around. But I do hope you will get some time to go around and enjoy the Dahi Handis being taken down by the enthusiasts from all over Mumbai. And, a very happy Janmashtami to all the participants of the Elara Conference.
You have chosen a very appropriate name, Ashwamedh, I believe. And it’s interesting that Ashwamedh comes from the rituals of ancient India when territories used to be conquered to show clout. The world has changed. I think the economy today determines the clout of a nation, and different countries in the world are today competing with each other to better their economic prospects, economic future and that will be the defining yardstick by which one will see the success or failures of states or countries and governments that run these countries.
Of course, all the statistics are very well known to all the participants of the Elara Conference on reforming India – growth statistics, the quality of growth statistics. There has been a raging debate whether UPA growth numbers, albeit little higher side in some of the years, were better than the growth that the NDA has presented before the nation. To my mind, there is hardly any debate about that and I am one who has been studying the growth model of different countries for several years now. Very clearly, a growth which is on the back of extremely high fiscal deficit and on the back of indiscriminate lending, creating capacities which more often than not never had the demand in the first place certainly do not augur well for a long-term, sustainable growth model.
I personally believe the focused effort to improve the… almost all the microeconomic fundamentals of the Indian economy that Prime Minister Modi and our team has been working on for the last 4 years. The fact that on every parameter, be it fiscal deficit, be it the current account deficit, be it revenue deficit, be it our inflation numbers, be it the fact that over the four-year period interest rates have been down, a short-term uptick in the last two quarters. The jury is out whether it was really called for on a short-term number, or one should have waited to see what the sustainable inflation number would have been. The fact that foreign exchange reserves have been very robust, the fact that the rupee – and this may surprise some of you who believe that the rupee has depreciated in the last three months very rapidly – but I believe the rupee has probably been the most stable in this four years of the Modi government – may not be in terms of the timing, but clearly from the fact that during these 5 years, from 2013 to 2018, you actually saw almost no depreciation of the rupee.
As many of you will recall, in 2013, the rupee-dollar rate was at about 68.8 or thereabouts, in 2013. In September-October, 2013, the Reserve Bank gave an exchange swap and raised some $32-34 billion, which cooled the tempers on the rupee depreciation. The rupee, in fact, depreciated to almost Rs 59-60 to a dollar soon thereafter. And, therefore, if one juxtaposes the 2013 rate with today’s rate, considering the fact that this government has repaid that entire $34 billion, along with interest and the committed exchange rate. We have repaid all of that and after repaying that we are still about a $100 billion higher than the foreign exchange reserves that we had in 2014.
I believe the rupee really has depreciated in that sense only a couple of rupees to a dollar, if you look at the 5-year long haul. And that’s been something which I have been often articulating that the Indian rupee, by and large, has always been a far more steady currency than any other currency in the long run. And sadly, we have these ebbs and sudden falls and sudden increases in the rupee-dollar rate, but if a little more orderly long-term view is taken I don’t think the Indian rupee has depreciated any more than about 3%-3.15% in the long run over any long stretch of time that one could calculate.
But let me give you a couple of insights into the thinking of this government, which will help you realize what we stand for and why this government is different from governments in the past. Reform for us is not only privatization, reform for us is not only opening up FDI to every sector, reform for us is not only what the pink papers believe is reform – for us, reform is what impacts 1.25 billion Indians and has an impact on the life of the poorest of the poor, the man at the bottom of the pyramid.
So very early on, when this government came in, Prime Minister Modi took up the task to get financial inclusion to every citizen of this country, very well realizing that that is going to be the framework on which we can do many other programmes, many other improvements in the life of the poor, particularly, in rural India. And, for that matter, it’s not only about rural India. Many of you will be surprised, in the capital city of Delhi, when we opened up the Jan Dhan accounts we found 25 lakh (2.5 million) families, which didn’t have a bank account, in the capital city of Delhi.
So, opening 320 million Jan Dhan accounts or zero-balance accounts, one of the first projects that this government took up was very critical from the point of view of the many other projects that this government has taken up in the last four years. Electricity – can you imagine 300 million people, so many children, not having an electric connection in their homes, 65 years after independence?
This government took up a systematic approach to first take electricity to every village, then to every hamlet or every small adjunct to the villages and now we are currently in the process of taking electricity to every single willing consumer across the length and breadth of India, such that in the next few months you will have every home in this country getting the benefit of electricity.
And, of course, the quality of electricity, for those of you who are not from Mumbai, because Mumbai always had good quality electricity, but if any of you has lived in Delhi, has lived in other parts of the country – other than Gujarat maybe – you will appreciate that the quality of electricity supply, the pricing of electricity, the fact that we now have a national grid across the length and breadth of India, so the price of electricity on the grid, on the national exchange is broadly evening out and you can get electricity in any part of the country through the exchange, at a reasonable price right round the year.
All of these things are very basic and elementary changes in the lives of the people of India. Sometimes, I see some comments about our cleanliness mission, Swachhta Abhiyan. Some people also say is it the Prime Minister’s job to talk about cleanliness? It is. Because, we sincerely believe that it has huge impact on the health outcomes that we want to see in India. It will have a huge impact in the way we live, the way we work, the way the country thinks and progresses – all of these things resonate with the cleanliness levels of the country.
And to our mind, Swachhta is not just an ordinary programme. It’s a very-very deeply important programme for the various other projects that this government is taking up. And in that, if I may venture to suggest, the idea behind the various programmes that the government has initiated, take Digital India for example, take Make in India for example, take Clean India for example, take the Jan Dhan or the Financial inclusion programme, take the social security schemes where we are trying to ensure that a family in distress has some capital to rebuild its future. The Ayushman Bharat by which we hope to take the 500 million people out of the possible debt trap that comes with health problems and ensure free healthcare for 500 million citizens of India.
The fact that we are trying to double the income of farmers through a much higher MSP, a 150% of cost of production being paid to the farmers as a guaranteed support price, thereby giving a leg-up to the rural economy. And all of us in the finance market well appreciate that any income levels going up in rural India always has an impact on the overall economy. While agriculture may show a 3 or 4% growth, but its impact on the rest of the sectors is huge, because the numbers are huge and because the people involved in agriculture usually tend to spend a larger proportion of their income, on the economy, in the market place.
And, therefore, all of these projects that we have taken up actually are like beads in a necklace, they all have some connection with each other, each one of these programmes would be incomplete without the other. I mean, if we didn’t have electricity across the length and breadth of India, we couldn’t have taken digital literacy everywhere. But with electricity going everywhere, we can ensure that water will become available because pumping will be possible. We can ensure that internet becomes available to children across the length and breadth of India. We can take the road network and the rail network that is being expanded in a big way as an important element of connectivity, which helps people with their mobility, which helps people move from one place to the other and possibly build a better future, a better quality of life for their families.
So, all in all, all these projects actually have an impact on what we are trying to create as the new India, an India where every citizen has a house of his own, shelter on his head, with clean drinking water and electricity in his home, a toilet in his home, access or connectivity through road, to the internet, quality education and healthcare in the vicinity. And unless 1.25 billion Indians are assured of this kind of all-round development, I suspect, just focusing on the numbers alone is not going to change the future of India or the destiny of a billion people.
And, therefore, for us, reforming the nation is about reforming every aspect of national life. It’s a 360-degree approach to the future of every child born in this country. And to my mind, any action delayed in improving the quality of life of these children of this part of India, which has remained deprived or marginalized or has not got the fruits of development for so many decades after independence, any delay in these programmes would be very detrimental to the future of India.
Many of you may be aware, we have almost a 150 districts that had been affected by Maoism, by different forms of terrorist activities in the country. This government is making a focused effort to reach the fruits of development to those interiors, to those people in these districts, so that we can get them into the national mainstream. We are working through a massive programme so that every child gets a roof on his head through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and different schemes by which the poor can get their own home, by which the middle class is supported to own their own home through concessional interest rates.
Through the Make in India, we are looking to promote domestic manufacturing in newer and newer sectors, we are looking at promoting manufacturing to meet the ever growing needs of a billion people in a cost-effective manner. We are looking at seeing how every woman in this country is ensured a better quality of life, be it her education, be it about her marriage, be it about her cooking habits through the Ujjwala Yojana where we are getting them free gas connections. We are looking at how every woman in this country can take some skill training and become self-sufficient.
And in that sense, it is this 360 degree approach impacting every citizen of India, which is the defining feature of Prime Minister Modi’s government. In different ways, I think the markets have appreciated the various efforts being taken to change the way of thinking, the way of working in this country. I doubt any other government would have had the audacity to introduce GST and successfully introduce at that within one year of introduction. I mean, we have seen the GST as an idea being floated in 2003, when Mr Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. We saw the first contours of GST come out in 2006 or ’07, but for six or seven years, the country was not able to accept the GST in the form that it was proposed. And there are a variety of reasons for that. One of the most important reasons being trust – states did not trust that there interests will be protected, that there revenues will be protected and were always fearsome of their independence, their autonomy and their future.
Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley were able to earn the trust of political parties across the political spectrum. In fact, if I may give you one small example of how this trust was earned, some of you may recall that we had a thing called Central Sales Tax (CST). It used to be 4% many years ago. The earlier government decided to reduce it from 4 to 3, 3 to 2, 2 to 1 and then eliminate it altogether to prepare the nation for a possible GST coming in. And when they reduced from 4 to 3, and then it was to reduce from 3 to 2, 2 to 1, they committed to the states that we will compensate you for the loss of revenue because of the reduction in CST, the Central Sales Tax, for three years, and during these three years we will introduce GST in the country, the Goods and Services Tax.
So, both were to happen concurrently. For the first two or three years, the central government reduced the CST from 4 to 3, 3 to 2. They gave the compensation to the states for two years, and then they said that okay, we had only committed it for three years, now we won’t give you anymore compensation. But as all of you are well aware, if any contract which has two conditions precedent, one says we will compensate you as the CST comes down. The second CP was that we will introduce GST during this period. The government was unable to introduce GST or bring a formulation that was acceptable to the whole country.
So, ideally, the central government became responsible to pay for the loss of CST until such time as GST got introduced. When Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley took charge, and he saw that the states were very wary of the centre, backing out of their commitments and their promises and he saw that this CST compensation was something which was causing angst, which was causing uncertainty that if they could not give us the compensation of CST, despite the fact that GST had not been introduced, then god forbid, going forward, if the GST revenues are down, how do we trust the central government will compensate us?
Mr Jaitley took the responsibility upon himself and the central government paid 37,000 crore rupees, it’s almost $5.5 billion to the states as CST compensation for that earlier years before the GST was finally introduced. And that gave a solid message to the states that here is a leader, here is a government that we can trust, that will live up to its commitments, that has not only shown that it will live up to its own commitments, but is also living up to the commitments of the past which earlier governments did not do.
Of course, there were many other similar steps, which gave confidence, the fact that we improve the GST Council’s formulation, the fact that it worked in unison, in a spirit of consensus. Truly, an example of collaborative and cooperative federalism at its best. And I think efforts like GST to bring one uniform tax in the country, reduce the burden of several taxes and the cascading effect of several taxes on the common man, the fact that a series of measures were taken to take India towards a more honest economy, an economy that gave a premium to honesty, an economy that valued honesty, an economy that respected people who paid their taxes correctly.
That is having significant impact on the collections of taxes that we are now seeing happen. We just the numbers, almost a 70 odd percent increase in filers of income tax. You are seeing GST numbers are robust, so much so that we have been able to reduce tax rates on almost 400 items within the first year of government, almost 400 items, first year of GST. Apart from several items where the service is also we have been able to reduce the taxes.
So several big wins that have happened in the last four years, large amount of transparency brought in in the working of government, almost everything now available on auction, equal opportunity to everybody to participate. Foreign investors don’t have to be worried that coal blocks could get cancelled or spectrum allotment could get cancelled because the process was not transparent and fair. I think those are the things that are now far behind us, behind our memory.
We are looking at an empowered India, an India where every citizen feels empowered, feels truly a beneficiary of the various government schemes where money reaches in directly without intermediaries through the direct benefit transfer, where every Indian can see the fruits of development reach the remotest corners of India to the poor persons’ homes, where today, every Indian can hold his head high anywhere in the world when he says he comes from India, he’s looked upon with respect that you don’t come from a ‘fragile five’ economy, but you come from the world’s fastest growing large economy.
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for your patient hearing.
Next Speech
August 28, 2018 Speaking at FICCI: Inauguration of Smart Railway Conclave, in New Delhi
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Compulsory Purchase Surveyor Background An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced...
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Top 20 ways to reduce your empty property business rates Maximising income and protecting cash flow has never been...
Anfield plans submitted
Liverpool Football Club has submitted its planning application to redevelop Anfield stadium to increase capacity from 45,500 to 58,800.
The club applied for detailed planning consent to expand the Anfield Main Stand by 8,500 to 21,000 seats and outline consent for the expansion of its Anfield Road Stand by 4,800.
The application is expected to be considered by the city's planning committee later this year.
The scheme would include a two-storey podium and a cloister which would become the new home for the Hillsborough Memorial.
The Main Stand would open onto a wide public space which has been designed to link the stadium and park while creating an area which is relevant and usable to the local community, particularly on non-match days.
As part of its proposed stadium expansion plans, the club has also appointed Tom Doyle, a project director who worked on the London 2012 Olympic programme and more recently the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, to manage the redevelopment should consent be granted.
Construction work on the proposed Main Stand could begin early next year and with completion due in time for the 2016/17 season.
The project team includes architect KSS, planning consultant Turley, and landscape architect Planit IE.
In October 2012, Liverpool City Council announced its plans to transform the Anfield area with a comprehensive regeneration plan. LFC committed to working with the City Council and Your Housing Group in support of their delivery of the regeneration plan and also confirmed its preference was to expand Anfield Stadium. The overall regeneration of the area will see £260m invested.
Ian Ayre, managing director of Liverpool FC, said: "When we set out on the journey to explore the feasibility of expanding the stadium, we said the process would be determined by certainty. Certainty that we have the support from local residents and businesses for our proposed plans, that we can acquire the land required and that we can navigate the planning landscape.
"A lot of good work has been done and we still have more work to achieve certainty however the planning application is another step in the right direction."
Nice visual. Pete Johnson?
June 05, 2014 at 12:10 pm By Andy T
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Rating Surveyor – Senior / Associate Level My client has been providing expert advice across all...
Jessica emerges as Chrysalis in Liverpool
The launch of Merseyside's new urban investment fund will take place next Thursday 15 March at the Hope Street Hotel as part of the city's week-long Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
Speakers will include Jim Gill, independent chairman of the Chrysalis Fund Board, Cllr Joe Anderson, leader of Liverpool City Council and a member of the fund management committee, Frank Lee, head of holding funds and advisory for Northern Europe at the European Investment Bank, and a senior representative from the Igloo consortium, made up of fund manager Igloo Regeneration, surveyor GVA and credit advisor Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets.
The fund will have less than four years to spend £30m in the form of loans in projects that are otherwise unviable and cannot get bank finance. Jessica stands for the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas. The fund is underwritten by the European Investment Bank. The North West has two funds; one for Merseyside and another for the rest of the North West, called Evergreen, which will also launch soon. The Jessica monies were sourced from the European Regional Development Fund and North West Development Agency.
The £30m Chrysalis pot will be drawn down as loans by the fund managers and must be allocated to projects by the end of 2015 and repaid by March 2022.
Chrysalis cannot invest more than 20% of its total fund in one project – capping the loans it makes at £6m – and cannot pay for more than 50% of the cost of a project. Projects with B1, B2 and B8 planning use classes – offices, general industry and distribution.
The invitation-only Chrysalis launch takes place at Hope Street Hotel, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9DA, between 4pm and 6pm on Thursday 15 March.
Hmm Brewster’s Billions springs to mind!
March 07, 2012 at 12:29 pm By Ivor Horn
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M&E Asset Manager – Homebased VACANCY REF: CK18532 Are you looking for a home-based...
Business rates replaced by VAT hike – proposed pie in the sky A Tory MP is calling for business rates to...
Marshalls builds industrial, sells resi site in Hyde
CDP Marshall has completed construction of Broadway 67, a speculatively built 35,500 sq ft warehouse in Hyde, and disposed of a neighbouring 6.65-acre site to Bellway Homes through Davies Harrison.
Bellway, which acquired the residential plot for an undisclosed sum, has now secured detailed planning permission to build 78 detached and semi-detached homes at the site, which is off Dukinfield Road, between Hyde and Dukinfield.
Rick Davies, director at Davies Harrison, said: “We had very strong interest from a number of residential developers for this site but Bellway provided the most competitive offer and coupled with its strong track record for delivery, we were quickly able to negotiate a deal that suited all parties.”
The Broadway 67 building includes 2,000 sq ft of office space across two levels. The unit is available for immediate occupation with quoting rental levels at £6.50 per sq ft leasehold and is also available to purchase. Davies Harrison and JLL are the retained agents for the building.
Davies added: “Broadway 67 is one of the first speculative industrial facilities in East Manchester in the last 10 years and as such, it is already attracting strong interest underpinned by the high quality specification and the lack of available stock in the area together with the strength of the regional market.”
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Home > News > Housing Minister visits Poole
Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing, visited Poole yesterday to see first hand Borough of Poole’s ambitious plans for regeneration as well as some of the new homes being built for local people.
The Minister toured Poole's regeneration area, which includes the single largest regeneration site in the South West comprising 26 hectares of brownfield land in the heart of Poole. Borough of Poole has already invested over £30million in delivering the Twin Sails Bridge, which has opened up this site for the development of new homes, shops, businesses and community facilities.
During the visit the Minister took the opportunity to see:
* the town centre regeneration area and the exciting plans for a new leisure centre and swimming pool, improved public realm connecting Lighthouse Poole to the development, a new hotel, replacement bus station, commercial office space and more than 400 new homes. The Council’s £132 million vision will create a vibrant town centre for residents and visitors as well as boosting the town’s economy.
* Former power station site in Hamworthy. Landowners, JJ Gallagher Limited and Lands Improvement Holdings, have submitted an outline planning application to build 850 homes and up to 1,000 sqm retail, leisure and community space. They have also submitted a planning application for a new quayside and public realm on this site.
* Lewin Court and Hucklesby Court, a mixed housing scheme in Poole town centre consisting of 19 affordable housing and shared ownership properties. The development was completed last October and is fully occupied. The scheme has regenerated two brownfield sites in the town centre Conservation Area; the former Citizens Advice Bureau on Poole High Street, and an overgrown scrubland which was subject to fly-tipping Borough of Poole released the land to Stonewater, a local housing association for affordable housing.
* Nile Court is an apartment block providing 46 affordable homes in Poole town centre overlooking Holes Bay. The development is due to be completed in May 2019. Borough of Poole released the land to Sovereign Housing Association, a local housing association, to provide affordable housing for local people to rent or buy through shared ownership.
Housing Minister Kit Malthouse said: “We have had a fantastic day; seeing such ambition and creativity from a Council that is taking its housing role seriously. We will do our best to support them in any way we can, so that together we can build the homes the next generation deserve.”
Councillor Janet Walton, Leader of the Council, Borough of Poole, said: "The visit was a great opportunity to show the Minister the progress being made towards regenerating Poole town centre and to deliver new homes in the borough.
"The Council is working closely with its partners to bring forward development and housing schemes at the earliest opportunity. Our strength and success of working in partnership can be demonstrated by the Government awarding Dorset LEP £79million to improve infrastructure around the Port of Poole as well as Bournemouth Airport."
Andrew Flockhart, Chief Executive, Borough of Poole, commented: "It was great to meet Kit Malthouse MP and to show him some of the fantastic new homes being built in Poole offering a real choice for local families.
"Securing affordable housing remains one of the Council’s highest priorities and the regeneration area provides some of the best opportunities for us to meet Poole's housing challenges."
With homes across the south and south west, Sovereign is the largest housing association in Poole with over 1,100 homes. The housing association builds around 1,600 new and affordable homes each year.
Jayne Spencer, Sovereign’s Project Manager, said: “It was a pleasure to show the Housing Minister how the 46 new and affordable homes are taking shape at Nile Court on Holes Bay Road.
“These safe and quality new homes for local people have been made possible through real partnerships, with Sovereign working closely with Borough of Poole, Homes England and Drew Smith.”
Posted: 12 February 2019
Last updated: 12 February 2019 13:54:00
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Olly Murs' US album release campaign has now changed
In June we told you that Olly Murs was releasing a different version of his album 'In Case You Didn't Know' in America. Well that's all changed now, apols.
Billboard are reporting that he will now release a tweaked version of 'Right Place, Right Time' 'across the pond' on December 4 and that it will include 'Heart Skips A Beat', which he is due to perform on Good Morning America on September 28.
"I am so excited that I am getting the chance to release my music here in the US," Olly or someone pretending to be Olly told a press release. "'Heart Skips A Beat' has been a big hit for me around the world, but I never thought I'd be able to bring it to the US!"
A final tracklisting for the US version of 'Right Place, Right Time' has yet to be announced. Again, apols.
Mika — 'Underwater'
Lady Gaga is not releasing a new single this year 'FYI'
Sandi Thom's Real Tooting
A variety of papier mache Britney Spears heads
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A Tenfold Increase in Nukes Would Be a $15 Trillion Waste of Time
Your suspicions are correct. This is a very bad idea.
By Kyle Mizokami
Michael DunningGetty Images
President Donald Trump has indicated to his generals and national security staff he wants a tenfold increase in nuclear weapons, an increase that would leave the U.S. will more nukes than it ever had at any point in the Cold War. Such a staggering increase in the nuclear stockpile would reverse decades of arms control agreements bent on reducing the overall number of nuclear weapons and almost certainly trigger a new arms race.
[Update href='http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-nuclear-mattis/mattis-slams-false-reports-on-trump-request-for-nuclear-arms-hike-idUSKBN1CG2MG' target='_blank">disputed NBC\'s report of Trump calling for a tenfold increase.']
According to NBC News, the President's comments were made in response to a slide shown to him this summer at a briefing on current U.S. military posture. The slide depicted the gradual decrease in the number of U.S. nuclear weapons from a Cold War high to today's number. The current number nuclear weapons was at the bottom of the bell curve on the slide. Trump said that he wanted a bigger stockpile, almost ten times what the number is now.
B-52H bomber dropping the current AGM-86B cruise missile.
USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Roidan Carlson
The United States currently has 6,800 nuclear weapons deployed worldwide, a number that includes Minuteman III missiles sitting in silos across the Midwest, Trident D-5 submarine launched ballistic missiles on patrol in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on B-52 bombers, and nuclear free-fall bombs.
It's unclear how many nukes Trump wants, but "nearly tenfold" could be a number around 60,000. That would be more than four times the total number of nuclear weapons currently deployed worldwide by all the declared (and undeclared) nuclear powers. That's nearly as many nuclear weapons as the U.S. and Soviet Union deployed between them at the height of the Cold War.
What's the reasoning behind such a staggering increase? It's not clear that Trump articulated a reason to his national security staff, or if there even is one other than to have the biggest nuclear stick.
The idea of increasing the nuclear stockpile tenfold flies in the face of decades of tireless work to reduce the number of nuclear weapons worldwide. The Cold War arms race, which ended with the U.S. and USSR together having more than 60,000 nuclear weapons, was an exercise in strategic futility as each side grew its arsenals and delivery systems to gain an advantage. Recognizing the need to reduce their nuclear arsenals, the U.S. and Soviet Union signed a series of bilateral arms control agreements starting in the 1970s. These agreements continued into the 21st century with Russia.
Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine.
As a result of the end of the Cold War and arms control agreements, the collective U.S. and Russian stockpile has been slashed by more than 75 percent. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have soured, making further reductions unlikely in the near future, but it's a good start.
Trump's arsenal would break existing arms control treaties with Russia, which would then attempt to match the American total. Abrograting our arms control treaties with Russia would destroy American credibility abroad and prevent the possibility of new treaties for decades to come. It would also force China, which has approximately 200 to 300 nuclear weapons, to join in the arms race. While China believes it currently has enough nukes to destroy a handful of American cities in the event of a U.S. first strike, which is a good enough deterrence for China, 60,000 nukes would compel China to increase its arsenal. The result is a less secure America.
Yet another reason not to build the arsenal: It's hopelessly unaffordable. Not only would the United States build the weapons, it would also have to build delivery systems for the weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers, and submarines. The current effort to replace all three—and that's without increasing the U.S. arsenal—is projected to cost up to a trillion dollars. Factoring in the cost of the nuclear warheads themselves, Trump's nuclear war arsenal could cost upwards of $15 trillion, nearly four times the entire federal budget for 2016. It would be the most expensive chest-thumping exercise ever.
B53 thermonuclear bomb.
NNSA photo.
The arsenal is also completely unnecessary. There is no strategy for which 60,000 nuclear weapons even remotely makes sense. America would have more nuclear weapons than it would have tanks, ships, and planes, more weapons it could not use in a conventional conflict than it could use. Against non-nuclear enemies, Trump's nuclear arsenal would be completely useless.
The most important reason not to build Trump's arsenal: it would make the U.S. appear dangerously irrational, and the needless expenditure would make Washington a laughingstock of the international community. Except nuclear weapons are no laughing matter, and ridicule would quickly turn to fear as our allies question our wisdom -- or even sanity. There isn't a single good reason for the U.S. to build additional 53,000 nuclear weapons, and plenty of reasons to decrease the stockpile even farther from the current 6,800.
More From Weapons
DARPA is Building a New Hypersonic Missile
Britain, France, Germany May Build Super Eurotank
Family Digs Up One-Ton Battleship Shell in Garden
Scientists Discover 2,000 Year Old Roman Camps
South Korea’s Planned Carrier Looks Familiar
The Marine Corps is Issuing Riflemen “Silencers”
Here Comes the Navy’s First New Torpedo in Decades
France Is Building Medieval Star Forts in Africa
Army's New Howitzer Hits Target 43 Miles Away
What Putin Would Nuke
You Can't Nuke a Hurricane
The Time America Almost Nuked Arkansas
What if We Nuked the Marianas Trench?
That Time the British Nuked a Brand-New Tank
Does a Fallout Shelter Actually Protect You?
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You are here: Home › Newsroom › Press Releases 2020 › More than just genetic code
More than just genetic code
Researchers discover how messenger RNAs transport information to where photosynthesis takes place
Freiburg, Sep 07, 2020
Confocal microscope image of two different cyanobacterial strains: Autofluorescence of the pigments of the thylacoid membrane (red), the signals of mRNAs (green) and the colocalization of both signals (yellow). Figure: Conrad Mullineaux
In photosynthesis, solar energy is converted into chemical energy, which is then used in nature to produce organic molecules from carbon dioxide. In plants, algae and cyanobacteria, the key photosynthesis reactions take place in two complex structures known as photosystems. These are located in a special membrane system, the thylakoids. However, many details of their molecular structure and the way the proteins are incorporated into the membranes have yet to be explored. A team led by Professor Conrad Mullineaux from the Institute of Biology and Chemistry at Queen Mary University London, UK, Professor Annegret Wilde and Professor Wolfgang Hess from the Institute of Biology III at the University of Freiburg and Professor Satoru Watanabe from the Institute of Biosciences at the Agricultural University of Tokyo, Japan, has published a study in the current issue of Nature Plants: The mRNAs are transported to the thylakoid membranes and the respective proteins are produced there on the spot.
The researchers used molecular genetic, bioinformatics and high-resolution microscopic approaches at the single cell level for their investigations. The results confirm that mRNA molecules encode much more than just the sequence of the protein. They also carry signals that appear to control the position and coordination of the photosystem structure. The team was able to identify two proteins likely to be involved in this process by interacting with these mRNAs. The researchers say this opens the way to a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved and provides new approaches to make these processes useful for photobiotechnology.
Conrad Mullineaux was a Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS). The teams of Annegret Wilde from the Research Group for Molecular Genetics of Prokaryotes and of Wolfgang Hess from the Research Group for Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics are part of the Research Training Group 2344 MeInBio - BioInMe: Investigation of Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Gene Regulation with High-Resolution High-Throughput Methods, funded by the German Research Foundation. Satoru Watanabe conducted research during a one-year stay as a Research Fellow at the University of Freiburg.
