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HomeMan UnitedNemanja Vidic Joined Manchester United On This Day 12 Years Ago: Best Quotes About The Big Serbian Defender
Nemanja Vidic Joined Manchester United On This Day 12 Years Ago: Best Quotes About The Big Serbian Defender
January 5, 2018 Nebojša Marković Man United, Players 0
It was 5 January 2006 when Manchester United confirmed signing of Nemanja Vidic. It was a player joining from Russian side Spartak Moscow, aged 24. Not many people knew who he was, but he went on to become one of the greatest centre-backs in Manchester United history.
Vidic went on to become five time Premier League champions, a Champions League and Club World Cup winner, alongside the two Premier League Player of the Season awards. He also became only the second non-British captain of Manchester United, first after Eric Cantona. Sir Alex Ferguson obviously had a lot of faith in Serbian defender. Here are the best quotes on Nemanja Vidic, made by his team-mates and other former footballers.
Ryan Giggs – Nemanja Vidic Is The Best Defender
“I say farewell to probably the best defender I have ever played with: Nemanja Vidic”, said Giggs back in 2014 when former Red Star captain played his final match at Old Trafford.
“Jaap Stam and Rio Ferdinand fall into the mix as well when I consider that statement, but Nemanja has been an immense player for United for so many years and he has enjoyed great success as well.”
Paul Scholes – There Was Nothing Of Him
“It might surprise you to hear that Nemanja, who arrived from Spartak Moscow, was not the powerful centre-back he became over his years with the club. There was nothing of him when he arrived. He was skinny and relatively easy to push off the ball. He took a battering in his first few weeks at the club”, said Scholes on one occasion.
“Nemanja must have realised quite early on that he was not strong enough to play in the centre of defence at that time, so he did something about it. For the next year, every time I walked past the gym, I would see Nemanja in there lifting weights.”
Jamie Carragher – My Type Of Defender
“My type of defender. Liverpool tried to buy him in January 2006, but our loss was United’s gain”, said the former Liverpool player.
“I’d have loved to have played alongside him and I’m sure we could have formed a solid partnership. He loves defending and putting his head in where it hurts.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Nemanja Vidic Bids Farewell To Manchester United To Head To Italy
Robin van Persie – One Of My Best Friends
“At corners I’m always helping the defenders and he’s always close to me. I’ve seen him, time after time, diving with his head forward to block a ball. When I’m witnessing that, I’m scared for him. That is Nemanja. It’s unbelievable. I count him as one of my best friends”, said the former Manchester United and Arsenal striker few months ago.
Gary Neville – In My Best XI
“Vidic has to be in [Neville’s best Manchester United team]. That’s non-negotiable. How he didn’t win Player of the Year in 2010-11 is beyond me. He was easily the most consistent, influential player in the league.” When Gary says that, it really speaks a lot.
Sir Alex Ferguson – He Loved It
“How many centre-halves can you name who actually like defending? Vidic liked it. He loved the challenge of sticking his head in there. You could tell that the thrill of contesting those 50-50 balls animated him”, said the legendary manager about Vidic.
Nemanja Vidic
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May 27, 2018 Juan Pablo Aravena 0
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Man City vs. Man United preview, lineups, tactics and opposition view
December 9, 2012 Stretford-end 3
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"Idols" Solo Show
I recently opened my first solo show in San Francisco, CA, at Roll Up Gallery in the Mission District. The show is titled "Idols" and will run for one month, from July 29th to August 29th 2016.
This series is made to celebrate and honor those who have shared their skills, experiences, and passions to help make the world a better place. Todays world has a false sense of idolism, with celebrity and stardom status being given to those who only seek to better themselves. Through this work, I have imagined what the world could be like if we idolized those who have and are giving their all for us. What do you think the world would be like if their names were household names instead of those who only care about me?
I created 8 new works that featured an individuals portrait as the main focus of each piece with my halftone stencil style. The background of each work are abstractions of color fields, gradients, patterns, and words and passages with tags and graffiti. Choosing the 8 people to be featured as Idols was at first daunting, with the thought of how I am going to choose just 8, but then exciting. I knew I wanted to feature some well known figures - Gandhi, Cesar Chavez - but also some current activists - Malala Yousafzai, Rigoberta Menchu - and others who many not be as recognized for their social and political work - Helen Keller, Noam Chomsky, Berta Caceres, Zapatista Woman.
I quickly realized in the research phase that I cannot represent everyone in one show. I then thought, "I could have an Idols show every year and still be finding new figures to showcase." The pressure I was feeling for deciding who to represent was then lifted. I was so happy with the final choices, as I have people represented from the past and present, different cultures, different genders, and different struggles. I very much want to have another Idols show in the future.
In preparation for my solo show "Idols" at Roll Up Gallery, San Francisco, in 2016, I made this little video showing some of the process involved with making the wood panels that I paint on.
Idols and Bios:
Berta Cáceres
March 4th 1971- March 3rd 2016
Berta was a Honduran environmental activist, indigenous leader of her people, and co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015, for "a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam" at the Río Gualcarque. She led campaigns on a wide variety of issues, including protesting illegal logging, plantation owners, and the presence of US military bases on Lenca land. She supported feminism, LGBT rights, as well as wider social and indigenous issues.
She was assassinated in her home by armed intruders, after years of threats against her life. Twelve environmental defenders were killed in Honduras in 2014, according to research by Global Witness, which makes it the most dangerous country in the world, relative to its size, for activists protecting forests and rivers.
March 31st, 1927 - April 23rd, 1993
Cesar was an American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later the United Farm Workers union, UFW) in 1962. Originally a Mexican American farm worker, Chavez encountered the conditions that he would dedicate his life to changing: wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors, meager wages for backbreaking work, bitter racism.
He became the best known Latino American civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American labor movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida.
For thirty years Chavez tenaciously devoted himself to the problems of some of the poorest workers in America. The movement he inspired succeeded in raising salaries and improving working conditions for farm workers in California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida.
July 12th, 1997 - present
Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in 2014 at age 17. She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and forwomen in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Yousafzai's advocacy has since grown into an international movement.
Yousafzai attended a school that her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, had founded. After the Taliban began attacking girls' schools in Swat, Malala gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2008. The title of her talk was, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?" In early 2009, Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC about living under the Taliban's threats to deny her an education. In order to hide her identity, she used the name Gul Makai. However, she was revealed to be the BBC blogger in December of that year.
As a child, she became an advocate for girls' education, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from school. She survived, and has continued to speak out on the importance of education.
October 2nd 1869 - January 30th 1948
Gandhi was the preeminent leader of the Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable") — applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa,—is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu (Gujarati: endearment for "father", "papa") in India. In common parlance in India he is often called Gandhiji. He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation.
Gandhi famously led Indians in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, upon many occasions, in both South Africa and India. Gandhi attempted to practise nonviolence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential communityand wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn hand-spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and social protest.
June 27th 1880 - June 1st 1968
Helen was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. The story of how Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become widely known through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker. Her birthplace in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, is now a museum and sponsors an annual "Helen Keller Day". Her birthday on June 27 is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and was authorized at the federal level by presidential proclamation by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, the 100th anniversary of her birth.
A prolific author, Keller was well-traveled and outspoken in her convictions. A member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World, she campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, antimilitarism, and other similar causes. She was inducted into theAlabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971 and was one of twelve inaugural inductees to the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame on June 8, 2015.
December 27th 1978 - present
Noam is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician,social critic, and political activist. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He has spent more than half a century at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is Institute Professor Emeritus, and is the author of over 100 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.
Chomsky is an oft-cited scholar whose work has influenced a wide array of academic fields. He is widely recognized as a paradigm shifter who helped spark a major revolution in the human sciences, contributing to the development of a new cognitivistic framework for the study of languageand the mind. In addition to his continued scholarly research, he remains a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, neoliberalism and contemporarystate capitalism, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and mainstream news media. His ideas in these areas have proved highly significant within the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements.
Rigoberta Menchú
January 9th 1959 - present
Rigoberta is a K'iche' political activist from Guatemala. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the rights of Guatemala's indigenous feminists during and after the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), and to promotingindigenous rights in the country. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and the Prince of Asturias Award in 1998. She is the subject of the testimonial biography I, Rigoberta Menchú (1983) and the author of the autobiographical work, Crossing Borders. Menchú is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She has also become a figure in indigenous political parties and ran for President of Guatemala in 2007 and 2011.
Zapatista Woman
January 1st 1994 - present
The Zapatistas are a revolutionary leftist political and militant group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. They have spokespeople, but no leader. Their strength is in all of them, and Zapatista women have been influential in the movement. Since 1994, the group has been in a declared war "against the Mexican state", and against military, paramilitary and corporate incursions into Chiapas. This war has been primarily defensive. In recent years, it has focused on a strategy of civil resistance. The Zapatistas' main body is made up of mostly rural indigenous people, but includes some supporters in urban areas and internationally.
In the 1990s, one-third of the insurgents were women and half of the Zapatista support base was women. The EZLN organization style involved consensus and participation by everyone, including women and children. Therefore, one aspect of the EZLN’s ideology was gender equality and rights for women. After the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, the EZLN announced the Women’s Revolutionary Law which was a set of ten laws that granted rights to women regarding marriage, children, work, health, education, political and military participation, and protected women from violence.
Although the ideology of the EZLN reflects libertarian socialism, paralleling both anarchist and libertarian Marxist thought in many respects, the EZLN has rejected and defied political classification, retaining its distinctiveness due in part to the importance of indigenous Mayan beliefs in Zapatismo. The EZLN aligns itself with the wider alter-globalization, anti-neoliberal social movement, seeking indigenous control over their local resources, especially land.
Since their 1994 uprising was countered by the Mexican army, the EZLN has abstained from military offensives and adopted a new strategy that attempts to garner Mexican and international support. Through an Internet campaign, the EZLN was successful in extending an understanding of their plight and intentions to the public. With this change in tactics, the EZLN has received greater support.
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'Personhood' and the Pro-lifers' Long Game
by Jill Filipovic
Mississippi's personhood amendment, where anti-choicers tried to give fertilised eggs the same legal status as your average adult male, has thankfully failed. But while the short-term efforts to give single-cell citizens more rights than adult women may have faltered, pro-lifers aren't giving up. There will certainly be more state personhood amendments in the future, and now congressional Republicans want to take the plan national. So, despite the failure of the Mississippi bill, pro-choicers still need to be vigilant – not just about the law, but about the small cultural shifts that pro-lifers are pushing.
Anti-choice activists aren't stupid (they're wrong, but they're not stupid). Over the past few decades, they've realised that if they can frame reproductive rights as being about saving babies' lives, they've got a winning case – after all, who doesn't like babies? What anti-choicers are actually hostile to are changing gender roles and the increased freedoms and liberties that have been afforded to women by the right to determine the number and spacing of their children. Unfortunately, those freedoms and liberties are wildly popular in the United States. Women like having rights. Women like having sex for pleasure. Women like going to school. Women like being able to work and have children, or have the option of choosing to be a stay-at-home parent rather than being forced or coerced into it. Women like marrying someone they choose, not someone they were accidentally impregnated by.
And we're all better for it. Since the advent of the birth control pill, and since feminism has attempted to position women's rights as basic human rights, more American women are attending colleges; the pay gap is narrowing; divorce rates have gone down; teen birth rates have gone down; both men and women spend more time with their children than in the homemaker heyday of the 1950s and 60s; and fewer children live in poverty than they did in the Leave It to Beaver era. Marriages that are more gender-egalitarian, and which involve women with higher education levels and incomes, tend to last longer and be happier. And 98% of American women will use birth control at some point in their lives.
These are not coincidences. Reproductive rights have been good for men, women, children, families and society.
But women's rights have been bad for anyone who thinks that the only option for women should be to stay home and raise as many children as God gives her. That, obviously, is not the majority of the American public, as evidenced by what the American public actually does. But it is the majority of the American pro-life leadership (which, of course, is distinct from individual voters who identify as pro-life).
For them, the focus on abortion was a good starting point – ending a pregnancy is, for many people, a morally complex issue, and anti-choicers were easily able to stake out the "you're a baby-killer" side. They successfully shifted the conversation to the rights of the fetus, rather than what it means for women to be legally compelled to carry a pregnancy to term. They sold many of us on the idea that an embryo or a fetus is the moral equivalent of a baby – that a fetus is, in fact, a baby, and terminating a pregnancy at 6 weeks is the moral equivalent of killing a three year old. A solid half of Americans now consider themselves pro-life, and significantly more than that believe that abortion is immoral.
But abortion isn't the only thing enabling women to have sex without tacitly agreeing to carry a pregnancy for nearly 10 months and then raise a child. Birth control also does that, and is used far more frequently than abortion. Of course, birth control, coupled with shame-free sexual health education, universal healthcare and a generous social safety net, is also the best way to prevent abortion – the countries with the lowest abortion rates in the world all employ that simple model. You would think that if pro-life groups actually cared about babies and mothers, they would be pushing for everyone to have healthcare. You would think they would support things like well-baby care, and daycare funding, and federal parental leave, and aid to low-income families with dependent children. You would think that if pro-life groups were genuinely interested in lowering the abortion rate, they would be singing birth control's praises, and trying to make it as accessible and affordable as possible.
And yet the legislators who are the most hostile to funding children's health and who are the most hostile to widespread healthcare and education are consistently"pro-life". Pro-life groups rarely come out in support of initiatives that actually help born babies or pregnant women. And not a single US pro-life group supports birth control access. Not one. Many either don't take a position on it or are actively hostile to its use.
That's where personhood amendments come in.
The purpose of personhood amendments is to outlaw many forms of birth control, in addition to abortion. The amendments are failing at the ballot box, because even pro-life voters tend to like their contraception. But they may be succeeding in laying the groundwork to eventually deny birth control access. And they're doing it by redefining the basic science of birth control, and the facts of human reproduction.
The personhood amendments are notable because they define personhood as beginning at fertilisation – the moment sperm hits egg. At that moment, they say, a person is formed, and that person should have all of the rights and liberties afforded to any other citizen of the United States (a position that lends itself to all sorts of absurdities, but that's for another column). That's a major departure from how the scientific community has even defined pregnancy. Because it's awfully difficult to tell the exact moment an egg is fertilised – it can be days after sex – and since most fertilised eggs are naturally flushed out of the body and don't ever turn into babies, the medical community has defined the beginning of pregnancy as when the fertilised egg actually implants in the uterus, which can be a full week after intercourse. As far as definitions go, it's a pretty logical one.
The scientific community is also pretty settled on the fact that birth control largely works by impeding ovulation – no eggs get released, so there's nothing to fertilise and there's no pregnancy. Anti-choice activists increasingly claim that since birth control also thins the uterine lining, if an ovum is released and is fertilised, it won't be able to implant. They don't have any actual proof of this, but since scientists can't prove that it absolutely never ever happens, pro-lifers are running with it and claiming that "the pill kills".
In fact, if a woman isn't on hormonal birth control and is ovulating, more than half of any eggs that get fertilised naturally don't implant and are flushed out with her menstrual period. So it's actually more likely that a woman not on birth control who is sexually active is underwriting more egg "deaths" than a woman on the pill.
But, of course, egg deaths aren't the point. Pro-lifers don't actually believe that a fertilised egg is the moral equivalent of a newborn baby – if they did, there would certainly be major pushes for research on why more than half of all these cellular human beings are flushed out of the body and die. (Imagine if more than half of all three-year-olds suddenly dropped dead – we wouldn't just shrug our shoulders and say, "Well that's nature!") What they do believe is that birth control has given women too much freedom. And they realise that if they can change the terms of the debate – just as they did when they rebranded an embryo as a baby – they might make some headway in the long run.
Enter personhood amendments. It's a great strategy: you say that birth control kills fertilised eggs, then you try to pass a law that would make killing fertilised eggs murder, and then your opponents (logically) respond by pointing out that the proposed law is purposed to outlaw many forms of birth control. Voilà, you've just made the fantasy that birth control kills fertilised eggs a political truth. The Mississippi personhood amendment might have lost, but the anti-choice pseudo-science machine had a big win.
You can bet that personhood amendments will continue to pop up for this exact reason – redefining the terms of the debate, making up facts and obscuring their real agenda is how the anti-choice movement has always succeeded. It's how they have convinced millions of Americans that being pro-life has anything to do with caring about babies.
Birth control pills are not responsible for the mass slaughter of fertilised eggs. The idea that a fertilised egg should have all of the same rights and privileges as an adult man (and, apparently, greater rights than a living, breathing woman) is beyond ridiculous. But saving the "lives" of eggs was never the point.
Taking us back to a time where pregnancy was a punishment for sex (instead of a welcome and wanted event, which is the pro-choice ideal), and where women are primarily defined by their reproductive capacity, are the end goals. Part and parcel to that is outlawing not just abortion, but birth control, which is difficult in a country where most women use birth control. Opposition to abortion has already been successfully framed as being about "life", so birth control gets summarily jammed into the "life" framework, scientific fact be damned.
If we allow anti-choice groups to continue defining the terms of the debate, and if we take seriously their claims that personhood initiatives are about "life" and not actually about trying to control women's bodies and sex lives, it won't matter how many times the initiatives are defeated – the real losers will be women. And women will share that honor with men, children and social progress generally. It's going to be all of us.
Indefinite Domestic Military Detentions
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Corporations Hate Regulation, Until They Love It
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The Country is Broken Because the System is Fixed
Are Police Becoming Militarized?
The High Cost of Freedom from Fossil Fuels
Breaking Taboos and More
Veil of Secrecy at the Fed Lifted, Time for Change...
Obama's 'beautiful friendship' with Wall Street
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'Teachers Want Corporate America Assessed'
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John Wesley Harding recommends Duncan Browne (1947 – 1993)
John Wesley Harding and Duncan Browne
John Wesley Harding’s recommendation: “I would unreservedly recommend the music of Duncan Browne. The first album Give Me Take You is more baroque in its folky champer-pop, whereas the second Duncan Browne is a little more straightforward. If your tastes run towards The Zombies, or you can imagine that crossed with folk music, then I think you’ll relish Duncan Browne. He also made some completely different late seventies album, popular in Europe, that were sexier and disco-ier. I kinda like them but you can ignore those. (He also co-wrote Criminal World that Bowie covered on Let’s Dance, a song from that latter period of his career.) Stick to those first two albums: ethereal yet quirky, a cross between sixties pop and folk-psyche, sung in a beautiful Blunstone-esque voice, accompanied by stellar classical guitar and strings. One particular track to recommend is The Final Asylum, one of the otherwise unreleased tracks on Journey a two CD anthology that was released recently. If you like any of it, then Colin Blunstone’s first solo album One Year is a fitting companion-piece and a masterpiece in its own right.”
Listen to a sample from Final Asylum by Duncan Browne
New to Duncan Browne? Start here:
Give Me Take You
Duncan Browne
About the guest author, John Wesley Harding: We’ve been fans of John Wesley Harding (born Wesley Stace) since the 1990 release of his pop masterwork Here Comes the Groom. Since then, JWH has released a slew of smart, hook-filled recordings and three novels. He’s shared the stage with the likes of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed and was hand-picked by Bruce Springsteen to open his shows on the Ghost of Tom Joad tour. The Boss is set to join John as he hosts the Fairleigh Dickinson University Words and Music Festival (WAMFEST) in May. Yup…John Wesley Harding has a lot going on. Catch up with him on his official web site, http://www.johnwesleyharding.com/
Filed Under: Alternative Rock, Folk Pop, Pop/Alternative Tagged With: Duncan Browne, John Wesley Harding
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Denver Dalley recommends Willoughby
Denver Dalley and Gus Seyffert of Willougby
Denver Dalley’s artist recommendation: “Years ago, I was playing bass for Har Mar Superstar, opening for Sia. On the first day of the tour, I met my “long lost twin brother,” Gus Seyffert, who was playing guitar and singing backing vocals for Sia. Gus had a very similar hairstyle/color, we’re the same height and both grew up in the Midwest. We had a whole tour full of “Parent Trap-esque” hijinks (sound men especially couldn’t tell us apart) and became great friends. Willoughby is Gus’ solo project – he pretty much plays everything with some guest vocalists/musicians. Outside of Willoughby and Sia, Gus has also played bass for Norah Jones, and more recently, The Black Keys.”
Not familiar with Willoughby? Denver suggests you start here:
“Take a listen to I Know What You’re Up To, Willoughby’s first record. This album is a true beauty – one of the most chilled out, layed back, minimal (yet full of layers of headphone candy) and relaxing albums I’ve ever heard. With each listen, you’ll discover more layers and things that you hadn’t noticed before.
Gus gave me a copy and it has been on HEAVY rotation on my iPod ever since. It’s my favorite relaxation album – my ‘go to record’ when I’m unwinding on planes, trains and tour buses. It’s mastered perfectly, all of the songs are at a nice level, and they are each like perfect lullabies. Gus has a very mellow and soothing voice and each instrument on the record is played and mixed to perfectly compliment the others. I love each and every track, but my favorite would probably be Frankenstein at a mere 2:19. It’s a catchy song with one of my all-time favorite guitar solos and it has an almost southwestern spooky vibe. I can’t say enough about this perfect album.”
About our guest author, Denver Dalley: As far as alt-rock resumes go, it’s hard to top Denver Dalley’s. Denver is from Omaha, Nebraska and grew up playing in alternative garage bands. Denver moved around a bit, but found himself back in Nebraska for college and eventually hooked up with former childhood friend (and alt-rock hero) Conor Oberst. They formed the band Desaparecidos in 2001 and Dalley served as the primary songwriter. Their sound has been labeled as ‘anthemic thrash’ by Rolling Stone and the group recently reformed, released a single and is preparing for a tour that starts in late August. In the time since the Desaparecidos’ release of Read Music/Speak Spanish in 2002, Denver has been busy playing bass for Har Mar Superstar and the Watson Twins, but he also launched his own solo effort, Statistics, which yielded an EP in 2003 and two stunning follow-up albums that are less abrasive than the sounds of Desaparecidos. The records are electronic based but don’t stray too far into danciness – instead they feel closer to the Postal Service or U2’s tinkering with beats and keyboards. The Statistics project is back with a new album (hear it below) called Peninsula and it doesn’t disappoint. Strong hip movers like Take the Lead and the quieter back-to-back Picture of Success (a Rilo Kiley cover) and Sendoff are making this collection a Rock Torch Summer favorite. Be sure to get your free download from the album at the Afternoon Records website.
Filed Under: Downtempo, Electronica Tagged With: Denver Dalley, Desaparecidos, Willoughby
Générez des revenus cours de guitare says:
Affiliation cours de guitare…
Enfin un véritable outil pour doper vos revenus d’affiliation – cours de guitare…
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Chan Poling of The Suburbs recommends David Bowie (and a bunch of other artists)
Chan Poling (l) and David Bowie (r)
Chan Poling’s artist recommendation: “Hey folks, Chan Poling here. You may know me from my bands The Suburbs and/or The New Standards and as a composer of songs for the theater and what have you. I’m pleased and honored to be among the artists asked to post here on Rock Torch.
Now, if I’m not mistaken (and I often am) my purpose here is to talk about and recommend an artist or band that I admire and who has influenced me. A band so great I am compelled to share their merits and delights. A sharing of musical passions, a “passing of the torch” as it were. Hence the name of this site: Rock Torch!
We used to play this game more earnestly in high school, when all that mattered was “who you dug.” If your friends didn’t get absolutely high listening to John McLaughlin hit those high bendy notes during Birds of Fire , then they…just…didn’t…get…it. Gee whiz, I still love that record. But that’s not the record I’m going to pass on for my Dear Readers (see? I can cheat, neatly. I wonder how many more awesome records I “can’t” recommend before the end of this thing…).
This is too hard.
Fact is, I think a lot of us “rock” musicians have been influenced by so much: jazz artists, world musics of other cultures (the way Mahavishnu Orchestra channeled Indian music), theater composers (would Bowie be Bowie without Kurt Weill?) and a million other sources. Just think of Nirvana’s dark modal sound and The Doors and Eastern music and you get what I mean.
So, I stretch a little here and thread together an essay on influences at large. People, if I were to pass on a torch of musical influences that torch would be burning bright with the fuel I picked up from a life listening to everything from Miles Davis, to Mozart, Stockhausen, Aaron Copeland to The Beatles, Stones, Joni Mitchell, Bowie, Roxy Music, Iggy, Weirdos, Screamers, Television, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, to The Strokes, Atmosphere and MGMT!! The list is too long.”
But wait…there is one single artist and album that he holds above all others…: “So, being an honest Midwesterner, I must return to my task. What ONE ARTIST/ALBUM would I recommend?
Listen to David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars . It has the theater, the jazz, the rock, the attitude, the voice, and f***ing Mick Ronson.”
About our guest author, Chan Poling: Chan is the leader of The Suburbs, a group that has to rank up there with The Replacements for the comeback act of the year award. Similar to The Replacements, The Suburbs had their start in Minneapolis, but their sound was closer to New Wave than the speedy thrash of the early Mats records. They released their first album in 1978 on Twin/Tone and later had a solid hit with Love Is the Law, earning them marquee opening slots for Iggy Pop and the B52′s. Several albums followed, but the band broke up in 1987, setting up Chan’s solo career in which he released two solo records and scored compositions for a slew of television, film and theater. Poling also formed the group The New Standards with John Munson of Semisonic and Trip Shakespeare in 2005 and released an album of covers with the group. Chan was sure to play Suburbs tunes in The New Standards show, very much keeping alive the legacy of the band that DJ Jim McGuinn called the ‘Midwestern Psychedelic Furs.’ In 2013, The Suburbs reformed, had a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for recording and released the spectacular comeback album, Si Sauvage. Give a listen to the record below and you’ll certainly agree with Jon Hunt of letoile who calls it “…just straight-up entertaining and full-stop great.” The horn packed Turn the Radio On and You’ve Got to Love Her are two of our faves, as is Dumb Ass Kids, a tune that finds Chan and the group looking back on their history with biting humor and awe. As Poling told Vita.mn, “It’s about me talking to our younger selves. We had more than one conversation about how lucky we are to be alive still after the way we used to live.” The band is already prepping a followup record and is playing select tour dates for some very lucky audiences.
* Bonus fact: Chan also played keys on some of the tracks from The Replacements Let It Be album.
Filed Under: Alternative Rock, New Wave, Pop Tagged With: Chan Poling, David Bowie, The Suburbs
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The Polar Bear problem
Published on: Thursday, 11 August, 2011
It's not that they are more desperate. it's that they are thriving.
Here is a piece I just published in the Spectator.
The terrible story of the boys mauled by a polar bear in Spitsbergen has sparked a debate about the risks of adventure travel. But what does it tell us about polar bears? Some have claimed that this month's tragedy is evidence that they are getting hungrier and more desperate as Arctic ice retreats. More likely, it shows that they are getting ever more numerous as hunting pressure relents.
For years there was a skin of a bear hanging on the wall of the cafeteria in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen's capital village - maybe it is still there. By rights that bear should have eaten me, or my friend Charles Gillow. The first polar bearseen in living memory in summer in Longyearbyen (about 25 miles west of where last week's tragedy happened), it prowled past our tent while we slept by the beach one June night in 1978, having come ashore with some pack ice that drifted into the fjord in the small hours.
Woken by a car horn, a loud shout of 'Wake up! There's an ice bear outside your tent,' we unzipped the tent flap suspecting a practical joke, only to see a large, off-white, furry bottom in plain view less than 100 yards away, investigating the camp sewage outflow. The bear soon hopped out among the ice floes till it was lost to view, but tracks in the sand showed it had passed close to the tent while we slept.
We had a rifle with us, because the year before an Austrian tourist had been killed by a polar bear in the north of Spitsbergen and the Norwegian authorities now insisted for the first time that expeditions be armed. But this was before the days of tripwires and flares to protect campsites. In any case, we had been firmly reassured, most of the west coast was bear-free territory in summer. We were highly unlikely to see one. Later that summer we returned to Longyearbyen, where we were told the bear - I think it was an adult male - had 'taken to hanging around the school' and had been shot and skinned for the cafeteria wall.
Today bears are now far more common in Spitsbergen and the other islands of Svalbard. They are more common all over the Arctic than 33 years ago. The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated in 2008 that the polar bear population was at a historic high of 20,000-25,000 bears, up from as low as 5,000-10,000 bears in the 1960s. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimated in 1966 that there were 10,000 polar bears in the world; in 2006, the same source estimated 20,000-25,000 bears. Just last May the IUCN Polar BearSpecialist Group concluded there has probably been no drop in the numbers since then.
The reason for this boom is no mystery. When I travelled in Spitsbergen in the 1970s and 1980s you could still find old trap guns on remote headlands, dating from decades before: open-ended wooden boxes concealing rusty rifles with wires attached to the triggers so that a bear would shoot itself if it pulled the bait. The trapper would return later for the skin. Until 1973, bears were hunted for their fur and for sport; in that year, an international agreement banned unregulated hunting, shooting from aircraft and shooting from icebreakers. The species then thrived. Russia, Greenland and Canada all still allow some hunting, mainly by indigenous people, but at a much reduced level.
Not all populations are thriving. Some authorities think the numbers are declining in Hudson Bay and parts of the Canadian Arctic, while expanding elsewhere, but these are minor fluctuations compared with the impressive recovery of the species since the 1960s. Al Gore, in his film An Inconvenient Truth, made much of a report of four bears that drowned in open water off Alaska, implying this was a new and deadly fate awaiting polar bears as Arctic ice retreated. But polar bears often swim long distances - one was recorded swimming 400 miles - and nobody knows how unusual it was for four to get caught in a storm and drown.
The polar bear is a specialist seal-eating predator (so it is little wonder that it goes for other elongated six-foot mammals when hungry). It occupies a specific niche: the ice edge. It cannot thrive on unbroken Arctic sea ice, because seals are not found there. Nor can it survive on ice-free sea because it cannot kill seals in open water. In parts of the Arctic, notably Hudson Bay and Wrangel Island, it takes refuge on land for several late summer months when the ice vanishes, fasting - or scavenging ineffectually for young walrus, birds and fish - till the ice re-forms. This is when it is hungriest and most dangerous.
If the ice-free season lengthens in these places because of climate change, the bears might die out. After all, the most southerly polar bear dens in the world, in James Bay in Canada, are on the same latitude as Nottingham: they are at the extreme southerly end of their range. But by the same token, areas further north, currently too solidly frozen for seals, will become more hospitable to bears.
There is now good evidence that this sort of ice retreat has happened in the past. For example Svend Funder of the University of Copenhagen recently published a paper with two colleagues, based on a study of driftwood and beach ridges in north-eastern Greenland, where today year-round ice fastened to the shore prevents waves that can form beach ridges. They concluded that for thousands of years when the Arctic was known to be 2-4°C warmer, beach ridges formed and driftwood failed to make it to Greenland, indicating open water on this coast (driftwood needs multi-year ice to be transported from Siberia without sinking).
In Funder's words: 'Our studies show that there have been large fluctuations in the amount of summer sea ice during the last 10,000 years. During the so-called Holocene Climate Optimum, from approximately 8,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the temperatures were somewhat warmer than today, there was significantly less sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, probably less than 50 per cent of the summer 2007 coverage, which was absolutely the lowest on record.'
Much has been made of the 2007 summer ice retreat being the 'greatest on record', but records began only in 1979. In the 1920s and 1930s, there were probably still more open seasons; likewise in the medieval, Roman and other warm periods all the way back to the Holocene Optimum. Polar bears certainly survived such warmer spells, presumably by ranging somewhat further north. Indeed, fossils suggest that polar bears already existed in their current form during the last interglacial period, 120,000 years ago, when the Arctic was almost certainly wholly free of ice in late summer.
A total disappearance of sea ice at all seasons would undoubtedly doom thepolar bear's lifestyle. But no scientist in his wildest exaggerations is suggesting the disappearance of Arctic sea ice in winter. As long as there is pack ice for much of the year with an ice edge, plenty of seals and controls on hunting, thepolar bear is going to thrive - and tent-based tourism to the Arctic is going to be dangerous.
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Eternity Magazine
Is the Reformation Over?
Article by Gregg R. Allison February 2006
Having recently taught a course in contemporary Roman Catholic theology at both my former school, Western Seminary (Portland, OR), and my current institution, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), my interest was piqued when Is The Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism was sent to me as a book review editor for JETS. As an evangelical who has worked closely with Roman Catholic theology and practice at the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN), in Rome (Italy), and at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary (Mundelein, IL), I have an approach to the subject that combines both fascination with and suspicion of the Roman Catholic Church and the current evangelical-Catholic dialogue. This perspective carries over into my assessment of Noll and Nystrom's book.
The authors make a significant contribution to the growing number of books authored by Protestants that reflect on Roman Catholic theology and practice. To take just one example--Protestant reflections on Mary--a sample of books includes: Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Mary: Glimpses of the Mother of God (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1995); Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson, eds., Mary: Mother of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004); Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Cynthia L. Rigby, Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary (Louisville: Westminster, 2002); Dwight Longenecker and David Gustafson, Mary: A Catholic--Evangelical Debate (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2003).
Is The Reformation Over? "is intended as an evangelical assessment of contemporary Roman Catholicism, with special attention given to the dramatic changes that have taken place since the Second Vatican Council" (p. 13). Specifically, the authors intend "to use the classic ideals of the Protestant Reformation to measure contemporary Catholic Christianity. Sola scriptura (the Bible as supreme authority), sola fide (salvation by grace alone through faith alone), and the priesthood of all believers (as a corrective to corruption of the priesthood)," along with the recognition that "God, instead of humanity," must be "recognized as the center of the spiritual universe," are the authors' stated criteria for their "assessment of the contemporary Catholic Church" (p. 15). A secondary but not incidental purpose of Noll and Nystrom's assessment of Roman Catholicism is to "enable evangelical Protestants to understand themselves more clearly" and thus "help them to grasp, internalize, and proclaim the essential principles of the Christian gospel that were at issue in the Reformation itself" (p. 15).
Chapter one traces the thawing of tensions between Protestants and Roman Catholics beginning about 1960. As the authors thoroughly document, "things are not the way they used to be." Chapter two rehearses "the way things used to be" prior to this thawing of tensions and clearly establishes that Protestants and Roman Catholics were at a total standoff at the mid-point of last century with regards to theology, politics, the papacy, and the like. Of course, this belligerency was the product of centuries of hostilities between the two groups, and Noll and Nystrom trace succinctly the historical development of this conflict beginning with the Reformation.
Chapter three proposes several answers to the question, "Why did things change?" For the authors, "The final answer to this question must be that God willed the changes to take place" (p. 59), but they follow this declaration with a few answers derived from empirical research. These are nicely broken down into several categories (with corresponding examples): (1) changes within the Catholic Church (the Second Vatican Council, a new ecumenical spirit, a growing importance of the laity, Pope John Paul II); (2) changes in world Christianity (the expansion of a non-European Christendom that lacks the historical intolerance between old world Catholics and Protestants, the burgeoning charismatic movement, the growth of evangelical youth movements with their non-ecclesiastical goals, the increasing prominence of women); (3) changes in American politics and society (Catholic Kennedy's election as president, "the ecumenism of the trenches"); (4) changes in the exercise of personal agency (official Vatican meetings with evangelicals, Billy Graham's evangelistic efforts, Evangelicals and Catholics Together); and (5) changes within evangelicalism (a growing dissatisfaction within the ranks of evangelicals, the "drift toward Rome").
Chapter four summarizes thirty-five years of official Catholic-initiated dialogues with eight Protestant groups, the natural outflow of the changes identified in the previous chapter. These eight partnerships were between Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Reformed, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, (generic) Evangelicals, and Baptists. Noll and Nystrom note several areas of (limited) agreement that emerged from these dialogues: the place of the church in salvation, apostolic succession, the priesthood of all believers, salvation, the sacraments, and memories (of past conflict). Though achieving some agreement on these issues, the dialogues nevertheless highlighted important continuing differences between Catholics and Protestants, and our authors discuss these: Mary (Protestants continue to reject any role of co-redemptrix for Mary), authority (Protestant sola Scriptura versus Catholic Scripture, tradition, and magisterium), the structure of the church (Baptist congregationalism versus papal hierarchicalism), acceptable practices (Protestant acceptance of birth control and [in some cases] the ordination of women versus outright Catholic rejection of these practices), and baptism (Baptist believers baptism versus baptismal regeneration). Noll and Nystrom conclude this chapter: "Even granting a certain artificiality to what the dialogues accomplished--even, that is, recognizing that good will may have occasionally triumphed over hardheaded realism--the cumulative results of these dialogues record a momentous shaking of once-settled ground. On the basis of the ecumenical dialogues, can it be said that the Reformation is over? Probably not. But a once-yawning chasm has certainly narrowed" (p. 114).
With chapter five's treatment of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), our authors "offer a charitable but also self-consciously evangelical reading of what the Catechism reveals about modern Catholicism" (p. 14). Several surprising comments serve to tease Protestants as they open this chapter: "Evangelicals or confessional Protestants who pick up the Catechism will find themselves in for a treat. Sentences, paragraphs, whole pages sound as if they could come from evangelical pulpits, including passages on topics such as the nature of Scripture or the meaning of grace and faith...Finding information, they [Protestant readers of the Catechism] may also find themselves (as we have done) stopping to pray....We estimate that evangelicals can embrace at least two-thirds of the Catechism" (pp. 116, 119). As with the chapter on the history of Catholic-Protestant dialogues, this chapter is divided into areas of agreement (common orthodoxy, common devotion to God, and common understanding of holy living) and areas of disagreement (authority, Mary, baptism, salvation by works or grace, celibacy and saints, sacraments and worship).
In chapter six, Noll and Nystrom undertake a description of the unofficial and ad hoc movement known as Evangelicals and Catholics Together. They present excellent summaries of ECT 1: "The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium;" ECT 2: "The Gift of Salvation;" ECT 3: "Your Word is Truth" (with a particular look at four essays by Timothy George, Avery Cardinal Dulles, J. I. Packer, and Francis Martin); and ECT 4: "The Communion of Saints." In particular with reference to ECT 1, the authors underscore the firestorm of reaction to this cooperative initiative. They conclude: "The four existing ECT documents to date have examined critical areas and have found common ground on important issues such as co-belligerency, evangelism, justification by faith, and Scripture. The ECT process has helped both to clarify differences and to enhance mutual respect. Criticism from evangelical conservatives seems to have abated" (p. 183).
Chapter seven offers the authors' discussion of the various current reactions of evangelicals to Roman Catholicism. On the one hand, of course, some evangelicals continue unabatedly their historic open antagonism toward Catholicism; others, however, have moderated their criticism. On the other hand, some evangelicals have opted to cooperate with Roman Catholics on at least some fronts--"social-political co-belligerency, the affirmation of 'mere Christianity,' common enjoyment of historic roots, the sharing of mission and ministry, and agreement on spiritual formation" (p. 192)--while acknowledging continuing theological differences. Amazingly, some of these evangelicals "make the next big step. They go 'home to Rome.' Then, as so often with converts, some become zealous advocates of the church they once opposed" (p. 200). Included in our authors' list of these converts are Thomas Howard, Dennis Martin, Peter Kreeft, Scott and Kimberly Hahn, and John Michael Talbot. Relying on Scot McKnight's groundbreaking article "From Wheaton to Rome: Why Evangelicals Become Roman Catholic," JETS 45 (September 2002), Noll and Nystrom set forth several important reasons why people make the decision to leave their evangelical background for the Catholic Church: certainty (the Church offers the infallible interpretation of Scripture, leading to certainty); history (the Church provides Protestants with a sense of rootedness with the past); unity (the Church appeals to Protestants disenchanted by seemingly endless church factionalism and splitting); and authority (the Church trumps rampant Protestant individualism, democratization, and subjectivism).
In the final (eighth and ninth) chapters, Noll and Nystrom attempt "to sort out the current situation by analyzing the position of evangelicals and Catholics with respect to main themes in American history" (p. 209) and "to take the measure of modern Catholicism, evaluated from the perspective of evangelical history and theology" (p. 229). According to their historical assessment, our authors conclude that "civil politics have always loomed large in Catholic-evangelical encounter and that, while political realities exacerbated the tension between evangelicals and Catholics in the first century and a half of United States history, during the last half century, political realities have eased the way to a more propitious relationship" (p. 228). According to their evangelical history and theology assessment, Noll and Nystrom conclude "there now exists a broad and deep foundation on the central teachings of Christianity...."(E)vangelicals and Catholics affirm together the Trinity, the sinfulness of humanity, the saving love of God extended to sinners in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the redeeming power of the Holy Spirit to change men and women into servants of God, and wholesome integrity of God's law. Whatever differences may still exist...are infinitesimal when compared to differences between traditional Christianity...and modernist Christianity of all sorts. Differences...fade away as if to nothing when compared to secular affirmations about the nature of humanity and the world "(p. 230).
Still, our authors also underscore the major differences that continue to separate the two groups. These include the interpretation of Scripture, the nature of Christ's presence during the eucharistic celebration, justification by faith, and the other differences listed in earlier chapters (the papacy and magisterium, Mary, the sacraments, mandatory priestly celibacy, etc.). To be sure, "the central difference that continues to separate evangelicals and Catholics is...the nature of the church" (p. 237). While discussing various explanations for why these differences exist, Noll and Nystrom end up with an answer that seems to reflect the (later) linguistic philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein ("language games") and George Lindbeck's postliberal cultural-linguistic approach as articulated in The Nature of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology. This leads directly back to the title's question: Is the Reformation Over? According to the authors, their book places evangelicals in a proper and better "position to consider whether the Reformation is over" (p. 251). Not surprisingly, then, Noll and Nystrom answer their own question: "Yet asking whether the Reformation is over may not even be the most pertinent question. It may be more to the point to ask other questions: Is God truly going to draw people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation--and major Christian tradition--to worship together the Lamb who was slain? Can he really make of them--all these tongues and peoples and traditions--a single kingdom united in the body of his Son Jesus Christ? Should believers in an all-powerful, all-merciful God doubt that such signs and wonders might still take place?" (p. 251).
There is much to commend about Is The Reformation Over? First, this work is to be highly commended for its exhaustive research and excellent documentation; no book of this length covers as much historical ground and presents it in such a readable manner as does this work. The "Further Reading" section is an invaluable bibliography for all who want to study these issues more. Second, the authors' summaries of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official Catholic-initiated dialogues with eight Protestant groups, and the four ECT statements serve as an excellent orientation for evangelicals who wish to do primary source reading in contemporary Roman Catholic theology and evangelical-Catholic dialogue. Third, the criteria set forth by the authors for their assessment of contemporary Catholicism--sola Scriptura, sola fide, the priesthood of all believers, and a theological (rather than anthropological) starting point--are some of the most important fundamentals of Protestantism/evangelicalism for evaluating Catholicism. Fourth, generally speaking, many evangelicals will agree with Noll and Nystrom's lists of agreements and disagreements between evangelical and Catholic theology and practice. Fifth, the book's emphasis on several recurring themes in contemporary Catholicism that (rightly) cause concern for evangelicals--the triadic shape of authority (Scripture, tradition, the magisterium), baptismal regeneration, Mary as co-mediatrix--is right on target. These and other positive elements highly commend this book.
At the same time, I wish greater attention had been paid to and different conclusions drawn on several critical issues. First, I generally concur with the authors' conviction that "the central difference that continues to separate evangelicals and Catholics is...the nature of the church" (p. 237). It would seem, however, that such an evaluation should lead to a more extensive and sophisticated critique of Catholic ecclesiology. Noll and Nystrom descriptively treat this subject in their discussions of the Catechism and ECT 4: "The Communion of Saints." But in their evaluative section, the authors devote as much attention to the ecclesiastical differences that divide Protestants from one another as they do to the ecclesiastical differences that divide Protestants from Catholics. Furthermore, the authors admittedly oversimplify the differences between Catholic and Protestant understandings of baptism and the Eucharist as they move to a more fundamental point of divergence: the nature of the divine action in and through the sacraments and their ministers. For Noll and Nystrom, the essential difference here seems to be that, "For Catholics, the church and its officers are essential as the institutional prerequisites for the sacraments in a way that they are not for evangelicals" (p. 236). But certainly a robust discussion of the Catholic idea of the sacramental economy--Jesus Christ, who as Redeemer accomplished salvation through his Pascal mystery that occurred in history and that gave birth to the Sacrament of the Church, continues as High Priest to accomplish salvation through the Church with particular reference to the apostles and their successors, the bishops, who teach, govern and sanctify the Church through the gospel and the seven sacraments--would help both evangelicals and Catholics understand the immense chasm that ecclesiologically separates the two. No Protestant denomination or evangelical church has an ecclesiology that even remotely resembles this Catholic idea of the sacramental economy; indeed, any commonalities are only superficial. Unfortunately, far too many evangelicals see these superficial resemblances and, as outsiders to Catholicism, draw the wrong conclusion. Noll and Nystrom perpetuate this habit.
Second, though the authors rightly draw attention to the fundamental difference between Protestantism's sola Scriptura and Catholicism's Scripture, tradition, and magisterium, I'm concerned that they don't emphasize adequately the tragic results of this triadic structure of authority in the Catholic Church. I offer two examples: Redemptoris Mater (Pope John Paul II; March 28, 1978) sketches a biblical theology of Mary but at points pays little attention to the text of Scripture itself; this results in affirmations about Mary that are clearly contradicted by the Bible. For example, in Luke 1:26-38, Mary's response to Gabriel's announcement--"Let it be done to me" (genoito moi)--is optative, not imperative as the papal exposition takes it; thus, Mary is not expressing her fiat (i.e., her authoritative decree to Gabriel/God) but she expresses her wish to submit to God's will that has been communicated to her by Gabriel's final words, "nothing will be impossible with God." This text is not about Mary; it is about the power of God to effect the incarnation of his Son. And nothing that Mary does--not her faith, her obedience, her courage, or anything else--is "decisive on the human level" in contributing to this miracle. A second example: At the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11), Jesus' courteous reproach of his mother ("O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come"), followed by Mary's order to the servants ("Do whatever he tells you"), can in no way be taken as Mary acting as intercessor and mediatrix between human needs and the power of her Son. If the triadic structure of authority leads the Church this far a field from responsible biblical interpretation and theology in the case of Mary, should we not suspect it does so in (many?) other areas? Every other doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church--justification, sanctification, perseverance, baptism, transubstantiation, original sin, imago Dei, apostolic succession, the priesthood of all believers, church government, clerical celibacy, etc.--deserves such close scrutiny. Noll and Nystrom need to underscore this with fervor and urgency.
Third, the authors' discussion of the "expanding area of agreement" between Protestants and Catholics on justification (e.g., the Lutheran-Catholic "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification") is quite disappointing. To conclude regarding justification by faith that "many Catholics and evangelicals now believe approximately the same thing," and "on the substance of what is actually taught about God's saving work in the world, if not always on the exact terminology used to describe that saving work, many evangelicals and Catholics believe something close to the same thing" (p. 232), goes far beyond the minimal evidence for such agreement set forth in the book. And the failure to note the dissention within Lutheran ranks (e.g., the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) over the Lutheran World Federation's endorsement of the "Joint Declaration" is an inexcusable lapse.
A final point of dissent with Is The Reformation Over? concerns the authors' method of assessment of contemporary Roman Catholicism. At times, the authors do a reversal and offer an assessment of contemporary evangelicalism posing as a thinly veiled assessment of contemporary Catholicism. Though a secondary purpose of the book is to help evangelicals understand themselves more clearly, a critique of the current state of evangelicalism cannot substitute for an assessment of contemporary Catholicism and a direct answer to the question posed by the title of the book. Thus, I am deeply disappointed with the conclusion to chapter five: "And so once again, after reading the Catechism, it is pertinent to ask, Is the Reformation over? The Catechism proclaims a deeply Christian faith, and it does so with grace....Is the Reformation over? Maybe a better question we evangelicals should ask ourselves is, Why do we not possess such a thorough, clear, and God-centered account of our faith as the Catechism offers to Roman Catholics?" (p. 150). This assessment of the Catechism is far too positive (and superficial, and naïve), and this is not an answer to the title's question. In the last chapter, Noll and Nystrom again sidestep the question with, "Yet asking whether the Reformation is over may not even be the most pertinent question." Such a postmodern dodging of the title's question, which may make sense with the authors' postliberal, cultural-linguistic approach to their own inquiry, leaves us ultimately dissatisfied after two hundred and fifty pages of text.
I am both fascinated with and suspicious of the Roman Catholic Church and the current evangelical-Catholic dialogue; similarly, I am both fascinated with and suspicious of this book. On both accounts, Is The Reformation Over? is must reading for scholars, seminarians, pastors, and educated lay people who pose that question in light of the contemporary thawing of tensions between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
Editor's Note: This review originally appeared in JETS (Vol 48, No. 4, December 2005) and is used here by permission.
Mark A. Noll & Carolyn Nystrom - Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005
Review by Gregg R. Allison
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Asking the Existential Questions
by Rosemary Ruether
Rosemary Radford Ruether, a contributing editor of Christianity and Crisis, is Georgia Harkness Professor of Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston. One of the foremost feminist theologians of the time, she was trained in church history arid historical theology and has published widely on feminism, the Christian roots of anti-Semitism, and the situation of the Palestinians.
This article appeared in the Christian Century, April 2, 1980 pp. 374-378. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock.
The author discusses her intellectual development in the following areas: (1) the relation of Christianity to other religions; (2) the relation of Roman Catholic Christianity to other Christian bodies; (3) the relation of American identity to anti-American criticism; and (4) the relation of feminism to male-dominated culture and institutions.
Reflecting on one’s intellectual development prematurely may be a mistake. A relatively young scholar may easily confuse fragmentary and tentative ventures with significant and formative patterns of thought and action. Nevertheless, as I look back over a journey of approximately 25 years, since I was first catapulted into intense intellectual activity at the beginning of my college work, I can discern certain basic patterns of thought and action that I have followed. These patterns show up as movement in a great variety of directions; sometimes they have been formulated as conscious principles, sometimes manifested more as a gut instinct for what is "right." I will discuss these in terms of four large areas of personal reflection and social action: (1) the relation of Christianity to other religions; (2) the relation of Roman Catholic Christianity to other Christian bodies; (3) the relation of American identity to anti-American criticism; and (4) the relation of feminism to male-dominated culture and institutions.
My intellectual questions and research have never been purely theoretical. I have in every case dealt with existential questions about how I was to situate my life, my identity, my commitments. I have never taken up an intellectual issue which did not have direct connections with clarifying and resolving questions about my personal existence, about how I should align my existence with others, ideologically and socially. This is true of my research into the rise of Christology or the formation of the doctrine of the afterlife in late biblical Judaism as much as it is of my more obviously contemporary, topical writing.
In this sense all my varied intellectual interests have cohered in one way or another as an interaction of reflection and practice. This may actually be true of all intellectual life, although our concepts of "pure research" tend to deny it. But I suspect that it tends to be more consciously and concretely the case with those whose identities do not cohere readily with the dominant systems of thought and society.
Christianity’s Credibility
The question of the church’s claims of faith and morality vis-à-vis the other traditions of world culture was posed for me early in my academic career. Much of the church’s record of social morality appeared discreditable. The problem of the church’s moral and intellectual record was aggravated, in the Roman Catholic context, by the hierarchy’s inability to admit to serious error in official policy (infallibility means never having to say you’re sorry!). That the church as a historical body had made serious errors, such as justifying slavery or sexism, did not surprise me. But the fact that it has been unable to admit error is a serious problem for the church’s understanding of its own humanity, as well as of the Christian message of salvation through repentance and forgiveness of sins. The inability of this church to resolve any of the serious pastoral dilemmas that beset it is rooted in this authority problem.
But the credibility of Christianity became suspect for me also in its foundations, not just in its later development. Things did not happen the way the official history said they did. Key ideas, such as Christology and the Trinity, had a hidden pedigree in Near Eastern and Greco-Roman religion and philosophy that contradicted the biblical heritage from which these ideas purportedly were derived. These questions launched me on a wide-ranging search into Christian origins. By unraveling the strands of early Christian development and tracing them to their sources, I hoped to discover what it all could mean to me.
During this period (1954-60) I was influenced by two brilliant classicists, Robert Palmer and Philip Merlan at Claremont. Both of these men preferred the culture and philosophy of Greco-Roman antiquity to Christianity. Their perspective transformed my stance toward Christianity. I learned to look at the whole Judeo-Christian tradition through the eyes of those alternative communities in antiquity that were defeated by the church. The triumphalistic presumptions about the superiority of Yahwism to Ba’alism, Christianity to paganism were no longer possible. Both biblical and nonbiblical faiths seemed to me to have good and bad points. If Christianity finally won, it was not because of its absolute difference but rather because of its ability to absorb all the viable elements of ancient Mediterranean cultures into a new synthesis. But the synthesis was itself a peculiar one and posed problems of reappropriation for today.
These questions directed me to research into early Christian development in relation to a number of specific issues. I was particularly concerned with the intersection of intellectual constructs and particular social conflicts. My Ph.D. thesis on Gregory Nazianzus: Rhetor and Philosopher (Cambridge University Press, 1969), as well as my research into patristic sexism, anti-Semitism and Christology, reflects these concerns.
A period of estrangement from biblical religion in favor of alternative perspectives eventually led me back to a positive interest in Christianity and then to a clarified identification with it. If Christianity was the only viable synthesis of the traditions and cultures that remained at the end of the ancient world, then it is Christianity itself which represents the most interesting legacy of this era of human consciousness. But I am always aware that I reappropriate Christianity from a markedly different basis than do traditional Christians. I reject absolutist views of biblical religion, while at the same time finding biblical religion in its Christian form the most viable language for me to express the dialectics of human existence in relation to God. I believe that. God has truly spoken through Christianity. But God is not a "Christian" and does not prefer Christians (or Jews) to the rest of humanity.
As I began to clarify my Christian identity, I asked what form of Christianity would best fit my sensibilities. The Protestant critical consciousness was academically helpful, but Protestant worship life lacked depth for me. I had grown up as a Roman Catholic, but in an ecumenical atmosphere. My father and his family were Anglicans. Other friends and relatives were Jews, Unitarians and Quakers. Along with Catholic worship I also at various times attended Episcopal or Quaker worship. But these others were not "mine" in the same way that the Roman Catholic community was. This I have come to regard as more a matter of ecclesial "ethnicity" than of points of "superiority."
Catholicism and Ecumenism
The unleashing of the waves of renewal through the Second Vatican Council was undoubtedly a crucial fact in my development at this stage. Instead of a church sealed off against self-doubt, there suddenly appeared a church engaged in intense self-questioning. This development made Catholicism an exciting and open community within which to contribute my insights. The 1960s occurred for me between the ages of 23 and 32. This means that a critical state of my adult identity coalesced both with the decade of Catholic renewal and the decade of American social crisis. If I had been born ten years earlier, I might well stand in a different place today.
The renewal of Catholicism meant that a whole host of teachings became open questions for at least a significant sector of Catholic Christians. These ranged from current pastoral conflicts over birth control to the basic questions of how we could speak of Jesus as the Christ. My thinking could be translated into a series of writings that were part of a community engaged in revising its identity.
But Protestants also wanted to hear about these and other questions in their own terms. I have come to work and teach both as a Catholic among Catholics and as a Christian among Christians. Today I teach simultaneously at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, an institution that amalgamates the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren traditions, and at the graduate program in religious studies at Mundelein College, a Roman Catholic institution. Previous to this I taught for ten years at a black seminary, the school of religion at Howard University (1966-76). I have also had visiting appointments at various other Catholic and Protestant institutions, as well as speaking engagements throughout the country. I have encountered American Christianity in much of its variety.
Being a Catholic Christian means, for me, being an ecumenical Christian. I identify myself as a Christian in terms of what I would call the "prophetic-messianic core" of biblical faith. This I see as the norm for judging both Scripture and tradition. I do not believe that Scripture is "enough" to create the content of Christian identity. The Protestant tendency to evacuate church history into the reapproximation of the Bible to one’s contemporary preferences I find self-deluding.
We are a people with a history, much of it bad. But its bad parts also teach lessons that we should not forget. One understands the full dimensions of Christianity only by appropriating the whole of this history in its various traditions -- East and West, Catholic and Protestant, the Magisterial and the Radical Reformations. Each tradition emphasizes a major element that others neglect. This is not exactly the Tillichian dialectic of "Protestant principle and Catholic substance," as though there were a dualism that could be apportioned to opposite communities. A living people exists through the constant fruitful interaction and reintegration of critical principles and historical tradition.
I would define Catholic Christianity as this whole ecumenical plurality. All particular churches exist within it as broken and partial sects. Even that communion which calls itself Catholic is also a partial and distorted reality. If I identify with this community first of all, it is not because it is the best, but because it is mine. The others are also mine in a somewhat lesser sense. This special claim on Catholicism does not mean that I have a special need to defend it. Rather it means that I have a special responsibility to question it, I have less of a responsibility to deal with the contradictions of Methodism, Lutheranism or Eastern Orthodoxy.
The prophetic ministry can be carried out authentically only within one’s own community. It is only when we struggle with and for what we love that we speak responsibly. The more distant one’s ties, the less one has a common base for critical conflict. What I have a right to say as a Catholic to Catholics is different from what I can say as a Christian to Protestants, as a sharer of biblical faith to Jews, as a religious person to Hindus. In each case we can engage in fruitful communication only when we have first established the ties that bind us together in community in a way that also respects the particularity of the other. Ecumenism means a shifting of the focus from attack on others to self-criticism. For example, the only group that could appropriately criticize the pope’s pastoral messages in the United States in October 1979 was not the Protestants, much less the "atheists," but the Catholics. This is as it should be.
Christians and Socialism
But the 1960s were the years not only of Catholic renewal but also of exploding social consciousness in America. I, like others in that "generation," became intensely involved in the civil rights movement in the south and urban north, in the antiwar movement and in feminism. I experienced these issues not as a series of alternating commitments but as an expanding consciousness of the present human social dilemma. This dilemma appears on many levels, from the intrapersonal and interpersonal questions of identity and relationship to the social, economic and ecological systems that we construct to incarnate human life in expanding networks. The pathology of unjust and distorted relationships takes different forms on different levels. But one can understand the ramifications of one such relationship, such as racism or sexism, only by tracing it in relation to the others.
I have gradually developed a methodology of analysis which I share with a community of thinkers who would identify themselves as both Christians and socialists. This means that, even when speaking of a particular issue, such as sexism, I am concerned to situate this issue in its interconnections with class, race and economic structures. This means also that I relate the critique of social pathology and the lifting up of social alternatives to the biblical prophetic-messianic tradition. This does not mean that the biblical heritage is just a parallel language for saying the same thing. Rather it is a way of grounding the whole struggle in order to give it both greater faith and endurance and better resources to criticize its own pathology than would be the case with a secular social analysis. But I believe that socialism and biblical faith are not for two different communities, one secular and the other religious, but for the same community, the human community, divided between its ambivalent reality and its hope for salvation.
Although many social critics have taken America as the particular scapegoat for contemporary evils, I have rejected anti-Americanism. If I criticize America more severely, it is again because it is my own, not because it is worse. I find it unhelpful and self-righteous to gorge oneself on self-loathing and to establish an imaginary relationship with foreign "guerrillas." If Americans are to relate social and religious criticism authentically to themselves, they have first to take responsibility for who they are. This means finding the points at which the American tradition of religion and politics can provide a positive base for change. For example, we should not reject the dearly won tradition of civil democracy but should expand its logic to include economic democracy in a way that can speak to the American conscience. It is at this point that I have disagreed with some of the more apocalyptic or countercultural critics on the New Left.
A Feminist Analysis
My concern for feminism has been long-standing but never exclusive. I have wished to ask which feminist perspective is most adequate to address the problem of sexism. Yet feminists fear the conflict between the desire for internal criticism and the need to avoid acrimonious factionalism. Feminism in the United States spans a broad ideological spectrum. Civil-libertarian feminism is primarily concerned with "equal rights" -- i.e., equal access of women to the public world of work, power and education. This feminism doesn’t question the economic system within which it seeks these equal rights. Another, much smaller group of feminists is made up of socialists who link feminism with fundamental changes in the economic relation of home and work, and the class structure of paid labor. A third feminism is countercultural. It is concerned more with radical changes in symbolic consciousness and sexual identities.
There are also religious counterparts to these positions -- evangelical and liberal Christian feminists and socialist Christian feminists. Radical cultural feminists believe that God the Father should be rejected in favor of a revived religion of the Goddess. Distinct feminisms appear in different ethnic and religious contexts -- black feminism, Chicano feminism, Jewish feminism and (let us hope) Muslim feminism.
Feminist ecumenism is no easier to establish than Christian ecumenism, especially because feminists are forming an identity in an embattled relation to dominant institutions. My view is that none of these feminisms are "wrong." Although women as a whole are marginated by sex, they also exist in relation to males of every class, race and religion. This means that feminism necessarily must take a number of specific forms in different contexts. A feminism that deals only with equal rights or only with sexual orientation is valid in its context. But an adequate feminist analysis must embrace the whole spectrum of the female condition in such a way as to take into account the different situations of non-Christian women, working-class women, black women, married women, etc. Ideological conflict comes from absolutizing a particular limited context and drawing dogmatic conclusions; i.e., "only lesbians are truly feminists," "feminists can’t be Christians," or "feminism is a white, middle-class women’s problem."
In terms of religious feminism, I have been critical of an evangelical feminism whose proponents believe that they can solve the problem with better translation and exegesis but cannot reckon with serious ideological and moral error in Scripture and tradition. On the other hand, I find the "rejectionist" wing of feminist spirituality engaged in serious distortions and pretensions. Although biblical religion is sexist, it is not reducible to sexism alone! It has also been dealing with human issues, such as estrangement and oppression and the hope for reconciliation and liberation. It has been doing this on male terms, failing to apply the same critique to women. Biblical feminists use these same liberating principles of the biblical tradition. But they make the principles say new things by applying them to sexism.
I believe that countercultural feminists delude themselves when they hope that somewhere there is a "pure" feminist religion or tradition from which one can overthrow. "patriarchy." All inherited culture, including the texts of goddess religion, has been biased in favor of men. Therefore, everywhere we must be engaged in a version of the same critique of culture. We must be able to claim the critical principles of every tradition and also to find how to transform the tradition by applying these principles to sexism. This means that our relation to every inherited tradition must be dialectical.
Finally, and most importantly, feminism must aim at a new community of mutuality for women and men, not a rejectionist community of women that impugns the humanity of men. This latter stance I regard not as a radical but as an immature position. That humiliated people succumb to desires for revenge is understandable; it is "only human." But it is not what I want to call "feminist ethics"!