Mahbub, M., Hemm, L., Yang, Y., Kaur, R., Helder, C., Engl, C., Huokko, T., Riediger, M., Watanabe, S., Liu, L., Wilde, A., Hess, W. R., Mullineaux, C.W. (2020): mRNA localisation, reaction centre biogenesis and thylakoid membrane targeting in cyanobacteria. In: Nature Plants. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00764-2
Professor Dr. Annegret Wilde
Institute of Biology III
Phone: 0761/203-97828
E-Mail: annegret.wilde@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
Professor Dr. Wolfgang Hess
Phone: 0761/203-2796
E-Mail: wolfgang.hess@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
Quelle: More than just genetic code — Public Relations
https://www.pr.uni-freiburg.de/pm-en/press-releases-2020/more-than-just-genetic-code ( Jan 21, 2021 )
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PressClub United Kingdom · Photo.
Metal component production through selective laser beam melting (12/2020)
Plants, Facilities
Production, Recycling
Hi-Res.jpg, RGB, 10.81 MB
The values for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption shown were determined in a standardised test cycle according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version currently applicable. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers transmission (automatic or manual) and the different wheels and tyres available on the selected model and may vary during the configuration.
The values of the vehicles labelled with (*), are already based on the test cycle according to the new WLTP regulation and are translated back into NEDC-equivalent values in order to allow a comparison between vehicles. More information on the transition from NEDC to WLTP test procedures can be found here.
These figures are intended for comparison purposes and may not be representative of what a user achieves under usual driving conditions. For plug-in hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles the figures have been obtained using a combination of battery power and petrol fuel after the battery had been fully charged. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles require mains electricity for charging. The CO2 emissions labels are determined according to Directive 1999/94/EC and the Passenger Car (Fuel consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations 2001, as amended. They are based on the fuel consumption, CO2 values and energy consumptions according to the NEDC cycle.
A guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions which contains data for all new passenger car models is available at any point of sale free of charge. For further information you can also visit this link.
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Paulding County High School
Patriot Bands
2020 Band Registration
The Paulding County High School Band Directors
Aaron Toft - Director
Mr. Aaron Toft joined the Paulding County High School Band Program as Director of Bands in 2016. Prior to serving as the Director at Paulding County, Mr. Toft was the Assistant Band Director at Hiram High School, served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Auburn University, and as Director of Bands at Manchester High School and Middle School in Manchester, Georgia.
Mr. Toft holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Kentucky and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Auburn University. At the University of Kentucky, Mr. Toft studied under Dr. Skip Gray, Professor of Tuba and Euphonium. At Auburn University, Mr. Toft studied conducting under Director of Bands, Dr. Richard Good.
Mr. Toft’s performance experience includes performances with the University of Kentucky Symphonic Band, the Auburn University Symphonic Winds, the West Georgia Symphonic Winds, the Bob Barr Community Band, and the Sons of Jubal. Mr. Toft is a former member of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from Rockford, IL and Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps. He has served on the staff of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band and has also served as a Director’s Track Assistant at the Music For All Summer Symposium. Mr. Toft’s professional affiliations include membership in the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Educators, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, and honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi.
Mr. Toft and his wife Molly currently reside in Acworth, Georgia with their daughter Emmalyn and their cat Harley.
Kyle Willoughby - Associate Director
Mr. Kyle Willoughby joined Paulding County High School in 2020 as Assistant Director of Bands. Prior to PCHS, Mr. Willoughby taught elementary music at Pine Log Elementary School in Rydal, Georgia. Mr. Willoughby has also taught private woodwind lessons to students from a variety of middle schools and high schools in Georgia.
Mr. Willoughby earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of West Georgia, and is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree. While at UWG, Mr. Willoughby studied clarinet with Rob Culbreth and Staci Culbreth.
Mr. Willoughby is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA).
Mr. Willoughby currently resides in Dallas, GA with his family and dog Harley.
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VAWA Green Card Lawyer New York
(Violence Against Women Act)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), created special routes to immigration status for certain battered non-citizens. Among the basic requirements for eligibility, a battered non-citizen must be the spouse or child of an abusive U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Through a self-petitioning process, the battered spouse/child may apply for immigration status without the knowledge or involvement of the abuser. Derivative status is available to certain children and parents of the principal immigrant.
If eligible, Form I-360 Self-Petition (VAWA petition) is filed with supporting documentation. There is extensive evidence that must be gathered including evidence of battery/abuse/extreme cruelty and proof of the qualifying relationship to the abuser. Immigrants who can establish the basic requirements outlined below will be given a “prima facie” determination and then be eligible for certain public benefits. If the VAWA petition is approved, the immigrant is granted deferred action status in most cases. Deferred action means that removal, or deportation, proceedings will not be initiated. Applicants are also eligible for work authorization upon approval of their VAWA petition.
Once the VAWA petition has been approved, immigrants are classified into categories based on a preference system. Self-petitioners who are immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens (spouses, parents, unmarried children under the age of 21) are eligible to adjust status to a lawful permanent resident status when their VAWA petition is approved. Spouses and children of lawful permanent residents must wait for an immigrant visa to become available for their category. These petitioners will be able to obtain work authorization until they are eligible to apply for permanent residency.
The process to apply for lawful permanent residence includes a criminal check by fingerprinting and completion of a medical exam. Applicants might be barred from permanent residency if they have a record of involvement with drugs, prostitution, or other crimes, if they committed visa fraud, were previously deported, or have certain other “bad marks” against them. Waivers are sometimes available for criminal or immigration issues but intending immigrants with these complications are advised to have their cases reviewed by an immigration attorney. Battered spouses or children of U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are the subjects of deportation proceedings may also be eligible for this form of relief through VAWA cancellation of removal.
Eligibility Requirements for VAWA Self-petitioners:
The intending self-petitioner must prove that s/he is a spouse, child (unmarried and under age 21)/parent of an abused child (unmarried and under age 21), or parent who was physically battered and/or subjected to “extreme cruelty” by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent or adult child. Such abuse may include evidence of:
physical abuse, violent acts or threats of violence, sexual abuse or exploitation, verbal abuse and degradation, emotional abuse, isolation, intimidation, economic abuse, coercion or threats to take away children or have one deported. It is not a requirement to have a police report. Many victims are fearful of calling the police and this does not preclude them for filing a VAWA self-petition.
The abuse must have occurred in the United States, and the victim must have lived with the abuser.
Abused spouses must additionally prove that the marriage was entered into in good faith, that the abuse occurred during the marriage, and that the marriage is still valid or was terminated less than two years prior to self-petitioning
The self-petitioner must provide evidence of his/her “good moral character.” This usually refers to a review of the self-petitioners criminal record or other immigration transgressions. Certain arrests or transgressions may be waived if the self-petitioner can show such actions were connected to the abuse s/he suffered. Applicants should consult with legal counsel for a close review of any such arrests, convictions or transgressions.
For assistance in filing VAWA applications with the USCIS, contact one of our VAWA immigration attorney, Svetlana Prizant, Esq. at 718-407-0871.
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Owens Corning Reports First-Quarter 2012 Results
First Quarter in Line with Company's Expectations; On Target for Adjusted EBIT Growth in 2012
-- Improvement in U.S. Housing Market and Global Industrial Production Growth Supported Volume Gains in all Three Businesses
-- Repositioning of European Composites Assets on Track
-- Board of Directors Authorized New Share Repurchase Program for up to 10 Million Shares
TOLEDO, Ohio, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) today reported that consolidated net sales increased 9 percent to $1.35 billion in the first quarter of 2012, compared with $1.24 billion in the same period last year.
First-quarter 2012 adjusted earnings, based on the company's expected full-year effective tax rate of 25 percent, were $11 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, compared with $27 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, during the same period last year. The company reported a net loss of $46 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $24 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2011. (See Tables 1, 2 and 3 for a discussion and reconciliation of these items.)
"Owens Corning delivered results in line with our expectations for the quarter," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Thaman. "We continue to be confident that we will grow adjusted EBIT in 2012.
"As compared to last year, Roofing volumes grew significantly, but margins were compressed due to asphalt cost inflation," Thaman said. "We expect another year of strong financial performance in Roofing based on our current outlook for volumes and pricing."
Consolidated First-Quarter 2012 Results
Owens Corning's primary safety metric improved by 23 percent over the company's full-year 2011 performance.
First-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were $43 million in 2012 compared with EBIT of $61 million in the first quarter of 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, the company had certain items that were not the result of current operations. Before adjusting for these items, Owens Corning's first-quarter 2012 EBIT was a loss of $12 million. (See Table 2 for a reconciliation of these items.)
Volume growth in all three businesses drove nine-percent revenue improvement in the first quarter of 2012 over the same period last year.
2012 Repurchase Program
Owens Corning today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to 10 million additional shares of Owens Corning's outstanding common stock. Under a previously announced share repurchase program, 3.7 million shares continue to be available for repurchase.
Although there continues to be uncertainty in the macro-economic outlook, Owens Corning expects to grow adjusted EBIT in 2012 based on an improving U.S. housing market and continued growth in global industrial production.
Despite weakness in the European glass fiber reinforcements market, the company believes that global glass reinforcements demand will continue to grow in 2012.
As previously announced, the company is taking actions in its Composites segment to balance supply and to improve the sustainable competitive position of its European assets. In the first quarter, the company made progress in implementing these actions to transform its Composites operation into a global network of low-delivered-cost assets and to position the business to return to double-digit margins in 2013. In conjunction with these actions, the company anticipates incurring approximately $130 million in charges in 2012 through early 2013.
In the Building Materials segment, the company expects another year of strong financial performance in Roofing based on its current outlook for volumes and pricing. The company continues to believe Insulation will significantly narrow losses in 2012 on improved U.S. housing.
Cash taxes are expected to be about $30 million in 2012, due to the company's $2.3 billion U.S. tax net operating loss carry forward. The company estimates a long-term effective tax rate of 25 percent to 28 percent based on the blend of effective tax rates for its U.S. and non-U.S. operations. The effective book tax rate for 2012 is expected to be about 25 percent on adjusted earnings.
The company expects general corporate expenses to be between $110 million and $120 million in 2012. General corporate expenses include corporate staff and other activities that support the operations. Expenses will be higher in 2012 primarily due to increased pension expense and higher year-over-year incentive compensation costs.
Depreciation and amortization expenses are expected to be as much as $320 million in 2012, excluding the impact of the restructuring actions in Europe.
Capital expenditures in 2012 are expected to be about $350 million.
Next Earnings Announcement
Second-quarter 2012 results will be announced on Wednesday, August 1, 2012.
First-Quarter Conference Call and Presentation
11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time
All Callers
Live dial-in telephone number: U.S. 1-866-804-6924 or International 1-857-350-1670
(Please dial in 10 minutes before conference call start time.)
Live webcast: http://www.owenscorning.com/investors
Telephone replay available through May 2, 2012: U.S. 1-888-286-8010 or International 1-617-801-6888
Replay of webcast also available at: http://www.owenscorning.com/investors
To view the slide presentation during the conference call, please log on to the live webcast at www.owenscorning.com/investors
About Owens Corning
Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune® 500 Company for 57 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology with sales of $5.3 billion in 2011 and about 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents. Additional information is available at www.owenscorning.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these statements. Such factors include, without limitation: economic and political conditions, including new legislation or other governmental actions; levels of residential and commercial construction activity; competitive factors; pricing factors; weather conditions; our level of indebtedness; industry and economic conditions that affect the market and operating conditions of our customers, suppliers or lenders; availability and cost of energy and materials; availability and cost of credit; interest rate movements; issues related to expansion of our production capacity; issues related to acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures; our ability to use our net operating loss carry-forwards; achievement of expected synergies, cost reductions and/or productivity improvements; issues involving implementation of new business systems; foreign exchange fluctuations; research and development activities; difficulties in managing production capacity; labor disputes; and, factors detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The information in this news release speaks as of the date April 25, 2012, and is subject to change. The company does not undertake any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements. Any distribution of this news release after that date is not intended and will not be construed as updating or confirming such information.
Owens Corning and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Earnings
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Mar. 31,
Marketing and administrative expenses
Science and technology expenses
Charges related to cost reduction actions
Other (income) expenses
EARNINGS (LOSS) BEFORE INTEREST AND TAXES
EARNINGS (LOSS) BEFORE TAXES
Less: Income tax expense
Equity in net earnings of affiliates
Less: Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests
NET EARNINGS (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWENS
$ (46)
EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO
OWENS CORNING COMMON STOCKHOLDERS
$ (0.38)
WEIGHTED-AVERAGE COMMON SHARES
Owens Corning follows the authoritative guidance referring to "Noncontrolling Interest in Consolidated Financial Statements," effective January 1, 2009, which, among other things, changed the presentation format and certain captions of the Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Consolidated Balance Sheets. Owens Corning uses the captions recommended by this standard in its Consolidated Financial Statements such as net earnings attributable to Owens Corning and diluted earnings per common share attributable to Owens Corning common stockholders. However, in the preceding release Owens Corning has shortened this language to net earnings and earnings per share (or a slight variation thereof), respectively.
EBIT Reconciliation Schedules
For purposes of internal review of Owens Corning's year-over-year operational performance, management excludes from net earnings attributable to Owens Corning certain items it believes are not the result of current operations. The adjusted financial measure resulting from these adjustments is used internally by Owens Corning for various purposes, including reporting results of operations to the Board of Directors, analysis of performance, and related employee compensation measures. Although management believes that these adjustments result in a measure that provides it a useful representation of its operational performance, the adjusted measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings attributable to Owens Corning as prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
Adjusting items are shown in the table below (in millions):
Charges related to cost reduction actions and related items
Total adjusting items
The reconciliation from net earnings attributable to Owens Corning to Adjusted EBIT is shown in the table below (in millions):
NET EARNINGS (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWENS CORNING
Income tax expense
Less: adjusting items from above
ADJUSTED EBIT
EPS Reconciliation Schedules
(in millions, except per share data)
For purposes of internal review of Owens Corning's year-over-year operational performance, management excludes from net earnings attributable to Owens Corning certain items it believes are not the result of current operations. The adjusted financial measures resulting from these adjustments are used internally by Owens Corning for various purposes, including reporting results of operations to the Board of Directors, analysis of performance and related employee compensation measures. Although management believes that these adjustments result in measures that provide it a useful representation of its operational performance, the adjusted measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings attributable to Owens Corning as prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
A reconciliation from net earnings attributable to Owens Corning to Adjusted Earnings and a reconciliation from diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share are shown in the tables below:
RECONCILIATION TO ADJUSTED EARNINGS
Net earnings attributable to Owens Corning
Adjustment to remove adjusting items net of tax
Adjustment to tax expense to reflect pro forma tax rate*
ADJUSTED EARNINGS
RECONCILIATION TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE
ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWENS CORNING COMMON STOCKHOLDERS
DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE
TO OWENS CORNING COMMON STOCKHOLDERS
Adjustment to tax expense to reflect a pro forma tax rate*
ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE
RECONCILIATON TO DILUTED SHARES OUTSTANDING
Weighted-average shares outstanding
used for basic earnings per share
Non-vested restricted shares
Options to purchase common stock
Diluted shares outstanding
* Pro forma tax rates used were 25% in 2012 as this is the expected full-year effective tax rate, and, 21% in 2011 as this was the effective tax rate of the Company in 2011.
(in millions)
Dec. 31,
Receivables, less allowances of $18 at Mar. 31, 2012 and $15 at Dec. 31, 2011
Property, plant and equipment, net
Other non-current assets
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Long-term debt - current portion
Long-term debt, net of current portion
Pension plan liability
Other employee benefits liability
OWENS CORNING STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share (a)
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share (b)
Additional paid in capital
Accumulated earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive deficit
Cost of common stock in treasury (c)
Total Owens Corning stockholders' equity
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
10 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding at Mar. 31, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2011
400 shares authorized; 135.3 issued and 121.6 outstanding at Mar. 31, 2012; 134.4 issued and 120.9 outstanding at Dec. 31, 2011
13.7 shares at Mar. 31, 2012 and 13.5 shares at Dec. 31, 2011
NET CASH FLOW USED FOR OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash provided by operating activities:
Gain on sale of businesses and fixed assets
Provision for pension and other employee benefits liabilities
Stock-based compensation expense
Other non-cash
Pension fund contribution
Payments for other employee benefits liabilities
NET CASH FLOW USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to plant and equipment
Proceeds from the sale of assets or affiliates
NET CASH FLOW PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from senior revolving credit and receivables securitization facilities
Payments on senior revolving credit and receivables securitization facilities
Payments on long-term debt
Net increase (decrease) in short-term debt
Purchases of treasury stock
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD
Segment and Business Information
The table below provides a summary of net sales, EBIT and depreciation and amortization expense for the Composites segment (in millions):
% change from prior year
EBIT as a % of net sales
Depreciation and amortization expense
The table below provides a summary of net sales, EBIT and depreciation and amortization expense (in millions) for the Building Materials segment
and our businesses within this segment (in millions):
Total Building Materials
Corporate, Other and Eliminations
The table below provides a summary of EBIT and depreciation and amortization expense for the Corporate, Other and
Eliminations category (in millions):
General corporate expense and other
SOURCE Owens Corning
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HomenewsTerm paper writingGay and Lesbian Rights Policy in America: RECENTS GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES ON THE ISSUE
Gay and Lesbian Rights Policy in America: RECENTS GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES ON THE ISSUE
Today the situation in the USA is improving in relation to the rights of gays and lesbians. The government takes into consideration the diversity in attitudes in relation to the rights of gays and lesbians and discusses the status of their civil rights. Although at the federal level, there is still no recognition of same-sex marriages, and there are no proper laws forbidding discrimination against gays and lesbians in the United States. However, some states have already legalized such laws. Recent governmental activity on this issue is focused on a number of significant decision and actions in the field on employment, military service, housing, health care system, etc. As the same-sex sexual activity is legal nationwide since 2003, there is an obvious change towards the rights of gays and lesbians. However, the same-sex unions are not recognized by the federal government. According to statistics, civil unions are legal in the states: Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, Wisconsin, Delaware, Nevada, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, and California (Newton, 2009, p.23).
It is known that prior to1993, lesbians and gays were not allowed to serve in the U.S. Army. However, on December 18, 2010, The U. S. Senate enacted the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 which permits homosexual men and women to serve openly in the armed forces of the United States. The US President Barack Obama signed the document on December 22, 2010 (Branigin et al., 2010, p.1). Today gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are free to serve in the Army openly.
One of the anti-discrimination policies is a new bill that bans anti-gay employment discrimination nationwide – the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which has been introduced in the Congress of the United States. It is known that several states have already reformed their civil rights code by legislation and under the court decisions and included gender identity and sexual orientation. The following states banned sexual orientation discrimination in employment: Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont and Wisconsin, Minnesota (Newton, 2009, p.61).
In addition, in 2012, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued a law that prohibits discrimination of gays and lesbians in specially developed housing programs assisted by the federal government. Under the law, it is prohibited to discriminate gays and lesbians in housing programs and the housing programs are open to all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity (Lavers, 2012, p.1).
Besides, it is known that on April 14, 2011, the US President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order to the Department of Health and Human Services in order to draft new rules for the hospitals in the United States that accept Medicaid funds. Under this order, it is required to provide visitation and medical rights to gay and lesbian couples (Stolberg, 2010, p.1).
One more important document is the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 28 U.S.C. § 534, which requires the Attorney General to collect information on the hate crimes connected with the issues on race, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexual orientation. It is known that this bill was issued by George H. W. Bush in 1990. It was the first statute that �recognized and named gay, lesbian and bisexual people�� (Hate Crimes Protections Timeline, 2007. p.1).
America Gay Rights Lesbian Rights
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Home » Stocks » Tesla Stock » Tesla Stock Predictions: Will Tesla Be a Stable Investment in 2017?
https://www.profitconfidential.com/stock/tesla-stock-predictions-stable-investment/ Tesla Stock Predictions: Will Tesla Be a Stable Investment in 2017? Stephen Karmazyn, BA Profit Confidential 2017-03-18T06:30:56Z 2017-08-21 11:32:26 tsla stock predictions tesla investments tsla stock history tsla stock price tesla growth rate should I buy tesla stock? tesla model 3 tesla stock forecast Donald Trump Tesla stock predictions have been difficult to make, as evidenced by Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) history. Will TSLA stock be a stable investment in 2017? Stocks,Tesla Stock https://www.profitconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TSLA-Stock1-300x209.jpg
Tesla Stock Predictions
There are few stocks out there as intriguing as Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). The green tech company with a penchant for innovation has been an intriguing share ever since it made its way to the public market. TSLA stock predictions have been difficult to make as evidenced by the TSLA stock history. As such, with an often unpredictable Tesla stock price, investors are wondering if a company so focused on the future will be a viable and stable investment in the present. The company has been marked by ups and downs, with its first three years on the market showing slow but steady growth, only to have the share prices explode in 2013 from the $30.00-per-share range to the near $200.00-per-share range. Tesla investments, especially in that time frame, have been some of the best moves you could have made on the market. Jumping over 1,200% in its less-than-seven-years lifespan means that early backers and proponents of a positive TSLA stock forecast were clearly pleased with Tesla stock growth. But that by no means that the Tesla stock forecast is stable. In fact, with U.S. President Donald Trump in power and his intriguing relationship with Elon Musk developing, I'd argue that this is one of the least stable times in Tesla stock history. That by no means makes it a bad investment or gives it a negative Tesla stock prediction, but there are a number of factors that, if they play out for good or ill, will have a dramatic impact on the Tesla growth rate.
Tesla Investments
Data courtesy of Tesla Inc Should I buy Tesla stock? That's a question that many investors should be asking themselves as Elon Musk's brainchild represents one of the most promising—if unpredictable—companies on the market. It all comes down to Tesla's conceit: that this will be the car, power, and energy company that will rule the future. While an ambitious drive, there are certainly reasons to believe that it can accomplish this move. Take, for instance, Norway. While a relatively small—if extremely rich—country, the Scandinavian nation has proposed a bill that would ban the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars in the country by 2025. (Source: "Norway to 'completely ban petrol powered cars by 2025'," The Independent, June 4, 2016.) And Norway is by no means alone. The U.S., not often thought of as being on the forefront of climate change regulation, put forward several mandates through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), such as having corporate vehicle producers have fleets that average over 50 miles to the gallon. (Source: "Midterm Evaluation of Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Standards for Model Years 2022-2025," United States Environmental Protection Agency, March 15, 2017.) Of course, a change in government could see some of these standards be reconfigured as we go forward. In fact, the Trump administration has already begun setting about rolling back some of these mandates after having met with automakers in Detroit. (Source: "Trump begins rollback of Obama's car pollution standards to curb emissions," The Guardian, March 15, 2017.) And that brings us to two important conclusions that should have a heavy impact on your Tesla investments and TSLA stock forecast: the first is that fuel-efficient cars are the way of the future, the second being that the current U.S. government may delay that future in one of the largest markets on earth. And that brings us to the Elon Musk Trump relationship. These two may seem like polar opposites, and in a lot of ways, they are. Trump speaks of "Making America Great Again" and bringing back old school jobs like manufacturing and coal. Elon Musk, by contrast, thinks about putting humans on Mars. It's a strong divergence between the two, but that hasn't hampered them from forming a working partnership of sorts, not to mention there's plenty of room for them to agree on a number issues. Musk is a part of Trump's Business Advisory Council, which is going to garner the tech luminary some clout with the commander-in-chief. One of Trump's most trusted advisers (and one of his sole backers from Silicon Valley) is Peter Thiel, who worked with Elon Musk when they were both together with Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL). These connections could prove crucial to Trump enacting policies favorable to the TSLA stock price. Another boon for the Tesla stock forecast, at least in the next four years under Trump, is that his plan to increase high-paying manufacturing jobs coincides with Musk's plan to have his futuristic "Gigafactories" cropping up all over the U.S. The first one is currently semi-operational while it continues its expansion in the Nevada desert. Which brings us to another reason that Trump will be so crucial to Tesla's stock outlook: subsidies. Tesla is partly fueled by $2.391 billion in government subsidies. Over half of that subsidy—$1.29 billion—derives from Nevada tax incentives for Musk’s Gigafactory. They are primarily comprised of tax breaks over a 20-year period. (Source: “Complete breakdown of the $4.9 billion in government support the LA Times claims Elon Musk’s companies are receiving,” Electrek, June 2, 2015.) And another green tech company run by Musk that has joined together with Tesla, SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ:SCTY), takes in about $2.5 billion from the U.S. government via subsidies, tax exemptions, and other deals. And this all amounts to the main reason that I don't think you can have a clear Tesla stock prediction or classify Tesla as a stable investment in 2017. It all comes down to one word: Trump. The president is hardly known for being an even-keeled type of guy. He seems to govern with his emotions and we've seen that play out to some stocks' horror and other shares' delight in the past. Ultimately, how the Elon Musk Trump relationship develops will have what I believe to be the largest impact on Tesla stock moving forward. If Trump's EPA puts standards and regulations that favor Tesla along with continuing to supply those much-needed subsidies, then Tesla can thrive in this market. If, on the other hand, Trump sours to Tesla, then I expect the repercussions will be felt in the market.
TSLA Stock History and Its Future
Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com While the president will likely play an outsized role on the TSLA stock price in particular, there are a great many other factors at play for those looking to make Tesla investments. The Tesla "Model 3," for instance, could be a game-changer of a vehicle that, well, trumps Trump. That's because the first mass consumer-focused offering from Tesla has the potential to propel the Tesla growth rate to new heights. The Tesla Model 3 is currently priced at $35,000 before incentives, which makes it the most affordable car in Tesla's fleet. Production is slated in mid-2017 for delivery in mid-2018. If the Tesla Model 3 release goes without a hitch, then it could be exactly what investors want to see that will spur on a huge Tesla growth rate and a positive swing in the Tesla stock prediction. Of course, others believe that not only will the Tesla Model 3 not ever see the light of day at $35,000 a unit, but in fact it will sink Elon Musk's business. Which, again, hardly makes for what we would traditionally term a stable investment. But I don't believe the Tesla Model 3 will kill the business. In fact, I think it will jump-start the company. Consider that electric vehicles (EV) will amount to 71 million units sold in 2050, according to some analysts. At a 10% market share of the EV market, which is commensurate with Tesla's current hold, not including the potential Tesla Model 3 boost, that would factor out to annual sales of 7 million units, or six percent of the overall automotive market. (Source: "Tesla: Few Historical Precedents?" Barron's, March 14, 2017.) With an average price point of $45,000, Tesla would reap revenues of over $320.0 billion (in 2050 dollars, of course). Still, the potential for the company is huge and I believe that it has not only the technology but the leadership and vision surrounding it to make it a winner in the long-run. And Tesla has hardly slowed in making some big moves for its Model 3. The company plans to raise $1.15 billion through a sale of common stock and convertible senior notes in order to support the new vehicle's release. (Source: "Tesla," U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, March 15, 2017.) Which makes sense, as Tesla will have to significantly increase its production if it wants to meet all the pre-orders and hype around the Model 3. (Source: "Tesla Is Raising $1.15 Billion to Fund Its Model 3," Fortune, March 15, 2017.) And we didn't even touch on how well the TSLA stock price has performed in 2017. Shares are up nearly 20% since the beginning of the year, up more than 23% over the past 12 months, and since Trump has come into power, 31%. The simple fact is that there are so many things going for Tesla that the company is ready to make some big gains in 2017. The only problem with a definite TSLA stock forecast is that there are so many variables, more than in most cases. Tech companies operating on the cusp of the future usually deal with more volatility than most, but the sheer array of factors that could realistically swing one way or the other make TSLA stock not for the risk-averse. If you are one of those willing to put a little bit of sweat in the game, however, then you could do a whole lot worse than Tesla investments. And for a Tesla stock forecast beyond 2017, this could be one of the biggest tech companies we've seen in a long time. As such, I'm calling this stock unstable, but also one of the best picks on the market.
Tesla Stock Predictions: Will Tesla Be a Stable Investment in 2017?
By Stephen Karmazyn, BA Published : March 18, 2017
There are few stocks out there as intriguing as Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). The green tech company with a penchant for innovation has been an intriguing share ever since it made its way to the public market. TSLA stock predictions have been difficult to make as evidenced by the TSLA stock history. As such, with an often unpredictable Tesla stock price, investors are wondering if a company so focused on the future will be a viable and stable investment in the present.
The company has been marked by ups and downs, with its first three years on the market showing slow but steady growth, only to have the share prices explode in 2013 from the $30.00-per-share range to the near $200.00-per-share range.