If I were to define a common thread of thought and action that runs through the various issues, it would be that of dialectical methodology. A dialectical methodology seeks to be both radical and catholic in such a way that the radical side is not just an "attack," but the critical word of the tradition itself to judge, transform and renew it in new and more humanizing ways for all of us.
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ResidentMovie.com
Resident Movie: 2011 Horror / Thriller Film
This was the official website for the 2011 horror / thriller film, The Resident, starring Hillary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Content is from the site's archived pages, as well as from other review sources.
Running time 88 min.
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Director Antti Jokinen
Screenwriter Antti Jokinen, Robert Orr
Music John Ottman
Cinematography Guillermo Navarro
Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee, Lee Pace, Aunjanue Ellis, Michael Massee, Penny Balfour, Peggy Miley, Kisha Sierra, Michael Showers, Alexandria Morrow, Cliff Gravel, Sandi K Shelby
Co-production UK-USA; Hammer Film Productions
Genre Thriller. Horror. Drama
The Resident - OFFICIAL TRAILER
She Thought She Was Living Alone
Juliet (Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby), a beautiful doctor, has found the perfect New York apartment to start a new life after separating from her husband. It's got spacious rooms, a spectacular view, and a handy, handsome landlord. But there are secrets behind every wall and terror in every room as Juliet gets the unnerving feeling that she is not alone. She is being watched. She is being stalked. And no one is safe when she discovers the relentless horror on her doorstep. But how do you stop an evil that you can't see...until it's too late? Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey's Anatomy) and screen legend Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings) costar in this pulse-pounding shocker from famed horror studio Hammer Films (Let Me In).
The Resident – review
5 stars | 2 out of 5 stars.
Hilary Swank stars in a silly, but sometimes scary movie about a Brooklyn apartment with a difference. Christopher Lee contributes a sinister supporting turn. By Cath Clarke
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Hilary Swank's recently divorced doctor clearly hasn't seen enough by-the-book thrillers, or she'd be asking why the rent on her fabulous new Brooklyn apartment is dirt cheap. Or why the building is vacant except for her nice-guy landlord Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his grandfather (Christopher Lee, superbly sinister). Generic and intermittently silly, The Resident does get under the skin, with a drip drip of paranoia as it dawns on Swank she is being watched – landlord Max has converted the building into a peeper's paradise of spy holes. As for Swank herself, she's far better in gutsy, ain't-no-mountain-high-enough roles – she's basically sitting pretty here until the final chapter when things get nailgun nasty.
TOMATOMETER CRITICS 37% | AUDIENCE 27%
August 16, 2011 | Rating: 1/5
Andrew Simpson / Fan The Fire
The Resident fails to scare or entertain, and giving Christopher Lee the slightest of roles merely draws attention to how far short it falls short of its studio's heritage.
March 9, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Nigel Floyd / Time Out Top Critic
Swank is typically credible as a confident yet vulnerable professional woman, and Morgan is subtly convincing as the insinuating Max.
Like ‘Paranormal Activity’, this creepy psychological thriller taps in to fears about invasions of our private space. But the threat here is tangible rather than supernatural. Still raw from her husband’s betrayal, ER surgeon Dr Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank, pictured) moves into a new apartment in Brooklyn. The low rent and charming landlord, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), both seem too good to be true, and so it proves. Max is soon ogling her though spyholes as she bathes and creeping around her bedroom while she sleeps. When Juliet’s ex reappears, Max’s sexual and physical threats escalate, forcing her to defend herself with smart thinking and a nail-gun.
Finnish director Antti Jokinen makes effective use of CCTV security footage captured on motion-sensitive cameras that the suspicious Juliet instals; Swank is typically credible as a confident yet vulnerable professional woman; and Morgan is subtly convincing as the insinuating Max. Sadly, Christopher Lee – in his first Hammer movie for 30-plus years – is wasted as Max’s crotchety grandfather.
**½ Panos Y
5/10 not worth the time
**** Dylan F
Not bad, not great by any means. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilary Swank give great performances.
*½ Stephan H
I always enjoy watching a thriller even if the idea has been done to death plus I really enjoy Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, so I thought ....maybe. All that is on offer here is some good acting and eye candy. At little back story is in order here.
We were spending two weeks in Maui at a spiffy condo. My girlfriend had done an extensive online search for Kaanapali Whaler Resort rentals and found this upper floor condo. It had great views with an amazing beach that stretched for three miles along the western shoreline of Maui. We had spent a long day hiking not only the Pipiwai Trail, which is probably the best hike in Maui, as it meanders through verdant, bamboo jungle to waterfalls of 200 and 400 ft in height, but also a trail in the Polipoli Spring State recreational area. Then we came back to Kaanapali for a bit of snorkeling right outside the resort, dinner, and then a major collapse back in the condo. We found a CD of The Resident on the shelf with dozens of other movie possibilities in the den of the condo and said Why not? A thriller seemed to be a good way to chill for the rest of the evening.
BUT the film really disappointed us. There was no originality and to be honest it was very dull and uninspired. From the beginning it showed a little potential, but was completely ruined by the extremely boring ending. There was a couple moments where it was quite creepy, but even they could have been done 100 times better. These usually strong actors seemed to be adrift without a decent script or story. They had a lot of potential, they could have done so much better. They had great actors and an amazing cinematographer in Guillermo Navarro. My girlfriend actually fell asleep before the movie ended. What a bummer way to end an otherwise great day on Maui. I give the Kaanapali Whaler Resort five stars, The Resident gets *½ stars.
**½ Anitra C
The movie is not very good, but the main stars, Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, are fantastic! They are my favorite actors. Can't believe stars of this caliber did this terrible movie. It's what they call a "take the money and run" movie. I find myself watching it each time it's televised only to see the stars. They are so talented. Hope they do better movies.
*½ Greg A
Slow and somewhat predictable.
** Barry T
This started off very promisingly,not knowing who the stalker was : it could be the landlord,the grandfather,the ex etc...but once you find out early in the film it just plods and plods and becomes formulaic and predictable...shame.
* ½ David S
Second-rate stalker thriller even before its lame third act twist (which occurs halfway through).
*** MG M
paint-by numbers but I liked it!
** Amanda F
Weird and really creepy and got really bored w it!! The crazy guy is such a hottie what a waste! Haha
*½ Samra M
Extremely weak 'obsessed-stalker' flick ...!
Was really disappointed due to the star cast of the flick ... with names like Swank, Christopher Lee and even Dean-Morgan ... one would expect a stronger script and story than this predictable, conventional, cliched thiller ...
Zero for originality ... the stars are for the time-pass quotient!!
***½ Billie T
This movie freaked me out. :O
What a creep.
*** Chris R
it was good, but it didnt explain why everything happend in the end, little disapointed.
Andrés N
** shai l
weak. Swank's dumb role makes it difficult for people to root for her if not think she deserved what's coming. Somehow it makes you pity Morgan's character than Swank's. Sure, stop a guy in the middle of sex and evvverything is alright, eyh? Pfft.
***½ James K
Not a bad effort from Hammer. It reminds me a bit of a French thriller starring Audrey Tautou called "He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not", only in this the man is the stalker and aggressor. I've never been a big fan of Hilary Swank's, but Morgan is engrossingly creepy in this when he's not exuding the charm and working-man swagger.
***Bry G
It's just really 2 stars but added 1 just because of Lee.
** Cindy S
Hugely disappointing, considering this cast. I found it un-original and boring.
*** Natalie C
Just saw this and omg, this guy is CRAZY!
** Brad G
What a bore! After a promising start with the Let Me In remake, the new Hammer Films release this monotonous Single White Female-ish stalker thriller that nearly infuriates (it doesn't cuz its not worth enough to care) the viewer with its A to B to C narrative. I have become quite the fan of Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Supernatural, Watchmen, The Losers) but he could and should be used better elsewhere. And Hilary Swank...Swanks it up. Meh. VF.
*** Viktor N
Disturbing! Seriously... Great actors.
Ant S
**March 19, 2011
Not bad. Typical horror/thriller-build ups and loud scares. Great acting from Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilary wasn't her surname minus the S as usual.
**½ March 19, 2011
Nothing new here
A waste of hilary swanks talents
story...
Jani M
*** March 18, 2011
It's rare than finn gets to direct hollywood movie. It's even rare that it has oscar winner (Hillary Swank) and horrorlegend (Christopher Lee) in it. Movie tells a story about lady-doctor who moves to rental apartment that seems too good to be true (huge apartment for low price at good location). After a while she starts to gets these feelings that someone is watching her ... and maybe someone is :) Well, very mediocre thriller/horror that is forgotten as soon as it ends. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is very charismatic actor and Christopher Lee always has such a huge presense. I can't stand Hillary Swank. So if you don't count finnish director this movie has nothing special to offer.
Sarah E
**** March 18, 2011
I loved this movie!! not an original storyline but had an element of SWF/4th floor and many other suspence thrillers ive enjoyed. Not a typical part for Jeffrey dean morgan to play a psycho but he played it well and very creepy!!! on the dwnside was dissapointed to not see very much of Christopher Lees charachter. Worth a one time watch
Craig T
*March 18, 2011
Want to watch a movie shoot itself in the foot? Twenty minutes into this thriller, it reveals itself in a manner that renders it immediately dramatically impotent. From that moment on, these aren't characters, they're two-dimensional pawns in a chess game of screenwriting psychobabble. Too bad, because it's well photographed and cast.
Martin O
This really is a movie to switch your brain off and not think about much. Absolutely ridiculous and so stupid that it spoils it. It wracks up the tension towards the end of the film although so much has got out of control that at points it's laughable.
Craig P
* March 18, 2011
She's tidy enough but this is bawz!
Sofia C
Jeffrey, what have you done??
ernest e
Good cast and a tasty remake of the old recipe. Original or not it was fun to watch.
Why condemn it when all other so called good movies these days repeat themes and methods as well and then pretend to be something special?. It was a good one to see. Loved its simplicity.
Alejandro S
A thriller without any thrills!
Dee P
SPOILER: meh...... one very cute-freak-stalker-psycho-finally-dies-in-the-woman's-hand story.... i am not satisfied. MEH i said...
James H
The freaky bits are funnier than they are creepy, but it's kinda ok if you're really desperate to watch a psychological horror.
Chanelle P
to be honest it was'nt what i expected. disappointing story, acting and ending. i would'nt buy this on dvd and i didn'nt really get it to be honest. the trailer made it out to be more scary and horrific then it actually was.
Two-time Academy Award winning actress, Hilary Swank has graced some of this decade’s most fascinating films. An actress as well as a producer, Swank is involved with several highly anticipated projects.
Hilary most recently starred in and executive produced the Fox Searchlight biopic ‘Amelia’ alongside Ewan McGregor, and Richard Gere in 2009. Next up, Hilary will be seen in Fox Searchlight’s ‘Conviction’, which she also executive produced, based on the true story of a working mother who puts herself through law school to free her wrongfully convicted brother who is serving a life sentence. Set for release in late 2010, Hilary stars alongside Sam Rockwell and Minnie Driver.
In 2008, Hilary and producer Molly Smith launched the production company 2S FILMS and inked a two-year first-look pact with Warner-based Alcon Entertainment. Projects in the works include ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’ based on the 2004 bestseller by Mireille Guiliano, a romantic comedy about a young, single woman living in New York who learns some tough life lessons about truly loving yourself and ‘Sweet & Vicious’ a light- hearted comedy about female friendship and the pitfalls of success, currently both films are out to directors.
Currently in production is ‘Something Borrowed’ based on the debut novel from author Emily Giffin, about a woman who falls for her best friends fiancé. Other projects in development are ‘You’re Not You’ based on a novel by Michelle Wildgen, about a woman suffering from a terminal illness and an aimless young woman who enters her life as a caregiver and ‘Falling Out of Fashion’ based on the debut novel by Karen Yampolsky, which centers on a woman who leaves a Georgia hippie commune for New York City with dreams of becoming a magazine editor.
In 2007, Hilary starred in two films which showcased her range in talent both from director Richard LaGravense. First in the drama, which she also executive produced, ‘Freedom Writers’ opposite Patrick Dempsey, based on the inspirational true story of school teacher Erin Gruwell, followed by her starring role in the romantic comedy ‘P.S. I Love You’, opposite Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates.
Swank has won two Best Actress Academy Awards, an extremely rare accomplishment and testament to her talent. She won her first Oscar for the role of Brandon Teena in the 1999 drama ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. She also won a Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, New York Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics, and National Society of Film Critics Award for her portrayal of Brandon. Additionally, the National Board of Review recognized Swank’s work with the Breakthrough Performance of the Year Award, and she earned BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations.
In 2005, Swank won her second Academy Award for her starring role as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, ‘Million Dollar Baby’, opposite Eastwood and Morgan Freeman. In addition to her Oscar, Hilary won her second Golden Globe as well as a SAG Award, National Society of Film Critics Award and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Maggie. That same year, Hilary earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her portrayal of suffragette Alice Paul in the HBO movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels’.
Hilary Swank is an Executive Producer on THE RESIDENT.
Morgan previously co-starred with Swank in Warner Bros.' ‘P.S. I Love You’.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan's charisma, undeniable charm and versatility have landed him a variety of prestigious films working alongside a number of award-winning actors and filmmakers. Having worked nonstop in back-to-back features the past few years, Morgan has captured the attention of Hollywood and has emerged as one of the industry's most sought-after leading men.
Last year, Morgan starred in Warner Bros.' ‘Watchmen,’ director Zack Snyder's (‘300’) adaptation of the iconic graphic novel. He played the pivotal role of Edward Blake/'The Comedian,' a Vietnam vet who is a member of a group of heroes called the Minutemen. It is the storyline of 'The Comedian' that sparks an investigation which leads to a bigger conspiracy, linking the Minutemen's past to catastrophic consequences for the future. USA Weekend's Lorrie Lynch proclaimed, "Jeffrey Dean Morgan has the best chance to become an A-list star, with what looks like a movie-stealing performance as the cigar-chomping antihero, ‘The Comedian.'"
Earlier this year, Morgan starred in the feature ‘The Losers,’ an adaptation of DC-Vertigo's acclaimed comic book series about a band of black ops commandos who are set up to be killed by their own government. The team barely survives and sets out to get even. Morgan stars as Clay, the leader of the group. The film is produced by Joel Silver and directed by Sylvain White. Warner Bros. released ‘The Losers’ on April 23, 2010.
The in-demand actor recently wrapped production in upstate New York filming the independent feature ‘Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding’ alongside Catherine Keener and Jane Fonda with director Bruce Beresford (‘Driving Miss Daisy’). The story revolves around conservative lawyer Diane (Keener), who brings her son and daughter to visit their estranged, hippie grandmother, Grace (Fonda) in Woodstock, New York after her husband asks her for a divorce. Morgan stars as Jude, a musician and carpenter who falls in love with Diane. Also starring is Chace Crawford, Rosanna Arquette and Kyle MacLachlan.
Prior to ‘Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding,’ Morgan was on location in New Orleans filming the independent murder mystery ‘The Fields.’ In the film, based on a true story, Morgan plays a detective transplanted from New York who teams with a local investigator, played by Sam Worthington. Together they work on a series of unsolved murders in industrial wastelands surrounding Gulf Coast refineries, where as many as 70 bodies turned up over the past two decades, and wage a war against the unknown assailants. Michael Mann produced, while his daughter Ami Canaan Mann directed.
Morgan has completed production on the MGM/UA's upcoming reboot of the 1984 action movie ‘Red Dawn’. The plot focuses on a group of teenagers who form an insurgency, called the Wolverines, when Chinese and Russian soldiers invade their town. Morgan plays the role of Lieutenant Andrew Tanner, leader of the U.S. Special Forces who finds the Wolverines
Also in the can is The Weinstein Co.'s period drama, ‘Shanghai,’ under the direction of Mikael Hafstrom (‘1408’). The film stars John Cusack as an American who returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months prior to Pearl Harbor and learns that his friend Connor (Morgan) has been killed. While trying to solve the murder, he discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding.
In the fall of 2009, Morgan appeared in Focus Features' ‘Taking Woodstock,’ directed by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee. He also starred opposite Uma Thurman in Yari Film Group's romantic comedy, ‘The Accidental Husband.’ Additional feature credits include a cameo role opposite Rachel Weisz in Warner Bros.' comedy ‘Fred Claus,’ and the independent office comedy ‘Kabluey,’ in which he plays a charismatic yet smarmy co-worker to Lisa Kudrow's character.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan endeared himself to audiences with his recurring role on ABC's smash hit series ‘Grey's Anatomy’. His dramatic arc as heart patient Denny Duquette, who wins the heart of intern Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) in a star-crossed romance, made him a universal fan favorite. He also had recurring roles on The CW and Warner Bros. Television's drama series, ‘Supernatural’, and on Showtime and Lions Gate Television's award-winning comedy series, ‘Weeds’.
In his spare time, Morgan enjoys barbecuing on the grill, reading, watching movies and listening to his favorite band, The Eagles. The Seattle native also loves to root for his home team, the Seattle Seahawks. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his dogs Bisou and Bandit Morgan, a puppy he rescued in Puerto Rico while filming ‘The Losers.’
Marking his return to Hammer Films after 34 years with THE RESIDENT, legendary actor Christopher Lee portrays August, grandfather to Max (Morgan).
A veteran of film, theatre and television and still very much in demand, Lee has starred in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy for New Line Cinema, ‘Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones’, and ‘Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith’ from LucasFilm as well as ‘The Golden Compass’ in recent years. Prior to his roles in these blockbusters, Lee starred in the critically acclaimed independent picture ‘Jinnah’, which he considers the most important movie of his career, and the epic BBC miniseries ‘Gormenghast’.
For director Tim Burton, Lee has starred as the Jabberwocky in 2010’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, as Mr. Wonka, Willy’s dentist father, in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and also in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘The Corpse Bride’.
In 2008 he appeared in ‘The Colour of Magic’ by Terry Pratchett (voiceover for The Voice of Death) and ‘Boogie Woogie’. That year, he also filmed ‘Triage’ and Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘1939’. He followed this with fantasy adventure ‘Season of the Witch’ with Nicolas Cage.
Lee was educated at Summer Fields preparatory school and took a scholarship at Eton College and Wellington College, where he was a classical scholar in Greek and Latin. After leaving school, he worked as an office boy and messenger in London and during five years of World War II he served in the Royal Air Force and Special Forces. He was decorated for distinguished service and held the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
After demobilization in 1946, Lee entered the film industry in 1947 and was, for a time, under contract to the Rank Organization and later worked extensively for Hammer Films. He has appeared in the theatre and in operatic performances and has recorded for radio worldwide. Most recently, he recorded an album with the world famous metal band Rhapsody, and recorded the single The Magic of the Wizards Dream, which entered the music charts. He also recently recorded a solo album and DVD entitled ‘Revelation’, which has already gone platinum.
The directors for whom Lee has worked over the years include John Huston, Raoul Walsh, Joseph Losey, George Marshall, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, Michael Powell, Edward Molinaro, Jerome Savary, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, John Landis, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Andrei Konchalovsky. He has filmed in Russian, French, Italian, German and Spanish, and has worked in numerous countries all over the world.
Lee has appeared in more than 250 film and television productions, amongst which the best known are ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, ‘Dracula’, ‘The Mummy’, ‘The Wicker Man’, ‘The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes’, ‘The Three Musketeers’, ‘The Man with The Golden Gun’, (of which the author was his cousin, Ian Fleming), ‘1941’, ‘Airport ‘77’, and ‘Gremlins II’. “He considers the most important point in his career to have been as host of ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1978 with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin. It is still the third highest rated show of the series.
Lee holds the world record for more sword fights on camera than any other actor in history. He is also an honorary member of three Stuntmen’s Unions and performed all of his own stunts for most of his career.
He speaks French, Italian, Spanish and German fluently and can “get along” in Swedish, Russian and Greek. His hobbies are travel, opera and golf. Lee has been married for 46 years to Danish model and painter Gitte Kroencke. They have one daughter, Christina. After living some years in Switzerland and California, they are now residents in the United Kingdom.
Amongst his publications are an autobiography ‘Tall, Dark and Gruesome’, as well as ‘The Great Villains’, ‘Archives of Evil’ and ‘The Films of Christopher Lee.’ Also ‘The Authorized Screen History’ by Jonathan Rigby (Foreword by George Lucas). Lee is listed in the ‘Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats’ as being the international star with the most screen credits. He was awarded the London Film Critics Dilys Powell ‘94 award for his work as an actor and services to the film industry. He was awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and most recently (2009) received a knighthood from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and he is a Commander Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the world’s oldest order. In 2002, at the height of his career, he was awarded the prestigious Lifetime World Actor Award in Vienna from the hands of Mikhail Gorbachev. He was named by the French Government Officer of Arts and Letters. The most recent edition of ‘The Guinness Book of Records’ also states that he is the most connected actor in the film business. The Internet Movie Database states that the films of Christopher Lee over 60 years have grossed more than any other actor in the history of cinema.
LEE PACE
In 2003, Lee Pace starred in the Sundance hit, ‘Soldier’s Girl’, an extraordinary film created for Showtime. The film was based on the true story of a trans-gendered nightclub performer in love with a soldier who is brutally murdered for their relationship. His breakthrough performance garnered him nominations for both the Golden Globes (‘Pushing Daisies’) and the Independent Spirit Award, and he won a Gotham Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance.??
Though he was born in Oklahoma, Lee spent his early years living in the Middle East. His family eventually moved back to the States, first to New Orleans and later, Houston, Texas. Lee attended high school in Houston, where he first began acting. He got so involved with his craft that he actually dropped out of high school to perform at the local Alley Theatre. Once he completed his final high school courses, Lee was accepted to The Juilliard School's Drama Division in 1997.
During his time at Juilliard, Lee honed his acting skills in such classic roles as Romeo in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the title role in ‘King Richard II’ and Cassius in ‘Julius Caesar,’ among others. After graduating with a BFA from Juilliard, Lee starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play, ‘The Credeaux Canvas’, as well as being part of the Vineyard production of ‘The Fourth Sister’.
In the spring of 2004, Lee starred a limited engagement of the Off-Broadway production ‘Small Tragedy’ and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Awards in the category of Outstanding Actor.
Most recently, Pace has starred in ‘A Single Man’, the first movie from legendary designer Tom Ford, along with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. He also starred opposite Sarah Michelle Geller in ‘Possession’ (2009) and worked with Amy Adams and Frances McDormand in ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day’, (2008) Pace also worked for actor/director Robert de Niro in ‘The Good Shepherd’ (2006) and for director Tarsem Singh in ‘The Fall’ (2006). He also appeared in the Truman Capote bio-pic ‘Infamous’ (2006) along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Signorney Weaver and worked for director James Ivory in ‘The White Countess’ (2005).
On the small screen, Lee was recently seen as a recurring character in ‘Pushing Daises,’ (2007-2009) episodes of ‘Law and Order,’ and displaying a delightful comedic side in the brilliant, but short-lived, Fox series ‘Wonderfalls’ (2004).
ANTTI J. JOKINEN- DIRECTOR
Jokinen was born in Nurmijärvi, Finland and was awarded a basketball scholarship by East Carolina University, graduating at the top of his class with a major in Broadcast & Film. While in college, he made a short film based on Jim Morrison’s poetry entitled ‘Fist Full of Sand’ which won a filmmaking award at the North Carolina Film Festival and attracted attention from the executives at MTV in New York City. After graduating, Mr. Jokinen moved to New York and worked for MTV as an assistant producer on the music shows ‘Awake on the Wild Side’, ‘MTV Rocks’ and the seminal ‘Yo! MTV Raps’.
Returning to Finland, Mr. Jokinen co-founded his own production company, Solar Films, which has grown into Finland’s largest TV and film producer. Solar Films has produced two of the top ten grossing Finnish films in history. During his years in Finland, Jokinen directed and co-wrote two successful drama series for national television. ‘Under The Starlight Lamp’ and ‘The Bridge,’ which won several television drama awards in Finland. He also directed and co-wrote a “faux” documentary ‘Bioterror’, which was shot in English and distributed via Canal Plus to ten different countries around the world, including the US.
After CVC-Report ranked him as one of the top ten upcoming directors in the world, Jokinen was approached by several music video production companies for representation in the United States. He quickly became one of the most requested music video directors worldwide and continues to work with renowned artists such as Will Smith, Beyonce, Eminem, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Missy Elliott, Shaggy, Kelly Clarkson, and numerous others.
Mr. Jokinen currently runs his own production companies Estar Studios and AJ Storm Inc. in Beverly Hills, California, and is attached as a director/producer to an Estar Studios fantasy film, ‘Nicholas North’, which is based on a screenplay written by him and Matthew B. Wilder. He also has two of his own original screenplays in development.
Mr. Jokinen has won the following awards:
• Best video of the year award, ‘Much Music’, 2002
• MTV nomination, best pop video, Kelly Clarkson ‘Moment Like This’, 2003
• Award, best video of the year, Nightwish’s ‘Nemo’, 2006
• Muuvi award, best video of the year, Apocalyptica featuring HIM, ‘Bitter Sweet’, 2005
• MTV Gold award, best video of the year Nightwish’s ‘Nemo’, 2006
• Shots International Commercial Edition Award Sas
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Preseason polls are worth exactly what you pay for them
It’s college football season again, and I am excited about the possibilities. Week one brings an excellent out-of-conference matchup between Alabama and Michigan played at a neutral site in Dallas that, according to preseason polls, features two of the top ten teams in the country. But are Alabama and Michigan really in the top ten, or are they coasting on their considerable reputations?
In evaluating whether teams are properly rated, the first thing that comes to mind is to simply compare preseason and postseason polls. The difference in rankings would show up as a positive (underrated) or negative (overrated) change from preseason to postseason. The weakness with this method is that it treats all spots as the same. A team rated 20th going into the season that finishes 24th would be a -4, just like a team that rated 1st going into the season and finished 5th. To me, the second miss should be more significant because the gap between the 1st and 5th best team in the country should be much larger than that between the 20th and 24th best teams (think of the far right of a bell curve vs. the area closer to the middle). Because of the system that adds weight to movements at the top it will be extremely hard for a team to show up as overrated without being in the top portion of the polls, but that seems like a reasonable proposition as a team starting in the high teens cannot be considered highly rated. Now we just have to think about the best way to systematically account for errors in different ranges of the poll.
In a previous post, I used the average postseason Sagarin points to account for the varying differences between teams from the top (larger gaps) to the bottom of the poll (smaller gaps). While using votes for each team is another option, it relies on the polls themselves – which we are examining for flaws – rather than a reasonably reliable third party. The Sagarin rankings are postseason but, in theory, that’s what the preseason rankings are striving for. Check out the demonstration of the dropoff in points from 1 through 25 displayed nearby (this will help provide context for the numbers in the tables below). Now that we have a methodology, let’s put it to work.
Most Underrated
Most Overrated
Under: 4 seasons
Equal: none
Over: none
Notre Dame (-55)
Over: 8 seasons
SMU (-24)
Under: none
Clemson (18)
Ohio State (-24)
Michigan (-23)
Auburn (16)
Over: 1 season
Oklahoma (-18)
Equal: 2 seasons
Notre Dame stands out as being hugely overrated in this decade. The 5.5 Sagarin points per year could represent the difference between unranked and 13th, 10th and 4th or 1st and 3rd (it’s a sliding scale!). The pattern that emerges from the two sides of the table is that second- or third-tier teams fill up the underrated side while the overrated teams are almost exclusively top-tier.
Syracuse (-30)
Texas (-26)
LSU (16)
Equal: 1 season
Washington (-19)
Two other patterns of note appear in this decade. First, Ohio State and Oklahoma are holdovers. This will continue throughout as they appear in the top five four (OSU) and five (Oklahoma) times, the highest two teams. Second, Syracuse goes from being the most underrated team to being the most overrated team. No other schools go from first to worst, but several make the jump between sides of the table in future decades.
Under: 1 season
Miami (Ohio) (15)
Penn State (-18)
Arkansas (-16)
Here, at the height of the Ten Year War between Ohio State and Michigan, we see that those two Big Ten dominating powers may have been a bit overrated. In fact they were ranked 19 of 20 possible times in the preseason (Ohio State in 1979 being the exception, though those Buckeyes finished the season ranked number four) with all 18 of those being in the top ten. They were only underrated in three of the 19 observations. The poll got it exactly right two times and overrated them the other 14 times, two of which saw them finish the season unranked. Arkansas was this decade’s swing from underrated to overrated while Oklahoma went the other way on the strength of two national titles, two second place finishes and three thirds. Remarkably the preseason poll predicted Oklahoma’s final position correctly five times during this decade, a record tied by Florida State in the 1990s.
Miami (Fla.) (63)
BYU (30)
Nebraska (-33)
Oklahoma State (18)
USC (-31)
Alabama (-30)
With all those points headed to Miami, they had to come from somewhere. Those points came from the elite football schools. The top three overrated teams were more overrated than the number one from the 70s and all five were more overrated than the number one from the 60s. BYU exploded on the strength of the 1984 season in which they started unranked and ended up number one, worth 20 points.
Kansas State (29)
Virginia Tech (21)
Miami (Fla.) (-21)
Texas A&M (-19)
The underrateds turned in much lower totals in the 1990s as elite teams generally dominated (the top five teams in overall points were Florida State, Nebraska, Florida, Tennessee and Michigan) after starting high, justifying their preseason rankings. Florida State actually landed precisely in their preseason place five times during the decade. Miami (Fla.) flip flops to the overrated side after having an incredibly strong run in the 1980s.
Since 2000 (12 seasons)
Florida State (-53)
TCU (29)
Tennessee (-33)
Boise State (26)
Florida (-29)
Oregon pulls off the rarely seen two-decades-in-a-row underrated. Florida State, Nebraska and Florida follow up their runs in the 1990s with more up-and-down performances in the 2000s. Oklahoma surprises in 2000 for the title, but ends up falling short the rest of the period: 9 of the next 11 seasons registered as underperformance.
Informed poll watching
If you really want to use the preseason poll (I don’t recommend it) here are some guidelines for making it useful. Take a look at last year’s final ranking for each team. The higher the final ranking from last year, the more likely it is that that team is overrated in the preseason poll. Poll voters have relatively little data to go on, so they go with last year’s results (a problem not limited to college football observers) when the reality is that teams vary much more widely from year to year.
Outcomes (over/underrated) based on prior year final ranking (note: AP only expanded to 25 teams in 1989)
This graph demonstrates the bias towards last year’s teams present in current year preseason polling. Any team that was ranked at the conclusion of the previous season has more than a 50% probability of being overrated. Those that were ranked in the top five to finish the season are more than 70% likely to be overrated in this season’s poll.
If we apply this logic to the current AP preseason poll, we find a lot of opportunities for skepticism. The final top five from last year – Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Arkansas – is very highly rated this year – Second, Third, 19th, Fifth and Tenth. The data suggest that only one team is likely to live up to their ranking.
The only cohort that systematically exceeds their preseason ranking is the group of teams who finished the previous season unranked. Watch out for Texas, Ohio State, Florida and Louisville to outperform their rankings. History suggests that three quarters of all teams who were unranked to finish the previous year will finish higher than their preseason rankings.
2012 Preseason
Check out last year’s final and this year’s preseason to find other potentially overrated teams and get a leg up on identifying possible surprises.
Posted by Steve on 8/30/2012
Labels: AP Poll, College Football, Graphs, Statistics, Supposedly Quantitative Analysis, Tables
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Preseason polls are worth exactly what you pay for...
It's gotta be the suits (world records in swimming...
Why does China win so many gold medals?
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Avignon And After Vol.1
(Emanem - Great Britain)
Highlights from saxophonist Steve Lacy's first solo concerts in Avignon 1972 originally released on LP in 1974, with additional recordings and a solo performance of his "Clangs" cycle from Berlin, 1974.
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units
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Label: Emanem
Catalog ID: 5023
Squidco Product Code: 15769
Country: Great Britain
Packaging: Cardstock 3 page foldover
All analogue concert recordings: Tracks 1 - 12 Avignon (Théâtre du Chene Noir) by Georg Radanowicz 1972 August 7 & 8; Tracks 13 - 17 Berlin (Akademie der Künste) [Workshop Freie Musik] 1974 April 14. Tracks 1 - 8 originally issued in 1974 as Emanem LP 301, reissued on CD 4004. Tracks 9 - 17 previously unissued.
Steve Lacy-soprano saxophone
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Artist Biographies:
• Show Bio for Steve Lacy
"Steve Lacy (July 23, 1934 - June 4, 2004), born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone. Coming to prominence in the 1950s as a progressive dixieland musician, Lacy went on to a long and prolific career. He worked extensively in experimental jazz and to a lesser extent in free improvisation, but Lacy's music was typically melodic and tightly-structured. Lacy also became a highly distinctive composer, with compositions often built out of little more than a single questioning phrase, repeated several times.
The music of Thelonious Monk became a permanent part of Lacy's repertoire after a stint in the pianist's band, with Monk's songs appearing on virtually every Lacy album and concert program; Lacy often partnered with trombonist Roswell Rudd in exploring Monk's work. Beyond Monk, Lacy performed the work of jazz composers such as Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington and Herbie Nichols; unlike many jazz musicians he rarely played standard popular or show tunes.
Lacy began his career at sixteen playing Dixieland music with much older musicians such as Henry "Red" Allen, Pee Wee Russell, George "Pops" Foster and Zutty Singleton and then with Kansas City jazz players like Buck Clayton, Dicky Wells, and Jimmy Rushing. He then became involved with the avant-garde, performing on Jazz Advance (1956), the debut album of Cecil Taylor,:55 and appearing with Taylor's groundbreaking quartet at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival; he also made a notable appearance on an early Gil Evans album. His most enduring relationship, however, was with the music of Thelonious Monk: he recorded the first album to feature only Monk compositions (Reflections, Prestige, 1958) and briefly played in Monk's band in 1960:241 and later on Monk's Big Band and Quartet in Concert album (Columbia, 1963).
Lacy's first visit to Europe came in 1965, with a visit to Copenhagen in the company of Kenny Drew; he went to Italy and formed a quartet with Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and the South African musicians Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo (their visit to Buenos Aires is documented on The Forest and the Zoo, ESP, 1967). After a brief return to New York, he returned to Italy, then in 1970 moved to Paris, where he lived until the last two years of his life. He became a widely respected figure on the European jazz scene, though he remained less well known in the U.S.
The core of Lacy's activities from the 1970s to the 1990s was his sextet: his wife, singer/violinist Irene Aebi,:272 soprano/alto saxophonist Steve Potts, pianist Bobby Few, bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel, and drummer Oliver Johnson (later John Betsch). Sometimes this group was scaled up to a large ensemble (e.g. Vespers, Soul Note, 1993, which added Ricky Ford on tenor sax and Tom Varner on French horn), sometimes pared down to a quartet, trio, or even a two-saxophone duo. He played duos with pianist Eric Watson. Lacy also, beginning in the 1970s, became a specialist in solo saxophone; he ranks with Sonny Rollins, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, and Lol Coxhill in the development of this demanding form of improvisation.
Lacy was interested in all the arts: the visual arts and poetry in particular became important sources for him. Collaborating with painters and dancers in multimedia projects, he made musical settings of his favourite writers: Robert Creeley, Samuel Beckett, Tom Raworth, Taslima Nasrin, Herman Melville, Brion Gysin and other Beat writers, including settings for the Tao Te Ching and haiku poetry. As Creeley noted in the Poetry Project Newsletter, "There's no way simply to make clear how particular Steve Lacy was to poets or how much he can now teach them by fact of his own practice and example. No one was ever more generous or perceptive."
In 1992, he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (nicknamed the "genius grant").
He also collaborated with a wide range of musicians, from traditional jazz to the avant-garde to contemporary classical music. Outside of his regular sextet, his most regular collaborator was pianist Mal Waldron,:244-245 with whom he recorded a number of duet albums (notably Sempre Amore, a collection of Ellington/Strayhorn material, Soul Note, 1987).
Lacy played his 'farewell concerts to Europe' in Belgium, in duo and solo, for a small but motivated public. This happened in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruge and Bergen. This recollection is published by Naked Music. In Ghent he played with the classical violinist Mikhail Bezverkhni, winner of Queen Elisabeth Concours. He returned to the United States in 2002, where he began teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. One of his last public performances was in front of 25,000 people at the close of a peace rally on Boston Common in March 2003, shortly before the US-led invasion of Iraq.
After Lacy was diagnosed with cancer in August 2003, he continued playing and teaching until weeks before his death on June 4, 2004 at the age of 69."
-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lacy)
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
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1. The Breath 5:35
2. Stations 6:20
3. Cloudy 3:18
4. Original New Duck 5:42
5. Josephine 5:40
6. Weal 4:03
7. Name 4:58
8. The Wool 5:52
9. Bound 1:44
10. The Rush 1:40
11. Holding 2:16
12. The Dumps 4:28
13. The Owl 5:25
14. Torments 6:29
15. Tracks 6:26
16. Dome 4:59
17. The New Moon 4:31
sample the album:
descriptions, reviews, &c.
"Highlights from Lacy's first solo concerts in Avignon 1972 featuring pieces like 'The New Duck', 'The Breath', 'Name' and 'Cloudy' that became frequently played, alongside rarities like 'Stations', 'Josephine', 'Weal' and 'The Wool'. In addition to this material that was originally issued as Emanem LP 301 and reissued on CD 4004, this new compilation also contains four more short rarities from the same concerts: 'Bound', 'The Rush', 'Holding' and 'The Dumps'. Finally there is his performance of his somewhat outrageous 'Clangs' cycle from Berlin in 1974 - the first time a solo version of this has been issued. Previous issues of this suite were by a duo in 1976 and a double sextet in 1992. This solo performance is arguably the definitive version. Like the Avignon music, this finds Lacy's unaccompanied work at its most adventurous. 79 minutes."-Emanem
Excerpts from sleeve notes:
"The 1972 Avignon concerts were Steve Lacy's very first solo concerts, although he did make an excellent overdubbed solo record (LAPIS) for Saravah the year before. (For 'solo' read 'alone' or 'unaccompanied' rather than the usual music business meaning of 'very accompanied'.)
Thanks to an introduction by John Stevens, I first met Lacy when he visited London in 1973. He brought with him some of the Avignon tapes in order to try and interest a record producer to issue this music. However, record producers were generally not then interested in such radical concepts as solo saxophone records. When Lacy played me some of this music, I instantly decided to fulfil a long held ambition to become a record producer.
Lacy revisited London early in 1974 and spent an enjoyable week staying with us (my then wife, Madelaine, and me) in order to work on this project as well as having some stimulating conversations. [For example.] He had previously selected the material for two sides of an LP (tracks 1-8 in this collection), which we had copied in his desired sequence on to two master tapes.
Getting the LP pressed was not a pleasant experience as there was a shortage of good vinyl in 1974. The test pressing sounded as though he was recorded in a hail storm - there being no drummer to cover up the noise - but that was best that could be done at the time. [Later on, it both amused and bemused me when certain collectors insisted on getting a first edition, even though it was so noisy.] Also, we received several phone calls from the pressing plant stating that there must be something wrong with the tapes as they could hear some completely different music in the background of one track (STATIONS)! Thus was Emanem born.
Having recently listened to the whole of the two 1972 Avignon concerts, I must say that Lacy chose extremely well, so his original selection has been left intact as the first eight tracks of this compilation. For two of the tracks, JOSEPHINE and WEAL, he decided to combine sections from both concerts. All of the other items on this CD set are complete as performed. [...]-Martin Davidson
Related Categories of Interest:
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Other Releases With These Artists:
Cherry, Don / Dave Holland / Steve Lacy / Masahiko Togashi
Coleman, Ornette
Looking For Ornette [DVD]
(La Huite)
Reflections: Steve Lacy Plays Thelonious Monk [VINYL]
(Jeanne Dielman)
Stamps [2 CDs]
Free for a Minute (1966-72) [2 CDs]
(Emanem)
Lacy, Steve / Steve Potts
(Hatology)
Lacy, Steve Four
Morning Joy ...Paris Live [reissue]
Cycles (1976-80) [2 CDs]
Lacy, Steve & Joe McPhee
The Rest [VINYL]
(Roaratorio)
Lacy, Steve Five
Blinks...Zurich 1983
Blake, Ran with Ricky Ford and Steve Lacy
at the New Jazz Meeting Baden-Baden 2002
Lacy, Steve / Gysin, Brion
Lacy, Steve Sextet
The Gleam
(Silkheart)
Trio x 3
New Jazz Meeting Baden-Baden 2002 [2 CDs]
Lacy Five, Steve
The Way [2 CDs]
Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Whammies, The (Dijkstra / Oliver / Karayorgis / Roebke / Bishop / Bennink)
Play The Music Of Steve Lacy: Vol. #2
(Driff Records)
Ware, David S. Trio
Live in New York, 2010 [2 CDs]
Braxton, Anthony / Derek Bailey
First Duo Concert (London 1974)
PYN (Yoshida / Pittard / Nasuno)
Songs for children who don't want to sleep
(Magaibutsu)
Wilson, Tony 6tet
A Day's Life
Shipp, Matthew Quartet Declared Enemy
Our Lady Of The Flowers
(RogueArt)
Levin, Daniel Quartet
(Clean Feed)
Search for other titles on the Emanem label.
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Cynthia Young and Colleagues Are Fostering a Series of Timely Conversations on Race and More
by Hinaa Noor, Town&Gown
Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Cynthia Young, now chair of the Department of African American Studies at Penn State, lived in a predominantly Jewish community.
Young related to her Jewish friends, who had family Holocaust stories to share, as people who face discrimination.
But it was difficult being one of the few black people in schools that taught little about such things as slavery or the civil rights movement.
“I lived in a world that did not acknowledge my culture or other cultures,” she says.
In those years, Young filled that blank space by learning through books and her family.
Now, through the Sawyer Seminar Series at Penn State, Young is helping to give others that learning platform she once longed for.
A team of Penn State faculty led by Young last fall received a $225,000 charitable grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Sawyer Seminars program to examine racial disposability and cultures of resistance.
The seminars will foster a series of timely conversations on such topics as immigration, policing, protests, and even President Trump.
Young, who is an associate professor of African American Studies and English and earned her Ph.D. at Yale, hopes to reach a wide audience. While the seminars are largely attended by students, they are open to the public and will only achieve their full potential by reaching the entire community, she says.
The backgrounds of the presenters vary and range from political activists to someone who teaches in prisons. They come from around the country and the world.
The department worked with State College Area School District and Penn State’s Office of Educational Equity to host Marcus Rediker and Tony Buba at The State Theatre last month for a screening of their film, Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels. The next day, Rediker and Buba visited State College Area High School and met with members of the junior class, who had watched the documentary with their social studies classes.
Young says the students, who are predominantly white, were very engaged in the discussion.
Even though racial tensions are still present in our society, we are making progress by engaging in diverse dialogues around the country, she says
Where you live determines so much of your social and cultural interaction, Young says.
“People don't have many opportunities to test or challenge their stereotypes or their beliefs,” she says.
In terms of modern-day segregation, “People live in neighborhoods with people who share most aspects of their identity – race, economic class, and education. Consequently, many aspects of their life are determined by that residential segregation – who they date/marry, where their children go to school, where they work or go to church, etc.”
Young notes that, “We see people of different races and ethnicities interact with one another at malls, restaurants, and public parks, but they are primarily in their own silos without much interaction with people who don’t look and think like them.
“The main goal is to change this,” Young says.
The series at Penn State runs through the spring of 2019. Discussions this month will include homeownership and urban crisis, as well as privilege and the politics of protest. To learn more about the Sawyer Seminar series at Penn State, visit sites.psu.edu/raceresistsawyer/
Reach Hinaa Noor at [email protected]
http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/cynthia-young-and-colleagues-are-fostering-a-series-of-timely-conversations-on-race-and-more,1475772/
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Meet Hany Nasr, M.D.
After receiving his medical education from one of the oldest and most renowned medical schools, Kasr El-Aini Faculty of medicine, Cairo Egypt Dr. Nasr then continued on his residency and double fellowships in the US, during which time he published multiple papers. He completed a prelieminary year of surgical residency then a primary residency at SUNY Stony Brook in New York, where he was elected Chief Resident. Next, he went on to finish the first of two fellowship in spine intervention at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Institute for Spinal Disorders in Los Angeles, California. That was then followed by a second fellowship in Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Anesthesia in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Dr. Nasr is double board-certified with the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a board subspecialty in Pain Medicine, After finishing his second fellowship, Dr. Nasr and his family now reside in Visalia, California. His hobbies include fixing up old cars, playing squash, and playing golf.
William M. Barreto, MD
Dr. Barreto is double board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) as well as Pain Medicine. He attended medical school at Loma Linda University, in southern California. Drawn by their focus on whole person care and an exceptional learning environment, Dr. Barreto remained at Loma Linda for Residency in PM&R and for Fellowship training in Pain Management. After completing Residency and Fellowship, he accepted an academic position at the Loma Linda VA Hospital, affording him the opportunity to teach PM&R Residents and Pain Fellows the intricacies of treating chronic painful conditions. Dr. Barreto holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology, which continues to be an invaluable asset when assisting people with the many psychological challenges that accompany chronic pain. Having worked as a medical director and CEO of various peer review companies, Dr. Barreto is proficient at navigating the tumultuous landscape of our current insurance systems. After working in Orange County for nine years, he is excited to be back in Central California, where he originally grew up. In his free time, Dr. Barreto enjoys traveling, mountain biking, and spending time with family.
Jennifer Davis R.N., W.H.N.P.-C
Mrs. Jennifer Davis R.N., W.H.N.P.-C has been working for the past 19 years as a Nurse Practitioner. Jennifer obtained her Nurse Practitioner Certification from an extension program affiliated with University of California at San Francisco in 1996 after graduating from College of the Sequoias with an Associates Degree in the Registered Nurse Program. Jennifer was a registered nurse for 17 years at Visalia Community hospital, then once obtaining her Nurse Practitioners Certificate worked in Family Practice and Women's Health settings in Hanford, CA and Visalia, CA until she had a desire to expand her knowledge and skill in spine intervention and interventional pain management. Jennifer is married with 2 grown children and in her spare time she likes to garden, listen to music and play with her dog.
Copyright © 2015 St. George Spine and Pain Institute
Site Design by Swarm Interactive
Superion Procedure
Visalia Office
Porterville Office
Clovis Office
201 E. Noble Avenue
View Visalia Location
76 North D St, Suite A, Porterville CA, 93257
View Porterville Location
729 Medical Center Drive West, Suite 201, Clovis CA 93611
View Clovis Location
For appointment scheduling, please call one of our offices:
Visalia: (559) 627-6500
Porterville: (559) 782-8400
Clovis: (559) 207-3473
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Proudly serving our clients since 2002
Dave Ramsey Recommended
Brokerage Sales Versus Investment Advice
With the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, two strategies to potentially maximize Social Security benefit payments were eliminated.
Prior to the budget’s passage, married couples had two strategies to help maximize their Social Security benefits: “file-and-suspend” and “restricted applications.”¹
Under file-and-suspend, the higher-earning spouse filed for benefits and then suspended them, allowing the lower-earning spouse to claim a spousal benefit. This also let the higher-earning spouse accrue delayed retirement credits. Upon attaining age 70, the couple then could switch to each taking their own individual benefit to receive the highest possible amount.
Restricted Application
A restricted application allowed an individual, upon attaining full retirement age, to file only for a spousal benefit, based on his or her spouse’s work record, delaying personal benefits until age 70. Upon reaching age 70, the individual would then convert to his or her own personal benefit.
Married couples also could combine the above strategies with one spouse filing and suspending a worker benefit, while the other spouse filed a restricted application to receive the spousal benefit only.
Divorced Recipients
These strategies could be used by divorced recipients, too. A divorced spouse was permitted to file a restricted application for a spousal benefit at full retirement age, as long as the former spouse was 62 or older. At age 70, the divorced spouse then switched over to his or her own worker benefit, assuming it was a higher amount.
The Policy Behind the Elimination
The elimination of file-and-suspend claims became effective on May 1, 2016. It prohibited restricted applications for anyone who had not reached age 62 by the end of 2015. Since file-and-suspend was only available to those who had reached full retirement age, it remained available to individuals who were age 66 by April 30, 2016. (Couples who had already executed such claims are unaffected by the new law.)²
The reason that Congress acted, and the President signed into law this change, was to save money and close perceived loopholes in the Social Security program.
Overall savings will be small compared to the larger financial challenges that Social Security faces. These changes will save about 0.02 percent of the taxable wages and self-employment income subject to Social Security taxes over the next 75 years, according to the Social Security Administration — a fraction of the program’s long-term deficit of 2.65 percent of taxable payroll.3 ³
According to one study, these changes will impact just 0.1 percent of all Social Security participants.⁴
Strategy & Choices
There was one other change not yet widely discussed that may have implications for you.
For someone who exercised a file-and-suspend strategy, the rules provided the ability to receive a retroactive lump sum payment if an individual changed his or her mind and lifted the suspension. (They did lose any bump up in payment amount that came with delaying benefit payments, however.) This flexibility is also being eliminated under the budget act.
This ability to lift the suspension was a particularly important planning strategy because it allowed an individual who may have come down with a life-threatening illness or undergone a change in financial status to retroactively go back to their original filing date and receive a lump sum for the benefit amount not paid during the suspension period.
Keep in mind that Social Security has undergone a number of substantive changes since its inception. While the elimination of these strategies may be disappointing, these changes do not undercut the central promise of this critical social contract. In fact, they were implemented to strengthen it.
Social Security Administration, 2016.
The New York Times, October 30, 2015.
Three Key Questions to Answer Before Taking Social Security
When to start? Should I continue to work? How can I maximize my benefit?
Schrette & Lee Wealth Management
1875 N Lakewood Drive
Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814
pschrette@schretteandlee.com
Securities and Advisory services are offered through Madison Avenue Securities LLC. (MAS) a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. MAS and Schrette & Lee Wealth Management are not affiliated companies. Paul Schrette is licensed to solicit and sell securities in the state of CO, ID, LA, OR, TX & WA. Paul Schrette offers advisory services in the state of AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, OR, TX & WA. Joe Lee is licensed to solicit and sell securities in the state of CA, CO, FL, ID, MN, OR, UT, VA & WA. Joe Lee offers advisory services in the state of CA, ID, OR & WA.
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L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. – ‘424B4’ on 8/5/04
On: Thursday, 8/5/04, at 5:12pm ET · Accession #: 1193125-4-132760 · File #: 333-116698
Previous ‘424B4’: ‘424B4’ on 11/8/96 · Next & Latest: ‘424B4’ on 7/28/06
8/05/04 L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. 424B4 1:1.3M RR Donnelley/FA
Prospectus — Rule 424(b)(4)
1: 424B4 Prospectus HTML 1.21M
Document Table of Contents
Page (sequential) | (alphabetic) Top
Alternative Formats (Word, et al.)
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2002, 2003 and March 28, 2004
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
Description of Capital Stock
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Price Range of Common Stock
Principal and Selling Shareholders
Prospectus Summary
Report of Independent Certified Public Accountants
Selected Consolidated Financial Data
Use of Proceeds
Where You Can Find More Information
1 1st Page - Filing Submission
" Table of Contents
" Forward-Looking Statements
" Prospectus Summary
" Risk Factors
" Use of Proceeds
" Dilution
" Capitalization
" Price Range of Common Stock
" Dividend Policy
" Selected Consolidated Financial Data
" Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
" Business
" Management
" Principal and Selling Shareholders
" Description of Capital Stock
" Underwriting
" Where You Can Find More Information
" Experts
" Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
" Report of Independent Certified Public Accountants
" Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2002, 2003 and March 28, 2004
" Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
" Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
" Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
" Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
This is an HTML Document rendered as filed. [ Alternative Formats ]
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration No. 333-116698
7,500,000 Shares of Common Stock
We are offering 7,200,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share. We will receive all of the net proceeds from the sale of such common stock. The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus are selling an additional 300,000 shares of our common stock. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling shareholders.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “VISG.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on August 4, 2004 was $6.23 per share.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before buying any of these shares of our common stock, you should carefully consider the risk factors described in “ Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per share Total
Public offering price
$ 5.500 $ 41,250,000
Underwriting discounts and commissions
$ 0.316 $ 2,370,000
Proceeds, before expenses, to us
Proceeds to selling shareholders
The underwriters may also purchase up to an additional 525,000 shares of our common stock from us and up to an additional 600,000 shares from the selling shareholders at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us and the selling shareholders, to cover overallotments, if any, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters exercise the option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us and the selling shareholders will be $2,725,500 and the total proceeds, before expenses, to us will be $40,046,400 and the total proceeds to the selling shareholders will be $4,665,600.
The underwriters are offering the shares of our common stock as described in “Underwriting.” Delivery of the shares will be made on or about August 10, 2004.
JPMorgan UBS Investment Bank
Piper Jaffray
JMP Securities Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Roth Capital Partners
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor the sale of shares of common stock means that information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is correct after the date of this prospectus. These documents do not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy in any jurisdiction where offers or sales are not permitted. In this prospectus, “Viisage,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and “the Company” refer to Viisage Technology, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Validity of Common Stock
Our trademarks, service marks and trade names include Viisage, Viisage Technology, FaceEXPLORER, FaceTOOLS, FaceFINDER, FacePASS and SensorMast. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, copyrights and trade names of other companies.
This prospectus contains or incorporates 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 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management’s beliefs and assumptions. In addition, other written or oral statements that constitute forward-looking statements may be made by or on our behalf. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements below under the heading “Risk Factors” that we believe could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make. We do not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and the documents that we have incorporated by reference and may not contain all the information that is important to you. As a result, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should read the following summary together with the more detailed information and financial statements and notes to the financial statements contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” To fully understand this offering, you should read all these documents. Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this prospectus assumes the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option. All currency amounts in this prospectus are stated in U.S. dollars.
Viisage Technology, Inc.
We are a leading provider of advanced technology identity solutions that enable governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses to enhance security, reduce identity theft and protect personal privacy. Our identity solutions include secure credential provisioning systems, biometric software and systems and real-time identity databases, as well as systems design, development, integration and support services. These solutions enable our customers to manage the entire life cycle of an individual’s identity for a variety of applications including civil identification, criminal identification and border management. Our customers use our solutions to help solve the following four critical problems in identity verification and management:
• assurance that the identification document is authentic;
• assurance that the document has been issued to the correct person;
• confidence that the person holding the identification is uniquely tied to and authorized to use the document; and
• verification of the privileges the individual is entitled to at a particular point in time.
Our solutions annually produce more than 30 million secure government-issued credentials at more than 2,000 locations. We are the second largest provider of U.S. drivers’ licenses with a 30% market share. We are the sole source provider of passport production capability to the U.S. Department of State. We also are a recognized leader in biometrics in the field of face recognition. Our customers include governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses in more than 15 countries.
As our market has become increasingly complex and more frequently requires the integration of various technologies and capabilities, we have established ourselves as a provider of end-to-end identity solutions. In January 2004, we acquired ZN Vision Technologies AG, or ZN, which solidified our leadership position in face recognition technology. In addition, in February 2004, we acquired Trans Digital Technologies Corporation, or TDT, which provides us with a significant presence in the U.S. federal government market and strengthens our capability and credibility in the border management market worldwide.
We believe that our installed base of secure credential customers together with our leading face recognition technology provide us with a competitive advantage in delivering unified identity solutions for both the physical and digital domains. For example, in April 2004, we were selected by the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, for the production of secure, smart credentials as part of the agency’s Common Access Card, or CAC, program. The CAC is a single means of identification for access to both physical locations and computer networks. We expect the demand for these types of solutions to grow significantly in the future.
We generate revenue through the sale and license of products and services for verifying and managing identities. Our revenues increased from $8.2 million in the first quarter of 2003 to $12.3 million in the first
quarter of 2004. Our net loss during the same periods decreased from $2.4 million to $1.6 million, excluding the one-time charge of $12.1 million in connection with our change in accounting principle as of January 1, 2003.
Market Opportunity
The ability to confirm an individual’s identity is playing an increasingly important role in national and international security, personal privacy and commerce. Failure to provide adequate identification can lead to breaches of security and identity theft, the consequences of which can range from national security threats and loss of life to significant economic loss. Within this context, we believe that there is increasing pressure on governments and businesses to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology identity solutions. The concern over homeland security, in which identity solutions play a part, is exemplified by the size of the budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was approximately $31 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, and is projected to be approximately $37 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004. Furthermore, identity theft is the nation’s fastest growing crime, and the Federal Trade Commission has estimated that the total cost of identity theft approaches $50 billion per year.
Government-issued credentials serve as the primary means for confirming the physical identity of an individual. The effectiveness, however, of these credentials is impaired by the following issues:
• the credential can be counterfeited or altered;
• the credential can be issued under false pretenses; and
• the credential rarely is linked to an identity database.
To address these complex problems, credential issuing agencies are seeking advanced technology identity solutions, which increasingly include secure credential provisioning systems, biometrics and real-time identity databases. We believe the global market for these solutions is driven by the following key trends:
• Growth in government-initiated security programs. Budgets for U.S. federal government agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, include spending for identity initiatives and we believe that government agencies will continue to be key drivers for the growth and development of the market for advanced technology identity solutions.
• Development of industry standards and requirements. Several organizations responsible for standards in a number of our markets have recently implemented requirements for the use of face recognition biometrics. We believe this will help stimulate the development of our target markets.
• Growing use of biometrics. Governments are increasingly mandating biometrics as an integral component of identity solutions. This increased demand, coupled with the maturation of the technology, is driving the market adoption of biometrics.
• Increasing cost of identity theft and financial fraud. The growing direct and indirect cost of identity theft and financial fraud is increasing the pressure on businesses and individuals to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology identity solutions.
• Convergence of physical and logical security systems. There is a growing need for governments and businesses to provide a highly secure, unified system for user authentication to both physical assets, such as buildings, and digital assets, such as computer networks.
Our objective is to be the leading provider of advanced technology identity solutions for governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses. Key elements of our strategy to achieve this objective include:
Focus on customer needs. We are committed to solving our customers’ problems and will continue to develop and market solutions to meet their evolving increasingly complex identity security needs.
Continue to enhance and expand our product suite and solutions. We intend to continue to broaden our product and solution offerings to meet our customer needs. We intend to continue to engage in product development activities to expand the scope and enhance the performance of our solutions.
Leverage existing customer base to provide additional advanced technology identity solutions. Many of our customers do not yet use the full range of our total solutions offerings. Accordingly, we will continue to provide thought and product leadership to these customers as they migrate toward more sophisticated identity solutions.
Expand customer base both domestically and abroad. We intend to focus our sales efforts on broadening our customer base in both domestic and international markets.
Pursue strategic acquisitions and alliances. We intend to augment our competitive position through acquisitions and alliances.
Recent Operating Results
On July 21, 2004, we announced our unaudited consolidated financial results for the three and six months ended June 27, 2004. We reported revenue of approximately $16.3 million for the second quarter of 2004, representing an increase of 85.2% over our revenue of approximately $8.8 million for the second quarter of 2003. For the six months ended June 27, 2004, our revenue increased 68.4% from approximately $16.9 million in the first six months of 2003 to approximately $28.5 million in the first six months of 2004. Gross margins increased to 30.5% in the second quarter of 2004 from 22.3% in the second quarter of 2003. Gross margins increased to 29.2% for the first six months of 2004 from 19.6% for the first six months of 2003. Our net loss during the second quarter of 2004 was $317,000, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss during the comparable period of 2003 of $1.4 million, or $0.07 per basic and diluted share. For the first six months of 2004, our net loss was $1.9 million, or $0.06 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss during the comparable period of 2003 of $3.7 million, or $0.18 per basic and diluted share, excluding the one-time charge of $12.1 million in connection with our change in accounting principle as of January 1, 2003. As of June 27, 2004 we had approximately $12.6 million of cash and cash equivalents, and $29.8 million in total debt obligations. In addition, our backlog was approximately $171.0 million which will be reduced by $19.7 million in the third quarter as a result of the settlement with Georgia. Our operating results for the three and six months ended June 27, 2004 include the impact of our acquisitions of ZN and TDT in the first quarter of 2004.
We were incorporated in Delaware in May 1996. Our principal executive offices are located at 296 Concord Road, Third Floor, Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, our telephone number at that location is (978) 932-2200 and our website address is www.viisage.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus.
Common stock we are offering
7,200,000 shares
Common stock offered by the selling shareholders
300,000 shares
Common stock to be outstanding after the offering
43,070,327 shares
Nasdaq National Market symbol
VISG
Use of proceeds after expenses
We will use the proceeds of the common stock we are offering to repay approximately $30.3 million of indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling shareholders. See “Use of Proceeds.”
See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.
The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of July 15, 2004, assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase an additional 1,125,000 shares of common stock and does not include shares issuable upon the exercise of 4,550,621 options outstanding as of July 15, 2004 with a weighted-average exercise price of $3.70 per share, or 812,469 shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of July 15, 2004 with a weighted-average exercise price of $11.94 per share.
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes our consolidated financial data for the periods, and as of the dates, indicated. You should read the summary consolidated financial data set forth below in conjunction with “Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The historical and as adjusted results presented here are not necessarily indicative of future results.
The as adjusted balance sheet data gives effect to the sale of 7,200,000 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $5.50 per share and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.
For the Years Ended
Three Months Ended(2)
Statement of Operations Data:
$ 26,280 $ 32,302 $ 37,371 $ 8,155 $ 12,259
Cost of revenue
19,602 25,239 27,844 6,789 8,906
Gross margin
809 5,368 5,282 1,411 1,493
2,054 4,457 3,650 945 959
1,639 — — — —
Restructuring charges
— 824 — — —
7,002 15,718 14,042 3,449 4,589
Operating loss
(324 ) (8,655 ) (4,515 ) (2,083 ) (1,236 )
Interest expense, net
(1,210 ) (875 ) (969 ) (219 ) (392 )
— — 18 — 21
Loss before income taxes and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
(1,534 ) (9,530 ) (5,466 ) (2,302 ) (1,607 )
Provision for income taxes
— — (63 ) (63 ) (25 )
Loss before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle (3)
— — (12,131 ) (12,131 ) —
(1,534 ) (9,530 ) (17,660 ) (14,496 ) (1,632 )
Preferred stock dividends
(5 ) — — — —
Loss applicable to common shareholders
$ (1,539 ) $ (9,530 ) $ (17,660 ) $ (14,496 ) $ (1,632 )
Basic and diluted loss per share before cumulative effect
$ (0.09 ) $ (0.48 ) $ (0.26 ) $ (0.12 ) $ (0.05 )
Basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to common shareholders (4)
Weighted average basic and diluted common shares outstanding
Pro forma operating loss (for application of EITF 00-21)
$ (494 ) $ (11,176 ) $ (5,529 ) $ (2,365 ) $ (1,632 )
Pro forma net loss per share
As of March 28, 2004
Balance Sheet Data: Actual
As Adjusted
$ 2,443 $ 19,439
(1) The results are presented under percentage of completion based on the cost to cost method of measurement.
(2) The results are presented in accordance with EITF 00-21 applied on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003.
(3) We adopted EITF 00-21 on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003. See note 2 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements which discusses the change in accounting principle.
(4) See note 2 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share.
You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this prospectus before investing in shares of our common stock. Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you may lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related to Viisage and the Industry
We have a history of operating losses.
We have a history of operating losses. Our business operations began in 1993 and, except for fiscal years 1996 and 2000, have resulted in net losses in each fiscal year. At March 28, 2004, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $43.7 million. We will continue to invest in the development of our secure credential provisioning capabilities, biometric technologies and other components of advanced technology identity solutions. Accordingly, we cannot predict when or if we will ever achieve profitability.
We may be unable to obtain additional capital required to fund our operations and finance our growth.
The installation of our secure identification solutions requires significant capital expenditures. Furthermore, the continued development of our biometric and other advanced technologies will require additional capital. Although we have been successful in the past in obtaining financing for working capital and capital expenditures, including a $15 million private placement of our common stock in September 2003 and January 2004 and a new loan agreement with Commerce Bank and Trust Company in February 2004, we will have ongoing capital needs as we expand our business. We may be unable to obtain additional funds in a timely manner or on acceptable terms, which would render us unable to fund our operations or expand our business. If we are unable to obtain capital when needed, we may have to restructure our business or delay or abandon our development and expansion plans.
We derive over 90% of our revenue from government contracts, which are often non-standard, involve competitive bidding, may be subject to cancellation with or without penalty and may produce volatility in earnings and revenue.
More than 90% of our business involves providing products and services under contracts with U.S. federal, state and local government agencies and foreign government agencies. Obtaining contracts from government agencies is challenging, and government contracts often include provisions that are not standard in private commercial transactions. For example, government contracts may:
• include provisions that allow the government agency to terminate the contract without penalty under some circumstances;
• be subject to purchasing decisions of agencies that are subject to political influence;
• contain onerous procurement procedures and
• be subject to cancellation if government funding becomes unavailable.
Foreign government contracts generally include comparable provisions relating to termination for the convenience of the relevant foreign government. Securing government contracts can be a protracted process involving competitive bidding. In many cases, unsuccessful bidders may challenge contract awards, which can lead to increased costs, delays and possible loss of the contract for the winning bidder.
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from a few customers, the loss of which could have an adverse effect on our revenues.
For the three-month period ended March 28, 2004, the U.S. Department of State, accounted for 13% of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2003, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, each accounted for 13% of our revenues. The U.S. Department of Justice has recently issued an indictment against former Governor of Illinois George Ryan and an updated indictment against former lobbyist Lawrence E. Warner on bribery and related federal racketeering charges. We had a formal consultative relationship with Mr. Warner’s firm pursuant to which we paid that firm fees of approximately $800,000. Upon learning of the initial indictment of Mr. Warner in 2002, we immediately terminated our contract and relationship with Mr. Warner and his firm. There has been no assertion of any impropriety on our part.
For 2002, Connecticut Department of Information Technology and Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, accounted for 10% and 12% of our revenues, respectively and an aggregate of 22% of our revenue. For 2001, Illinois Secretary of State, Unisys Corporation (Florida Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles), Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, accounted for 10%, 12%, 14% and 13% of our revenue, respectively and an aggregate of 49% of our revenue. Since a small number of customers under our drivers’ license contracts account for a substantial portion of our revenues, the loss of any of our significant customers would cause revenue to decline and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We derive revenue from only a limited number of products and services and we do not have a diversified product or service base.
Substantially all of our revenues are derived from the sale of products and services comprising our identity solutions. We anticipate that substantially all of the growth in our revenue, if any, will also be derived from these sources. If for any reason our sale of these products or services is impeded, and we have not diversified our product and service offerings, our business and results from operations could be harmed.
Loss of limited source suppliers may result in delays or additional expenses.
We obtain certain hardware components and complete products from a limited group of suppliers. In particular, we obtain all of the printers and consumables for the U.S. Department of State passport contract and the Department of Defense, or DoD, Common Access Card, or CAC, contract from Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. Our reliance on these suppliers involves significant risks, including reduced control over quality and delivery schedules. Moreover, any financial instability of our manufacturers or contractors could result in our having to find new suppliers. We may experience significant delays in manufacturing and shipping our products to customers if we lose these sources or if supplies from these sources are delayed. As a result, we may be required to incur additional development, manufacturing and other costs to establish alternative sources of supply. It may take several months to locate alternative suppliers, if required, or to re-tool our products to accommodate components from different suppliers. We cannot predict if we will be able to obtain replacement components within the time frames we require at an affordable cost, or at all. Any delays resulting from suppliers failing to deliver components or products on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities and of sufficient quality or any significant increase in the price of components from existing or alternative suppliers could have a severe negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Termination of our contract with Georgia could cause us to lose $19.7 million in projected revenues over the next five and one-half years and could negatively affect our earnings.
In July 2003, a Georgia court issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting Georgia’s Department of Motor Vehicle Safety from continuing to work with us to install the State’s new drivers’ license system. The injunction is the result of a lawsuit filed in March 2003 by one of our competitors alleging that the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety did not comply with its own bid process when it selected a vendor for its new digital drivers’ license program. In July 2004, we reached a settlement agreement with the State pursuant to which the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety terminated the contract for convenience and agreed to pay us $2.0 million in cash and the State agreed to
purchase certain equipment from us for $500,000. The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety has filed a motion with the Georgia court to dismiss the case based upon the termination of the contract. The agency also has filed an affidavit stating that it intends to issue a new request for proposals for a digital drivers’ license system before the end of October 2004. The competitor has filed a motion with the Georgia court to enjoin the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety and the State from making any payments to us under the settlement agreement. As a result of the termination of the contract, we will lose up to $19.7 million in revenue that we expected to recognize over the next five and one-half years, which was included in our $176 million of backlog at March 28, 2004, unless we are able to win the new contract for the digital drivers’ license system and the revenues from such new contract are substantially similar to the terminated contract. While we believe we can utilize the remaining $2.8 million in assets being retained by us from the Georgia contract either in Georgia, if we win the contract based on the new request for proposals, or on alternative projects, to the extent that we are unable to utilize these assets or realize value through a sale of these assets, we would be required to take a charge to earnings.
Our strategy of expanding our face recognition business could adversely affect our business operations and financial condition.
Part of our strategy is to enhance our leadership in face recognition technology and to expand our operations within our biometrics business segment. Pursuing this strategy involves risks. For instance, to date, face recognition security solutions have not gained widespread commercial acceptance. Some of the obstacles to widespread acceptance of face recognition security solutions include a perceived loss of privacy and public perceptions as to the usefulness of face recognition technologies. Whether the market for face recognition security solutions will expand will be dependent upon factors such as:
• the success of our marketing efforts and publicity campaigns and those of our competitors and
• customer satisfaction with our products and services, as well as those of our competitors.
We do not know when, if ever, face recognition security solutions will gain widespread commercial acceptance. In addition, our biometrics business segment has not achieved profitability, and it may never achieve profitability.
We face intense competition, which could result in lower revenues and higher research and development expenditures and could adversely affect our results of operations.
The events of September 11, 2001 have heightened interest in the use of security solutions, and we expect competition in this field, which is already substantial, to intensify. We face competition in the secure credentials market from suppliers of drivers’ licenses, passports, smart cards and other government-issued credentials. Competitors in biometrics are developing and bringing to market products that use face recognition as well as eye, fingerprint and other forms of biometric verification. Our products also will compete with non-biometric technologies such as certificate authorities and traditional keys, cards, surveillance systems and passwords. Widespread adoption of one or more of these technologies or approaches in the markets we intend to target could significantly reduce the potential market for our systems and products. Many of our competitors have significantly more cash and resources than we have. Our competitors may introduce products that are competitively priced, have increased performance or functionality or incorporate technological advances that we have not yet developed or implemented. To remain competitive, we must continue to develop, market and sell new and enhanced systems and products at competitive prices, which will require significant research and development expenditures. If we do not develop new and enhanced products or if we are not able to invest adequately in our research and development activities, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Unless we keep pace with changing technologies, we could lose customers and fail to win new customers.
Our future success will depend upon our ability to develop and introduce a variety of new products and services and enhancements to these new products and services in order to address the changing needs of the marketplace. We may not be able to accurately predict which technologies customers will support. If we do not introduce new products, services and enhancements in a timely manner, if we fail to choose correctly among technical alternatives or if we fail to offer innovative products and services at competitive prices, customers may forego purchases of our products and services and purchase those of our competitors.
Security breaches in systems that we sell or maintain could result in the disclosure of sensitive government information or private personal information that could result in the loss of clients and negative publicity.
Many of the systems we sell manage private personal information and protect information involved in sensitive government functions. A security breach in one of these systems could cause serious harm to our business as a result of negative publicity and could prevent us from having further access to such systems or other similarly sensitive areas for other governmental clients. Our systems may also be affected by outages, delays and other difficulties. Our insurance coverage in certain circumstances may be insufficient to cover losses and liabilities that may result from such events.
The market for our solutions is still developing and if the industry adopts standards or a platform different from our platform, then our competitive position would be negatively affected.
The market for identity solutions is still emerging. The evolution of this market is in a constant state of flux that may result in the development of different technologies and industry standards that are not compatible with our current products or technologies. In particular, the face recognition market lacks industry-wide standards. Several organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets standards for travel documents that its member states then put into effect, and the National Institute for Standards and Testing, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, have recently selected face recognition as the biometric to be used in identification documentation. It is possible, however, that these standards may change and that any standards eventually adopted could prove disadvantageous to or incompatible with our business model and product lines.
The adoption of EITF 00-21 resulted in a non-cash adjustment of $12.1 million and may have an adverse effect on our results of operations in the near term which may depress the market price of our common stock.
During the third quarter of 2003, we adopted the provisions of Emerging Issues Task Force 00-21, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, or EITF 00-21, on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003. After discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission staff regarding the effect of EITF 00-21 on revenue recognition on our secure identification contracts, we decided to adopt EITF 00-21 via cumulative catch-up as of January 1, 2003 rather than prospectively as reflected in the previously filed Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 28, 2003. The adoption of EITF 00-21 resulted in a non-cash adjustment reported as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle of $12.1 million. The adoption of EITF 00-21 affects the timing of revenue recognition under our secure identification contracts and as a result we may report reduced revenue and an increased net loss for one or more of our fiscal quarters in 2004. This effect on our results of operations could cause our stock price to decline.
Our leverage creates financial and operating risks that could limit the growth of our business.
We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of March 28, 2004, we had approximately $31.4 million in short and long-term debt and lease financing. This amount includes $15.3 million of related party debt incurred in our acquisition of Trans Digital Technologies, or TDT, in February 2004. While we plan to use part of the proceeds from this offering to repay all of this indebtedness, we may not raise sufficient funds in this offering to do so. Further, we may incur additional indebtedness in the future. To the extent that we do not repay a substantial portion of our debt following this offering, or if we incur additional debt in the future, such leverage could have important consequences to our business including:
• limiting our ability to obtain necessary financing for future working capital;
• limiting our ability to finance the acquisition of equipment needed to meet customer requirements;
• limiting our ability to finance the development of new technologies;
• requiring that we use a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations for debt service and not other operating purposes and
• requiring that we comply with financial and operating covenants, the failure of which could cause an event of default under our debt instruments.
Our loan agreements with Commerce Bank and Trust Company and Lau Technologies, our single largest shareholder, impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions limit our ability to, among other things, make capital expenditures, incur additional indebtedness or make investments. In addition, these agreements require us to comply with certain financial covenants, including profitability, tangible net worth, debt to worth ratio and debt service coverage. Our ability to make principal and interest payments under long-term indebtedness and bank loans will be dependent upon our future performance, which is subject to financial, economic and other factors affecting us, some of which are beyond our control.
Others could claim that we are infringing on their intellectual property rights, which could result in substantial costs, diversion of managerial resources and harm to our reputation.
Although we believe that our products and services do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others, we might not be able to defend successfully against a third-party infringement claim. A successful infringement claim against us could subject us to:
• liability for damages and litigation costs, including attorneys’ fees;
• lawsuits that prevent us from further use of the intellectual property;
• having to license the intellectual property from a third party, which could include significant licensing fees;
• having to develop a non-infringing alternative, which could be costly and delay projects and
• having to indemnify clients with respect to losses they incurred as a result of the alleged infringement.
Even if we are not found liable in a claim for intellectual property infringement, such a claim could result in substantial costs, diversion of resources and management attention, termination of customer contracts and harm to our reputation.
On July 19, 2004, Fargo Electronics, Inc. initiated a patent infringement action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. and TDT. The complaint alleges that Toppan and TDT’s use, offer to sell and/or importation of certain personalized identification card printers, including Toppan’s CP400 card printers, and associated laminators in the United States constitutes direct and indirect infringement of four patents allegedly owned by Fargo. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory damages, permanent injunctive relief, trebling of damages for willful infringement and fees and costs. We are currently evaluating the claims in this lawsuit and intend to vigorously defend against them. We believe that the only products at issue are Toppan CP400 printers that were or are sold, used or imported as part of the CAC program. To date, we have received purchase orders of $10.2 million for Toppan CP400 printers for the CAC program, which are expected to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2005. There can be no assurance that we will prevail in this litigation. The litigation, with or without merit, could be time consuming and expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management’s attention from our business.
Uncertainties in global economic markets could cause delays in customer purchases.
Many customers and potential customers have delayed purchase intentions as a result of uncertainties in global economic markets. Government budgets, particularly at state and regional levels, have been or are expected to be reduced notably. Government contracts result from purchasing decisions made by public sector agencies that are particularly sensitive to budget changes and cutbacks during economic downturns, and
variations in appropriations cycles. Many U.S. state customers are facing budget cuts, and some international customers are facing debt crises, introducing added uncertainty. Any shift in the government procurement process, which is outside of our control and may not be predictable, could impact the predictability of our quarterly results and may potentially have a material negative effect on our financial position, results of operation or cash flows.
If we do not successfully expand our direct sales and services organizations and partnering arrangements, we may not be able to increase our sales or support our customers.
In the fiscal years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003, and three-month periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003, we sold substantially all of our services and licensed substantially all of our products through our direct sales organization. Our future success depends on substantially increasing the size and scope of our direct sales force and partnering arrangements, both domestically and internationally. We will face intense competition for personnel, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to attract, assimilate or retain additional qualified sales personnel on a timely basis. Moreover, given the large-scale deployment required by some of our customers, we will need to hire and retain a number of highly trained customer service and support personnel. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to increase the size of our customer service and support organization on a timely basis to provide the high quality of support required by our customers. Failure to add additional sales and customer service representatives could result in our inability to increase our sales and support our customers.
Integration of ZN’s and TDT’s businesses may be difficult and will consume significant financial and managerial resources which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
On January 23, 2004, we completed the acquisition of ZN Vision Technologies AG, or ZN, a leading German provider of face recognition and computer vision products and services. On February 14, 2004, we completed the acquisition of TDT. The integration of ZN’s and TDT’s products and services with ours will be challenging and will consume significant financial and managerial resources. The challenges involved with this integration include, among others:
• challenges related to technology integration;
• possible difficulty implementing uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies and
• possible loss of key employees.
In addition, the differences between U.S. and German business cultures and the geographic distance between the companies could present significant obstacles to our timely, cost-effective integration of ZN.
The significant direct and indirect costs of our acquisition and integration of ZN and TDT could adversely affect our financial performance.
We incurred approximately $2.7 million of costs in connection with the acquisitions of ZN and TDT, including:
• costs associated with integrating our business with ZN and TDT;
• financial advisory fees and
• costs and expenses for services provided by our lawyers and accountants.
The transaction costs and expenses attributable to financial advisory, legal and accounting services that we incurred will be capitalized as a component of the purchase price. Goodwill associated with the acquisitions will be required to be tested at least annually for impairment, and we will be required to record a charge to earnings if there is an impairment in the value of such goodwill at a later date. Other intangible assets acquired in connection with the acquisitions will be amortized over their estimated useful lives.
The acquisitions of ZN and TDT could result in future impairment charges which could adversely affect our results of operations.
As a result of the acquisitions of ZN and TDT, goodwill and other intangible assets have been created. The values we may record for goodwill and other intangible assets will represent fair values calculated by independent third-party appraisers. Such valuations require us to provide significant estimates and assumptions, which are derived from information obtained from the management of the acquired businesses and our business plans for the acquired businesses or intellectual property. If estimates and assumptions used to initially value goodwill and intangible assets prove to be inaccurate, ongoing reviews of the carrying values of such goodwill and intangible assets may indicate impairments which will require us to record an impairment charge in the period in which we identify the impairments.
If we do not achieve the expected benefits of our acquisitions of ZN and TDT, the price of our common stock could decline.
We expect that the acquisition of ZN will enhance our leadership in face recognition technology through the combination of our technologies with those of ZN. Although the results of the initial tests of our combined technologies have been positive, the combination of such technologies might not meet the demands of the marketplace. If our technologies fail to meet such demand, customer acceptance of our face recognition solutions could decline, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we expect that the acquisition will enable us to market our systems and products on a global scale. Our face recognition customers are primarily located in the United States, and ZN’s customers are primarily located in Europe. We might not be able to market successfully our products and services to ZN’s customers or ZN’s products and services to our customers. We expect that the acquisition of TDT will enhance our position in the market for secure credentials, particularly for the U.S. government. If our product offerings and services fail to meet the demands of this market, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. There is also a risk that we will not achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions as rapidly as, or to the extent, anticipated by financial or industry analysts, or that such analysts will not perceive the same benefits to the acquisitions as we do. If these risks materialize, our stock price could be adversely affected.
The success of our strategic plan to grow sales and develop relationships in Europe may be limited by risks related to conducting business in European markets.
Although ZN has experience marketing and distributing its products and developing strategic relationships in Europe, part of our strategy will be to increase sales and build additional relationships in European markets. Risks inherent in marketing, selling and developing relationships in European markets include those associated with:
• economic conditions in European markets, including fluctuations in the relative values of the U.S. dollar and the Euro;
• taxes and fees imposed by European governments that may increase the cost of products and services and
• laws and regulations imposed by individual countries and by the European Union.
In addition, European intellectual property laws are different than U.S. intellectual property laws and we will have to ensure that our intellectual property is adequately protected in foreign jurisdictions and that ZN’s intellectual property is adequately protected in the United States. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property rights, competitors could use our proprietary technologies in non-protected jurisdictions and put us at a competitive disadvantage.
Our business may be impacted by changes in the local marketplace of our foreign operations and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
As a result of our acquisitions of ZN and TDT, we expect that we will have increased exposure to foreign currency fluctuations. Net revenue and related expenses generated from our international location in Germany are denominated in euros, exposing the results of operations and certain of our intercompany balances associated with this international location to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. In addition to our German operation, we will have increased transactions with Japanese vendors supplying hardware and consumables for the delivery of the TDT contracts. These transactions will increase our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations with the yen. To the extent the U.S. dollar weakens against these foreign currencies, the conversion of these foreign currency denominated transactions results in increased net revenue, operating expenses and net income. Similarly, our net revenue, operating expenses and net income will decrease when the U.S. dollar strengthens against these foreign currencies.
If our systems and products do not perform as promised, we could experience increased costs, lower margins, liquidated damage payment obligations and harm to our reputation.
We will be required to provide complex systems that will be required to operate on an “as needed” basis. Although we will deploy back-up systems, the failure of our products to perform as promised could result in increased costs, lower margins, liquidated damage payment obligations and harm to our reputation. The failure of our products also could result in contract terminations and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Misappropriation of our intellectual property could harm our reputation, affect our competitive position and cost us money.
We believe that our intellectual property, including our methodologies, will be critical to our success and competitive position. If we are unable to protect this intellectual property against unauthorized use by third parties, our reputation among existing and potential customers could be damaged and our competitive position adversely affected. Our strategies to deter misappropriation could be undermined if:
• the proprietary nature or protection of our methodologies is not recognized in the United States or foreign countries;
• third parties misappropriate our proprietary methodologies and such misappropriation is not detected or
• competitors create applications similar to ours but which do not technically infringe on our legally protected rights.
If these risks materialize, we could be required to spend significant amounts to defend our rights and divert critical managerial resources. In addition, our proprietary methodologies may decline in value or our rights to them may become unenforceable.
If we fail to adequately manage our resources, it could have a severe negative impact on our financial results or stock price.
We are subject to fluctuations in technology spending by existing and potential customers. Accordingly, we will have to actively manage expenses in a rapidly changing economic environment. This could require reducing costs during economic downturns and selectively growing in periods of economic expansion. If we do not properly manage our resources in response to these conditions, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Future acquisitions of companies or technologies may result in disruptions to our business.
Beyond the acquisitions of ZN and TDT, our growth strategy could include additional acquisitions of companies or technologies that complement ours. Future acquisitions could involve risks inherent in acquisitions, such as:
• challenges associated with integrating acquired technologies and business of operations acquired companies;
• exposure to unknown liabilities;
• diversion of managerial resources from day-to-day operations;
• possible loss of key employees, customers and suppliers;
• higher than expected transaction costs and
• additional dilution to our existing stockholders if we use our common stock as consideration.
If we fail to manage these challenges adequately, our results of operations and stock price could be adversely affected.
The loss of key personnel could adversely affect our ability to remain competitive.
We believe that the continued service of our executive officers will be important to our future growth and competitiveness. We have entered into employment agreements with our executive officers, including Bernard C. Bailey, our Chief Executive Officer, William K. Aulet, our Chief Financial Officer and James P. Ebzery, our Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Services. These agreements are intended to provide the executives with incentives to remain employed by us. However, we cannot assure you that they will remain employed by us. In addition, we believe that the continued employment of key members of our technical and sales staffs is important to us. Most of our employees are entitled to voluntarily terminate their relationship with us, typically without any, or with only minimal, advance notice. The process of finding additional trained personnel to carry out our strategy could be lengthy, costly and disruptive. We might not be able to retain the services of all of our key employees or a sufficient number of them to execute our plans. In addition, we might not be able to continue to attract new employees as required.
Our quarterly results could be volatile and may cause our stock price to fluctuate.
We have experienced fluctuations in quarterly operating results and we expect those fluctuations to continue. We expect that our quarterly results will continue to be affected by, among other things, factors such as:
• the size and timing of contract awards;
• the timing of our contract performance;
• variations in the mix of our products and services and
• contract losses and changes in management estimates inherent in accounting for contracts.
Certain of our stockholders have significant relationships with us, which could result in us taking actions that are not supported by unaffiliated stockholders.
Lau Technologies, or Lau, and B.G. Beck, who is also a director and Vice Chairman, beneficially own approximately 16.8% and 16.4%, respectively, of our outstanding common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 7,200,000 shares of our common stock in this offering, Lau and Mr. Beck will beneficially own approximately 13.8% and 13.4%, respectively, of our outstanding common stock. As a result of their ownership, both Lau and Mr. Beck have a strong influence on matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of
directors and most corporate actions, including mergers and acquisitions. In addition, we have significant relationships with each of Lau and Mr. Beck, including:
• Lau has provided us with a credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $7.3 million, which is secured by some of our assets;
• we acquired significant intellectual property, contracts and distribution channels through a transaction with Lau under which we agreed to pay Lau a 3.1% royalty on our facial recognition revenues for a period of twelve and one half years, up to a maximum of $27.5 million;
• the Chairman of our Board of Directors and his spouse own a majority of Lau’s voting stock;
• in connection with the acquisition of TDT, Mr. Beck was appointed a member of our Board of Directors and appointed Vice Chairman;
• in connection with the acquisition of TDT, we issued a promissory note to Mr. Beck in the amount of $15.3 million, which is secured by some of TDT’s assets and
• in connection with the acquisition of TDT, we entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Beck under which we will pay Mr. Beck $300,000 per year for two years, provided that Mr. Beck devotes his full business time to developing business opportunities for us.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Future sales of our common stock may depress our stock price.
The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur. In addition, these factors could make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future equity offerings. There will be 43,070,327 shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after this offering.
We and our executive officers and directors and the selling shareholders have entered into 90-day lock-up agreements with the underwriters. The lock-up agreements prohibit each of us from selling or otherwise disposing of shares of common stock except in limited circumstances. The lock-up agreements are only contractual agreements, and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and UBS Securities LLC, at their joint discretion, can waive the restrictions of any lock-up agreement at an earlier time without prior public notice or announcement and allow any of us to sell shares of common stock. If the restrictions in the lock-up agreement are waived, shares of our common stock will be available for sale into the public market, subject to applicable securities laws and our share retention policy, which could reduce the market price for shares of our common stock.
Lau and Mr. Beck own approximately 16.8% and 16.4%, respectively, of our common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 7,200,000 shares of our common stock in this offering, Lau and Mr. Beck will beneficially own approximately 13.8% and 13.4%, respectively, of our outstanding common stock. If either of these stockholders sells a significant number of shares of our common stock in the open market, our stock price could decline.
Our stock price and trading volume may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for our shareholders.
The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include:
• general economic conditions;
• actual or anticipated changes in our future financial performance;
• changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;
• changes in market interest rates;
• competitive developments, including announcements by us or our competitors of new products or services or significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or capital commitments;
• the operations and stock performance of our competitors;
• fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
• additions or departures of senior management and key personnel and
• actions by institutional shareholders.
If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your common stock at or above the offering price. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly, including a decline below the offering price, in the future. In addition, the stock market in general can experience considerable price and volume fluctuations.
Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of additional shares that may cause dilution.
Our articles of incorporation authorizes our board of directors, without your approval, to:
• authorize the issuance of additional common or preferred stock in connection with future equity offerings, acquisitions of securities or other assets of companies and
• classify or reclassify any unissued common stock or preferred stock and to set the preferences, rights and other terms of the classified or reclassified shares, including the issuance of shares of preferred stock that have preference rights over the common stock with respect to dividends, liquidation, voting and other matters or shares of common stock that have preference rights over your common stock with respect to voting.
The issuance of additional shares could be substantially dilutive to your shares.
Future offerings of debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock in liquidation, or equity securities, which would dilute our existing shareholders and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of distributions, may harm the value of our common stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes, preferred stock or common stock. If we were to liquidate, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive a distribution of our available assets before the holders of our common stock. Additional equity offerings by us may dilute your interest in us or reduce the value of your shares of common stock, or both. Our preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on distribution payments that could limit our ability to make a distribution to you. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Further, market conditions could require us to accept less favorable terms for the issuance of our securities in the future. Thus, you will bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the value of your shares of common stock and diluting your interest in us.
Our management will have broad discretion in the use of net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
We will use approximately $30.3 million of the net proceeds of this offering to repay indebtedness as described in more detail under “Use of Proceeds.” As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty the amounts we will spend on particular uses from the remaining net proceeds that we will receive from this offering. Our management will have broad discretion in the application of these net proceeds, but currently intends to use them as described in “Use of Proceeds.” The failure by our management to apply these net proceeds effectively could adversely affect our ability to continue to develop our business.
We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the 7,200,000 shares of common stock that we are selling in this offering will be approximately $37.1 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, we estimate the net proceeds to us from such exercise will be approximately $39.8 million. We will not receive any of the proceeds of the shares that will be sold by the selling shareholders.
We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay $15.3 million of notes payable to B.G. Beck in connection with our acquisition of Trans Digital Technologies on February 14, 2004, and to repay approximately $15.0 million of indebtedness outstanding under our loan agreements with Lau Technologies and Commerce Bank and Trust Company as of March 28, 2004. We borrowed $3.0 million from Commerce in February 2004 to finance our contract with the State of Illinois. The general repayment terms of such indebtedness are as follows:
(in thousands)
B.G. Beck 12/1/2005 8.50 % $ 15,300
Commerce 3/11/2006 6.25 % 1,612
Commerce 6/24/2007 5.25 % 901
Commerce 12/31/2007 5.25 % 1,394
Lau 8/30/2005 8.50 % 1,014
* We estimate that we will incur approximately $600,000 in prepayment penalties, which are not reflected in the table above.
We expect to use the remaining net proceeds for capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. We also may use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire complementary products, technologies or businesses, if and when such opportunities arise. Pending these uses, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term interest bearing, investment grade securities.
Our net tangible book value as of March 28, 2004 was approximately $10.1 million, or approximately $0.28 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which consists of tangible assets less total liabilities, by the number of shares of common stock outstanding on that date. Without taking into account any other changes in the net tangible book value after March 28, 2004, other than to give effect to our receipt of the estimated net proceeds from the sale by us of 7,200,000 shares of our common stock in this offering, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us and our estimated offering expenses, our net tangible book value as of March 28, 2004, after giving effect to the items above would have been approximately $47.1 million, or $1.10 per share. This represents an immediate increase in the net tangible book value of $0.82 per share to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution of $4.40 per share to new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Offering price per share
Net tangible book value per share as of March 28, 2004
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering
Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of March 28, 2004 after giving effect to this offering
Dilution per share to new investors
This table is based on the number of shares as of March 28, 2004, and does not include the following:
• 4,585,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of that date at a weighted average exercise price of $3.41 per share and
• 812,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants outstanding as of that date at a weighted average exercise price of $11.94 per share.
The following table sets forth our capitalization as of March 28, 2004 on an actual basis and on an adjusted basis. The as adjusted capitalization reflects the sale by us of 7,200,000 shares of common stock in this offering after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
$ 10,940 $ 703
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 45,000,000 shares authorized; 35,625,176 shares and 42,825,176 shares (as adjusted) issued and outstanding, respectively(1)
Accumulated deficit
(43,709 ) (43,709 )
Total shareholders’ equity
Total capitalization
$ 123,619 $ 130,378
(1) On June 15, 2004 we increased the number of authorized shares of our common stock to 75,000,000.
Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “VISG.” The following table sets forth the quarterly range of high and low reported sale prices of the common stock on the Nasdaq National Market for the periods indicated.
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2002
Fiscal year ending December 31, 2004
Second Quarter (through August 4, 2004)
On August 4, 2004, the last reported sale price of the common stock as reported on the Nasdaq National Market was $6.23 per share. As of July 15, 2004, there were approximately 239 record holders of our common stock.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We are prohibited from paying dividends pursuant to our borrowing arrangements. Notwithstanding this limitation, we presently intend to retain our cash for use in the operation and expansion of our business and, therefore, do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
The following tables provide our selected consolidated financial data, which were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2003. The historical results presented are not necessarily indicative of future results. The data should be read in conjunction with our financial statements, related notes and other financial information as of December 31, 2003 and for each of the three years in the periods ended December 31, 2003 appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as the discussions appearing in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Our financial data for the three-month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004 were derived from our unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, which we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations for those periods. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year.
Basic and diluted net loss per share
Basic and diluted loss per share applicable to common shareholders (4)
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding
For the Years
Ended December 31,
Balance Sheet Data:
$ 38,115 $ 22,244 $ 5,887 $ 2,642 $ 2,443
67,663 61,189 54,480 43,975 135,292
Long-term obligations
10,368 9,845 8,147 8,607 20,483
MANAG EMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following summary together with the more detailed business information and consolidated financial statements and related notes that appear elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents that we incorporate by reference into this prospectus.
• confidence that the person holding the identification is uniquely tied to and authorized to use the document and
Our solutions annually produce more than 30 million secure government-issued credentials at more than 2,000 locations. We are the second largest provider of U.S. drivers’ licenses with a 30% market share, and we are the sole source provider of passport production capability to the U.S. Department of State. We also are a recognized leader in biometrics in the field of face recognition. Our customers include governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses in more than 15 countries.
We generate revenue through the sale and license of products and services for verifying and managing identities. Our revenues increased from $8.2 million in the first quarter of 2003 to $12.3 million in the first quarter of 2004. Our net loss during the same periods decreased from $2.4 million to $1.6 million, excluding the one-time charge of $12.1 million in connection with our change in accounting principle as of January 1, 2003. Our efforts in 2004 have been and will continue to be primarily focused on expanding our portfolio of offerings to satisfy our customers’ identity solution requirements. We have taken substantial steps in this direction through the acquisitions of ZN Vision Technologies AG, or ZN, in January 2004 and Trans Digital Technologies Corporation, or TDT, in February 2004. The acquisition of TDT enabled us to be selected to provide a solution to the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, to support the production of smart cards as part of the agency’s Common Access Card, or CAC, program. We continue to make investments in research and development and intend to continue to introduce new and enhanced product and service offerings. To further increase revenue, we are also expanding our distribution channels.
Segments and Geographic Information
Our business involves two closely-related segments: secure credentials and biometrics. For the three-month period ended March 28, 2004, we derived 96.2%, or $11.7 million, of our direct revenue within the United States. We derived an additional 1.3%, or $160,000, of our direct revenue in Canada. The remaining 2.5%, or $307,000, was derived by our German subsidiary, primarily from customers in countries within the European Union. For the year ended December 31, 2003 approximately $36.6 million, or 97.8% of our direct revenue was derived within the United States. The remaining $818,000, or 2.2% of revenue was derived in Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Secure Credentials Segment
Our secure credentials segment accounted for approximately 85.8% and 84.2% of our revenues in the three-month periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003, respectively, and 82.2%, 84.7% and 86.6% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. Our secure credentials solutions involve the design, development, marketing and implementation of integrated software and hardware solutions that produce identification credentials, many of which utilize face recognition and other biometric technologies.
We provide customized systems utilizing proprietary products under service contracts that typically have five to seven year terms and several optional annual renewals after the initial contract term. For drivers’ licenses, these contracts generally provide for a fixed price for each identification credential produced. Contract prices vary depending on, among other things, design and integration complexities, the nature and number of workstations and sites, the projected number of secure credentials to be produced, the size of the database, the level of post-installation support and the competitive environment. Our secure credentials segment also includes the contracts we assumed as part of our acquisition of TDT in February 2004. TDT contributed revenues of $1.8 million to this segment for the three months ended March 28, 2004. Under these contracts, we provide high security technology and services to the U.S. Department of State for the production of U.S. passports, as well as similar services to the DoD and Homeland Security. Those contracts generally provide that we will be paid for the hardware, software and services we provide, as well as consumables delivered to the customer.
In civil identification applications, such as drivers’ licenses and passports, the sales cycle generally includes a formal request for proposal, or RFP, bidding process. Once an RFP is issued, a comprehensive proposal is developed and usually followed by an on-site customer demonstration. The process from the issuance of an RFP to the ultimate award can take up to six months. Following the bid award a six-to-twelve month implementation and installation process usually ensues. We believe that long sales cycles in our public sector markets are endemic to the market and will continue. Further, customers may seek to modify the system either during or after the implementation of the system. While our long sales and implementation cycle requires the commitment of marketing resources and investments of working capital, we believe that it also serves as a barrier to entry for smaller companies and as an early indicator of potential competitors for particular projects. For existing customers, a considerably shorter sales and implementation cycle may be involved.
Biometrics Segment
Our biometrics segment accounted for approximately 14.2% and 15.8% of our revenue for the three month periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003, respectively, and 17.8%, 15.3% and 13.4% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. The focus of our biometric technology solutions is primarily on applications designed to deter criminal and terrorist activities, including government research and development contracts. These initiatives generated 89.0% of this segment’s revenue for the three months ended March 28, 2004, the remaining 11.0% was generated from sales in the gaming industry.
Within our biometrics segment, our contracts typically provide for the development, customization and installation of face recognition systems for government agencies, law enforcement agencies and businesses. These contracts are generally fixed price, and include milestones and acceptance criteria for the various deliverables under the contract. Contract prices are dependent on a variety of factors, including design and integration complexities, the nature and number of workstations and sites, the size of the database, the level of post-installation support and the competitive environment. In certain cases, we provide licenses for off-the-shelf versions of our face recognition software on a per user basis.
For identity solutions that primarily require our advanced face recognition technology, such as criminal identification booking and investigation applications, the sales cycle tends to be shorter and the solution consists primarily of software products.
As we continue to implement our vision of being a total identity solutions provider, the biometrics and secure credentials segments become less distinct as discrete segments. We believe that the presence or future potential of integrated biometrics in secure credentials is a key factor in increasing revenue and profits from the secure credentials business. As a result, we are seeing the two segments converge into one market.
Dependence on Significant Customers
We believe for the near future that we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from a limited number of large contracts. Secure credentials segment customers who accounted for more than 10% of our total revenues are as follows:
• For the three months ended March 28, 2004, one customer accounted for an aggregate of 13.0%;
• For the three months ended March 30, 2003, two customers accounted for an aggregate of 28.0%;
• For the year ended December 31, 2003, two customers accounted for an aggregate of 26.0%;
• For the year ended December 31, 2002, two customers accounted for an aggregate of 22.0% and
• For the year ended December 31, 2001, four customers accounted for an aggregate of 49.0%
No single biometrics customer accounted for over 10% of our total revenue in any period.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or US GAAP. Consistent with US GAAP, we have adopted accounting policies that we believe are most appropriate given the facts and circumstances of our business. The application of these policies has a significant impact on our reported results. In addition, some of these policies require management to make estimates. These estimates, which are based on historical experience and analysis of current conditions, have a significant impact on our reported results and the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. If actual results differ significantly from these estimates, there could be a material effect on our financial statements.
Valuation of Goodwill and Other Long-Lived and Intangible Assets
Our long-lived assets include property, plant and equipment, other intangible assets and goodwill. As of March 28, 2004, the balances of property, plant and equipment, other intangible assets and goodwill, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization, were $24.8 million, $18.5 million and $63.6 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2003, the balances of property, plant and equipment and other intangible assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization, were $25.1 million and $2.7 million, respectively.
Where we believe that property, plant and equipment and intangible assets have finite lives, we depreciate and amortize those assets over their estimated useful lives. For purposes of determining whether there are any impairment losses, as further discussed below, our management has examined the carrying value of our identifiable long-lived tangible and intangible assets, including their useful lives where we believe such assets have finite lives, when indicators of impairment are present. For all long-lived tangible and intangible assets, if an impairment loss were identified based on the fair value of the asset, as compared to the carrying value of the asset, such loss would be charged to expense in the period we identify the impairment. Furthermore, if our review of the carrying values of the long-lived tangible and intangible assets with finite lives indicates impairment of such assets, we may determine that shorter estimated useful lives are more appropriate. In that event, we will be required to record additional depreciation and amortization in future periods, which will reduce our earnings.
Factors we generally consider important which could trigger an impairment review on the carrying value of other long-lived tangible and intangible assets include the following:
• significant underperformance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results;
• significant changes in the manner of our use of acquired assets or the strategy for our overall business;
• underutilization of our tangible assets;
• discontinuance of product lines by ourselves or our customers;
• significant negative industry or economic trends;
• significant decline in our stock price for a sustained period and
• significant decline in our market capitalization relative to net book value.
Although we believe that the carrying value of our long-lived tangible and intangible assets were realizable as of March 28, 2004 and December 31, 2003, future events could cause us to conclude otherwise.
Due to our two acquisitions in the first quarter of 2004, goodwill and other intangible assets were created as a result of the preliminary allocation of the purchase price to identified intangible assets of the acquired businesses. The values recorded for goodwill and other intangible assets represent preliminary estimates of fair values calculated by independent third-party appraisers and are subject to further review and finalization. Such valuations require us to provide significant estimates and assumptions, which are derived from information obtained from the management of the acquired businesses, and our business plans for the acquired businesses or intellectual property. Critical estimates and assumptions used in the initial valuation of goodwill and other intangible assets include, but are not limited to:
• future expected cash flows from product sales, customer contracts and acquired developed technologies and patents;
• expected costs to complete any in-process research and development projects and commercialize viable products and estimated cash flows from sales of such products;
• the acquired companies’ brand awareness and market position;
• assumptions about the period of time over which we will continue to use the acquired brand and
• discount rates.
These estimates and assumptions may be incomplete or inaccurate because unanticipated events and circumstances may occur. If estimates and assumptions used to initially value goodwill and intangible assets prove to be inaccurate, ongoing reviews of the carrying values of such goodwill and intangible assets may indicate impairment which will require us to record an impairment charge in the period in which we identify the impairment.
As of March 28, 2004, we have recorded goodwill of $63.6 million. We will perform impairment reviews on the carrying values of goodwill arising from the aforementioned acquisitions at least annually. Because future cash flows and operating results used in the impairment review will be based on management’s projections and assumptions, future events could cause such projections to differ from those used to originally value the acquisitions, which could lead to significant impairment charges of goodwill in the future.
Secure Credentials Revenue and Cost Recognition
During the third quarter of 2003, we adopted the provisions of Emerging Issues Task Force 00-21, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, or EITF 00-21, on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003. EITF 00-21 governs how to identify whether goods or services, or both, to be delivered separately in a bundled sales arrangement, should be accounted for separately. The operating results for the three-month period ended March 30, 2003 reflects the cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle in 2003.
We deliver solutions under secure credential contracts primarily to federal and state government customers. We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, delivery occurs or services are rendered, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collectibility is reasonably assured.
In some cases, we generate revenue from the sale of products in which title passes to the customer. In these cases, we recognize revenue when the products are shipped and accepted by the customer. Services revenue under these contracts consists of preventative and remedial maintenance on printing systems. We also provide on site technical support and consulting services to our customers. Revenue on fixed price services is recognized ratably over the service period which approximates the timing of the services rendered. Revenue on time and material services is recognized as the services are rendered. Expenses on all services are recognized when the costs are incurred.
When elements such as products and services are contained in a single arrangement, or in related arrangements with the same customer, we allocate revenue to each element based on its relative fair value, provided that such element meets the criteria for treatment as a separate unit of accounting. The price charged when the element is sold separately generally determines fair value.
We have secure credential contracts, generally with state governments for the production of drivers’ licenses and other identification credentials, where we have determined that we have multiple elements and where the title to equipment installed to produce these credentials does not pass to the customer. Under these contracts, the first element consists of hardware, system design, implementation, training, consumables management, maintenance and support which is accounted for as equipment and related executory services under lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13. The second element consists of customized software which is accounted for as a long term contract in accordance with AICPA Statement of Position 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition, or SOP 97-2, and Statement of Position 81-1, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts, or SOP 81-1, on a units of delivery method of measurement.
Costs related to the hardware element of these contracts are capitalized on the balance sheet and are depreciated over the remaining contract term beginning when the system goes into service. The delivery of these credentials typically requires us to customize, design and install equipment and software at customer locations, as well as perform training, supply consumables, maintain the equipment and provide support services. Nonperformance of training, consumables management, maintenance and support services would prevent us from receiving payment for the costs incurred in the customization, design and installation of the system. EITF 00-21 limits the amount of revenue allocable to the customization, design and installation of the system to the amount that is not contingent upon the production of credentials. Revenue on these contracts under EITF 00-21 is earned based on, and is contingent upon, the production of credentials from the system. Due to the contingent performance of credential production in our secure credentials contracts, we defer revenue recognition for the system design and installation phase of our contracts, including customized software and equipment, and recognize revenue as credentials are produced.
Costs related to the customized software element of our secure credentials contracts where title to the hardware element does not pass to the customer are capitalized on the balance sheet during the period in which we are designing and installing the system and are amortized over the remaining contract term beginning when the system goes into service. Costs related to this element of our secure credentials contracts incurred after the
system is in service are expensed as incurred. Revenue related to this element of our secure credentials contracts is recorded as credentials are produced by the system.
Our secure credentials contracts related to the delivery of drivers’ licenses and identification credentials typically provide that the state department of transportation, or similar agency, will pay a fixed price per credential produced utilizing a system we design, implement and support. Our fixed pricing includes charges for the use of the system, materials and the data that is stored on the credentials. Prices under these contracts vary depending on, among other things:
• Design and integration complexities;
• Nature and number of workstations and sites installed;
• Projected number of secure credentials to be produced;
• Size of the database;
• Level of post-installation involvement that will be required of us and
• Competitive environment.
Prior to the adoption of EITF 00-21, we recognized revenue and costs associated with our secure credentials contracts as a single accounting element using the percentage-of-completion methodology.
Biometrics Segment Revenue and Cost Recognition
Within our biometrics segment, our contracts typically provide for the development, customization and installation of face recognition systems for government agencies, law enforcement agencies and businesses. These contracts are generally fixed price, and include milestones and acceptance criteria for the various deliverables under the contract. Contract prices vary depending on, among other things, design and integration complexities, the nature and number of workstations and sites, the size of the database, the level of post-installation support and the competitive environment. In certain cases, we provide licenses of off-the-shelf versions of our face recognition software on a per user basis.
We recognize revenue under these contracts using the percentage-of-completion methodology in accordance with SOP 81-1. We use the percentage-of-completion methodology to account for revenue under these contracts because:
• A high level of certainty exists regarding expected cash flows from these contracts; and
• A reliable basis exists for determining the percentage of the contract that will be completed at the end of the accounting period.
We measure the percentage complete as costs are incurred or for contracts based on milestones, revenue is recognized when scheduled performance milestones and customer acceptance criteria have been achieved. These milestones are specific events or deliverables clearly identified in the contract. We recognize revenue based on the total milestone billable to the customer less revenue related to any future maintenance requirements. Billings occur under these contracts when the milestone is delivered and accepted by the customer. Milestones can include customized systems, installation and services as defined by the contract.
We record costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings under these contracts as current assets. We record billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings and accrued contract costs as current liabilities.
Under SOP 97-2 revenue related to software licenses of off-the-shelf face recognition software is recognized when:
• Persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists;
• Delivery has occurred;
• The sales price is fixed and determinable;
• Collection is probable and
• There are no post delivery obligations.
We adopted EITF 00-21 on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003. Based on our evaluation of biometrics contracts and the application of the new guidance, the adoption of EITF 00-21 did not have an impact on the accounting for revenue from biometrics systems under long-term contracts.
Results of Operations
Comparison of fiscal quarters ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003
Revenue for the first quarter of 2004 were approximately $12.3 million, compared to approximately $8.2 million for the first quarter of 2003. The 50.6% increase in revenue is derived from increases of approximately $3.7 million in the secure credentials segment and $300,000 in the biometrics segment. The increase in the secure credentials segment consists of $1.8 million from the operating results of TDT from February 15, 2004 through March 28, 2004, $610,000 from the sale of equipment and consumables directly to two states, $558,000 from a volume increase resulting from the rollout of one new state drivers’ license contract and approximately $730,000 from a net increase in volume and the fulfillment of certain milestones among our remaining contracts. The increase in our biometrics revenue is derived from the inclusion of approximately $307,000 in ZN revenue for the period from January 24, 2004 to March 28, 2004.
Gross margins increased to 27.4% in the first quarter of 2004 from 16.8% in the first quarter of 2003. We expect gross margins on our secure credentials contracts to fluctuate based on changes in period cost of sales as a result of our adoption of EITF 00-21 due to the fact that in 2003 and in the future we will effectively recognize revenue on a fixed price per credential produced by our customers. If we successfully achieve cost saving measures in the delivery process, we will realize higher gross margins in those periods where the cost savings measures are achieved. Alternatively, in periods where our delivery costs are higher due to service and maintenance requirements, we expect gross margins to decrease for those periods. The overall increase in gross margin in the first quarter of 2004 compared to the first quarter of 2003 is due to margin increases in both the secure credentials and biometrics segments.
In the secure credentials segment, gross margins increased to 24.4% in the first quarter of 2004 from 11.1% in the first quarter of 2003. We achieved gross margin increases on 12 of the 15 secure credentials contracts that were active in both periods. Those contracts represented approximately 57.9% of the total revenue in that segment for the three-month period ended March 28, 2004. The margin increases were attributable to our minimization of period costs during the card production phase on all of our secure credentials contracts. We were able to achieve some of these costs savings by minimizing overtime labor charges through improved resource management of field service technicians. In addition, we installed inventory management software in multiple states throughout 2003, which allows us to better control consumables scrap, thus reducing our materials costs. In addition to these cost savings initiatives, we signed contract extensions in five states and began card production in two additional states during 2003, both of which resulted in margin increases for those states. Our margin increase in this segment was also attributable to the 30.3% gross margin on approximately $1.8 million of revenue contribution from TDT for the period from February 15 to March 28, 2004, which represented approximately 17.1% of the total segment revenue for the quarter. The gross margin related to TDT included approximately $384,000 of non-cash amortization of the identified intangible assets, as described in more detail
below. These increases were offset by gross margin decreases in other states. In two states, gross margins decreased due to an increase in costs, while in a third state the gross margin decrease was primarily due to decreases in credential volume.
The secure credentials business is a highly competitive, bid-based business, which results in pricing pressure for those systems. In addition, the price of a system is dictated by the customer’s specifications for the solution and its functionality. Some of these customer specifications include hardware, customized software, credential volume, number and type of security features on the credentials, and biometric identification on the credentials. All of these inputs are evaluated in our estimate of the cost of the system and ultimately influence the pricing for the system to be delivered. We are also aware of the customer’s budget situation since this affects how much the customer can spend on the system. After all of these factors are considered, we price the contract and determine the gross margin for the system to be delivered. The price and margin fluctuate by customer due to the number of locations, volume of credentials, requirements and complexity of the system and competitive environment. Although prices remain fixed for products and services on a contract-by-contract basis, fluctuations in gross margin are attributable to changes in the customer mix, change orders and contract extensions received.
Gross margins in our biometrics segment decreased to 45.0% in the first quarter of 2004 from 46.0% in the first quarter of 2003.
For the three-month period ended March 28, 2004, we have allocated $384,000 of amortization expense for the TDT acquisition to cost of sales due to the fact that a majority of the identified intangible assets were attributed to contracts that are generating significant revenue. The $74,000 of amortization related to the ZN acquisition was included in operating expenses for the three months ended March 28, 2004.
Sales and Marketing Expenses
Sales and marketing expenses increased approximately $82,000, from $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2003 to $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2004. The increase is primarily due to our investment in pursuing biometrics opportunities and the pursuit of significant opportunities in the secure identification marketplace. As a percentage of revenue, sales and marketing expenses decreased from 17.3% in the first quarter of 2003 to 12.2% in the first quarter of 2004.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased approximately $14,000, from $945,000 in the first quarter of 2003 to $959,000 in the first quarter of 2004. The increase is due principally to our continued investment in face recognition technologies and new product development. This investment included enhancing existing products with the intellectual property that was acquired through the acquisitions of ZN and TDT. As discussed above, research and development expenses include $74,000 of non-cash amortization expense related to the ZN identified intangible assets which contributed to the improvement in face recognition technologies and new product development. As a percentage of revenue, research and development expenses decreased from 11.6% in the first quarter of 2003 to 7.8% in the first quarter of 2004. We expect to continue to invest in product development in fiscal 2004.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses increased by approximately $1.0 million, from $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2003 to $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2004. The largest component of the increase derives from legal costs of approximately $527,000 stemming from the litigation surrounding our contract with the state of Georgia. General and administrative costs for ZN totaled $86,000 for the period from January 24, 2004 to March 28, 2004. General and administrative costs for TDT totaled $36,000 for the period from February 14, 2004
to March 28, 2004. The remainder of the increase is due to the logistical support required to grow our business through acquisitions while continuing to meet the financing requirements created by our expanding operations. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expenses increased from 13.4% in the first quarter of 2003 to 17.4% in the first quarter of 2004.
Interest expense, net of approximately $21,000 and $28,000 of interest income for the first quarters of 2004 and 2003 respectively, increased approximately $173,000 from $219,000 in the first quarter of 2003 to $392,000 in the first quarter of 2004. The increase in interest expense is due to $162,000 of interest on the $15.3 million note used to purchase TDT, as well as approximately $14,000 of additional interest stemming from additional debt financing required to support contract delivery.
There was no provision for federal income taxes for the periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003 due to the net loss in both periods. The provision for state income taxes for the periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003 were $25,000 and $63,000 respectively.
Cumulative Effect of Change in Accounting Principle
For the quarter ended March 30, 2003, we incurred a non-cash charge of $12.1 million representing the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle related to our adoption of EITF 00-21 on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003.
Comparison of fiscal years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002
Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2003 increased 19.6% to $37.4 million from $31.3 million in 2002 after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of the accounting change. The increase in revenue of approximately $6.1 million resulted from increases of $4.4 million and $1.7 million in the secure credentials and biometrics segments, respectively, after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of the accounting change. The increase in the secure credentials segment revenue was the result of credential volume increases in five states generating additional revenue in those states of approximately $3.3 million. Volume increases in two states resulted from the addition of new types of credentials or from normal fluctuations in credential issuances. Volume increases under our contracts with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles and the State of Rhode Island, Division of Motor Vehicles were due to a full year of card production in 2003, in addition we began card production in Oklahoma in 2003. In addition to the volume increases, revenue under our contract serving the Maryland Department of Transportation and Motor Vehicle Administration increased $1.3 million in 2003 due to a full year of delivery on that contract. We also experienced an increase in revenue of approximately $300,000 due to net price per credential increases on contract extensions signed in 2003. The increase in revenue in the secure credentials segment was offset by volume decreases under drivers’ license contracts in two states, which resulted in a decrease in revenue of approximately $386,000. The increase in secure credentials revenue for 2003 was also offset by decreases in revenue of approximately $260,000 under our contracts with Arizona Department of Transportation and New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue as a result of the expiration of those contracts in 2002. The increase in revenue in the biometrics segment related to the inclusion of a full year of revenue derived from our Pinellas County contract signed in October 2002. We also delivered face recognition solutions to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai International Airport and to Alberta, Canada in mid-2003, which contributed approximately $800,000 of additional revenue combined.
Gross margins increased to 25.5% for the year ended December 31, 2003 compared to 17.3% for 2002 after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes. We expect gross margins on our secure credentials contracts to fluctuate based on changes in period cost of sales as a result of our adoption of EITF 00-21 due to the fact that in 2003 and in the future we will effectively recognize revenue on a fixed price per credential produced by our customers. If we successfully achieve cost saving measures in the delivery process, we will realize higher gross margins in those periods where the cost savings measures are achieved. Alternatively, in periods where our delivery costs are higher due to service and maintenance requirements, we expect gross margins to decrease for those periods. The overall increase in gross margin in 2003 compared to 2002, after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of the accounting change, is due to margin increases in both the secure credentials and biometrics segments.
In the secure credentials segment, gross margins increased to 21.1% in 2003 from 20.7% in 2002 after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of the accounting change. We achieved margin increases on 10 of our 18 active secure credentials contracts in 2003. Those contracts represented approximately 66.7% of the total revenue in that segment for the year. The margin increases were attributable to our commitment to minimize period costs during the card production phase on all of our secure credentials contracts. We were able to achieve some of these costs savings by minimizing overtime labor charges through better resource management of field service technicians. In addition, we installed inventory management software in multiple states in 2003, which allows us to better control consumables scrap thus reducing our materials costs. In addition to these cost savings initiatives, we signed contract extensions in five states and began card production in two additional states during 2003, both of which resulted in margin increases for those states. These increases were offset by gross margin decreases in other states due primarily to decreases in credential volume during the year.
The secure credentials business is a highly competitive, bid-based business, which results in pricing pressure for those systems. In addition, the price of a system is dictated by the customer’s specifications for the solution and its functionality. Some of these customer specifications include hardware, customized software, credential volume, number and type of security features on the credentials, and biometric identification on the credentials. All of these inputs are evaluated in our estimate of the cost of the system and ultimately influence the pricing for the system to be delivered. We are also aware of the customer’s budget situation since this affects how much the customer can spend on the system. After all of these factors are considered, we price the contract and determine the gross margin for the system to be delivered. The price and margin fluctuate by customer due to the number of locations, volume of credentials, requirements and complexity of the system and competitive environment. Although prices remain fixed for products and services on a contract-by-contract basis, fluctuations in gross margin are attributable to changes in the customer mix, change orders and contract extensions received. Gross margins in our biometrics segment increased to 45.6% in 2003 from 15.0% in 2002 due to our improved efficiency in delivering biometrics solutions in the current year, as well as margin adjustments on selected projects in 2002. As we enhance our biometrics solutions, systems and delivery process, we expect that our internal processes around production and sourcing of hardware coupled with improved efficiency in the delivery of the solution should result in improving margins. We realized some of this efficiency in 2003.
We expect that gross margins in the future will include non-cash expenses related to the portion of the purchase price of TDT that is allocated to its contract with the U.S. Department of State and its other contracts. We are in the process of valuing the TDT transaction and will assign purchase price to these intangible assets based on the outcome of that valuation. The intangible assets recorded will be amortized through cost of sales over the remaining contract terms and may have a significant impact on our gross margins during that period.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased approximately $86,000, to $5.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 from $5.4 million in 2002. As a percentage of revenue, sales and marketing expenses decreased to 14.1% in 2003 from 17.2% in 2002 after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in the number of drivers’ license contracts coming up for bid in 2003 within the secure credentials segment as a result of delays within certain states due to budgetary constraints. The bid and proposal process related to the secure credentials contracts for state drivers’ license contracts generally requires the involvement of our technology personnel as we devise the system architecture during this phase that satisfies the states requirements in the proposal. As proposal volume was down in 2003, there was increased focus of these resources in other areas, specifically on the delivery of the systems that were contracted in 2002. We expect sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of revenue in 2004. This increase will result from of our acquisitions of sales and marketing resources at ZN and TDT. In addition, we will continue our investment in increasing the awareness and demand for identity solutions, support our growth strategy in the federal marketplace and continue our focus on the civil and criminal identification opportunities.
Research and development expenses decreased approximately $807,000, to $3.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 from $4.5 million in 2002. As a percentage of revenue, research and development expenses decreased to 9.8% from 14.3% in 2002 after adjusting the 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes. These decreases are the result of a restructuring and workforce reduction in the fourth quarter of 2002, as well as a decrease in our internal investment in research and development during 2003 anticipating the contribution that the ZN acquisition will bring to our research and development initiatives in the future. Development costs that benefited specific projects were recorded as cost of revenues and costs that did not benefit specific projects were recorded as research and development expenses. Software development costs we have capitalized subsequent to achieving technological feasibility have not been material. We expect research and development expenses to decrease in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue in 2004. These decreases will result from an increase in funded research projects to leverage our research and development initiatives in the United States and abroad.
General and administrative expenses remained relatively flat, increasing by approximately $41,000, to $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 from $5.1 million in 2002. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expenses decreased to 13.7% in 2003 from 16.2% in 2002 after adjusting 2002 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes. The slight increase in general and administrative expenses was due to the logistical support required to grow our business through acquisitions while continuing to meet the financing requirements created by our expanding operations. The benefits that we experienced related to the restructuring in 2002 and other cost savings initiatives were offset by additional expenses related to new strategic actions taken in 2003. Additional general and administrative expenses related to these actions included $725,000 of expense related to new strategic hires, $200,000 of expenses related to additional employee terminations in 2003, $150,000 of expenses related to pursuing new financing opportunities and $285,000 of additional professional fees related to our contract in Georgia. We expect general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars and decrease as a percentage of revenue in 2004 primarily due to our acquisitions of ZN and TDT. In addition to the additional headcount in 2004 we expect additional overhead expenses related to facilities, human resources, administration and reporting.
Interest expense, net of approximately $99,000 and $196,000 of interest income in 2003 and 2002, respectively, increased approximately $94,000 for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $969,000 from $875,000 in 2002. The increase in interest expense reflects the additional debt financing required to support contract delivery in 2003.
For the year ended December 31, 2003 we had other income of $18,000 related to a gain on the sale of certain card printer assets. There was no other income recognized for the year ended December 31, 2002.
No provision for federal income taxes has been made for the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 due to the net loss in both periods. For the year ended December 31, 2003, the provision for state income taxes was approximately $63,000. There was no provision for state income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2002.
For the year ended December 31, 2003, we incurred a non-cash charge of $12.1 million representing the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle related to our adoption of EITF 00-21 on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003.
Revenue increased to $32.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 from $26.3 million in 2001. Revenue in the secure credentials segment increased by $4.6 million, or 20.2%, as a result of winning new drivers’ license contracts. Revenue in the biometrics segment increased by $1.4 million, or 40%, due to revenue generated from acquisitions and the continued organic growth of that business. The revenue generated from biometrics solutions in both segments increased by $2.4 million, or 58.7%, from $4.0 million in 2001 to $6.4 million in 2002, which was a result of an increase in the use of biometrics technology by some states in the production of drivers licenses and other credentials. After adjusting the 2002 and 2001 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes, revenue increased to $31.3 million in 2002 from $28.2 million in 2001. Revenue in the secure credentials segment increased by $1.7 million, or 6.8% as a result of increased credential volumes from recently implemented drivers’ license contracts beginning card production in 2002. Revenue in the biometrics segment does not change on a pro forma basis.
Gross margins decreased to 21.9% for the year ended December 31, 2002 from 25.4% in 2001. The decline in gross margin reflects a change in product mix and contracts that included product development as well as delays in contract awards expected in the biometrics segment. This is evidenced by the improvement in gross margins from the first quarter of 2002 of 20.5% to 29.3% in the fourth quarter of that year. In 2002, new contracts in the secure credentials segment accounted for 29.4% of our revenue and had a combined gross margin of 37.6%. In 2001, new contracts accounted for 16.6% of our revenue and had a combined gross margin of 13.7%. The gross margin excluding new contracts would have been 17.1% for 2002, as compared to 24.9% in 2001. After adjusting the 2002 and 2001 results on a pro forma basis for the impact of accounting changes, gross margins decreased to 17.3% for the year ended December 31, 2002 from 27.4% in 2001. The decline in gross margin reflects a change in product mix reducing the percentage of revenue recognized on secure credentials contracts and included a higher percentage of biometrics contracts that yielded lower margins in 2002. The biometrics segment in total averaged margins of 15.0% in 2002 compared to 40.0% in 2001.
Sales and marketing expenses increased by approximately $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 from the prior year. This represents an increase to 16.6% from 3.1% of revenue. The increase was due to our investment in pursuing biometrics opportunities following the events of September 11, 2001 and the pursuit of significant opportunities in the secure credentials marketplace. Our expenses resulted from our increased presence and sponsorship at security related trade shows, additional resource allocation to pursue opportunities in the federal government sector and an increase in sales and marketing personnel. The expenses associated with these activities included $1.7 million of compensation expenses for new hires, $1.4 million for the reallocation of resources for sales support, $1.0 million associated with lobbyists and marketing consultants and an increase of $0.4 million in travel expenses to support lobbying and marketing activities. The result of this investment can be seen in the increase to our revenue, backlog, and customer base.