Tesla investments, especially in that time frame, have been some of the best moves you could have made on the market. Jumping over 1,200% in its less-than-seven-years lifespan means that early backers and proponents of a positive TSLA stock forecast were clearly pleased with Tesla stock growth.
But that by no means that the Tesla stock forecast is stable. In fact, with U.S. President Donald Trump in power and his intriguing relationship with Elon Musk developing, I’d argue that this is one of the least stable times in Tesla stock history. That by no means makes it a bad investment or gives it a negative Tesla stock prediction, but there are a number of factors that, if they play out for good or ill, will have a dramatic impact on the Tesla growth rate.
Data courtesy of Tesla Inc
Should I buy Tesla stock? That’s a question that many investors should be asking themselves as Elon Musk’s brainchild represents one of the most promising—if unpredictable—companies on the market.
It all comes down to Tesla’s conceit: that this will be the car, power, and energy company that will rule the future.
While an ambitious drive, there are certainly reasons to believe that it can accomplish this move.
Take, for instance, Norway. While a relatively small—if extremely rich—country, the Scandinavian nation has proposed a bill that would ban the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars in the country by 2025. (Source: “Norway to ‘completely ban petrol powered cars by 2025‘,” The Independent, June 4, 2016.)
And Norway is by no means alone. The U.S., not often thought of as being on the forefront of climate change regulation, put forward several mandates through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), such as having corporate vehicle producers have fleets that average over 50 miles to the gallon. (Source: “Midterm Evaluation of Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Standards for Model Years 2022-2025,” United States Environmental Protection Agency, March 15, 2017.)
Of course, a change in government could see some of these standards be reconfigured as we go forward. In fact, the Trump administration has already begun setting about rolling back some of these mandates after having met with automakers in Detroit. (Source: “Trump begins rollback of Obama’s car pollution standards to curb emissions,” The Guardian, March 15, 2017.)
And that brings us to two important conclusions that should have a heavy impact on your Tesla investments and TSLA stock forecast: the first is that fuel-efficient cars are the way of the future, the second being that the current U.S. government may delay that future in one of the largest markets on earth.
And that brings us to the Elon Musk Trump relationship.
These two may seem like polar opposites, and in a lot of ways, they are. Trump speaks of “Making America Great Again” and bringing back old school jobs like manufacturing and coal. Elon Musk, by contrast, thinks about putting humans on Mars.
It’s a strong divergence between the two, but that hasn’t hampered them from forming a working partnership of sorts, not to mention there’s plenty of room for them to agree on a number issues.
Musk is a part of Trump’s Business Advisory Council, which is going to garner the tech luminary some clout with the commander-in-chief. One of Trump’s most trusted advisers (and one of his sole backers from Silicon Valley) is Peter Thiel, who worked with Elon Musk when they were both together with Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL). These connections could prove crucial to Trump enacting policies favorable to the TSLA stock price.
Another boon for the Tesla stock forecast, at least in the next four years under Trump, is that his plan to increase high-paying manufacturing jobs coincides with Musk’s plan to have his futuristic “Gigafactories” cropping up all over the U.S. The first one is currently semi-operational while it continues its expansion in the Nevada desert.
Which brings us to another reason that Trump will be so crucial to Tesla’s stock outlook: subsidies.
Tesla is partly fueled by $2.391 billion in government subsidies. Over half of that subsidy—$1.29 billion—derives from Nevada tax incentives for Musk’s Gigafactory. They are primarily comprised of tax breaks over a 20-year period. (Source: “Complete breakdown of the $4.9 billion in government support the LA Times claims Elon Musk’s companies are receiving,” Electrek, June 2, 2015.)
And another green tech company run by Musk that has joined together with Tesla, SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ:SCTY), takes in about $2.5 billion from the U.S. government via subsidies, tax exemptions, and other deals.
And this all amounts to the main reason that I don’t think you can have a clear Tesla stock prediction or classify Tesla as a stable investment in 2017. It all comes down to one word: Trump.
The president is hardly known for being an even-keeled type of guy. He seems to govern with his emotions and we’ve seen that play out to some stocks’ horror and other shares’ delight in the past. Ultimately, how the Elon Musk Trump relationship develops will have what I believe to be the largest impact on Tesla stock moving forward.
If Trump’s EPA puts standards and regulations that favor Tesla along with continuing to supply those much-needed subsidies, then Tesla can thrive in this market.
If, on the other hand, Trump sours to Tesla, then I expect the repercussions will be felt in the market.
Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com
While the president will likely play an outsized role on the TSLA stock price in particular, there are a great many other factors at play for those looking to make Tesla investments.
The Tesla “Model 3,” for instance, could be a game-changer of a vehicle that, well, trumps Trump. That’s because the first mass consumer-focused offering from Tesla has the potential to propel the Tesla growth rate to new heights.
The Tesla Model 3 is currently priced at $35,000 before incentives, which makes it the most affordable car in Tesla’s fleet. Production is slated in mid-2017 for delivery in mid-2018.
If the Tesla Model 3 release goes without a hitch, then it could be exactly what investors want to see that will spur on a huge Tesla growth rate and a positive swing in the Tesla stock prediction.
Of course, others believe that not only will the Tesla Model 3 not ever see the light of day at $35,000 a unit, but in fact it will sink Elon Musk’s business. Which, again, hardly makes for what we would traditionally term a stable investment.
But I don’t believe the Tesla Model 3 will kill the business. In fact, I think it will jump-start the company.
Consider that electric vehicles (EV) will amount to 71 million units sold in 2050, according to some analysts. At a 10% market share of the EV market, which is commensurate with Tesla’s current hold, not including the potential Tesla Model 3 boost, that would factor out to annual sales of 7 million units, or six percent of the overall automotive market. (Source: “Tesla: Few Historical Precedents?” Barron’s, March 14, 2017.)
With an average price point of $45,000, Tesla would reap revenues of over $320.0 billion (in 2050 dollars, of course). Still, the potential for the company is huge and I believe that it has not only the technology but the leadership and vision surrounding it to make it a winner in the long-run.
And Tesla has hardly slowed in making some big moves for its Model 3. The company plans to raise $1.15 billion through a sale of common stock and convertible senior notes in order to support the new vehicle’s release. (Source: “Tesla,” U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, March 15, 2017.)
Which makes sense, as Tesla will have to significantly increase its production if it wants to meet all the pre-orders and hype around the Model 3. (Source: “Tesla Is Raising $1.15 Billion to Fund Its Model 3,” Fortune, March 15, 2017.)
And we didn’t even touch on how well the TSLA stock price has performed in 2017. Shares are up nearly 20% since the beginning of the year, up more than 23% over the past 12 months, and since Trump has come into power, 31%.
The simple fact is that there are so many things going for Tesla that the company is ready to make some big gains in 2017. The only problem with a definite TSLA stock forecast is that there are so many variables, more than in most cases. Tech companies operating on the cusp of the future usually deal with more volatility than most, but the sheer array of factors that could realistically swing one way or the other make TSLA stock not for the risk-averse.
If you are one of those willing to put a little bit of sweat in the game, however, then you could do a whole lot worse than Tesla investments. And for a Tesla stock forecast beyond 2017, this could be one of the biggest tech companies we’ve seen in a long time. As such, I’m calling this stock unstable, but also one of the best picks on the market.
Subject: 200% Profit on the Ultimate "Fear Gauge" Play
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Qualcomm Makes Commitment for $200 Million Strategic Investment in Reliance Communications Limited
Jan 10, 2002SAN DIEGO
SAN DIEGO and MUMBAI -- January 10, 2002 -- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, and Reliance Communications Limited (RCL), a company promoted by Reliance Industries Limited, India's largest private-sector enterprise, today announced a strategic alliance to support the introduction of next-generation CDMA wireless technology in India. As part of the alliance, Qualcomm has committed to invest up to US$200 million for a minority stake in the equity capital of RCL. RCL intends to provide basic telephone services, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) with limited mobility and national long distance services in India. RCL also proposes to enter into international long distance telephony once the sector is open to private companies.
RCL has acquired licenses for providing basic telephone services in 17 out of 21 circles in India. Including Gujarat, this covers approximately 95 percent of India's population. RCL proposes to provide limited mobility wireless services under these licenses by deploying advanced CDMA2000 1X technology during 2002.
To date, foreign telecom investors have been interested primarily in the cellular services sector and total foreign investment in the basic services sector has been limited to Rs. 8billion in the past seven years. The investment by Qualcomm in Reliance Communications Ltd. of Rs. 10billion is the largest investment in basic services in any single telecom services licensee company in India.
"With recent positive regulatory policy changes in India that allow the provision of limited mobility wireless services under a basic telephone license, CDMA is an attractive solution for Wireless Local Loop operators," said Jeff Jacobs, president of global development for Qualcomm. "Reliance's industry leadership and financial strength make it well positioned to deploy advanced voice and data wireless services nationwide. We look forward to working with them closely to make the implementation of CDMA technology a success."
"Availability and affordability of telecom services have been the key constraints that have led to a low teledensity in India. RCL plans to leverage the cost, capacity and quality advantages of CDMA to offer the most competitive wireless voice and data services nationwide to meet the availability and affordability needs of consumers in India," said Mr. Mukesh Ambani, vice chairman, Reliance Industries Limited. "In partnering with Qualcomm, RCL brings in the best and the latest available wireless technology for the benefit of Indian telecom users and this will make a significant contribution in realizing the objectives of the Government of India's New Telecom Policy."
A major objective of the Government of India's New Telecom Policy 1999 (NTP 99) is to increase rural teledensity from the current level of 0.4 to 4.0 percent by the year 2010 and provide reliable transmission media in all rural areas. CDMA technology is the best-suited network system for achieving this target within the prescribed time frame. CDMA technology enables rapid deployment of the services. CDMA WLL is advantageous in built-up, densely populated urban areas, where laying of cable is neither easy nor economically viable. Its usefulness is also felt in adverse terrain, and remote and rural areas where subscriber density is low.
The next-generation CDMA2000 1X technology represents a quantum jump from the current second-generation (2G) technologies offered by various operators in India. CDMA2000 1X would enable RCL to provide advanced, global wireless services to Indian consumers with improved voice quality, lower call drop rates, over the air activation facilities, and location-based and wireless Internet services. CDMA2000 1X provides a more capable, spectrally efficient, timely, lower cost path to next-generation services. CDMA2000 1X provides nearly double the voice capacity of 2G cdmaOne systems. The technology is superior not only in respect of voice capacity, but also in the case of data traffic. In contrast to the 9.6 kbps data speed available on GSM, CDMA2000 1X technology can transmit data up to 307 kbps. This high-speed data capability will result in the development of various applications in the field of productivity enhancement, lifestyle, information and entertainment on the mobile platform.
"CDMA2000 1X handsets are expected to be introduced in India. For the first time, Indian consumers will have the choice of wide-screen, color display, multi-feature rich handsets at attractive prices. India will rank among the technologically most advanced countries in this sector," said Mr. Mukesh Ambani. "Launch and absorption of CDMA technology in the Indian Communication Sector will put India at the cutting edge of mobile technology. Like India's IT personnel, who are greatly valued all over the world, our trained personnel will be much in demand in the field of 3G services abroad as a result of introduction of this technology in India."
CDMA2000 1X was first introduced in Korea in October 2000 and has approximately 3.5 million subscribers to date. Additional CDMA2000 1X launches are expected this year in several countries including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. There are more than 100 million CDMA subscribers in 47 countries worldwide.
"The proposed alliance would ensure success of the next-generation CDMA2000 1X technology in India and reflects the confidence of Qualcomm in the ability of RCL to tap the large untapped demand potential in India," said Mr. Mukesh Ambani.
The Government of India's decision to open up the telecom services sector for private participation has ushered in a revolution in this field. Telecom users in the country are now enjoying the benefits of the Government's policy changes through the availability of the world's most advanced technology and services at affordable rates. With the introduction of high-quality, affordable limited mobility wireless services on a nationwide basis, RCL plans to contribute significantly to achieve the teledensity targets of 7% in 2005 and 15% in 2010, as outlined by the Government of India in its Telecom Policy Documents. Reliance Communications Limited plans to cover all major cities/towns in India in different circles and provide a bouquet of services. The focus will be on providing end-to-end integrated data and voice services to the Indian users in the next two to three years.
Reliance Group is India's largest business house with total revenues of US$12.5 billion, cash flow of over US$1.4 billion, net profit of over US$950 million and exports of US$2 billion. The Group has total assets of US$11.5 billion. The group's activities span petrochemicals, synthetic fibres, fibre intermediates, textiles, oil and gas, financial services, refining and marketing, power, insurance, telecom and infocom initiatives. Reliance emerged as India's Most Admired Business House in a Taylor Nelson Sofres - Mode (TNS-Mode) survey for 2001 conducted for Business Barons magazine, June 2001.
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. The Company's business areas include CDMA chipsets and system software; technology licensing; the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless™ (BREW™) applications platform; Eudora® e-mail software; digital cinema systems; and satellite-based systems including portions of the Globalstar™ system and wireless fleet management systems, OmniTRACS® and OmniExpress®. Qualcomm owns patents that are essential to all of the CDMA wireless telecommunications standards that have been adopted or proposed for adoption by standards-setting bodies worldwide. Qualcomm has licensed its essential CDMA patent portfolio to more than 100 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in theS&P500 Index and is a 2001 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements (including but not limited to express or implied statements regarding the anticipated benefits to Qualcomm from the agreement with and investment in RCL, the speed in which the networks are deployed and the anticipated growth in the markets to be served) that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of CDMA components on a timely and profitable basis, the extent and speed to which CDMA is deployed in the markets to be served, the extent and speed with which the companies Qualcomm has invested achieve profitability, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2001, and the most recent Form 10-Q.###
Qualcomm, OmniTRACS, OmniExpress and Eudora are registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. BREW is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Globalstar is a trademark of Loral Qualcomm Satellite Services, Incorporated. cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDMA Development Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Rackspace Cloud Library
What is SaaS?
You’ve probably heard of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and you probably know that it’s becoming a dominant method of software delivery. But what is it, technically? If you’re not sure, you’re in good company. (If you are, check out Rackspace’s SaaS hosting options.)
SaaS refers to applications delivered over the internet on a subscription basis, as opposed to software you pay for and download on the front end. SaaS apps run on a provider’s remote servers, which is why SaaS is also known as “web-based software” or “on-demand software.” You access SaaS apps via your browser.
SaaS is popular among businesses and it’s become the most common delivery method for enterprise apps in areas like accounting, enterprise resource planning and virtualization.
To offer some context: SaaS is the most widely used of the three types of cloud computing. (Cloud computing also includes Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).) A recent survey of cloud adoption in the healthcare industry found that 83% of healthcare IT organizations use cloud services, and nearly 70% of those organizations use SaaS.
Why Use SaaS?
Lower Software Costs
SaaS usually costs less than licensed applications, which often come with upgrade and support fees in addition to the upfront cost.
No Software Maintenance
You don’t need to install, set up or support applications — the provider takes full responsibility for those tasks, including updates and patches.
Quick Scalability
It’s easy to expand your SaaS subscriptions as your business grows, and it’s equally easy to cancel subscriptions when employees depart.
Disaster Protection
If natural or man-made disaster strikes your business, your employees can still access their SaaS apps and data, which remain safe in the provider’s data center.
How Can Rackspace Help?
We know you value flexibility and freedom of choice, so Rackspace’s SaaS hosting options include a hybrid cloud, which combines dedicated hardware, virtual servers, private cloud and public cloud. We also provide a portfolio of tools to help you develop, migrate, create, test and back up your apps.
Almost every business needs Office 365®, which delivers up-to-date versions of popular apps like Microsoft® Office, plus newer ones like Groups. And because Microsoft has taken a mobile-first approach to Office 365, your employees get the same functionality and performance whether they’re on a laptop, tablet or phone.
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Asian Arts 26 August 2020
Auspicious Flowers
A Rare Cloisonné Peony Vase
This vase showcases the expert craftsmanship and sophisticated tastes of the Chinese Qing court. Influenced by Middle Eastern techniques, Chinese cloisonné enamel vessels were produced as early as the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). However, those objects were smaller in scale and included censers, jarlets, seal paste boxes, and dishes.
The technique for crafting cloisonné is extremely time-consuming. It involves affixing metal wire designs on top of a bronze body. These wires form compartments are then filled in with different colored enamels to create scenes like florals, landscapes, and animals. It wasn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that larger cloisonné vessels were more available in China. During this time, there was an increased demand from the official class and the export market for cloisonné wares. These types of vessels had a greater range of colors and designs than typical bronze objects, and they were also significantly more durable than porcelain.
The present cloisonné vase is rare for its large size and auspicious Chinese motifs. Decorated on a light blue lattice ground are large flowers with Western-influenced shading. One side features peonies, which represent wealth and social status. The other side depicts chrysanthemums, symbolizing longevity. The vase’s finial is cast as a lingzhi fungus, which also signifies long life. It is accented with well-cast bronze highlights that were fashionable during the 18th and 19th centuries. On the shoulder are four fantastic bird-like beasts, and functioning as the vase’s feet are four mythical dragons. Hence this vase combines traditional Chinese auspicious motifs with contemporary decorative trends.
Cloisonné enamel vases of this type and size are rare, but a matching pair sold at Christie’s New York, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 13-14 September 2018, lot 1218. A similar example is also illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, Wanjuan chuban gongsi, pg. 170, no. 14.
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About this Book Review
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Volume 133 - Number 3 - Fall 2018
PREVIOUS ARTICLE ALL CONTENTS Next ARTICLE
Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power, Howard W. French
Reviewed by Xiaoyu Pu
Abandoning a low-profile approach in international affairs, China has implemented a more assertive foreign policy during the era of Xi Jinping. Does Beijing have the intention and capabilities to rebuild a Sino-centered world order? Will China become a hegemonic power in Asia as well as in the world? How does the historical past shape China's foreign policy? Howard W. French, a journalism professor at Columbia University and a former New York Times journalist, provides a cultural and historical analysis of China.
French writes elegantly and accessibly, combining excellent scholarship of Asian history with vivid and penetrating analysis of contemporary Asian affairs.
The book focuses on the concept of tianxia, which can be translated as “everything under the heavens” (p. 4). It was a Sino-centered order in which China was the dominant power in ancient East Asia. French suggests that this historical legacy has shaped the Chinese worldview as well as its foreign policy. There has been a critical connect between domestic politics and international relations. From ancient Chinese emperors to contemporary Communist Party leaders, Chinese rulers constantly worry about “inside disorder and outside calamity” (nei-luan wai-huan) (p. 7). Chinese elites have tried to demonstrate China's power and prestig
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You are here: Home1 / News2 / Tsiigehtchic Steppe Bison Discovery Update
Tsiigehtchic Steppe Bison Discovery Update
Yellowknife (June 27, 2008) – In September of 2007, Tsiigehtchic resident Shane Van Loon discovered animal remains unlike any he had seen before eroding from the side of a hill beside the Arctic Red River.The remains were of a steppe bison, which became extinct at the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. Steppe bison were much larger relatives of modern bison, the Tsiigehtchic steppe bison has a horn-span of about 1 meter across. In addition to being the first undisturbed discovery of a steppe bison in the Northwest Territories (NWT), the remains are exciting because they were well-preserved by the permafrost of the area, and include soft tissues that are not often intact in remains of that age.
“The Tsiigehtchic steppe bison is one of the most interesting fossil discoveries made in the Northwest Territories. It will allow us to better understand what it was like here when glaciers first disappeared from the land.” said Tom Andrews, NWT Territorial Archaeologist with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC).
Earlier this spring, Mr. Van Loon provided the remains to the PWNHC. The Tsiigehtchic steppe bison is now preserved in Department of Environment and Natural Resources cold storage under the professional care and observation of the PWNHC.
The PWNHC, a division of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, is developing a plan for study and preservation of the remains and for educating Northerners about the discovery, in consultation with the community of Tsiigehtchic and the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute.
Yukon Palaeontologist Dr. Grant Zazula and biologist Dr. Beth Shapiro of Pennsylvania State University, an expert on steppe bison, have both provided advice and expertise on the Tsiigehtchic steppe bison and continue to work with PWNHC to develop the research and study plan surrounding the discovery.
Images of the bison head are available to the media on request.
Shawn McCann
June 27, 2008 /by pwnhcadmin
Printing their way to Scotland Seeing the forest for the trees
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Virtuaalitoimistot paikassa East Midlands Airport
Herald Way, Pegasus Business Park, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, DE74 2TZ
This centre is located in a contemporary building which has full-height glass windows opening onto the lobby and reception and meeting rooms to accommodate up to 100 delegates. It is in Pegasus Business Park next to the East Midlands airport at Castle Donington in north west Leicestershire. The cities of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham are all within a 20-mile (30 km) radius of the airfield. This region has an excellent track record for attracting flourishing world-class companies in the transport, healthcare, food and drink, and environmental sectors. There are many reasons for this. The East Midlands offers a cost-competitive environment, supported by world-leading research and development activities and a highly skilled workforce and it is at the centre of the UK transport network. Not surprisingly, a number of airlines and distribution companies have bases near the airport which is also close to the world-famous Donington Park motor racing circuit.
Virtuaalitoimistot paikassa East Midlands Airport Osta nyt
+44 (0)1332 63 8000
Katso kaikki sijainnit kaupungissa Castle Donington
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A decade since the quake that started it all
8:21 am on 4 September 2020
Anan Zaki
@anan_zaki anan.zaki@rnz.co.nz
It is billed as the earthquake that started it all.
The day after Canterbury was rocked by the 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010. Photo: AFP
It was 4 September 2010, and Canterbury was set to wake up to a sunny spring day. Saturday sport and socialising were on the agenda for many people.
But before the sun had a chance to rise, the ground shook.
At 4.35am, the earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, sent a ripple through Canterbury and beyond.
Today marks a decade since the powerful quake which triggered a series of aftershocks, one of which would end up claiming 185 lives in Christchurch five months later.
The epicentre was about 40km west of Christchurch and 10km south-east of Darfield, near Charing Cross, at a depth of 11km.
It would result in 156,619 insurance claims according to the Earthquake Commission, costing $2.487 billion. Of those, EQC said 276 claims relating to the September 2010 event were still open as of this week.
Speaking to RNZ, former Christchurch mayor Sir Bob Parker recalled that day.
"My wife Jo had just come downstairs - and we live in a warehouse - she had come down to make a cup of tea, for some reason, like many people, we had woken up early," he said.
Parker was elected as the city's mayor in 2007 and prior to that he was the mayor of Banks Peninsula, until it amalgamated with Christchurch City Council in 2006.
"I turned the radio on and just as I went to turn the radio on, the room began to shake," Parker said.
"I thought, 'oh it's just one of those little earthquakes we get now and again'. But it kept on shaking, and it just got more and more violent and then things started to fall over in the room and then it really hit," he said.
Sir Bob Parker speaking, as mayor, during a remembrance service in Latimer Square in Christchurch on 22 February 2012, one year after the 6.3 quake hit the city killing 185 people and causing tremendous damage. Photo: AFP
The shaking would last for roughly 40 seconds.
"The noise was unbelievable, the building was shaking, I'm upstairs, Jo is downstairs and I'm shouting 'Jo, get out of the building! Get outside!' And she thought I was saying come upstairs for some weird reason, it was noisy," Parker said.
Not long after the shaking stopped, Parker headed to the council offices.
"I remember one of the first things that happened was one of our civil defence people came in and said; 'there's no whiteboards! There are no whiteboards man, what are we going to do? What are we going to write on?'," he said.
"And I said, 'grab a felt tip and write on the wall, this is an emergency, you can do that kind of stuff'," Parker said.
The September earthquake would end up causing significant damage, but crucially, there were no fatalities.
A house in the Christchurch suburb of Avonside which was damaged in the later more deadly quake on 22 February 2011. Photo: 123RF
"We were kind of relieved in a way, because we thought; that's the big one that we've been waiting for, for years, and nobody has died that we know of, there's a few injuries, this is manageable, how lucky we are," Parker said.
He said the feeling of relief was echoed back to the city's leaders.
"If only we knew that was the beginning of what would be two years of violence in the city," Parker said.
Damage caused during the later quake on 22 February 2011 that hit Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Simon Morton
The beginning of thousands of aftershocks
After 4 September 2010 Christchurch recorded more than 11,000 aftershocks.
Associate Professor Mark Quigley, from the University of Melbourne's School of Earth Sciences, has extensively studied the Canterbury earthquakes.
"We now know that the Darfield earthquake was sourced from the rupture of probably seven or eight different faults," he said.
"It initiated at the junction of two faults, the Charing Cross Fault South, and Charing Cross Fault North, right near the small area of Charing Cross in the Canterbury Plains."
Dr Quigley said the faults were deep and known as blind faults, meaning they "didn't generate a discreet surface rupture".
"That rupture cascaded from those steep faults onto the Greendale Fault and that's the one that people typically think of when they think of the Darfield earthquake," he said.
The Greendale Fault had what Dr Quigley described as a "big, beautiful surface rupture", through the paddocks in Canterbury.
Prior to 2010, not much was known about the faults which caused the 7.1 earthquake.
"The faults themselves were not imaged with enough accuracy or precision to really tell us much about the structural geometry of the faults in that specific area," Dr Quigley said.
He said to the north and south of the epicentre in the Canterbury Plains, faults had been studied more extensively and understood.
"So it was never a surprise that there was a big complicated fault system beneath the Canterbury Plains where that Greendale Fault system ultimately showed itself to be," Dr Quigley said.
"There was a lot of discussion about this being a new fault when it emerged. [However] it wasn't a new fault, it's an inherited fault, in fact, some of those faults were probably formed 80 million years ago."
Dr Quigley said what had happened was, the penultimate earthquake on the Greendale Fault did rupture the surface but it was buried by alluvial gravels coming out of the Southern Alps and washing out onto the Canterbury Plains.
"So there was no real evidence of a previous fault rupture prior to the 2010 Darfield earthquake there," he said.
Research has also uncovered why the earthquake triggered a significant number of aftershocks.
"We now know that this area was under incredibly high stress and was densely populated by small, structurally complicated faults that were very heavily loaded prior to the commencement of this earthquake sequence," Dr Quigley said.
"So in a sense, they were dominoes waiting to fall."
However, the good news for Cantabrians is that due to the high stress release from the earthquake in 2010, it means that chances of another big one from the area is now low.
"We do not see many aftershocks at all in that area anymore, [aside from] very small ones and very infrequent ones," Dr Quigley said.
He said "from a risk point of view", living near the epicentre of the 2010 event presents no greater risk than living in other parts of New Zealand.
Proud of the response
Looking back at the earthquake response, Sir Bob Parker has no regrets over how it played out.
Sir Bob acknowledged it was a controversial time.
"The city had a lot on its plate because there were some significant buildings that were damaged, and you're caught between the desire of those who believe that those buildings could be saved and strengthened and rebuilt, and those who believe that they really weren't worth trying to save," he said.
Sir Bob said the demolition of the historic Manchester Courts was "perhaps the most controversial".
He said the call to demolish the high-rise, which was built in 1906, was a "tough decision" the council had to make.
Asked whether it was the right decision, Sir Bob stood by it.
"I think it probably was [the right decision], we didn't know what was coming and if it had been left standing, I have no doubt that it probably would have been an even more severe outcome," he said.
Despite the controversy around the time, Sir Bob said he was proud of the response.
He said the biggest lesson from that time was around communication.
"I can remember getting quite a bit of criticism because there were numerous organisations and individuals giving information."
He said "it became clear" that a single channel of communication was needed as often as possible, and said those lessons proved valuable during the deadly 22 February 2011 earthquake.
"But you know, it's like Covid-19, this has never happened before and every decision that you make is a new decision, there's not a lot of precedent," he said.
"Hindsight is 20/20 and plenty of people have been able to tell us what we should have done, but my word, they were not the people in the corner, making the decisions at the time and there's a world of difference."
Sir Bob said he was proud of the people that he worked with.
"Nobody had been exposed to what we were exposed to in Christchurch, we didn't know it on September 4, but we really knew it on February 22 the following year," he said.
"From our point of view, I think that we all did the best that we could in an unknown space and I'm very proud of what our community did and our frontline people, all the emergency services and all those people that came to help us."
Lighting up to remember
Both Christchurch and Darfield are lighting up to mark a decade on from the 2010 earthquake.
The Christchurch City Council and Selwyn District Council had originally planned events to remember the day, but Covid-19 restrictions have meant those plans had to be cast aside.