Research and development expenses increased by approximately $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 from the prior year. This represents an increase to 13.8% from 7.8% of revenue. The increase is due to our continued investment in facial recognition technologies and new product development. This included enhancing existing products with the intellectual property that was acquired through the recent acquisitions. Our expenses included $1.9 million of compensation expenses for new hires, $400,000 for outside research consultants and $100,000 for additional leased office space for new hires.
General and administrative expenses increased by approximately $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 from the prior year. This represents an increase to 15.7% from 9.5% of revenue. This increase was due to additional rental costs of approximately $900,000 arising from additional leased office space and an increased rental rate on previously occupied space, $1.2 million in compensation expenses including placement fees for new hires, $100,000 for outside consultants and a write-down of a contract receivable of $400,000. As a result of the acquisitions in 2002, and to facilitate the growth of the business, we also increased investment in infrastructure and personnel.
Restructuring Charge
We incurred a one-time restructuring charge of $824,000 in the fourth quarter of 2002. This consisted of approximately $248,000 associated with a workforce reduction of 21 individuals, or approximately 16% of the employee base. In addition, we took a charge for non-cancelable lease costs and capital equipment of approximately $420,000 and $156,000 respectively. Annualized savings associated with the workforce reduction are expected to total approximately $2.2 million.
Interest expense, net of approximately $196,000 and $31,000 of interest income in 2002 and 2001, respectively, decreased approximately $335,000 for the year ended December 31, 2002 from the prior year. This represents a decrease to 2.8% from 4.6% of revenue. This decrease reflects the impact of our continuing efforts to reduce our overall debt and related interest expense, as well as the retirement of a $4,000,000 operating line of credit with the proceeds of the $25 million private placement of common stock in December 2001.
We did not record any income tax for fiscal years 2002 and 2001 due to the net loss in each year.
Impact of Foreign Currency Translation
For the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2001, our foreign operations and export sales were approximately $800,000 and $1.2 million, respectively. We did not have any revenue related to foreign operations and export sales for the year ended December 31, 2002. We do not consider our foreign operations and export sales to be material for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001.
As a result of our acquisitions of ZN and TDT, we expect that we will have increased exposure to foreign currency fluctuations. Net revenue and related expenses generated from our international location in Germany is denominated in euros. The results of operations and certain of our intercompany balances associated with this international location are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. In addition to our German operation, we will have increased transactions with Japanese vendors supplying hardware and consumables for the delivery of the TDT contracts. These transactions will increase our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations with the yen. To the extent the U.S. dollar weakens against these foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign currencies denominated transactions results in increased net revenue, operating expenses and net income. Similarly, our net revenue, operating expenses and net income will decrease when the U.S. dollar strengthens against these foreign currencies.
Cash and cash equivalents were approximately $9.3 million at March 28, 2004, which consisted entirely of cash. This amount excludes approximately $3.1 million which is restricted under our term loan agreements and project financing. Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2003 were approximately $6.7 million, which consisted entirely of cash. This number excludes approximately $6.3 million which was restricted under our term loan agreements and project financing.
In the three-month period ended March 28, 2004, cash provided by operating activities was approximately $586,000, which stems from our net loss of approximately $1.6 million, offset by non-cash charges for depreciation and amortization of approximately $2.3 million and cash used by the net increase in operating assets of approximately $62,000.
Accounts receivable increased approximately 32.9% from $7.0 million at December 31, 2003 to $9.3 million at March 28, 2004. This increase includes $874,000 and $2.2 million which were assets of ZN and TDT, respectively, acquired by us at the respective dates of acquisition of those companies. The remainder of the change, which resulted in an increase in cash of approximately $700,000, is due to the timing of billings and collections.
Inventories and other costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings increased approximately 14.7% from $4.1 million at December 31, 2003 to $4.6 million at March 28, 2004. This increase includes $189,000 and $135,000 which were assets of ZN and TDT, respectively, acquired by us at the date of acquisition. The remainder of the change, which resulted in a decrease in cash of approximately $176,000, reflects accumulation of consumables inventory that was unbilled as of March 28, 2004.
Accounts payable and accrued expenses increased approximately 61.3% from $6.9 million at December 31, 2003 to $11.1 million at March 28, 2004. This increase includes $1.5 million and $2.8 million which were liabilities of ZN and TDT, respectively, assumed by us at the dates of the respective acquisitions of those companies. The remainder of the change, which resulted in a decrease in cash of approximately $100,000, is due to the timing of payables.
In February 2004, we entered into a new loan agreement with Commerce Bank and Trust Company, or Commerce, that superseded the original loan agreement for our existing term loans. Under this new agreement, we borrowed an additional $3.0 million and reduced the required restricted cash balance under the new agreement with Commerce by $2.0 million. We also negotiated a reduction of $1.2 million of restricted cash with Lau Technologies, or Lau, concurrent with the execution of the new loan agreement with Commerce. The $3.0 million term loan provided by this agreement bears interest at a rate of 7.3%. The following table lists the approximate term note information for Commerce and Lau as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
Outstanding Principal Balance
Date of Loan
$ 4,000 $ 84 2/7/2001 6/20/2006 8.00 % $ 3,044 $ 2,259 $ 2,053
3,200 72 9/11/2001 3/11/2006 6.25 % 2,522 1,800 1,612
1,800 34 12/12/2002 12/31/2007 5.25 % 1,800 1,477 1,394
1,500 27 12/12/2002 4/24/2008 5.25 % 1,500 1,255 1,191
1,200 24 12/12/2002 6/24/2007 5.25 % 1,200 962 901
2,040 53 5/30/2003 6/30/2009 8.50 % — 1,795 1,673
287 42 5/30/2003 12/30/2003 8.50 % — — —
3,000 36 2/27/2004 2/27/2007 7.30 % — — 2,924
$ 21,089 $ 487 $ 10,066 $ 11,827 $ 15,011
In accordance with the new loan agreement the term notes are collateralized by certain of our assets and the related contract assets. We restructured our bank covenants to account for the impact of the closing of our transactions with ZN and TDT. We are required to maintain various financial covenants, including:
• a net loss for the year ending December 31, 2004 of not more than $500,000 and positive net after-tax income in each fiscal year thereafter;
• a minimum tangible net worth (as defined in the loan agreement) of approximately $16.7 million for the second quarter of 2004, increasing each quarter thereafter;
• our debt to tangible net worth ratio (as defined in the loan agreement) not to exceed the following quarterly benchmarks: 3.00:1.00 for the second quarter of 2004, 2.75:1.00 for the third quarter of 2004, and 2.20:1.00 for the fourth quarter of 2004;
• our debt service coverage ratio (as defined in the loan agreement) must be greater than 0.48 for the first quarter of 2004, 1.25 for the second and third quarters of 2004 and 1.00 for the fourth quarter of 2004 and
• annual capital expenditures may not exceed $1.5 million for the year ending December 31, 2004 and no single capital expenditure may exceed $250,000
Additionally, in accordance with the new agreement, we must maintain $3.0 million of cash on deposit with the lender through September 29, 2004, $4.0 million through November 29, 2004 and $5.0 million by December 31, 2004 and thereafter. This amount is recorded as restricted cash in long term assets. As of March 28, 2004 we had an additional $120,000 of restricted cash at Commerce related to our loan agreement with Lau. We plan to use part of the proceeds from this offering to repay all outstanding indebtedness to Commerce and Lau. See “Use of Proceeds.”
We also had one capital lease arrangement in which we were required to maintain the same financial ratios and minimum levels of tangible capital funds, as stated above. Pursuant to this arrangement, the lessor purchases
certain of our digital identification systems and leases them back to us for deployment with identified and contracted customers approved by the lessor. The lessor retains title to systems and has an assignment of our rights under the related customer contracts, including rights to use the software and technology underlying the related systems. Under this arrangement, the lessor bears the credit risk associated with payments by our customers, but we bear performance and appropriation risk and are generally required to repurchase a system in the event of a termination by a customer for any reason except credit default. This project lease arrangement was accounted for as a capital lease. At March 28, 2004, this lease-financing arrangement was paid in full. At December 31, 2003 and 2002, we had approximately $318,000 and $5.0 million outstanding under these lease-financing arrangements, respectively.
In April 2003 we entered into an arrangement for approximately $1.5 million of equipment financing with three of our suppliers. These project lease arrangements are accounted for as capital leases. There are no financial covenants associated with these leasing arrangements. As of March 28, 2004 we had outstanding $611,000 under these arrangements. As of December 31, 2003 we have outstanding $876,000 under these arrangements. The interest rates on these capital leases are between 6% and 8% and are fixed. The terms of these leases range from 12 months to 60 months. In August 2003 we entered into an arrangement for financing of database licenses with another vendor. As of December 31, 2003 we had outstanding $600,000 under this arrangement.
In the first quarter of 2004 we purchased an asset totaling $800,000 which is payable in installments over four years. On the March 28, 2004 balance sheet, $200,000 is included in accounts payable and other accrued expenses and $600,000 is recorded under other liabilities.
We are in compliance with our credit facility covenants as of March 28, 2004 and December 31, 2003, and we believe that we will be able to maintain compliance with our bank covenants in the future. However, this expectation is dependent on achieving our business plan. If we do not remain in compliance with the covenants in our financing arrangements, the lenders and the lessors could require immediate repayment of outstanding amounts. As of March 28, 2004, there was approximately $15.0 million outstanding under our credit facilities with Commerce and Lau.
In January 2004, we sold 456,007 shares of our common stock at $3.775 per share in a private sale to certain institutional investors to which we had previously sold shares in a private sale in September 2003. On February 14, 2004, we funded the acquisition of TDT with $5.0 million of available cash and executed a promissory note for an additional $15.3 million in addition to the issuance of new stock. The note bears interest at a rate of 8.5% per year and is payable in equal installments of principal and interest on December 1, 2004, May 1, 2005 and December 1, 2005. We plan to use part of the proceeds from this offering to repay this note. See “Use of Proceeds.” An additional cash payment of $2.6 million will be made to the former sole shareholder of TDT based upon TDT’s selection by the U.S. Department of Defense for the production of smart cards as part of the agency’s CAC program. This amount will be paid when we receive payment for our participation in this program. The acquisition of ZN was funded by the issuance of new stock.
We believe that our existing cash balances and anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our operating and debt service requirements for the next 12 months. However, if we cannot achieve our operating goals in 2004 or if we win additional secure credentials contracts in 2004, we may be required to seek additional financing. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Our ability to meet our business forecast is dependent on a number of factors, including those described in this prospectus under the heading “Risk Factors.”
Contractual Obligations
The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of March 28, 2004.
Long Term Debt Obligations
$ 30,311 $ 10,208 $ 18,539 $ 1,564 $ —
Capital Lease Obligations
1,170 732 370 68 —
Operating Lease Obligations
2,393 637 774 838 144
Contingent Obligations
Our principal contractual commitments involve payments under capital leases, term notes and operating leases.
Although some of our expenses increase with general inflation in the economy, inflation has not had a material impact on our financial results to date.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149 which amends and clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities under SFAS No. 133. In particular, SFAS No. 149 clarifies under what circumstances a contract with an initial net investment meets the characteristic of a derivative discussed in SFAS No. 133, clarifies when a derivative contains a financing component, amends the definition of an underlying (as initially defined in SFAS No. 133) to conform it to language used in FIN No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others, and amends certain other existing pronouncements. SFAS No. 149 is effective for all contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, subject to certain exceptions. The adoption of this statement did not have an impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
In May 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity, which establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and measures certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. SFAS No. 150 requires that an issuer classify a financial instrument that is within its scope as a liability (or an asset in some circumstances), while many of such instruments were previously classified as equity or “mezzanine” equity. The statement also requires that income statement treatment be consistent with the balance sheet classification. That is, if the instrument is classified as a liability, payments to the holders are interest expense, not dividends, and changes in value are recorded in earnings. The statement relates to three specific categories of instruments: mandatorily redeemable shares, freestanding written put options and forward contracts that obligate an entity to purchase its own shares, and freestanding contracts that obligate an entity to pay with its own shares in amounts that are either unrelated, or inversely related, to the price of the shares. SFAS No. 150 is effective immediately for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003 and otherwise is effective in the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003. The adoption of this statement did not have an impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
In January 2003, the FASB issued Financial Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (FIN 46), which requires the consolidation of certain variable interest entities. In December 2003, the FASB issued a revision to FIN 46. The revised FIN 46, which replaces the original FIN 46 issued in January 2003, clarifies the application of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements, to
certain entities in which equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support. While this interpretation exempts certain entities from its requirements, it also expands the definition of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) to a broader group of entities than those previously considered special-purpose entities (“SPE’s”) and specifies the criteria under which it is appropriate for an investor to consolidate VIE’s. Application of the revised FIN 46 is required in financial statements of public entities that have interest in structures that are commonly referred to as SPE’s for periods ending after December 15, 2003. For all other types of VIE’s, application of the revised FIN 46 by public entities is required for periods ending after March 15, 2004. The application of this interpretation with respect to structures commonly referred to as SPE’s did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The application of this interpretation with respect to types of VIE’s did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In December 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published SAB No. 104, Revenue Recognition. SAB No. 104 was effective upon issuance and supersedes SAB No. 101, Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements, and rescinds the accounting guidance contained in SAB No. 101 related to multiple-element revenue arrangements that was superseded by EITF Issue No. 00-21. Accordingly, SAB No. 104 rescinds portions of the interpretive guidance included in Topic 13 of the codification of staff accounting bulletins. While the wording of SAB No. 104 has changed to reflect the guidance of EITF 00-21, the revenue recognition principles of SAB No. 101 have remained largely unchanged. The adoption of SAB No. 104 did not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
In March 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a proposed Statement, “Share-Based Payment”, that addresses the accounting for share-based payment transactions in which an enterprise receives employee services in exchange for (a) equity instruments of the enterprise or (b) liabilities that are based on the fair value of the enterprise’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of such equity instruments. The proposed statement would eliminate the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”, and would generally require that such transactions be accounted for using a fair value-based method. As discussed in Note 2, we currently account for share-based compensation transactions using APB Opinion No. 25. If this statement is issued, the adoption of this interpretation will have a material negative impact on our consolidated financial position and results of operations, the level of which we are currently assessing.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Subsequent to our acquisition of ZN, our international operating resulting from transactions by our German operations will be denominated in euros. Hardware and consumables purchases related to contracts associated with the TDT acquisition are denominated in Japanese yen. We mitigate exchange rate volatility by purchasing local currencies at favorable exchange rates. We do not hedge foreign currencies utilizing derivative instruments. Our international operations and transactions are subject to risks typical of international operations, including, but not limited to, differing economic conditions, changes in political climate, differing tax structures, other regulations and restrictions and foreign currency exchange rate volatility. Accordingly, our future results could be materially adversely impacted by changes in these or other factors.
We believe that our installed base of secure credential customers together with our leading face recognition technology provide us with a competitive advantage in delivering unified identity solutions for both the physical and digital domains. For example, in April 2004, we were selected by the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, for the production of secure, smart credentials as part of the agency’s Common Access Card, or CAC, program. The CAC is a single means of identification for access to both physical locations and computer networks. We expect the demand for these types of solutions to grow significantly.
The ability to confirm an individual’s identity is playing an increasingly important role in national and international security, personal privacy and commerce. Failure to provide adequate identification can lead to breaches of security and identity theft, the consequences of which can range from national security threats and loss of life to significant economic loss. Within this context, we believe that there is increasing pressure on governments and businesses to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology identity solutions. The concern over homeland security, in which identity solutions play a part, is exemplified by the size of the budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was approximately $31 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, and is projected to be approximately $37 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004. Furthermore, identity theft is the nation’s fastest growing crime, and the Federal Trade Commission has estimated that its total cost approaches $50 billion per year.
To address counterfeiting and alteration, identity credentials such as passports and drivers’ licenses increasingly are incorporating more sophisticated security features. For example, pigment ink printing, security laminates, holograms, ultra violet printing, microprinting, security fonts, half tone portraits, physical or digital watermarks and 2D barcodes have become common security features for passports and drivers’ licenses. We believe that issuing authorities will continue to upgrade their security features in order to overcome new means of counterfeiting and alteration.
Moreover, although identity credentials are becoming more secure, the ability to obtain them under false pretenses continues to be a major weakness of the credential issuing process. As a result, issuing authorities are now focusing on improving their ability to verify the identity of a person requesting an identification credential. As part of this effort, authorities have also recognized the need to have secure and accurate audit trails of the issuance process and supporting documents for each credential. In addition, issuing authorities are increasingly incorporating biometrics to verify personal identities and deter fraud. Biometrics is a means of identifying a person using biological features unique to that individual. Biometric identifiers include facial images, fingerprints, iris scans, retinal scans, voice data and hand geometry.
Finally, as secure identity credentials and biometrics become more prevalent, we believe the additional security generated by cross-checking the credential to a readily accessible identity database will grow in importance. This capability allows a higher level of identity assurance and real-time privilege management.
Market drivers and trends
To address the complexity of problems in the identity market, credential issuing authorities are seeking advanced technology identity solutions, which increasingly include secure credential provisioning systems, biometrics and real-time identity databases. We believe the global market for these solutions is driven by the following key trends:
• Growth in government-initiated security programs. We believe that government agencies will continue to be key drivers for the growth and development of the market for advanced technology identity solutions. For example, budgets for U.S. federal government agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, include spending for identity initiatives, such as:
• the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program, or U.S. VISIT, which uses biometric data as part of new screening procedures for non-U.S. citizens entering the United States;
• the Transportation Workers Identification Credential, or TWIC, which is a credentialing program that may eventually cover an estimated 12 million national transportation workers; and
• the U.S. Department of State’s planned introduction of “contactless chips” in passports, which are electronic chips that hold the bearer’s biographic and photographic data.
Development of industry standards and requirements. Several organizations responsible for standards in a number of our markets have recently implemented requirements for the use of face recognition biometrics. We believe this will help stimulate the development of our target markets. For example, in May 2003 the International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets recommended travel document standards for its member states, selected face recognition as the biometric to be used in passport
documentation. Moreover, in February 2003, the National Institute for Standards and Testing, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, recommended that a dual system of fingerprint and face recognition technology be used to verify the identities of visa holders at points of entry in the United States.
• Growing use of biometrics. Governments are increasingly mandating biometrics as an integral component of identity solutions. This increased demand, coupled with the maturation of the technology, is driving the market adoption of biometrics. According to the International Biometrics Group, spending on biometric security solutions is expected to grow at an approximately 46% compound annual rate from approximately $700 million in 2003 to approximately $4.6 billion by 2008.
• Increasing cost of identity theft and financial fraud. The growing direct and indirect cost of identity theft and financial fraud is increasing the pressure on businesses and individuals to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology identity solutions. Identity theft is the nation’s fastest growing crime. The Federal Trade Commission has estimated that the total cost of identity theft approaches $50 billion per year.
• Convergence of physical and logical security systems. There is a growing need for governments and businesses to provide a highly secure, unified system for user authentication to access both physical assets, such as buildings, and digital assets, such as computer networks. For example, the CAC program provides identity verification for approximately four million DoD employees and military personnel to enable access to military property and DoD computer networks. We believe that this program represents the model for identity solutions that will be implemented by governments and businesses in the future.
Our Identity Solutions
Our identity solutions include secure credential systems, biometrics, database technologies and services. These solutions enable governments and businesses to issue credentials and verify and manage identities throughout the entire identity life cycle.
• Proofing. Our solutions provide verification of a person’s claimed identity by processing and cataloging breeder documents, such as birth certificates. Our solutions also provide customers the ability to perform identity verification on re-issuance of credentials and to submit queries to local and external proofing databases, as well as to perform duplicate analysis and verification using our face recognition technology.
• Enrollment. Our solutions enable the digital capture and storage of multiple pieces of data such as demographics, digital images, signatures and biometric data. Furthermore, our solutions enable the operator to rapidly import existing data without having to recreate it, thereby improving productivity and accuracy of the data by more effectively leveraging the existing database. Our enrollment solutions are designed to comply with a range of industry standards. In addition, our solutions create an audit trail of credentials, which includes information about the issuing operator as well as supporting breeder documents.
• Issuance. Our solutions include state-of-the-art technologies for producing authentic and tamper-proof identification credentials. We offer turnkey solutions that include the hardware, software and consumables necessary to produce credentials, including static credentials and smart credentials using paper or plastic substrates. Credentials can be produced on-site (over-the-counter), off-site (central production) or through a hybrid of these two methods.
• Usage. Our solutions can be used to verify the identities of individuals in a variety of settings, including on a one-to-one basis, such as to verify a claimed identity at a border checkpoint, or on a one-to-many basis, such as to establish an individual’s identity when he or she does not reveal his or her true identity. In addition, our secure identity solutions can be used to address physical security needs such as border access and digital security needs such as computer network access.
We offer the following key components as part of our identity solutions:
Secure credential capabilities. We provide the necessary hardware, software and systems to enable our customers to produce secure and virtually tamper-proof credential documents that can be used for a variety of applications and settings. Our solutions are designed to integrate into our customers’ credential provisioning processes and conform to regulatory standards and requirements. We offer a range of tamper-resistant features, including biometric data contained in bar codes or chips, holographic overlays, ghost imaging, ultraviolet printing and microprinting. As a result, our customers can create highly secure and durable credentials that not only have embedded security features, but also link the credential to the issuing agency location, operator and material used.
We offer two types of credential systems. The first is an instant issuance or “over the counter” system that enables our customers to produce identification credentials on location in minutes. The second is a central production system that receives the information electronically from the point of capture, and enables our customers to produce credentials from a secure off-site processing location. Our secure credentials systems’ software is designed to integrate with a variety of third party software, and to support standard operating systems, network protocols and database products. In addition, we incorporate third party hardware, such as digital cameras and printers, into our systems, which enables us to offer configurations that meet our customers’ requirements and take advantage of advances in technology.
Biometric capabilities. In designing our identity solutions, we have developed a software platform upon which multiple biometrics can be integrated. The platform is designed to be independent of specific biometric technologies, thereby enabling customers to integrate one or several biometric identifiers as needed.
In addition to providing this independent platform, we have developed and invested in proprietary face recognition technology. We believe that face recognition will continue to grow as an important biometric for the following reasons:
• facial images do not reveal information that the person does not routinely disclose to the general public;
• facial images are already collected, stored and verified in large legacy databases as a part of most identity verification processes;
• facial image capture is non-intrusive and does not require the user to touch or interact with a physical device for a substantial timeframe to be enrolled;
• face recognition does not require new and costly enrollment procedures to be introduced;
• facial images can be captured from endorsed photographs which obviates the need for the person to be physically present;
• facial images are culturally accepted internationally as a means of identification and
• face recognition is the only biometric that can be easily verified by a person without special training.
We believe that we are a market leader in face recognition technology. Our face recognition systems are highly scaleable, as evidenced by our deployment in the State of Illinois, which we believe to be the largest face recognition system worldwide. Our face recognition products have the following advantages:
• they provide the ability to search large-scale image databases containing millions of records on a real-time basis;
• they enable customers to rapidly enroll existing image databases;
• they combine two face recognition technologies which results in increased speed and accuracy and
• they are designed to easily enable the addition of other face recognition technologies and product updates.
Systems Design, Development, Integration and Support. Our systems design, development, integration and support services are key components of our identity solutions. Our direct services organization supports our direct sales staff early in the sales cycle to help our customers identify their needs and design systems that will address these needs. Our software design and systems integration capabilities enable us to accommodate most computing environments and customers with special requirements. These capabilities also permit us to combine our products with best-of-breed offerings from other vendors to create a complete solution for our clients.
We also provide extensive customer training, telephone help desk support, and ongoing maintenance services through local and centralized field service technicians. In delivering these services, our direct service and support organizations can rely on the expertise of our software and hardware engineers or external technology consultants to provide post installation customer satisfaction. We also maintain a spare parts inventory and provide storage management, distribution and repair of the products we supply.
Focus on customer needs. We are committed to solving our customers’ problems and will continue to develop and market solutions to meet their increasingly complex identity security needs. We believe that our focus on providing solutions for the full identity life cycle, combined with our high level of responsiveness and service, differentiates us from our key competitors.
Continue to enhance and expand our product suite and solutions. We intend to continue to broaden our product and solution offerings to meet our customer needs. In particular, we intend to continue to engage in product development activities to expand the scope and enhance the performance of our solutions and enable us to address attractive new markets.
Leverage existing customer base to provide additional advanced technology identity solutions. We have established relationships with many government agencies demanding identity solutions including the DoD, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and 16 state departments of motor vehicles. Many of our customers do not yet use the full range of our total solutions offerings. Accordingly, we will continue to provide thought and product leadership to these customers as they migrate toward more sophisticated identity solutions.
Expand customer base both domestically and abroad. We believe that our experience, existing customer relationships and advanced technology identity solutions will enable us to expand our customer base. We intend to focus our sales efforts on broadening our relationship with U.S. federal, state and local governments. For example, 15 states are expected to be available for drivers’ license bids over the next two years, 13 of which are
currently supplied by our competitors. In addition, we believe that significant demand exists for our solutions outside of the United States. Our recent acquisition of ZN has provided us with an established base to more effectively pursue opportunities in the international market.
Pursue strategic acquisitions and alliances. We intend to augment our competitive position through acquisitions and alliances. We will pursue acquisitions that provide us with complementary technology, products, capabilities and market or customer access. We will pursue alliances that extend our reach into markets and technologies where we do not have a strong position today.
The following summarizes our current product offerings:
• The Image Capture Work Station is a multifunctional software solution that offers modules for capturing images, laying templates, checking image quality, previewing printing, managing devices such as cameras, connecting to mainframes and handling point of sale.
• The SensorMast is a fully integrated, secure tower unit that incorporates computer-controlled image capture equipment. This equipment includes commercially available digital cameras, adjustable lighting, frame grabbers, step motors, fingerprint and signature capture devices and barcode readers.
• The Visual Inspection System automatically evaluates credentials produced by our central production systems to determine whether the image and data on a person’s identification credential correspond to the information about that person in the system database. If the information does not match, the Visual Inspection System automatically rejects the printed credential and identifies the defect for immediate corrective action. This system, which incorporates robotics, high-speed cameras and sophisticated software, automates an activity that is otherwise performed manually and is a potential source of cost savings and increased accuracy for customers.
• As a result of our February 2004 acquisition of TDT, Viisage now works in conjunction with Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. to bring advanced printing technology to our customers and markets.
Platform Software
• The FaceTOOLS Software Developer’s Kit is designed for application developers who want to incorporate state-of-the-art face recognition technology into their applications. Using FaceTOOLS, developers can create a variety of face recognition applications. FaceTOOLS is based on flexible template matching that incorporates a unique combination of multiple approaches to face recognition.
• FaceEXPLORER is a large image database research and mining tool that provides the ability to reduce fraud and crime by identifying duplicate images in large databases, such as licensed drivers, benefit recipients and visa holders. Additionally, law enforcement officials use FaceEXPLORER to match images and computer composites against existing image databases to identify suspects and known criminals. Customers use FaceEXPLORER to verify identities, improve customer service and reduce fraud by effectively retrieving, managing and analyzing their image databases. We have deployed FaceEXPLORER in one of the world’s largest face recognition systems for the Illinois Secretary of State and State Police.
• FacePASS is a verification solution designed to meet complex access control system requirements. FacePASS utilizes face recognition technology to enable the customer to verify a person’s identity to permit or deny access.
• FaceFINDER is a modern surveillance identification solution that uses patented real-time video technology. FaceFINDER assists customers, such as casinos, domestic and international airports, military bases and government buildings, in identifying suspects either from long distance or from large crowds.
Our customers use our identity solutions for a variety of applications, including civil identification, criminal identification and border management. For civil identification,we are the second largest provider of drivers’ licenses to state departments of motor vehicles. In this market, we are increasingly incorporating our biometric systems into the credential issuing processes as we have done for the office of the Illinois Secretary of State. We also were recently selected by the DoD for the production of secure, smart credentials as part of the agency’s CAC program. For criminal identification, our customers include the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Pinellas County, Florida, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Secret Service. For border management, we are the sole source provider of passport production capability to the U.S. Department of State.
Historically, we have experienced minimal customer turnover. We believe this is a result of our strong product portfolio and emphasis on customer service and support. The following is a representative list of our customer base:
Civil Identification – Drivers’ Licenses
Criminal Identification
Arkansas Office of Driver Services
City of New Bedford, Massachusetts Department of
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles
Kentucky State Police of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Maryland Department of Transportation and Motor
Vehicle Administration*
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Mississippi Department of Information Technology
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
State of Rhode Island, Department of Administration,
Division of Motor Vehicles
St. Petersburg – Clearwater International Airport
State of Delaware Department of Public Safety
Civil Identification – Social Services
Connecticut Department of Social Services
Berlin Airport
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance
Hanover Zoo
New York Department of Social Services*
U.S. Department of Defense*
100+ Casinos
*By subcontract
Following are examples of several successful customer deployments:
• Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s Office. The Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s office needed a more efficient and accurate method of verifying identities of prisoners. Working closely with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, we provided a solution that uses face recognition to enhance booking, release and criminal investigation processes in several facilities. By networking the face recognition enabled database, Pinellas County effectively utilizes face recognition in the identification of individuals – whether through the search of individuals at jail pre-booking, verification at jail release, screening at the airport, attendance at a court trial or even in the back of a police cruiser. Today the database has over one million entries and over 375,000 image queries have been made since the system’s installation in 2001.
• Illinois Secretary of State. Since 2000, we have worked closely with the office of the Illinois Secretary of State to provide a solution to help identify individuals attempting to receive drivers’ licenses through fraudulent means. The office of the Illinois Secretary of State uses our credential and face recognition system in 138 issuing locations to perform approximately 8,000 to 12,000 identity checks per day. To date, there have been numerous cases where our solution has detected serious fraud and apprehensions have been made.
• U.S. Department of State. We are the sole source provider of passports to the U.S. Department of State. In this program, we provide a combination of printers, services, project management, consumables and specialized research and development initiatives. We have supported this initiative since 1998 and have enabled the Department of State to deliver more than 40 million passports, with over seven million produced in 2003 alone. We began implementing additional advanced security technologies on a worldwide basis in 2002 and since that time, no known cases of counterfeit passport production have occurred.
For the three-month period ended March 28, 2004, the U.S. Department of State accounted for 13% of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2003, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Illinois Secretary of State each accounted for 13% of our revenue. We typically enter into multi-year contracts with our customers. A majority of our contracts are with U.S. federal or state governmental agencies. Government contracts are generally subject to termination for convenience or lack of appropriation at the determination of the subject agency. Contracts terminated by our customers for convenience would generally entitle us to recover all actual committed costs and profit, if any, on work performed through the date of cancellation. While termination is a significant financial risk, we have never experienced a government contract termination.
We market our products and identity solutions through both a direct sales force and strategic partnerships and alliances. Our direct sales force is responsible for marketing and selling our entire identity solutions portfolio. We have an international sales force responsible for the North American Market, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. We have established a dedicated U.S. federal sales team in Washington, D.C. responsible for marketing and selling to U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the DoD, and others. As of May 31, 2004, we employed 32 people in our sales and marketing organization.
We continue to seek to develop strategic partnerships and distribution channels to broaden our coverage and increase the size of our market worldwide. We have established original equipment manufacture, or OEM, distribution agreements with partners to leverage our face recognition technology. We work with systems integrators, solution providers and service organizations to deliver identity solutions in combination with their core capabilities to expand our access to such organizations’ existing relationships, marketing resources and credibility in new markets. We utilize local agents to expand our international access to opportunities.
With the recent acquisition of ZN, we have increased our direct sales and marketing coverage in the European marketplace. Dedicated sales and services teams operate from our Bochum, Germany location. The acquisition of TDT has strengthened our coverage and access to the U.S. federal marketplace.
We focus our product development efforts on critical components for advanced technology identity solutions. These include proprietary software that addresses image capture, image processing, enhancement of face recognition accuracy and information retrieval from identity databases. In addition, we focus on expanding our capabilities in solutions for the civil identification, criminal identification and border management markets. As of May 31, 2004, we employed 35 people in our product development organization.
We benefit from research and development activities conducted by the manufacturers of the components integrated into our systems such as cameras, database software and computers. Moreover, many of our customers, including the U.S. government, provide direct funding to us to assist us in our research and development efforts on their behalf. For the three-month period ended March 28, 2004 and for the year ended December 31, 2003, our customers provided research and development funding of $695,000 and $3.4 million, respectively.
For the three-month periods ended March 28, 2004 and March 30, 2003, research and development expense was $959,000 and $945,000, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, research and development expense was $3.7 million, $4.5 million and $2.0 million, respectively. These amounts do not include spending for projects where our customers provide research and development funding. The costs associated with delivery of these projects are generally recorded as cost of revenues or as a contra research and development expense as appropriate.
We believe that our intellectual property is important to both our secure credentials and our biometrics segments:
• Patents—Both our secure credentials segment and our biometrics segment use patented technology and trade secrets developed or acquired by us. We have significantly expanded our portfolio of face recognition patents and trade secrets through the acquisition of ZN. We have a portfolio of 13 U.S. and foreign patents. In addition, we have a number of U.S. and foreign patent applications in process for face recognition technologies, including 12 foreign patent applications previously filed by ZN. Our U.S. patents typically have a duration of 17 to 20 years.
• Trademarks—We have registered our “Viisage Technology” trademark, as well as trademarks for “FaceEXPLORER”, “FaceFINDER”, “FaceTOOLS” and “Sensormast” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Applications are pending in the United States and Europe for the “Viisage” and “FacePASS” trademarks and in Europe for “FaceEXPLORER” and “FaceFINDER”.
• Copyrights—We have filed a copyright application for our SensorMast software and have made a copyright filing for our Visual Inspection System and related proprietary software.
Our backlog consists of signed contracts, subcontracts and customer commitments for which revenue has not yet been recognized and excludes phase-out or other extension opportunities included in such contracts. Backlog is only somewhat indicative of future revenue because contracts may be changed positively or negatively. Contracts included in our backlog could be cancelled at any time due to lack of performance without penalty. Contracts terminated by our customers for convenience would generally result in our recovery of all actual committed costs and profit, if any, on work performed through the date of cancellation.
At March 28, 2004, our backlog was $176 million, compared to $83 million at March 30, 2003. At December 31, 2003, our backlog was $112 million, compared to $78 million at December 31, 2002. Included in these backlog amounts is $19.7 million from our contract with the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety which was terminated for convenience in July 2004 as a result of a settlement agreement with the agency and which is expected to be re-bid prior to the end of 2004. Approximately $32 million of the increase in backlog from December 31, 2002 to December 31, 2003 was related to our adoption of EITF 00-21 on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003. EITF 00-21 limits the amount of revenue that we may allocate to the customization, design and installation of systems to the amount that is not contingent upon the production of secure credentials. Revenue on our drivers’ license contracts under EITF 00-21 is earned based on, and is contingent upon, the production of credentials from the system. Due to the contingent performance of credential production in these contracts, we defer revenue recognition for the system design and installation phase of our contracts, including customized software and equipment, until credentials are produced. As a result, revenue and margins that were recognized as earned and unbilled under our previous revenue recognition policy for secure documentation contracts were deferred under EITF 00-21 and therefore are included in our backlog at December 31, 2003.
The market for our products and services in individual component areas of identity solutions, such as secure credentials and biometrics, is extremely competitive and we expect this competitive environment to intensify as the market for our products continues to grow. We compete on the basis of the following factors: service and support, technical excellence, price, credibility and flexibility in accommodating customer technical and business needs.
We believe that our comprehensive approach to identity solutions, our unique capabilities and our proprietary technology differentiate us from our competition. We are not aware of any company that competes with us directly on the basis of providing advanced technology identity solutions that cover the full identity life cycle.
Secure Credentials Segment. We face competition in the drivers’ license market of our secure credentials systems market from companies, including Digimarc ID Systems, LLC, that, in some cases, have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. Substantially all of our sales to new customers have been the result of competitive bidding for contracts pursuant to public sector procurement rules. In some cases, we may be competing with an entity that has a pre-existing relationship with a potential customer, which could put us at a significant competitive disadvantage. In other cases, however, we have pre-existing relationships with customers, which give us an advantage relative to our competitors for that customer. As the secure identification market expands, additional competitors may seek to enter the market.
Biometrics Segment. In the field of biometric technology, we compete with several face recognition providers, including Identix Inc., as well as providers of other biometric solutions, such as fingerprint, iris and retinal scans, voice data and hand geometry. We believe that applications increasingly will require the use of multiple biometrics. Accordingly, while our face recognition technology competes with other biometrics, we have designed our identity solutions to serve as a platform for multiple biometric technologies so that we are able to provide the particular biometric required by our customers. We believe that our proprietary face recognition technology, together with our market leadership and experience integrating multiple biometrics, gives us a competitive advantage in the biometrics market.
Our business is not subject to seasonal fluctuations.
Our drivers’ license contracts require significant capital to fund development and implementation. In 2003, we utilized bank borrowings and other lease financing vehicles to supplement our working capital to fund these
capital requirements. In addition, in September 2003 and January 2004, we raised an aggregate of approximately $13.7 million in net proceeds through the private sale of shares of our common stock to certain institutional investors. These funds also were used for working capital. There are no special requirements or customer terms in our bank borrowings or other lease financing vehicles that are expected to have a material adverse effect on our working capital. As discussed more fully in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” we may raise additional capital, as needed, to fund working capital needs or growth activities.
As of June 30, 2004, we had 188 full time employees and seven supplemental employees. Supplemental employees are employees on our payroll but who are not eligible for benefits. None of our employees is covered by collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.
In July 2003, a Georgia court issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting Georgia’s Department of Motor Vehicle Safety from continuing to work with us to install the State’s new drivers’ license system. The injunction is the result of a lawsuit filed in March 2003 by one of our competitors alleging that the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety did not comply with its own bid process when it selected a vendor for its new digital drivers’ license program. In July 2004, we reached a settlement agreement with the State pursuant to which the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety terminated the contract for convenience and agreed to pay us $2.0 million in cash and the State agreed to purchase certain equipment from us for $500,000. The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety has filed a motion with the Georgia court to dismiss the case based upon the termination of the contract. The agency also has filed an affidavit stating that it intends to issue a new request for proposals for a digital drivers’ license system before the end of October 2004. The competitor has filed a motion with the Georgia court to enjoin the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety and the State from making any payments to us under the settlement agreement. As a result of the termination of the contract, we will lose up to $19.7 million in revenue that we expected to recognize over the next five and one-half years, which was included in our $176 million of backlog at March 28, 2004, unless we are able to win the new contract for the digital drivers’ license system and the revenues from such new contract are substantially similar to the terminated contract. While we believe we can utilize the remaining $2.8 million in assets being retained by us from the Georgia contract either in Georgia, if we win the contract based on the new request for proposals, or on alternative projects, to the extent that we are unable to utilize these assets or realize value through a sale of these assets, we would be required to take a charge to earnings.
We are not aware of any other legal matters that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Executive Officers and Directors
The following persons are our executive officers and directors as of July 20, 2004.
Bernard C. Bailey
51 Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
Iftikhar A. Ahmad
52 Senior Vice President and General Manager, Secure
William K. Aulet
46 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
James P. Ebzery
44 Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Services
Kenneth C. Scheflen
58 Senior Vice President, Federal Government Solutions
Denis K. Berube
61 Chairman of the Board
B.G. Beck
67 Vice Chairman of the Board
Charles E. Levine
51 Director
Marcel Yon
Harriet Mouchly-Weiss
Peter Nessen
Paul T. Principato
Thomas J. Reilly
Bernard C. Bailey, 51, joined Viisage in August 2002 as Chief Executive Officer. From January 2001 through August 2002, Mr. Bailey served as the Chief Operating Officer of Art Technology Group. Between April 1984 and January 2001, Mr. Bailey served in various capacities at IBM Corporation, including several executive positions. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Mr. Bailey served for eight years as an officer in the US Navy.
Iftikhar A. Ahmad, 52, was appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of our Secure Credentials business segment in October of 2002. Between March 1999 and October 2002 he served as Viisage’s Vice President of Engineering and Program Management. From November 1996 until March 1999, Mr. Ahmad served as a Director in our Software Engineering Department. From January 1995 to November 1996, he was a senior consultant in Lau’s Systems Engineering Department, and prior to that, he held various senior engineering positions at Digital Equipment Corporation.
William K. Aulet, 46, joined Viisage in February 2003 as Chief Financial Officer. Between August 1996 and February 2003, he served as the President of SensAble Technologies. Mr. Aulet was one of the founders of Cambridge Decision Dynamics, where he served as President from April of 1995 to August of 1996. Prior to Cambridge Decision Dynamics, he spent twelve years at IBM Corporation, where he held various management positions. He previously was a Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
James P. Ebzery, 44, joined Viisage in November 2002 as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Ebzery served as Vice President of Operations for Internet Capital Group from April 2000 to February 2002. Prior to joining ICG, he held senior sales and marketing positions at IBM Corporation from December 1983 to April 2000. He also served as the Worldwide Solutions Executive for the IBM Supply Chain Software Business.
Kenneth C. Scheflen, 58, joined Viisage in July 2004 as Senior Vice President of Federal Government Solutions. From 1977 until July 2004, Mr. Scheflen served as the Director of the Defense Manpower Data Center, or DMDC, of the U.S. Department of Defense. The DMDC collects and maintains automated data about DoD-affiliated personnel, manpower requirements and the financial transactions of the DoD. Mr. Scheflen joined DMDC when it was established in 1974. Prior to that, he held various senior positions at the Human Resources Research Organization, an entity which conducts research, develops products, and provides services to improve organizational performance.
Denis K. Berube, 61, has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Viisage since the Company’s incorporation in 1996. Mr. Berube is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lau Technologies, or Lau. Lau is the largest holder of Viisage common stock, directly owning approximately 17% of its issued and outstanding common stock. Mr. Berube has been employed at Lau since 1990.
B.G. Beck, 67, was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trans Digital Technologies Corporation from 1998 until its acquisition by Viisage in February 2004. Mr. Beck currently serves as a consultant to Viisage and also serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of Cardinal Bankshares Corporation, a provider of comprehensive individual and corporate banking services, and L-3 Communications MAS (US) Corporation, a leading supplier of a broad range of products used in a substantial number of aerospace and defense platforms.
Charles E. Levine, 51, has served as a director of Viisage since 1998. Mr. Levine retired in September 2002 from his position as President of Sprint PCS, a position he had held since January 1997. Before joining Sprint PCS, Mr. Levine served as Senior Vice President of Octel Services, a provider of voice systems services, from October 1994 through September 1996. Mr. Levine currently also serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of @Road, Inc., a wireless applications provider, Sierra Wireless Inc., a provider of a broad range of wireless products, including data modems, embedded modules and mobile phones, Somera Communications, a provider of telecommunications operators with equipment and deployment services, and Lexar Media, Inc., a provider of digital media such as compact flash and other flash memory products.
Marcel Yon, 37, was appointed a director of Viisage in June 2004. Mr. Yon was a founder of ZN Vision Technologies AG, or ZN, and served as its Chief Executive Officer from its inception in April 2000 until it was acquired by Viisage in January 2004. Mr. Yon currently serves as a consultant to Viisage and also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Visiomed Diagnostics Ltd, a medical technology company listed on the Australian stock exchange. Mr. Yon was a founder of Visiomed AG which was acquired by Visiomed Diagnostics Ltd in January 2003. Prior to founding ZN and Visiomed, Mr. Yon advised on international mergers and acquisitions and strategy with Lazard & Co., an investment bank, in London.
Harriet Mouchly-Weiss, 61, has served as a director of Viisage since its incorporation in May 1996. Ms. Mouchly-Weiss founded Strategy XXI Group, an international communications and consulting firm, in January 1993 and has served as its managing partner since that time. Ms. Mouchly-Weiss currently also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of American Greetings Corporation, a company engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of everyday and seasonal greeting cards and other social expression products.
Paul T. Principato, 50, has served as a director of Viisage since May 2001 and as Chief Financial Officer of Lau since its incorporation in March 1990. Prior to 1990, Mr. Principato served as Controller at Barry Wright Corp.
Peter Nessen, 68, has served as a director of Viisage since its incorporation in May 1996. Since July 2003, Mr. Nessen has served as the President of Nessen Associates Ltd., a non-profit consulting company. From January 2003 to July 2003, Mr. Nessen served as an adviser to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on education matters. Mr. Nessen has been Chairman of the Board of NCN Financial, a private banking firm, since January 1995. From June 1993 through December 1994, Mr. Nessen was Dean for Resources and Special Projects at Harvard Medical School.
Thomas J. Reilly, 65, has served as a director of Viisage since its incorporation in May 1996. Mr. Reilly has been a self-employed financial consultant since December 1994. From June 1966 through November 1994, Mr. Reilly was with Arthur Andersen LLP, a public accounting firm, where he became a partner in 1975.
The following table sets forth information known to us with respect to the beneficial ownership of our outstanding common stock as of July 15, 2004 by:
• each person known to us to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our common stock;
• each of our directors;
• each of our executive officers;
• each selling shareholder and
• all directors and executive officers as a group.
The percentage of our common stock beneficially owned prior to this offering in the following table is based on 35,870,327 shares of common stock outstanding on July 15, 2004. The table below assumes the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, we will sell an aggregate of 525,000 additional shares of common stock.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to options and warrants held by that person that are exercisable as of July 15, 2004 or will become exercisable within 60 days thereafter are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing percentage ownership of any other person.
Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, the address of each beneficial owner is c/o Viisage Technology, Inc., 296 Concord Road, Third Floor, Billerica, MA 01821.
Shares Beneficially
Owned Prior to
Offering(1)
Being Offered
Owned After Offering
Joanna T. Lau (2)
6,238,108 17.4 % 100,000 (3) 6,138,108 14.3 %
Lau Technologies
6,027,370 16.8 % 100,000 5,927,370 13.8 %
Odeon Venture Capital AG(4)
949,325 2.6 % 95,330 853,995 2.0 %
Dr. Stefan Gehlen(5)
168,392 * 4,670 163,722 *
Denis K. Berube (6)
B.G. Beck (7)
Harriet Mouchly-Weiss(8)
121,361 * — 121,361 *
Charles E. Levine(9)
Peter Nessen(10)
87,827 * — 87,827 *
Paul T. Principato (11)
Thomas J. Reilly(12)
Marcel Yon(13)
949,325 2.6 % 95,330 (14) 853,995 2.0 %
Bernard C. Bailey(15)
Iftikhar A. Ahmad(16)
William K. Aulet (17)
— * — — *
James P. Ebzery(18)
All directors and executive officers as a group
(13 persons) (19)
14,192,119 38.4 % 295,330 (20) 13,896,789 31.5 %
* Indicates holdings of less than one percent of the 35,870,327 shares issued and outstanding as of July 15, 2004.
(1) Unless otherwise noted, and subject to applicable community property laws, to our knowledge each person identified possesses sole voting and investment power over the shares beneficially owned by such person.
(2) The address of Ms. Lau and Lau Technologies is c/o Lau Technologies, 30 Monument Square, Suite 220, Concord, Massachusetts 01742. Includes 6,027,370 shares held by Lau Technologies. Ms. Lau and Denis K. Berube, the spouse of Ms. Lau, own approximately 56% of the outstanding capital stock of Lau Technologies. Also includes 1,000 shares owned directly by Ms. Lau, 90,496 shares issuable to Mr. Berube pursuant to stock options, and 119,242 shares owned by Mr. Berube directly. Ms. Lau disclaims beneficial ownership of the 90,496 shares issuable to Mr. Berube and the 119,242 shares owned by Mr. Berube. Ms. Lau has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by Lau.
(3) Consists of 100,000 shares of our common stock being sold by Lau Technologies in this offering.
(4) The address for Odeon Venture Capital AG, or Odeon, is Am Ruhrstein 33, 45133 Essen, Germany. Odeon held 16.6% of the fully-diluted share capital of ZN prior to its acquisition by us. Marcel Yon, the Chief Executive Officer of Odeon, serves as a member of our Board of Directors, and served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the executive board of ZN immediately prior to the acquisition. As of the date of this prospectus, Yon AG, of which Mr. Yon is the Chief Executive Officer, serves as a consultant to us. Mr. Yon has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by Odeon.
(5) Includes 75,472 shares of common stock which may be required upon exercise of stock options. Dr. Stefan Gehlen held 1.6% of the fully-diluted share capital of ZN prior to its acquisition by us. In addition, Dr. Gehlen served as Chief Technology Officer and as a member of ZN’s executive board prior to the acquisition. As of the date of this prospectus, Dr. Gehlen serves as an executive director of Viisage AG. Dr. Gehlen’s address is Am Stens Hof 73, 44869 Bochum, Germany.
(6) Includes 6,027,370 shares held by Lau Technologies. Also includes 1,000 shares owned directly by Joanna Lau, the spouse of Mr. Berube, 90,496 shares issuable to Mr. Berube pursuant to stock options, and 119,242 shares owned by Mr. Berube directly. Mr. Berube disclaims beneficial ownership of the 6,027,370 shares held by Lau Technologies and the 1,000 shares held by Ms. Lau.
(7) Includes 10,000 shares of common stock which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options.
(10) Includes 55,000 shares of common stock which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options.
(13) The address of Mr. Yon is Am Ruhrstein 33, 45133 Essen, Germany. Includes 949,325 shares held by Odeon Venture Capital AG, of which Mr. Yon is the Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Yon serves as a member of our Board of Directors and served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the executive board of ZN immediately prior to the acquisition. As of the date of this prospectus, Yon AG, of which Mr. Yon is the Chief Executive Officer, serves as a consultant to us. Mr. Yon has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by Odeon.
(14) Consists of 95,330 shares of our common stock being sold by Odeon Venture Capital AG in this offering.
(15) Includes 250,000 shares of common stock which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options.
(19) Includes 1,045,267 of common stock which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options.
(20) Consists of 100,000 shares of our common stock being sold by Lau Technologies in this offering, 100,000 shares of our common stock being sold by B.G. Beck in this offering and 95,330 shares of our common stock being sold by Odeon Venture Capital AG in this offering.
Our authorized capital stock consists of 75,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value. The following is a summary of the material provisions of the common stock and the preferred stock contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. For greater detail about our capital stock, please refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
As of July 15, 2004, there were 35,870,327 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, held of record by approximately 239 stockholders. Options to purchase a total of 4,550,621 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a total of 812,469 shares of common stock were outstanding on July 15, 2004.
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Stockholders are not entitled to cumulative voting rights with respect to the election of directors. Subject to the prior rights of holders of preferred stock, if any, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors in its discretion from funds legally available for such purpose. In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive and share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to stockholders after payment of any preferential amounts to which the holders of preferred stock may be entitled. Our common stock has no preemptive rights and is not redeemable, assessable or entitled to the benefits of any sinking fund. Shares of our common stock are not convertible into any other security. All outstanding shares of our common stock are, and the common stock to be issued in this offering will be, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority without further action by our stockholders to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority to issue such preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the number of shares of any series of preferred stock and to determine the designation of any such series. The board of directors is also authorized to determine and alter the powers, rights, preferences and privileges and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions granted to or imposed upon any wholly unissued series of preferred stock. In addition, within the limitations or restrictions stated in any resolution or resolutions of the board of directors originally fixing the number of shares constituting any series, the board of directors has the authority to increase or decrease, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding, the number of shares of any series subsequent to the issue of shares of that series. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control without further action by our stockholders and may adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of, the holders of our common stock. As of July 15, 2004, there were no shares of our preferred stock outstanding. We have no current plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Certain Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Certain provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make more difficult the acquisition of Viisage by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest, or otherwise, and the removal of incumbent officers and directors. These provisions are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of Viisage to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with
the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure Viisage outweighs the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals, including proposals that are priced above the then current market value of our common stock, because, among other things, negotiation of such proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes. The directors in each class will serve for a three-year term, with our stockholders electing one class each year. This system of electing and removing directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of Viisage, because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.
Our bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors. At an annual meeting, stockholders may only consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting, brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors or properly brought before the meeting by a person who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given to our corporate secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although our bylaws do not give our board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting of the stockholders, our bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
Under Delaware law, a special meeting of stockholders may be called by our board of directors or by any other person authorized to do so in our certificate of incorporation or bylaws. Our bylaws authorize a majority of our board of directors, the chairman of our board or the chief executive officer to call a special meeting of stockholders. However, our board of directors may amend the bylaws at any time to eliminate the right to call a special meeting of stockholders. The elimination of the right of stockholders to call a special meeting would mean that a stockholder could not force stockholder consideration of a proposal over the opposition of our board of directors by calling a special meeting of stockholders prior to such time as our board of directors believed such consideration to be appropriate or until the next annual meeting provided that the requestor met the notice requirements. The restriction on the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting means that a proposal to replace our board could be delayed until the next annual meeting.
Certain Provisions of Delaware Law
We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an antitakeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless:
• Prior to the date of the person becoming an interested stockholder, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
• The stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding;
• Shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and
• Shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer or
• On or subsequent to the date of the person becoming an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting securities. We expect the existence of this provision to have an antitakeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We anticipate that Section 203 may also discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
The transfer agent for our common stock is EquiServe Trust Company, N.A. Its address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (781) 575-2000.
Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol “VISG.”
We and the selling shareholders are offering the shares of our common stock described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and UBS Securities LLC are the representatives of the underwriters. We and the selling shareholders will enter into an underwriting agreement with the representatives. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each of the underwriters has severally agreed to purchase the number of shares of common stock listed next to its name in the following table:
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
UBS Securities LLC.
Piper Jaffray & Co.
JMP Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Roth Capital Partners, LLC
The underwriting agreement provides that if the underwriters take any of the shares presented in the table above, then they must take all of these shares. No underwriter is obligated to take any shares allocated to a defaulting underwriter except under limited circumstances. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent, including the absence of any material adverse change in our business and the receipt of certain certificates, opinions and letters from us, our counsel and our independent auditors.
In connection with this offering, certain of the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.
Over-allotment Option
We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to an aggregate of 525,000 additional shares of our common stock and the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to an aggregate of 600,000 additional shares of our common stock. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with this offering. The underwriters have 30 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional shares approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.
Commissions And Discounts
Shares sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any shares sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $0.19 per share from the initial offering price. Any of these securities dealers may resell any shares purchased from the underwriters to other brokers or dealers at a discount of up to $0.10 per share from the initial offering price. If all the shares are not sold at the initial offering price, the representatives may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Sales of shares made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the shares at the prices and upon the terms stated therein, and, as a result, will thereafter bear any risk associated with changing the offering price to the public or other selling terms.
The following table shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions we and the selling shareholders will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 shares.
No exercise
Full exercise
Per share
We estimate that the total expenses of this offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $255,000.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We, the selling shareholders and our executive officers and directors will enter into lock-up agreements with the underwriters. Under these agreements, we and each of these persons may not, without the prior written approval of the representatives, subject to certain permitted exceptions, sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock or warrants or rights to purchase our common stock. These restrictions will be in effect for a period of 90 days after the date of the final prospectus. At any time and without public notice, the representatives may in their sole discretion, release all or some of the securities from these lock-up agreements.
We and the selling shareholders have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. If we and the selling shareholders are unable to provide this indemnification, we will contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Nasdaq National Market Listing
Price Stabilization, Short Positions
In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our common stock including:
• stabilizing transactions;
• short sales;
• purchases to cover positions created by short sales;
• imposition of penalty bids and
• syndicate covering transactions.
Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock while this offering is in progress. These transactions may also include making short sales of our common stock, which involves the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares of common stock than they are required to purchase in this offering, and purchasing shares of common stock on the open market to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered” shorts, which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ over-allotment option referred to above, or may be “naked” shorts, which are short positions in excess of that amount.
The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing shares in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters
will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the over-allotment option.
Naked short sales are in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this offering.
The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
In addition, in connection with this offering, certain of the underwriters (and selling group members) may engage in passive market making transactions in the common stock on the Nasdaq National Market prior to the pricing and completion of the offering. Passive market making consists of displaying bids on the Nasdaq National Market no higher than the bid prices of independent market makers and making purchases at prices no higher than these independent bids and effected in response to order flow. Net purchases by a passive market maker on each day are limited to a specified percentage of the passive market maker’s average daily trading volume in the common stock during a specified period and must be discontinued when such limit is reached. Passive market making may cause the price of the common stock to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of such transactions. If passive market making is commenced, it may be discontinued at any time.
As a result of these activities, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on the Nasdaq National Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
The underwriters and their affiliates have provided and may provide certain commercial banking, financial advisory and investment banking services for us for which they receive customary fees.
The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time in the future engage in transactions with us and perform services for us in the ordinary course of their business.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and, in accordance therewith, file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Such reports, proxy statements and other information can be inspected and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Judiciary Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room. Copies of such material can be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at prescribed rates. Such material also can be accessed electronically by means of the SEC’s home page on the internet (http://www.sec.gov) and on our website (http://www.viisage.com).
We have filed a registration statement and related exhibits with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. The registration statement contains additional information about us and our common stock. You can inspect or access electronically the registration statement and exhibits by the means described in the paragraph above.
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus and the information that we file later with the SEC may updated and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the documents listed below and any filings made by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus is part, but before the effective date of the registration statement (in each case, other than information in such documents that is not deemed to be filed).
• Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 (including information specifically incorporated by reference therein from our Proxy Statement for our 2004 Annual Meeting);
• Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 28, 2004 (as amended on June 21, 2004);
• Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 30, 2004, February 27, 2004 (as amended on April 29, 2004), May 21, 2004 (as amended on June 18, 2004), June 23, 2004, July 21, 2004 (disclosing the press release regarding the Georgia contract settlement) and July 22, 2004; and
• Description of our common stock included in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act on October 15, 1996 (No. 000-21559).
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered a copy of any or all of the information that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. To receive a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in those documents, call or write Elliot J. Mark, our General Counsel, at our principal executive offices located at 296 Concord Road, Third Floor, Billerica, Massachusetts 01821. Our telephone number is (978) 932-2200.
You should rely only upon the information provided in this document or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information.
The validity of the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP and for the underwriters by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.
Our financial statements as of December 31, 2002 and 2003 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2003, included herein and in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been audited by BDO Seidman, LLP, independent certified public accountants as indicated in their report with respect thereto, and are included herein and incorporated by reference in reliance upon the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
The financial statements of ZN Vision Technologies AG as of December 31, 2003 and 2002 and for each of the years then ended, which are incorporated in this prospectus by reference to our current report on Form 8-K filed on May 21, 2004 and amended on June 18, 2004, have been audited by BDO Deutsche Warentreuhand AG, independent auditors as indicated in their report with respect thereto, and are included herein in reliance upon the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
The financial statements of Trans Digital Technologies Corporation as of December 31, 2002 and 2003 and for the years then ended, which are incorporated in this prospectus by reference to our current report on Form 8-K filed on April 29, 2004, have been audited by BDO Seidman, LLP, independent certified public accountants as indicated in their report with respect thereto, and are included herein in reliance upon the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004
To Viisage Technology, Inc.:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Viisage Technology, Inc. and subsidiary as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2003. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the Standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“United States”). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Viisage Technology, Inc. and subsidiary as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2003, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for certain revenue arrangements.
/s/ BDO SEIDMAN, LLP
Except for Note 15, which is
as of February 27, 2004
$ 2,212 $ 6,666 $ 9,282
Restricted cash
1,241 — —
Inventories and other costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings
23,372 4,050 4,647
Total current assets
— — 63,613
Intangible assets, net
726 2,176 796
$ 61,189 $ 54,480 $ 135,292
Liability and Shareholders’ Equity
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 7,017 $ 6,851 $ 11,051
Current portion of project financing
Current portion of related party notes
— 1,740 6,765
Total current liabilities
Related party notes
— 2,334 13,470
Other liabilities
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 45,000,000 shares authorized; 20,250,817, 23,892,772 and 35,625,176 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002 and 2003 and March 28, 2004, respectively
63,461 76,061 135,869
(24,417 ) (42,077 ) (43,709 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
For the Years Ended December 31,
For the Three
Months Ended
(1,241 ) (1,071 ) (1,068 ) (247 ) (413 )
$ — $ — $ (0.56 ) $ (0.60 ) $ —
Basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to common shareholders
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity
Paid-in
Balance, December 31, 2000
$ 11 $ 1,020 $ 33,045 $ (13,348 ) $ 20,728
Warrants issued for services
— — 994 — 994
Exercise of employee stock options
1 — 1,085 — 1,086
Common stock issued for services
Common stock issued under employee stock purchase plan
Exercise of warrants
3 — 764 — 767
Conversion of debt and accrued interest
Private placement of common stock, net
2 — 22,750 — 22,752
Conversion of preferred stock and accrued dividends
2 (1,020 ) 1,108 — 90
— — — (5 ) (5 )
— — — (1,534 ) (1,534 )
20 — 61,161 (14,887 ) 46,294
Contributed capital from Lau Acquisition
— — — (17,660 ) (17,660 )
Exercise of employee stock options (unaudited)
Common stock issued under employee stock purchase plan (unaudited)
Common stock issued for acquisitions (unaudited)
12 — 57,474 — 57,486
Private placement of common stock, net (unaudited)
— — 1,707 — 1,707
Net loss (unaudited)
Balance, March 28, 2004 (unaudited)
$ 36 $ — $ 135,869 $ (43,709 ) $ 92,196
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Cash Flow from Operating Activities:
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Gain on sale of equipment
— — (18 ) — —
Value of warrants issued for services
994 — — — —
Directors fees paid in common stock
Impact of cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
— — 12,131 12,131 —
Loss on disposal of fixed assets
— 132 38 — —
Loss on disposal of intangible assets
— 75 118 — —
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
(1,516 ) (2,022 ) 303 1,926 828
3,007 289 1,402 6,830 (273 )
299 (38 ) (100 ) (371 ) (433 )
(3,773 ) 406 1,101 (1,457 ) (303 )
Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities
2,285 (3,111 ) 4,440 6,437 586
Cash Flow from Investing Activities:
Purchase of equipment converted to project Financing
(7,946 ) — — — —
— (7,404 ) 1,093 291 3,191
Cash paid for acquisitions
— (2,822 ) (1,293 ) — (5,227 )
Additions to property and equipment
(54 ) (5,702 ) (8,195 ) (5,711 ) (369 )
Proceeds from sale of equipment
— — 35 — —
(Increase) decrease in other assets
(29 ) (899 ) (352 ) (183 ) (415 )
Net cash used for investing activities
(8,029 ) (16,827 ) (8,712 ) (5,603 ) (2,820 )
Cash Flow from Financing Activities:
Net revolving credit repayments
Net proceeds from project financing
7,946 4,500 3,318 — 4,273
Principal payments on project financing
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock
24,975 1,025 12,285 34 2,348
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities
26,406 1,488 8,726 (1,263 ) 4,850
20,662 (18,450 ) 4,454 (429 ) 2,616
— 20,662 2,212 2,212 6,666
$ 20,662 $ 2,212 $ 6,666 $ 1,783 $ 9,282
Supplemental Cash Flow Information:
Cash paid for interest
$ 1,161 $ 944 $ 1,078 $ 236 $ 256
Non-cash Transactions:
Conversion of convertible debt and accrued interest to common stock
$ 1,068 $ — $ — $ — $ —
Conversion of preferred stock and accrued dividends to common stock
Equipment purchased under capital leases
$ — $ — $ 2,071 $ — $ —
$ 297 $ 380 $ 300 $ 30 $ 120
Assets contributed from Lau Acquisition Corp.
$ — $ 576 $ — $ — $ —
Value of warrants issued for service
$ 994 $ — $ — $ — $ —
Common stock issued for private placement costs
Services paid in common stock
$ — $ — $ 19 $ — $ 14
Net assets acquired from Lau Technologies
$ — $ — $ — $ — $ —
Acquisitions paid in common stock
$ — $ — $ — $ — $ 57,486
(Information for the three-month periods ended March 30, 2003
and March 28, 2004 is unaudited)
1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Viisage Technology, Inc. (“Viisage” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of advanced technology identity solutions that enable governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses to enhance security, reduce identity theft and protect personal privacy. Our identity solutions include secure credential provisioning systems, biometric software and systems and real-time identity databases, as well as systems design, development, integration and support services. These solutions enable our customers to manage the entire life cycle of an individual’s identity for a variety of applications including civil identification, criminal identification and border management. Our customers use our identity solutions to help solve the following four critical problems:
Our business involves two related segments: secure credentials and biometrics. Our secure credentials solutions involve the design, development, marketing and implementation of integrated software and hardware solutions that produce identification credentials utilizing face recognition and other biometric technologies. The focus of our biometric technology solutions is primarily on applications designed to deter criminal and terrorist activities, including government research and development contracts.
Viisage combines its proprietary biometric and secure credential software with complementary industry standard products to create identity solutions that integrate into its customers’ environments. These turnkey solutions integrate secure document technologies, image and data capture, relational databases, and multiple biometrics, improving the customer’s ability to process and manage identity information. Applications include passports, drivers’ licenses, voter registration, national identification credentials, law enforcement, social services, access control, surveillance and PC network and Internet access security. Viisage’s primary customers are government agencies with particular penetration in U.S. government agencies such as the Department of State and state departments of motor vehicles, social services, and law enforcement. Viisage is the sole source provider of high security technology and services to the U.S. Department of State for the production of U.S. passports by virtue of an acquisition in 2004 and has captured a large percentage of the domestic drivers’ license market. Viisage also has provided services under subcontracts for projects in the United Arab Emirates, Jamaica, the Philippines and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Biometrica Systems, Inc. for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and for the three month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of its wholly owned subsidiaries, Viisage AG and Trans Digital Technologies for the three month period ended March 28, 2004. Operating results for Viisage AG and Trans Digital Technologies are included from their dates of acquisition. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.
The accompanying unaudited balance sheet as of March 28, 2004 and the related unaudited statements of operations and cash flows for the three-month periods ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004 and the unaudited statement of changes in stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 28, 2004, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.
In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of March 28, 2004 and for the periods mentioned above have been made. The results of operations for the three-month period ended March 28, 2004 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Computation of Net Loss per Share
We follow SFAS No. 128, Earnings Per Share, where basic loss per share is computed by dividing loss available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. The computation of diluted loss per share is similar to the basic loss per share computation except the denominator is increased to include the number of additional shares that would have been outstanding if the dilutive potential common shares had been issued. In addition, the numerator is adjusted for any changes in income or loss that would result from the assumed conversions of those potential shares.
Basic and diluted loss per share calculations are as follows (in thousands):
For the Year Ended December 31,
Net loss available to common shareholders used in basic and diluted EPS
Weighted average common shares used in basic EPS
Effect of dilutive securities
Weighted average common shares and dilutive potential common shares used in dilutive EPS
The diluted per share amounts do not reflect the impact of options outstanding, the conversion of convertible preferred stock, or stock warrants, for approximately 3,163,000, 3,382,000, 4,152,000, 3,735,000 and 5,379,000 shares at December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003, March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004, respectively because the effect of each is antidilutive.
Contract Revenue and Cost Recognition
For the year ended December 31, 2003 and the three months ended March 30, 2003, we incurred a non-cash charge of $12.1 million representing the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle related to our adoption of Emerging Issues Task Force 00-21, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, or EITF 00-21, on a cumulative basis as of January 1, 2003.
We deliver solutions under secure credential contracts primarily to federal and state government customers. We recognize revenue when pervasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, delivery occurs or services are rendered, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collectibility is reasonably assured.
Costs related to the customized software element of our secure credentials contracts where title to the hardware element does not pass to the customer are capitalized on the balance sheet during the period in which we are designing and installing the system and are amortized over the remaining contract term beginning when the system goes into service. Costs related to this element of our secure credentials contracts incurred after the system is in service are expensed as incurred. Revenue related to this element of our secure credentials contracts is recorded as credentials are produced by the system.
Prior to the adoption of EITF 00-21, we recognized revenue and costs associated with our secure credentials contracts related to the delivery of drivers’ licenses and identification credentials as a single accounting element using the percentage-of-completion methodology.
• A high level of certainty exists regarding expected cash flows from these contracts and
We consider all highly liquid instruments, with maturity of three months or less when acquired, to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2002, 2003 and March 28, 2004, cash and cash equivalents consisted entirely of cash and exclude approximately $7.4 million, $6.3 million and $3.1 million, respectively, the use of which was restricted under our term loan agreement.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of our financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and payable and short and long-term borrowings, approximate fair values.
Accounts Receivable and Concentrations of Credit Risk
Accounts receivable are due principally from government agencies and contractors to government agencies, under long-term contracts that we entered into with our customers. Billings rendered in connection with work performed are in accordance with the terms of the contract and collateral is not required. Management periodically reviews accounts receivable for possible uncollectible amounts. In the event management determines a specific need for an allowance, a provision for doubtful accounts is provided. As of December 31, 2002, 2003 and March 28, 2004, management determined that no allowance for doubtful accounts was necessary.
For the year ended December 31, 2001, four customers, Illinois Secretary of State, Unisys Corporation (Florida Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles), Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, each accounted for over 10% of our revenue and an aggregate of 49% of revenues for the year. For the year ended December 31, 2002, two customers, Connecticut Department of Information Technology and Mississippi Department of ITS each accounted for over 10% of our revenue and an aggregate of 22% of revenues for the year. As of December 31, 2002, the accounts receivable balances for these customers totaled approximately $349,000. For the year ended December 31, 2003, two customers, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Illinois Secretary of State, each accounted for more than 10% of our revenue and an aggregate of 26% of our revenue. As of December 31, 2003, the accounts receivable from these customers
was $1.4 million. For the three months ended March 28, 2004, one customer, the U.S. Department of State, accounted for an aggregate of 13% of revenue for the period. As of March 28, 2004, the accounts receivable balance for this customer totaled approximately $863,000.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost or the lesser of fair value or the present value of minimum lease payments for items acquired under capital leases. Depreciation and amortization are calculated using the straight- line or usage-based methods over the estimated useful lives of the related assets (3 to 7 years) or the lease term, whichever is shorter.
System assets related to the hardware and customized software elements of our secure credentials contracts after January 1, 2003 are depreciated over the related contract terms using the straight-line method beginning when the system goes into service. The straight line method approximates the ratio that current gross revenues for the contract bear to the total of current and anticipated future gross revenues for that contract in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 86, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software to be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed.
Intangible assets consist primarily of completed technology, patents, customer lists and other assets primarily arising from the acquisition of a business or business assets. These intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of 5 to 17 years (in thousands).
Gross carrying amount:
$ 534 $ 606 $ 612 17 years
Completed technology
2,384 2,384 4,445 5 years
Customer lists
596 596 596 10 years
Acquired contracts
— — 14,430 5 years
Total intangible assets
Accumulated amortization:
(52 ) (80 ) (90 )
(265 ) (703 ) (953 )
(50 ) (110 ) (138 )
— — (383 )
Total accumulated amortization
(367 ) (893 ) (1,564 )
Amortization expense related to intangible assets was $3,500, $360,000, $526,000, $118,000 and $671,000 for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002, 2003 and for the three months ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004, respectively. Estimated amortization of our intangible assets for the next five fiscal years is as follows (in thousands):
Estimated amortization expense for the year ended December 31, (intangible assets only)
Long Lived Assets
We evaluate long-lived assets with finite lives, such as intangible assets, property and equipment and certain other assets, for impairment in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144 (SFAS 144), Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. We record an impairment charge whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable through the estimated undiscounted future cash flows from the use of these assets. When any such impairment exists, the related assets are written down to fair value.
Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred.
We review software development costs incurred in accordance with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 86, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software to be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed, which requires that certain costs incurred in the development of computer software to be sold or leased be capitalized once technological feasibility is reached. For the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2003, we did not capitalize any software development costs because development costs incurred subsequent to the establishment of technological feasibility were not material. For the year ended December 31, 2002 we capitalized $207,000 in software development costs, which is being amortized over three years. We recorded amortization expense of $69,000, $34,000 and $17,000 related to this asset in fiscal 2003 and 2002 and for the three months ended March 28, 2004, respectively.
Costs related to software developed for internal use are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been reached. Costs for externally purchased software is capitalized and depreciated over its estimated useful life not to exceed five years.
We account for income taxes under SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using currently enacted tax rates. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Due
to the uncertainty surrounding the realization of our net deferred tax asset, we have provided a full valuation allowance against this amount.
We account for our stock-based compensation plans under Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and accordingly account for employee stock based compensation utilizing the intrinsic value method. SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, establishes a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation plans. We have adopted the disclosure only alternative under SFAS No. 123, which requires disclosure of the pro forma effects on earnings and earnings per share as if SFAS No. 123 had been adopted as well as certain other information.
In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure (“FAS 148”), which (i) amends FAS Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, to provide alternative methods of transition for an entity that voluntarily changes to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation (ii) amends the disclosure provisions of FAS 123 to require prominent disclosure about the effects on reported net income of an entity’s accounting policy decisions with respect to stock-based employee compensation and (iii) amends APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require disclosure about those effects in interim financial information. Items (ii) and (iii) of the new requirements in FAS 148 are effective for financial statements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002. We initially adopted FAS 148 beginning for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002 and continue to account for stock-based compensation utilizing the intrinsic value method. The additional disclosures required by FAS 148 are as follows (in thousands):
For the Year Ended
Net loss as reported
Add: stock based employee compensation expense included in reported net loss
Deduct: total stock based employee compensation determined under fair value based method for all awards, net of tax
Pro forma net loss
$ (4,570 ) $ (11,809 ) $ (21,018 ) $ (15,098 ) $ (2,625 )
Loss per share:
Basic and diluted, as reported
Basic and diluted, pro forma
In April 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149 which amends and clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities under SFAS No. 133. In particular, SFAS No. 149 clarifies under what circumstances a
contract with an initial net investment meets the characteristic of a derivative discussed in SFAS No. 133, clarifies when a derivative contains a financing component, amends the definition of an underlying (as initially defined in SFAS No. 133) to conform it to language used in FIN No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others, and amends certain other existing pronouncements. SFAS No. 149 is effective for all contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, subject to certain exceptions. The adoption of this statement did not have an impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
In January 2003, the FASB issued Financial Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (FIN 46), which requires the consolidation of certain variable interest entities. In December 2003, the FASB issued a revision to FIN 46. The revised FIN 46, which replaces the original FIN 46 issued in January 2003, clarifies the application of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements, to certain entities in which equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support. While this interpretation exempts certain entities from its requirements, it also expands the definition of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) to a broader group of entities than those previously considered special-purpose entities (“SPE’s”) and specifies the criteria under which it is appropriate for an investor to consolidate VIE’s. Application of the revised FIN 46 is required in financial statements of public entities that have interest in structures that are commonly referred to as SPE’s for periods ending after December 15, 2003. For all other types of VIE’s, application of the revised FIN 46 by public entities is required for periods ending after March 15, 2004. The application of this interpretation with respect to structures commonly referred to as SPE’s did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The application of this interpretation with respect to other types of VIE’s did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
3. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In May 2003 we entered into a loan agreement with Lau Technologies, a significant shareholder of Viisage, which provided for four term notes aggregating $7.3 million but not to exceed an outstanding principal balance of $7.0 million at any point in time. Two of these term notes, in the amounts of approximately $1.6 million and $287,000, replaced existing system finance lease obligations we had with a commercial leasing organization. These finance lease obligations were paid in full with the proceeds of the two new term notes. The remaining two new term notes with borrowing limits of $3.0 million and $2.5 million, are additional financing related to two new state contracts. All four new term notes bear interest at an annual rate of 8.5%. We believe that the terms of this loan agreement are the same as the terms that would have been provided to us by an unaffiliated lender. In particular, the financial covenants under this loan agreement are the same as the financial covenants under our loan agreement with our primary bank lender. We may draw funding on these notes as needed to meet our obligations for equipment purchases on the related state contracts. As of December 31, 2003 we had approximately $4.1 million outstanding under this loan agreement, leaving approximately $2.9 million available for future needs. Interest expense related to these term notes was $229,000 for the year ended December 31, 2003. As of March 28, 2004 we had approximately $4.9 million outstanding under this loan agreement. Interest expense related to these term notes was approximately $95,000 for the three months ended March 28, 2004. (See Note 6 for further information).
In fiscal 2001 and 2000, we obtained from Lau an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use a U.S. patent purchased from Daozeng Lu and Simon Lu, and all improvements thereto, which relates to a system for automatically verifying the identity of an individual using identification parameters that are carried on an escort memory such as an identification or credit card. In 2002, we purchased this patent from Lau as part of the acquisition of Lau’s face recognition assets.
On January 10, 2002, we acquired the assets of Lau Security Systems, including technology, patents, contracts and distribution channels. In return, we agreed to pay Lau a royalty of 3.1% of face recognition revenues over the next 12 and one half years, up to an aggregate maximum of $27.5 million and assume certain liabilities related to the acquired business. Royalty expense included in operating expenses was approximately $108,000, $101,000, $34,000 and $38,000 for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003 and for the three months ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004, respectively. There were no royalties paid to Lau for these technology patents in 2001.
In connection with the purchase of the business of Lau Security Systems, we entered into consulting agreements with Denis K. Berube, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lau and Chairman of our Board, and Joanna Lau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lau and the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding stock. Under the consulting agreements, each of Mr. Berube and Ms. Lau will receive annual compensation of $125,000. Each agreement terminates at the earlier of the tenth anniversary of the purchase or the commencement of the consultant’s full-time employment elsewhere.
We provided administrative services for Lau for an annual fee of approximately $114,000 and $109,000 for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003, respectively. This arrangement was terminated on January 2004.
A Use and Occupancy Agreement with Lau requires us to pay our proportionate share of the cost of shared facilities and office services including rent, insurance, property taxes, utilities and other operating expenses, based on square footage or equipment utilized. The annual fee for facilities and services is revised for changes in space utilized and in operating expenses. For the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002, 2003 and for the three months ended March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004 fees paid under this use and occupancy agreement were $360,000, $699,000, $725,000, $238,000 and $61,000, respectively. This agreement was terminated in January 2004.
Our employees previously participated in various Lau employee benefit plans. We paid our proportionate share of the costs of such plans based on the number of participating employees.
At December 31, 2002 we had $50,000 of accounts receivable due from Lau and approximately $126,000 of accounts payable due to Lau. At December 31, 2003 there was no accounts receivable balance due from Lau and there was $23,000 of accounts payable due to Lau. At March 28, 2004 there was no accounts receivable balance due from Lau and there was $23,000 payable due to Lau.
In connection with the acquisition of TDT on February 14, 2004, we issued a promissory note to B.G. Beck, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of TDT and Vice Chairman of our Board, in the amount of $15.3 million, which is secured by some of TDT’s assets. This note bears interest at an annual rate of 8.5% and is payable in equal installments of principle and interest on December 1, 2004, May 1, 2005 and December 1, 2005. We believe that the terms of this loan agreement are the same as the terms that would have been provided to us by an unaffiliated lender. In particular, the financial covenants under this loan agreement are the same as the financial covenants under our loan agreement with our primary bank lender. Interest expense related to this note was approximately $162,000 for the three months ended March 28, 2004.
In connection with the acquisition of TDT, we also entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Beck. Under the agreement, Mr. Beck will receive annual compensation of $300,000 for two years, provided that Mr. Beck devotes his full business time to developing business opportunities for us.
In connection with the acquisition of ZN, we entered into a consulting agreement with Yon AG, of which Marcel Yon, a member of our Board, is the Chief Executive Officer and sole shareholder. Under the consulting agreement, Yon AG will receive annual compensation of approximately $110,000 and is eligible for up to $55,000 in performance bonuses. This agreement can be terminated at any time with six months notice. We also lease certain office space in Bochum, Germany that is owned by Zentrum für Neuroinformatik GmbH, of which Mr. Yon is the Chief Executive Officer and beneficially owns, directly and indirectly, approximately 38% of its outstanding share capital. We believe the terms of the lease agreement are consistent with market rates. The lease agreement may be terminated at any time with six months notice.
We have employment and noncompetition agreements with certain officers. Such agreements provide for employment and related compensation, and restrict the individuals from competing, as defined, with us during the terms of their respective agreements and for up to two years thereafter. The agreements also provide for stock options under our stock option plan and for severance payments upon termination under circumstances defined in such agreements.
4. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property and equipment are summarized as follows (in thousands):
System assets held under capital leases
$ 14,327 $ 9,455 $ 1,355 Contract period
System assets
16,216 42,702 51,017 Contract period
Computer and office equipment
Less accumulated depreciation
We had additions to system assets totaling $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 and $215,000 for the three months ended March 28, 2004. The net book value of system assets under capital leases was approximately $4.7 million, $3.9 million and $1.3 million at December 31, 2002, 2003 and March 28, 2004, respectively. Depreciation expense on fixed assets for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002, 2003, March 30, 2003 and March 28, 2004 was approximately $4.5 million, $6.8 million, $6.3 million, $1.7 million and $1.6 million, respectively.
5. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):
Other accrued expenses
Accrued bonus
Accrued payroll and related taxes
Accrued vacation
Accrued earned and unbilled costs
Accrued restructuring costs
420 31 —
6. LONG TERM DEBT AND PROJECT FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS
In February 2004, we entered into a new loan agreement with Commerce Bank and Trust Company, or Commerce, that superseded the original loan agreement for our existing term loans. Under this new agreement, we borrowed an additional $3.0 million and reduced the required restricted cash balance under the new agreement with Commerce by $2.0 million. We also negotiated a reduction of $1.2 million of restricted cash with
Lau, concurrent with the execution of the new loan agreement with Commerce. The $3.0 million term loan provided by this agreement bears interest at an annual rate of 7.3%. The following table lists the approximate term note information for Commerce and Lau as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
In accordance with the new loan agreement the term notes are collateralized by certain of our assets and the related contract assets. We restructured our bank covenants to account for the impact of the closing of our transactions with ZN and TDT. We are required to maintain various financial covenants, including;
• a net loss for the year ending December 31, 2004 of not more than $500,000 and positive net after-tax income in each fiscal year thereafter
• a minimum tangible net worth (as defined in the loan agreement) of approximately $16.7 million for the second quarter of 2004, increasing each quarter thereafter
• our debt to tangible net worth ratio (as defined in the loan agreement) not to exceed the following quarterly benchmarks: 3.00:1.00 for the second quarter of 2004, 2.75:1.00 for the third quarter of 2004, and 2.20:1.00 for the fourth quarter of 2004
• our debt service coverage ratio (as defined in the loan agreement) must be greater than 0.48 for the first quarter of 2004, 1.25 for the second and third quarters of 2004 and 1.00 for the fourth quarter of 2004
Additionally, in accordance with the new agreement, we must maintain $3.0 million of cash on deposit with the lender through September 29, 2004, $4.0 million through November 29, 2004 and $5.0 million by December 31, 2004 and thereafter. This amount is recorded as restricted cash in long term assets. As of March 28, 2004 we had an additional $120,000 of restricted cash at Commerce related to our loan agreement with Lau.
We also had one capital lease arrangement in which we were required to maintain the same financial ratios and minimum levels of tangible capital funds, as stated above. Pursuant to this arrangement, the lessor purchases certain of our digital identification systems and leases them back to us for deployment with identified and contracted customers approved by the lessor. The lessor retains title to systems and has an assignment of our
rights under the related customer contracts, including rights to use the software and technology underlying the related systems. Under these arrangements, the lessor bears the credit risk associated with payments by our customers, but we bear performance and appropriation risk and are generally required to repurchase a system in the event of a termination by a customer for any reason except credit default. These project lease arrangements are accounted for as capital leases. At December 31, 2003 and 2002, we had approximately $318,000 and $5.0 million outstanding under these lease-financing arrangements respectively. At March 28, 2004, this lease-financing arrangement was paid in full.
In April 2003 we entered into an arrangement for approximately $1.5 million of equipment financing with three of our suppliers. These project lease arrangements are accounted for as capital leases. There are no financial covenants associated with these leasing arrangements. As of March 28, 2004 we had outstanding $611,000 under these arrangements. As of December 31, 2003 we had outstanding $876,000 under these arrangements. The interest rates on these capital leases are between 6% and 8% and are fixed. The terms of these leases range from 12 months to 60 months. In August 2003 we entered into an arrangement for financing of database licenses with another vendor. As of December 31, 2003 we have outstanding $600,000 under this arrangement.
We are in compliance with our bank covenants as of March 28, 2004 and December 31, 2003 and we believe that we will be able to maintain compliance with our bank covenants in the future. However, this expectation is dependent on achieving our business plan. If we do not remain in compliance with the covenants in our financing arrangements, the lenders and the lessors could require immediate repayment of outstanding amounts. As of March 28, 2004, there was approximately $15.0 million outstanding under our credit facilities with Commerce and Lau.
At December 31, 2003, approximate future minimum annual payments under project financing capital leases and maturities of term notes are as follows (in thousands):
Capital Leases
Term Notes
Year ending:
$ 1,314 $<
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The Mooseman Review
The perception of Russia has changed.
Always portrayed as the villain in western culture for as long as I’ve been alive, thanks to the recent World Cup, those looking in from the outside may well have had a change of heart. Should you be able to look at the culture and experience the history and stories of this wonderful land – looking beyond the movie stereotypes – you will possibly find something a little different. It’s a big place as well, with one such area, Perm, basing the brilliant developers behind the award winning, The Mooseman. But what’s is it all about
The Mooseman is a 2D adventure puzzler that is unlike any game that you’ve taken in before. You play an explorer/shamen who, with a trusty walking stick, journeys deep within a mysterious and magical land; one inspired by the moose and further stories of the Perm culture. The pace is slow, but it’s all about the beauty and experience the game has to offer. A narrator tells a tale of legend and mystery, and these are the cornerstones of the narrative as you progress. But it’s not just a normal walking sim, there is gameplay involved here, including boss fights and puzzles.
Your arsenal is simple, but thankfully you have a couple of neat tricks up your sleeve. The first is the ability to switch between the realms of the dead and the living. A little white animal skull replaces your head and you get to see a whole different perspective of the level you are traversing. A very simple way this is used is that if there is a gap in the real world that is too large to cross, a quick press of the button and switch to the dead world will allow you to summon a bridge of undead creatures, allowing you to cross the chasm. That sees The Mooseman boil down to a case of switching regularly between the two worlds to find answers to the puzzles, partake in the boss battles and look for some glorious secrets along the way. It’s a nice system that works very well, even though there are moments when the transition between worlds can be a bit slow, especially when in the more frantic sequences.
You also get to utilise a tiny piece of the sun, which can be used as a light and a protective barrier to fend off glowing insects that would otherwise kill you. The other big gameplay elements involve a an amount of dexterity, where you might have to negate a stealth section whilst hiding under barriers protecting you from a giant sea snake, and luring undead creatures so you can climb on them or use them as bait for other enemies. The puzzle element side of things comes in various forms, but they are all simple enough when you get your eye in. The boss battles are fairly easy to work your way though as well – particularly once you have learnt the patterns.
The actual gameplay experience is a mixture of some very great pieces of invention, and some quite frustrating moments where the mechanics just don’t seem to hold up. But all of this doesn’t matter really because at the end of the day it’s all about the journey, and this is a great one. Moments come across as strange, magical, ethereal and epic, and you’ll experience them all along the way, reminding of games like Inside or Limbo with a sense of the strange and the normal mixed perfectly.
One of the strongest elements on show here is in the design, artwork and graphical tone. A lot of it seems hand-drawn, with a unique style that is reminiscent of cartoons that you will remember as a child. The changes between the real and the dead are remarkable and a lot of research has gone into the collectible artifacts you can find along the way; there are some standout moments that really do make the hairs on your arm rise up. The soundtrack is also remarkable with influences of the actual folk music of the region mixed into some very beautiful audio.
In conclusion and the journey of The Mooseman is one you may well love, even though some of the gameplay aspects aren’t always as enjoyable as they should be. The artwork, soundtrack, and experience it delivers are outstanding, but one of the very best things is the price. If you want to take a chance with something a bit different, you can’t go wrong in taking a gamble with The Mooseman. So get your walking boots on and head into the realms of the dead, and the living world of Perm.
The perception of Russia has changed. Always portrayed as the villain in western culture for as long as I've been alive, thanks to the recent World Cup, those looking in from the outside may well have had a change of heart. Should you be able to look at the culture and experience the history and stories of this wonderful land - looking beyond the movie stereotypes - you will possibly find something a little different. It's a big place as well, with one such area, Perm, basing the brilliant developers behind the award winning, The Mooseman. But what's is it…
Brilliant art style
Delivers an epic journey
Some frustrating gameplay sections
Massive thanks to - Sometimes You
Formats - Xbox One (Review), PS4, Nintendo Switch
Release date - July 2018
Price - £5.59
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People Board of Directors
R. Wayne Stocks, P.E., LEED AP
Prior to joining Thornton Tomasetti, Wayne served as a Peace Corps volunteer, designing and constructing aquatic farm structures in Nepal.
Wayne Stocks leads the firm’s Mid-Atlantic South U.S. region, drawing on his more than 25 years of experience in structural design, construction and project management for new buildings and renovations of historic structures. He collaborates closely with private-sector and government clients on both design-build and traditional design-bid-build projects. His diverse portfolio includes educational facilities, hospitals, hotels, long-span structures, national monuments, office and mixed-use buildings, and sports and entertainment facilities.
Contributing to the Profession
Wayne actively participates in professional organizations such as the Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington. He serves on the board of governors for the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation and leads its annual scholarship program. Passionate about sharing the excitement of engineering with younger students, he lectures regularly at elementary and middle schools. Wayne’s frequent presentations and published articles focus on improving building design and construction, with topics ranging from the integration of advanced project delivery and BIM to the power of collaboration.
Outside of Work
Wayne lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife and three children. He enjoys photography, taking road trips on his Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce and traveling with his family. Prior to joining Thornton Tomasetti in 1992, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer, designing and constructing aquatic farm structures in Nepal.
• Advanced project delivery
• BIM
• Feasibility studies
• Seismic evaluation
• Structural renewal
• Expert witness
Inspiring Engineers of the Future - Our People - Jan 25, 2018
Two Thornton Tomasetti Projects Win 2013 SEAKM Awards - Press Release - Jun 13, 2013
Thornton Tomasetti Appoints R. Wayne Stocks to Board of Directors - Press Release - May 30, 2013
Thornton Tomasetti Promotes Two in Washington, D.C. Office - Press Release - Aug 9, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti Receives Excellence in Structural Engineering Outstanding Project Award for Projects at The University of Virginia and The Avenue - Press Release - Mar 7, 2011
Best Projects of 2014, Healthcare, Martin Army Community Hospital, Engineering News-Record (ENR) Southeast, Fort Benning, Georgia
2014 Excellence in Structural Engineering, Outstanding Project Award, Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington, CityCenter DC, Washington, DC
Best Projects of 2012, Healthcare Award of Merit, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, ENR MidAtlantic, Bloomberg Children’s Center and Sheikh Zayed Tower, Baltimore
2009 Excellence in Structural Engineering, Outstanding Project Award, Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington, Nationals Park, Washington, DC
2006 Excellence in Structural Engineering, Merit Award, Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington, University of Virginia Harrison Institute, Charlottesville
202.580.6300 202.580.6301 LinkedIn
Suite 600 North
M.S., Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
B.S., Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University
Licensed Professional Engineer in Maryland and Virginia
LEED Accredited Professional
Thornton Tomasetti Foundation Board of Governors
Structural Engineering Institute
Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington
“Building up the Fort,” Modern Steel Construction, February 2014, Co-author
“Innovation in Action: Advanced Project Delivery (BIM and Beyond),” 11th Structural Engineering and Mechanics Symposium, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2012, Keynote Speaker
“The Two Towers, The Johns Hopkins Hospital New Clinical Building,” Modern Steel Construction, November 2008, Co-author
“BIM Best Practices: Case Studies, Expert Advice,” Ecobuild Fall Conference, Washington, DC, 2007, Presenter
“BIM – Right Here, Right Now,” General Services Administration National Capitol Region and Office of the Chief Architect, Building Information Modeling Workshop, Washington, DC, 2007, Presenter
“Special Tribute to James Madison Cutts, P.E.,” Associated General Contractors of Metropolitan Washington, Washington, DC, 2003, Presenter
Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design for a 1.4-million-square-foot mixed-use development at Washington’s Square 54.
FORSCOM/USARC
Thornton Tomasetti performed structural services for a design-build contract to provide a multi-building complex for the U.S. Army Forces Command and the U.S. Army Reserve Com...
Herbert Hoover Modernization
Thornton Tomasetti performed structural design for the modernization of a historic building and the addition of 120,000 square feet of office space that will serve as internal...
USDA Modernization
Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design for the first four phases of a 15-year renovation of the USDA’s South Building.
Howard Hughes Institute
Structural design for a two-story expansion to an existing building with two underground parking levels totaling 169 spaces.
MLK National Memorial
Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design for a new memorial that occupies a four-acre site along the tidal basin on the National Mall.
CityCenter DC
Thornton Tomasetti provided structural services for the redevelopment of a 10-acre site in downtown Washington.
Thornton Tomasetti performed structural design for a 1.6-million-square-foot hospital consisting of two twelve-story sections: a pediatric care center and an adult care tower.
Martin Army Community Hospital
Thornton Tomasetti provided structural services for a design-build healthcare facility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Norfolk Courts
Thornton Tomasetti is performing structural design for a 315,000-square-foot municipal complex to house General District, Circuit, and Juvenile/Domestic Relation Courts.
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Holy R. Emperors
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian was born in Vienna as the son of the Emperor Frederick III and Eleanore of Portugal. He married (1477-1482) the heiress of Burgundy, Mary, the only daughter of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. Through this marriage, Maximilian...
Adrian VI, Dutch Pope
Adrian VI served as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Churches in communion with the Holy See from 1522-1523 until his death. He was born under very modest circumstances in the city of Utrecht, which at that time was capi...
Jakob Fugger, German Banker
Jakob Fugger of the Lily also known as Jakob Fugger the Rich or sometimes Jakob II. Fugger was a major merchant, mining entrepreneur and banker of Europe between ca. 1495-1525. He was a descendant of the Fugger merchant family located in th...
Juan de la Cosa, Captain Santa María
Juan de la Cosa was a Spanish cartographer, conquistador and explorer. He made the earliest extant European world map to incorporate the territories of the Americas that were discovered in the 15th century, sailed with Christopher Columbus...
Nicolás de Ovando, Governor Hispaniola
Fray Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres was a Spanish soldier from a noble family and a Knight of the Order of Alcántara. He was Governor of the Indies (Hispaniola) from 1502 until 1509. His administration is perhaps best known for its brutal trea...
Johann Froben, Printer / Publisher
Johann Froben was a famous printer and publisher in Basel. He was friends with Erasmus, who lived in his house when in Basel, and not only had his own works printed by him from 1514, but superintended Froben's editions of Jerome, Cyprian, T...
Muhammad XII of Granada, Boabdil
Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil (a Spanish corruption of the name Abu Abdullah), was the twenty-second and last Nasrid ruler of Granada in Iberia. He was also called el chico, the little, or el zogoybi, the unfortunate. Son of Abu l-Hasan Al...
Vicente Pinzón, Captain of the Niña
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón was a Spanish navigator, explorer, and conquistador, the youngest of the Pinzón brothers. Along with his older brother Martín Alonso Pinzón who captained the Pinta, he sailed with Christopher Columbus on the first voyag...
Louis XII, King of France
Louis XII, called "the Father of the People" was the thirty-fifth king of France and the sole monarch from the Valois-Orléans branch of the House of Valois. He reigned from 1498 to 1515 and pursued a very active foreign policy. Due to th...
Humanists
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Philosopher
Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was an Italian Renaissance philosopher. He is famed for the events of 1486, when at the age of 23, he proposed to defend 900 theses on religion, philosophy, natural philosophy and magic against all comers...
Frederick III of Saxony, The Wise
Frederick III of Saxony, also known as Frederick the Wise, was Elector of Saxony (from the House of Wettin) from 1486 to his death. Frederick was the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Albert III, Duke of B...
Conquerors
Dayan Khan, Reunited the Mongols
Batumöngke Dayan Khan was a Borjigin Khagan who reunited the Mongols under Chinggisid supremacy in Post-imperial Mongolia. Dayan Khan was enthroned as Great Khan of the Yuan Mongol Empire though his ancestor Toghan Temur failed to maintain...
De L'Isle-Adam, Master Knights Hospitaller
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam was a prominent member of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes and later Malta. Having risen to the position of Prior of the Langue of Auvergne, he was elected Grand Master of the Order in 1521. He commanded th...
Selim I, Sultan Ottoman Empire
Selim I, also known as "the Excellent," "the Brave" or the best translation "the Stern", Yavuz in Turkish, the long name is Yavuz Sultan Selim; was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. He was also the first Ottoman Sultan to...
Vasco Da Gama, Sails to India - 1498
Dom Vasco da Gama, (c.1460s-1524) was a Portuguese explorer. He was the first European to reach India by sea, linking for the first time Europe and Asia by ocean route, as well as the Atlantic and the Indian oceans entirely and definitively...
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Filter > People • Events • Icons
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Saigo Takamori, Last True Samurai
Saigo Takamori, Last True Samurai >
Saigo Takamori was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai. He was born Saigo Kokichi, and received the given name Takamori in adulthood. He wrote poetry under the name Saigo Nanshu. His younger brother was Gensui The Marquis Saigo Tsugumichi.
Many legends sprang up concerning Saigo, many of which denied his death. Many people in Japan expected him to return from British Raj India or Qing Dynasty China or to sail back with Tsesarevich Alexander of Russia to overthrow injustice. It was even recorded that his image appeared in a comet near the close of the 19th century, an ill omen to his enemies. Unable to overcome the affection that the people had for this paragon of traditional samurai virtues, the Meiji Era government pardoned him posthumously on February 22, 1889.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saig%C5%8D_Takamori
Many legends sprang up concerning Saigo, many of which denied his death. Many people in Japan expected him to return from British Raj India or Qing Dynasty China or to sail back with Tsesarevich Alexander of Russia to overthrow injustice. It was even recorded that his image appeared in a comet near the close of the 19th century, an ill omen to his enemies. Unable to overcome the affection that the people had for this paragon of traditional samurai virtues, the Meiji Era government pardoned him posthumously on February 22, 1889. More...
Related > Protest • Soldiers • 1870s • Industrial Revolution • Japan • Japanese • Opposition • Samurai • Warriors • All Events • People
Tomoe Gozen, Female Samurai Warrior
Tomoe Gozen was a late twelfth-century female samurai warrior (onna bugeisha), known for her bravery and strength. She is believed to have fought in and survived the Genpei War (1180–1185). She was also the concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka. Acco...
Emperor Meiji the Great of Japan
Emperor Meiji or Meiji the Great was the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death on July 30, 1912. He presided over a time of rapid change in the Empire of Japan, as the...
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The Fed Hits the Brakes: No Rate Hikes Projected in 2019
At its meeting on March 20, 2019, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) maintained the benchmark federal funds rate at the target range of 2.25% to 2.50% that was set in December 2018. This in itself was not surprising. But other communications signaled a definite hiatus in the Fed’s policy of raising interest rates and tightening the money supply.1
The FOMC has raised the funds rate nine times since December 2015, with four increases in 2018 alone. As recently as September 2018, the committee projected three more increases in 2019. That dropped to two projected increases at the December meeting. But the March projections suggest that there may be no rate increases in 2019 at all.2
The FOMC also indicated that it would slow its program of reducing excess reserves of Treasuries and other government securities that were built up during and after the recession in a policy known as quantitative easing. The reduction program will stop after September 2019 unless conditions change, reflecting the Fed’s belief that there is no need for further tightening of the money supply.3
The strongest communication to come out of the March meeting may be the unusually direct comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. “We don’t see data coming in that suggest we should move in either direction,” he said. “They suggest that we should remain patient and let the situation clarify itself over time....It may be some time before the outlook for jobs and inflation calls clearly for a change in policy.”4
Dual Mandate
Powell’s reference to jobs and inflation reflects the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate to foster maximum employment and price stability. The FOMC sets monetary policy in accordance with the mandate, using two primary tools: the federal funds rate and the monetary supply.
The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which banks lend funds to each other overnight to maintain legally required reserves. The funds rate serves as a benchmark for many short-term rates set by banks, including the prime rate, which in turn influences consumer rates such as auto loans and credit-card rates. It can also influence longer-term rates.
Theoretically, lowering interest rates and increasing the money supply will stimulate the economy, which is why the Fed took these measures during the recession and extended them through the long, slow recovery. (The federal funds rate was near zero for eight years, from December 2007 to December 2015.)
On the other hand, raising rates and tightening the money supply are intended to slow the economy, primarily to control inflation. In theory, a strong economy with low unemployment should put workers in a position to demand higher wages, and higher wages allow businesses to raise prices on their products, which allows them to expand and pay higher wages.
A moderate level of wage and price inflation is considered integral to a healthy economy, and the Fed has set a goal of 2% annual inflation as optimal for economic growth. However, despite a strong labor market, wages and the broader economy have not grown as quickly as expected, and inflation has generally remained below the 2% target. Thus, raising rates has been more of a preventive measure and return to historical norms than a response to an overheated economy or runaway inflation.
The shift from further rate increases suggests that the Fed believes there is little to fear regarding high inflation. In fact, Powell said that the greater danger is low global inflation, calling it “one of the major challenges of our time.”5 While the Fed has raised rates steadily over the last three years — providing flexibility to drop rates if necessary — central banks in other countries have been slow to act due to sluggish economies and low inflation. Some have kept their benchmark rates below 0%, creating a risk of asset “bubbles” and placing them in a difficult position in the event of an economic downturn.6
Market Reactions
The stock market rose moderately after the FOMC announcement, but stocks still closed with a small loss for the day. The market generally applauds lower interest rates, but investors continue to be jittery about the potential for global economic weakness. In the longer term, stable interest rates at current levels may be good for stocks, which began to rally on January 4, 2019 — when Powell first preached “patience” — and gained more than 15% through March 20.7
The reaction in the bond market was stronger. The prospect of lower rates for an extended period — along with the Fed's decision to keep more Treasuries in its portfolio — made current yields more appealing. Investors rushed to buy Treasury securities and other bonds, driving prices up and yields down. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.52%, the lowest level in 15 months and just seven basis points (0.07%) above the yield on the three-month T-bill — nearing a “yield curve inversion” considered by some economists to predict a recession. Two days later, on March 22, the curve inverted for the first time since 2007, with demand for longer-term bonds driven by soft global growth.8
Although pessimists have feared a new recession for years, Powell emphasized that the U.S. economy is “in a good place,” and the official FOMC policy statement pointed to “sustained expansion of economic activity” in its expectations for future economic direction.9–10 A potential pause in rate hikes this year does reflect some concern about economic growth, but it also suggests that the Fed believes the current level is a neutral rate where further movement up or down could have a negative effect. This is not necessarily cause for concern. It may just mean that the Fed is doing its job.
The return and principal value of stocks and bonds fluctuate with market conditions. Shares, when sold, and bonds redeemed prior to maturity may be worth more or less than their original cost. U.S. Treasuries are guaranteed by the U.S. government as to the timely payment of principal and interest.
1–3, 10) Federal Reserve, 2018–2019
4–5, 9) Bloomberg, March 20, 2019
6) The Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2019
7) The New York Times, January 4, 2019; March 20, 2019
8) MarketWatch, March 20 and 22, 2019
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Hardbottle
"Hardbottle" by Matěj Čadil
Location Northfarthing[note 1]
Type Village
Description A small village standing in rocky ground
Inhabitants Hobbits
Hardbottle was a settlement of Hobbits located in the stony northern section of the Shire.[note 2]
The Bracegirdle Family had their roots in Hardbottle. When Lobelia Sackville-Baggins was released from the Lockholes of Michel Delving after the Battle of Bywater she (having been a Bracegirdle before her marriage) returned to her family in Hardbottle. She did so because she had lost the last of her family, her son Lotho, and she gave Bag End back to Frodo Baggins.[1]
[edit] Etymology
The name means "rocky (hard) large dwelling", because it is excavated in or built of stone of the rocky North Farthing. The element bottle and bold (Old English botl, from which the verb "build" is derived) is a real-life English place-name element meaning "(large) dwelling".[2]
Based on this, David Salo suggests that the name represents a possible Old Hobbitish Heardbotl "hard (stony) dwelling".[3]
Nobottle
↑ In The Atlas of Middle-earth, on the map of the Shire, Hardbottle was placed near the southern tip of the White Downs west of Sackville in the Southfarthing. In the "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings (see reference below) the location of the town was specified as being in the Northfarthing.
↑ The town was too far north to appear on the map "A Part of the Shire".
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens"
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 771
↑ David Salo, "Hobbitish Place-names" dated 23 November 1998, Elfling (accessed 17 July 2019)
Retrieved from "http://www.tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Hardbottle"
Category: Cities, towns and villages of the Shire
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Marketing New Gene Technology
DES MOINES (DTN) -- Agribusinesses, trade groups and farmers are excited about the prospects of gene-editing technology, but a great deal of unknowns remain about regulations and consumer acceptance.
Gene editing drew a lot of attention this week at the BIO World Congress in Des Moines, Iowa, as experts highlighted the possibilities of addressing a range of crop and livestock challenges. At the same time, caution was urged over the introduction of the technology to avoid some of the same pitfalls and debates that arose over genetic modification.
Companies such as Corteva Agriscience are already beginning to engage the public differently than they did 20 years ago, said Neal Gutterson, senior vice president and chief technology officer for Corteva, "because we started to think about the need to get this technology accepted and adopted before we got too close to the actual process of launching products."
Gutterson highlighted a range of possibilities for gene editing that range from improving disease resistance for a host of crops to slowing browning or rot in fruits and vegetables. For consumers, heart-healthy oilseeds and vegetables, low-gluten wheat and naturally decaffeinated coffee were some of the areas Gutterson highlighted.
Right now, most people are getting introduced to the topic of gene editing through articles about gene-edited babies in China. It's largely understood that the general public knows very little about gene editing, said David Fikes, vice president of communication and consumer affairs at the Food Marketing Institute. Fikes thinks it will be important that early gene-edited food products provide a clear benefit to consumers.
"It sure helps, as my grandma would say, to 'grease the skids,'" Fikes said. "It makes it easier for consumers to accept it if they recognize the products."
Nutritional and health benefits are going to be easier to explain to a larger group of consumers than crop products oriented toward reducing water usage or pesticides, even though those agronomic benefits also help society, Fikes said.
So far, the first gene-edited food product on the market came earlier this year from Minneapolis-based Calyxt Inc., which released a high oleic soybean oil and meal from gene-edited soybeans. (https://calyxt.com/…)
Still, there isn't much information about what consumers believe about gene editing. But FMI is currently working on a survey that will ask what consumers know about gene editing, their perceptions of it, and what benefits would resonate most with consumers.
"We have got to be careful because I'm not sure the consumer is going to be able to parse between gene editing and GMO without a lot of help," Fikes said. "I know I couldn't. It took me a while."
To try to reach consumers, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and American Seed Trade Association have created a website, "innovature," (https://innovature.com/…) to highlight gene-editing science to consumers.
REGULATORY SLOWDOWN
Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who received an award at the BIO conference for championing biotechnology and a bio-based economy in rural America, said the regulatory process has stalled the technology process. Vilsack noted, when he first got to USDA, it took the department seven-plus years to approve a biotechnology trait, largely because no one wanted to be held accountable for making a decision.
"The regulatory system needs to have a philosophical change and shift," Vilsack said in a speech. "We need to free up those who work in government to understand it's OK to make a mistake if we learn from it. But the biggest mistake is not acting at all, or not acting quick enough to fuel the innovation you are working on to get into the marketplace quick enough to make a difference."
Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling regulatory agencies such as USDA and the Food and Drug Administration they should work on better regulating biotechnology traits and approve products in a timely manner. That order has already led to calls by the National Pork Producers Council for USDA to be involved in regulating gene-edited animals and FDA to overhaul a regulatory system that would treat gene-edited animals like a pharmaceutical product.
"We're looking for a workable process that leads to approval and commercialization, and to the extent we don't have, we want USDA to have a seat at that table so it's not just FDA," said Barb Glenn, CEO for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. "We're talking about inclusivity of USDA and maybe EPA."
FDA has maintained it has regulatory authority over animals and can evolve with the science. That comes after it took a decade for FDA to approve genetically modified salmon for the market.
Glenn said she thinks the risk of African swine fever could bolster the need to accelerate the federal regulatory process. China, over the past year, has seen ASF cull its breeding sows nearly 25% with Rabobank stating as much as 70% of China's hog herd could be lost. U.S. pork producers are worried about the disease landing in the U.S. A vaccine for ASF has proven hard to create, but scientists have already shown they could knock out the gene that affects swine.
Regulation is also important for international trade. The commodity business accumulates quantities, captures economies of scale and delivers to a destination as cheap as possible. Standardization versus differentiation is what drives the grain trade, especially with exports, said Jim Stitzlein, chairman of the U.S. Grains Council Technology. Providers largely have done a good job getting regulatory approval globally, but hiccups can quickly affect the supply chain, he said. Gene editing raises some concerns at the moment because most countries have yet to devise regulatory schemes.
"Our commodity-based system depends on standardization, flexibility and responsiveness to price and market signals," Stitzlein said. "So that regulatory approval is a very important element and defining how new breeding techniques are going to be treated is a real concern for us."
He added, "That's a problem if we don't have uniformity or asynchronous approvals around the world. Then we run the risk we won't be able to deliver that grain to foreign destinations because we don't meet their rules."
Gutterson said the regulatory landscape has improved over the past two years with the Americas advancing rules. Several other Asian and African companies are developing their rules. Europe is a disappointment with its court ruling last year to treat gene-edited crops the same as genetically modified crops.
However, 14 of 27 counties in the European Union have signed onto a letter saying they want to see gene-edited crops treated like conventional crops. Gutterson said legislation in Europe on regulatory reform is three to five years down the road.
"I think there really is a path here to see this technology in the 2020s really have an impact on the food supply," Gutterson said.
Corteva is working on a specialty starch corn product and is using that as a foray to talk to regulators globally that would import such starch. Gutterson said that has allowed the company to talk about the technology and form a regulatory roadmap on how Corteva would move ahead on commercializing products.
"If you don't have a product you are developing, you really don't have standing to have a conversation with regulators around the world," Gutterson said.
(AG/CZ)
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Your position: GCET >> Workshop 1
IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FISCAL REFORMS AND OTHER MARKET-BASED INSTRUMENTS
Workshop 1: EFR and construction, land use and conservation
Review of fiscal incentives for plantation forestry
Wayne Gumley and Shashi Sivayoganathan, Dept. of Business Law & Taxation, Monash University, Australia
This paper will examine the impact of environmental fiscal reforms upon employment and environmental outcomes in regional Australia arising from changes to the taxation treatment of plantation forestry. The Federal Government in Australia has actively promoted the expansion of plantation forestry in recent years as a response to climate change and declining employment opportunities in regional Australia.
The Federal Government has provided fiscal incentives to Managed Investment Schemes (MIS) promoting forestry projects, which has attracted substantial institutional and retail investment to the plantation forestry industry. In the 2005-2006 Federal Budget, the Federal Government announced that it would review the taxation treatment of plantation forestry. Following extensive consultation, it announced, on 21 December 2006, new taxation arrangements for plantation forestry schemes. The environmental benefits associated with plantation forestry were seen as a critical factor supporting the need for tax concessions to this industry.
The paper critically appraises, from an employment, regional development and an environmental perspective, the existing and proposed arrangements for the taxation of investments in forestry MIS.
Part 1 of the paper considers the existing taxation regime with regards to forestry MIS and the product ruling system operated by the Australian Taxation Office. Product rulings are of critical importance to retail investors as they provide certainty that the primary producer tax deductibility provisions will apply. This part of the paper also provides an outline of the technical amendments proposed by the Federal Government.
Part 2 of the paper examines the environmental, social and economic concerns with plantation forestry MIS which might detract from the potential economic benefits expected from an expansion in this sector. Current concerns regarding plantation forestry sector include:
The imbalance between State and Federal government regulation;
The lack of appropriate environmental impact assessment analysis in granting taxation incentives;
The socio-economic impacts of plantation forests in particular regions where forestry plantations have replaced traditional agriculture;
The taxation impediments to long rotation product; and
The use of tax incentives to achieve environmental reforms (for example, the political inability to remove tax incentives once entrenched in law).
Part 3 of this paper examines the extent to which the proposed measures seek to redress these concerns and suggest areas for further reform.
Taking Green to the Bank: Transferable Conservation Easement Tax Credit -
the Virginia Experience
Prof. Eleanor Brown, University School of Law, Virginia, USA
Virginia’s transferable conservation easement tax credits have positively affected the preservation of lands. The transferable component has attracted donors looking for liquidity as well as creating employment opportunities in the drafting, valuation, marketing, sale and compliance aspects of the easement.
In the U. S., open lands and forests are disappearing at alarming rates. The use of tax instruments as an incentive to promote preservation and conservation of open space, farms, forests and important ecosystems dates to the mid-1980s. Conservation easements, negative easements granted in perpetuity to protect conservation values, are permitted income and estate tax benefits at the federal level. Despite those federal benefits, the conservation easement tool did not result in marked increases in land preservation. In addition to federal efforts, many states have articulated conservation goals and initiatives. A number have promulgated state tax credits which provide, in varying amounts, a credit against state income tax related to the value of a conservation easement. Virginia enacted the Virginia Land Conservation Incentives Act of 1999 to provide tax credits to Virginia landowners who placed their land under easement after January 1, 2000. The law was modified in 2001 to permit transfers of the tax credits. Two other states, Colorado and South Carolina, permit the transfer of conservation easement tax credits.
This paper will survey the use of transferable conservation easement tax credits as an instrument of environmental fiscal reform. Specifically, the paper will review the Virginia experience, including the economic and social policy choice to promote voluntary action with respect to private lands, evaluate data to support a marked increase in lands under easement in Virginia after the credit became transferable, and address the political and economic challenges which undermine the success of the credit and led to changes in the law in 2006. A comparison of the Virginia experience with Colorado and South Carolina as well as consideration of a refundable alternative will be explored.
The unsustainable dependence of Spanish Local Treasuries
on taxes and charges related to construction activities
Dr. Ignasi Puig-Ventosa, Consultant, ENT Environment and Management, Spain
The budgets of Spanish municipalities have a strong dependence on income generated by selling their own land and income raised by taxing new urban developments (i.e. tax on constructions and installations, and charges on construction licences). Both types of revenue can be characterised as extraordinary, but are often used by local authorities to address expenses that can be characterised as ordinary, such as personnel, municipal services, etc.
This situation creates a negative feedback whereby municipalities stimulate urbanisation as a means to obtain further revenue required to sustain their budget. Nevertheless, since municipalities have a limited area suitable for urbanisation, this revenue is by definition, unsustainable and will diminish in the long run. Several municipalities are already at this point.
On the contrary, taxing construction activities has the positive effect of redirecting to the Local Treasury the added value generated by these operations. However, the net balance does not seem positive, at least from an environmental perspective.
This paper quantifies the municipalities degree of dependence on these flows of income, whilst proposing a range of adjustments to the financial and taxation structure of Local Authorities to overcome the environmental and economic impacts caused by the present situation.
Buildings and sustainable urban development:
Challenges and opportunities from an Italian case study
Andrea Zatti, Giorgio Panella, Dept. of Public and Territorial Economics, University of Pavia, Italy
The building and construction sector is a key area for sustainable development (UNEP, 2007). The construction, use and demolition of buildings generate substantial social and economic benefits to society, but may also have serious negative impacts, particularly on the environment. Areas of key concern include energy use with associated green house gas emissions, waste generation, construction materials use and recycling, water use and discharge, and the integration of buildings with other infrastructure and social systems. Public institutions can play a key role in addressing these negative externalities through a wide range of policy tools, notably legislative measures, economic incentives, technology transfer measures, home energy and environmental ratings, and information and education campaigns.
Focusing on the Italian experience, the paper will show how governmental policies have been only partially successful in performing this role: 1) they have mainly focused on a narrow range of specific concerns, especially those relating to health and safety, preservation of the urban landscape, observation of distances and views, and prevention of noise pollution, but have not fully grasped the important role that buildings, throughout their lifecycle, can have on energy consumption, natural resource depletion and urban pollution; 2) they have mainly relied on a top-down prescriptive approach, with a little attention to the implementation of market-based or informative measures; 3) many of the regulations have been barely enforced, so that many existing standards have remained little more than formalities.
This scenario began to change in the second half of the 1990’s, when energy conservation and environmental issues began to move higher on the priority lists of national and local governments, bringing about a significant ramp-up in commitments and activities.
This paper, through an analysis of the national implementation of EU Directive 2002/91 on the Energy Performance of Buildings and through an investigation of about 40 innovative case studies at the local level, will assess the main characteristics of this development, paying special attention to the use of local economic incentives introduced to encourage the attainment of energy and environment performances beyond those required by the national law. This will include both a description of the forms of incentives applied (building licence fee allowances for new construction, higher construction volume allowances, property tax allowances, dedicated funds for renewable energy production), and a description of the indicators used to quantify the incentives (such as home energy ratings and multi-criteria scoring mechanisms).
The conclusions will mainly focus on the problems encountered in the implementation of the process, above all in terms of vertical and horizontal coordination among different levels of government, and in terms of administrative and enforcement costs, since both issues prove to be more challenging as the scope of the regulations becomes broader and the instruments adopted more varied.
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Military history of Romania
Title: Military history of Romania
Subject: History of Romania, Military history of Europe, Outline of Romania, Military history of Romania, Romanian Armed Forces
Collection: Military History of Romania, World Digital Library Related
Cucuteni-Trypillian culture
Hamangia culture
Bronze Age in Romania
Prehistory of Transylvania
Dacian Wars
Roman Dacia
Origin of the Romanians
Middle Ages (Early)
History of Transylvania
Foundation of Wallachia
Foundation of Moldavia
Early Modern Times
Phanariotes
Danubian Principalities
National Awakening
Transylvanian School
Organic Statute
1848 Moldavian Revolution
1848 Wallachian Revolution
United Principalities
Kingdom of Romania
Union with Transylvania
Union with Bessarabia
Greater Romania
Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
Socialist Republic of Romania
Post-Revolution
Romania since 1989
Romanian language
By historical region
Bessarabia
Dobruja
Romania portal
Romanian troops taking Grivica Strongpoint during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878
The military history of Romania deals with conflicts spreading over a period of about 2500 years across the territory of modern Romania, the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe and the role of the Romanian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide.
During antiquity, the territory of modern Romania was the scene of sporadic wars between the native Dacian tribes and various invaders (Persians, Macedonians, Celts or Romans). Ultimately, the Kingdom of Dacia was conquered by the Roman Empire in 106 and large parts of its territory became a Roman province. As the Roman Empire declined, Dacia was abandoned because of pressure from the Free Dacians and Goths.
For 1000 years, numerous migrating peoples including the Goths, Huns, Gepids, Avars, Slavs, Bulgars, Magyars, Cumans and Mongols overran the territory of modern Romania. In the 13th century, a number of small Romanian states emerged and evolved into the medieval principalities of Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania.
During the Late Middle Ages, all three provinces had to deal with the danger posed by the growing power of the Ottoman Turks. John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania and regent of Hungary managed to halt the Turkish advance into Central Europe and secured a major victory at the Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Stephen the Great of Moldavia, Mircea the Elder and Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia also successfully fought off the Turks and distracted them from the strategically more important objectives in the Mediterranean and the Balkans. However, by the middle of the 16th century, the three principalities had become Ottoman vassals. Michael the Brave of Wallachia managed to unite his realm with Transylvania and Moldavia and gain independence for a short time in 1600.[1]
The early modern period was characterised by continuous warfare between the Habsburg Empire, Ottoman Empire, Poland (until the 18th century) and Russia for the control of the Danubian principalities and Transylvania. The defeat of the Ottomans at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 marked the beginning of their decline in the region.
The 19th century saw the formation of the modern Romanian state through the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was secured after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and Romania became a kingdom in 1881. The participation on the Allied (Entente) side during World War I triggered the unification of the remaining Romanian inhabited territories with the kingdom, thus forming Greater Romania.
Romania reached its zenith during the inter-war period. After World War II, it was reduced to its modern borders and fell in the Soviet sphere of influence. The revolution of 1989 ended Communism and the geopolitical mutations in the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union paved the way for European integration, economically, politically, and militarily. Today, the Romanian army participates in peacekeeping missions with its NATO allies in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and elsewhere.
Themes in Romanian military history 1
The national unity objective 1.1
The regional balance of power 1.2
Dacians and Romans 2
Dacian Wars 2.1
Roman Dacia 2.2
High and Late Middle Ages 4
Transylvania and the Mongol Invasion of 1241 4.1
Wallachia and Moldavia 4.2
Anti-Ottoman Wars 4.3
Early modern period 5
Early and middle 19th century 6
Kingdom of Romania 7
World War I and inter-war period 8
After World War II 10
See also 11
Footnotes 13.1
Sources 13.2
Themes in Romanian military history
The national unity objective
Territories inhabited by Romanians before the acquisitions of 1918
The primary objective of the Romanian leadership in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century was to join all the territories inhabited by Romanians in a single state and to maintain its unity. The Romanian strategic thinking was driven by this need especially during the two World Wars. Today, Romania and the Republic of Moldova are comprising most of the regions where Romanians formed the majority of the population before World War II.
Important military rivalries resulted from the clash of Romania's national interests with the interests of neighbouring countries in the past.
Romanian-Hungarian rivalry for the control of Transylvania. It started at the end of World War I when Transylavania was awarded to Romania through the Treaty of Trianon. Transylvania had an absolute Romanian majority in 1918, but had been for extensive periods of time under Hungarian rule. In 1940, Northern Transylvania was given to Hungary at the Second Vienna Award only to be ceded back to Romania in 1945. After 1989, relations between the two countries flourished, especially after both Romania and Hungary entered NATO and the European Union. Hungary renounced all territorial claims to Transylvania in a 1995 bilateral treaty.
Romanian-Bulgarian rivalry was triggered by the Romanian annexation of Southern Dobruja (Cadrilater). Southern Dobrudja was populated mainly by ethnic Bulgarians and was taken by Romania after the Romanian invasion of Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War. In World War I, Bulgaria regained all of Dobruja, but as a German ally, it was forced to give the territory back to Romania in 1919 through the Treaty of Neuilly. With the advent of World War II, Bulgaria regained the region in the September 1940 Axis-sponsored Treaty of Craiova. Since then relations between both countries normalised.
Romanian-Russian (Soviet) rivalry erupted because of the Russian occupation of Eastern Moldavia (Bessarabia), a territory with an absolute Romanian majority that had been part of the Principality of Moldavia. In the chaos that ensued after the October Revolution, Bessarabia seceded from Russia and joined Romania. The Soviets never accepted the loss and a small border war took place along the Dniestr River in 1920. In 1924, they sponsored a local uprising in Southern Bessarabia (see Tatarbunary Uprising). In 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in accordance with the Ribbentrop-Molotov Treaty signed the previous year. This prompted Romania to join the Third Reich and contribute extensively with troops and material to Operation Barbarossa and the subsequent fighting against the USSR. The Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 reaffirmed the 1940 Soviet annexations. Today, most of Bessarabia with some portions of Transnistria form the Republic of Moldova, the successor of the Moldavian SSR, while Northern Bukovina and parts of Bessarabia (Budjak and Hotin region) are in Ukraine.
The regional balance of power
In the modern period, Romania has sought to neutralise the growing power of its neighbours in order to maintain its integrity and independence. During the Second Balkan War, Romania allied itself with Serbia, Greece and Turkey in order to check Bulgaria, which had become too powerful after the complete victory over Turkey in the First Balkan War. In 1919, the Hungarian Soviet Republic allied with Soviet Russia posed a major threat to the stability of the whole region. Romania started an offensive that ended with the conquest of Budapest and the overthrow of the Communist government. In the inter-war period, the Little Entente functioned as an alliance between Romania, Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to counter Bulgarian and Hungarian revisionism.
Dacians and Romans
Dacian Kingdom during the rule of Burebista
The Dacians (Lat. Daci, Gr. Dákai), also known as Getae, were part of the greater Thracian family of peoples. They inhabited the territories of present-day Romania, Moldova, eastern Hungary, south-western Ukraine and northern Bulgaria.
In (335 BC), Alexander the Great engaged the Thracians in order to secure the northern boundary of the Macedonian kingdom. He crossed the Danube and made a short incursion on the Dacians living north of the river.
Lysimachus, one of the successors of Alexander, who ruled over Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia tried to conquer territories north of the Danube, but was defeated and taken prisoner by the Getae (Dacian) king Dromichaetes. However, Dromichaetes, set him free on amicable terms.