"Instead we are going to acknowledge the anniversary by lighting up some of the city's landmarks in green - a colour that is associated with growth and renewal," the council's civic and international relations manager Matt Nichols said earlier this week.
"Anniversaries give rise to reflection. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the September 4 earthquake we know that people will reflect on what was lost. But we also hope that people will reflect on how the brave and caring residents of our city have supported each other, and on all that has been achieved since then,'' Nichols said.
The Darfield War Memorial was last night lit in green ahead of the 10 year anniversary of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Photo: Supplied / Selwyn District Council
Closer to the epicentre in Darfield, the town's war memorial is being lit up in green to remember the day.
Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton said while many visible signs of the earthquake are gone, the impact remains.
"You only need to scratch the surface in conversation with Selwyn residents and others across Canterbury to realise that damage done in those 40 seconds has etched itself in to the memories of all those that were jolted awake that morning," Broughton said.
"While nobody died, many thousands of us faced a massive clean-up and the job of rebuilding our homes and businesses, and for some an even longer process of psychological recovery - all the while being hit by multiple aftershocks, and living in constant fear of a follow on large shake."
Broughton said commemoration was an important part of healing and growing but also of learning lessons, some of which are especially relevant today.
Next story in New Zealand
Earthquake anniversary marks 10 years of disruption
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Ten years after the Darfield earthquake, three seismologists from GeoNet reflect on a decade of big earthquakes and what we've learnt from them. Audio
Botched repairs still turning up in Christchurch
Pre-sale building inspections are continuing to uncover hundreds of Christchurch homes with botched repairs or undeclared damage.
Small towns still recovering from quake
The September 2010 earthquake was for many in Canterbury a milder taste of the havoc to come, but for some it has left scars which still cause pain today.
'Community is not just about location'
Five years on, a Cantabrian remembers the earthquakes
Cantabrian Mike Crean recalls the heartbreak of the first quake five years ago, the trauma that followed, and his faith that the city he loves can thrive again.
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Doubt over managed isolation facilities 'full house' predictions
Fourth quarter inflation expected to be low due to Covid-19 disruptions
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Rockwell Automation solutions help on the predictive maintenance strategy of Acciona Agua
Monitor and where needed stop the operation of water pumps in a facility when they exceed specific vibration and temperature thresholds.
Allen-Bradley CompactLogix programmable automation controller
Dynamix™ 1444 vibration and temperature monitoring modules
Allen-Bradley POINT I/O™ modules
Studio 5000 software
Increases machinery lifespan
Easier machine operation management from the control room
Accelerates the decision-making process to operators about operation of the machines
Acciona Agua is a Spanish company, specializing in the design, construction and operation of drinking water treatment facilities, wastewater facilities, tertiary water treatment for reuse and desalination plants by reverse osmosis. In this area, the company manages integral services, from all the stages involved in water supply – making it suitable for human consumption – and the subsequent supply to the population, as well as urban and industrial waste water treatment.
The strategy of Acciona Agua is to keep the presence of the integral water cycle in Spain, Italy and Portugal. The organization has also started an international growth strategy, put into practice through the design and management of a full portfolio of efficient and flagship desalinization and water treatment plants in key areas such as India, Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and Latin America.
One of the projects is in Morocco, where water resources do not meet the demand. In fact, water availability is about 720 m3/year per person, much lower than the hydric stress threshold of 1,000 m3/year per person. Forecasts for the next years are even worse, since the reduction to 520 m3/year per person. The main cause of this is the inefficient use of water resources in Morocco, increasingly higher levels of water pollution – mainly on the surface – and the increase of drinking water demand during the latest years due to population growth, urbanization rate and needs from rural areas, as well as the strong demand from industry, tourism and agriculture.
The main industry operator and distributor in Morocco is Office National de l’Electricite et de l’Eau (ONEE), which produces 80% of available drinking water. It was ONEE that commissioned Acciona Agua to design, construction and commissioning the Oum Azza Drinking Water Treatment Plant, in Rabat, along with the adjoining Raw Water Pumping Facility and the Power Substation. This treatment plant was built within the framework of a project to enhance the drinking water supply system to the coastal corridor that runs from Rabat to Casablanca, using water from the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah reservoir.
For this purpose, Acciona Agua was assisted by Preditec, the engineering division of Grupo Álava, which specialises in instrumentation for protection, supervision and predictive diagnosis of machinery in industrial plants production reliability T&M, equipment and systems.
Preditec has supplied products and services to more than a thousand customers, with some 300 implementations of predictive plans made in the Iberian Peninsula and nearly 150 installations of continuous monitoring systems. In addition, he has worked on 30 projects outside of Spain in 18 different countries.
According to Arturo Burriel, Project Engineer at Preditec: “Our mission is to help our customers implement predictive strategies for industrial maintenance in order to improve plant reliability, increase safety, boost asset availability, remove unscheduled failures and reduce maintenance costs by means of advice, predictive diagnostics services, training and technology support.” Preditec has supplied products and services to more than one thousand customers, with about 300 predictive programs implemented in Spain and Portugal, along with 150 continuous monitoring systems.
The plant is designed to produce a nominal flow of 18,000 m3 / h or 432,000 m3 / day of water fit for human consumption. This water complies with all Moroccan and World Health Organization (WHO) quality requirements, so water pumps providing this service must work seamlessly. “The project managers wanted the raw water pumps vibration and temperature to be monitored, so if any of them exceeded previously established thresholds, the machinery would be shut down to avoid bigger issues and information on exactly what the problem is could be available to the maintenance engineers,” comments Burriel. High vibration or temperature levels are indicative of mechanical wear, so it’s convenient to shut them down before things get worse. “Sometimes,” says Burriel, “the issue can be solved by shutting it down on time, for example, simply changing bearings; if it is left running, repair costs could be much higher.”
These mid-voltage pumps, with a power of 2.7 MW, are critical for the facility since their task is carrying raw water from the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah reservoir to the Drinking Water Treatment Plant after overcoming a slope of almost 100m along 5 km. In case of failure of the Drinking Water Treatment Plant, it has a raw water tank which allows it to operate for 10 minutes. This requires long downtimes to be avoided as a critical issue for this equipment.
Acciona Agua needed six water pump groups to be monitored, with five vibration measurements and six temperature measurements each. The Preditec proposal comprised two cabinets containing all the instruments and sensors installed to perform predictive maintenance tasks for three water pumps each. The overall solution was based on an Integrated Architecture® solution from Rockwell Automation.
The cornerstone of the monitoring system installed in each cabinet supplied by Preditec are Allen-Bradley® CompactLogix™ programmable automation controllers, which integrate safety up to SIL 3.
Data is gathered by four Dynamix™ 1444 vibration and temperature monitoring modules. These modules measure and monitor a set of critical parameters in the machine with the accuracy, reliability and performance required by industrial standards. They also support Device Level Ring with dual-port EtherNet/IP™ communications and are seamlessly implemented within the Integrated Architecture® system.
These are joined by Allen-Bradley POINT I/O™ 1734 modules with PT100 input modules and relay outputs in each cabinet. Both comply with safety standards and provide full machinery diagnostics. Burriel states that “thanks to this combination of components, the system achieves high flexibility to control vibrations and temperatures, as well as triggering relays when necessary.”
Preditec also used Rockwell Automation‘s engineering environment, Studio 5000®, an integrated and scalable development framework that offers multiple capabilities, and allows Acciona Agua’s engineers, operators and technicians easy access to data gathered in the Integrated Architecture system, improving its development efficiency, and reducing programming errors.
Burriel explains: “With Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture based around CompactLogix, Dynamix 1444 and Point I/O connected through EtherNet/IP, we provided a competitive solution to Acciona, delivering optimal vibration and temperature measurement. This helps the customer to take decisions quickly to protect their machinery properly.”
An additional advantage of these systems implemented in Preditec cabinets is that they comply with specific safety standards relating to vibration and temperature. “This,” Burriel concludes, “gives peace of mind to Acciona Agua”, since it “helps deliver the correct operation of the facility.”
Driving Paper Production at Visy’s Paper Mill
Upgrade to legacy drive control equipment on paper machine winder helps avoid any potential for downtime while also future proofing Visy’s Tumut plant.
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No ‘right’ answer on schools reopening – The Royal Gazette | Bermuda News, Business, Sports, Events, & Community
DE91055E-682D-4CA4-88A7-96A1C444A703
No ‘right’ answer on schools reopening
Mark Pettingill
Created: May 19, 2020 09:00 AM
There is a school of thought that we must find a balance between protecting people from Covid-19 and from the serious damage to our economy that will occur as a result of people not working and business closure.
Let's be honest; many people may take the view that Donald Trump has propagated, as it seems he clearly has a philosophy that the economy of the United States is more important than the number of lives that will be lost if their social-distancing measures and business closures continue.
He makes the point that with serious damage to the economy and loss of jobs, there will be also a significant loss of life as a result of stress, suicide and an increase in violent crime as people become desperate because they have no money.
There can be no doubt that there are many people in Bermuda, politicians included, that share this view, although they may be able to express it more euphemistically than the US president does.
Behind closed doors, there are those who would take a view that mostly older people are impacted, that older people get sick and die, and that consequently the balance is to not cause such extreme damage to the economy that it is detrimental to the majority of people for years to come.
This harsh philosophy may actually resonate on a logical level until it becomes a question of them making the choice about their elderly loved one being the proverbial sacrificial lamb!
As Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York, said “You wanna choose?”
I am of the view that the Premier and the Government have done an outstanding job in addressing this crisis, and I have supported effectively every element of the measures that have been put in place and the plan for a phased approach to reopening. The Bermuda people thus far have risen to the occasion brilliantly with courage and support for one another.
One of the most significant dilemmas for me and many, I believe, remains what to do with the school system?
The scientific evidence clearly indicates that when it comes to social gatherings, a school is probably one of the worst places for the risk of transmission of a virus. The use of water fountains, bathrooms and children continuously moving from place to place in proximity to one another is hardly conducive to strict hygiene!
Playing on the playground equipment and generally touching one another on a regular basis without the concept or restriction that most adults would apply is a potential recipe for disaster, as concerned disease specialists have expressed.
An asymptomatic child who is infected by at home a parent or grandparent whom Mommy or Daddy has visited in the nursing home goes to school and passes the virus on to other students, who then take it home to their parents — and so on. This is a real and obvious risk with regard to the spread of the virus and the fact of the matter is that in Bermuda our schools on a daily basis involve the largest social gathering of “people” in the country and we are one of the most densely populated places in the world!
It is even more disconcerting now, as it is apparent that children are beginning to suffer from some form of infection from the virus and there have been even tragically a small number of deaths!
One thing for sure, the virus seems to attack the vulnerable, and many perfectly normal children suffer from asthma or other common ailments that improve with age.
The flipside of the concern of children not being at school is that there are a number of homes where it is not possible to engage in a full-time online learning programme and that children are at greater risk for increased episodes of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect. Such is the nature of what confinement will aggravate as a result of stress and economic problems for families.
The challenge is how do we design an education system that delivers effective learning while protecting staff and students? Organising to protect students and staff would necessarily involve strict social-distancing — explain that to a six-year-old! — combined with frequent handwashing or sanitiser use and wearing of masks.
Some would argue that masks offer limited protection, but they are certainly a visual reminder that provide a behavioural boost for hygiene measures to be followed in any reopening plan. Getting kids to keep them on and teachers speaking coherently is the challenge.
The number of students present in different spaces would need to be reduced by specifying methods of circulation in any establishment. Classrooms would need to be reorganised to establish the space between students and breaks, and lunch times likely would have to be staggered.
If teachers move between classrooms instead of students, circulation around buildings may be able to be reduced and the school week could also be shortened with different groups of students attending on different days throughout the week. School transport would certainly need to be reorganised and addressed.
Consideration, perhaps, should be given to a “hybrid approach” where those children who are able to continue working online at home should for the immediate future continue to do so, and it is only in instances where families cannot support this type of learning that children should return to school.
Given that it will be most likely necessary to reorganise school and home, there is already a need to prepare for hybrid-teaching arrangements. This will mean thinking more often about the individual needs of pupils to help reduce inequalities.
When it comes to considering the reopening of our schools, there needs to be an evidence and practice-based reopening plan drawing on all available research and experiential global evidence, which can help to implement the most suitable solutions for Bermuda and which may also empower people to understand and act effectively within the confines of the present situation.
It will be essential to review carefully the ways of working between sectors and operating around schools, and consolidating knowledge from various sources to develop decision-making that is the most appropriate for Bermuda. Systematic monitoring and dedicated research is needed to limit educational disruption as much as possible and to promote health for all.
It is difficult to draw a clear conclusion at this stage as to what is best, but as a parent I am not at this stage comfortable with the thought of my two younger children returning to the school environment before the end of this school year. However, I remain optimistic for the potential of a return to school in the autumn with the right system and measures in place, which must have regard for the potential of a predicted second spike in the virus later in the year.
How we address the school question is one of the most significant elements to tackling the challenge of Covid-19, both in the interest of health and in balancing the impact of the damage being caused to the economy and the education of our children.
I doubt there is a “right” answer; we just need to ensure we find the best solution possible, with balance and always with consideration for the health and safety of our people. Young and old.
• Mark Pettingill is a former attorney-general, former independent MP and the father of a ten-year-old and eight-year-old in the Bermuda school system
Try explaining strict social-distancing to a six-year-old: a valid case can be made that the restrictions that many adults have been unable adhere to, especially at the beginning of Phase 1, are unrealistic for our young (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
Mark Pettingill is a former attorney-general, former independent MP and the father of a ten-year-old and eight-year-old in the Bermuda school system (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
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Published May 19, 2020 at 9:00 am (Updated May 19, 2020 at 8:59 am)
Call to license electric bicycles runs into opposition
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Contribute to Brainstorm
Meet St Patrick's spin doctor
The real St Patrick - or is it?
By Niamh Wycherley
Maynooth University
Opinion: a cleric who lived 200 years after St Patrick's death is the one responsible for many of the stories around the saint's life.
About 200 years after the death of Patrick, the powerful church of Armagh was jockeying for position as the head of the Irish church. Like any good election campaign, they needed a plausible poster-boy and a clear, cohesive message and a cleric called Muirchú was given the task of creating a narrative about St Patrick.
Much of what we "know" about the saint was carefully constructed by Muirchú. Heavily influenced by the Bible and other key early Christian texts, he composed a lively tale, the "Life of St Patrick", which presents Patrick as a conquering Christian hero. He spin doctored the image of Patrick to such a degree that the actual personal accounts written by the saint himself (his so-called "Confession" and his "Letter to Soldiers of Coroticus") became largely irrelevant in contributing to his public persona.
Elements of history that did not fit with this image were conveniently swept aside. For example, we know from other historical sources that a bishop, Palladius, was sent to Ireland in 431 by Pope Celestine to "the Irish believing in Christ". However, Patrick’s role in converting the whole of Ireland to Christianity is central to Muirchú’s story, so Palladius has to be side-stepped by Muirchú who implies the bishop did not really like it in Ireland, left shortly after he arrived and unceremoniously died on his journey home.
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From RTÉ Archives, Patrick Caulfield tells the legend of of St Patrick’s confrontation with the pagan god Cromduff which saw Co Mayo's Dún Briste separated by the saint from the mainland
The path now clear, Muirchú depicts Patrick as a superhero, vanquishing paganism in Ireland after an epic showdown on the hill of Tara with King Loíguire’s head magicians. Patrick picks this fight by lighting an Easter fire, visible on a hill, in direct breach of the king’s orders. (Patrick’s fire represents the Christian religion which, it is foretold, will burn brightly on this island forever.)
Incensed by this disobedience, Loíguire instructs his magicians to destroy Patrick. With God on his side, Patrick disposes of the first magician quickly and brutally, Lochru being miraculously hoisted into the air and dropped, smashing his skull against a stone. The next day, according to Muirchú, Patrick has a fierce battle with the magician Lucet Máel involving poison, weather manipulation and trial by water, which culminates in Lucet Máel getting burned alive. The end result of all this supernatural violence is the conversion of Loíguire and, ultimately, of all the people in Ireland.
Muirchú’s figure of Patrick is scary, violent, and a powerful patriarch in the Old Testament tradition. Closer to the actual truth of Patrick’s missionary activities might be the account provided by Tírechán, Muirchú’s seventh century contemporary. Like any text written hundreds of years after the events they purport to portray, Tírechán’s collection of stories about Patrick cannot be taken as a reliable account of his actual movements.
"St Patrick was a Protestant": from RTÉ Archives, Brendan Wright's 1995 report for RTÉ News on different attitudes to St. Patrick in Northern Ireland
But his description of Patrick travelling around the West of Ireland, converting and baptising on what was mostly an individual basis, broadly tallies with Patrick’s own version of events. Patrick says in his "Confession" that he was the first to take Christianity to a part of Ireland where no evangelist had penetrated before, "to the point beyond which there is no-one". In this context, he is probably referring to the western coast of Ireland, which may not have been touched by the Palladian mission.
Like all good raconteurs, Muirchú does not let facts get in the way of a good story. An image of Patrick doing the hard yards and traipsing around in the rain ordaining priests and founding churches does not hold the public consciousness on the same level as the pagan-slaying, heroic figure created by Muirchú.
In fairness to the scribe, his "Life of St Patrick" is a highly accomplished piece of hagiography which aimed to promote the cult of a saint and communicate religious messages of deep theological importance. It is not correct, therefore, to paint Muirchú as a medieval PR guru with a flippant disregard for the truth. For example, his depiction of Patrick as an Old Testament hero in the mould of Moses and of Tara as Babylon emphasise the influence of the Bible as a direct inspiration. As with all literary constructs, the intended audience may not have been expected to "believe" every detail of the story.
Patrick is rightly famous in Ireland, but arguably for the wrong reasons
The texts regarding the development of the cult of Patrick and the church that adopted it are preserved in the early ninth century Book of Armagh on display in Trinity College Dublin. Unlike its more attention-seeking room-mate, the Book of Kells, the Book of Armagh is both a valuable source for early Irish history, ecclesiastical politics, society and religion as well as a precious artefact.
Patrick is rightly famous in Ireland, but arguably for the wrong reasons. While he was not the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, he did compose the earliest complete written sources that survive. Those wishing to commemorate the "real" St Patrick this year can read these documents here and judge for themselves.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
Irish Research Council
Niamh Wycherley
Follow@niamhwycherley
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Minimum alcohol pricing sought to deter house parties
Dr Barry said house parties are now an issue in the fight against the spread of Covid-19
An expert in public health has called for the Taoiseach Micheál Martin to urgently introduce a minimum unit pricing on alcohol, in a bid to deter house parties.
Dr Joe Barry, Professor of Public Health in Trinity College, Dublin told RTÉ's Today programme with Sarah McInerney that the measure has worked in other countries to reduce harmful drinking.
He said when they began to campaign for minimum unit pricing, it was mainly to protect those addicted to alcohol and young people who were buying it with their pocket money.
However, he said over the last month, house parties have become a problem.
Dr Barry said "we're in the middle of a Covid problem, we're looking for solutions that will make things better".
He said there are three parts of the Public Health Alcohol Act, which are due to come into force shortly on specific dates, but he said minimum unit pricing has not yet been given a commencement date.
He said if minimum unit pricing was introduced, it would reduce the amount of cheap alcohol for sale.
He said "cheaper drink means more drink by one individual".
He said during lockdown, there was a lot of evidence of an increase in violence in the home linked to alcohol.
Dr Barry said under the measure, a pint of lager would cost a minimum of €2, which he said would not affect pub drinking.
He said the measure works in other countries, such as Canada, Australia and Scotland, which has seen a reduction in the rate of admissions to emergency departments and there has also been a drop in the number of assaults.
Dr Barry said it would be great if both sides of the border worked to implement this measure, but regardless, the Irish Government needs to do it.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association Vincent Jennings told the same programme that there is no evidence that those attending house parties, who he said are in the minority, are buying cheap alcohol.
He said "the introduction of minimum unit pricing from a public health perspective will work, but trying to bring it in from a public order perspective is a very, very different proposition".
He said he did not know whether the gardaí and the Department of Justice, who are charged with looking after public order, would consider such a move to be effective.
He said he does not believe in bringing in rules which affect the majority, but penalise the minority.
Public Health Alcohol Act
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Veteran skiers plan a variety of approaches to an unconventional season
Dec 08, 2020 04:00PM ● By Drew Crawford
Ian Melling from Washington State enjoys the slopes at Alta. (Linnea Lundgren/City Journals)
By Drew Crawford | [email protected]
Utah is known for its wintertime wonders, and skiers and snowboarders are anxious to hit the slopes for the first time since resorts closed early in March as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ski and snowboard enthusiasts, however, can expect some changes this season. Many modifications are in place, and resorts have implemented a reservation system and have started enforcing social distancing guidelines.
As a result of the changes, some skiers are taking an unconventional approach to the season, planning for a mix of reservation days and backcountry skiing.
“It’s kind of what I expect I’ll be doing this season is a mix of both. My strategy is that I’m going to frontload my reservation days because I don’t know how long ski resorts are going to stay open. I’m not saving any days for March, but we’re going to see,” Michael Tzovaras, a veteran skier who moved to Utah last year, explained.
Tzovaras, who has an enthusiasm and infectious attitude for the sport, is not too fazed by the actions of others and the chance that they will get in his way on the slopes. He plans to maintain his own distance during his runs and doesn’t plan on hanging out in resort lodges or riding in the gondolas.
“I love skiing at resorts on Saturdays and hanging with friends and grabbing a beer, and that whole sort of sense of camaraderie of being at the resort,” he said. “At the same time, I definitely enjoy my days in the backcountry. I love to hike; my wife and I do a lot of hiking; we like the outdoors. Backcountry skiing for me is less about skiing, but it’s more about being outside and finding a little bit of peace and solitude, getting to be out in nature. They’re quite different.”
Tzovaras is encouraged to see that so many people want a piece of the action this year, but also recognizes the unique challenges that are posed by others who want their fix out on the slopes.
“I think I’m excited that so many people are getting into ski touring. Yesterday, I toured up Alta in the morning because they got snow, and I was excited, and it was an absolute zoo, it was crazy. I got up there a little bit earlier, and by the time I was making my way down the parking lot was completely full as if the resort was open,” Tzovaras said.
“I think that there is going to be some challenges with backcountry skiing and everyone getting into it. I know some people are a little nervous with safety and that sort of thing with so many people getting into it,” Tzovaras said, recounting comments made by others on social media groups such as Utah Backcountry Ski.
New Yorker Miles Harris, a best friend of Tzovaras, plans on ditching his expensive city apartment and moving to Utah for the season to take advantage of skiing the Wasatch Front with his friend.
“The more I thought of it, it seemed like a no-brainer to give up my lease, and to go live in a place that would not only be cheaper, but in which my social life didn’t have to be in some tiny pod in an apartment. I could ski, I could hike, and I’m grateful to be at a place in life where I could manage that,” Harris said.
Harris, who is single, is a recent MBA graduate from Columbia and has been renting Airbnbs across the country on a monthly basis since summer, as his work has changed to being fully remote.
“I’ll kind of play it by ear. Michael is one of my best friends and ski buddies. He’s an advanced skier and I often take his lead on what we should do. I’m up for anything. I enjoy both [resort skiing and backcountry skiing]. My guess is that we do a little bit more of resort skiing,” Harris said.
Harris currently plans on staying in Utah to ski through December to avoid being tied down in New York City with its restrictive distancing measures during the winter months. He has heard about potential pushback from locals who are concerned about people from outside the state taking advantage of the ski season and driving up rent and housing prices.
“I don’t really understand that,” Harris said. “I go on Airbnb and there’s tons of availability. I imagine that locals aren’t staying in Airbnbs in their own city, so I’m not sure how that’s affecting their own rental prices, or their own home prices.”
Agencies around the state are preparing for skiers to change their activities this year, notably venturing into the backcountry.
Lance Barton, an experienced skier of 25 years, is encouraged by the material that the Utah Avalanche Center has released and wants to see everybody that skis use it.
“In Utah we’re really lucky. The Utah Avalanche Center does a daily avalanche report, and they’re pretty on the ball with just getting the general idea of how dangerous it is and stressing the fact that any random person can’t just hike up the mountain and ski it without recognizing that there is risk involved,” Barton said.
The Utah Avalanche Center has already started to issue press releases warning inexperienced skiers of the inherent dangers of backcountry skiing.
On Nov. 13 the organization released the following statement:
“With the expected drastic increase of people venturing into backcountry avalanche terrain in the 20/21 winter season, we fear rising potential for individual human involvements, deaths, and even larger, catastrophic avalanche accidents. Critical resources like search and rescue teams, first responders, and emergency medical providers are stretched thin. Please consider this and adjust your backcountry aspirations accordingly: make more conservative decisions and avoid very steep slopes and extreme objectives.”
Barton feels that the organization is also increasing its avalanche preparedness training to account for skiers change in activity.
“I know that they’ve been trying to just increase their awareness in general the last couple of years. This year, I kind of get the feeling that they’re making an extra push about it because they get the general idea that more people will be going into the backcountry,” Barton said.
While it remains to be seen whether resorts will stay open all season, skiers are taking it all in stride.
“I’m still going to get outside and ski every weekend. If I’m going to basically live in my home five days a week and not leave my bedroom, I need to be outside on the weekends to maintain my mental health and sanity,” Harris said. “Utah’s a great place for that.”
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Tag: #Misinformation
“We no longer agree on a common set of facts, on a common reality, and that is a big problem for democracy.” — David Becker, Center for Election Innovation and Research, Jan 6, 2021 on 1A
Opening Reflections
Part 1: A DANGEROUS GAME
2020 – what more need be said. It was a year of enormous reversals, lost, and tragedy. Colossal waves of misery circumnavigated the global hitting every continent of consciousness like tsunamis of misfortune. These billowing waves of ruin quickly laid waste to norms, routines, and traditions keeping humanity flowing in elaborately engineered channels of business-as-usual.
The cause of this terrific ruinous wave was not a stupendous subterranean seismic shift. Rather it was a submicroscopic infectious bundle of nucleic acid molecules. A minute bundle of pre-life substances that decided long ago it was far more effective to replicate itself inside of the cells of living organisms emerging at the same time long ago. Rather than grow all those high energy organelles themselves, this teensy-weensy replicon simply evolved the capacity to bind to cells of living beings and invade them. Upon gaining entry, the little replicons go to work doing what they are best at doing: replicating. It’s not that hard to understand how a thing that replicates so much mutates and jumps from one species to another.
Before 2020 was half over, it was clear no part of the globe would be spared from the tiny replicon that made the jump to us, and then it got worse. Nevertheless, small pockets of human triumph emerged (places in the world where quick collective action kept the little replicon at bay). I found this website tracking which countries are winning in the fight against COVID-19, which are nearly there, and which need action. I was surprised because thought I knew which ones were winning. It turns out many countries I thought were doing fine have faltered, while others who are winning or nearly there, I’ve never heard of—places like Djibouti, Holy See, and Vanuatu.
To be sure, many of these are smaller countries or island nations, which naturally confers an advantage in winning the war against this tiny replicon. However, the most powerful tool in the arsenal of every continent of consciousness has been messaging a rather new type of communiqué to emerge in the human world. It is a word used frequently in workplace settings. But it is also used wherever there is a need to get a lot of people on the same page to accomplish a collective action.
Study.com defines messaging into 3 types: 1) informational messages communicate routine, repetitive daily tasks or convey instructions, codes, steps, or workplace procedures; 2) persuasive messages are designed to convince an individual or group to take certain specific actions; and 3) goodwill messages are used to show or instill a sense of kindness or friendliness in a workplace or community.
To combat COVID-19, blending these 3 types of messaging together has proved to be the most effective strategy in repelling the tiny virion. It turns out this blend of messaging is a modern distillation of a much older form of human communication, storytelling.
Every people, culture, and civilization that has ever existed has stories that are passed down from one generation to the next. Stories tell what has happened to the people through time. Stories weave wonderous narratives of where the people have come from and where they may be going. Stories entertain, frighten, warn, and make fun of aspects of being human and of living together in groups. Some of our most beloved stories are of individuals who overcome overwhelming obstacles to accomplish something extraordinary that benefits the people. These are the stories of heroes, winners, celebrities, and luminaries—a civilization’s shining stars of how to be a superb human being in the adoring eyes of all its citizen members.
Almost as beloved but for different reasons are stories of individual who commit dreadful, appalling, horrifying atrocities on other living beings. These stories tend to serve as warnings But sometimes they get twisted and become a template for emptying the space inside the minds of individual citizens and filling this space with warped and twisted content designed to serve the narrator of these stories. When this happens, it is always a dangerous time for everyone in a group.
Stories have long been used to galvanize collective action for as long as mankind can remember. They are powerful tools because they work inside the invisible spaces of the human mind. They settle into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. They take root and grow within the human soul.
Throughout human history stories have galvanized individuals living within a group or civilization to strive for something greater or for something mingy. Stories reveal the best and worst of the people who tell them because they reveal pieces of their soul.
Coronavirus-19 — Art by Bebe
As the global pandemic made its watery march around the world, I began to see stories emerge from people that shocked and surprised me. Many stories barely clung to reality. Rather these stories seemed to float in the air like colorful bubbles that would most surely pop as soon as encountering the first blade of grass growing out of the Rock of Reality… the one we all live on… our beloved Planet Earth.
In this blog series, I will explore how stories alter human reality. It is something we’ve been doing for a very long time. The difference now is there are so many more humans living on Earth all creating slightly different versions of reality inside their mind. These realities take form and burst into the world whenever an individual acts upon their inner stories. All of us have them. These are the stories we tell ourselves about what has happened to us through space and time. It is self-talk, but inner talk that creates bubble-like realities inside our minds.
We need these mind bubbles. They generate energy that power our minds. It is very much like how living cells grew organelles, little bubbles, inside the cell to power the cell, creating life! Mind bubbles create awaken consciousness. There are other organelles inside the mind creating human consciousness, but I will focus on the ones creating mind bubbles through stories, which we consume to feed our mind.
Most modern human beings have forgotten this. Forgetting this, we have descended into consumption patterns that are quite destructive. It’s a lot like eating fatty, sugary, highly processed morsels of food that has become more artificial than natural to sustain the body. It doesn’t end well. The same is true of feeding the human mind, it requires nourishment and this nourishment sustains the soul.
I believe humanity is playing a dangerous game. Most of it is occurs inside our minds until it erupts into action. When action is informed by reality, humans have done and accomplished amazing feats. However, when human action is informed by human fantasy and misinformation, terrible things can occur.
Today, one of these bubbles popped in a most distributing way.
Most of us have stumbled into this game. Many have been pushed by super manipulators of dangerous and false narratives. What these stories do is stir up sleeping forces living deep inside us. Most modern men and women have forgotten they are there. Without the light of consciousness, they can be deadly. It is a game humanity has been playing for awhile and it has been steadily dragging the entire world to the brink of catastrophe. If humanity survives this game, future humans will remember 2020 and the beginning of 2021 as the beginning of the coming catastrophe that will resonate throughout the entire century created by a meltdown of the human mind.
A deep taproot feeding our deadly descent is a collective unwillingness to Bear Accurate Witness to reality. It is a concept my friend Barry Kort brought to my attention recently. I will talk more about it later and recount our conversation in October/November in AfterMath: The Magical Calculus of Consciousness.
In upcoming blogs, I’ll explain more of what I mean that we are a storytelling species playing a dangerous game of bubble realities. These games transpire inside our minds and can turn off our hearts. This ability gives humans tremendous power. Stories can ignite the human soul and inspire it to act in terrible ways. Stories can also extinguish the flame of destruction and heal hearts and souls. Both of these potentials come from inside us. As perhaps the only storytelling species of planet Earth, we hold the magical power to create or destroy our shared reality through stories.
Yesterday, I was working on this piece while listening to NPR as I usually do. When it got towards 1:00 p.m., FreshAir was airing something I was not as interested in when it occurred to be that the Congressional counts were beginning. So I turned on CNN and listened to it as I wrote. I did not intend to put the videos and pictures above in this piece. At that moment in time, the reality bubble had not yet popped and spilled into reality in disturbing, violent ways.
Just before it did, I began taking pictures and videos to make a short video about dogs watching history (like I did one year earlier during the Impeachment Hearings). I thought it funny and a nice way to document and remember this historic moment. I finished this video just before the Capitol was invaded on Jan 6, 2021–incited by the President’s speech one hour earlier and his steady drip of misinformation that he won the 2020 election by a landslide and the election was stolen from him.
Here is the first video I made yesterday. Moments after making this, CNN began to cut to marchers surging upon the Capitol.
Dogs Watching History | Jan 6, 2021
After the Capitol was breached and distributing reports streamed across the airways, I kept filming and made a second more serious video.
Today Began as Expected…Division But It Was Peaceful…Then | Jan 6, 2021
These are the Impeachment with dog videos I made a year ago.
Impeachment Hearings Today…But I’d Really Like to Get Into This Bag | Premiered Jan 21, 2020
Day 3: Impeachment Hearings — Day 1: Puppy! | Premiered Jan 25, 2020
This was on the ground footage of one of the first Pro-Trump rally in DC.
Cacophony — The Beautiful Humans of Earth | Premiered Nov 14, 2020
And, this was one of first Black Lives Matter protests in DC after Trump violently cleared Lafayette Square for a photo opt.
Some of Jan 6, 2021 AfterMath
Who were the groups at the rally? By Shayan Sardarizadeh of BBC Monitoring — I will be talking about QAnon a little be later in this series. I heard about this guy. Pretty stunning.
Image from BBC | “Supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, alongside far-right pro-Trump groups, were planning the rally outside Congress for weeks.”
Analysis: What does this mean for Trump’s legacy?
Image fro BBC | “If this is the “at long last, have you left no sense of decency” moment for Donald Trump, it arrives as they’re cleaning up blood and broken glass in the US Capitol.”
PBS is an American public broadcast service | Full Broadcast of Jan 6, 2021
What Trump and His Mob Taught the World About America — Anne Applebaum, Staff writer at The Atlantic
Image from The Atlantic: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP / KENT NISHIMURA / LOS ANGELES TIMES / GETTY / THE ATLANTIC
I have been following Anne over the past year as she is an expert in these matters and really, really smart! She opens her piece in The Atlantic saying:
“We have promoted democracy in our movies and books. We speak of democracy in our speeches and lectures. We even sing about democracy, from sea to shining sea, in our national songs. We have entire government bureaus devoted to thinking about how we can help other countries become and remain democratic. We fund institutions that do the same.
And yet by far the most important weapon that the United States of America has ever wielded—in defense of democracy, in defense of political liberty, in defense of universal rights, in defense of the rule of law—was the power of example. In the end, it wasn’t our words, our songs, our diplomacy, or even our money or our military power that mattered. It was rather the things we had achieved: the two and a half centuries of peaceful transitions of power, the slow but massive expansion of the franchise, and the long, seemingly solid traditions of civilized debate.“
… She talks about the years after WWII and how America stood as an example, but more than that… a symbol of democracy. Symbols act very powerfully inside the human psyche. Stories use symbols to conduct their magic. Anne goes on saying:
“During this period, many American politicians and diplomats mistakenly imagined that it was their clever words or deeds that persuaded others to join what eventually became a very broad, international democratic alliance. But they were wrong. It was not them; it was us—our example.
Over the past four years, that example has been badly damaged. We elected a president who refused to recognize the democratic process. We stood by while some members of Donald Trump’s party cynically colluded with him, helping him break laws and rules designed to restrain him. We indulged his cheerleading “media”—professional liars who pretended to believe the president’s stories, including his invented claims of massive voter fraud. Then came the denouement: an awkward, cack-handed invasion of the Capitol by the president’s supporters, some dressed in strange costumes, others sporting Nazi symbols or waving Confederate flags. They achieved the president’s goal: They brought the official certification of the Electoral College vote to a halt. House and Senate members and Vice President Mike Pence were escorted out of the legislative chambers. Their staff members were told to shelter in place. A woman was shot to death.“
… Anne talks about how anti-democratic countries are and will continue to use what happened yesterday to push down democratic efforts among their people. They are already twisting what happened at the Capitol yesterday equating the rioters who rampaged the Capitol as the same as the demonstrators in places such as Russia and China that have violently dealt with individuals seeking free and fair elections, equating the MAGA rioters ignited by a false narrative promoted by Trump as the same.
“America’s enemies said less but surely enjoyed the images more. Yesterday morning, after all, the Chinese government arrested the leaders of the democracy movement in Hong Kong. In 2020, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who did so much to put Donald Trump in the White House, was accused of poisoning his most important political opponent, Alexei Navalny. In recent memory, the Saudi crown prince ordered the gruesome murder of a journalist who was one of his most prominent critics; Iranian, Belarusian, and Venezuelan leaders regularly beat and imprison dissidents in their countries.
After the riot at the Capitol, all of them will feel more confident, more secure in their positions. They use violence to prevent peaceful debate and peaceful transfers of power; now they have observed that the American president does too. Trump has not ordered the murder of his enemies. But now nobody can be sure of what he might do in order to maintain power. Schadenfreude will be the dominant emotion in Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, Caracas, Riyadh, and Minsk. The leaders of those cities—men sitting in well-appointed palaces, surrounded by security guards—will enjoy the scenes from Washington, relishing the sight of the U.S. brought so low.“
Yes indeed, America was significantly damaged yesterday–all in the service of one man’s bruised ego.
How The United States Arrived At Pro-Trump Extremists Breaching The Capitol Building
Image from 1A — Jan 7, 2021: A man holding signs and flags in support of President Donald Trump is seen in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Description: “An insurrectionist mob supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as a part of a riot against the results of the election. Four people died on the Capitol grounds. Pipe bombs and a cooler of Molotov cocktails were found in the area.
Slate’s Aymann Ismail was with some of the insurrectionists as they breached the Capitol:
The people I managed to speak to didn’t seem to understand the gravity of what they had done. Inside a building they had broken into, they described themselves as “peaceful” to me. I talked to a kid from Florida, who must have been no more than 17 or 18. He told me, “This is nothing compared to what Antifa does.” I said, “Look, they’re breaking the glass.” He answered, “Yeah, but at least they’re not destroying the things.” I showed him pictures of things destroyed. It didn’t register. On the way up, there was a woman holding a sign saying, “If we were leftists, we would be rioting.”
After multiple calls to do so by Republicans and Democrats, in the afternoon, President Trump asked the mob to stay peaceful. In the same video posted to Twitter, President Trump also insisted the election was stolen from him, which is a lie. After these videos were posted, the president was banned from his Twitter account for 12 hours.
The insurrection was the third MAGA-related event in the last few months as Trump-affiliated demonstrators previously clashed with counter-protesters and police in November and December.”
One of the guest speakers is talking about the narrative going back decades such as Newt Gingrich saying he wanted to make politics a blood sport (and he has). This speakers says a conscious choice was made to court the worse instincts in their supporters. The problem is once these instincts ignite, the manipulators loss control.
After A Pro-Trump Extremist Mob Stormed The Capitol, Where Do We Go From Here?
Image from 1A | Jan 7, 2021 | Pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump.Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Jen White says: “We knew because he told us over and over.”
Rep Tim Ryan (D-OH) says (approximately): “I’m not impressed with all the Republicans jumping on the right side of history in the last 13 days of the Trump Administration. And the Republicans still riding the Trump bandwagon know better. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and a handful of others. They know better. They received the best education possible in America and still they propped up Trump’s false narrative.”
Andrew Marantz (Staff Writer, The New Yorker; author of “Anti-Social: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation.”) says (approximately): “We have a much bigger problem going on. Our entire social media empire is a system constructed to hijack the human mind and tap into the lizard brain. It preys on humanity’s worse instincts and keeps them addicted to it.” This is what I’m writing in my book: Sapience!
Description of episode: “In a September presidential debate, President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys “to stand back and stand by.” The Proud Boys are a right-wing extremist group with ties to white supremacy. But those comments weren’t the first time he appeared to encourage violence from his base. And on Wednesday, thousands of pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building.
Despite previously encouraging them to go to the Capitol, President Trump urged the mob to “go home,” though in the same statement he continued to falsely claim he won the election. And after this, some are wondering whether it’s still safe for the president, and the lawmakers who challenged the vote certification process, to stay in office for the rest of his term.”
Pro-Trump Insurrectionists Cause Chaos At The Capitol — THE KOJO NNAMDI SHOW, Jan 7, 2021
Image from Kojo Nnamdi Show | Jan 7, 2021 | U.S. Capitol Police hold protesters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. ANDREW HARNIK / AP (This was rare…most of the people who walked into the Capitol walked out some escorted or helped down stairs.)
Greg Carr, Chair, Dept. of Afro-American Studies, Howard University, said (roughly): “They… who are they (the people who poured into the Capitol yesterday)… they are the people who see ‘their’ country slipping away… the power they use to have as a majority, as former slave owners and landowners, as people who have become use to having advantages over black and brown citizens of the United States of America. They were promised to bring all these things back… and they saw this promise slipping away… and so they went into ‘their’ house to hold state in ‘their’ country. That is who they are...” (…) “This country was founded on the enslavement of a people. What we saw today is a continuation of this struggle. … There is a moment when the black police officer is retreating up the stairs from the mob chasing him. When he finally gets up to the 4th floor and encounters several white police officers, you can see the moment when he stops and looks at them and you know he is thinking — are they with them or are they with me? He does not advance to defend himself and the capitol until he sees the white officers advancing on the insurrectionists. That moment tells you everything about what was going on yesterday.”
Dana Fisher, Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland; Author, “American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave”, said (roughly when asked what is the difference between a protestor and insurrectionist): “Protesters expertise their right to voice their disagreement to something going on in the country, but protesters do not carry arms, invade a building of government, and call for shooting and hanging the traitors they believe have failed them. These are insurrectionists… these are domestic terrorists…“
Stay safe… remember love always finds the most inclusive, gentle way to live together in peace and harmony. It is our choice to act through love or to act through hate.
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Competence and Procedures
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Sanita Osipova speaks about the understanding of freedom in society at a conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
From 7 to 9 November, Vice-president of the Constitutional Court Sanita Osipova attends an international summit “Berlin Wall – 30”, which is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. An international conference is held as part of the summit – “World without Walls”, in which Sanita Osipova gave a presentation on the understanding of freedom in society after the independence of the Republic of Latvia was restored.
In her presentation, Sanita Osipova shared memories of the events of 1989 in Berlin and Riga as well as of the processes that followed the restoration of the independent State of Latvia, together building a democratic state governed by the rule of law, which respects fundamental human rights, including personal liberty. She underscored that at that time freedom, first and foremost, meant breaking out of slavery and fighting for self-determination as a free state and a free person.
Sanita Osipova explained that, in 30 years, Latvia had done everything to establish a democratic state governed by the rule of law, however, the concept of liberty was often misunderstood still. The freedom of the state, which we gained, unfortunately, did not self-evidently lead to an understanding of the personal freedom in society and, hence, also in the state that is constituted by this society. Many members of society have not developed an understanding of freedom as self-determination, as assuming responsibility for one’s life, tolerance towards the freedom of other persons to self-determination in a way that differs from the one we would prefer. The state cannot know better than the person what he or she needs, otherwise the meaning of democracy would be lost.
As a vivid example of the different understanding of a citizen’s freedom in post-totalitarian society and in older democracy, she mentioned a case heard by the Latvian Constitutional Court regarding the duty to place the national flag, in which the applicant complained of the administrative sanction envisaged for failure to place the national flag in mourning presentation on a certain date (case No. 2015-01-01). The constitutional complaints lodged with the Constitutional Court show what people expect from fundamental rights and the state. First of all, a fair trial, followed by material benefits: allowances, pensions, and property.
Vice-president of the Constitutional Court Sanita Osipova.
Sanita Osipova concluded her speech by underscoring: if we want to enjoy the fruits from the fall of the Berlin Wall, living in a rule-of-law and democratic state, we must all together cultivate respect towards a person as a reasonable and responsible individual with the right to self-determination.
International conference “World without Walls” was one of the three events of the summit focusing on the areas of international relations and economics, security and peace-building, human rights, arts, and culture. Participants of the summit were governmental and diplomatic officials, scholars of law, academics, representatives of the private and public sector, as well as other interested parties.
The agenda of the summit in English is available here.
Sanita Osipova’s presentation is available here.
Jura Alunāna iela 1
Chancery:
tiesa@satv.tiesa.gov.lv
Working hours 8.30-17.00
Head of the Communications and
Protocol Unit:
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Home SPORT Nigeria ranks 29th in world FIFA ranking.
Nigeria ranks 29th in world FIFA ranking.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up from the 31st to 29th position in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings.
In the latest rankings released by the football governing body on Thursday, Nigeria got 1493 points and are now third in Africa, with Senegal (20th) and Tunisia (26th) in first and second respectively.
Algeria (35), Morocco (43), Ghana (46), Egypt (51), Cameroon (53), Mali (57) and DR Congo (57) make up the top 10 rankings of African teams.
Nigeria’s last international game was a 4-2 away win against Lesotho in the 2021 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers, played in November 2019.
Belgium is still number one in the world FIFA ranking, followed by France, Brazil, and England respectively.
Portugal, Uruguay, Spain, Croatia, Argentina, and Colombia make up to the top 10.
Nigeria ranks 29th in world FIFA ranking. Reviewed by saved piyo on September 18, 2020 Rating: 5
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The Information Challenge
By Richard Dawkins
In September 1997, I allowed an Australian film crew into my house in Oxford without realising that their purpose was creationist propaganda. In the course of a suspiciously amateurish interview, they issued a truculent challenge to me to “give an example of a genetic mutation or an evolutionary process which can be seen to increase the information in the genome.” It is the kind of question only a creationist would ask in that way, and it was at this point I tumbled to the fact that I had been duped into granting an interview to creationists – a thing I normally don’t do, for good reasons. In my anger I refused to discuss the question further, and told them to stop the camera. However, I eventually withdrew my peremptory termination of the interview as a whole. This was solely because they pleaded with me that they had come all the way from Australia specifically in order to interview me. Even if this was a considerable exaggeration, it seemed, on reflection, ungenerous to tear up the legal release form and throw them out. I therefore relented.
My generosity was rewarded in a fashion that anyone familiar with fundamentalist tactics might have predicted. When I eventually saw the film a year later 1, I found that it had been edited to give the false impression that I was incapable of answering the question about information content 2. In fairness, this may not have been quite as intentionally deceitful as it sounds. You have to understand that these people really believe that their question cannot be answered! Pathetic as it sounds, their entire journey from Australia seems to have been a quest to film an evolutionist failing to answer it.
With hindsight – given that I had been suckered into admitting them into my house in the first place – it might have been wiser simply to answer the question. But I like to be understood whenever I open my mouth – I have a horror of blinding people with science – and this was not a question that could be answered in a soundbite. First you first have to explain the technical meaning of “information”. Then the relevance to evolution, too, is complicated – not really difficult but it takes time. Rather than engage now in further recriminations and disputes about exactly what happened at the time of the interview (for, to be fair, I should say that the Australian producer’s memory of events seems to differ from mine), I shall try to redress the matter now in constructive fashion by answering the original question, the “Information Challenge”, at adequate length – the sort of length you can achieve in a proper article.
The technical definition of “information” was introduced by the American engineer Claude Shannon in 1948. An employee of the Bell Telephone Company, Shannon was concerned to measure information as an economic commodity. It is costly to send messages along a telephone line. Much of what passes in a message is not information: it is redundant. You could save money by recoding the message to remove the redundancy. Redundancy was a second technical term introduced by Shannon, as the inverse of information. Both definitions were mathematical, but we can convey Shannon’s intuitive meaning in words.
Redundancy is any part of a message that is not informative, either because the recipient already knows it (is not surprised by it) or because it duplicates other parts of the message. In the sentence “Rover is a poodle dog”, the word “dog” is redundant because “poodle” already tells us that Rover is a dog. An economical telegram would omit it, thereby increasing the informative proportion of the message. “Arr JFK Fri pm pls mt BA Cncrd flt” carries the same information as the much longer, but more redundant, “I’ll be arriving at John F Kennedy airport on Friday evening; please meet the British Airways Concorde flight”. Obviously the brief, telegraphic message is cheaper to send (although the recipient may have to work harder to decipher it – redundancy has its virtues if we forget economics). Shannon wanted to find a mathematical way to capture the idea that any message could be broken into the information (which is worth paying for), the redundancy (which can, with economic advantage, be deleted from the message because, in effect, it can be reconstructed by the recipient) and the noise (which is just random rubbish).
“It rained in Oxford every day this week” carries relatively little information, because the receiver is not surprised by it. On the other hand, “It rained in the Sahara desert every day this week” would be a message with high information content, well worth paying extra to send. Shannon wanted to capture this sense of information content as “surprise value”. It is related to the other sense – “that which is not duplicated in other parts of the message” – because repetitions lose their power to surprise. Note that Shannon’s definition of the quantity of information is independent of whether it is true. The measure he came up with was ingenious and intuitively satisfying. Let’s estimate, he suggested, the receiver’s ignorance or uncertainty before receiving the message, and then compare it with the receiver’s remaining ignorance after receiving the message. The quantity of ignorance-reduction is the information content. Shannon’s unit of information is the bit, short for “binary digit”. One bit is defined as the amount of information needed to halve the receiver’s prior uncertainty, however great that prior uncertainty was (mathematical readers will notice that the bit is, therefore, a logarithmic measure).
In practice, you first have to find a way of measuring the prior uncertainty – that which is reduced by the information when it comes. For particular kinds of simple message, this is easily done in terms of probabilities. An expectant father watches the Caesarian birth of his child through a window into the operating theatre. He can’t see any details, so a nurse has agreed to hold up a pink card if it is a girl, blue for a boy. How much information is conveyed when, say, the nurse flourishes the pink card to the delighted father? The answer is one bit – the prior uncertainty is halved. The father knows that a baby of some kind has been born, so his uncertainty amounts to just two possibilities – boy and girl – and they are (for purposes of this discussion) equal. The pink card halves the father’s prior uncertainty from two possibilities to one (girl). If there’d been no pink card but a doctor had walked out of the operating theatre, shook the father’s hand and said “Congratulations old chap, I’m delighted to be the first to tell you that you have a daughter”, the information conveyed by the 17 word message would still be only one bit.
Computer information is held in a sequence of noughts and ones. There are only two possibilities, so each 0 or 1 can hold one bit. The memory capacity of a computer, or the storage capacity of a disc or tape, is often measured in bits, and this is the total number of 0s or 1s that it can hold. For some purposes, more convenient units of measurement are the byte (8 bits), the kilobyte (1000 bytes or 8000 bits), the megabyte (a million bytes or 8 million bits) or the gigabyte (1000 million bytes or 8000 million bits). Notice that these figures refer to the total available capacity. This is the maximum quantity of information that the device is capable of storing. The actual amount of information stored is something else. The capacity of my hard disc happens to be 4.2 gigabytes. Of this, about 1.4 gigabytes are actually being used to store data at present. But even this is not the true information content of the disc in Shannon’s sense. The true information content is smaller, because the information could be more economically stored. You can get some idea of the true information content by using one of those ingenious compression programs like “Stuffit”. Stuffit looks for redundancy in the sequence of 0s and 1s, and removes a hefty proportion of it by recoding – stripping out internal predictability. Maximum information content would be achieved (probably never in practice) only if every 1 or 0 surprised us equally. Before data is transmitted in bulk around the Internet, it is routinely compressed to reduce redundancy.
That’s good economics. But on the other hand it is also a good idea to keep some redundancy in messages, to help correct errors. In a message that is totally free of redundancy, after there’s been an error there is no means of reconstructing what was intended. Computer codes often incorporate deliberately redundant “parity bits” to aid in error detection. DNA, too, has various error-correcting procedures which depend upon redundancy. When I come on to talk of genomes, I’ll return to the three-way distinction between total information capacity, information capacity actually used, and true information content.
It was Shannon’s insight that information of any kind, no matter what it means, no matter whether it is true or false, and no matter by what physical medium it is carried, can be measured in bits, and is translatable into any other medium of information. The great biologist J B S Haldane used Shannon’s theory to compute the number of bits of information conveyed by a worker bee to her hivemates when she “dances” the location of a food source (about 3 bits to tell about the direction of the food and another 3 bits for the distance of the food). In the same units, I recently calculated that I’d need to set aside 120 megabits of laptop computer memory to store the triumphal opening chords of Richard Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (the “2001” theme) which I wanted to play in the middle of a lecture about evolution. Shannon’s economics enable you to calculate how much modem time it’ll cost you to e-mail the complete text of a book to a publisher in another land. Fifty years after Shannon, the idea of information as a commodity, as measurable and interconvertible as money or energy, has come into its own.
DNA information
DNA carries information in a very computer-like way, and we can measure the genome’s capacity in bits too, if we wish. DNA doesn’t use a binary code, but a quaternary one. Whereas the unit of information in the computer is a 1 or a 0, the unit in DNA can be T, A, C or G. If I tell you that a particular location in a DNA sequence is a T, how much information is conveyed from me to you? Begin by measuring the prior uncertainty. How many possibilities are open before the message “T” arrives? Four. How many possibilities remain after it has arrived? One. So you might think the information transferred is four bits, but actually it is two. Here’s why (assuming that the four letters are equally probable, like the four suits in a pack of cards). Remember that Shannon’s metric is concerned with the most economical way of conveying the message. Think of it as the number of yes/no questions that you’d have to ask in order to narrow down to certainty, from an initial uncertainty of four possibilities, assuming that you planned your questions in the most economical way. “Is the mystery letter before D in the alphabet?” No. That narrows it down to T or G, and now we need only one more question to clinch it. So, by this method of measuring, each “letter” of the DNA has an information capacity of 2 bits.
Whenever prior uncertainty of recipient can be expressed as a number of equiprobable alternatives N, the information content of a message which narrows those alternatives down to one is log2N (the power to which 2 must be raised in order to yield the number of alternatives N). If you pick a card, any card, from a normal pack, a statement of the identity of the card carries log252, or 5.7 bits of information. In other words, given a large number of guessing games, it would take 5.7 yes/no questions on average to guess the card, provided the questions are asked in the most economical way. The first two questions might establish the suit. (Is it red? Is it a diamond?) the remaining three or four questions would successively divide and conquer the suit (is it a 7 or higher? etc.), finally homing in on the chosen card. When the prior uncertainty is some mixture of alternatives that are not equiprobable, Shannon’s formula becomes a slightly more elaborate weighted average, but it is essentially similar. By the way, Shannon’s weighted average is the same formula as physicists have used, since the nineteenth century, for entropy. The point has interesting implications but I shall not pursue them here.
Information and evolution
That’s enough background on information theory. It is a theory which has long held a fascination for me, and I have used it in several of my research papers over the years. Let’s now think how we might use it to ask whether the information content of genomes increases in evolution. First, recall the three way distinction between total information capacity, the capacity that is actually used, and the true information content when stored in the most economical way possible. The total information capacity of the human genome is measured in gigabits. That of the common gut bacterium Escherichia coli is measured in megabits. We, like all other animals, are descended from an ancestor which, were it available for our study today, we’d classify as a bacterium. So perhaps, during the billions of years of evolution since that ancestor lived, the information capacity of our genome has gone up about three orders of magnitude (powers of ten) – about a thousandfold. This is satisfyingly plausible and comforting to human dignity. Should human dignity feel wounded, then, by the fact that the crested newt, Triturus cristatus, has a genome capacity estimated at 40 gigabits, an order of magnitude larger than the human genome? No, because, in any case, most of the capacity of the genome of any animal is not used to store useful information. There are many nonfunctional pseudogenes (see below) and lots of repetitive nonsense, useful for forensic detectives but not translated into protein in the living cells. The crested newt has a bigger “hard disc” than we have, but since the great bulk of both our hard discs is unused, we needn’t feel insulted. Related species of newt have much smaller genomes. Why the Creator should have played fast and loose with the genome sizes of newts in such a capricious way is a problem that creationists might like to ponder. From an evolutionary point of view the explanation is simple (see The Selfish Gene pp 44-45 and p 275 in the Second Edition).
Gene duplication
Evidently the total information capacity of genomes is very variable across the living kingdoms, and it must have changed greatly in evolution, presumably in both directions. Losses of genetic material are called deletions. New genes arise through various kinds of duplication. This is well illustrated by haemoglobin, the complex protein molecule that transports oxygen in the blood.