Burebista, one of the greatest kings of Dacia ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC and unified the Thracian population from Hercynia (today's Moravia) in the west, to the Southern Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis. Burebista sided with the inhabitants of the Greek cities on the Western coast of the Black Sea when they were occupied by Varro Lucullus, the proconsul of the province of Macedonia during the Second Mithridatic War (74 BC–72 BC). The Dacians defeated the Roman army of Gaius Antonius Hybrida near Histria and continued their incursions in the region, taking the Celtic settlement of Aliobrix (Cartal, Ukraine), Tyras and Odessos and destroying Olbia. In 48 BC, the Dacian king sided with Pompey during his struggle against Julius Caesar in the Roman civil war but failed to supply him with troops in time for the Battle of Pharsalus.
See also: Domitian's Dacian War and Trajan's Dacian Wars
Faced with the growing military presence of the Moesia, located south of the Danube. In 86, a more vigorous attack south into Moesia, prompted emperor Domitian to intervene with fresh legions and supplies. Domitian planned an attack into Dacia the next year to stop Dacian marauding.
The Dacian Draco was the standard of the ancient Dacian military.
A strong offensive was carried in 87 when five or six legions commanded by general Cornelius Fuscus crossed the Danube and continued northwards to the Dacian capital of Sarmizegetusa. They encountered the Dacian army at Tapae, where the Romans were ambushed, suffering a major defeat. Almost all of the soldiers from Legio V Alaudae were killed and the Dacians captured their flags and war machines. Cornelius Fuscus himself was killed in battle. After this victory, Decebalus replaced Duras as king of Dacia.
The Roman offensive continued the following year, with general Tettius Iulianus now in command. The Roman army entered Dacia following the same route as Cornelius Fuscus the previous year. The battle took place mainly in the same area, at Tapae, this time the outcome being a Roman victory. Because of the difficult road to Sarmizegetusa and the defeats suffered by Domitian in Pannonia, the Roman offensive was halted and Decebalus sued for peace.
Bust of Trajan, Glyptothek, Munich.
According to the peace of 89, Decebalus became a client king of Rome receiving money, craftsmen and war machines from the Roman Empire, to defend the empire's borders. Instead of using the money as Rome intended, Decebalus decided to build new citadels in the mountains and to reinforce the already existing ones. This was the main reason for the following Roman attack under emperor Trajan.
Dacians assault a Roman fortification, from Trajan's Column
In 101 Trajan (reigned 98-117), after gaining the approval of the Roman Senate, began advancing on Dacia. A stone bridge later known as Trajan's bridge was constructed over the Danube to assist the legionaries' advance. The Roman offensive was spearheaded by two legionary columns, marching right to the heart of Dacia, burning towns and villages in the process. In the winter of 101-102, the Dacians led massive assaults on the legions stantioned in Moesia, but were defeated by Trajan in the Battle of Adamclisi. In 102 the Roman armies converged for a final assault and defeated the Dacian army at the third Battle of Tapae. After the battle, Decebalus chose to surrender. The war concluded with a Roman victory but the Dacians planned to organize further resistance.
Trajan invaded again in 105, this time with the intention of transforming Dacia into a Roman province. After several skirmishes, an assault against the capital Sarmisegetusa took place in 106 with the participation of the legions II Adiutrix, IV Flavia Felix and a cavalry detachment (vexillatio) from Legio VI Ferrata. The Romans destroyed the water pipes to the capital and the city fell. Decebalus fled, but committed suicide rather than face capture. Nevertheless, the war went on and the last battle with the Dacian army took place at Porolissum.
At the end of the war the Romans organized the province of Dacia on large parts of the former Dacian kingdom. The Roman rule would last from 106 until 271 (or 275 according to some sources).
See also: Roman Dacia and Daco-Roman
Roman Dacia (in red)
The province of Dacia was administered by a Roman governor of praetorian rank. Legio XIII Gemina (stationed at Apulum, modern Alba Iulia), Legio V Macedonica (stationed at Potaissa, modern Turda) and numerous auxiliaries had their fixed quarters in the province. For protection against the attacks of the Free Dacians (Dacians that lived outside Roman rule), Carpians and other neighbouring tribes, the Romans built forts and delimited the Roman held territory with a limes. Three great military roads were constructed, linking the chief towns of the province.
Sestertius minted to celebrate the province of Dacia and its legions, V Macedonica and XIII Gemina.
Dacians were recruited into the Roman Army, and were employed in the construction and guarding of Hadrian's Wall in Britannia, or elsewhere in the Roman Empire. Several Cohors Primae Dacorum ("First cohort of Dacians") and Alae Dacorum fighting in the ranks of legions were stationed in Britannia at Deva (Chester), Vindolanda (on the Stanegate) and Banna (Birdoswald).
In the third century, the attacks on Roman Dacia conducted by the Serdica (modern Sofia). At the beginning of the next century, Romans had tried to retake control of the north of the Danube: in Constantine the Great's campaign from 332, 100000 Goths were killed in battles on north of the Danube.[2][3][4] For a very short time, near 328, there were plans regain administration of the north of the Danube, a stone bridge was erected between Sucidava and Oescus. Still after 334AD Constantine the Great campaign, 300.000 Sarmatians were evacuated from the north of the Danube, and the Roman limes were once again reestablished on Danube[3][5][6][7]
Early Middle ages
Steppe Warrior (Bulgar, Khazar or Avar) with a prisoner. Image from an 8th-century ewer found in Romania.
During the Early Middle Ages, the Northern Balkan Peninsula became a conduit for invading tribes who targeted richer lands further west and south. Information about the military operations conducted in this period is very scarce.
The territory of modern Romania was part of the Hun Empire, but after its disintegration different parts were under successive control of the Gepids, Avars, Slavs, Bulgars and Pechenegs. Most of these invaders did not permanently occupy the territory, as their organization was of typical nomadic confederacies. From them, only the Slavs settled in large numbers beginning with the 7th century.
The Byzantine Empire held the region between the Danube and the Black Sea (modern Dobruja) from time to time (such as during Justinian's reign in the 6th century) or again under some emperors of the Macedonian and Komnenian dynasties, being part of the Byzantine Paristrion thema (province) between in the period 971-976 and between 1001 and 1185, although it was a border that was hard to maintain due to the constant invasions from the north. Dobrudja was part of the Bulgarian Empire during its whole period of existence. The area around the Danube Delta was the site of battle of Ongal in 680 which led to the formation of Bulgaria in 681.[8] Since the formation of the country the Bulgarians controlled the Wallachian Plain and Bessarabia to the north of the Danube, bordering the Avars to the north-west.[9] The Bulgarians under Khan Krum destroyed the crumbling Avar Khanate in 803 and moved the border along the river Tisza,[10] thus including Transylvania and parts of Pannonia in the Bulgarian state. In a military conflict with the Franks between 827-829 the Bulgarians secured their border with the Frankish Empire.
At the end of the 10th century, Dobruja was the theatre of operations between the Kievan Rus army led by Prince Sviatoslav I, the Bulgarian army and the Byzantine army led by emperor John Tzimiskes. Sviatoslav controlled large parts of the First Bulgarian Empire and established his capital at Pereyaslavets (near modern Nufăru) on the Danube. The Byzantines, led by John Tzimiskes were on the offensive after they defeated the united Russo-Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Arcadiopolis. Pereyaslavets was captured and Sviatoslav was forced to flee westwards to the fortress of Dorostolon (Durostorum). Emperor John proceeded to lay siege to Dorostolon, which resisted for sixty five days until Sviatoslav agreed to sign a peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire, whereby he renounced his claims on Bulgaria and the city of Chersonesos in Crimea. Sviatoslav was allowed to evacuate his army to Kiev.
The Magyars settled the Pannonian Plain and subdued Transylvania from Bulgaria in the 10th and 11th centuries, while the Cumans occupied the Lower Danube region in the 11th century.
High and Late Middle Ages
Transylvania and the Mongol Invasion of 1241
From the 11th century until 1541 Transylvania was an autonomous part of Hungary and was ruled by a Voivode. As it formed the eastern border of Hungary, great emphasis was put on its defenses. By the 12th century the Szeklers were established in eastern Transylvania as border guards, while the Saxons were colonised to guard the southern and northeastern frontier. Early in the 13th century, king Andrew II of Hungary called on the Teutonic Knights to protect the Burzenland from the Cumans. After the Order began expanding their territory outside Transylvania and acted independently, Andrew expelled it in 1225.
In 1241 Transylvania suffered greatly during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The overall invasion was planned and carried out by Subutai, under the nominal command of Batu Khan. The attack on Transylvania was commanded by Güyük Khan, the future great khan of the Mongols.
Güyük invaded Transylvania in three columns through the Tihuţa and Oituz Passes and the Timiş-Cerna Gap, while Subutai attacked through the fortified Verecke Pass towards central Hungary. Güyük sacked Sibiu, Cisnadie, Alba Iulia, Bistriţa, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea as well as the Hungarian king's silver mine at Rodna. This prevented the Transylvanian nobility from aiding King Béla IV in the crucial Battle of Mohi. A separate Mongol force destroyed the Cumans near the Siret River and annihilated the Cuman Catholic Bishopric of Milcov. Estimates of population decline in Transylvania owing to the Mongol invasion range from 15-20% to 50%.
Wallachia and Moldavia
The army of Charles Robert Anjou ambushed by Basarab's army at Posada (Vienna Illuminated Chronicle manuscript)
The lands east and south of the Carpathians fell under Mongol occupation after 1241, until the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia emerged in the 14th century as Hungarian vassals.
In 1330 Basarab I, the voivode of Wallachia, managed to ambush and defeat a 30,000-strong Hungarian army led by King Charles I Robert in the Battle of Posada, eliminating Hungarian interference in Wallachia.
In the same period, Moldavia freed itself from Hungarian control, although the Hungarians made some attempts to regain the principality. During the later 14th century and the first half of the 15th century, Moldavia was under Polish suzerainty and the Moldavians supplied Poland with troops during the campaigns against the Teutonic Order in Prussia. Moldavian light cavalry detachments participated in the Battle of Grunwald and the Siege of Marienburg on the Polish-Lithuanian side.
Anti-Ottoman Wars
The Ottoman Empire became a major military power in the later 14th century, when they conquered Anatolia, most of the Balkans and were threatening Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
Conflict firstly erupted between the Ottomans led by Beyazid I and the Wallachians led by Mircea the Elder after the voivode openly supported the Christian peoples south of the Danube who were fighting the Turks. There was also a contest for the control of Dobruja, which had been independent for most of the 14th century, but fell under Ottoman rule in 1388. In 1389 Mircea took control of the province and held it with some interruptions until 1418.
In 1394 Beyazid I crossed the Danube, leading a strong army with the purpose of overthrowing Mircea and replacing him with an Ottoman vassal. The Wallachians adopted scorched earth and guerrilla tactics by starving the Ottomans and mounting small scale attacks. The two armies finally clashed in the indecisive Battle of Rovine. Beyazid failed to put Vlad the Usurper on the Wallachian throne and in 1396 Mircea was again commanding his army during the Battle of Nicopolis. At Nicopolis, the Wallachian force of 10.000 men formed the left wing of the crusader army and, having witnessed the disastrous attacks made by the western knights and the surrender of Sigismund, escaped the massacre that followed.
The defeat and capture of sultan Beyazid I by Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) in the Battle of Ankara in 1402 started a period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire and Mircea took part in the struggles for the Ottoman throne supporting various pretenders. Towards the end of his reign, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans whereby he accepted paying tribute and gave up his claims on Dobruja.
John Hunyadi
Wallachia fell into anarchy following Mircea’s death in 1418. After 1420 control of the principality changed hands until Alexander I Aldea, an Ottoman vassal was instaled. King Sigismund of Hungary arranged for Aldea’s overthrow and replacement with his own vassal, Vlad II Dracul.
A series of anti-Ottoman offensives were carried by the voivode of Transylvania John Hunyadi, a magyarised Romanian noble. Hunyadi’s forces soundly defeated the Turks in 1441 and 1442. A smaller crusading force commanded by Hunyadi, consisting of Hungarians, Wallachians under Vlad Dracul, Serbs, and a large contingent of German and French knights crossed the Danube into Serbia, defeated two Ottoman armies, captured Niš, crossed the Balkan Mountains in winter, and advanced as far as Sofia. The Turkish sultan Murad II, faced with revolts in Albania and the Peloponnese, negotiated with the crusaders, signing a ten-year truce at Edirne in 1444 that recognized Serbian independence and formally released Wallachia from Ottoman vassalage.
The Battle of Varna, as depicted in the 1564 edition of Martin Bielski's Polish Chronicle
In 1444 Pope Eugenius urged the crusade’s renewal, and Hunyadi marched eastward along the southern bank of the Danube, through northern Bulgaria, toward the Black Sea. The crusaders arrived at Varna in November 1444 only to discover that Murad II had assembled a powerful army to meet them. In the ensuing Battle of Varna, king Wladislaw of Poland and Hungary was killed and the crusader army was completely destroyed. Hunyadi escaped with a small portion of his troops and became governour of Hungary.
In 1447 the Turks campaigned in Albania against Skanderbeg’s rebels, but operations were cut short by news of a new crusader invasion led by Hunyadi. The crusaders, joined by troops sent by Skanderbeg and Voivode Vladislav II (1447–56), Hunyadi’s Wallachian vassal met the Ottoman army in October 1448 at Kosovo Polje but were defeated.
Hunyadi’s greatest victory was at the Battle of Belgrade where, in 1456, his much smaller army defeated Sultan Mehmet II, the conquereor of Constantinople, and secured Hungary’s southern border. However, Hunyadi died of plague in his camp shortly after the battle. His son, Matthias Corvinus would become king of Hungary in 1458.
An Austrian oil painting of Vlad the Impaler from c. 1560, probably after a lost original
Wallachia, led by night of June 16–17, when Vlad and some of his men allegedly entered the main Turkish camp (wearing Ottoman disguises) and attempted to assassinate Mehmed. The Turks eventually installed Vlad’s brother, Radu the Handsome, as the new voivode; he gathered support from the nobility and chased Vlad to Transylvania, and by August 1462 he had struck a deal with the Hungarian Crown.
Moldavia located in the extreme northeast, beyond Wallachia, was spared from problems with the Ottomans until 1420, when Mehmed I first raided Moldavia after suppressing a rebellion. During the 1450s and 1440s the principality was wracked by civil wars, of which Sultan Murad II took advantage. As the state weakened, voivode Peter Aron (1455–57) accepted Ottoman suzerainty and agreed to pay tribute, but, given Moldavia’s distance from Ottoman borders, his acts were merely symbolic.
Chilia from Wallachia in 1465 and defeated a Hungarian invasion of his state in 1467 at the Battle of Baia. As his successes both on the battlefield and in imposing his authority within Moldavia grew, Stephen ceased paying the annual tribute to the Ottomans, and his relationship with Mehmed II deteriorated. He invaded Wallachia in 1474 and ousted its prince, who was Mehmed’s vassal. In response, Mehmed demanded that Stefan resume his tribute payments and turn over the city of Chilia as well. Stefan refused and soundly repulsed Mehmed’s subsequent punitive invasion of Moldavia in early 1475 near Vaslui.
Stephen realized that Mehmed would seek to avenge the defeat, so he sought Hungarian aid by becoming the vassal of Matthias Corvinus. Mehmed personally led an invasion of Moldavia in 1476, and his forces plundered the country up to Suceava, Stephen’s capital, winning the Battle of Valea Alba on the way. However, all of Stephen's fortresses held fast, and a lack of provisions and an outbreak of cholera among the Ottoman troops forced Mehmed to retire, and Stefan went on the counteroffensive. With Hungarian help, he pushed forth into Wallachia in 1476, reinstalled Vlad the Impaler on the Wallachian throne, and spent the next nine years fighting a heroic border war with the Ottomans. Stefan’s efforts were the primary reason that the two Romanian Principalities maintained their independence and did not suffer the fate of the other Ottoman vassal states south of the Danube. During the last years of his rule, Stephen defeated a Polish invasion at Codrii Cosminului in 1497 and, by the time of his death, Moldavia was de facto independent.
Early modern period
Early and middle 19th century
Timeline of the borders of Romania between 1859-2010
World War I and inter-war period
After World War II
List of wars involving Romania
^ Origo Constantini 6.32 mentions the actions
^ a b Eusebius Vita Constantini IV.6
^ Charles Manson Odahl Constantine and the Christiane Empire chapter X
^ Barnes Victories of Constantine page 150-154
^ Grant Constantine the Great pages 61-68
^ Charles Manson Odahl Constantine and the Christian Empire Chapter X
^ Runciman, S. A History of the First Bulgarian Empire. Book I, pp. 26-27
^ Runciman, S. A History of the First Bulgarian Empire. Book II, pp. 50-51
UNRV History - Dacia
Country Studies - Romania
Breviarium historiae Romanae by Eutropius
Dromichaites, philological and linguistical aspects (Romanian) at Sorin Olteanu's LTDM Project (soltdm.com)
Romania articles
Prehistoric Romania
Early Modern Era
Communist Romania
Unification with Moldova
Leu (currency)
Property bubble
Hungarians in Romania
Military history of Europe
Articles with Romanian-language external links
World Digital Library related
Romanian Armed Forces
Romania, Nato, Romanian Air Force, Romanian Land Forces, Afghanistan
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Ex-NIN Chris Vrenna's impressive Industrial Electro Rock Debut
To understand Tweaker’s music, it is important to first examine this painting (also the album’s cover). When former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna saw artist Joe Sorren’s rendering of this pale, slouching, ill-proportioned, coffee-drinking man staring anxiously at a typewriter hanging in an LA art gallery, he became obsessed, visiting the gallery every week just to look at it. A friend eventually purchased the painting for Vrenna, and it has apparently hung in his home ever since. Finally, his obsession culminated in the creation of The Attraction to All Things Uncertain, Vrenna’s first solo album and attempt to tell this character named Elliot’s story through music. The painting hung in the studio as Vrenna recorded the album, Elliot silently watching the process.
Vrenna uses a mix of mysterious, swirling electronics, a few bleeps and bloops, and the occasional rock guitar assault to create Elliot’s story. His NIN background is apparent at times, most tracks showing at least some Industrial edge. However, Vrenna does much more than simply play backup to Trent Reznor’s ego – he has been an instrumental producer in Alternative Rock, working with the Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Green Day, Rob Zombie, and many more. He has even re-mixed such artists as U2, Weezer, and even Nelly Furtado, and worked on collaborations with Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. Vrenna obviously knows his way around many different types of music, and it shows.
The Attraction to All Things Uncertain starts out dark, with a large weight on Elliot’s mind perhaps, and becomes progressively lighter as Elliot supposedly resigns himself quietly to the fact that his life will pass largely unnoticed. The first section is more rock-based, the first track almost bordering on Nu-Metal. Massive drum beats come together with creepy electronics, Alterna-fuzz guitar, and haunting samples for a large, dark sound. In contrast, the last tracks are almost Electro-Pop, bringing in lighter synths, more obvious dance beats and less bassy sounds. These tracks seem like a sigh of relief after the album’s harsh beginning.
Another testament to Vrenna’s varied experience is his choices for guest vocalists. Though there are only four vocal tracks on the album, they are placed perfectly to give the listeners a more obvious idea of what’s going on with their new friend Elliot. David Sylvian (Japan) starts the album off with a dark, creepy, vocal track “Linoleum” that breaks down with harsh guitars and presents Elliot’s somber sense of confusion. Buzz Osbourne (Melvins)soon follows up with "Swamp", Will Oldham (Palace) then turns up about halfway through with "Happy Child" the album’s turning point, still creepy yet somehow a love song. You’ve never heard Oldham like this. Finally, Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think) closes off the album with "After All", a more hopeful feeling, his lighter vocals delivering lines like, “Dark night is dawning after all…I do not fear this after all.”
The album is at it’s best on the tracks with sparsely-used samples. They give an idea of Elliot’s thoughts, like “Where do you see yourself six months from now?” while still allowing the listener to add his or her own interpretation. “Microsize Boy” is also an excellent tribute to the vocoder, although it seems slightly out of place with it’s retro stylings. All in all, the straight-up electronic tracks are well done. Since each has it’s own place in Elliot’s thought process, each is different, and the listener can decide for him or herself exactly what Elliot is thinking at any given point.
Tweaker’s story of Elliot is a direct challenge to anyone who argues that electronic music is impersonal and unemotional. Even without the story provided by the vocal tracks, one could easily follow Elliot through his self-realization process with simply music alone. If only we could all have such a soundtrack for our own lives.
Posted by Websnacker at 11:56 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: 2000s, Alternative Rock, Electronic Rock, Electronica, Industrial Rock, Music, Music Reviews, Synth Rock, Synth-Pop
The standout R.E.M album
Few bands can claim to have been the best in the world without sounding completely ridiculous. The American jangle pop alternative rock band R.E.M. was one of those bands. R.E.M not only won the respect of their musical peers but were also a huge commercial success and had and still have some of the most devoted fans in music today. And they made it stand out with Monster, their ninth studio album that was released in 1994.
If their preceding two albums, Out of Time (1991) and the best selling Automatic for the People (1992) were kind of slow rockish quiet records full of mandolins, pianos, and acoustic guitars, Monster is a powerhouse, completely unlike either of those records. Musically different, it is an ambitious album full of cutting electric guitars and distorted vocals that makes you sit up and listen. Sounding like early vintage R.E.M, the band takes the traditional guitar-bass-drums route and make it all seem new again but with a rocking edge.
The chart tapping first track, "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" sets the tone with its catchy appeal. Its indeed a great track with a lovely tune. Incidentally, it was also the fastest-rocking song R.E.M. had recorded in years. "Crush With Eyeliner" is next, and it's another guitar-driven rocker in which Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth also makes a guest appearance. In the lyrics to "Crush With Eyeliner," Stipe toys around with his often-questioned sexual orientation. In fact, Stipe's sexual preference also pops up again on "King of Comedy" in which Stipe sings "I'm straight, I'm queer, I'm bi."
Many of the songs on Monster use the old R.E.M. trademark of burying Stipe's vocals under layers of music. Notably songs like "Circus Envy," "Let Me In," and "Star 69" all sound reminiscent of the band's earliest albums because it's hard to hear what Stipe is singing. On "Let Me In," Stipe sings about the loss of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain as guitarist Peter Buck lays a backdrop of distortion and feedback.
Fans who hadn't discovered R.E.M. until "Losing My Religion" may have been in for a bit of a shock and a reason why the album didn't too well commercially, but Monster was also the album that old R.E.M. fans were waiting for. Its raw, full of contrast and a nostalgic reminder of the great sounds of the 90s!
Labels: 90s, Alternative Rock, Music, Music Reviews, Rock
Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk (1998)
An outstanding album (of sorts) from a star who died too soon
Critically acclaimed Singer Songwriter and Guitarist Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) released only one EP and one full-length album Grace before his untimely death. Buckley drowned in Memphis in May of 1997 while working on his next album, tentatively titled My Sweetheart the Drunk. Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk compiles all of the raw demos and completed studio tracks that Buckley recorded with his band prior to his unfortunate death.
Of the 20 tracks on Sketches... many are clearly rough demos but there are others which indicate that Buckley was recording a fantastic album. Buckley’s voice was a rare instrument, and it sounds as though he was testing its limits on these tracks. That voice takes the spotlight on the a cappella "You and I," one of a handful of dark, haunting tracks on this stellar album.
The darkest moment comes on "Nightmares By the Sea." It’s a song that is sure to please the morbidly curious, as Buckley sings "I’ve loved so many times/ And I’ve drowned them all." On "Everybody Here Wants You," Buckley sounds like an old torch singer with an odd falsetto. One can only wonder if this little experiment would ever have seen the light of day if Buckley had lived. The set closes with "Satisfied Mind," the song which apparently was played at Buckley’s funeral. Just as the song summed up Buckley’s unfinished life, it also sums up this unfinished album. We are once again left wondering what might have been.
Posted by Websnacker at 12:14 PM 0 comments Links to this post
A disaster TV Movie that's so bad its actually good!
A blogger friend of mine tells me that Tom Wopat, the heroic family-man protagonist in this Sci-Fi Channel original movie, was once the hunky Bo Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. This seems appropriate since Meteorites is an instance of what I call the The Dukes of Hazzard Phenomenon: to wit, a cultural event-be it a film fad, a television show, or a famous scandal-enjoys massive popular attention even though any particular person will tell you he or she has no interest in it whatsoever. In my experience, The Dukes of Hazzard was this curious phenomenon's prototype; for several seasons the show enjoyed fabulous ratings even though, at least publicly, everybody said they thought it was stupid.
So too with the spate of asteroid movies, the anchors of which-Deep Impact and Armaggedon-both suffered horrible reviews and much popular derision in the remarkable year of 1998. These movies nevertheless did well enough commercially to earn the flattery of t.v. and direct-to-video filmmakers, who wooed them with Asteroid (a terrible film targeted to Blockbuster's shelves) and our current offering, Meteorites.
"What are the chances of a meteor hitting Leroy [our provincial town]?" Tom Johnson (Wopat) asks the local astronomer. "None," is the answer. Meteors don't hit the Earth by definition, the astronomer explains. But meteorites are a different question altogether. This game of semantics underscores the fact that both of these made-for-the-living-room movies are named after the celestial rocks themselves, whereas their cinematic inspirations take the central event-the rock's ultimately-averted act of hitting the Earth-as namesakes. This semantic game also covers up the fact that names don't matter. The point is that enormous rocks might be hurtling toward Earth to end our way of life in a fiery cataclysm. Call them what you like, you blind fool.
The film opens as Tina McConnell (Tracey-Louise Smith), first in this movie's procession of featured adolescents, bitches out her parents for not letting her take illegal drugs. "I wish you would all die," she shrieks, "so I could do what I want." She storms out of the house and sulks on the swings in the backyard, thus procuring survival when a meteor (meteorite, sorry) slams into the McConnell household and kills everybody else.
John Whitehorse (Pato Hoffmann), Leroy's native-American sheriff, calls in the hunky-though-old Tom Johnson to help him investigate the McConnell wreckage, because Tom has a background in explosives. Tom's son Mac (Darrin Klimek) is trying to have sex with Crystal Cassidy (Amiel Daemion), the Mayor's daughter, and Tom's daughter, Rene, is a finalist in Leroy's Miss Teen UFO competition. Crystal's dad, Mayor Cass Cassidy (Marshall Napier), has cooked up an insurance scam to pay off various creditors, because the Cassidies have feuded with the Reigerts for decades and this has spurred Mayor Cassidy into a number of bad investments to live up to his father-legendary around Leroy for his "Midas Touch"-and thus maintain the family reputation. Crystal and Mac start having sex at the Mayoral mansion but are interrupted by the burglars (who are, incidentally, Reigerts) Mayor Cassidy has hired to rob his own home. The Reigerts hold Mac and Crystal hostage and fuss over them for a while, but then meteorites start landing on everybody and they have to think fast. I probably forgot to mention that Rene's (Tom's daughter, Mac's sister, are you getting all this?) Miss Teen UFO contest is but a single event in Leroy's annual UFO Festival, which is being investigated by an unscrupulous reporter for a tabloid called "The National Interrogator." Mayor Cassidy ignores Tom and the Sheriff's entreaties to cancel the festival in light of the impending meteorite shower because the festival generates revenues for the town. Oh, and Tom is riddled with guilt because years ago someone named Tony perished when Tom and Tony were partners in a bomb squad.
I spent all this time explicating the complicated character relationships in Meteorites-well, for the most part because I was bored, really, but also because of the role these character relationships play in this movie, which is similar to the role they play in Deep Impact... as well as Outbreak, The Towering Inferno, Titanic, The Day After, The Poseidon Adventure, et cetera. That is, a maze of complicated human dramas is established, only to have an enormous, blazing non-sequitur (comet, hotel fire, nuclear war, sinking ship) come barging unannounced into the storyline and disrupt it all, making it largely irrelevant. Occasionally a pre-disaster plot point or character element will resurface--Tom's experience with explosives pays off, for instance, as do his protective, paternal instincts-but generally all these soap-opera human relationships amount to a sandcastle that is swept away in the tide of disaster.
So why go through all the trouble of learning about these characters' personal lives, if in the long run these films aren't actually about them so much as they are about a comet, fire, or earthquake? It's a difficult question, I imagine, but an important one. Armageddon is the miserable failure that it is because it paradoxically gives the disaster too much screen time, focusing for the most part on the mission to destroy the Texas-sized asteroid and not so much on the characters' personal lives. Meteorites, whatever its made-for-t.v. flaws (fair to poor performances, conspicuous exposition, awkward cinematography, implausible plot developments), delivers that most precious disaster-movie commodity: its disaster rips apart not a half-realized fictional world but an elaborate and complex one.
And maybe that's part of why these movies are such guilty pleasures (millions of people watch them but later aren't willing to admit they liked them). The catharsis these movies offer seems juvenile: this childishly destructive pleasure of watching the filmmakers work hard to create something only to then blithely destroy their creation. It's hard to say why so many people, myself included, find this enjoyable. It'll probably continue to be hard to figure out until we actually admit to ourselves that we enjoy it.
Labels: 90s, Action, Adventure, Cinema, disaster, Movie, Movie Reviews, Science Fiction
A underrated lampoon that was ahead of its time
Has anyone else ever heard of this satirical cult gem? Long before Watergate shook Hollywood out of its government-is-your-friend fantasy-world, The President's Analyst directed by Theodore J. Flicker and starring James Coburn, entertained the preposterous notion that an American secret agent could assassinate one of his own countrymen, and this amusing movie is bold enough to play this cynical scenario for laughs. Move over The Parallax View and Capricorn One, here comes the real deal.
Though positioned as a comic thriller, it's kind of stupid for a lot of reasons and commercially bombed but it was also ahead of its time. The plot has sci-fi overtones with James Coburn playing Dr. Sidney Schaefer, a psychiatrist who is hired by the United States Government as the President’s ultra top secret personal psychoanalyst. After the initial euphoria of working for the worlds most important man, the stress of the job creeps in setting the stage of his descent into paranoia and suspicion. Instead of the normal thrills we would expect, this movie instead takes on the humor tinged, spoof track! Watch for the scene when James Coburn spins around looking for imaginary pursuers while a female chorus line imitates a theremin on the soundtrack ; I was on the floor!
Funny as this movie is, it plays into your dark fear that the Canadians are up to no good. Here they are right next door to the most powerful country in the world -the U.S. of A., is who I mean -- and you're going to tell me all they're worried about is keeping warm? There's no way they don't want a piece of the American pie, and in our false sense of security we probably aren't even monitoring our Northern border so that when the million-some-odd mounties that have been massing there flow into our motherland we'll be taken completely by surprise and helpless to stop them. I've kept this fear secret lest people think I'm crazy. But lo and behold, The President's Analyst features a militant, gun-toting, anti-American Canadian agent. It's the only movie I've ever seen that does and the music scored by Lalo Schifrin rightly amplifies the paranoia.
Posted by Websnacker at 1:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: 60s, Cinema, Movie, Movie Reviews, Satire, Science Fiction, Thriller
Ride the High Country / Guns in the Afternoon (1962)
A tepid showdown in the high sierras
This was American action director Sam Peckinpah's second film and it bears only a few traces of his 1969 masterpiece, The Wild Bunch. Even though Newsweek called it the Film of the year, you'll most likely yawn, roll your eyes, and fidget uncontrollably until the closing scenes. The film lacks the raw violence and debauchery that cements each scene of the later film.
Ride the High Country (released in the UK as Guns in the Afternoon) is set in California's High Sierras, which is a welcome contrast to the Monument Valley backdrop that typifies the 1950s westerns directed by the likes of Hawks and Ford. The scenes in the high country are awash with warm yellows and russet tones evinced in the aspens, sorrels, and tarnished leather vests. The film's conceit and for that matter the conceit of most of Peckinpah's westerns is that times are a changin' and leaving behind old men, who adhere to a shared code of honor.
Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott) and Steve Judd (Joel McCrea) team up to bring gold back to the town of Hornitos from a distant mining camp. They take a young upstart named Heck Longtree (Ronald Starr) with them and wind up with an unexpected burden en route when they stop for the night at a remote farm. This burden is a young woman, Elsa Knudson (Mariette Hartley), who is running away from her father and who wants to marry a former suitor in the mining camp.
The script hints at an incestuous relationship when Elsa tells her father, "It seems every kind of man is the wrong man except you." Some of the stereotypes are particularly annoying. For example, although the sniveling, quivering bank clerks, who enter into a contract with Westrum, are supposed to make the hero look even more heroic, actor Scott simply isn't all that convincing. What's more, the two old men reminisce at length about the good old days when they were partners, but the stories they share about their feats make them seem more like tin men than iron men.
What works in the film is when the old timers shut up about their past and start talking about their predicament. It's then that their past deeds become easier to swallow. After Elsa gets roughed up (read almost raped) at the camp by her fiance, Billy Hammond, and his three brothers, the couriers not only must return her safely to her father but also get the gold back to the town.
What then unfolds is a shootout at close quarters reminiscent of the gunfight at the OK Corral. At one point, having already taken one round in the gut, Westrum tells his partner, "Let's take 'em head on, halfway like always." Then, as the two climb out of the ditch where they were hiding and face off with the three remaining Hammond brothers, one of brothers shouts, "Start the ball, old man!" Despite the movie's tiresome build, it's worth watching to see who buys it in the end and who doesn't. Besides, its considered by many critics as one of his finest!
Labels: 60s, Action, Adventure, Cinema, Movie, Movie Reviews, Western
Eclectic Electronic Noise Pop and more!
The American indie folk singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’ electronic laden musical style is just about the last thing that listeners would have expected from a former member of a locally popular but largely obscure indie folk quartet Marzuki and then touring organist, toy pianist and banjo player with wacky indie gospel pop psychedelia group The Danielson Famile. I know, you have to be hardcore indie folk addict or a music historian to know this!
On his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, Stevens presents nearly 80 minutes of what he calls “a collection of programmatic songs for the animals of the Chinese zodiac.” What does that mean, exactly? Well, Stevens uses a variety of electronic and acoustic instruments (and though it is hard to believe, no external samples) for a sound that falls somewhere between a cheesy 80s cop-show theme song on crack, creepy circus music, and Mouse on Mars playing the soundtrack to Braveheart.
Each song is unique as he extracts fragments of Pop, Rock, and even Celtic music, throws it all together in an electronic mix with synths and glitches, then takes it all apart and puts it back together again. With melodic sections interspersed throughout portions of fragmented, deconstructed musical chaos, listening to the first part of Enjoy Your Rabbit feels like getting a garbled transmission of someone flipping radio stations in outer space.
One of the album’s highlights is the title track, which sounds like an electronic musician’s take on Math Rock, then ends with an off key James Bond theme reference. “Year of the Monkey” is also fun, with a fuzzy beat and a wah-wah riff combined with warped music-box sounds that collapses into itself and ends in an onslaught of fuzz.
On the rest of the album, Stevens tones down the glitch and focuses more on multi-layered, orchestral numbers. These give him away as someone who has written music for films – they would serve as a creepy but perfect backdrop to a freaky technological thriller. If anyone ever decides to remake Tron again, they should ditch Daft Punk and call Stevens for the score.
Note - Enjoy Your Rabbit was Stevens’ second album, and the third release from his independent New Mexico label Asthmatic Kitty. In 2009, the entire album was completely reworked and rearranged by the Osso String Quartet and re-released as Run Rabbit Run. If you like this album, you must check it out too!
Labels: 2000s, Electronica, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Music, Music Reviews, Psychedelic
Reliving Metallica's most musically unusual album ever!
While the pairing of superstar American Heavy Metal band Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on this one of kind live album might seem musically bizarre at first notice, the weird combination recorded on April 21–22, 1999 at The Berkeley Community Theatre in California is actually a logical fit.
Metallica's music had and has always been full of the kind of dynamic shifts that are often found in classical music, and Michael Kamen (1948 - 2003), the famous American composer of films like X-Men, Brazil, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, had worked with established rock bands like Queen, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Queensryche, Def Leppard, Rush and Pink Floyd for years.
The first CD in this two-disc Album set opens with two instrumental pieces before launching into "Master of Puppets." This track sounds awkward, as if the band and the orchestra were still getting comfortable with each other. The orchestra plays a small role on this track, providing brief symphonic flourishes in between Metallica's waves of heavy metal thunder. "Of Wolf and Man" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" work better, as Metallica backs off a bit to actually play with the orchestra. By the time the band reaches a stellar track "No Leaf Clover," both parties seem to be delightfully in sync and actually feeding off of each other's intensity beautifully.
Disc two begins with Metallica's majestic super hit "Nothing Else Matters." If any song in the band's repertoire is suited for the orchestral treatment, this is the one. Unfortunately, singer James Hetfield's over-the-top performance prevents the song from being a total standout. That honor goes to "One," the band's epic tale of a critically wounded soldier. Two of the heavier tracks on disc two, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Enter Sandman," are highlights as well.
Needless to say, the orchestral flavor is often drowned out by Metallica's bang-and-slam attack, but overall this odd combination works and works rather well. There are even times when Michael Kamen and his orchestra steal the spotlight. When the two groups really work together, as they do on "One" and the instrumental "Call of Ktulu", the results are impressive. Ignore the lukewarm reception this album received from the critics and listen to it for a unique collaboration of musical style it provides! Besides, there must be a reason why this still sold over 8 million copies worldwide!
Labels: 90s, Heavy Metal, Music, Music Reviews, Symphonic Metal
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WiLAN Signs Broad TV and Display License with Panasonic Corporation
OTTAWA, CANADA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2013) - Wi-LAN Inc. ("WiLAN" or the "Company") (TSX:WIN)(NASDAQ:WILN) today announced that Panasonic Corporation ("Panasonic") has signed a multi-year broad license agreement to WiLAN's Digital TV and Display patent portfolio, including the Company's V-Chip technology.
"We are very pleased that Panasonic, with one of the world's top selling TV brands, has taken a broad license to our digital TV and display patent portfolio," said Jim Skippen , President & CEO. "As part of WiLAN's long-term strategy, we undertook a deliberate multi-year exercise to increase the size and coverage of our portfolio of patented inventions covering digital TV and display technologies. Today, this portfolio includes over 1,400 issued and pending patents covering various technologies including V-Chip parental control, display conversion and closed captioning technologies."
WiLAN, founded in 1992, is a leading technology innovation and licensing company. WiLAN has licensed its intellectual property to over 260 companies worldwide. Inventions in our portfolio have been licensed by companies that manufacture or sell a wide range of communication and consumer electronics products including 3G and 4G handsets, Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, Wi-Fi and broadband routers, xDSL infrastructure equipment, cellular base stations and digital TV receivers. WiLAN has a large and growing portfolio of more than 3,000 issued or pending patents. For more information: www.wilan.com.
Director, Investor Relations
C: 613-697-0367
tburns@wilan.com
www.wilan.com
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If you waive one law, do you waive others? Intersection of IDEA, § 504, and the ADA
March 5, 2013 by William Goren 8 Comments
In the kindergarten through grade 12 context, for students with disabilities, there are actually three laws to be aware of. Those laws are the Individual with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). IDEA is a law that demands a student with a disability obtain a free appropriate public education(FAPE). That law is extremely technical and has very specific eligibility requirements. It requires an individual education plan (IEP) and that plan needs to include performance measures and goals. It is much more narrowly focused than § 504, and therefore, a student could be eligible for § 504 services but not be eligible for IDEA services. That said, a person eligible for IDEA services would most certainly be covered under § 504. § 504 and the ADA are laws that we have discussed many times in this blog and they are designed to do something else, which is ensure that a person with a disability is able to get to the same starting line as everyone else. What happens if you have a person that asks out of or rejects an IEP, does that mean they have also waived any rights they have under §504 or under the ADA?
A case that answers this question is Kimble v. Douglas County School District _ F. Supp. 2d _, 2013 WL 659109 (D. Colorado, February 25, 2013). In this case, parents and guardians of a minor had an IEP with the school district. They were perfectly happy with an IEP. However, the next year, the school district wanted to change that IEP, and the parents were not willing to go along with the proposed changes. Accordingly, they refused to consent to the changed IEP. The school then sent her a letter saying that rejection of the IEP also meant rejection of any services under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. After receiving this rejection letter, the plaintiff submitted a written request to the defendant by email to develop a section 504 plan. However, the school said the 504 plan that they would offer would be the same as the proposed IEP and since the plaintiff refused to consent to the changed IEP that had been proposed by the school, she had waived her ability to obtain any § 504 relief. The plaintiff then filed suit alleging that the school’s conduct violated § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as title II of the ADA.
The court first began by discussing the three different laws. As mentioned above, IDEA requires that all children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education. It does so through the use of the IEP, which is a written statement setting forth: the child’s present performance; the goals and objectives; specific services enabling the child to meet those goals; and evaluation criteria and procedures to determine whether the child has met the goals. A school district cannot implement an IEP without the informed consent of the parent. Where parents revoke consent for such services or do not give consent, the school district has to cease providing special education related services and is under no further obligation to develop an IEP for the child. That said, IDEA make perfectly clear that nothing in that law is meant to interfere with or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies under other laws including the Constitution, the ADA, and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act among others.
The court went on to discuss § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and noted that § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is much broader than IDEA. While § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act with respect to students with disabilities in grades K-12 also contains free appropriate public education language, the meaning of that term is different than the meaning of the term under IDEA. The focus with § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is on the design of a child’s educational programs so that the child with a disability has an educational program that is as adequate as the needs of a child without a disability (what I would call the starting line analogy). The court noted that the procedures for designing a free appropriate public education under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are more vague than they are under IDEA (I have found that this can cut two ways. On the one hand, IDEA give you all kinds of protections and formalities to observe. However, all those protections and formalities can make the process more adversarial. On the other hand, § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is much more flexible than IDEA, which can be a disadvantage, but also its flexibility and vagueness can make the process less adversarial and more collaborative. Therefore, there can be a strategic decision as to whether a student should opt for IDEA or § 504 coverage, assuming the student is eligible for both, which as mentioned above may not be the case).
Finally, the court mentioned the ADA briefly. Obviously, we have seen quite a bit of the ADA in this blog. The court mentions the ADA to say that the courts analyze title II of the ADA and § 504 the Rehabilitation Act claims the same because the substantive standards are the same (from this blog, we know that this isn’t exactly true, but nevertheless the courts continue to make this statement in their cases).
Once the laws were discussed, the court turned to the claims. With respect to that, the court said since IDEA as well as its implementing regulations specifically say that they are not meant to interfere with the rights given to students with disabilities under other laws, including the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, a waiver of one law does not waive rights given under the other laws. This sounds good for the plaintiff. However, the school held a section 504 meaning subsequent to the plaintiff’s rejection of the IEP under IDEA, and at that section 504 meeting, a § 504 plan was proposed that was identical to the rejected IEP. Accordingly, the plaintiff’s rejected the 504 plan as well. Accordingly, the rejection of the 504 plan put the school district off the hook.
What is to prevent a school district from offering an IEP they know the parents will reject and then offering the same IEP in a subsequent 504 meeting knowing that the parents will reject that as well as a strategy for not having to provide services at all. Certainly, it is a strategy that the school district could try. However, the court did mention that there might be two checks on whether that strategy would prevail. First, if the plaintiff could show that the strategy was based on discriminatory intent, the strategy would fail. Second, since the laws are different, a school district is still under a continuing obligation under § 504 as well as the ADA to protect the student from discrimination while the student remains a qualified student with a disability. Accordingly, the school district has to offer and continue to offer, despite any rejection of an IEP or a § 504 plan, any accommodations or services ensuring that the student is provided an opportunity for free appropriate public education under § 504.
Breaking it down: First, this case tells us that a waiver under idea is neither a waiver under the ADA nor a waiver under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Second, a parent perfectly has the right to reject an IEP that they do not believe is appropriate. That rejection will prevent services under IDEA. However, that rejection would not prevent services under the broader law of § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or for that matter the ADA as well. If the school were to offer the same rejected IEP as the § 504 plan, the parent would be free to reject that also. However, in that eventuality, the school would be off the hook, unless either of two exceptions apply. The two exceptions being if the plaintiff could show that the offering of the § 504 plan identical to the rejected IEP plan was based on discriminatory intent, then the school would have a problem. The other exception being if the school refused to provide any § 504 services whatsoever regardless of whether the student was eligible for those services once the § 504 plans had also been rejected. In short, what this comes down to is should a parent reject an IEP, there is a fallback to § 504 planning. Should the § 504 planning process also break down, because the school district is under a continuing obligation, the parent should continue to try and negotiate some sort of plan so that the child can continue to receive § 504 services. On the school district side, there are many different approaches you can take. First, the school system might start the person in a § 504 plan and then depending upon how it goes move that person into the IDEA framework should the student be eligible for IDEA. If the student is in the IDEA framework already, the school should be in a negotiation process with the parent. If that process breaks down, then the student would drop into §504 planning. As a preventive law measure, one wonders why the § 504 plan would have to be the same as a rejected IEP plan. It would seem that many problems could be prevented if a whole new negotiation process was opened up and the parties reached a mutual conclusion as to what should be in the § 504 plan. It would be to the school’s advantage to have a working § 504 plan in such a situation as § 504, which the court noted above, while more vague is also more flexible than IDEA. Should somehow there be no alternative but to offer the same rejected IEP as a § 504 plan, the school would need to be prepared to make sure that it is showing that parent that it continues to act even after the rejection in accordance with its continuing obligations to offer free appropriate public education, as § 504 defines it, to the student.
Filed Under: Federal Cases, Final Federal Regulations, General, Rehabilitation Act, Title II Tagged With: § 504, § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 504, 504 broader than IDEA, 504 plan, ADA, adversarial, Americans with Disabilities Act, but the hook, child's present performance, collaborative, continuing obligation, design of a child's educational program, discriminatory intent, District Court of Colorado, educational program that is as adequate as the need of a child without a disability, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria and procedures to determine whether a child has met the goals, FAPE, file suit, flexibility, goals and objectives, IDEA, IEP, implementing regulations, individual disabilities in education act, individual education plan, informed consent, informed consent of the parent, Kimble v. Douglas County school District, negotiation process, not interfering with or limiting the rights procedures and remedies under other laws, performance measures and goals, preventive law, preventive law measure, proposed changes to IEP, proposed IEP, rejection of 504 plan, rejection of IEP, revoking consent, school district, special education, special education related services, specific services enabling a child to meet those goals, starting line, strategic decision, substantive standards the same, title II, vagueness, waiver of one law does not waive another, written statement
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The Breakout and the Breakthrough
The ladies were out to impress as they took to the red clay courts of the tournaments held this week. A slew of top ten players and former #1s were in action as play really started heating up ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year, just four weeks away.
In Morocco the upsets started early and only one of the top four seeds made it safely out of the second round. One-time French Open runner-up Dinara Safina staged a valiant effort to make the semis -- her first since Cincinnati in 2009 -- but an unfortunate bout of food poisoning ended her run early, allowing world #94 into the finals -- her first since Guangzhou that same year. There she met rising star, nineteen-year-old Simona Halep, herself a finalist here last year. The two had met only once before, with the youngster trouncing the thirty-one year old veteran while qualifying for Montreal about nine months ago.
But it was a different story this time around. The unseeded Brianti, who hasn't been able to break into the top fifty in her eleven-plus years on the circuit, took control of the match early, running off to a 5-2 start before rain delayed play. She withstood a comeback by the seventh-seeded Halep and broke her opponent again to take the first set. Though they traded breaks in the second set, the Italian was able to remain ever so slightly stronger and eventually finished off the match in just an hour of play. It was her first career Tour title, and after nine ITF trophies, it couldn't have come at a better time. It might be too late to really put herself on the map at Roland Garros, but more than a few stars may find themselves on the wrong side of a Brianti upset in the coming weeks.
The elite in Stuttgart were served notice as well. With seven of the top eight women in the world coming out for the Premier event in Germany, there was plenty of talent on the court. But again the seeds fell early -- defending French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic and Melbourne finalist Na Li all lost their second matches. World #1 Caroline Wozniacki was able to advance, but in the championship match she faced unseeded Julia Goerges, who'd beaten a tough Sam Stosur in the semis.
The twenty-one year old German has been causing players fits all year, taking a set from Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open and beating Shahar Peer en route to the Charleston quarters. She then pounded Melanie Oudin last weekend at the Fed Cup playoffs, confirming just how strong a force she is. But she was even more impressive this week in her home country -- though she was down a set to Victoria Azarenka in the second round before her opponent retired, she regrouped on her way to the final. Against the top seed on Sunday she held her ground, didn't drop serve once during the match and found angles on the court that frustrated the usually calm and collected Caroline. Goerges won the first set in a tiebreak and worked to a 3-0 lead in the second, then never looked back. At the end of the day she was holding the trophy, easily the biggest of her career -- so far.
It's always encouraging to get that first big trophy -- whether it comes at the end of a career or sets the stage for many more to come. Both of these ladies have certainly put themselves on everyone's radar, and something tells me we haven't seen the last of either.
Posted by Kavitha at 8:49 PM
Labels: Alberta Brianti, Caroline Wozniacki, Fes, Julia Goerges, Simona Halep, Stuttgart
Back At It
No Case for the Defense
Back From the Dead
Lucky #7
A Taxing Weekend
Where Things Get Serious
Adding to, or Starting, the Trophy Case
A Change of Season
All April, No Fools
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Walk Across the Glass Floor of the CN Tower
CN Tower: 15 Fascinating Facts15 Reasons the CN Tower is One of Toronto's Most Celebrated Landmarks
By Jane McLean
1.The CN Tower at 553.33 meters (1,815 ft., 5 inches) was once the tallest building, tower, and freestanding structure, but as of 2010 retains the title of world's tallest tower.
2.Construction on the CN Tower began on February 6, 1973 and wrapped up about 40 months later in June 1976.
3.1,537 workers toiled five days a week, 24 hours a day to build the CN Tower.
4.The CN Tower was built at an original cost of $63 million.
5.On April 2, 1975, onlookers gazed up in amazement as a giant Erickson Air-crane Silorsky helicopter placed the final piece of the CN Tower's antenna into place, officially making it the world's tallest building.
6.The CN Tower was built to withstand an earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale (the Kobe earthquake in 1995 was 7.2 on the Richter scale). The upper reaches of the CN Tower were built to withstand winds up to 418 km/h (260 mph).
7.In 1995, the CN Tower is designated a Wonder of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
8.Lightning strikes the CN Tower an average of 75 times per year. Long copper strips run down the CN Tower to grounding rods buried below ground to prevent damage.
9.The CN Tower dims unnecessary exterior lights during bird migration seasons to prevent bird injuries.
10.The CN Tower is an incredible 2.79 cm (1.1 inches) within plumb, or, true vertical.
11.Six glass-faced elevators travel at 22 km/hour (15 miles/hour) to reach the observation deck in 58 seconds.
12.On a clear day, visitors to the CN Tower's observation deck can see over 160 kilometers (100 miles) -- that's all the way to Niagara Falls and across Lake Ontario to New York State.
13.The CN Tower has a hollow 1200' hexagonal core providing stability and flexibility to the full height tower.
14.The CN Tower's Glass Floor was the first of its kind when it was opened in June 1994. It is 23.8 square meters (256 sq. ft.) of solid glass and 5 times stronger than the required weight-bearing standard for commercial floors. If 14 large hippos could fit in the elevator and get up to the Observation Deck, the Glass Floor could withstand their weight.
15.The 360 Restaurant makes a complete rotation every 72 minutes giving diners a changing view of Toronto more than 1,000 feet below.
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Home > World > H-1B application process to begin tomorrow; to face unprecedented scrutiny
H-1B application process to begin tomorrow; to face unprecedented scrutiny
Dainik Hawk | 1 April 2018 5:44 AM GMT
The process of filing petitions for H-1B, considered as the most sought-after work visa among highly skilled Indian professionals, begins tomorrow amidst unprecedented scrutiny by the Trump Administration.
A strong indication is coming from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency which is responsible to process all H-1B visas, that there will be zero tolerance by it for even minor errors.
Chatter at various social media platforms and groups indicate that immigration attorneys this time expect a much high rate of rejection.
The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher are exempt from the cap.
Days ahead of the start of the H-1B visa application process for the fiscal year 2019, beginning October 1 this year; USCIS warned that all duplicate applications would be subject to rejection. In previous years filing of duplicate petitions, by companies, so that applicants could have a greater chance of getting through the lottery had become a normal practice.
USCIS has also said that it will reject H-1B petitions requesting an earlier employment start date or a start date of "As Soon As Possible" or "ASAP."
Expecting a huge rush of application beginning tomorrow and greater scrutiny of all petitions, which would require much more man hours, USCIS has also temporarily suspended premium processing.
"We will announce the start date for premium processing in the near future," USCIS said.
As of now, USCIS has not indicated if it plans to go for a computerised draw of lots as has been the case in previous years after receiving several times more than the Congressional mandated cap of H-1B visas.
"Complete all sections of the form accurately. The petitioner should include a copy of the beneficiary's valid passport," USCIS said.
If the applicant is seeking an extension of stay or change of status, he/she should include evidence to establish that the beneficiary will maintain a valid nonimmigrant status through the employment start date being requested, USCIS said in its filing tips.
Given the general campaign against highly skilled Indian professionals, the applications by Indian companies are likely to face a greater scrutiny of all these petitions. As in the previous years, Indian companies would have to pay much more fee per application than those from other countries. On an average, they are required to pay USD 6,000 to the federal government per H-1B application.
And by the time the successful applicant appear before the American diplomatic missions -- embassies and consulates for a formal visa interview and stamping on their passport, they would have to be ready with details of the social media profile, emails and phone numbers in the last five years.
On Friday, the State Department issued a formal notification in this regard which would come into force after 90 days.
Ahead of the H-1B visa filing process, USCIS said this work visa should help US companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country.
"Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing, and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Employers who abuse the H-1B visa program may negatively affect US workers, decreasing wages and opportunities as they import more foreign workers," it said.
Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS, it said, adding that it is furthering its efforts by enhancing and increasing site visits, interviews, and investigations of petitioners who use the H-1B visa programme.
"These efforts will help assist in the prosecution of program violators and ensure that American workers are not overlooked or replaced in the process," USCIS said. —PTI
Tags: H-1B US Citizenship Immigration Services USCIS ASAP USD 6 000 US Workers US Companies
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A Geek's Guide to Worldbuilders, Heifer International, and How You Can Help!
December 10, 2015 by Anton Strout
Chances are, if you are a science fiction or fantasy fan, you’ve seen the word “Worldbuilders” floating around recently. No, I’m not talking about the awesome authors who create fantastic worlds on planets far away that we can escape to on our lunch breaks, though we honor them as well. I’m talking about fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss’s wonderful charity Worldbuilders.
A lot of you probably heard Pat talking about Worldbuilders and the story behind it on the show this week. Basically, Worldbuilders is a charity where all the proceeds go to benefit Heifer International. Authors and artists, jewelry makers, musicians, game designers—all these people come together and offer items for auction. And we’re not talking holiday bazaar junk. A first edition ARC of Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Critiques of fiction by acclaimed authors. Gorgeous artwork—just head over to their website to see an example of some of the goodies. Not only are there auctions, but many companies like Badali Jewelry and Cards Against Humanity are giving a portion of their funds to Worldbuilders this month.
Nicole, fulfillment coordinator for Worldbuilders, explains more. “It's an amazing place to work. Everything we do here is to help people, and because of that we get to see the good side of humanity more often than not. We get emails, letters, notes from our supporters that tell us about how they gave up eating out for a month so they could donate to the fundraiser. People who spend a thousand dollars on an auction, only to donate it right back and tell us to keep the money, too. People who buy things in our online store, because they know the proceeds are going to a good cause, rather than buying something cheap online. It's inspiring.”
Where does this money go? Heifer International is actually one of my favorite charities, and has been before Worldbuilders existed. Their mission is to have power over hunger and poverty. What this means is that they don’t just give food to the hungry in Africa, they give them tools and knowledge to build infrastructure so they can continue to strengthen their communities and in turn, become empowered as people. On their website, you can see that you can donate a certain amount to build a well, which will supply a village with clean water for years to come. Or give them goats or other livestock which not only provide meat, but fertilizer, etc. It is true community building, helping these people to live self-sustaining lives.
Nicole elaborates:
“When you donate $20 (which, let's be honest, almost all of us have $20 to spare if we don't eat out tonight), you're giving enough for a starter flock of chickens. But the families don’t just get those chickens. They get the training and materials they’ll need to care for those chickens for a long time.
“Best of all, chickens are a good form of pest control, eating insects that damage crops. They scratch and peck at the soil, eating weed seeds and giving themselves dust baths to get rid of mites all on their own. Their droppings fertilize gardens.
“Heifer also trains the people they work with to Pass On The Gift to their neighbors. That means after receiving help from Heifer, a family will go on to help others, sharing baby chicks and training members of their community.
“This means a donation to Heifer is like kicking off an avalanche of good that cascades into the future. For example, in 1952 Heifer provided 70,000 hatching eggs to people in Korea after the country was devastated by war. Twenty years later, the Korean Ministry of Agriculture estimated that half the chickens in Korea were descended from the eggs Heifer supplied.”
And that, my friends, is amazing.
Fantasy Author Bradley P. Beaulieu (Twelve Kings in Sharakhai) auctioned manuscript critique services and more to benefit Worldbuilders this season. “I support builders because, at the end of the day, the money is going to a charity that takes a holistic, no-nonsense, global approach to bettering lives. I really respect that, and have from the moment I learned about them from Pat’s posts the first year he ran his charity drive. The community that has rallied around Worldbuilders is wonderful, but most of all, I’m proud of the difference Heifer is making in the lives of individuals and their communities all across the world.”
Badali Jewelry is one company who has really helped Worldbuilders. Known for their representations of jewelry and other items featured in popular fantasy such as the Dresden Files, the Iron Druid Chronicles, Elf Quest, and yes, Pat Rothfuss’s own Kingkiller Chronicles, they can be found at major conventions throughout the year as well as online. They have been heavily involved with Worldbuilders from early on.
“We first heard about Worldbuilders after the entire shop had devoured Name of The Wind,” says Janelle Badali, “and we started hoping to court Pat and see if he would let us make jewelry for the books. When we found out that he started a charity after his first real payday we knew he was not only a crazy talented author but a genuinely fantastic human being and we wanted to work with Pat more then ever. The stars aligned, Pat approved and we started working together. The first year we got our licensing, we very tentatively approached Pat and his crew to see if we could donate items to help Worldbuilders out, because so much good was being done there and we wanted to help any way we could. They said yes and it's been magic ever since. We love Pat and each member of the Worldbuilders team, and are beyond honored to help out in what ever way we can. Worldbuilders has become a platform for the geek community to band together and really show the world what you can do if you share a passion and compassion. Thank you Worldbuilders and Heifer International, you really are the good guys.”
I asked fantasy author Django Wexler (The Shadow Campaigns series) what he thought about donating his painstakingly painted game miniatures and books to the Worldbuilders auction. He answered, “One of the best things about being a writer is how happy you can make people with small things; a scribble and a signature in a book can make someone’s day, and I love doing it. Worldbuilders is great because it combines that with a wonderful charity – it has a bunch of fun, off-beat interactions between writers and fans, AND it raises money for a good cause. I’m glad to be able to contribute!”
“Worldbuilders is a great way for a geek to do good in the world,” says Nicole of Worldbuilders. “Not only are you contributing to one of the best charities out there (Heifer International), but you get the chance to win one of the thousands of prizes we have, ranging from signed books, to limited and rare editions of books, as well as games and art.”
So, if after all of that, you don't feel convinced to donate to Worldbuilders in some way, well, carry on, I guess. But they make it so easy to contribute and make a difference, between ebay auctions, the lottery, their store, and more, that I think you'll find there is something for every one.
About Melanie R. Meadors:
A writer of speculative fiction and lover of geeky things, Melanie R. Meadors lives in a one hundred-year-old house in central Massachusetts full of quirks and surprises. She's been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion.
Her short fiction has been published in Circle Magazine, The Wheel, and Prick of the Spindle, and was a finalist in the 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Contest. She is a freelance publicist, publicity coordinator for Ragnarok Publications, and the Marketing and Publicity Specialist at Mechanical Muse.
December 10, 2015 /Anton Strout
Patrick Rothfuss, Worldbuilders, Heifer International, doing good, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Melanie R Meadors, Django Wexler, Badali Jewelry
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Yeah, So What If He’s Gorgeous ?
May 2, 2010 · by Lorna Tedder · in **Most Popular**, Miscellaneous
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree Burn.
From over my shoulder, my co-worker is reading my computer screen as I check email. “My God!” she exclaims. “That’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my life!”
I shrug. Yeah, he is quite pretty. “So is this an Internet dating site?”
Er, no. It’s an email from a man I haven’t seen in years. We worked together back in the late 90’s. He’s about 35 now.
“But he sent you pictures,” she says. “And he’s gorgeous.”
Uh, huh. Yeah, pics of him with his car, with his dog,
with his kids, getting promoted, with friends. Nice. Very.
“But he sent you pictures,” she says again. “It’s like an advertisement.”
“For him! Is he single?” Yes. Recently divorced.
“Whoa. So he’s looking you up?”
I don’t think so. We were just friends, co-workers. “But he’s gorgeous.”
Was then, too. About eight or nine years my junior, he was in his late 20’s and more muscles than a man has a right to. In fact, his arms were so well-honed that he had trouble finding a short sleeve wide enough that it didn’t cut the flow of blood to his elbows. We were both happily married—or apparently thought we were—and completely platonic, but we made a good team and I genuinely cared about him as a friend and colleague. We did some really good work together and broke a few re- cords. Shared some heartaches, too. We lost touch after he and his family moved to another job within the Air Force.
I do have some fun memories of him. Like the tight-butt shimmy he did at the Christmas luncheon one year. Or the six meals a day he ate at the office to sustain his muscles—meals the rest of us had to smell and drool over all day long. Or the time he showed me the weights in the gym and helped me with my own exercise program.
One of my favorite memories of him was the time we did a Christmas charity event at a local nursing home. The elderly women there were smitten with him. They paid no attention at all to the rest of us. But he took the hand of one of the women who was still able to stay on her feet and while Christmas music played in the background, he led her onto the dance floor for a slow dance. He was elegant and respectful, and she smiled at him like she’d completely forgotten he was young enough to be her great-grandson. Or maybe because he was just that young. True, the other women were glaring daggers at her, but I enjoyed the moment. He could have refused, but he was a more than a good sport. It was…sweet.
I explain that I haven’t heard from him in a long time and that his email came out of the blue.
“No way,” my co-worker says. “He’s looking you up. Why else would he send you pics?”
Uh, he was a friend, his looks didn’t intimidate me, his well-connected family didn’t intimidate me, and…how about that he just wanted me to see how kind/unkind the years have been to him?
“No. It’s got to be a sign. You’re divorced. He’s divorced. He’s gorgeous. Can’t you see?”