Human adult haemoglobin is actually a composite of four protein chains called globins, knotted around each other. Their detailed sequences show that the four globin chains are closely related to each other, but they are not identical. Two of them are called alpha globins (each a chain of 141 amino acids), and two are beta globins (each a chain of 146 amino acids). The genes coding for the alpha globins are on chromosome 11; those coding for the beta globins are on chromosome 16. On each of these chromosomes, there is a cluster of globin genes in a row, interspersed with some junk DNA. The alpha cluster, on Chromosome 11, contains seven globin genes. Four of these are pseudogenes, versions of alpha disabled by faults in their sequence and not translated into proteins. Two are true alpha globins, used in the adult. The final one is called zeta and is used only in embryos. Similarly the beta cluster, on chromosome 16, has six genes, some of which are disabled, and one of which is used only in the embryo. Adult haemoglobin, as we’ve seen contains two alpha and two beta chains.
Never mind all this complexity. Here’s the fascinating point. Careful letter-by-letter analysis shows that these different kinds of globin genes are literally cousins of each other, literally members of a family. But these distant cousins still coexist inside our own genome, and that of all vertebrates. On the scale of a whole organism, the vertebrates are our cousins too. The tree of vertebrate evolution is the family tree we are all familiar with, its branch-points representing speciation events – the splitting of species into pairs of daughter species. But there is another family tree occupying the same timescale, whose branches represent not speciation events but gene duplication events within genomes.
The dozen or so different globins inside you are descended from an ancient globin gene which, in a remote ancestor who lived about half a billion years ago, duplicated, after which both copies stayed in the genome. There were then two copies of it, in different parts of the genome of all descendant animals. One copy was destined to give rise to the alpha cluster (on what would eventually become Chromosome 11 in our genome), the other to the beta cluster (on Chromosome 16). As the aeons passed, there were further duplications (and doubtless some deletions as well). Around 400 million years ago the ancestral alpha gene duplicated again, but this time the two copies remained near neighbours of each other, in a cluster on the same chromosome. One of them was destined to become the zeta of our embryos, the other became the alpha globin genes of adult humans (other branches gave rise to the nonfunctional pseudogenes I mentioned). It was a similar story along the beta branch of the family, but with duplications at other moments in geological history.
Now here’s an equally fascinating point. Given that the split between the alpha cluster and the beta cluster took place 500 million years ago, it will of course not be just our human genomes that show the split – possess alpha genes in a different part of the genome from beta genes. We should see the same within-genome split if we look at any other mammals, at birds, reptiles, amphibians and bony fish, for our common ancestor with all of them lived less than 500 million years ago. Wherever it has been investigated, this expectation has proved correct. Our greatest hope of finding a vertebrate that does not share with us the ancient alpha/beta split would be a jawless fish like a lamprey, for they are our most remote cousins among surviving vertebrates; they are the only surviving vertebrates whose common ancestor with the rest of the vertebrates is sufficiently ancient that it could have predated the alpha/beta split. Sure enough, these jawless fishes are the only known vertebrates that lack the alpha/beta divide.
Gene duplication, within the genome, has a similar historic impact to species duplication (“speciation”) in phylogeny. It is responsible for gene diversity, in the same way as speciation is responsible for phyletic diversity. Beginning with a single universal ancestor, the magnificent diversity of life has come about through a series of branchings of new species, which eventually gave rise to the major branches of the living kingdoms and the hundreds of millions of separate species that have graced the earth. A similar series of branchings, but this time within genomes – gene duplications – has spawned the large and diverse population of clusters of genes that constitutes the modern genome.
The story of the globins is just one among many. Gene duplications and deletions have occurred from time to time throughout genomes. It is by these, and similar means, that genome sizes can increase in evolution. But remember the distinction between the total capacity of the whole genome, and the capacity of the portion that is actually used. Recall that not all the globin genes are actually used. Some of them, like theta in the alpha cluster of globin genes, are pseudogenes, recognizably kin to functional genes in the same genomes, but never actually translated into the action language of protein. What is true of globins is true of most other genes. Genomes are littered with nonfunctional pseudogenes, faulty duplicates of functional genes that do nothing, while their functional cousins (the word doesn’t even need scare quotes) get on with their business in a different part of the same genome. And there’s lots more DNA that doesn’t even deserve the name pseudogene. It, too, is derived by duplication, but not duplication of functional genes. It consists of multiple copies of junk, “tandem repeats”, and other nonsense which may be useful for forensic detectives but which doesn’t seem to be used in the body itself.
Once again, creationists might spend some earnest time speculating on why the Creator should bother to litter genomes with untranslated pseudogenes and junk tandem repeat DNA.
Information in the genome
Can we measure the information capacity of that portion of the genome which is actually used? We can at least estimate it. In the case of the human genome it is about 2% – considerably less than the proportion of my hard disc that I have ever used since I bought it. Presumably the equivalent figure for the crested newt is even smaller, but I don’t know if it has been measured. In any case, we mustn’t run away with a chaunvinistic idea that the human genome somehow ought to have the largest DNA database because we are so wonderful. The great evolutionary biologist George C Williams has pointed out that animals with complicated life cycles need to code for the development of all stages in the life cycle, but they only have one genome with which to do so. A butterfly’s genome has to hold the complete information needed for building a caterpillar as well as a butterfly. A sheep liver fluke has six distinct stages in its life cycle, each specialised for a different way of life. We shouldn’t feel too insulted if liver flukes turned out to have bigger genomes than we have (actually they don’t).
Remember, too, that even the total capacity of genome that is actually used is still not the same thing as the true information content in Shannon’s sense. The true information content is what’s left when the redundancy has been compressed out of the message, by the theoretical equivalent of Stuffit. There are even some viruses which seem to use a kind of Stuffit-like compression. They make use of the fact that the RNA (not DNA in these viruses, as it happens, but the principle is the same) code is read in triplets. There is a “frame” which moves along the RNA sequence, reading off three letters at a time. Obviously, under normal conditions, if the frame starts reading in the wrong place (as in a so-called frame-shift mutation), it makes total nonsense: the “triplets” that it reads are out of step with the meaningful ones. But these splendid viruses actually exploit frame-shifted reading. They get two messages for the price of one, by having a completely different message embedded in the very same series of letters when read frame-shifted. In principle you could even get three messages for the price of one, but I don’t know whether there are any examples.
Information in the body
It is one thing to estimate the total information capacity of a genome, and the amount of the genome that is actually used, but it’s harder to estimate its true information content in the Shannon sense. The best we can do is probably to forget about the genome itself and look at its product, the “phenotype”, the working body of the animal or plant itself. In 1951, J W S Pringle, who later became my Professor at Oxford, suggested using a Shannon-type information measure to estimate “complexity”. Pringle wanted to express complexity mathematically in bits, but I have long found the following verbal form helpful in explaining his idea to students.
We have an intuitive sense that a lobster, say, is more complex (more “advanced”, some might even say more “highly evolved”) than another animal, perhaps a millipede. Can we measure something in order to confirm or deny our intuition? Without literally turning it into bits, we can make an approximate estimation of the information contents of the two bodies as follows. Imagine writing a book describing the lobster. Now write another book describing the millipede down to the same level of detail. Divide the word-count in one book by the word-count in the other, and you have an approximate estimate of the relative information content of lobster and millipede. It is important to specify that both books describe their respective animals “down to the same level of detail”. Obviously if we describe the millipede down to cellular detail, but stick to gross anatomical features in the case of the lobster, the millipede would come out ahead.
But if we do the test fairly, I’ll bet the lobster book would come out longer than the millipede book. It’s a simple plausibility argument, as follows. Both animals are made up of segments – modules of bodily architecture that are fundamentally similar to each other, arranged fore-and-aft like the trucks of a train. The millipede’s segments are mostly identical to each other. The lobster’s segments, though following the same basic plan (each with a nervous ganglion, a pair of appendages, and so on) are mostly different from each other. The millipede book would consist of one chapter describing a typical segment, followed by the phrase “Repeat N times” where N is the number of segments. The lobster book would need a different chapter for each segment. This isn’t quite fair on the millipede, whose front and rear end segments are a bit different from the rest. But I’d still bet that, if anyone bothered to do the experiment, the estimate of lobster information content would come out substantially greater than the estimate of millipede information content.
It’s not of direct evolutionary interest to compare a lobster with a millipede in this way, because nobody thinks lobsters evolved from millipedes. Obviously no modern animal evolved from any other modern animal. Instead, any pair of modern animals had a last common ancestor which lived at some (in principle) discoverable moment in geological history. Almost all of evolution happened way back in the past, which makes it hard to study details. But we can use the “length of book” thought-experiment to agree upon what it would mean to ask the question whether information content increases over evolution, if only we had ancestral animals to look at.
The answer in practice is complicated and controversial, all bound up with a vigorous debate over whether evolution is, in general, progressive. I am one of those associated with a limited form of yes answer. My colleague Stephen Jay Gould tends towards a no answer. I don’t think anybody would deny that, by any method of measuring – whether bodily information content, total information capacity of genome, capacity of genome actually used, or true (“Stuffit compressed”) information content of genome – there has been a broad overall trend towards increased information content during the course of human evolution from our remote bacterial ancestors. People might disagree, however, over two important questions: first, whether such a trend is to be found in all, or a majority of evolutionary lineages (for example parasite evolution often shows a trend towards decreasing bodily complexity, because parasites are better off being simple); second, whether, even in lineages where there is a clear overall trend over the very long term, it is bucked by so many reversals and re-reversals in the shorter term as to undermine the very idea of progress. This is not the place to resolve this interesting controversy. There are distinguished biologists with good arguments on both sides.
Supporters of “intelligent design” guiding evolution, by the way, should be deeply committed to the view that information content increases during evolution. Even if the information comes from God, perhaps especially if it does, it should surely increase, and the increase should presumably show itself in the genome. Unless, of course – for anything goes in such addle-brained theorising – God works his evolutionary miracles by nongenetic means.
Perhaps the main lesson we should learn from Pringle is that the information content of a biological system is another name for its complexity. Therefore the creationist challenge with which we began is tantamount to the standard challenge to explain how biological complexity can evolve from simpler antecedents, one that I have devoted three books to answering (The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable) and I do not propose to repeat their contents here. The “information challenge” turns out to be none other than our old friend: “How could something as complex as an eye evolve?” It is just dressed up in fancy mathematical language – perhaps in an attempt to bamboozle. Or perhaps those who ask it have already bamboozled themselves, and don’t realise that it is the same old – and thoroughly answered – question.
The Genetic Book of the Dead
Let me turn, finally, to another way of looking at whether the information content of genomes increases in evolution. We now switch from the broad sweep of evolutionary history to the minutiae of natural selection. Natural selection itself, when you think about it, is a narrowing down from a wide initial field of possible alternatives, to the narrower field of the alternatives actually chosen. Random genetic error (mutation), sexual recombination and migratory mixing, all provide a wide field of genetic variation: the available alternatives. Mutation is not an increase in true information content, rather the reverse, for mutation, in the Shannon analogy, contributes to increasing the prior uncertainty. But now we come to natural selection, which reduces the “prior uncertainty” and therefore, in Shannon’s sense, contributes information to the gene pool. In every generation, natural selection removes the less successful genes from the gene pool, so the remaining gene pool is a narrower subset. The narrowing is nonrandom, in the direction of improvement, where improvement is defined, in the Darwinian way, as improvement in fitness to survive and reproduce. Of course the total range of variation is topped up again in every generation by new mutation and other kinds of variation. But it still remains true that natural selection is a narrowing down from an initially wider field of possibilities, including mostly unsuccessful ones, to a narrower field of successful ones. This is analogous to the definition of information with which we began: information is what enables the narrowing down from prior uncertainty (the initial range of possibilities) to later certainty (the “successful” choice among the prior probabilities). According to this analogy, natural selection is by definition a process whereby information is fed into the gene pool of the next generation.
If natural selection feeds information into gene pools, what is the information about? It is about how to survive. Strictly it is about how to survive and reproduce, in the conditions that prevailed when previous generations were alive. To the extent that present day conditions are different from ancestral conditions, the ancestral genetic advice will be wrong. In extreme cases, the species may then go extinct. To the extent that conditions for the present generation are not too different from conditions for past generations, the information fed into present-day genomes from past generations is helpful information. Information from the ancestral past can be seen as a manual for surviving in the present: a family bible of ancestral “advice” on how to survive today. We need only a little poetic licence to say that the information fed into modern genomes by natural selection is actually information about ancient environments in which ancestors survived.
This idea of information fed from ancestral generations into descendant gene pools is one of the themes of my new book, Unweaving the Rainbow. It takes a whole chapter, “The Genetic Book of the Dead”, to develop the notion, so I won’t repeat it here except to say two things. First, it is the whole gene pool of the species as a whole, not the genome of any particular individual, which is best seen as the recipient of the ancestral information about how to survive. The genomes of particular individuals are random samples of the current gene pool, randomised by sexual recombination. Second, we are privileged to “intercept” the information if we wish, and “read” an animal’s body, or even its genes, as a coded description of ancestral worlds. To quote from Unweaving the Rainbow: “And isn’t it an arresting thought? We are digital archives of the African Pliocene, even of Devonian seas; walking repositories of wisdom out of the old days. You could spend a lifetime reading in this ancient library and die unsated by the wonder of it.”
1 The producers never deigned to send me a copy: I completely forgot about it until an American colleague called it to my attention.
2 See Barry Williams (1998): “Creationist Deception Exposed”, The Skeptic 18, 3, pp 7-10, for an account of how my long pause (trying to decide whether to throw them out) was made to look like hesitant inability to answer the question, followed by an apparently evasive answer to a completely different question.
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Early Childhood Educationist, Entrepreneur, Author, Neuro Linguistic Programme Master Practitioner, Master Coach and Consultant
Born in Sungai Petani of Kedah, Malaysia in 1963, Nawarmani Ramachandran (Nawa) was the 9th child of 10. Her father was of working class and her mother a house wife. It was tough times but it gave her a truly fulfilling and rewarding childhood that she is grateful for.
In spite of their hardships, she could just about afford to study in a Tamil Medium Public School and managed to graduate. Nawa then worked as a kindergarten school teacher specializing in early child education with unwavering passion, dedication and love. She saw the immense importance of development in early years and realized the impact of the same in the future of education and its impact on Life.
Nawarmani R. , M.B.A
What makes a great parent?
Then, in the year 1996, she took the huge leap and Co-Founded the Krista group of Companies which commits toward pre-school education. Here, she developed “The Capable Pre-School Programme”. A first generation Entrepreneur and Managing Director of the Krista Group, Nawar admirably and successfully managed the company and, it is a force to reckon with today, in Malaysia.
Nawa completed her Diploma in Early Childhood in 2000 and Masters in Business Administration in 2005.
She then moved on to create Awan Sensory Marketing Sdn. Bhd. In 2008. The company took her passion further for advanced research and development of early childhood education and special education. Nawa is also the Master Licensee for Pingu's English in Malaysia, a programme that teaches English in an interactive manner using the incredibly popular and lovable cartoon series “Pingu”.
Nawa has also ventured into a Centre for Speech Therapy which is called SpeecHelp Therapy & Resources Sdn Bhd which is situated in Petaling Jaya. The centre has 5 Speech Language Pathologists and close to 300 clients, mainly children with speech problems.
Some of her achievements in the past years include:
Candidate for Malaysian Franchise Association's Women Entrepreneur of 2006
The Indian Woman Entrepreneur of 2007 – by The Malaysian Indian Business Association
4 records with Krista Education under The Malaysia Book of Records:
Largest Nursery Rhymes by Children 1997
Longest Painting by Children 2003
Largest Kindergarten Franchise Network 2003
Longest Recycled Colour Pencil Replica 2006
In addition to this, she Co-authored a book on "Tun Dr. Mahathir's Legacy". Nawa is also a Panel writer of Parenthink Magazines on Special Education Needs, Early Childhood Education and Parenting topics; besides holding talks and lectures on the same (including doing parenting talks for numerous organizations namely, Genting Group Berhad, UEM Academy, MARA & FELDA parents).
She has represented Malaysia (as an ECE delegate) to present papers on Early Childhood Education for the British High Commission in Malaysia. She has presented papers for the undergraduate students of University Pendidikan Sultan Idris on Early Childhood Careers and Perspectives. She has also done some entrepreneur development programs for single parents and young ladies.
She provides Training for Kindergarten and Childcare teachers throughout Malaysia both in Private and Government sectors besides training future trainers. She is also a consultant for Special Education centers like Taarana and a consultant for Kindergarten and Childcare centers like Vagdevi, in Malaysia.
Nawa is also a dedicated contributor to professional bodies like IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors), ACEI (Association of Childhood Education International), The Kindergarten Association of Malaysia and the Registered Childcare Association of Malaysia.
She has dedicated more than three decades of her life to the betterment of early childhood education and continues to contribute to society. She trains and counsels teachers and parents and helps Governmental bodies to draft policy guidelines.
Nawa, who has a multifaceted personality, works tirelessly as an Educationist, Entrepreneur, Academician, Counselor, Consultant and Researcher. She is a devoted wife to a supportive husband and the loving mother of one son and three daughters. In spite of her many successes, she is humble, and is always willing to help and guide, with a warm and inviting smile showing on her countenance.
She is currently pursuing Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Asia e University.
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Willie Nelson’s Old Tour Bus Up For Sale on Craigslist
Trigger News 12 Comments
***All photos courtesy of owner
Want to own a piece of country music history? Well you can if you have at least $65,000 to get in on the bidding of a 1983 Eagle Greyhound-sized tour bus originally owned by Willie Nelson up for sale right now on the East Texas portion of Craigslist. The bus is one of two identical buses that were made for Willie’s road crew, and has had three other owners before the individual selling it now purchased it.
As can be seen in the pictures below, it is in very good shape, with velvet and wood interior—a top-notch touring coach when it was purchased and customized in 1983, including a 92 Detroit Diesel, a picture of Jimmie Rodgers, a plaque commemorating Paul English—Willie’s long-time drummer, manager, and right hand man—and airbrushed designs on the sides and back.
When the ad was posted, they had no idea the response would be so big. “It’s been non-stop,” the poster tells The Village Voice. He posted the ad for the non tech-savvy owner. “I’ve gotten calls from as far as Washington state and New York.” The current owner purchased it ‘three or four’ years ago after hearing about the bus being up for sale in Alabama, but is now ready to ‘give up the hobby.'”
The original asking price for the bus when it was initially listed on Sunday was $29,999. Since then a bidding war has ensued, and current high bidder is at $65,000. The owner says he will sell the bus this weekend.
It’s not Willie’s famed Honeysuckle Rose tour bus, but it is the next best thing.
UPDATE (5-4): According to owner Tom O’ Leary, the bus sold this weekend for over $80,000.
bus, Craigslist, Paul English, Willie Nelson, Willie's bus
May 2, 2014 @ 6:48 pm
I thought it was the same bus that sold on ebay a few years ago but the painting on the side is a little different. did willie actually ever tour with the honeysuckle rose bus or was that just used for the movie?
http://stillisstillmoving.com/willienelson/he-found-it-on-ebay-honeysuckle-rose/
May 3, 2014 @ 12:04 am
Willie bus is always known as Honeysuckle Rose. There have been multiple Honeysuckle Rose’s (I think he’s on #3). The one in the movie I believe was the first one.
yes willie pretty much lives on honeysuckle rose
Rick Saunders
Some bro country bro will snag, tear out the picture of Mr Rogers and replace it with a photo collage of Garth Brooks with America and Seals and Crofts.
No, they’ll just airbrush a backwards baseball cap onto that picture of Rodgers.
I honestly don’t know what most of the bro-back-country “artists” would do with a tour bus, anyway. It’s not like they need somewhere to rest… they go to the spa and the nail salons in every city.
It’s not like they need transportation… they have their pink Prius for that.
OHHH… I get it. It’s for their “image”; I forgot. They have to LOOK like they’re actually on the road PERFORMING and not just lick-stinking to a bunch of jungle-music drum loops and fuzzy guitar noises.
That bus sure is gorgeous. When a band has worked as hard for as long as Willie Nelson & Family, they deserve the luxury of a sweet ride like that.
The idea of some bro-cuntry poser owning that bus makes me nauseous. I think it ought to be purchased by someone and then loaned to the Country Music Hall Of Fame or some other worthy organization so that it can be displayed for Willie’s millions of fans to appreciate.
“We received our education in the cities of the nation…” him and Paul.
God bless country music, America’s music, and God bless America.
Red Desert Strangler
Best comment ever. 10 extra thumbs up.
May 4, 2014 @ 7:31 am
What a cool old bus look at those details (stained glass / how floors & doors / etc) k saw the Florida coach logo on the genset / battery controls – is that not the company where Randy Rhoads died in the plane crash at the owner (of Florida coach’s) house? Could be mistaken but I thought that was it….
If I had the $$$ I would totally buy this rig….it’s tough to hang a number on its celebrity status. ….because I don’t imagine that a normal bus of similar age / condition / etc would be quite that much but I haven’t looked in some time….
Oddly enough, when I saw the picture of the bus I thought of Randy Rhoads also. The bus he was travelling on before his untimely and tragic passing looked a lot like this. I don’t know how many folks here are metal fans, but that was truly a sad, sad day, and the world lost a talented guitarist who had not hit his stride yet. Just tragic.
All that aside, what a cool touring bus. Willie does like to travel in style, it appears.
“Randy Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The next day, the band was headed to a festival in Orlando, Florida. After driving much of the night, they stopped on the property belonging to Jerry Calhoun, owner of “Florida Coach”, in Leesburg, Florida. On it, there was a small airstrip lined with small helicopters and planes, and two houses. ”
Those guys built a lot of big time rigs and we’re THE company you got to build your tour bus if you could afford it
I’m surprised the DEA didn’t buy it to use for training drug dogs.
I think I remember seeing this bus outside a show at some point.
Tom the Polack
the eagle and the jimmy rodger’s picture rule
I’ve been on the other one. It was in northern Virginia at a concert and had a ton of middle aged guys on it, drunk as shit. It smelled like straight weed but it was cool as hell, they let us go on and take a look around. Not sure how it ended up in Virginia, but it was cool to see.
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New Scottish Makar announced
The acclaimed writer Jackie Kay, whose complex relationship with her Scottish identity provides inspiration for much of her work, has been named as the country’s new makar, or national poet.
Accepting the appointment at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Kay said she hoped to “open up the conversations, the blethers, the arguments and celebrations that Scotland has with itself and with the rest of the world”.
Kay told the Guardian it was “an extraordinary time to be Scottish” particularly since the surge in political engagement after the 2014 independence referendum campaign.
“It was a really exciting time to be living through and it continues to be. As a poet, you have a relationship with your country all of the time. I think Scotland is finding a way to have a really interesting conversation with itself, but also we are looking outwards to the world.”
Kay became the third poet to take the post since it was established in 2004, succeeding Liz Lochhead and her mentor Edwin Morgan, Scotland’s first makar.
Please read the full story, as printed in The Guardian.
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from Scots Radio.
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Home › 1960s Rock/Pop/Country/Jazz/Classical › Al (He's The King) Hirt – That Honey Horn Sound
Al (He's The King) Hirt – That Honey Horn Sound
Label: RCA Victor – LSP-3337 / RPRS-1911-2
Genre/Style: Jazz / Easy Listening
Grade LP: (VG) Sleeve: (G)
Recorded in RCA Victor's "Nashville Sound" Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.
Track A6 is in the Public Domain (P.D.).
Track A5: from the Broadway Musical "Fiddler in the Roof"
Track B4: from the M-G-M film "The Wizard of Oz"
That Honey Horn Sound is an album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor in 1965. The album was produced by Chet Atkins and arranged by Anita Kerr and Claus Ogerman.
The single "Fancy Pants" hit #47 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. The album landed on the Billboard Top LPs chart, reaching #28
Al Hirt – Honey In The Horn
Al Martino – All Of Me
Al Martino – Daddy's Little Girl
Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra – World Favorite Romantic Concertos For Piano And Orchestra
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Automaker Releases Software Update After Hackers Remotely Hijack Car
By Eduard Kovacs on July 21, 2015
Two security researchers have demonstrated that in-vehicle connectivity systems can be hacked, allowing remote attackers to take full physical control of a car.
Researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek have conducted experiments on a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The experts have demonstrated for Wired’s Andy Greenberg that they can hack into the car’s systems remotely and carry out various actions, such as kill the engine, turn on the air conditioning and the windshield wipers, track the vehicle via GPS, hijack the infotainment system, disable the brakes, and even take control of the steering.
The researchers carried out some of these actions while Greenberg was driving the car on a highway and, as a video published by Wired shows, there was nothing the reporter could do to block the attack until he stopped the engine.
All this is possible due to a vulnerability in Uconnect, a system that connects Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) cars to the Internet using Sprint’s cellular network. The system allows car owners to remotely start the engine, lock and unlock the doors, locate the vehicle via GPS, and control mobile app content straight from the touchscreen. Uconnect is available in the United States for Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep models.
The vulnerability, which Miller and Valasek will detail at the Black Hat conference in August, has been reported to Fiat Chrysler in October 2014. The company patched the bug on July 16 with the release of a software update that can be installed by customers via USB or at dealerships. The experts estimate that there are as many as 471,000 cars with vulnerable Uconnect systems.
The researchers have confirmed that the carmaker’s patch is good, but the point of their experiments is to show the risks associated with connecting cars to the Internet.
“Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek took a couple of years to completely compromise the systems of a popular car model. What if the resources of a nation state security service had been directed at the same task? The Chinese have apparently gone to great lengths to hack into US Government servers already. Scarily, this shows that they could also hack into US car networks, with the possibility of assassinating selected targets in an apparently accidental car crash? Personally I'm going to be driving my twelve year old and completely non-connected Toyota until it falls apart,” Andrew Conway, research analyst at Cloudmark, told SecurityWeek.
This is not the first time Miller and Valasek hack a car, but this is the first time they do it remotely. Their previous experiments have led the security research community to call on automobile industry executives to implement security programs to improve car safety and safeguard them from cyberattacks. In 2013, Miller and Valasek’s car hacks prompted an inquiry from U.S. Senator Ed Markey, who sent a letter to 20 automakers asking them about privacy and security protections in their vehicles.
Coincidentally, Senator Markey and Senator Richard Blumenthal today introduced legislation that would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish federal standards to secure cars and protect drivers’ privacy.
The new legislation, named the “Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act,” includes provisions on cybersecurity standards that should prevent hacking into vehicle control systems, and privacy standards on the data collected by vehicles.
The senators also want the NHTSA and the FTC to establish a “cyber dashboard” that displays an evaluation of how well each automobile protects the security and privacy of vehicle owners.
“Drivers shouldn’t have to choose between being connected and being protected,” said Senator Markey. “We need clear rules of the road that protect cars from hackers and American families from data trackers. This legislation will set minimum standards and transparency rules to protect the data, security and privacy of drivers in the modern age of increasingly connected vehicles. I look forward to working with Senator Blumenthal to ensure auto safety and security in the 21st century.”
Related: Self-Driving Cars Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
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Home / Awards / Acts Chief Medical Director Receives Award for Lifetime Achievements in Long-Term Care
Acts Chief Medical Director Receives Award for Lifetime Achievements in Long-Term Care
Awards, People, Properties November 23, 2020
Fort Washington, PA, — Acts Retirement-Life Communities is pleased to announce that Paul Reinbold, MD.,CMD, has received the prestigious Berman Award for his lifetime achievements to the practice of long-term care. The Berman Award, named in honor of Dr. Joseph Berman, is given annually by the Mid-Atlantic Medical Director’s Association to exemplary physicians who have devoted their careers and made significant contributions to the long-term care continuum.
Dr. Reinbold’s involvement in long-term care spans more than 25 years. In March 2020, Dr. Reinbold was appointed as Vice President and Chief Medical Director for Acts Retirement-Life Communities, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior living organizations serving nearly 10,000 residents. He previously served as the Corporate Medical Director and Clinical Operations Advisor to the CEO at Integrace, in Sykesville, Maryland, prior to its affiliation with Acts Retirement-Life Communities. He has also served as Chief of the Medical Staff for the University of Maryland-Shore Medical Center Easton and as the Medical Director of multiple long-term care facilities.
Dr. Reinbold is certified as a Medical Director by the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Delaware, a Medical Degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
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Yahoo Acquires Fysix Corp, Enters Partnership with Right Media
Noticed this from a post Barry made at Search Engine Roundtable this morning – Yahoo! Buys Two Companies To Improve Search Marketing Product?
Fysix Corporation (dba AdInterax)
Yahoo Press Release: Yahoo! to Acquire AdInterax
An announcement was made today, October 17th, 2006, that Yahoo has entered into an agreement to acquire the Fysix Corporation, which does business under the name AdInterax.