“You said you knew romance was coming into your life. That it was time. Like in August or September. Definitely by the end of the Summer. You better get cracking!”
I know. That’s what I’ve been told. But my instincts don’t say this is it.
“At least make arrangements to go meet this guy,” she tells me.
No. But if he’s in town, I’d love to have lunch with him and catch up.
“But he’s gorgeous! Why don’t you go after him?”
I smile. Why don’t I? Yes, he’s attractive. Was then, is now. But I never sensed any chemistry and certainly no alchemy. There are less physically perfect men who could put a sparkle in my eye, ones who tug at my heart and at my memory, ones who appeal to me in untold ways no one else would ever guess.
But my co-worker assumes that every man-woman relationship has to be about romance or sex. It doesn’t. Even with someone with such a strong physicality as this “gorgeous” man. This is about friendship, and that’s all.
The truth is, I’d love to see him again and share news and experiences about the last five years. I’d love to have him back in my life as a friend but only as a friend. It doesn’t have to be about anything else. Friendship is rare enough.
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Gunmen kill 2 men at beach resort
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico Witnesses told police that a gunman approached Gordon Douglas Kendall and Jeffrey Ronald Ivans outside the building they were staying in and shot Kendall, according to Jalisco state prosecutor Guillermo Diaz.
The gunman then chased Ivans to the pool area and shot him. Witnesses said two other gunmen arrived minutes later and repeatedly shot the dead or dying Canadians, Diaz said. The men fled and no arrests have been made.
Diaz said Ivans was carrying a handgun, though he apparently was not able to use it before he was shot. It is unusual for people in Mexico, particularly foreigners, to carry handguns. It was not clear if Ivans had a permit.
Diaz said police have reports that the men were involved in real estate developments in another nearby resort area, Bahia de Banderas.
Investigators have not determined a motive for the killing.
Sgt. Bill Whalen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the service's organized crime and gang units suspected Kendall and Ivans of being in the drug trade in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
"We were aware of who they were, that they were in Mexico and that they were involved in the drug trade," said Whalen, an officer in the RCMP's Combined Forces Special Enforcment Unit.
Whalen said Ivans pleaded guilty in Kamloops, British Columbia, in 2002 to one charge of drug trafficking and was fined $1,000.
British Columbia's capital, Vancouver, has seen a surge in crime since the start of the year. Canadian police say at the root of the increase are drug gangs, with a Mexican cocaine supply line heading north through California to the city.
In Mexico's Michoacan state, which borders Jalisco, police arrested three federal agents for allgedly passing information to organized crime.
The Public Safety Department said in a statement the three agents, ages 33, 37 and 38, were assigned to the port city of Lazaro Cardenas as part of President Felipe Calderon's crackdown on organized crime.
One of the officers was carrying 200,000 pesos ($15,000) when arrested and investigators believe it was money received for informing on police operations, it said.
Calderon first launched a crackdown against organized crime in Michoacan, his home state, deploying thousands of soldiers and federal agents shortly after taking office.
Drug traffickers have responded fiercely, unleashing unprecedented violence with shootouts and gruesome decapitations. More than 13,500 people have been killed by drug violence in since December 2006. The government says most of the dead were involved in drug trafficking.
4 men steal slew of items from Kashmere High School
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'Why Him?' review: The perfect fathers vs daughters' boyfriends comedy
By Sandy Kenyon
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- For every father who has ever looked at his daughter or someone else's daughter and wondered, what is she doing with that guy?, you will knowingly laugh at the new comedy that asks "Why Him?"
Bryan Cranston plays a dad most people will be able to relate to, and like his character, viewers are left wondering why some young women prefer bad boys, even if they are as rich as James Franco's character, Laird Mayhew. Like the old song says, he is "just a soul whose intentions are good." And Laird tells her parents, "Please don't let me be misunderstood."
Most of what comes out of his mouth is inappropriate, but also endearing.
"Laird has literally no filter, but he's a really good guy," said Stephanie Fleming, Laird's girlfriend, played by Zoey Deutch.
Her dad remains skeptical, but her mom and brother soon get on board as Laird makes headway thanks to his assistant, played by Keegan-Michael Key, one half of the comedy duo "Key & Peele."
The comedy is rated R because it is very raunchy and dances right up to the line that separates it from an even more restrictive rating. It is not for the squeamish or anyone easily offended.
The serious critics who embrace the gloomy movies in theaters now may turn up their noses at this comedy, but it is good for a few laughs.
arts & entertainmententertainmentmoviemovie theatermovie reviewsandy kenyon
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Tag Archives: David Hutt
TWO GOODBYES
Posted on July 18, 2018 by alexcoxfilms
Sad news from the diaspora of REPO MAN. Robby Muller, the cinematographer, and Martin Turner, the stills photographer, both died last week. Robby’s passing was noted by the MSM, and he was rightly celebrated for some of the wonderful work he did. Our hiring him for REPO MAN was strictly fortuitous: Michael Nesmith, our executive producer, had rejected my first choice of cameraperson. Peter McCarthy told me, “Take this as an opportunity. Now you can ask for anyone you want!” Having been awestruck by his work on THE AMERICAN FRIEND, I asked for Robby Muller. Nesmith was all in favour, and we got him. It was his second American film.
Robby was a genius of lighting, and of composition. He didn’t like closeups, preferring wider shots which celebrated the performances of all the actors in the frame. He wasn’t much interested in camera movement when we worked together. On his other American film he’d been given a Steadicam. He and his crew took it out of the boxes, marvelled at how heavy it was, put it back in the boxes, and used them to sit on.
Robby was a great artist – as was Martin Turner, though he’s perhaps known to fewer people. “Stills photographer” doesn’t do justice to his work on REPO MAN, as he was also a supporting actor and – together with Jonathan Wacks – came up with the concept for the film’s finale. I met Martin at film school – what was then the Radio, Film and TV Studies course at Bristol. He and David Hutt made a highly ambitious student film called NEARLY WIDE AWAKE, based on Knut Hamsen’s “Hunger.” (We paid no attention to things like Copyright! We were students!) I acted in it.
Martin worked for Lindsay Anderson in the art department on THE OLD CROWD and BRITANNIA HOSPITAL. He was responsible for the slide show which the guests in THE OLD CROWD enjoy, and which causes the death of “Tottie.” THE OLD CROWD greatly offended the London critical fraternity, and is rarely seen. I don’t know if a DVD exists. [Update — THE OLD CROWD does exist on DVD! A friend has found it in a set of TV Dramas by Alan Bennett, available on the Network label: Network clearly have good taste since they also distribute THE PRISONER.] But it is a wonderful film – perhaps Anderson’s best work of all, part Buñuel, part Brecht – and Martin had a lot to do with its insane inventiveness.
Back in the days of a government quango called “British Screen” Martin wrote two very good feature screenplays: THE BATTLE OF TORREMOLINOS and INTO A DESERT PLACE (the latter was an adaptation of Graham Mackintosh’s book about travelling Baja California on foot; I was to direct it). I thought them great scripts. But times were increasingly conservative, money was said to be scarce, and if you didn’t have a TV personality from The Young Ones or The Comic Strip pre-cast, it was hard to get a British film going. Too bad! Because they were great stories – especially TORREMOLINOS, an original script in which Martin pitted the English hooligan class against itself, and everything else, in a Spanish seaside tower block.
Martin was also a painter and sculptor. He painted a number of canvases depicting dreadful scenes from THE BATTLE OF TORREMOLINOS, and received a commission to display them at the Torremolinos Festival of Comedy, some years later. Martin and our mutual friend Karl Braun hung all the artwork, and went around the corner for a beer. In their absence the President of the Festival arrived, saw Martin’s art works, and ordered the building locked until the offending paintings could be removed.
Somehow Martin’s stories seemed to end that way: a great idea, a great piece of creative art somehow uncreated, or unseen, or banned, or – in the case of THE OLD CROWD – completed then mercilessly disparaged by clowns. No matter! Martin did his work. in the footsteps of Derek Jarman he moved to Dungeness, where he bought a lighthouse and renovated it, with his own hands. His wonderful partner, Brenda Morris, died a few years ago. Martin died at the lighthouse, at the end of last week. He’s survived by an ace daughter, Kathryn.
Picture of Martin in his nautical days, by David Hutt.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ardman Animation, Battle of Torrimolinos, Brenda Morris, Britannia Hospital, David Hutt, Derek Jarman, Dungeness, Hunger, Into a Desert Place, Jonathan Wacks, Karl Braun, Knut Hamsun, Lindsay Anderson, Martin Turner, Michael Nesmith, NEARLY WIDE AWAKE, Repo Man, RFT Studies, Robby Muller, Steadicam, The American Friend, The Old Crowd, Torremolinos Festival of Comedy
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Date Archives: 2018
It's no surprise, we love languages. Whether a language is spoken by many or few, it is important and contributes to the wonderful diversity of society. Learning more about these languages helps you to understand and appreciate the cultures...
Best Italian resource
After a tough selection process and after whittling down from hundreds of recommended resources, we are delighted to announce that Forvo has been chosen to feature in Tutorful's Italian language and culture editorial! Considering that many...
New language page is available!
In order to enrich the user experience, we are continually trying to come up with new features. Recently we have been working on the language page and we are glad to announce that the first step has already been taken. Now our users can learn...
More languages in the traduction service!
Exciting news about our translation service! We're pleased to announce that more languages are available in our translation service. Until now, we could choose three possible languages as the source language: English, French and Spanish....
The new Travel Guide section now available!
These last months we have been working in order to satisfy our users' demands, who asked for a new section that would be useful when travelling. Thanks to the help and collaboration of many users, we could create a new section of travel...
Our 350th language is here! Which one is it?
We're glad to announce that we've added a new language to our already wide list. Although it is not currently used in our everyday live, we believe it is a great idea to add this language for educational purposes. We are talking about...
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Spam on the decline, says AOL
Published on January 12, 2005.
Dulles, Va.—Junk e-mail on AOL fell more than 75% in 2004, the Internet service provider announced, citing spam reports from its members.
For the month of November alone, member spam reports dropped from a daily average of 11 million in 2003 to about 2.2 million in 2004.
The amount of e-mail being diverted to AOL members’ spam folders dropped from 100 million a day in November 2003 to 40 million in November 2004.
AOL said that while volumes of spam have varied over time, 2004 was the first year with substantial and consistent declines.
—Carol Krol
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Book Review-A Loving Scoundrel
A Loving Scoundrel by Johanna Lindsey
Published by Simon and Schuster on April 27th 2004
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era
#1 New York Times bestselling author Johanna Lindsey sweeps readers into the privileged world of English aristocrats as she presents a new novel of passion, intrigue, and romantic pleasures featuring the incomparable Malorys -- a family of dashing rogues, rakehell adventurers, and spirited ladies. Now Jeremy, the son of gentleman pirate James Malory, falls in love.... When Danny, a young woman who grew up on the streets of London with no memory of her real family, is banished from her gang because she helped handsome rakehell Jeremy Malory steal back the jewels his friend lost in a card game, Danny demands that Jeremy give her a job. She is determined to become respectable in order to fulfill her dream of marrying and starting a family. Intrigued by her beauty and spunk, Jeremy hires Danny as his upstairs maid, although he wants her as his mistress. Under the tutelage of Jeremy and his cousin Regina, Danny blossoms into a lady. Although she is drawn to Jeremy by passionate feelings she has never experienced before, she refuses to be anything more than a servant to him because she knows he is not the marrying kind. When Danny undergoes a Cinderella-like transformation and poses as Jeremy's new love in an attempt to help him avert a scandal, a few highly placed members of the ton remark on how familiar Danny looks. Now tongues are wagging, raising the question of her true identity, which threatens not only Danny's chances of capturing Jeremy's heart but her very life. With the humor, lovable characters, and romantic intensity that have placed Johanna Lindsey's six previous Malory novels in the ranks of the best-loved and most widely read romantic novels of our time, Johanna Lindsey delights readers with an emotionally powerful tale of an irresistible scoundrel who meets his match in a brave, strong-minded young woman and can't help but fall in love.
In A Loving Scoundrel we have a young woman, Danny, who grew up on the streets, learning how to pick pockets and steal to survive. She has no memory of her life before she was found and integrated into a gang of pickpockets and thieves. Having no choice but to pose as a boy, in order to protect herself, so that she doesn’t have to work at a whorehouse, she has cultivated a excellent talent in thievery and pickpocketing, however deep inside she aches for a stable future and a husband and children. Then Jeremy Malory interrupts her life, and turns her reality up side down. After a certain chain of events occur, where she is then kicked out of the gang she has lived most of her life in, she knows her only recourse is to go to Jeremy and demand compensation for what his actions has done to her life. She knows that in this process she will have to learn to act like who she really is, a woman both beautiful and courageous inside and out. Jeremy Malory, a lover of woman abroad, has certainly met his match in Danny who is truly unlike any other woman he has ever met. Despite the fact that she has such a unique beauty that takes his breath away, he knows that he must go about to seduce her into his bed, despite the fact that she thinks like a man and throws punches like one, but that only encourages him in his effort. When Danny goes through a transformation to help Jeremy avoid scandal, she is turned into a Cinderella and both Jeremy and Danny are shown the pathway of true love that will change their lives in ways neither of them expected.
A Loving Scoundrel is by far one of my favorites of this series, Jeremy is definitely a rascal and rake just like his rakehell of a father, however he also has a gentleness side of him that the reader gets to see. There is a intensity about the relationship between Jeremy and Danny. Danny has had to learn to survive on the streets of London, but now she is grown up and wants more from her life than thievery to survive. When she starts working for Jeremy as a maid hoping to have a respectable life, and starts thinking about goals which include marriage and children, then never expecting trying to find someone that takes her breath away and steals his way into her heart, which she has kept closed off until she meets Jeremy, but what she never expects is that her life is put in danger when she raises question about her past that she has no memory of, but with Jeremy on her side, they will both be tested of their feeling that they have for one another. I truly loved this story, it sweeps the reader off their feet and into a romantic world of passion, adventure of intrigue that is portrayed in a way that will leave you with a smile at the end. So if you love historical romance and Johanna Lindsey you will fall in love with Jeremy’s story, GUARANTEED!!!
About Johanna Lindsey
Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952 in Germany, where her father, Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army was stationed. The family moved about a great deal when she was young. Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii, and after he passed away in 1964 Johanna and her mother settled there to honor him.
In 1970, when she was still in school, she married Ralph Lindsey, becoming a young housewife. The marriage had three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret, who already have made her a grandmother. After her husband's death, Johanna moved to Maine, New England, to stay near her family.
Johanna Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride in 1977 "on a whim", and the book was a success. By 2006, with over 58 Million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, with translations appearing in 12 languages, Johanna Lindsey is one of the world's most popular authors of historical romance.
Johanna's books span the various eras of history, including books set in the Middle Ages, the American "Old West" and the popular Regency England-Scotland. She has even written a few sci-fi romances. By far the most popular among her books are the stories about the Malory-Anderson Family, a Regency England saga.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
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November 2, 2016 | Published By Bandini
Scott Storch Details Going From Leaving The Roots To Making Hits With Dr. Dre (Video)
In Hip-Hop, Questlove and Black Thought have become household names. However, going back to Organix and the earliest album lineups of The Roots, there is arguably another. Scott Storch has become one of the most prolific, top-earning music producers of the 2000s. Beginning in 1999 with Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,” which extensively featured the keyboard line from the musician/producer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Scott would go on to craft #1 hits for Terror Squad (“Lean Back”) and 50 Cent (“Candy Shop”), as well as hits for Beyoncé, Remy Ma, and Pink.
Speaking with B-Real in his Smoke Box, Storch chronicled what compelled him to make his exit from The Roots and step under one of music’s biggest wings, thanks to a Roots crew collaborator.
DJ Khaled May Be The Key Reason Big Pun & Fat Joe’s Twinz (Deep Cover 98) Became A Hit (Video)
“In 1992, I joined a group; I was a founding member of The Roots. I was a keyboard player. In those days, I didn’t really [understand my role]. I’m just a keyboard player…[who] happens to be writing all the songs, all the music, this and that,” admits Storch around 8:00, who made his exit in the mid-1990s. He would play on and produce many Roots crew albums that followed, as recently as 2004’s The Tipping Point. “I kinda felt like I was just labeled as this keyboard player—this white guy who played keys. I love The Roots, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a band. I wanted to be a creator and I wanted to be in the studio. I would watch guys like the [Butcher Bros], I watched guys like Andy Kravitz, and all these people,” he says of the Ruffhouse Records co-founders and their onetime percussionist, who also worked with Cypress Hill. “Back in Philly, at the time I was doing The Roots, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do. I want to just be a creator.’ I remember I had a girlfriend at the time [who told me] ‘You’re gonna be the Pete Best of The Roots.'” Pete Best famously exited The Beatles before the “Fab Four” sparked Beatlemania.
“For a while, it was getting scary,” admits Storch, to his girlfriend’s point. “My first producer gig [was with] Busta Rhymes. The same week I got one with Capone-N-Noreaga. Me and Busta made the song ‘Bladow!!;’ it was crazy. He was the first believer.” However, while visiting Los Angeles, California, Scott would get his big break from an artist he’d once helped get on. “The big change really came into play when another person who I knew from Philly who was a female rapper [got involved]. I put her on her first record, with The Roots: Eve.” Storch credits himself with adding the MC to 1999 Grammy Award-winning “You Got Me.” “She was like, ‘Yo, I got signed to Dr. Dre and Aftermath [Entertainment]. You were always cool with me, so I’m gonna put you with Dre. That changed my life, overnight.”
20 Years Later, The Roots Continue to Do What They Do Best: Shine For Hip-Hop (Video)
As Storch recalls, “The next day I was in with Dre. I didn’t have any DAT tapes of my beats. So I just sat down, played the piano. An hour later, I had a hotel room key and a big stack of money. I was ready to work on this [upcoming album], The Chronic 2000.” That album, released in late 1999, would eventually be renamed 2001. Scott Storch would be credited on “Still D.R.E.” and “Big Ego’s,” before additional Aftermath work with 50 Cent, The Game, and G-Unit.
Elsewhere in the interview, Scott recalls interning for Ruffhouse, details his drug problem, and chronicles his recent comeback.
Eve Says She’s Glad Dr. Dre Dropped Her & Shares Why (Video)
#BonusBeat: Scott Storch “keystyling” recently, tapping into some of his hit-making, including “Still D.R.E.”:
Enough said ‼️the then and the now ???????? #hits ITS NOT THE SOUNDS ITS HOW YOU USE THEM @drdre
A video posted by Scott Storch (@scottstorchofficial) on Oct 5, 2016 at 10:44am PDT
Last month, The Roots confirmed they’re recording the band’s 17th album.
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NFL: DIDN’T RECEIVE DANIEL DEFENSE SUPERBOWL AD BUT ‘WOULDN’T HAVE RUN IT ANYWAY’
by AWR HAWKINS breitbart
The NFL is trying to take the offensive against AR-15 manufacturer Daniel Defense, claiming they never saw Daniel Defense’s Super Bowl ad and that it was not submitted to Fox Sports. However, their spokesman Brian McCarthy makes clear that if it had been submitted to Fox Sports, “it would have been rejected by the network’s standards and practices department.”
According to CBS DC, the ad was submitted to “Fox affiliate WTGS-TV in Savannah, Ga.” It never made its way to Fox Sports proper because WTGS “received and rejected the ad.”
On November 27, Breitbart News reported the Daniel Defense ad had been rejected, although the ad was not about firearms. In fact, it did not mention firearms even once. It did show the Daniel Defense logo at the end, and that logo is of a DDM4 rifle. But the focus of the ad was taking responsibility for oneself, family, and country.
Breitbart News spoke to Daniel Defense’s Marty Daniel at the 2014 Shot Show on January 16th. He said, “The NFL actually reported that it was Fox who never got them the commercial, and in the same breath said they wouldn’t have run it anyway.”
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK TOO!
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Cardiology > Myocardial Infarction
Top-Ranked Hospitals Have Better Survival Rates
U.S. News and World Report rankings not associated with fewer readmissions
by Nicole Lou, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today November 28, 2018
Cardiology patients treated in hospitals at the top of U.S. News & World Report rankings had better survival rates, but not necessarily less risk of readmission, researchers found.
Thirty-day risk-standardized mortality rates were consistently lower among the top 50 U.S. hospitals in cardiology and heart surgery than at other centers, when looking at acute MI (11.9% vs 13.2%), heart failure (9.5% vs 11.9%), and coronary artery bypass grafting (2.3% vs 3.3%, all P<0.001).
However, top-ranked institutions didn't have better 30-day risk-standardized readmissions rates compared to other institutions that didn't rank in the top 50, reported Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital Heart & Vascular Center in Boston, and colleagues, online in JAMA Cardiology:
Acute MI: 16.7% versus 16.5% (P=0.64)
Heart failure: 21.0% versus 19.2% (P<0.001)
Coronary artery bypass grafting: 14.1% versus 13.7% (P=0.15)
"This disconnect between mortality rates and readmission outcomes at top-ranked hospitals, compared with nonranked hospitals highlight the ongoing uncertainty as to whether readmission rates are an adequate surrogate for quality of care, particularly for cardiovascular conditions, such as heart failure," Bhatt's group said.
"It is possible that top-ranked and nonranked hospitals have focused substantial resources on reducing readmissions rather than mortality rates, given the financial push of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, which resulted in generally similar readmission rates, but disparate mortality rates between these hospital groups," they suggested.
That program, HRRP, was intended to encourage hospitals to improve care quality for patients, even after discharge. But, the financial penalties it imposes have been criticized as leading hospitals to take shortcuts that actually increase mortality rates for conditions such as heart failure and pneumonia.
Defenders of the readmission penalties have argued that increasing post-discharge deaths in heart failure and pneumonia began well before the program was implemented between 2010-2012.
Bhatt's latest study included 3,552 U.S. hospitals, 50 of which were ranked by the U.S. News & World Report in 2017-2018.
Patient satisfaction was higher at these top-ranked hospitals, which averaged 3.9 out of 5 stars, which was rated by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (based on publicly available Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services [CMS] data from 2014 to 2018). This was in contrast with the mean 3.3 stars garnered by unranked hospitals (P<0.001).
Bhatt and colleagues acknowledged that the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings incorporate CMS data, which means that not all patients factor into these hospital rankings.
Bhatt reported grants from Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Eisai, Ethicon, Medtronic, Sanofi Aventis, Pfizer, Forest Laboratories/AstraZeneca, Ischemix, Amgen, Lilly, Chiesi, Ironwood, Abbott, Regeneron, PhaseBio, Idorsia, Synaptic, and The Medicines Company; unfunded research support from FlowCo, PLx Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Takeda, and Merck; serving on the advisory boards of Medscape Cardiology, Regado Biosciences, Cardax; serving on the board of directors of Boston VA Research Institute; being the deputy editor of Clinical Cardiology; working as a site coinvestigator for Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Svelte, and St Jude Medical (now Abbott); receiving honoraria from the American College of Cardiology; serving on clinical trial committees funded by Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim; personal fees from Duke Clinical Research Institute, Mayo Clinic, Population Health Research Institute, Belvoir Publications, Slack Publications, WebMD, Elsevier, Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, HMP Global, Harvard Clinical Research Institute (now Baim Institute for Clinical Research), Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and TobeSoft; nonfinancial support from American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
JAMA Cardiology
Source Reference: Wang DE, et al "Association of rankings with cardiovascular outcomes at top-ranked hospitals vs nonranked hospitals in the United States" JAMA Cardiol 2018; DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2018.3951.
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Vehicle Scanners hypedmarketing 2019-07-09T17:16:08+00:00
At 2X Systems, we recognise the need for a tailored approach to the manufacture and implementation of equipment. Our team has spent many years in the field installing and supporting x-ray screening equipment. They have highlighted the difficulties of installation and the need for highly skilled personnel for installation and ongoing support. Our innovative designs are based on delivery to site and out-of-the-box operation, eliminating the need for highly skilled engineers where possible.
The 2X-300 has been developed for ease of transportation and installation. The system is designed to fit into a standard 20ft ISO container that has been adapted to take the system fully built. Wheels are fitted to allow the system to be moved on rails out of the container and then moved into the operating position. The top section is lifted by forklift or crane to the correct height and pins are then inserted (option for hydraulic feature is also available). The spring loaded ramps on each side are manually lowered into place. Power and data cables are connected. The system is then ready for operation.
The 2X-300DT is a rapidly deployable, fully self contained system with minimal support required to install. Its unique design provides the user with all of the components required to setup and operate the system themselves, therefore there is no need to seek professional engineering assistance. The system is plug and play with all the required system variants pre-wired in the control panel. Data link cables with Harting connectors plug directly into the system. The control room can be positioned up to 100mtrs away from the system. Extra distance is possible via fiber optic cables, including remote access via internet or WAN.
The 2X-300F is designed for installations where there is a need for rapid deployment and automated lifting is not required, allowing for operations to take place on a permanent or semi permanent basis. The system is a fully functioning vehicle scanner with all the capability of the rapid deploy 2X-300D. The ‘F’ system is delivered without automatic lifting, no control room, can be configured for drive through operations and can also be used with the unique conveyor cassette to allow unoccupied vehicle scanning. Along with installation, computer workstation and CCTV equipment will be supplied for the customers control room.
The 2X-300DC has been designed for the original 2X-300D, but includes conveyor autonomous scanning for a driverless operation. The vehicle moves through the scanner at a constant speed and combined with optimised beam geometry, it ensures that the optimum image is presented to the operator. The scanners x-ray generator energy can be increased to the maximum setting of 320 kVA, providing a penetration capability of up to >70mm.
All our products are manufactured in the UK, using UK parts
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Dear Canada: Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948 by Carol Matas
Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948 by Carol Matas
Dear Canada
I knew this would be good when I noted that Carol Matas was the author. One always has to look to the title page to find the author on these books, so it's like a hidden treasure when you see a favourite author there. This is an outstanding book in the series and really adds to the collection and children's Holocaust stories in general by its topic and the way it's presented. From a Canadian pov the book concerns a fictional Polish Jewish orphan who has emigrated to Manitoba, Canada and her diary entries always start with a little bit about what life is like for her now in the new country. The majority of the book, though, is about her writing down her memories, with the help of other Polish orphans at a monthly meeting place, as she remembers what happened to her during the war. Being only five at the start of Poland's Nazi invasion her story becomes clearer the older she becomes in her retelling. At one point a cousin finds her through a letter, who has settled in the new state of Israel and through this and the local news Matas also brings to the table the beginning of the settling of Israel and the immediate fighting between Israel and Palestine from day one that continues to this very day. This book is most suitable for the upper ages of the Dear Canada's age range of 8-12 as Matas does not pull any punches in her writing; she never does. While keeping the information age appropriate she does impart the horrors and terrors that occurred during this bloody, hateful period in world history. Rose's diary in the end becomes a record of the death of each member of her immediate family and also contains a strong religious flavour. As usual I greatly enjoy the end matter in this series which starts with an epilogue that briefly wraps up the lives of the fictional characters. This is followed by an in depth historical note about the events surrounding the time period in which the story takes place and finally ends with photographs from the era. There are some stunning pictures of the Polish Ghetto and Resistance Fighters here. The book also mentions several times a fact that is not publicized enough in my opinion, in fact I only learned of it some years ago myself, that Canada and the other Allied countries refused Jewish immigration during the war years and even after the war it took much too long, in my opinion, for Canada to open up it's Immigration to the Jews. This story concerns the 1947 immigration policy which allowed 1,000 European Jewish children into Canada on the assumption the Canadian Jewish Congress took full responsibility for them. A must read.
Labels: 2013 canada Canadian author MG orphans war WWII
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Ross Stores - Get News & Ratings Daily
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Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Rating Increased to Buy at BidaskClub
Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) was upgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, BidAskClub reports.
Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Foot Locker in a report on Friday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on TJX Companies in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $63.00 price target for the company. Zacks Investment Research raised Gerdau from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Goldman Sachs Group raised to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from GBX 1,855 ($24.24) to GBX 1,800 ($23.52) in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut Ross Stores from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $103.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $98.64.
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Shares of ROST opened at $106.02 on Thursday. Ross Stores has a 12-month low of $75.91 and a 12-month high of $106.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $38.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.89, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90.
Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.01. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 48.92% and a net margin of 10.47%. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
In related news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.16, for a total transaction of $3,966,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 473,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,994,105.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 81,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.87, for a total value of $7,527,020.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 182,049 shares of company stock worth $17,798,721. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,088,490 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $505,856,000 after buying an additional 456,445 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 2.2% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,828,660 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $449,548,000 after buying an additional 105,658 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $298,173,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 17.9% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,499,921 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $232,744,000 after buying an additional 379,598 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 21.0% in the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,410,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $224,456,000 after buying an additional 418,404 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Ross Stores Company Profile
Ross Stores, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS brands. Its stores primarily offers apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions. The company's Ross Dress for Less stores sell its products at department and specialty stores primarily to middle income households; and dd's DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores regular prices to customers from households with moderate income.
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Tiptoeing Across Quicksand
February 7, 2019 February 4, 2019 by jrcowles
In a recent “Skeptic’s Collection” column I gave examples of beliefs that represent the principle that “A little learning is a dangerous thing”. The examples I cited were derived from physics, psychology, and literature. But history is no less susceptible to warped beliefs than other disciplines. A recent issue of the Washington Post Magazine contains such an example of warped history. Problem is that the Post writer, while doing a sterling job of debunking the beliefs of lovers of the Confederacy, fails to note that liberals and progressives, in their zeal to repudiate such atavisms, fail equally to take into account their own myopia, and end up with a view of history – Civil War history in particular – that is equally warped, just in the opposite direction.
The article comprises an extended interview of a 62-year-old white man named Frank Earnest who is a vociferous defender of all things Confederate, including slavery, and presently international chief of heritage defense and commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. In reading the interview and Mr. Earnest’s response to the questions of the writer, Paul Duggan, I found myself wishing that every American, especially every American junior-high and high-school student, had such a command of Civil War history, even as I was conscious of how grotesquely lop-sided Earnest’s view was. In fact, Earnest is a walking and loquacious example of how a little learning can indeed be a dangerous thing. However, Duggan’s questions and objections – including the facts and issues Duggan omits from his article – are no less relevant. A few salient examples will suffice to show what I mean:
o At one point in Duggan’s interview Earnest pointedly asks where there are recruitment posters urging men to join the Union Army to free the slaves: Where is the Union Army recruiting poster that says, ‘Join the army and free the slaves’? If that was the cause, where’s the poster? … You know it’s not here, don’t you? Because there wasn’t one!”
Earnest has a point here, but only to a limited extent. Initially – again, I said initially – President Lincoln’s primary passion was to preserve the Union. His justly famous letter to Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune in August of 1862 – a little over a year into the War -- is justly famous in this regard:
My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union …
But Earnest omits consideration of how President Lincoln’s purpose evolved as the War progressed. By the time the war was all but concluded, Lincoln could – as we would say today – “pivot” from saving the Union to ending slavery. There is no inconsistency here: the preservation of the Union had been achieved in all but name, so the primary purpose having been accomplished, President Lincoln was now free to turn to the secondary purpose of destroying slavery. Consequently, starkly different is President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address from his letter to Greeley of three years earlier:
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
So of course, there were no “join to end slavery” recruitment posters at the time Earnest references! That is not why the Nation – and President Lincoln – were fighting at that time. But that changed.
o Duggan goes on to say [Earnest] explained to me why he thought the Civil War happened, beginning with his core belief that slavery wasn’t the main reason for the conflict. Instead, he argued, secession was a constitutionally permissible response to years of unfair tariffs and taxes imposed on the South by a tyrannical federal government.
This is far too long a story to tell even in a doorstop of a book, let alone in a single paragraph. So the following is the Cliff’s Notes version. A perennial controversy all through the time of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the Framing, the Ratification, and the Founding of the Nation concerned the nature of sovereignty. What and where is the ultimate repository of national sovereignty? Does national sovereignty repose in the several States or in the Federal Government? There were two primary answers to this question:
John C. Calhoun
o The ultimate repository of national sovereignty is the several States.
This rationale says that the States pre-existed the Federal government, and that, while the Federal government, within its sphere of responsibility, serves an essential purpose, sovereignty ultimately rests in the States because, quite simply, the States were here first. The States were founded first, then the Federal government followed. The latter is the creation of the former, not vice versa. Therefore, sovereignty belonging to the States, the States may choose to nullify Federal laws that they themselves, i.e., the States, regard as in violation of the Federal Constitution. (One obvious problem with this argument, of course, is that if sovereignty is to be defined by temporal order, then the indigenous First Nations are sovereign over everyone, since they were, equally without dispute, here first. But that is a rant for another time.) The most prominent proponent of this radical view of State sovereignty was John C. Calhoun, whose Disquisition on Government is essentially the Bible of the State-sovereignty movement. Calhoun was also President Andrew Jackson’s Vice President, usually to Jackson’s chagrin, since Jackson was an ardent Federalist, even to the point of threatening to send Federal troops to South Carolina to dissolve the State legislature and run the State from Washington, DC, because of the tariff-nullification crisis of 1832 -- about which Earnest is also right.
o The ultimate repository of national sovereignty is the Federal government under the terms of the US Constitution
The primary rationale for this position begins with the Preamble: We the People of the United States … References to the States are conspicuously absent from the Preamble, which sets forth the fundamental purpose of the Constitution: “We the People” not “We the States” or even “We the People of the several States”. According to this account, certain functions hitherto performed by the States as independent sovereignties were transferred to the Federal government. That government was to be a government of “enumerated powers”, and only the powers not specifically and explicitly enumerated were to be reserved to the several States and / or to the People thereof. This principle of enumerated and reserved powers – enshrined in the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution – is the bedrock of the American federalist political structure – provided that we always bear in mind that “ultimately ultimate” sovereignty in the American Republic always rests with the People, as Alexander Hamilton reminds everyone in Federalist #78.
The point of this whole paragraph, however, is that the question of the locus of ultimate sovereignty is still a matter of vociferous debate. Hence, the walk-out by the States’ Rights Party – the “Dixiecrats” – at the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Hence the recurrent practice of “jury nullification” today. The question was never settled. It was only determined by force of arms – a process we today refer to as the “Civil War”. The most that can be said -- which is virtually certain -- is that, in defending such a radical view of State sovereignty, aficionados of the Confederacy like Earnest are, in fact, taking a serious argument about the nature and locus of national sovereignty and using it as a fig-leaf justification for the perpetuation of slavery. This is arrant intellectual dishonesty, but it in no way detracts from the seriousness of the essential question, which remains legitimate even when misappropriated by Earnest & Co. But that is no excuse for correlative intellectual dishonesty on the part of progressives / liberals, who usually skate over the issue of State sovereignty in favor leaping immediately to the conclusion that Calhoun, Earnest, & Co. have no historical arguments, however pervertedly self-serving, on their side. Simply repeating the mantra that "Slavery was the cause of the Civil War," as Duggan seems to be arguing, short-circuits the whole dialogue by glossing over very subtle, and still-controversial, historical and philosophical issues about the nature of federalism.
o Finally, Duggan's gloss on the Emancipation Proclamation is outright misleading: The historic decree — which isn’t discussed anywhere else in [Earnest's history] book — was issued after 21 months of war. Frank said he will argue to his “dying breath” that it was conceived as an appeal to anti-slavery sentiment in the European public, to discourage England and France from recognizing the Confederacy.
Partly right and partly wrong. The Proclamation consists of two executive orders (EOs): (1) an EO proclaiming the freedom of all slaves in the Confederate States that had not returned to the Union by 1 January 1863; (2) an EO declaring that, in slave States that were not a part of the Confederacy, e.g., Maryland, slavery could continue. This has the apparently paradoxical effect of freeing the slaves where the Federal Government had no military / coercive power to free them, i.e. States still in the Confederacy, while allowing slavery to continue in States where the Federal Government could have freed them, e.g., Maryland, but did not. Aside from President Lincoln, as commander-in-chief, giving the Union Army the authority to treat escaped slaves in Confederate States as free people, the Proclamation has essentially no practical effect ... except ... and this is where Earnest is right ... in the autumn of 1862, the Confederate States of America were actively campaigning for international diplomatic recognition as a distinct country. Despite the lack of practical consequences, the Proclamation had the effect of placing the moral onus of slavery on non-slave European nations, especially Great Britain, where slavery had been abolished some decades before. That is why the supposed paradox is only apparent.
Reading Earnest's interpretation of Civil War / Confederate history and Duggan's critique thereof are alike exercises in crossing a field of quicksand by stepping from one rock to another: do not assume that your next step is safe and secure. Each party to the discussion glosses over nuances and circumstances that complicate each issue. Each assumes he knows too much, and that his opponent knows too little. Each party's argument is an exercise in oversimplification. Each is a case study, in opposite ways, of "A little learning is a dangerous thing".
James R. Cowles
Confederate flag ... Pablo Sanchez ... CC by 2.0
Abraham Lincoln portrait ... White House -- State Dining Room ... Public domain
Robert E. Lee ... Library of Congress ... Public domain
John C. Calhoun ... Billy Hathom ... Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Whipped slave ... National Archives ... Public domain
Slave handcuffs ... Max Pixel ... Public domain
Posted in 13th Amendment, abolition, awareness, citizenship, civics, Civil War, conflict, conservatism, constitution, critical judgment, emancipation, Emancipation Proclamation, Executive Order, God, history, injustice, justice, law, self-serving, slavery, social justice, solidarity, Uncategorized
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, federalism, John C. Calhoun, nullification, Robert E. Lee, Sons of the Confederacy
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Russian Security Council secretary defends Iran to Bolton, Netanyahu
By Jay Jackson, Arkansas State News
JERUSALEM, Israel - Russia has taken issue with U.S. claims that the drone last week shot down by Iranian forces was in international airspace at the time Iran intervened.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told a press conference in Jerusalem that Moscow has information that the U.S. Navy drone, worth $110 million, was flying in Iranian airspace when it was brought down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The remarks were made in the presence of U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Patrushev arrived in Israel on Monday to take part in a trilateral meeting with Bolton, who arrived on Saturday, and his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat together with Netanyahu. The summit took place on Tuesday.
Patrushev went on to say the evidence provided by the United States, alleging Tehran was behind the attack on the two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, were unprofessional and of poor quality.
"We need to conduct a due investigation, to understand what really happened, instead of simply appointing the culprit," Patrushev told the press briefing.
After the IRGC on Thursday announced that it had shot down an "intruding American spy drone", RQ-4 Global Hawk, Washington called the move an "unprovoked attack," claiming that the drone was in international waters.
The U.S. distributed an image of the drone's flight path. Tehran on the other hand released a video showing the drone had entered Iranian airspace.
Both countries claimed the location of the drone at the time the unmanned aircraft was shot down.
Iran has also released footage of what it says is the wreckage of the plane, further evidencing, it says, that it was brought down in Iranian waters.
The other question Iran has posed is, what was the U.S. military aircraft doing flying in or near Iranian airspace?
Patrushev also questioned the 'evidence' the U.S,. has provided over the oil tanker attacks which have taken place in the Gulf of Oman.
(Pictured from left Meir Ben-Shabbat, John Bolton, Benjamin Netanyahu and Nikolai Patrushev).
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Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act Signed Into Law
Bipartisan Measure Directs State Department to Train Foreign Service Officers on Genocide Prevention and Response
January 17, 2019 at 9:38 am ANCA ANCA News 2
WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Donald Trump has signed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, a ground-breaking genocide prevention law, overwhelmingly adopted by the Senate and House, which codifies earlier measures, including those implemented by the Obama Administration, and puts in place a set of clear policies and processes to prevent new atrocities.
“The ANCA welcomes the President’s signature on the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, and thanks all the legislators who spearheaded and supported this landmark bipartisan genocide prevention measure,” said Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “As Armenian Americans – descendants of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide – we are particularly gratified to see a measure signed into law that speaks to transitional justice, criminal accountability, and the moral imperative to apply the lessons of past genocides in seeking to prevent new atrocities.”
The genocide prevention measure was spearheaded by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Todd Young (R-IN) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) in the Senate and by Representatives Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Joe Crowley (D-NY) in the House during the previous Congress and received broad bipartisan support. It enjoyed broad-based support from genocide and atrocities prevention organizations with the Friends Committee on National Legislation at the forefront along with over 70 grassroots groups, including the ANCA and In Defense of Christians.
The law states that the US must regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and moral responsibility. To that end, it calls for the creation of a task force to strengthen State Department efforts and assist other agency efforts at atrocity prevention and response. The law also calls for the training of Foreign Service Officers “on recognizing patterns of escalation and early warning signs of potential atrocities, and methods of preventing and responding to atrocities, including conflict assessment methods, peacebuilding, mediation for prevention, early action and response, and appropriate transitional justice measures to address atrocities.”
As part of the new provision, the President is required to transmit a report to Senate and House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations, offering a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes, the most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators and at-risk target groups.
The law also calls on the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes.
Trump will be surely committing Genocide & Atrocities HIMSELF if and when he sends back over 50,000 Haitians back to Haiti..a country who he calls one of the “S**t whole countries-therefore ill prepared to receive those numbers of people. Then, he will be knowingly & purposely sending people to “atrocities” If he denies that its a “s**thole “country -then he is a LIAR. He cant have it BOTH WAYS .
;Stephen T. Dulgarian says:
I will accept Pres. Donald Trump’s signing of the prevention of the Genocide Act by Elie Weisel, but has he come forth of recognizing & passing the well documented Armenian Genocide by the Barbarous Turkish Regime of 1915-1923. Until he brings this long delayed issue by the U.S. I will never support him.
R. P. Sevadjian on Book Review: Letter to Yerevan
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97th INFANTRY DIVISION - Trident
Activated 25 Feb 1943 • Entered Combat 1 Apr 1945 Normandy • Days of Combat 41 • Casualties 979
Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig (Feb 43 - Jan 44)
Brig. Gen. Milton B. Halsey (Jan 44 - Sep 45)
The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. On 28 March, the Division crossed the German border west of Aachen and took up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, engaging in patrolling. The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, crossing the Rhine near Bonn, 3 April, and taking up a position on the southern bank of the Sieg River. It crossed that river, 7 April, against light resistance and fought a street-to-street engagement in Siegburg on the 10th. Pushing on toward Dusseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in densely wooded areas, the Division captured Solingen, 17 April. Dusseldorf fell on the next day and the Ruhr pocket was eliminated. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. It had advanced to Konstantinovy Lazne, Czechoslovakia, when it received the cease-fire order on 7 May. The Division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation duty, arriving at Yokohama 23 September 1945.
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Roller derby contact leads to mixing of teams' skin microbes
A new study by University of Oregon researchers has taken contact sport to a new – and very scientific – level.
The researchers investigated how the skin microbiome – the microorganisms we can’t see, but help define who we are – is transmitted between players in a contact sport, using roller derby as their model system. The invisible microbes contribute to health in such ways as educating the immune system, protecting people from pathogens and mediating skin disorders.
UO authors of the new study point out that the skin is a human’s largest organ and an important barrier that regulates microbial entry into the body. Despite the importance of the skin ecosystem, little is known about the forces that shape microbial structure and composition in the skin environment, according to researchers in the UO’s Biology and the Built Environment Center directed by UO biologist Jessica Green, a former skater for the Emerald City Roller Girls in Eugene.
Green and colleagues hypothesized that contact sports could represent an ideal setting for studying how human-to-human interactions influence microbial ecosystems, and they chose the world of roller derby to explore how touching affects microbial transfer among athletes. The project was conducted at a roller derby tournament hosted by the Eugene-based team.
Talk Derby To Me from Tristan Wheelock on Vimeo.
DNA analysis revealed that bacterial communities predict team membership, with teammates sharing distinct microbial communities. However, when opposing teams competed in an hour-long bout their microbial communities became significantly more similar.
The study was published in the journal PeerJ, a new London- and San Francisco-based peer-reviewed, open-access journal in which all articles are freely available. James Meadow, a postdoctoral researcher in the Biology and the Built Environment Center, led the project.
The idea of working with local athletes was sparked by co-author Keith Herkert while he was working on his undergraduate honors thesis project in Green’s lab.
Herkert, who was in the UO’s Robert D. Clark Honors College when the research was conducted, is now pursuing an advanced degree in dentistry at Oregon Health and Science University. Teams involved in the study were Emerald City Roller Girls, DC Roller Girls from Washington, D.C., and the Silicon Valley Roller Girls from San Jose, Calif., all of which represented geographically separate groups.
Differences among the teams’ unique skin microbiomes — determined by pre- and post-game swabs taken from exposed upper arms — were driven in part “by the presence of unique indicator taxa that are commonly associated with human skin, gut, mouth and respiratory tract.”
Brevibacterium, for example, was found to be the strongest indicator for the DC Roller Girls. The microbial communities on the host team more closely resembled surface samples taken from the Eugene roller rink.
The mixing of bacterial communities during a bout was likely the result of skin-to-skin contact. “Human-to-human contact is the most parsimonious interpretation for the significant changes in skin microbiome we observed,” the researchers concluded. Scientists have long known that bacteria can spread among people through direct contact.
This study is the first to illustrate the promise of using contact sports to understand how human interactions can influence our microbiome.
The research team noted that population growth is likely to increase the rate of person-to-person contact in expanding urban areas. Studying skin ecosystems, they wrote, could have implications for health care, disease transmission and general understanding of urban environmental microbiology.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the UO supported the research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
Co-authors with Meadows, Herkert and Green – who also is affiliated with the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico and an academic editor for the journal – were Ashley C. Bateman, a graduate student in the center and the UO Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; and Timothy K. O’Connor, a former technician in the UO center.
- from the UO Office of Strategic Communications
Bio student first at UO to win Gates Cambridge Scholarship
UO will put $4 million into boosting doctoral enrollment
UO lands four scholars for obesity prevention cluster
President Schill to discuss access and education
Margaret Hallock retires after more than 30 years at UO
All Excellence
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Kiddie Kingdom
Kiddie Kingdom was started in September 1968 as an outreach ministry of the Sunday School Department of Ashland Christian Church. Originally a half-day program, it was expanded to provide all-day care in 1969, and became the first licensed childcare facility in Hanover County.
In March 1974, Kiddie Kingdom was incorporated and no longer a ministry of the church. Simultaneously, Kiddie Kingdom was proceeding to qualify as a non-profit school. This status was granted in June of the same year. Since its incorporation, a Board of Directors has governed Kiddie Kingdom. The Board of Directors is made up of community members, including parents, who express an interest in the well being of the children and in Kiddie Kingdom. Kiddie Kingdom has no religious affiliations.
In September 1975, the center moved from the Ashland Christian Church to St James the Less Episcopal Church. By September of 1979, the Half-Day program had outgrown the facilities and moved to Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Ashcake Rd. with the full day program remaining at St James.
In September 1997, Kiddie Kingdom began to meet additional needs within the community. Kiddie Kingdom joined forces with Hanover County Public Schools and became the site for the first Inclusion Program serving Preschool children with developmental delays in Hanover County. Also, the demand for additional space for the half-day preschool program was met with the use of new space at St James the Less Episcopal Church.
In the spring of 2000, Kiddie Kingdom once again felt the need for a larger facility. We moved to a former restaurant on Washington Highway consolidating all programs into the new facility. Knowing this was a temporary location, we began searching for a permanent home. In November 2001 the Board of Directors negotiated the purchase of our new home located at 813 Thompson Street in Ashland!
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Travel back in time to the 1893 World’s Fair with its grandiose buildings and displays of “exotic” people from around the world. The fairs promoted America’s interest in overseas expansion and notions of Anglo-Saxon superiority. Savage Acts links the pageantry of fairs to the story of the Philippine War, America’s first attempt to claim an overseas colony and a turning point in U.S. foreign policy. Philippine diplomats and fighters as well as U.S. politicians and soldiers tell their experiences of the conflict and the opposition it sparked. (Length: 30 minutes)
“ Savage Acts wonderfully links popular culture to elite foreign policy-making, provides delightful cartoons to help make its points, and shows rare footage. This is not the usual educational video.”
—Walter LaFeber, Andrew H. and James S. Tisch Distinguished University Professor, Cornell University
Viewer’s Guide (.pdf)
See collection of related primary documents and teaching activities in HERB
All Documentaries by ASHP
Who Built America? Textbook
Who Built America? Working People and the Nation’s History presents history from the perspective of working men and women,...
HERB is a database of primary documents, classroom activities, and other teaching tools in U.S. history. Named in honor...
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Ontario Agricultural College (OAC)
OAC Review
O. A. C. Review 1898-1899 Volume 10
Showing 7 out of a total of 7 results for collection: O. A. C. Review 1898-1899 Volume 10. (0.401 seconds)
O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 4, January 1899
Ontario Agricultural College (Ontario Agricultural College, 1899-01)
O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 8, May 1899
O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 1, October 1898
O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 7, April 1899
O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 5, February 1899
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O. A. C. Review Volume 10 Issue 3, December 1898
Ontario Agricultural College (7)
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by At The Rails | June 30, 2014 · 5:52 pm
He is very, very, very sorry. Lo siento. It will never happen again.
Luis Suárez’ pseudo-apology for his bite on Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini is meant to placate the footballing world, but it doesn’t do the trick. The Uruguayan should be on top of the world, but instead of topping a career season with Liverpool, the striker has had to deal with more of the controversy that follows him around.
As Suarez deals with his demons, so too does a man who has returned to the spotlight in the arena of politics. Toronto mayor Rob Ford is back on the job today, after several weeks in rehab. You can’t help but look at the two men’s situations and see the similarities.
Suarez doing what he does best: score.
Both are more famous for their behaviour than their job. Most casual sports fans had never heard of Luis Suárez before the biting incident, or had forgotten about his brazen hand ball in the 2010 World Cup. You’d be hard pressed to take a group of 100 people at a bar watching the World Cup and get them to tell you Suárez’ club team, or how many goals he scored for them this year. But everyone remembers The Bite, played over and over and over again.
Rob Ford made Toronto a laughing stock the world over by admitting to smoke crack cocaine, bumping into cameras, and making a drunken ass of himself while clinging on to his vestiges of power. But almost no one outside Toronto (and sadly, a majority of people in the city) know about his 10-year career as a city councillor, his stance on privatizing garbage collection, property taxes, etc. He is simply Toronto’s Crack-Smoking Mayor.
The proof that sent the mayor to rehab
They have serious problems. Before you get upset that I am attempting to link drug and alcohol addiction to a serial biter, know this: any addiction expert will tell you the underlying issue for an addict is a mental anxiety, trauma or compulsive behaviour issue. The person with these issues might lash out, they might overindulge, they might feel frustrated… but all of them engage in socially unacceptable and, frankly, harmful behaviours. It is not the sign of a healthy person when a player — widely acknowledged as one of the top-five players in the world — lashes out in a base and animalistic way in front of hundreds of millions of people.
Rob Ford is the mayor of the fourth-largest city in North America. He is in charge of a government that eclipses other provinces, states and even some nations in economic clout and influence. Yet this is a guy who showed up at City Hall and in public as drunk as the proverbial skunk. He was at the height of his power and then threw it away.
I’m sure that both men, when calm and collected, know their behaviour is wrong. Yet in times of great strain and anxiety, both men act out in ways they know they will regret later.
Suarez consoled by Uruguayan official
Both are enabled by those closest to them. When Ford first admitted to smoking crack cocaine, Toronto news station CP24 interviewed his mother and sister. When pressed about his behaviour, his mother explained that her son had a weight problem, not a drug problem. His sister also denied that Ford had a drug problem because she is “a former addict” and she would know. Before police found a video of the mayor using drugs, Ford and his brother, Doug, repeated until they were blue in the face (or in Rob’s case, very red) that everything was fine.
Suárez has also been enabled… by his club, by his national side, by the very nation he represents. Liverpool bought him in January 2011, as he was coming off a suspension for his first biting incident. In fact, LFC negotiated for him with Ajax Amsterdam while he was serving the suspension. You’d expect the Uruguayan’s behaviour problems to devalue the player, but Liverpool ended up paying £22.5 million, a club transfer record at the time. The next season, he was suspended eight matches for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Liverpool’s response was to have the team practice in Luis Suárez t-shirts, saying they believed Suárez, not Evra. Eighteen months later, Suárez bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic , resulting in a 10-match ban.
Uruguayans are outraged by the latest Suárez ban because they love Luisito. They love his never-say-die, win-at-all-costs mentality. To them, FIFA has judged harshly because they believe that a player’s profile and accomplishments must be taken into consideration. Basically, they believe there should be one set of rules for superstars and another for everyone else. That is the very essence of enabling.
For months, Ford denied he had a drug problem
Both men and their supporters blame the media for their troubles. The fall back position of many a fallen public figure is to blame everyone but themselves, including the messengers. Like so many other conservative politicians, the Fords initially blamed the crack video story on the left-wing media, who only wanted to smear the mayor’s good name. When Rob finally admitted to the drug use, Doug attacked the media for pillorying his brother, saying he had simply “made a mistake” and asking why they couldn’t just leave him alone.
When the Suárez incident first happened, he denied it. When he was banned, he denied it again. His national team coach, Óscar Tabárez, cried conspiracy, saying that his star striker was a “scapegoat” who’d been punished because of pressure brought by “English-speaking journalists”. When Suárez scored his two goals against England, he said that he felt vindicated for the way he had been treated by the English press over his previous biting and racism incidents.
Uruguayans have supported Suarez without question
Both men have populist support, despite their behaviour. By now, Torontonians are sick of the over-used “Ford Nation”, an umbrella term for predominately white, older, working-class, conservative voters who live in Toronto’s suburbs. Ford speaks to this group, continually claiming that he sticking up for the little guy against the downtown, fat cat elites (including the aforementioned media). His behaviour (“Just having a few beers.”) and his apologies (“Who hasn’t made a mistake?”) have found traction in a group that sees themselves in him, drug problems notwithstanding.
Likewise, Suarez is revered by his compatriots…even his fellow continentals. After this latest ban, Uruguay captain Diego Lugano called the punishment “barbaric”, saying Suárez’ human rights had been violated and that “not even a criminal would receive this penalty.” Argentinian legend Diego Maradona — the Suárez of his day — compared the ban to being sent to Guantanamo Bay. In a nod to his late predecessor’s extreme populist stances, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro invoked the spirit of Hugo Chávez by claiming that “all of South America” rejects the ban against “the son of the people”. You can’t get much more people power than that.
A media circus has surrounded Ford… and City Hall
Both men have bit the hands that feed them. When Ford lied about his crack use, then later admitted it when confronted with video evidence, he eroded the credibility of all who had supported him. His allies on council turned against him, leaving his own brother to sputter out half-excuses on behalf of his wayward sibling. He hurt the reputation of his city and made those who had backed him look foolish. He turned City Hall into a circus, bringing the business of government grinding to a halt as the spectacle played out day after day, week after week. Local media missed big, but boring, stories in favour of tracking Rob Ford, awaiting another gaffe. A politician with any sense of shame and duty would have bowed out. But Ford doesn’t care about the city… he only cares about himself, and won’t let his remaining reins of power go.
Suárez has done no one any favours. While he almost led Liverpool to its first Premier League title in almost a quarter-century, he has missed 34 matches for his two clubs since the infamous Ghana hand ball game at World Cup 2010, almost one full season out of four. Despite Liverpool’s support, he sought to abandon the club last summer in favour of a move away. First he wanted to go to Spain to “get away from England”, then he lobbied for a move to Arsenal… which obviously is still in England. Meanwhile, for two straight World Cups, Uruguay has rued his suspensions that followed his bad behaviour. Just as his national side could have used him against Spain in the 2010 semifinal, so too did they miss him against the surging Colombians on Saturday. You get the sense that Uruguay’s time has come and gone… as their wait for another World title extends to 68 years.
Suarez’ apology may have secured his move to Barcelona
Both men have shown contrition at opportune times. Over the term of his mayoralty, Ford has faced questions about being drunk in public, about assaults, and about drug use. Each time he was confronted with a transgression, Ford denied…until he was confronted with evidence and overwhelming negative opinion. Then, he apologized. And apologized. And apologized again. We could have accepted his apologies if he hadn’t been so vicious in his denials, laying the blame elsewhere and threatening those who would think otherwise. Yet, in the end, the journalists who exposed him have been vindicated, forcing Ford to back pedal. When a second video came along, Ford finally went into rehab… if only to jump back onto the campaign trail when he finished.
Luis Suárez has also been contrary: he denied that he intentionally raised his hand to block a shot, until confronted with the video. He initially denied saying anything racist, but then changed his testimony and tack, admitting that he said it.. but that it wasn’t racist where he came from. Now he’s had to apologize after being confronted with a lengthy ban. But Suárez’ half-hearted mea culpa is conveniently timed, considering that it is an alleged condition of a potential move to Barcelona. Instead of being punished, it appears the striker’s apology will get him exactly what he wants.
Despite their setbacks, despite their very public falls from grace, neither Ford nor Suarez has yet to experience a true comeuppance. But that may still come to fruition. Ford is back to work today. He still plans to run for mayor, and polls show he still has a solid base of support. But it remains to be seen if he can translate that support into actual votes come October 27. If he doesn’t win, he’s likely out of politics for good.
Meanwhile, Suarez could get his wish of a move to Barcelona. But after almost a decade of success, the Catalan club appears to be on the downward side of the curve that all teams experience. He is not of La Masia, the fabled Barça academy… and he does not embrace the concept of team very well. Suárez may not find the titles he craves… but he may find that his talent and time have passed him by.
Both men may yet wonder what could have been… an awful thing when you’ve been to the places they’ve been.
Too bad… so sorry.
Brent P. Lanthier
Filed under Brazil 2014, World Cup
Tagged as ajax amsterdam, barcelona, bite, branislav ivanovic, colombia, diego lugano, diego maradona, ghana, giorgio chiellini, hand ball, hugo chavez, italy, la masia, liverpool, luis suarez, nicolas maduro, oscar tabarez, patrice evra, rob ford, toronto, uruguay
Europe’s Poor Performance… and Other Useless Stats
The major story lines leading up to this World Cup were all about things that had little or nothing to do with football. Faulty or incomplete stadiums, paltry labour conditions, a populace acting as unhappy hosts, the ever-present whispers of bribes and corruption… this is how we talked about Brazil.
Two weeks into the tournament, however, and the story is very much about the game itself. Wide-open play has meant a treasure chest of goals, the most ever for the group stage. Out of the 48 matches so far, only eight of them have been draws, and only five of those have been nil-nil. Meanwhile, there have been a lot of shutouts (almost half of the matches) but only 13 games have been either 0-0 or 1-0 finals. For this writer anyway, this has been the best World Cup since France ’98.
However, several European nations might disagree with me. Out of the 13 UEFA teams in the tournament, only the Netherlands, Greece (a first for Ethniki), Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland are going to the Group of 16. For the second World Cup in a row, less than half of the European teams are progressing. Is this because the former colonial powers can’t play away from their home continent? Maybe… but the European influence has been declining for some time.
If you take the percentage of total participants in each tournament* allocated to UEFA (in 2010, that was 13/32 or 40.625%) and multiply it by the percentage of European teams that make the knockout round (again in 2010, it was 6/16 or 37.5%), you can — imperfectly — see well how the confederation performs.
There are a couple of trends that emerge. First of all, the number of UEFA spots have pretty much stayed the same, with one or two additions or subtractions. But as the tournament has expanded, this has meant the Europeans’ share of World Cup berths has declined. Nothing shocking here.
A familiar sight for England fans over the last half-century
What is changing is who are winning the knockout berths. At least three CONMEBOL teams have qualified for the next round in three out of the last five tournaments; they only got two spots in 1994 and 2002, and Brazil won both of those anyway (FYI the Brazilians have only missed the knockout round once, in 1966… between World Cup victories in 1962 and 1970). Last tournament, two CONCACAF teams reached the knockout stage; this year, there are three. For the first time ever, two African teams have reached the Group of 16 in 2014.
The reason for the European decline are fuzzy. Some blame the flood of foreign players — particularly South Americans — into the big European leagues, pushing home-grown players aside and making big clubs less likely to develop their own youngsters. Others say European players lack the desire to achieve greatness for country, because they are getting paid so much by their clubs.
However, it could all back to simple maths. The change starts to be noticeable in Mexico’s 1986 World Cup. João Havelange had won the FIFA presidency in 1974 on promises to let more developing nations into the tournament. Twelve years later, Morocco was the first African Nation to qualify for the knockout round along with hosts, Mexico. It was the first time two teams from one of the “other” confederations made it through with the big boys. Since then, both CAF and CONCACAF have had at least one team in the elimination rounds, and CONMEBOL get at least 50 percent of its teams into the knockouts.
Capello thinks about how to spend his millions
What is more interesting is who is out. The platinum generation of Spanish footballers finally ran out of currency, dropping out at the group stage for the first time since 1998. Their Euro 2012 final opponents, Italy, missed two successive knockout rounds for the first time since the 1960’s. The “golden generations” of Portugal and England both finally sputtered out. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia still have far to go to match the prowess of their Yugoslavian predecessors. Russia may be rethinking Fabio Capello’s £6.7M annual salary… although the gaffer claims he did his job by getting the side into the tournament for the first time in 12 years. In fairness to Capello, he didn’t have his talisman, Roman Shirokov. Imagine if Óscar Tabárez’ Uruguay had to play with Luis Suarez… oh right.
Some caveats:
– like Brazil in ’94 and ’02, Spain won in 2010 despite a record-low representation by European teams. However, the other three tournaments that had a low knockout representation by Europe went to South American sides: 1950, 1970, and 2002.
– a more likely determinate of World Cup success is tournament location. If it’s in Europe, a UEFA team will likely win the whole thing. If not, look to CONMEBOL. The only exceptions are South Africa 2010 for Europe and Sweden 1958 for South America (where UEFA had seven of eight playoff births but Brazil still won).
– the set up of this year’s tournament tree means that only one of Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay will advance to the semi-finals, while the Europeans could still end up having six teams in the quarter-finals.
*Only post-war World Cups. The three tournaments before 1950 had no group stage, and were straight knockout competitions.
Tagged as belgium, bosnia, bosnia-herzegovina, brazil, caf, concacaf, conmebol, croatia, england, europe, fabio capello, france, germany, greece, italy, joao havelange, luis suarez, mexico, mexico '86, morocco, netherlands, oscar tabarez, portugal, roman shirokov, russia, spain, switzerland, uefa, yugoslavia
by At The Rails | June 26, 2014 · 1:36 am
The boys do Ipanema before it’s Belo, goodbye to Brazil
Downcast and drunken after England’s early elimination from World Cup 2014, our correspondent Simon Hagens and his Canadian chums cheered themselves up with a side trip to Rio de Janeiro before Tuesday’s dead rubber with Group D winners Costa Rica (WTF?) in Belo Horizonte. Here’s the latest from the lads as their wonderful tour of Brazil wraps up all too soon.