AdInterax specializes in the creation of advertisements rich in sight, sound, and movement, and the management of those ads. The Yahoo! press release notes that the result of this acquisition would be to combine the rich media expertise and knowledge of AdInterax with the use of behavioral and geographic targeting, as well as dayparting and demographic targeting developed by Yahoo!
I located three patent applications for this company in the assignment database at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). They are good examples of the type of capabilities that AdInterax brings to Yahoo! A look at the company’s web site shows a drop and drag system for developing creative rich media advertisements, and a system for managing and tracking those ads.
Published patent applications for Fysix Corporation
There may be more patent applications on file for this company, but these are the only ones presently published and showing in the assignment database at the USPTO. I’ve provided a brief summary of each before details about each of the documents.
In an advertisment area on a web page, there are a number of areas that possibly could be controlled separately. The process described in this patent filing allows for a modularity of ads, so that a single spot on a page could have more than one component.
System and method for creating modular advertisements
Invented by Marcus Frank Doemling and Peter J. Matsuo
Filed: August 11, 2004
A system and method for the development of online advertisements that are built up of a plurality of components and computer file format types, whose interactions, positioning, and other characteristics are flexibly defined and/or modified through a user interface.
This next document provides advertisements with an interactive element to them, in the form of game applets.
Content enhancement system and method
A system and method for enhancing content downloaded to client. Included is an enhancement mechanism that can be transferred to a client along with a web page or other web resource. The enhancement mechanism causes content to be retrieved and output in an enhanced fashion at the client.
This patent application provides a method of limiting the number of times a particular person might see the same advertisement, even if it could possibly be shown to them across a number of different sites.
Content delivery frequency capping method
A method for limiting the delivery of content, particularly advertisements intended to be displayed in a communications network environment, to individual recipients based on frequency considerations, including a method for storing statistical data relevant to making a determination about the limiting of content delivery and a method for providing alternate content in case it is decided that the original content should not be delivered to a recipient.
Right Media, LLC
Yahoo Press Release: Yahoo! Makes Strategic Investment in Right Media
Yahoo has purchased a 20 percent stake in Right Media, making them a minority Investor in the company. They have also entered into the Right Media Ad Exchange, which provides advertisers and publishers a place to work together.
I found the following patent application assigned to the company, and listing their CTO as the inventor. It refers to another, unpublished application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/964,951 entitled “System And Method For Learning And Prediction For Online Advertisement” filed on Oct. 14, 2004.
Method and system for pricing electronic advertisements
Invented by Brian O’Kelley
A system and method of pricing an electronic advertisement that includes receiving a request for an electronic advertisement to be presented to a visitor, setting a price of the electronic advertisement, and presenting the electronic advertisement to the visitor.
Some Search Related Yahoo News, too
There’s an excellent interview on the Yahoo search blog – A Chat with Yahoo! Research Director Ricardo Baeza-Yates. Yahoo’s Research Director in Spain and Chile shares his thoughts concerning the new research centers that he heads, as well as the state of web search today. He also talks about food, wine, and old maps.
Categories Acquisitions Post navigation
Infrastructure and Expertrank at Ask.com
Google Diving into Deep Web Indexing
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Published on SESYNC (https://www.sesync.org)
Home > Focus on > Communications > Additional Resources > SESYNC Style Guide
SESYNC Style Guide
Now that you have received funding from SESYNC, we encourage you to share the news! Some groups have been able to access data that wouldn’t have been accessible before or met with National Security personnel because of the affiliation. Here are some helpful ways to describe the Center in writing or when talking:
SESYNC research brings together the science of the natural world with the science of human behavior and decision-making. SESYNC convenes science teams to work on broad issues of national and international relevance.
Longer:
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) brings together the science of the natural world with the science of human behavior and decision making to find solutions to complex environmental problems. The Center seeks to be the leading institution for in-depth research and scholarship with the potential to inform decisions.
SESYNC’s approach to socio-environmental research is unique in that we support new collaborations among scientists and policy makers from a wide variety of disciplines and organizations.
The Center, and the research it supports, cuts across disciplines, addresses questions and problems, and identifies gaps in previous research.
SESYNC convenes science teams to work on broad issues of national and international relevance, such as water resources management, land management, agriculture, and species protection, among other areas of study.
SESYNC by the numbers: To date, we have provided support to 126 synthesis teams, 67 workshops, and 27 short courses, and our scholars – roughly equal numbers from the social and natural sciences – come from all over the world. SESYNC’s 3699 total participants come from 59 countries and all 50 U.S. States. The majority (75%) are academics, while roughly a quarter are knowledge users (24%) in non-profits, government, and industry and some have both roles (1%).
The Center provides a home for people with diverse skills, data, knowledge and perspectives. It supports teams of researchers from academia, government, NGOs, and the private sector to accelerate collaboration leading to scientific discovery. The Center serves the community by providing computational support, team process facilitation, education, logistics and travel, and research communications.
The Center offers travel and logistical support, computational resources, and facilitation services to help synthesis teams overcome the myriad challenges involved in addressing complex questions at the intersection of humans and the environment.
SESYNC is funded through an award to the University of Maryland [1] from the National Science Foundation [2].
Glossary of Terms [3]
SESYNC [4]
University of Maryland [5]
National Science Foundation [6]
Source URL: https://www.sesync.org/for-you/communications/additional-resources/sesync-style-guide
[1] http://www.umd.edu/
[2] http://www.nsf.gov/
[3] https://www.sesync.org/for-you/educator/glossary
[4] https://www.sesync.org/sites/default/files/sesync_whitebackground.jpg
[5] https://www.sesync.org/sites/default/files/umd_informalseal.jpg
[6] https://www.sesync.org/sites/default/files/nsf1.png
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First condor nest in Pinnacles in 100 years
News // Bay Area & State
Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer
March 10, 2010 Updated: Feb. 11, 2012 12:12 a.m.
Male condor 318 sits on a nest. Biologists at Pinnacles National Monumenthave verified the first California condor nest in the monument in over 100 years. Condor 317, a female released at the monument as a 1 year old bird in 2004, has paired with a nearly seven year old male, Condor 318, originally released along the Big Sur coast by Ventana Wildlife Society.John Maio/Pinnacles National Monument
A lonely cave on a cliff in the rugged Pinnacles National Monument is the setting for a story of two love birds who found one another despite unimaginable hardship and decided to bring new life into a world that almost destroyed them.
They are, of course, giant corpse-munching vultures, but wildlife biologists could not be more thrilled if they were Romeo and Juliet.
The lovers in this case are California condors and together they have built the first condor nest in the Pinnacles in more than 100 years, a pivotal moment in the effort to bring back the majestic birds from the brink of extinction.
"Condors historically called the Pinnacles home, but because of the declining population the birds have not nested in the park in 100 years," said Carl Brenner, the chief of interpretation and education for the national monument, which is in the Gabilan Mountains about 30 miles south of Salinas. "Forty years ago there were no condors in the park. This is a milestone for the park recovery program."
A nest with a single egg was found recently in a cave on top of a cliff known to rock climbers as Resurrection Wall, on the west side of the park. The egg is the product of a romance between 7-year-old condors with the decidedly unpoetic names 317 and 318.
The lower-numbered female, released in the park in 2004, is one of 26 condors who now reside in and around the Pinnacles. Her mate is from a flock that hangs out along the Big Sur coast, Brenner said.
The pair was first spotted in February displaying feathers, flashing their brightly colored heads and necks and performing other shamelessly flirtatious rituals associated with condor courtship. Biologists tracked the pair to their nest using radio telemetry and global positioning technology and confirmed the egg.
With a wingspan of 10 feet, the California condor is the largest North American land bird and a symbol of a time when the far West was an untamed wilderness. The massive black vulture is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan in the wild of 35 to 40 years.
Once widespread across North America, the condor has declined precipitously since the 19th century when they were hunted and poisoned with the lead shot that was often left in meat they scavenged.
Despite being listed on the federal endangered species list in 1967, only 22 remained in the world in 1987, prompting conservationists to capture the remaining birds and start a breeding program at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
Since then, millions of dollars and countless man-hours have been spent trying to bring the species back. The birds were reintroduced in California, Arizona and Baja California starting in 1991, and there are now 348 condors in the wild and another 161 in captive breeding centers.
The goal is to eventually have 150 free-flying birds and 15 breeding pairs in both California and Arizona, but there are still many hurdles.
Just last year, two California condors were found in the Pinnacles area suffering from gunshot wounds, prompting a statewide manhunt for the poachers.
Another obstacle to recovery is the fact that condors typically do not begin breeding until they are 7 years old.
Brenner said the egg is not expected to hatch for almost three months. The nesting area will be closed to the public until the chick takes flight sometime in October.
The birds will retain their numerical names, Brenner said, unless the Chumash Indians, from the Santa Barbara area, decide to give them proper names.
The tribe has naming rights because they consider condors sacred, but so far they have only named one condor for its skill teaching younger birds how to live in the wild, naming it Hohi.
In their bliss, 317 and 318 probably couldn't care less.
"It is anticipated that they will mate for life now," Brenner said.
Peter Fimrite
Reach Peter on
Peter Fimrite is The Chronicle's lead science reporter, covering environmental, atmospheric and ecosystem science. His beat includes earthquake research, marine biology, wildfire science, nuclear testing, archaeology, wildlife and scientific exploration of land and sea. He also writes about the cannabis industry, outdoor adventure, Native American issues and the culture of the West. A former U.S. Forest Service firefighter, he has traveled extensively and covered a wide variety of issues during his career, including the Beijing Olympics, Hurricane Katrina, illegal American tourism in Cuba and a 40-day cross country car trip commemorating the history of automobile travel in America.
Bay Area & State
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The best baseball books of 2009
Entertainment // Books
Allen Barra, Special to The Chronicle
March 29, 2009 Updated: Feb. 10, 2012 1:21 p.m.
** FILE ** In this Aug. 23, 2008 file photo, Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost, left, argues with home plate umpire Andy Fletcher after a fan interference call in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Milwaukee. The Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on Monday Sept. 15, 2008 with the team mired in a late-season slump that has jeopardized its chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 1982. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck, File)Darren Hauck/AP
Whether or not it is still our national pastime, baseball touches more literary bases - memoirs, folklore, oral history, statistics - than any other sport. Here's a scorecard on the best new titles of 2009.
As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires, by Bruce Weber (Simon and Schuster; 341 pages; $26).
"Where do you find such a man?" the late Branch Rickey is quoted in Bruce Weber's hugely entertaining book on umpires - "a man with the authority of a sea captain, the discretion of a judge, the strength of an athlete, the eye of a hunter, the courage of a soldier, the patience of a saint ..."
New York Times reporter Weber goes where even George Plimpton never dared to go: behind the plate. After interviewing dozens of umpires and players and managers about umpires, he took his own turn and worked games from the Little League to the big leagues (in the Grapefruit League).
"(T)he prevailing depiction of umpires in our culture is negative," Weber writes. "As They See 'Em" turns that perception around, and in the process makes you see baseball in a whole different way.
Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training, by Charles Fountain (Oxford University Press; 322 pages; $24.95).
There hasn't been a first-rate book on spring training since David Falkner's "The Short Season," back in 1986. Charles Fountain, author of the superb biography "Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice," updates the ritual of preseason baseball from a time when major hotels were wary of booking baseball teams to today's billion-dollar-a-year business in which mayors fight to bring teams to their cities (and don't hesitate to use public money to do it).
Fountain, a journalism teacher at Northeastern University, has written that rare baseball book that also serves as a cultural history. (He makes a convincing case for Al Lang, mayor of St. Petersburg before World War I, as the progenitor of spring training as we know it.) "Under the March Sun" has so much atmosphere that you can smell the cocoa butter as you read.
Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball From Itself, by Michael Shapiro (Henry Holt/Times Books; 320 pages; $26).
Michael Shapiro's book is based on a somewhat dubious premise, namely that half a century ago major-league baseball was on the verge of a crisis and that somehow this was exemplified by the almost yearly success of the New York Yankees. Fortunately, one doesn't have to accept this theme to enjoy the book.
Shapiro (author of "The Last Good Season," about the old Brooklyn Dodgers) is a terrific writer. His accounts of Branch Rickey's struggle and eventual failure to create a third major league, the Continental, as well as the last Yankee season of baseball's most successful manager, Casey Stengel (whose team lost the 1960 Series on Bill Mazeroski's home run in the seventh game), makes for compelling reading.
The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie, by Ira Berkow (Triumph Books; 253 pages; $24.95).
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New York Times columnist Ira Berkow has written at least one bona fide baseball classic, "Red," a biography of sportswriter Red Smith, and co-written another, "Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life." Lou Brissie, the subject of his new book, is much less celebrated, but his life was even more fascinating.
After a harrowing artillery barrage in Italy late in 1944, Brissie, a 20-year-old pitching prospect, talked doctors out of amputating his leg. It certainly won't spoil the story to tell you that, against mind-boggling odds, he fulfilled his lifelong ambition of coming back to baseball, pitching with Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's. His potentially great career was "reduced to 44 wins ... and a life of incessant pain," but for once the story of an athlete's life before and after his playing days is the real reason to read the book.
The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound,by Ron Darling (Alfred A. Knopf; 288 pages; $24.95).
When most former major leaguers write memoirs, you wonder why they bothered; with Ron Darling - Yale graduate, former New York Met and Oakland A, and current Mets broadcaster - you wonder why it took him so long. What other former athlete could write a sentence like this even with assistance from a professional writer (Daniel Paisner): "This right here (his legendary college pitching duel against St. Johns star Frank Viola) was one of the great epiphanies for me as a competitive athlete, only it took a while for it to resonate." Most former pitchers can't resonate even with help.
Darling, who pitched for 13 years in the big leagues, writes soulfully about coming into and leaving the game. When he finally realized it was time to pack it in - while taking a shower in the Oakland A's clubhouse - he decided, "There'd be no champagne for me at the end of the road, just a can of domestic beer." My kind of guy.
Baseball Prospectus 2009,edited by Christina Kahrl and Steven Goldman (Plume Books; 628 pages; $21.95).
If you're the kind of baseball fan who has been resisting statistical analysis for years, this is where you'll change your mind. The BP group, as readers of their Web site know, are the smartest kids on the block, and their annual is an essential companion to an understanding of the game.
On the 2009 Oakland A's: "The A's will contend not because they adhere to some article of theory" - i.e., that expounded in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball" - "but because they understand the need to do what it takes to get from an initial point to a better one." And on the 2009 San Francisco Giants: "By addressing some of their problems in the bullpen and in the infield over the winter, and making space for young talent to help patch some of the other gaps in the lineup and the pitching staff, it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see them ratchet their 2008 win tally by a few notches."
Allen Barra
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Fourth Amendment Victory: Cell Phones Cannot be Searched Without a Warrant
June 26, 2014 by David J. Shestokas
Filed Under: Legal News Tagged With: amendment, bill of rights, constitution, criminal law, exclusionary rule, founding fathers, john roberts, riley v. california, search and seizure, Supreme Court
In an age of NSA surveillance, secret courts issuing secret warrants, IRS officials allowing private data to be made public and more, it is important to take notice when the Supreme Court steps up and unanimously limits government intrusions in line with the intent of the Founders.
Applying 18th Century constitutional commands in the modern age is often a challenge for courts. The Fourth Amendment‘s requirement for a government agent to obtain a warrant before a search is often the most vexing. Among the questions developed over the last two decades: Is a warrant required to search the digital contents of a cell phone? On June 25, 2014, in a victory for the Founding Fathers’ concern over warrantless seizure of a citizen’s property, the Supreme Court unanimously said: YES, a warrant is required to search a cell phone’s contents.
The Constitution’s Fourth Amendment
On its face, the United States Constitution’s Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights appears clear when it comes to requiring a government agent obtain a warrant before searching a citizen’s property:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no Warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Warrant Requirement, Exceptions and the Exclusionary Rule
Over the nation’s history, the warrant requirement has become riddled with “exceptions”. These exceptions include among others: a search when a person is arrested, the automobile inventory search, “exigent” circumstances, officer “good faith” exception, and perhaps the one most difficult to understand the smell, knock and no answer search.[1]
Generally, if police seize a person’s property without a warrant, that property cannot be used as evidence to prosecute the owner whose Fourth Amendment rights were violated. The evidence is suppressed by the Exclusionary Rule. This is true, unless an exception to the warrant requirement applies. If there is a recognized exception the property and other evidence may be used for a criminal prosecution.
Exceptions to the warrant requirement have developed over the years in an effort to balance a citizen’s Fourth Amendment rights with society’s needs for effective law enforcement. One question in the digital age has been: Is the 21st century data kept in a person’s cell phone the equivalent of a person’s 18th century “papers and effects”?
In modern times, it is likely that someone arrested will have a cell phone in his possession. Regarding the “search incident to arrest” exception, police may search a person and the area in his immediate vicinity after a lawful arrest.[2] During the arrest, the police will probably legally come into control of the person’s cell phone. It had been an open question if the police can search the contents of the phone without a warrant.
Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie
In Riley v. California the Supreme Court combined two cases involving police searching cell phone content of an arrestee’s phone. In the first case, David Riley was stopped for expired automobile registration and arrested for driving with a revoked driver’s license. The police took custody of his phone and without getting a warrant went through the phone’s data. Based on pictures and other data on the phone, officers pursued further investigation into Mr. Riley. He was charged with attempted murder. At his trial, officers testified regarding the cell phone’s content and some pictures from the phone were used as evidence. In the end, Riley was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
In the second case, Brima Wurie was arrested after a surveillance officer observed Wurie make an apparent drug sale from a car. During the arrest, the officer took possession of his phone, which began ringing. The caller ID indicated “my house”. The police searched the phone for the number, found the house, and obtained a warrant to search the house. They found drugs and firearms. Wurie was convicted of multiple offenses, and sentenced to 21+ years in prison.[3]
Both Riley and Wurie had argued that the evidence from the cell phones was obtained illegally without a warrant. The Supreme Court agreed and reversed their convictions.
Supreme Court Makes the Leap from 18th Century to 21st
It is uncommon these days for the Supreme Court to agree unanimously on a subject.[4] It is more uncommon for them to all join an opinion that is built around the Founders’ original intent.
Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion[5] does a thorough job of discussing why the accepted exceptions[6] do not apply to cell phone data. He does an excellent review of how often years of a person’s life whether photos, emails, call records and texts are potentially in someone’s phone.
Attorney James Otis
After that thorough review he provides the reasons the Fourth Amendment exists, tracing back to Attorney James Otis’ 1760 arguments[7] against the British “Writs of Assistance”. In reality, the contents of a cell phone are in fact a person’s paper and effects. The Chief Justice summed up this way:
“The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought. Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple— get a warrant.”[8]
[1]The smell, knock, no answer exception is a name I created for a bizarre decision when police lost view of a suspected drug dealer and broke into someone else’s apartment.
[2]A “lawful arrest” has taken place when someone is either arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant, or a police officer has “probable cause” to believe a crime has been committed and the person arrested is the perpetrator.
[3]Neither Riley nor Wurie are sympathetic figures. The prison sentences of 15 and 21+ years reflect the nature of the criminal activity discovered from the illegal cell phone searches, but thanks to them (and those that gave us the Fourth Amendment) protection from government agents “rummaging” through our cell phones has been clarified for the 250,000,000 other Americans carrying their lives in their pockets.
[4]Eight of nine justices agreed with the opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts. Justice Alito agreed with the outcome: banning searches of cell phones without a warrant. Alito did have a slightly different explanation of why.
[5]The opinion is worthwhile reading for an understanding of how to relate modern life to American Founding principles. For those who argue about the difficulties of applying the Constitution to the 21st this opinion and its unanimous outcome should teach that the application is not as difficult as they argue. Though the interests and issues vary, US District Court Judge Leon’s opinion in a case involving NSA surveillance issues takes a similar originalist approach. It will be interesting when that matter gets to the Supreme Court.
[6]Roberts’ opinion does indicate there are limited scenarios in which the “exigent circumstances” exception might apply to searching cell phone data. A hypothetical situation might include a kidnapped child and there is reason to believe the cell phone’s data might lead to the child’s rescue. Such circumstances are likely to be rare.
[7]To which young John Adams, Founder and future president was a witness.
[8]The warrant requirement does not mean a phone’s contents can never be searched. It does mean that a police officer, under oath, will have to convince a judge that the phone itself is likely to contain evidence of a crime.
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Last-minute Dog Friendly Cottages in Shipston On Stour - Save up to 60%
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Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space
May 02, 2017 — Events
Watch Here on Wednesday May 3, 7 PM ET!
More than a billion years ago, two black holes collided. In the final second of their long life together, the black holes banged out a rhythm like mallets on a drum, creating gravitational waves – ripples in the shape of spacetime.
One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of such waves, though it seemed improbable – if not outright impossible – that we’d ever be able to actually detect them. They were long considered too faint for any earthbound experiment to measure.
Undaunted, experimentalists were determined to measure these Lilliputian ripples, and after many decades of work and collaboration, they built LIGO – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. This incredible sophisticated and sensitive instrument was made to listen for the beat of that distant drum. In 2015, a billion years after the two black holes collided, their waves rippled through the LIGO detectors in Louisiana and Washington.
With these remarkable new observatories, we can now capture the soundtrack to accompany the silent movie of the history of our universe.
During her live public lecture webcast at Perimeter Institute on May 3, Janna Levin of Columbia University will explain this “discovery of the century” and what it means for the future of science.
About Janna Levin
Janna Levin is the Tow Professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, and has contributed to an understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions, and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime. She is also director of sciences at Pioneer Works. Her previous books include How the Universe Got Its Spots and a novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, which won the PEN/Bingham Prize. She was recently named a Guggenheim Fellow. Her latest book, Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, is the inside story on the discovery of the century: the sound of spacetime ringing from the collision of two black hole over a billion years ago.
For most lectures the on-demand playback will be online within 24 hours after the live event.
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Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the UNFCCC Conference in Bali, 12 December 2007
Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia Mr Rachmat Witoelar, President of the Conference
Climate change is an enormous long-term challenge confronting mankind. Scientists do not know how quickly it will happen, how severe it will be, or all of its consequences. But the signs are growing - melting polar icecaps, vanishing glaciers, hotter and longer summers, more intense typhoons and hurricanes. If we fail to address climate change, ecosystems and human societies could experience major disruptions over the next 50 to 100 years, and quite possibly sooner.
The Kyoto Protocol is a first collective attempt by the world to deal with climate change. It is an important start, but we have to build on Kyoto and do more. The international community must work out a practical and effective approach, after the first commitment period under Kyoto expires in 2012. Let me propose three principles, which I believe are essential for a post-2012 framework.
Principles for a Post-2012 Framework
First, the framework must have the commitment and participation of all countries, under UNFCCC auspices. The developed countries are responsible for the bulk of current and historical greenhouse gas emissions. They will have to take the lead in cutting emissions. The developing countries, especially the emerging economies of Asia, are also becoming major emitters. Their populations are equally if not more vulnerable to climate change. Rich or poor, all countries will have to do their part for the environment. Collectively we share this problem and must solve it together.
Second, the framework should recognise the vital importance of economic growth. Poverty is not a solution to global warming. The problem of climate change has a long lead time, as do any countermeasures. Meanwhile, governments must deal with other vital priorities, including alleviating poverty, fighting diseases and malnutrition, and improving the lives of their peoples. All this requires economic growth and resources, which means continued dependence on energy and in particular on fossil fuels. This reality will not change in the foreseeable future, despite our best efforts to go green.
If actions to mitigate climate change are to preserve growth, they should not undermine globalisation and the international division of labour. In the world economy, some countries specialise in producing goods, while others supply more services. Those doing more manufacturing will naturally have a larger carbon footprint. Likewise for transportation hubs, which supply bunkers for ships and fuel for airplanes. Penalising these countries would be counterproductive, because the activities would just move to other countries less well suited to them. We would have paid an economic price without reaping any environmental benefits. Singapore has a vested interest in this as manufacturing, port and airport services are all important to our economy. But we are not alone.
Third, the framework must take into account differences in national circumstances and constraints. Countries vary in size, population and stage of development. Some are endowed with abundant clean and renewable energy sources like wind, hydro or geothermal power, while others have no alternatives to fossil fuels. Small states, especially developing ones, face the most severe constraints. They are more vulnerable to external shocks and natural disasters. They are often heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, and cannot easily diversify their energy sources. Even nuclear energy is unfeasible for lack of safety distance.
Given this wide range of situations of different countries, the post-2012 framework cannot use a one-size-fits-all approach. An equitable solution must take account of diverse national circumstances. The smaller and more vulnerable countries in particular will need technical assistance to put in place effective adaptation measures.
Approaches to Mitigating Climate Change
Based on these broad principles, let me suggest a few effective approaches to mitigate climate change.First, we should pursue pragmatic and cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes exploiting technology to improve energy efficiency and reduce wastage, for example by using more public transport instead of cars, and not over- cooling or over-heating buildings. We should also apply economics to price energy properly and avoid subsidising over-consumption of fossil fuels. Second, we need to protect the world’s carbon sinks. Slash-and-burn practices and the large-scale burning of peatlands release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. We must stop these practices and the loss of forested areas. This requires the continued attention and support of the international community, as well as responsible policies and effective enforcement by the countries which own these forests. Singapore supports the idea of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) proposed by Indonesia, and regional initiatives like the Heart of Borneo project, which covers 220,000 sq km of forests in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. We are also working bilaterally with Indonesia to tackle peatland fires and develop sustainable land-clearing practices.
Third, beyond individual measures, I believe it is necessary to set overall targets to reduce emissions. Countries need to agree to this objective, negotiate a deal, and put in place policies to achieve the cuts. This will raise many complex issues. How much should we cut emissions by? How do we share the costs? What is the best way to cut - quantitative controls, carbon taxes, or cap-and-trade schemes? Should the measures be based on countries, or industry sectors such as aviation and shipping on a worldwide basis, or individual consumers? And how can we do all this while minimising disruptions to the global economy? No country can volunteer to cut its own emissions if others do not join in. All countries must work together, but the major economies have to show leadership, as any viable solution requires their full commitment.
Fourth, climate change is a dynamic problem. Technology is changing, the global climate is changing, and our understanding of climate change is also changing. Hence we need not just a one-time, complete solution, but an evolving, creative response that will exploit new technologies and adapt to new scientific discoveries. This response must include a major investment in research on climate change and energy technologies, be it carbon storage, solar power, safe nuclear energy, or other low-carbon ways to power our future. We also have to find ways to package and embed such technologies into everyday life, whether making more efficient engines or designing and building more eco-friendly cities. Even climate engineering should be explored fully.
Singapore is strongly committed to this global research effort. We are investing considerable sums to develop clean technologies like solar and water. We are also partnering China to build an eco-city in Tianjin, to testbed and demonstrate environmentally sustainable and economically viable approaches for urban development, which can be replicated in other Chinese cities. Next year, Singapore will be hosting a World Cities Summit that will focus on environmental issues in urban settings.
Fifth, we should work on adaptation strategies. Climate change will take place despite our best efforts. We can, at best, slow down the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the next decades, but we cannot reverse global warming and restore conditions to the pre-industrial age. We must therefore adapt our societies to surviving in a warmer world, and apply our ingenuity and resolve to minimising the negative effects. The sooner we start doing this, the more affordable this task will be.
Dealing with global warming will be a long and difficult process. It will need political support from the populations of our countries, for we will face tough choices. In Europe, climate change policy is already a major political priority. In Australia, public pressure forced former Prime Minister John Howard to change his government’s stand after a severe decade-long drought. Even in the US, attitudes are shifting, helped no doubt by the video An Inconvenient Truth. It is a long way from general public sympathy to specific support for policies which will make a real impact, but these are encouraging signs of progress. Singapore, and all the members of ASEAN, will do our part in this global effort. We are fully committed to an ambitious Bali roadmap that will deliver an effective post-2012 regime.
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Concert /
Artists H - K /
Kodak Black Tickets
About Kodak BlackSell tickets
Popular artists near you
Indigo Girls
Kodak Black, born Dieuson Octave in 1977, is a well-known rapper in the US. Just a few of his biggest singles are "Zeze," "Skrt," "Roll in Peace," "No Flockin'" and "Tunnel Vision." When he began rapping at a young age, he went by the name Bill K. Kapri. You don't want to miss seeing Kodak Black perform live when he tours to support recent releases.
The Project Baby
Kodak Black is originally from Florida where he was raised in the Golden Acres housing project in Pompano Beach by his Haitian immigrant mother. Kodak Black started putting words together to form bars of rap music while in elementary school. After school, he would record tracks in a makeshift recording studio. Dieuson would read dictionaries and thesauruses to broaden his already vast vocabulary. In 2009 at the age of 12, he joined a rap group called Brutal Youngnz. He was rapping under the name J. Black. After leaving the Brutal Youngnz, he joined another group called Kolyns. In December of 2013, Kodak released his first mixtape titled Project Baby. For the next two years, he released mixtapes in the month of December, and those were titled Heart of the Projects and Institution. In October of 2015, rap artist Drake posted a video of himself dancing to Kodak Black's "Skrt," and Black's popularity skyrocketed. He signed a contract with the Atlantic Records label that very same month.
Where can I buy Kodak Black tickets?
The best place to get tickets for a Kodak Black concert is at StubHub. You will have a variance of seats and prices to choose from, and you can purchase performance tickets on your desktop or smartphone.
Where is Kodak Black performing?
In the summer of 2019, a Kodak Black performance will be happening at three music festivals: the Veld Music Festival, the Made in America Music Festival and the Rolling Loud Music Festival.
What is Kodak Black's setlist like?
Kodak Black's most recent setlist is as follows: "Testimony," "Too Many Years," "First Day Out," "Skrt," "Close to the Grave," "Don't Wanna Breathe," "No Meds," "Mosh Pit," "If I'm Lyin', "Tunnel Vision," "Zeze," "I'm Flyin'" and "Sad."
Who are Kodak Black's influences?
Kodak Black attests to Lil Wayne being his most powerful musical influence. Kodak Black's music falls under two classifications, hip-hop and mumble rap. In his lyrics, Kodak Black vows to "let his soul bleed on the track," and he does the same live.
How well did Kodak Black's albums and singles do?
In 2016, Kodak Black was a feature on French Montana's single titled "Lockjaw" from his 21st mixtape MC4. In June, he released his fourth mixtape entitled Lil B.I.G. Pac. His was the first mixtape to chart on Billboard reaching No. 49 on the Top R&B/Hip-hop Albums chart and No. 18 on the Heatseekers album chart. Shortly thereafter, he was named one of XXL magazine's "2016 Freshman Class." In August of the same year, Kodak Black's "Skrt" reached No. 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. In February of 2017, he released the single called "Tunnel Vision," and it debuted at No. 27 and peaked at No. 6. It was his first Top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on the Canadian Hot 100. His debut studio album, Painting Pictures, was released in March of 2017, and it reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts. In August of 2017, his follow-up mixtape titled Project Baby 2 was released. In November, he released a deluxe version of the album called Project Baby 2: All Grown Up, and it peaked at No. 52 on Billboard Hot 100. In December of 2018, Kodak Black's second studio album, Dyting to Live, was released. It spent 15 weeks on the BillboardHot 200 chart, peaking at No. 1.
What other artists have a style similar to Kodak Black's?
If you enjoy Kodak Black's music, you might also enjoy listening to Gunna, Lil Baby, Future and 21 Savage.Back to Top
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What Are Some Exceptionally Good But Not Well-Known Telugu Songs?
There are many songs in the Telugu industry, and there are few songs that are popular all around the world.
Categories : Lifestyle Music
But some songs are not widely spread. Not only widely spread but also the songs are exceptionally good. This article suggests that some of the Telugu songs are exceptionally good but not well known. So if you want to listen to those types of songs, you have to visit naa songs.
Here is some organized songs list:
Nava Manmathuda
The song is collected from the movie name Pelli Sandadi. It is one of the best movies which get many positive views from the audience. It is also the action and romantic type movie that was very popular at those times. Srikanth and Ravali are the actors of the sing and film too.
KS Chithra was the singer of the song, and MM Keeravani was the music director of the song which lyric writer is Samavedam shanmuga sharma. This article has already said that this song is good, but now ell knows correctly. But the music has gained 2.3 million views on Youtube.
Nelluri Nerajana
The song is collected from the movie name Oke Okkadu. The movie is the dubbed version of a Tamil movie, but the film was a hit movie at those times. You will get shocked that the song is one of the best but not well known. The song is also the most viewed song on Youtube, which also won many people's hearts.
Hariharan and Mahalakshmi are the song singers whose music director was the most incredible musician AR Rahman. Also, A.M. Ratnam and Siva Ganesh were the song's lyric writers, which actors were Arjun Sarja and Manisha Koirala. After all, this song is not well known, but the music is widely spread.
Telusa Manasa
It is one of the heart touching songs that are collected from the movie name Criminal. It is the old movie Telugu industry, which is much more popular all around India. This movie has already released a couple of songs, but this song is not well known accurately. The song was released in 1994, but it was available on Youtube in 2016.
SP Balasubramaniam and Chitra are the singers of the song which the music director was MM Keeravani. And the lyric writers of the song were Sirivennela Seetharama Shastry. With all the song's efforts, it can't get good popularity, but now the music is available on many online sites and naasongs website.
Jaamu Rathiri
It is an excellent action and romantic movie where an IMDB rate is 8.1, which means the film is one of the hit movies, a commercially successful film. The movie is a much more hype created a film in 1991 when it was released theatrically.
SP Balu and Chitra are the singers of the song whose lyric writer was Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry. MM Keeravani was the song's music director, which has already gained 3.2 million views on Youtube. Undoubtedly it is the best song but not a well-known song in Telugu cinema. So you can listen to this song to your satisfaction.
Next: What Equipment Will You Need to Become a Top DJ?
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"During the game I was upset," Mariota said. "Coach came and joked with me and got me to relax a little bit and forget about it. It's OK. It happens. I just have to learn from it."
Mariota completed 18 of 30 passes for 326 yards. The miscue ended his streak of passes without an interception at 253.
Mariota pushed his career total to 8,625 yards, breaking Bill Musgrave's record of 8,343 on the Ducks' opening possession with the first of two touchdown throws to Dwayne Stanford. The junior quarterback has at least one TD pass all 34 of his career games.
"You might want to go buy a lottery ticket, Marcus made a couple of mistakes," Helfrich said. "I'm actually glad, I think, that that happened to get him off the schneid."
Royce Freeman ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns to overcome an early turnover, and Charles Nelson scored on a 58-yard punt return to help Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) win its sixth straight against Cal.
Jared Goff passed for 360 yards and two touchdowns for Cal (4-4, 2-4), but the Bears couldn't overcome multiple breakdowns and lost their third straight.
Mariota had scoring throws of 22, 9 and 24 yards in the first half alone. That made it easy to overlook his interception.
"It's almost funny, you just expect him to be perfect," Helfrich said. "Marcus is such a stud. It's great that he has another 1 1/2 years left."
The game drew an announced crowd of 55,575 at Levi's Stadium, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Large sections of Oregon fans attended the game, negating any homefield advantage Cal might have had.
Mariota and Co. didn't disappoint the faithful and moved Oregon one step closer to playing for the Pac-12 championship in December. That game also will be played at Levi's Stadium.
Dwayne Stanford caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and Byron Marshall added four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.
The Ducks got a lift from their defense, too.
Oregon forced a fumble by Goff deep in Cal territory to set up Aidan Schneider's 24-yard field goal in the first half. Oregon also stopped the Bears on fourth-and-1 near midfield, and Mariota capitalized with a 9-yard touchdown pass Pharaoh Brown.
Nelson's 58-yard punt return made it 31-14. He took off down the Oregon sideline before cutting back near the 25 and outracing a trio of Bears.
Cal cut it to 31-28 late in the second quarter before the Ducks pulled away.
"We made too many mistakes in the ballgame to beat a team as good as Oregon," Bears coach Sonny Dykes said. "We've just got to get more disciplined. Guys are trying to make some plays and sometimes are trying to do too much."
Mariota threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Marshall in the third quarter and a 21-yarder to Brown in the fourth. Freeman added a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Bears stayed close early behind their ground game.
Backup quarterback Luke Rubenzer scored on a 12-yard keeper up the middle, then freshman Vic Enwere added a 19-yard touchdown run after he bounced off a pair of defenders at the 5, spun and stumbled into the end zone to give Cal a 14-7 lead.
Rubenzer also scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.
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Women Rocking The Boat - Dr. Gannet Hallar - Eyes on the Skies
Story by Amanda DeVos/Photo by Corey Kopischke
Dr. Gannet Hallar
Dr. Gannet Hallar stands at the top of her profession, so it seems only natural that she works at the peak of Mount Werner at 10,500 feet.
In 2006, she took over as director of Storm Peak Laboratory, a world-renowned educational and research facility for atmospheric science.
Hallar, who has participated in more than 70 science conferences and 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, achieved a doctorate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences in 2003. Immediately after graduating, she conducted research at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. While working there, she heard about the position at SPL.
“Taking over SPL was a challenge, but I am fortunate my husband and I could take it on together,” she says. Her husband, Ian McCubbin, is the site manager.
Because SPL combines research and education, Hallar regularly teaches and hosts college students. Her personal research focuses on the measurements of trace gases, aerosol properties and cloud microphysics. An infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation in 2010 allowed her to double the size of the lab. “The overall goal is to improve the accuracy of global climate models, and in order to do that you need a lot of data,” she explains.
Hallar also leads two programs for the National Science Foundation. Geoscience Research at Storm Peak provides mentoring for undergraduate, minority students; they come to SPL for research training, and Hallar works alongside them for months. Atmospheric Science Collaborations and Enriching Networks exists to support female faculty members in atmospheric science and meteorology.
“Having so many scientists and students involved in SPL – bringing people from all over the country – is what I love the most,” she says.
Even local fifth-graders take field trips up to SPL, as Hallar volunteers time to teach them the basics of measuring weather changes and plotting data.
This July, however, Hallar entered the first sabbatical of her career, and after more than 10 years of intensive research, it’s a well-earned break.
Women Rocking the Boat
In-Print, Community, People Steamboat Steamboat Magazine Boat People Profile Women Rocking the Boat Steamboat Springs BoatPeople gannet hallar storm peak laboratory nasa ames research center
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International Headlines
State Headlines
Registration under way for nighttime 5K race
Applications are now being taken for the second annual SunDrop Sizzler 5K night run. The race will begin at 8 p.m. on June 14 in front of Exchange Furniture.The event will be held during the first night of the Main Street Live summer concert series featuring Australian country music singer Craig Morrison.“We are bringing back the SunDrop Sizzler,” said Main Street McMinnville executive director Carla King. “This year’s race will be bigger and better.”Also sponsoring the race is the Middle Tennessee Milers.“This year’s course is a certified course, which means it has been certified to be an accurate 5K,” said Blaine Wilcher of the Middle Tennessee Milers.
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How will astronauts poop on the moon? New NASA challenge aims to flush this mystery
By Chelsea Gohd 29 June 2020
This is one crappy challenge.
NASA's new contest challenges innovators to come up with a brand new space toilet design. (Image credit: NASA/HeroX)
It's no secret that humans poop — even in space.
But the actual, physical act of going to the bathroom while floating in space can be tricky, to say the least. In a new contest, NASA is calling on innovators from around the world to develop a new space toilet that would work not just in microgravity such as aboard the International Space Station, but also in lunar gravity aboard a future lunar lander as part of NASA's Artemis program which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024. The contest has a total prize purse of $35,000 to be shared by winning teams.
"This challenge hopes to attract radically new and different approaches to the problem of human waste capture and containment," NASA wrote in an overview of the challenge, titled "NASA's Lunar Loo Challenge."
The challenge is being overseen by the NASA Tournament Lab and organized on the HeroX crowdsourcing site.
Video: Space Toilet Technique: NASA's How-To Guide (Video)
More: How to Pee in Space (and What to Do If the Toilet Breaks)
Anyone can apply to this challenge and the winning design will receive a $20,000 prize, the second-place design will win $10,000 and the third-place winner will win $5,000. The contest even includes a "junior" category in which children (anyone under the age of 18) can apply with their innovative space toilet idea. Children in the junior category can win "public recognition and an item of official NASA-logoed merchandise," according to the challenge overview.
Specifically, the contest calls for designs that work in lunar gravity, which is about one-sixth Earth's gravity and microgravity. Designs should also take up no more than 4.2 cubic feet (0.12 cubic meters) of space and shouldn't be louder than 60 decibels (that's about the same volume as a bathroom fan on Earth, according to the same statement).
The space toilet will have to be able to collect both urine and feces at the same time and hold at least a quarter gallon (1 liter) of liquid waste and 17.6 ounces (500 grams) of solid waste. The device also has to be able to capture at least 114 grams of menstrual blood per day.
Related: SpaceX has a new space toilet for astronauts. But how does it work?
The final requirements are that the system must be able to store or get rid of waste and should be able to be cleaned and maintained "with 5 minute turnaround time or less between uses," the statement reads.
Hopefully, this next-gen space toilet will be a major step up from some of the more, ahem, challenging waste removal systems that have been used in space throughout human spaceflight history.
During NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and early 1970s, astronauts would urinate into a "relief tube" (designed only for male astronauts, since women were not yet allowed in NASA's astronaut corps) which they would dispose of urine into space where the urine would freeze. Apollo astronauts would also have to figure out how to get their solid waste into plastic bags which they had to bring back to Earth to be studied.
The space shuttle had toilets known as the Waste Collection System, which emptied waste out into the vacuum of space. But it didn't always work perfectly. The International Space Station improved on the space toilet with a new design, and NASA is working on a new space toilet known as the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS).
To learn more about NASA's Lunar Loo challenge, including rules and registration requirements, visit the contest website here.
The International Space Station is getting a new toilet this year
New virtual tour lets you explore the International Space Station
ISS tour: kitchen, bedrooms and the latrine
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
kristianna276 01 July 2020 11:25
The poop on the issue. When it comes to space the prevailing view is, space is for professionals and please don't try this at home. If we as a developing space ferrying society, we need to think of what "human" cities would be like. Whether the cities have a population of 1000 or one million, it all boils down to infrastructure and technology. How does water flow in microgravity, or do we use water in getting our <<stuff>> together. There are many techies that are developing better water purification systems here on Earth. The only problem is that they seem to go no where outside the lab, and nothing changes in the wake of these new techniques. What happens when you are transporting 900 + passengers to Luna or Mars? How much water, food and means of dealing with all the human waste? Astronauts will forever play a vital role in space exploration, but the rest of us peons should never be taken for granted.
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Barefoot's previous experience in business and education — he served as president of Babson College for seven years — may have played a role in his win. His previous role overseeing a large educational institution may have offered some comfort to voters amid the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about returning to schools safely.
No matter the situation surrounding COVID-19 at the time he's sworn in, communication with all district constituents will be key, he said.
More:One incumbent, two newcomers already running for two open seats on Indian River School Board
"I don't have the answers," said Barefoot in July. "But if you don't know the answers, you've got to try to anticipate various scenarios and what you would do under the scenarios."
Moving forward, Barefoot said he's excited about the opportunity and believes the new board will get along well.
To stay up to date with TCPalm's breaking news coverage and exclusive content, be sure to subscribe.
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When Susan was six years old, she was asked the usual question about what she wanted to be when she grew up. ‘I want,’ she replied, ‘to travel round the world and write about animals.’
By the time she was eighteen, she’d made it as far as London. After gaining a BA in English Literature and winning the Edmé Manning Prize for the highest first-class degree of that year, she went on to study for an MA, also at London University.
Her first significant travel and wildlife experiences came when she was awarded a one-year scholarship to study creative writing at the University of Massachusetts, USA and then a Rotary Foundation Scholarship to pursue postgraduate research in drama at the University of Toronto, Canada. As well as relishing many North American writing and theatre opportunities, she enjoyed numerous glimpses of both brown and black bears while out on wilderness hikes.
Once back in the UK, she worked as playwright, performer and workshop facilitator for Something Permanent Theatre Company and won the Classic FM Woman of Tomorrow Arts Award for her writing and educational work.
Next came a stimulating two years on a Leverhulme Trust Fellowship in Australia. Based in Adelaide as a writer and researcher, Susan was awarded Visiting Academic status for the length of her stay. Encounters with wildlife, from marsupials to tree snakes to fairy penguins, were many.
She has since returned to her native Wales where she works as a full-time writer, performer and educator, and spends as much free time as possible lying full-stretch on the cliffs of the west coast watching grey seals and cetaceans.
More recently, Susan’s travels have taken her to the Arctic. Thanks to a Churchill Memorial Travel Fellowship, she journeyed through Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland in the footsteps of an intrepid eleventh century female Viking and has since made several more writing- and wildlife-related visits to the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
With the publication of her poetry collections, Where the Air is Rarefied and Creatures of the Intertidal Zone, inspired by her Northern journeys, environmental issues and the wildlife of the region, Susan’s childhood vision of travelling round the world to write about animals was finally fulfilled.
Animals take centre stage in her most recent book too: Words the Turtle Taught Me features both marine species-themed poetry and an extended essay on the process of writing about endangered creatures, and it emerged from a dream poetry residency with the Marine Conservation Society.
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Legal Aid Funding Cuts and the Right to a Fair Trial
The right to a fair trial is an essential cornerstone of our legal system, but the Federal Government’s cuts to Legal Aid funding look set to erode this important safeguard.
The government’s tough budgetary measures have resulted in widespread funding cuts, and it seems that the legal system is no exception.
Established in 2000, the Expensive Commonwealth Criminal Cases Fund (ECCCF) provides funding for serious and lengthy Commonwealth criminal trials which cost more than $40,000 to defend.
These include serious Federal cases including terrorism, drug importation and exportation, and certain Commonwealth fraud cases such as substantial Centrelink fraud charges.
However, the recent budget cuts have seen the amount of money in the fund drastically decrease to $2.7 million in the 2014/2015 financial year, down from $10.8 million in the previous year.
This massive reduction means that the ECCCF fund had reportedly dried up by December 2014 – with more than 6 months left to go until the next injection of funds.
This has caused Legal Aid NSW to make the unwelcome decision to cease funding Commonwealth criminal trials lasting 10 days or more from April this year.
The move comes at a time when there has been a significant increase in the number of serious criminal cases before the courts.
There have also been proposals to cut funding in some Commonwealth civil matters and family law cases, sparking concerns that spouses and children are at increased risk of suffering family violence.
Is There a Legal Right to a Fair Trial?
The right to a fair trial is something that has often been taken for granted in first-world democracies such as Australia.
Yet the recent cuts have created concerns that the right to a fair trial will be adversely affected.
Though there is no explicit legislative provision which enshrines the right to a fair trial in Australia, the right is contained in a number of international conventions which Australia has ratified.
These include Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as Article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The right generally requires accused persons to be treated fairly when before the courts – including giving them a presumption of innocence and a reasonable opportunity to properly present their cases.
The right also includes the right to a public hearing in most cases in order to promote transparency and accountability.
And, of course, courts must be seen to be independent and impartial in order to facilitate fair trials.
The right also incorporates the right to legal representation in serious criminal cases so as not to disadvantage the defendant against the State, which has extensive resources at its disposal including experienced criminal lawyers, various types of investigators and a range of experts.
However, as discussed below, the right is certainly not absolute in Australia.
The right to a fair trial has been recognised in several criminal cases over past few decades.
Perhaps the most famous of these is Dietrich v The Queen (1992) 177 CLR 292.
Mr Dietrich was a Victorian man who was charged with a number of serious drug offences.
He pleaded not guilty and sought representation from Victorian Legal Aid, however they refused to grant him assistance unless he pleaded guilty.
Mr Dietrich refused to change his plea and represented himself in a lengthy jury trial, which culminated in him being found guilty of drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
He appealed the decision to the High Court, arguing that he had been placed at a disadvantage as he had not been afforded legal representation.
While the High Court’s decision fell short of directly recognising a right to legal representation, it did find that where a defendant is facing serious criminal charges and is not legally represented, the court should allow their matter to be adjourned so that they are able to obtain legal representation.
The Broader Impact of Funding Cuts
While the decision in Dietrich clearly sought to promote fairness and equality before the courts, it has had the unintended effect of delaying serious criminal proceedings given the current lack of funding to Legal Aid services.
Since the funding cuts, there has reportedly been an increase in the number of adjournments and stay applications filed with the courts, creating a backlog of cases.
Coupled with changes to the Bail Act that make it harder to get bail in serious criminal cases, there is a serious danger that defendants will remain locked up for lengthy periods until their matter goes to trial.
Not only does this impinge on notions of justice and fairness, but it also comes at a significant economic cost, with the taxpayer left to foot the bill for keeping defendants in custody.
In Victoria, two serious criminal trials were adjourned in the first week after the funding cuts were passed when the defendants were refused representation by Legal Aid.
These concerns have prompted calls for the government to review its funding arrangements, with the NSW Bar Association asking the government to dedicate another $4 million towards legal aid services immediately.
These requests have been backed by numerous other organisations, including the Legal Aid Commission and the Productivity Commission, which last year recommended that an additional $200 million be dedicated towards civil matters.
The government has responded by saying that the funding of legal services is currently under review, however it is not yet clear whether or not increased funding will be forthcoming.
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SEE PREVIOUS Deaths from Drug Overdoses – Should Drug Suppliers be held Accountable?
SEE NEXT Should the Government Control the Sex Lives of Consenting Adults?
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Tag: Fangrrls
Look of the Week: Alana Bloom's power suits on the final season of Hannibal
Emma Fraser
@frazbelina
Jul 17, 2018, 6:18 PM EDT (Updated)
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Tag: Geekouture
Tag: Look of the Week
Tag: Hannibal
Welcome back to Look of the Week, celebrating the best in TV and film sartorial excellence, past and present, across sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and other genre classics!
A cabaret dancer, a socialite, and a con woman. These are just three on-screen examples of women looking incredible in tuxedos and pantsuits. Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and Cate Blanchett put a feminine spin on menswear spanning decades. The suit has also long been a staple of the red carpet for women, including Jane Fonda when she won an Oscar in 1972, Julia Roberts going oversized in 1990 at the Golden Globes, and more recently Evan Rachel Wood at every fancy event she has attended.
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On television, there have been a number of fantastic dedicated followers of the pantsuit trend across a variety of political, legal, and crime shows. Powerful women, power dressing. When Hannibal returned for its third and final season three years ago, it wasn’t just the titular character who dressed in the finest tailored suits. After surviving getting shoved out of a first-story window, Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) was ready to come up against the man who'd once shared her bed. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) wasn’t the one who almost sent her to her death, but he was the reason. He stepped over her broken body in the pouring rain as he made his super chill escape, not giving her a second thought.
Prior to this event, Alana’s signature style was dominated by patterned Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses. She was warm, idealistic, and nurturing. There was a brief kiss with Will (Hugh Dancy) and a full-blown relationship with Hannibal. She got stuck in the girlfriend role. Alana was the one who had the wool pulled over her eyes. She doubted Will. And then she got pushed out of a window.
When Alana got out of the hospital, costume designer Christopher Haragdon ditched the jewel-tone wrap dresses and pencil skirts for a wardrobe inspired by her ex. And if you’re going to take anything from time spent with Hannibal, better his sartorial prowess than his penchant for human flesh. This was after Alana had learned the hard way that you should never accept homebrew from Hannibal. Pantsuits tailored to perfection in heritage check, stripes and bold red were in. It isn’t uncommon for someone to change something about their appearance after a bad breakup — a haircut, some new clothes. But the dissolution of this relationship altered Alana’s moral compass on a fundamental level, as well as her taste in clothing.
To get to Hannibal she had to start to operate like him, and manipulation is part of this. Boundaries are blurred. The pantsuits are part of this change, as her edges have hardened. She has been poisoned by Hannibal; there is no returning to the way things were. In “Digestivo” — which aired three years ago this week — Alana Bloom comes face to face with Hannibal for the first time since she made the decision to be brave in his hallway. She must make a compromise with the devil to save Will. This is after Will has told her: “You have to evolve, Alana. You have to spill blood. By your own hand or someone else’s.” The blood that is spilled is Mason Verger’s (Joe Anderson) in order to save Alana's girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Margot Verger (Katharine Isabelle). One aspect that Hannibal hasn’t completely destroyed is Alana’s capacity to love.
A time jump of three years takes place between this and the next episode, which kicks off the Red Dragon arc. In that time, Hannibal, through his own choosing, has been locked up. Alana is the one with the keys. She is also married and has a child with Margot; Alana chose not to be blind as Hannibal had implored. Instead she sits with a pane of glass between them, talking over a glass of wine — his taste in the finer things helped pinpoint his Italian location — as beer is definitely no longer on the menu on account of the secret ingredient. Alana wears a scarlet ensemble for this encounter, a bold color to assert her dominance.
Suits are new to Alana’s closet; red is not, as it has always been part of her costuming palate. But it seems even stronger in the final season — a coat, a blouse, the color of her lipstick. In a show with this much blood, it is notable that both Alana and Freddie Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki) are often clad in tones of crimson. It doesn’t just symbolize death. These women can’t be beaten so easily.
In the following episode, “... And the Woman Clothed With Sun,” a black and white blazer paired with white pants and a white vest gives off the air of a ringmaster or referee; at this moment, Alana is in control. This isn’t just any ordinary game they are playing. That particular blazer is also one of the more overt visual links to an item in Hannibal’s Italian closet. He is now in a drab jumpsuit, and Alana taunts him with tailoring.
Credit: NBC
But this is not a danger-free zone. Hannibal reminds her of not only their intimate past, but also his threat to kill her. A promise made when he told her to leave the house of horrors in the Season 2 finale or suffer the consequences. Everything she has with Margot is a gift from him, or so he claims. Alana is the one who didn’t let herself drown in the insidiousness, the one who found Hannibal. Although Frederick Chilton (Raúl Esparza) has something to say about this through his lipless mouth, Alana knew exactly how to protect her life at the risk of his.
Hannibal’s escape in the series finale does pose a fundamental threat to her family. The last we see of Alana, she is making her way to a helicopter with her wife and son, leaving before Hannibal follows through on his promise.
And if you are looking to get in on the suit trend without a hefty price tag, then you are in luck! There are a lot of options in menswear-inspired fashion, which has trickled down from the runway to affordable brands. Some are Alana-adjacent, including this bold striped number from Topshop; meanwhile, Zara has you covered in the scarlet department, as well as check.
If Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal were ever to make a return — here’s hoping — with a spin on Silence of the Lambs, Alana Bloom and her suits should come along for the journey. It isn’t safe for her to be back in Hannibal’s orbit, but if Clarice Starling needs an experienced mentor I can think of an impeccably dressed candidate — one who isn’t going to eat the dinner guests.
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Tag: Movies
Tag: News
Steven Spielberg says he's still plugged into that Robopocalypse adaptation
@JoshuaHWeiss
May 16, 2018, 3:03 PM EDT
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Tag: Robopocalypse
Tag: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg hasn't forgotten about the robot revolution. Not long after the publication of Robopocalypse in 2011, the director signed on to adapt the novel for the big screen.
Heavy-hitters like Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, X-Force) and Guy Hendrix Dyas (Inception, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) were brought on to write the script and start working out the movie's designs respectively. Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway were cast and a release date was set for April 2015, but the project was put on indefinite hold because the screenplay wasn't ready and too expensive to shoot, anyway.
More Robopocalypse
Michael Bay sets next two films, and one of them is Robopocalypse
EXCLUSIVE: Robopocalypse's Daniel Wilson on androids, hanging with Spielberg, and his riveting new Robogenesis
This past March, Spielberg handed over the reigns to Michael Bay (Transformers), but he's far from done with the adaptation. While being interviewed for AMC's docuseries James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction, the director revealed that he's still trying to hardwire Robopocalypse into existence.
"I've been working for years on Robopocalypse," he told Cameron. "Because it's this story of the most profound sentient chromatin of man who basically is so much smarter than man, he needs to wrest control away from the human race and take over the world — a little bit like Pinky and The Brain. But it's scary."
That analogy might seem strange to some, but Spielberg was an executive producer on the Animaniacs, where Pinky and The Brain originated.
Similar to Max Brooks's World War Z, Robopocalypse (written by Daniel H. Wilson) is an oral history of humanity's war against a seemingly-unstoppable army of machines being controlled by a child-like A.I. called Archos. Switching between different perspectives and methods of storytelling, Wilson's novel certainly contains enough content for an epic film and there's even room for a sequel since Wilson penned a follow-up, Robogenesis, in 2014.
Video of rMBwScMJhgs
All quotes are taken from the book that ties into James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction on AMC.
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