Rio was pretty much as advertised. Clearly the headquarters for the World Cup, it was filled with fans who came here to settle in and watch, rather than follow their teams across the country. Ipanema Beach, where we stayed, was a sea of Australian, American and English dudes stumbling around. It made for great enthusiasm during the matches, but that many stumbling dudes gets old fast.
The highlight of Rio was game of pick-up beach soccer with a bunch of locals. Very tiring, and we left it a little bruised up (these guys play to win), but wonderful fun. We also enjoyed (and thankfully survived) a great innovation in taxi technology – dashboard televisions.
Here in Belo Horizonte, things are more tame. Nice restaurants, pretty streets … and very few English speakers. We’d been spoiled so far on that front, so for our last few days it was hard to muster more than hand gestures.
Match day was actually a pleasant surprise. A bit disappointing that England’s trip home was guaranteed either way, but it created a great vibe for the game. All the anxiety (and later irritation) of the Italy and Uruguay matches was replaced with carefree merriment. A substantially different lineup, with more youth and veteran Frank Lampard, made for some more interest (if not quality football) on the pitch.
Why do you go to Brazil? For the Foxes, of course. Congrats to these newly-promoted Leicester City fans on a fantastic World Cup experience.
Always a lover of the natural kingdom and its varied inhabitants, our winsome correspondent poses with a pair of traditional Brazilian foxes in Sao Paulo.
Costa Rica was not as fun to watch as in their previous games either, but it sure would be nice to see them do well going forward. This match did feature the best fan cheering and singing of the tournament, with a personal highlight being a sincerely delivered version of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” Also good was the fond farewell given to the England fans section by the team at the final whistle.
So long, Engerland. Best of luck in Euro 2016 qualifying.
We’re off for the long journey home now too. You’re welcome Brazil.
Simon Hagens
by At The Rails | June 21, 2014 · 12:30 am
On the road: Sadness in Sao Paulo
The Three Lions may be all but done at World Cup 2014, but our correspondent is far from finished. In the latest of his (only slightly drunken) diaries Simon Hagens checks back in from Brazil with a report on England’s defeat at the hands of Luis Suarez and Uruguay.
Well, to get it out if the way, that match was rubbish. Rubbish, at least, from the perspective of an England supporter who is now looking at a meaningless match against Costa Rica in a few days. If you like superb finishes by Luis Suarez and the colour baby blue, then you’re likely more pleased. But enough said about all that.
The logistics of the whole match day experience here in Brazil continue to be better than advertised. For all the worries of the World Cup throwing things into chaos, it was probably a bit naive to think that 50,000 football fans would rattle a city of 25 million. The train whisked us from Luz station through a mix of neighbourhoods to the relatively poor area where the new stadium stands. It rises from a sea of ramshackle buildings. Very beautiful and impressive … and nearly finished. Arena Corinthians, which is now home to the popular Corinthians club, sits on a huge piece of land and is attached to an upscale mall. Massive amounts of white marble make it gleam on the inside, increasing the contrast to the surroundings. At least it will see some good use going forward, which may not be the case for the site of our first match in Manaus.
Eric shows the selection of liquids he and fellow England fans used to wash away their sorrows on the heels of a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay and an early exit from further World Cup contention.
Despite the England loss, there was a generally good atmosphere and camaraderie with Uruguay fans, I got myself some new shoes, and the residents of this city proved they still love a good party. So when in Rome, you might as well put your sorrows behind you.
São Paulo has been a fantastic part of this trip. Art, food, architecture, bustling markets, nightlife and friendly, worldly people who love to talk politics, culture, or whatever. I could spend a lot more time in São Paulo. Off to Rio now for a few days before Belo Horizonte on Tuesday and our final match.
Accept All Substitutes
Day Six was not the most scintillating day of football that we’ve seen in this World Cup, although after only a week, the bar has been set pretty high. Today featured two games that likely would not have been close, had the managers of the favourites put out more dominant sides.
Mertens hearts something…
Algeria decided they would put 10 men behind the ball against Belgium, only making a serious break about 20 minutes in. Jan Vertonghen took out Sofiane Feghouli, the referee gave the penalty and Feghouli put it away. Then the Desert Foxes really started playing defensive. After the break, Marc Wilmots put on Dries Mertens — who probably should have started in the first place. Romelu Lukaku’s performance was a shadow of his Premier League form… so off he came in the 58th. Then Marouane Fellaini came on for Moussa Dembélé. Five minutes later, Wilmots’ substitutions paid off. Fellaini scored one of his trademark headers (where has that been all year?) and then Martens scored off Eden Hazard’s pass off the counter. It was a game that was exciting for 15 minutes… and that was enough for Belgium’s nervy World Cup return. Belgium 2-1 Algeria
Meanwhile, the Russia-South Korea clash was less than satisfying… exactly as expected. The South Koreans were quick, but the Russians played Fabio Capello’s cautious defensive tactics. The South Koreans scored because of a clanger by Igor Akinfeev, probably the goalkeeper gaffe of the tournament. It’s also interesting that Igor Denisov, Alan Dzagoev, and Aleksandr Kerzhakov — three of the better players on a dour Russian side — started on the bench, and that the goal came after their substitution. Either side will fancy their chances of progressing. Russia 1-1 South Korea
Tagged as alan dzagoev, aleksandr kerzhakov, algeria, belgium, dries mertens, eden hazard, fabio capello, igor akinfeev, igor denisov, jan vertonghen, marc wilmots, marouane fellaini, moussa dembele, romelu lukaku, russia, sofiane feghouli, south korea
Street party in Sao Paulo
Intrepid World Cup traveller Simon Hagens and his band of merry men have moved on from Manaus to Sao Paulo, where they await England’s pivotal clash with Uruguay on Thursday. In between cultural outreach sessions at various bars and eateries, the lads took time out on Tuesday to watch the host nation fight to a goalless standoff with Mexico.
Game day yesterday was insane. Anyone who was working, which was almost no one, knocked off at 1:00 p.m. (a tidy three hours before kickoff) and streamed toward the bars to watch the game. We set up in a window seat at a bar in the Vila Madalena neighbourhood. The bar filled up, and soon the street behind the window filled up as well. Soccer and a huge party appear to be the same thing.
I want YOU to come drinking in Brazil. Stephen of @the_handbags models the latest in Cursor & Thread neckwear.
The crowd was disappointed by the draw with Mexico, but it did nothing to dampen the mood. The street next to our bar was filled with revelry. Fifty metres up the hill , the crowd was a full on writhing mass, fuelled by guys with monster car speakers and street beer vendors. A good night. We’re beginning to wonder if we should just come to Brazil for every World Cup from now on.
More Iberian Misery, and the USA is A-OK
The highly-anticipated Germany-Portugal match turned out to be a rout, even before Pepe’s flash of anger got him sent off. The Germans were all over the team in claret, dragging them this way and that. Portugal’s first bad decision came when João Pereira pulled down Mario Götze in the box. Up steps Thomas Müller… and in goes the ball. Twenty minutes later, Mats Hummels got a running start off a corner to head the ball in… 2-nil.
Hummels rising like whatever the German word is for salmon.
Then came Müller’s obvious theatrics, which raised Pepe’s ire… but why he let the blood rush to his head, we’ll never know… probably because that’s what Pepe does. Portugal are down to 10-men and Müller goes on to score two more goals, rubbing salt in Portugal’s wounds. After the match, coach Paulo Bento claimed the referee was biased against Portugal, but that’s pretty rich considering their record for flopping around (and taking pride in it). Germany 4-0 Portugal.
The other match in this group featured two teams trying to capitalize on Portugal’s slip. The U-S-A came out as expected, playing organized and physical football. Clint Dempsey gave the Stars and Stripes a dream start with the fifth-quickest goal in World Cup history. After that, things calmed down a bit. A couple of USA injuries (Jozy Altidore’s tournament appears to be over after a hamstring injury, Matt Besler came off at the half) meant that Jürgen Klinsmann had to make subs earlier than he would have liked. Ghana got a kick start in the second half when Kevin-Prince Boateng came on (it was surprising that Akwasi Appiah started neither Boateng nor Michael Essien in midfield). The Black Stars’ shots started flying in, albeit most of them from way outside the box.
Brooks in disbelief
After being down for 80 minutes, Asamoah Gyan gave a lovely little backheel pass to Andrew Ayew who flicked the ball past Tim Howard with the outside of his left foot. Pandemonium amongst the Ghanaian support. However, just four minutes later, the American substitute John Anthony Brooks — a man born and raised in Germany — scored a header off a corner… and earned himself his own Wheaties box. USA 2-1 Ghana
Tagged as akwasi appiah, andrew ayew, asamoah gyan, black stars, clint dempsey, germany, ghana, joao pereira, john anthony brooks, jozy altidore, jurgen klinsmann, Kevin-Prince Boateng, mario gotze, mats hummels, matt besler, Michael Essien, paulo bento, pepe, portugal, thomas muller, tim howard, usa
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June 19, 2019 tom
RB posted a notification about a Bike4Justice ride-out in support of DuJuan Armstrong, a young man who died in custody at Santa Rita jail, which has been termed as the most dangerous place in Alameda County. DuJuan had been scheduled to be released on the day he died. Juneteenth seemed like a good day for a protest against police oppression, so I wobbled down to Lake Merritt to join in the ride, which was organized by the youth of the Urban Peace Movement.
Armstrong’s mother, Barbara, was there for the event (on a Lime scooter), and the gathered group of about 30 riders chanted “Justice for DuJuan” and “No Justice, No Peace”, as we took over intersections around the Alameda County Courthouse.
The leaders were careful to avoid causing too much disruption; after briefly stopping traffic at Madison and 13th, and then on 12th, we opened up one lane to allow cars and buses through. After considering how to respond, OPD decided to divert traffic for a while at 12th and allow the rally to continue.
After 15-20 minutes, we gathered the group together to “ride to East”, and the Oscar Grant mural (by Refa 1) recently completed at Fruitvale BART. The ride was a fun mix of members of the Scraper Bike Team, stunt riders on SE Bikes, and casual riders and kids.
The organizers want to make the Bike4Justice ride a regular event. I think it’s interesting to see the bicycle used as a more general tool of social protest; not only protesting about cycling issues as Critical Mass did, but protesting more generally about social injustice. Barbara said it was good to see younger kids out protesting injustice; she said that in her generation the kids weren’t motivated to participate in this kind of event.
I wouldn’t say that the teenagers were particularly engaged in the protest activity, but I think it’s good to be exposed to direct action at a young age. They may not be chanting along right now, but I hope they gain an understanding that community organizing is something that they can be a part of.
Biking while Black: Racial bias in Oakland policing
Exploring geographies
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Rosendahl to Council: Car culture ends today
January 27, 2010 / bikinginla / 5 comments
Just two weeks ago, L.A. City Council Member Dennis Zine said he didn’t know if L.A.’s car culture was ever going to change.
Today, Transportation Committee Chair Bill Rosendahl begged to differ.
In a powerful statement before the full council, Rosendahl said “The culture of the car is going to end now!” He reminded his fellow council members about the harassment cyclists face on the road, as well as the lack of support riders have received from the LAPD in the past. “We’re going to give cyclists the support they should have been getting.”
“This is my pledge to the cycling community.”
L.A. City Hall in January.
The subject at hand, which drew similar support from many of the council members in attendance, was a motion requesting the City Attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting the harassment of bicyclists.
It didn’t take long to realize that this wasn’t going to be business as usual.
The first sign came when Council President Eric Garcetti noted that this matter had already been heard by both the Transportation and Public Safety Committees, which would normally mean no more public comments. But as Damien Newton had predicted, he quickly deferred to Rosendahl’s request to allow the handful of cyclists in the room to speak.
But first, Rosendahl and Public Safety Committee Chair Greig Smith agreed to what Damien called the three-step process, in which LADOT and the City Attorney will work with local cyclists to determine what the ordinance can and should contain, without conflicting with existing state traffic regulations. Then they will report back to both committees before drafting the actual ordinance, which will be subject to final council approval.
Transportation Committee Chair Bill Rosendahl addresses the council.
I argued against the extra step, since the City Attorney would, by necessity, determine what can legally be included in the ordinance during the process of drafting it.
But Rosendahl had already made it clear that he wouldn’t allow the process to drag on. He agreed with Smith to hold a joint session of the two committees to consider the recommendations. And pledged to have an ordinance drafted and ready for approval by the end of March.
That’s March of this year, in case you were wondering.
He also reminded the audience about a planned Transportation Committee session scheduled for February 24, in which cyclists will have a chance to speak with new LAPD Chief Beck. This is a chance to change, not just car culture, but that of the LAPD as well, he said, stating that future graduates from the police academy will receive training in bicycle law — including a copy of the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights.
In remarks a little later, Council Member Ed Reyes, co-sponsor of the motion, added that indifference has usually been the best a cyclist could hope for from the LAPD after being harassed or assaulted.
Fellow Transportation Committee member Paul Kortez suggested that it wasn’t enough to defer to the state to address the problem, saying the city needs to find a way to address harassment in its own laws and do whatever it can to put a stop to it. “We need to send a clear message,” he said.
When the floor was opened to comments, a brief parade of cyclists spoke about the problems they’ve faced on the road.
The LACBC's Aurisha Smolarsky offers her comments.
David talked about being harassed on the streets, while Iain told the council about an incident in which he was injured after being harassed by a driver — only to be told that by a police officer that it was his fault because he was riding with traffic.
Siku spoke of an incident in which she was buzzed by a driver, who yelled “Do you want to die?” at the next red light. And Michael, who described himself as a businessman, homeowner and taxpayer, cast it as a civil rights issue, saying he had been harassed by both drivers and the police.
In fact, every cyclist who spoke — including Aurisha of the LACBC, as well as myself — told of being harassed by drivers on the streets of L.A.
Rosendahl concluded the discussion by listing what he believes should constitute harassment under the proposed ordinance, including:
1. Knowingly throwing a projectile or discharge at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle;
2. Threatening any person riding a bicycle verbally or by use of his/her vehicle for the purpose of injuring, frightening or disturbing the person riding the bicycle;
3. Knowingly placing his/her vehicle within 3’ of a bicyclist while passing or following;
4. Making physical contact with a bicyclist from a moving vehicle or the roadway either by physical person or use of an implement;
5. Knowingly placing a person riding a bicycle in concern of immediate physical injury;
6. Knowingly engaging in conduct that creates a risk of physical injury or death to the person riding a bicycle.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Evidently, the council members agreed, voting 13 to 0 to approve the measure.
Afterwards, Eric Garcetti came up to me and offered his personal assurance that he will stay on top of this measure, and use his position as Council President to keep it moving forward.
And we can’t ask for much more than that.
Read more, including a wrap up on the Council’s discussion of the bike sharing proposal, on LA Streetsblog; LAist sums up the bike sharing discussion, as well.
The Trickster offers an update on New Zealand’s cyber-bully Hummer Driver, who offers a half-hearted apology for threatening to kill cyclists — but only after the police get involved.
Six cities that could go car free, including one right here in California, courtesy of Curbed LA. Designing better cities for bikes. Mixed results on Portland’s bike boxes. Boston Biker loses it after getting doored by a passenger bailing out in traffic. Virginia is the latest state to consider a three-foot passing law. New York cyclists are ticketed for delivering fried dumplings on the sidewalk. The great Hasidim v. hipsters debate goes on, and on — literally, this time. If bike lanes can tame New Dehli’s traffic, just imagine what they could do here. A UK driver is convicted of killing a rider competing in a time trial; as usual, she claims she never saw him. Brits petition the Royal Mail to let posties keep their Pashleys. Disgraced former Spanish cycling boss threatens to dope and tell. An Edinburgh cyclist hits a white van at 20 mph; maybe the driver thought he was a pothole. Finally, a great examination of how to fight biased — or just uninformed — police enforcement. And perhaps the best last line of any bike quote, ever.
Category: Advocacy & Politics, Best of / Tags: bicycling, Bill Rosendahl, Eric Garcetti, Greig Smith, L.A. anti-harassment ordinance, Los Angeles City Council, Paul Koretz
Evidently, we should be glad there’s such a low turnout in local elections « BikingInLA says:
[…] counting comments that followed the brief story on the Times website about the proposed bicyclist anti-harassment ordinance. The overwhelming majority of which were of the standard “I’ll respect bikes when they (choose […]
Protecting Bicyclists’ Rights: Anti-Harassment Ordinance Now Law « LADOT Bike Blog says:
[…] have a new tool to defend themselves from harassment and assault. An anti-harassment motion, originally introduced by Council Member Bill Rosendahl, has been released today with prior approval of the City Council. Bicyclists can now bring civil […]
Groundbreaking L.A. cyclist anti-harassment law nears final approval « BikingInLA says:
[…] significant hurdles to jump before this becomes law, though. While the drafting of the ordinance enjoyed unanimous support from the council, we haven’t heard from the motoring public, who may not yet be aware this law is […]
Bicyclist’s Anti-Harassment Ordinance Clears T-Committee – Next Stop: City Council « LADOT Bike Blog says:
[…] Ordinance. The draft of the ordinance, released last month to great fanfare, was the result of a motion introduced by Council Member Bill Rosendahl. The hearing yesterday at the Transportation Committee was the first hurdle on the draft […]
Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance Ready for City Council « LADOT Bike Blog says:
[…] be here today if it weren’t for CD 11 Council Member Bill Rosendahl. It was CM Rosendahl who introduced the council motion directing the City Attorney to craft the anti-harassment legislation, and it was CM Rosendahl who […]
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Vincent Carroll
24 Aug 1927 - 28 Jul 2001
Life timeline of Vincent Carroll
arrow_back Back to Vincent Carroll
Vincent Carroll was 46 years old when Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war by some US perspectives. The majority of Americans believe the war was unjustified. The war would last roughly 19 years and would also form the Laotian Civil War as well as the Cambodian Civil War, which also saw all three countries become communist states in 1975.
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Vincent Carroll was born on 24 Aug 1927
Vincent Carroll was 1 years old when Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, "Plane Crazy". Walter Elias Disney was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, "Plane Crazy". Walter Elias Disney was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Vincent Carroll was 2 years old when The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression. The New York Stock Exchange, is an American stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at US$21.3 trillion as of June 2017. The average daily trading value was approximately US$169 billion in 2013. The NYSE trading floor is located at 11 Wall Street and is composed of 21 rooms used for the facilitation of trading. A fifth trading room, located at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007. The main building and the 11 Wall Street building were designated National Historic Landmarks in 1978. The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression. The New York Stock Exchange, is an American stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at US$21.3 trillion as of June 2017. The average daily trading value was approximately US$169 billion in 2013. The NYSE trading floor is located at 11 Wall Street and is composed of 21 rooms used for the facilitation of trading. A fifth trading room, located at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007. The main building and the 11 Wall Street building were designated National Historic Landmarks in 1978.
Vincent Carroll was 3 years old when Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million (equivalent to $2,197,000,000 in 2017) public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million (equivalent to $2,197,000,000 in 2017) public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline.
Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party's upcoming election campaign. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party's upcoming election campaign. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler violently purged members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), its leader Ernst Röhm, and other political rivals in the Night of the Long Knives, executing at least 85 people. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler violently purged members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), its leader Ernst Röhm, and other political rivals in the Night of the Long Knives, executing at least 85 people. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler ordered the German air force Luftwaffe reinstated, violating the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of the First World War. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler ordered the German air force Luftwaffe reinstated, violating the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of the First World War. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust.
King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII. The title Prince of Wales is not used for another 22 years. Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year, after which he became the Duke of Windsor. King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII. The title Prince of Wales is not used for another 22 years. Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year, after which he became the Duke of Windsor.
Nearly six months after Edward, Duke of Windsor, abdicated the British throne, he married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony near Tours, France. Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year, after which he became the Duke of Windsor. Nearly six months after Edward, Duke of Windsor, abdicated the British throne, he married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony near Tours, France. Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year, after which he became the Duke of Windsor.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, allowing Germany to occupy the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017. Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, allowing Germany to occupy the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
World War II: Polish government of Ignacy Mościcki flees to Romania. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: Polish government of Ignacy Mościcki flees to Romania. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line "Never was so much owed by so many to so few". World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line "Never was so much owed by so many to so few". World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: French resistance member Guy Môquet and 29 other hostages are executed by the Germans in retaliation for the death of a German officer. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: French resistance member Guy Môquet and 29 other hostages are executed by the Germans in retaliation for the death of a German officer. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Edson's Ridge in an effort to retake Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Edson's Ridge in an effort to retake Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: Australian and American air forces attacked and destroyed a large convoy of the Japanese Navy in the Bismarck Sea north of Papua New Guinea. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: Australian and American air forces attacked and destroyed a large convoy of the Japanese Navy in the Bismarck Sea north of Papua New Guinea. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: First day of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. World War II: First day of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
World War II: British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017. World War II: British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
Sylvester Stallone, American actor, director, and screenwriter Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is well known for his Hollywood action roles, including boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky series (1976–2015), soldier John Rambo in the four Rambo films (1982–2008), and Barney Ross in the three The Expendables films (2010–2014). Stallone wrote or co-wrote most of the 14 films in all three franchises, and directed many of the films. Sylvester Stallone, American actor, director, and screenwriter Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is well known for his Hollywood action roles, including boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky series (1976–2015), soldier John Rambo in the four Rambo films (1982–2008), and Barney Ross in the three The Expendables films (2010–2014). Stallone wrote or co-wrote most of the 14 films in all three franchises, and directed many of the films.
The Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who becomes the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who becomes the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958. Charles, Prince of Wales Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958.
Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist (d. 1993) Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist. His cartel supplied an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States at the height of his career, turning over US$21.9 billion a year in personal income. He was often called "The King of Cocaine" and was the wealthiest criminal in history, with an estimated known net worth of between US$25 and US$30 billion by the early 1990s, making him one of the richest men in the world in his prime. Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist (d. 1993) Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist. His cartel supplied an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States at the height of his career, turning over US$21.9 billion a year in personal income. He was often called "The King of Cocaine" and was the wealthiest criminal in history, with an estimated known net worth of between US$25 and US$30 billion by the early 1990s, making him one of the richest men in the world in his prime.
India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
After being postponed since 1943 due to World War II, the first Pan American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. After being postponed since 1943 due to World War II, the first Pan American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free". Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a British politician, army officer, and writer, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. As Prime Minister, Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War. Churchill represented five constituencies during his career as Member of Parliament (MP). Ideologically an economic liberal and British imperialist, he began and ended his parliamentary career as a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955, but for twenty years from 1904 he was a prominent member of the Liberal Party. The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free". Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a British politician, army officer, and writer, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. As Prime Minister, Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War. Churchill represented five constituencies during his career as Member of Parliament (MP). Ideologically an economic liberal and British imperialist, he began and ended his parliamentary career as a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955, but for twenty years from 1904 he was a prominent member of the Liberal Party.
Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Vincent Carroll was 27 years old when Elvis Presley makes his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right". Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". Elvis Presley makes his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right". Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".
Vincent Carroll was 28 years old when Disneyland Hotel opens to the public in Anaheim, California. The Disneyland Hotel is a resort hotel located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, owned by the Walt Disney Company and operated through its Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division. Opened on October 5, 1955, as a motor inn owned and operated by Jack Wrather under an agreement with Walt Disney, the hotel was the first to officially bear the Disney name. Under Wrather's ownership, the hotel underwent several expansions and renovations over the years before being acquired by Disney in 1988. The hotel was downsized to its present capacity in 1999 as part of the Disneyland Resort expansion. Disneyland Hotel opens to the public in Anaheim, California. The Disneyland Hotel is a resort hotel located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, owned by the Walt Disney Company and operated through its Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division. Opened on October 5, 1955, as a motor inn owned and operated by Jack Wrather under an agreement with Walt Disney, the hotel was the first to officially bear the Disney name. Under Wrather's ownership, the hotel underwent several expansions and renovations over the years before being acquired by Disney in 1988. The hotel was downsized to its present capacity in 1999 as part of the Disneyland Resort expansion.
Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author (d. 2018) Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian, and television personality who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. He was considered one of the most influential chefs in the world. Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author (d. 2018) Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian, and television personality who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. He was considered one of the most influential chefs in the world.
Vincent Carroll was 30 years old when Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Space Race refers to the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for dominance in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, aided by captured German missile technology and personnel from the Aggregat program. The technological superiority required for such dominance was seen as necessary for national security, and symbolic of ideological superiority. The Space Race spawned pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon. Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Space Race refers to the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for dominance in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, aided by captured German missile technology and personnel from the Aggregat program. The technological superiority required for such dominance was seen as necessary for national security, and symbolic of ideological superiority. The Space Race spawned pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon.
Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (d. 2009) Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist during the year of his death. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (d. 2009) Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist during the year of his death. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Kevin Spacey, American actor and director Kevin Spacey Fowler is an American actor, producer and singer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in the 1990s that culminated in his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller The Usual Suspects (1995) and an Academy Award for Best Actor for the midlife crisis-themed drama American Beauty (1999). Kevin Spacey, American actor and director Kevin Spacey Fowler is an American actor, producer and singer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in the 1990s that culminated in his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller The Usual Suspects (1995) and an Academy Award for Best Actor for the midlife crisis-themed drama American Beauty (1999).
Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994) Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts — typically all or part of the skeleton. Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994) Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts — typically all or part of the skeleton.
Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Tom Cruise, American actor and producer Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is an American actor and producer. He started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love (1981), before making his breakthrough in the comedy Risky Business (1983) and receiving widespread attention for starring in the action drama Top Gun (1986) as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. After starring in The Color of Money (1986) and Cocktail (1988), Cruise starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning drama Rain Man. For his role as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the drama Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cruise received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his first Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Tom Cruise, American actor and producer Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is an American actor and producer. He started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love (1981), before making his breakthrough in the comedy Risky Business (1983) and receiving widespread attention for starring in the action drama Top Gun (1986) as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. After starring in The Color of Money (1986) and Cocktail (1988), Cruise starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning drama Rain Man. For his role as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the drama Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cruise received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his first Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.
Sridevi, Indian actress (d. 2018) Sridevi was an Indian actress and film producer, who starred in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films. She was referred to as Indian cinema's first female superstar. She was the recipient of a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards and three Filmfare Awards South. In a career that spanned five decades, she was known for her sensitive portrayals of women thrown into challenging situations and appeared in a range of genres, from slapstick comedy to melodrama. Sridevi ranked as the highest-paid woman in the Indian entertainment industry in the 1980s and 1990s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses in the history of Indian cinema. Sridevi, Indian actress (d. 2018) Sridevi was an Indian actress and film producer, who starred in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films. She was referred to as Indian cinema's first female superstar. She was the recipient of a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards and three Filmfare Awards South. In a career that spanned five decades, she was known for her sensitive portrayals of women thrown into challenging situations and appeared in a range of genres, from slapstick comedy to melodrama. Sridevi ranked as the highest-paid woman in the Indian entertainment industry in the 1980s and 1990s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses in the history of Indian cinema.
Vincent Carroll was 37 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. Born in Atlanta, King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. Born in Atlanta, King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire.
Vincent Carroll was 38 years old when Thirty-five hundred United States Marines are the first American land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War. The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting amphibious operations with the United States Navy. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the four armed service branches in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. Thirty-five hundred United States Marines are the first American land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War. The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting amphibious operations with the United States Navy. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the four armed service branches in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, hailing it as the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, hailing it as the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film producer, and businessperson. She is the daughter of Greek-born actor John Aniston and American actress Nancy Dow. Aniston gained worldwide recognition for portraying Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), a role which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters in American television. Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film producer, and businessperson. She is the daughter of Greek-born actor John Aniston and American actress Nancy Dow. Aniston gained worldwide recognition for portraying Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), a role which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters in American television.
Tonya Harding, American figure skater Tonya Maxene Price is a retired American figure skater. Tonya Harding, American figure skater Tonya Maxene Price is a retired American figure skater.
Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders. Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal, cult leader, and singer-songwriter. In the late 1960s, he formed what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune in California. Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, all of which members of the group carried out at his instruction. Manson was also convicted of first-degree murder for two other deaths. Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders. Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal, cult leader, and singer-songwriter. In the late 1960s, he formed what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune in California. Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, all of which members of the group carried out at his instruction. Manson was also convicted of first-degree murder for two other deaths.
Vincent Carroll was 45 years old when Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day. The Munich massacre was an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, in which the Palestinian terrorist group Black September took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage and killed them along with a West German police officer. Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day. The Munich massacre was an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, in which the Palestinian terrorist group Black September took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage and killed them along with a West German police officer.
Vincent Carroll was 46 years old when Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war by some US perspectives. The majority of Americans believe the war was unjustified. The war would last roughly 19 years and would also form the Laotian Civil War as well as the Cambodian Civil War, which also saw all three countries become communist states in 1975. Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war by some US perspectives. The majority of Americans believe the war was unjustified. The war would last roughly 19 years and would also form the Laotian Civil War as well as the Cambodian Civil War, which also saw all three countries become communist states in 1975.
Vincent Carroll was 48 years old when India's first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. India's first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia. India, also called the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Tom Brady, American football player Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players to win five Super Bowls and the only player to win them all playing for one team. Tom Brady, American football player Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players to win five Super Bowls and the only player to win them all playing for one team.
Vincent Carroll was 51 years old when Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan (pictured). James Warren Jones was an American religious cult leader who initiated and was responsible for a mass suicide and mass murder in Jonestown, Guyana. He considered Jesus Christ as being in compliance with an overarching belief in socialism as the correct social order. Jones was ordained as a Disciples of Christ pastor, and he achieved notoriety as the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple cult. Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan (pictured). James Warren Jones was an American religious cult leader who initiated and was responsible for a mass suicide and mass murder in Jonestown, Guyana. He considered Jesus Christ as being in compliance with an overarching belief in socialism as the correct social order. Jones was ordained as a Disciples of Christ pastor, and he achieved notoriety as the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple cult.
Vincent Carroll was 52 years old when A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (TMI) is a nuclear power plant located on Three Mile Island in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River just south of Harrisburg. It has two separate units, TMI-1 and TMI-2. The plant is widely known for having been the site of the most significant accident in United States commercial nuclear energy, on 28 March 1979, when TMI-2 suffered a partial meltdown. As per the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report, the accident resulted in no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of nearby communities. Follow-up epidemiology studies have linked no incidents of cancer to the accident. The reactor core of TMI-2 has since been removed from the site, but the site has not been decommissioned. In July 1998, Amergen Energy agreed to purchase TMI from General Public Utilities for $100 million. A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (TMI) is a nuclear power plant located on Three Mile Island in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River just south of Harrisburg. It has two separate units, TMI-1 and TMI-2. The plant is widely known for having been the site of the most significant accident in United States commercial nuclear energy, on 28 March 1979, when TMI-2 suffered a partial meltdown. As per the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report, the accident resulted in no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of nearby communities. Follow-up epidemiology studies have linked no incidents of cancer to the accident. The reactor core of TMI-2 has since been removed from the site, but the site has not been decommissioned. In July 1998, Amergen Energy agreed to purchase TMI from General Public Utilities for $100 million.
Kim Kardashian, American reality television personality, actress, model, businesswoman and socialite Kimberly Noel Kardashian West is an American reality television personality, entrepreneur and socialite. Kardashian first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after a 2003 sex tape with her former boyfriend Ray J was leaked in 2007. Later that year, she and her family began to appear in the E! reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Its success soon led to the creation of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami. Kardashian's personal life soon became subject to widespread media attention. Kim Kardashian, American reality television personality, actress, model, businesswoman and socialite Kimberly Noel Kardashian West is an American reality television personality, entrepreneur and socialite. Kardashian first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after a 2003 sex tape with her former boyfriend Ray J was leaked in 2007. Later that year, she and her family began to appear in the E! reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Its success soon led to the creation of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami. Kardashian's personal life soon became subject to widespread media attention.
Meghan Markle, American actress and humanitarian, and member of British Royal Family Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is an American-born member of the British royal family and a former film and television actress. Meghan Markle, American actress and humanitarian, and member of British Royal Family Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is an American-born member of the British royal family and a former film and television actress.
Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent to the Canada Act 1982, which ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom by a process known as "patriation". Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent to the Canada Act 1982, which ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom by a process known as "patriation". Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Donald Glover, American actor, rapper, producer, and screenwriter Donald McKinley Glover Jr. is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, rapper, and DJ. He performs music under the stage name Childish Gambino and as a DJ under the name mcDJ. Donald Glover, American actor, rapper, producer, and screenwriter Donald McKinley Glover Jr. is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, rapper, and DJ. He performs music under the stage name Childish Gambino and as a DJ under the name mcDJ.
Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture. Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958. Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture. Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. He has won 26 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (395), the UEFA Champions League (120), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 670 senior career goals for club and country. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. He has won 26 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (395), the UEFA Champions League (120), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 670 senior career goals for club and country.
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit China. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit China. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (385), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (149) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country. Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (385), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (149) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country.
Virat Kohli, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer who currently captains the India national team. An elegant right-handed batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and has been the team's captain since 2013. Virat Kohli, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer who currently captains the India national team. An elegant right-handed batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and has been the team's captain since 2013.
Vincent Carroll was 62 years old when Cold War: Fall of the Berlin Wall: East Germany opens checkpoints in the Berlin Wall, allowing its citizens to travel to West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. Cold War: Fall of the Berlin Wall: East Germany opens checkpoints in the Berlin Wall, allowing its citizens to travel to West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany.
Vincent Carroll was 63 years old when Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.
Louis Tomlinson, English singer-songwriter Louis William Tomlinson is an English singer-songwriter and talent show judge. He is known as a member of the boy band One Direction. Tomlinson began his career as an actor, appearing in ITV drama film If I Had You and the BBC drama Waterloo Road. In 2010, he became a member of One Direction after being eliminated as a solo contestant on the British music competition series The X Factor. One Direction has since released five albums, embarked on four world tours, and won several awards, becoming one of most successful musical groups of all time. Louis Tomlinson, English singer-songwriter Louis William Tomlinson is an English singer-songwriter and talent show judge. He is known as a member of the boy band One Direction. Tomlinson began his career as an actor, appearing in ITV drama film If I Had You and the BBC drama Waterloo Road. In 2010, he became a member of One Direction after being eliminated as a solo contestant on the British music competition series The X Factor. One Direction has since released five albums, embarked on four world tours, and won several awards, becoming one of most successful musical groups of all time.
Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah Ghaly is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team. Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah Ghaly is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team.
Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer and actress. She began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and in the spinoff Sam & Cat (2013–2014). She has also appeared in other theatre and television roles and has lent her voice to animated television and films. Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer and actress. She began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and in the spinoff Sam & Cat (2013–2014). She has also appeared in other theatre and television roles and has lent her voice to animated television and films.
Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960) Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts — typically all or part of the skeleton. Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960) Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts — typically all or part of the skeleton.
The manifesto of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski was published in The Washington Post and The New York Times, almost three months after it was submitted. Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, is an American domestic terrorist. A mathematics prodigy, he abandoned an academic career in 1969 to pursue a primitive lifestyle. Then, between 1978 and 1995, he killed three people and injured 23 others in an attempt to start a revolution by conducting a nationwide bombing campaign targeting people involved with modern technology. In conjunction, he issued a social critique opposing industrialization and advancing a nature-centered form of anarchism. The manifesto of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski was published in The Washington Post and The New York Times, almost three months after it was submitted. Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, is an American domestic terrorist. A mathematics prodigy, he abandoned an academic career in 1969 to pursue a primitive lifestyle. Then, between 1978 and 1995, he killed three people and injured 23 others in an attempt to start a revolution by conducting a nationwide bombing campaign targeting people involved with modern technology. In conjunction, he issued a social critique opposing industrialization and advancing a nature-centered form of anarchism.
American rapper Tupac Shakur was shot by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas, dying from his injuries six days later. Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. He is considered by many as one of the best rappers of all time. American rapper Tupac Shakur was shot by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas, dying from his injuries six days later. Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. He is considered by many as one of the best rappers of all time.
Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (b. 1946) Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace, an international fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings, and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films. As a friend of Eric Clapton, Diana, Princess of Wales, Naomi Campbell, Duran Duran, Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Sting, and many other celebrities, he was one of the first designers to link fashion to the music world. He and his partner Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international party scene. On 15 July 1997, Versace was murdered outside his home at the age of 50 by spree killer Andrew Cunanan. Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (b. 1946) Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace, an international fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings, and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films. As a friend of Eric Clapton, Diana, Princess of Wales, Naomi Campbell, Duran Duran, Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Sting, and many other celebrities, he was one of the first designers to link fashion to the music world. He and his partner Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international party scene. On 15 July 1997, Versace was murdered outside his home at the age of 50 by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.
The Google internet search engine retroactively claims this date as its birthday. Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, California. Together, they own about 14 percent of its shares and control 56 percent of the stockholder voting power through supervoting stock. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering (IPO) took place on August 19, 2004, and Google moved to its new headquarters in Mountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex. In August 2015, Google announced plans to reorganize its various interests as a conglomerate called Alphabet Inc. Google, Alphabet's leading subsidiary, will continue to be the umbrella company for Alphabet's Internet interests. Upon completion of the restructure, Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google, replacing Larry Page, who became the CEO of Alphabet. The Google internet search engine retroactively claims this date as its birthday. Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, California. Together, they own about 14 percent of its shares and control 56 percent of the stockholder voting power through supervoting stock. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering (IPO) took place on August 19, 2004, and Google moved to its new headquarters in Mountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex. In August 2015, Google announced plans to reorganize its various interests as a conglomerate called Alphabet Inc. Google, Alphabet's leading subsidiary, will continue to be the umbrella company for Alphabet's Internet interests. Upon completion of the restructure, Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google, replacing Larry Page, who became the CEO of Alphabet.
Vincent Carroll was 72 years old when Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area. In addition to the shootings, the complex and highly planned attack involved a fire bomb to divert firefighters, propane tanks converted to bombs placed in the cafeteria, 99 explosive devices, and car bombs. The perpetrators, senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. They injured 21 additional people, and three more were injured while attempting to escape the school. The pair subsequently committed suicide. Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area. In addition to the shootings, the complex and highly planned attack involved a fire bomb to divert firefighters, propane tanks converted to bombs placed in the cafeteria, 99 explosive devices, and car bombs. The perpetrators, senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. They injured 21 additional people, and three more were injured while attempting to escape the school. The pair subsequently committed suicide.
Vincent Carroll died on 28 Jul 2001
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Home » Research » Groups » Crisp Group - Plant systematics and biogeography
Crisp Group - Plant systematics and biogeography
Lab research interests include:
Phylogenetics and classification of Australian plants
Reconstructing the origins and evolutionary diversification of flora
Biogeography and large-scale community assembly.
Divisional Visitor
Robert Edwards
Honorary Group Leader
Michael Crisp
Open to students
Evolution of Australia's globally unique biodiversity hotspot (Higher degree by research)
Toon, A., Cook, L. G., Crisp, M. D. 2014. Evolutionary consequences of shifts to bird-pollination in the Australian pea-flowered legumes (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae and Bossiaeeae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 14:1-11.
Crisp, M. D. and Cook L. G. 2013. How was the Australian flora assembled over the last 65 million years? A molecular phylogenetic perspective. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 44:303-324.
Sakaguchi, S., Bowman, D. M. J. S., Prior, L. D., Crisp, M. D., Linde, C. C., Tsumura, Y., Isagi, Y. 2013. Climate, not Aboriginal landscape burning, controlled the historical demography and distribution of fire-sensitive conifer populations across Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280:1-9.
Crisp, M.D. and Cook, L.G. 2012. Phylogenetic niche conservatism: what are the underlying evolutionary and ecological causes? New Phytologist 196: 681-694
Kondo, T., Crisp, M.D., Linde C., Bowman, D.M.J.S., Kaneko, S., Kawamura, K. and Isagi, Y. 2012. Not an ancient relic: the endemic Livistona palms of arid central Australia could have been introduced by humans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences 279: 2652-2661.
Thornhill, A.H., Popple, L.W., Carter, R.J., Ho, S.Y. and Crisp, M.D. 2012. Are pollen fossils useful for calibrating relaxed molecular clock dating of phylogenies? A comparative study using Myrtaceae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63: 15-17.
Crisp, M.D., Burrows, G.E., Cook, L.G., Thornhill, A.H. and Bowman, D.M.J.S. 2011. Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Nature Communications 2: 193.
Crisp, M.D. and Cook LG. 2011. Cenozoic extinctions account for low diversity of extant gymnosperms compared with angiosperms. New Phytologist 192: 997-1009.
Crisp, M.D., Trewick, S.A. and Cook, L.G. 2011. Hypothesis testing in biogeography. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 26: 66-72.
Biffin, E., Lucas, E., Craven, L., Ribeiro da Costa, I., Harrington, M. and Crisp, M.D. 2010. Evolution of exceptional species richness amongst lineages of fleshy-fruited Myrtaceae. Annals of Botany 106: 79-93.
Bowman, D.M.J.S., Brown, G.K., Braby, M.F., Brown, J.R., Cook, L.G., Crisp, M.D., Ford, F., Haberle, S., Hughes, J., Isagi, Y., Joseph, L., McBride, J., Nelson, G. and Ladiges, P.Y. 2010. Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics. Journal of Biogeography 37: 201-216.
Crisp, M.D., Isagi, Y., Kato, Y., Cook, L.G. and Bowman, D.M.J.S. 2010. Livistona palms in Australia: ancient relics or opportunistic immigrants? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 512-523.
Crisp, M.D., Arroyo, M.T.K. Cook, L.G., Gandolfo, M.A.G., Jordan, J., McGlone, M.S., Weston, P.H., Westoby, M., Wilf, P. and Linder, H.P. 2009. Phylogenetic biome conservatism on a global scale. Nature 458: 754-756
Crisp M.D. and Cook L.G. 2009. Explosive radiation or cryptic mass extinction? Interpreting signatures in molecular phylogenies. Evolution 63: 2257-65
Omland, K. E., Cook, L.G. and Crisp, M. D. 2008. Tree thinking for all biology: the problem with reading phylogenies as ladders of progress. Bioessays 30:854-867
Cook, L. G., and M. D. Crisp. 2005. Directional asymmetry of long-distance dispersal and colonisation could mislead reconstructions of biogeography. J. Biogeogr. 32:741-754.
Crisp, M. D., L. G. Cook, and D. A. Steane. 2004. Radiation of the Australian flora: what can comparisons of molecular phylogenies across multiple taxa tell us about the evolution of diversity in present-day communities? Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. B, Biol. Sci. 359:1551-1571.
Crisp, M. D., S. Laffan, H. P. Linder, and A. Monro. 2001. Endemism in the Australian flora. J. Biogeogr. 28:183-198.
Go to a complete list of publications on the ISI website.
Unlikely pair of plants named after stars of movie 'Twins'
ANU biologists have named an unlikely pair of plants after Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, the stars of the 1988 movie Twins.
Most gum tree habitats to halve in size by 2085
The habitats of more than 90 per cent of Australia's gum tree species will on average halve in size, and 16 eucalypt species are likely to become extinct, over the next 70 years due to global warmi
Big Questions in Biology - podcast now available
Did you miss the inaugural RSB public forum? Click here to listen
Renewable jet fuel could be growing on Australia’s iconic gum trees
David Kainer and Carsten Kulheim have published an article in The Conversation, which describes how Australia could use the diversity of its naturally occurring eucalypts to develop and sustainably farm variants with high yields of desirable essential oils, for new commercial purposes.
Fire adaptive traits of Eucalpyts
Fire plays an important role in shaping the Australian landscape and its flora and fauna. This influence is millions of years old, and is the focus of research led by Professor Emeritus Mike Crisp.
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Home Film Hurray! ‘Paddington 2’ Finally Headed to US Theaters
Hurray! ‘Paddington 2’ Finally Headed to US Theaters
DaVette See
Lovely bunches of yellow balloons, comfy couches, tasty finger sandwiches, dainty desserts, and hot tea. Oh yes, and orange marmalade. Definitely not your typical press conference, but that is exactly what the press was greeted with at The London in Beverly Hills last week during an event for Paddington 2.
The whimsical and oh-so-British setting was the perfect one for director Paul King (Paddington, Come Fly With Me), screenwriter Simon Farnaby (Sky TV’s Yonderland, and also appears in the film), and two of the film’s stars, Bafta-winner Hugh Grant (Love Actually)and Golden Globe Nominee Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), to talk about the much-anticipated Paddington 2.
Both the sequel and the original are, of course, based on the children’s book series by the late author Michael Bond, A Bear Called Paddington, about a young anthropomorphized bear looking for adventure in London. Paddington 2 already opened in the UK in November, and reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from audiences and critics alike. It opens in the US on January 12th, and American children and their parents are chomping at the bit to see their furry friend once again.
(L-R) HUGH BONNEVILLE as Henry Brown, SAMUEL JOSLIN as Jonathan Brown,
SALLY HAWKINS as Mary Brown, JULIE WALTERS as Mrs. Bird and MADELEINE HARRIS as Judy Brown
in the family adventure “PADDINGTON 2,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and STUDIOCANAL,
in association with Anton Capital Entertainment S.C.A., a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
King, who directed Paddington as well, talked about the new film’s look and feel, explaining that they made the title character fit comfortably in a real setting by creating a “heightened, story-book…magical London, where a bear walking down the street feels like the most natural thing in the world and of course you hello to him.” Grant contributed that, at a recent screening, the amazingly realistic and organic look of the bear Paddington prompted the question, “Is that a real bear?” from his elderly father.
The pop-up book that features prominently in the story also reflected King’s desire to give the special effects a “homemade, low-fi” feel “to keep the storybook sensibility, so you don’t feel like you’re suddenly in Transformers 47,” something the director is very proud of having achieved.
Tichina Arnold Is The Epitome of an "Auntie" in 'The Last Black Man in San Francisco'
HUGH GRANT as Phoenix Buchanan in the family adventure “PADDINGTON 2,”
from Warner Bros. Pictures and STUDIOCANAL, in association with
Anton Capital Entertainment S.C.A., a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Hugh Grant kept everyone laughing as he fielded questions about how much, or little, he was like the character he portrays; Phoenix Buchanan is described in the production notes as, “…still-suave but unbearably narcissistic…a former West End headliner whose recent paying gigs fall more along the lines of making dog food commercials and opening local fairs.” While admitting (with tongue firmly in cheek) to possessing all of Phoenix’s worst traits, Grant said that he hadn’t done a dogfood commercial yet, but that it was only a matter of time.
(Front/center L-R) JULIE WALTERS as Mrs. Bird, SAMUEL JOSLIN as Jonathan Brown, Paddington
voiced by BEN WHISHAW, HUGH BONNEVILLE as Henry Brown, MADELEINE HARRIS as Judy Brown
and SALLY HAWKINS as Mary Brown in the family adventure “PADDINGTON 2,” from Warner Bros. Pictures
and STUDIOCANAL, in association with Anton Capital Entertainment S.C.A., a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
According to Hugh Bonneville, it was a bit easier to act with an imaginary Paddington the second time around, since they had such a visually and emotionally real point of reference from the first film. “In the second film the animators have gone even further in terms of the subtlety and nuances of character…so one knew what this three-dimensional character was. I mean, for me, he was entirely real. I forgot that he wasn’t there most of the time.”
(L-R) Paddington voiced by BEN WHISHAW and BRENDAN GLEESON as Knuckles McGinty
Simon Farnaby spoke a bit about making the transition from actor in the first film to writer (and actor) in Paddington 2. “It’s quite cruel being a screenwriter sometimes. ‘We’re going to send him to prison. That’ll be hilarious.’ Let’s take the nice, sweet bear with these wonderful values of kindness and looking for the good in people and do the worst thing you can possibly do to him, rather than killing him, which is sending him to prison.”
(Front L-R) BEN MILLER as Colonel Lancaster, JESSICA HYNES as Miss Kitts, SANJEEV BHASKAR as Dr. Jafri,
JIM BROADBENT as Mr. Gruber and SHOLA ADEWUSI as First Ms. Peters in the family adventure
“PADDINGTON 2,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and STUDIOCANAL, in association with
Addressing this reporter’s question about the more diverse makeup of the cast of Paddington 2 than that of the previous film, King went into greater detail: “Well, I hope it is a reflection of the London we live in…I think it is the only city in the world where they say every language in the world is spoken. It is an incredibly diverse place and the street where we film on is that, too…I suppose there was a certain awareness that because of the source material, Paddington spends a lot of time with one family from one…particular demographic and we really wanted to send Paddington out into the world, reflect the city we know and love, celebrate the multi-faceted nature of the city.”
Paddington 2 opens in theaters nationwide today, January 12th, and is rated PG for some action and mild rude humor.
From the producers:
Reuniting many of the original film’s cast while welcoming those in new roles, “Paddington 2” stars Golden Globe nominee Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), three-time Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson (“The Guard,” “Into the Storm,” “In Bruges”), Oscar nominee Julie Walters (“Billy Elliot,” “Educating Rita”), Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), and Oscar winner Peter Capaldi (short, “Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life”), with Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner Hugh Grant (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), and BAFTA winner Ben Whishaw (“The Hollow Crown”) as the voice of Paddington. The starring ensemble also includes Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, and Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake”) as the voice of Aunt Lucy.
Written By DaVette See
DaVette See lives in Inglewood, CA with her husband, Rob, her mother, and her seven (yikes) kitties. She has a BA in English and Theater and a Law degree. When not writing, reporting, and video editing for BGN, she operates Running Lady Studios and produces animated shorts. She was a geek before geek was chic. She loves books, plays, movies, and more than anything, she loves telling stories.
Sally Hawkins
Simon Farnaby
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Originally from the Midwest, DaVette lives in Inglewood, CA and can’t name a single sports team. She’s a sci-fi fan, a movie geek, a drama freak, a Trekkie, and a Browncoat. She has a BA in English and Theater, as well as a Law degree, but don’t hold that against her. She acted and directed for the stage for many years, but really loves filmmaking and writing. She owns Running Lady Studios and she is the producer/star of the web-based talk show, Afro Bites! She is wife to Rob, daughter to Martha, and mom to seven (yes seven) cats. When not covered in fur, she’s a West Coast correspondent and occasional movie reviewer for BGN. Follow DaVette on Twitter and IG @mariavah.
World Premiere of ‘Black Lightning’ Happening in D.C.!
Kay-B
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NCWIT Aspirations in Computing 2016
It’s that time again! Visit the website at https://www.aspirations.org/ for more information but I have included some details to get you thinking.
From the web site:
Applications for the 2016 Award for Aspirations in Computing are open from September 1 to October 26, 2015 (8:00 p.m. EDT).
The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors high school women who are active and interested in computing and technology, and encourages them to pursue their passions. This multi-tiered competition includes recognition at the national level (sponsored by Bank of America) and at the local level (sponsored by Microsoft), serving 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all U.S. military bases overseas.
Each local award taps into the powerful network of NCWIT Alliance members: teams from academia, non-profit organizations, startups, and corporations come together to build a community of support for young women interested in computing.
Any U.S. high school woman in grades 9 through 12 is eligible to apply, if she also meets both of the following criteria:
She attends a high school in the U.S. or is a U.S. citizen attending a high school in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or on a U.S. military base.
She has a U.S. Tax Identification or Social Security Number.
Aspirations Award recipients are chosen for their outstanding aptitude and interest in computing, proven leadership ability, academic performance, and plans for post‑secondary education.
There is a category for educators as well.
Apply now for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award
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Carlyle Group’s Susan Kasser, board member of Shari’s Management Corporation, joins the board of Church Street Health Management/Small Smiles Dental Centers
Kasser has been with the Caryle Group since 2004, prior to that she was at Goldman Sachs, surprise surprise.
Here is her profile from the Carlyle Group website:
Susan Kasser is a Principal with Carlyle Mezzanine Partners, focusing on junior debt investments in support of leveraged buyouts, growth capital, and recapitalizations, primarily in North America and Europe. Ms. Kasser is based in New York.
Since joining Carlyle in 2004, Ms. Kasser has been actively involved in current portfolio companies American Achievement Corporation, BioReliance Corporation, Church Street Health Management, Hudson Products Corporation, INC Research and Shari’s Restaurant Group. Ms. Kasser was also actively involved in the investments in Applied Systems Inc, Sanitors, Inc, and US Investigations Services, which have been fully realized.
Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Kasser was with Goldman Sachs in Leveraged Finance, the Private Equity Group and Equity Research.
Ms. Kasser received an M.A. in international economics and finance and a B.A. in philosophy from Brandeis University, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She is a CFA charter holder.
Ms. Kasser currently serves as a Board Member of Church Street Health Management, a Board Member of Shari’s Management Corporation and a Board Observer of American Achievement Corporation. She was previously a Board Observer of Sanitors, Inc
Labels/Tags: Carlyle Group Invests In UK Dentistry, Carlyle Mezzanine Partners, Church Street Health Management, Sharia's Management Corporation, Susan Kasser
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/ Cory Doctorow / 4:50 am Fri Apr 4, 2008
Violent video-games are relaxing
Here's a short item about a Middlesex University study that concluded that players of violent video-games experience relaxation after they finish playing:
The psychologists studied 292 male and female online gamers playing World of Warcraft. They found that overall the gamers, aged between 12 and 83, were more likely to feel calm or tired after playing, although there were differences depending on sex, age and personality.
“There were actually higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the game as opposed to experiencing anger but this did very much depend on personality type,” said Middlesex University’s Jane Barnett, who is also an International Game Developers Association committee member.
(via Wonderland)
Games / Happy Mutants / Science
The new £50 notes will feature Alan Turing (whilst HMG proposes bans on Turing complete computers AND working crypto)
The Bank of England has unveiled its new £50 notes, which had been earmarked to honour a distinguished British scientist, and which will feature Alan Turing, the WWII hero who discovered many of the foundational insights to both modern computing and cryptography, and whose work with the codebreakers of Bletchley Park are widely believed to […]
Science offices throughout U.S. government closing under Trump at alarming rate
The great science purge, they’ll call it one day. Donald Trump is closing science offices throughout the federal government. ‘As of June, around 85 percent of all scientific posts in the federal government, including an official scientific advisor to the President, were left unfilled,’ write the editors of I F***ing Love Science blog in an […]
Show Your Stripes: visualizing climate change in your location by displaying 100 years of average temperatures in color bars
Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist, created Show Your Stripes as a way to easily visualize the past century's climate change: give it a location and it will render a series of stripes representing a century's worth of average annual temperatures (above: global average temperature); as Kottke notes: "The warming patterns for particular regions are not […]
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First Lines Friday April 29th
April 29, 2016 April 28, 2016 / BJ / 2 Comments
I found a new book meme that looks like a lot of fun and since I just started a new book, the timing is perfect!
First the rules:
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below.
Pick a book off your shelf (or your current read) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
So, here are the first few lines from my current book:
The young woman stepped from the wagon and turned to face the driver still holding the slackened reins. From Daniel’s vantage point, looking through the shuttered windows of the common room, he could not read the woman’s face but could see the rigid set of her back. The man in the wagon was small and as hard-set as a dried persimmon. The brim of his felt hat was slung so low and angled over his eyes that its very putting on must have been an act of vengeance. Daniel had met his wife’s uncle only once at market, and the number of words exchanged between them could not have filled a walnut. But Daniel remembered well the look of triumph on Andrew Allen’s face when the old man bested him at a calf auction. That he was now giving his daughter the last of his cautious, brusque advice was clear from the way he punctuated his words with a string of country sayings: “Hech, now listen to me,” and “Hark you well to me now.” The sorts of words that the old Scotsmen still used were like pepperwood in a mutton stew.
Ok, this may be more that just a few ‘first lines’, but it was hard to find a place to stop because her writing is just so good. These are Kathleen Kent’s opening lines in her novel, The Traitor’s Wife which is a prequel to her first novel, The Heretic’s Daughter.
The Heretic’s Daughter told the story of Martha Carrier, one of the women hanged as a witch during the Salem Witchcraft Trials. In The Traitor’s Wife we learn how it all began for Martha Allen and Thomas Carrier. It is their story and history.
I’m excited to be going back to Colonial America, especially with this author. Her books are well researched and her great writing brings the fine points of the period to life!
What are you reading now? Tell me in the comments below.
The Good Earth Book-to- Movie Comparison
I knew that before I completely moved on from Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, I wanted to watch the film adaptation. So, I borrowed it from my local library and was eagerly looking forward to watching it. After all, this movie won two Academy Awards in 1937 and in my mind, this was a time when Hollywood did movies well, so I was expecting to be amazed.
However, my amazement soon turned to surprise and then to disappointment. Not only did they make changes, which I know they must do when they adapt a book for the screen, but they essentially rewrote the entire second half on the novel! I just sat there shaking my head, saying to my husband, “Didn’t happen in the book” at what seemed like every scene in the second half of the movie. It was disappointing because I felt that the changes did not capture the heart of the book. In my opinion, it created a different story: Wang Lung and O-lan’s love story.
Now, this sounds nice, especially since Wang Lung really became a jerk in the second half of the novel, so maybe this re-telling is the way many wished it had turned out, but I guess I’m a purist and wish movies would stay true to the novel. To me, the story focused on Wang Lung, simple farmer, who becomes wealthy and takes care of the people in his life. Very nice. However, along the way he gets sidetracked, and in the end he realizes his love for O-lan. Unfortunately, this is not the story I read in the book.
The changes are too numerous to list, but it presented a picture of a different Wang Lung whose relationships with various family members were far different than the novel portrayed, especially with his uncle.
A few points that caused irritation:
The main characters in the movie were not even played by Chinese actors! In a story about Chinese peasants!
Wang Lung freely gave money to others…often happily
Wang Lung’s uncle came to stay with them and Wang Lung didn’t object
Wang Lung gave his uncle money…ungrudgingly
The Uncle character was lazy but harmless, not the loathed and feared character he was in the book
O-lan willingly gave Wang Lung her jewels and pearls
The second half of the film was re-written and seemed to tell a different story altogether from the book’s second half.
Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled with the movie. Maybe it was because I read the book first. But then again, maybe not. I would like to think I would have been unimpressed even if I had not read the book first.
Has anyone out there seen the movie? If so, what did you think of it? Tell me in the comments below.
‘The Good Earth’ by Pearl S. Buck Final Chapters
April 14, 2016 / BJ / Leave a comment
Yes, I’m still here, but I’ve been on a blogging hiatus of sorts. However, during my time away I finished reading The Good Earth!
I didn’t go anywhere, but my reading definitely slowed down. I found myself distracted halfway through the book with a newly sparked interest in Asian religion. I went to the library twice to borrow a few books and I even went to a second hand bookstore and bought a book on Confucius! Maybe I will blog more about that another time, but for now, here are my concluding thoughts on The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.
***Warning: This post contains spoilers***
Wang Lung and his family leave the city and return home. He is able to buy land, much land, and becomes a wealthy man. During this time, a flood devastates the village, but Wang Lung and his family are well fed and provided for. However, during this time of idleness, he no longer has any monetary fears, he finds other interests and eventually another woman.
Sadly, his faithful wife O-lan dies and his second wife, Lotus, becomes his first wife. His children are married off, he becomes a grandfather and, in time, takes up residence in the former great house that once belonged to the House of Hwang. Wang Lung lives a long life, but in the end is heartbroken by the intentions his children have for the land that prospered them.
Now he is a rich man:
Wang Lung definitely returns to his village a changed man. The most obvious difference is that he is now a wealthy landowner. As such, he no longer works the land because he has hired men to work the fields. This is sad because he is loosing his vital connection to the land which not only grounded him, but gave him purpose and joy. Sadly, he will face some heartbreaking consequences for leaving the land later down the road with his children.
Wang the landowner now deals mostly in matters of management rather than laboring in the fields. However, he has a good mind for management and provides well for his family and even plans ahead for the next natural disaster. And when the village is flooded, Wang Lung and his family are able to wait it out without starving.
I don’t care much for Wang Lung in this second half of the book. I was really sad when Wang went to the teahouse and started a relationship with Lotus. How could he have done this and betrayed O-lan after everything they endured? When loss and hardship finally turned to abundance and ease, they should have been stronger than ever, but sadly the story took a different turn. Wang Lung was more concerned with what he had a ‘right’ to do; he looses much of the simplicity he once had. I liked simple Wang the farmer better than proud Wang the landowner/rich man because Wang the farmer’s simplicity kept him grounded.
Wang Lung remains overly concerned with how others see him even after becoming a rich man. And his eldest son is the same way. They both want to live up to the expectations of being a rich man and of a noble family. I don’t like the elder son in this book either; he is selfish and spoiled; he was given an education, but is he a thinking man? He seems to only think about what he wants with his father’s money.
There is also the loss of connection to the land. Wang Lung observed that the House of Hwang began to fall when they lost their connection to the land and the same is true for the House of Wang. His children don’t love and value the land the way he does; it is merely a means to an end: money. The eldest son is spoiled because he never had to work, he only benefitted from the profits. In essence, he became a rich young lord. I also think that they would have been a stronger family if they had stayed connected to their land. The irony is that Wang Lung worked hard to make a better life for his family but I’m not sure they were the better for it. Financially better off, yes, but as a family I’m not so sure.
Thoughts on the novel:
This is a great book! The story is engaging and I was drawn in to this world of old China; Pearl S. Buck is a wonderfully, descriptive storyteller. I feel like I have a better idea of what life in pre-revolutionary China was like. I would have liked to know the thoughts of some of the other characters in order to consider things from their point of view, especially the women. I wonder how that would have changed the story. My heart still goes out to O-lan and although I disliked Lotus I also felt sorry for her. After all, she was sold into that life at a very young age. There is so much to consider both historically and culturally when reading this novel; it is a world so different from our own, and yet all of this occurred in the very recent past.
This is a book that should be read and discussed in reading groups because there is so much to explore between the pages: Family relationships, societal relationships, gender roles, slavery, foot binding, wealth and poverty to name just a few.
What do you think? Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Tell me in the comments below.
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The Stephen Geldard Fund
Raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Stephen.
Stephen's story
My dad was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour in March 2012. The news was absolutely devastating to everyone who knew and cared about him. Steve, as he liked to be called, was extremely fit and healthy and had his own business with Kleeneze.
He was devoted to his two daughters Emily and Kate and also his sons, Paul and Michael. Even more so to his partner, my mam, Sheila.
My dad didn't show any symptoms what so ever to suggest that he had anything seriously wrong. In March 2012 he couldn't get out of bed so my grandad took him to a&e, he was then immediately rushed to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle to have surgery.
After the surgery, he started his treatment and showed improvements and continued to lead a pretty normal life. Making memories with the people who loved him the most. He spent his last christmas with my sister, my mam and I. Just the four of us and it was the perfect christmas. Not long after that he started to deteriorate again and we were given the devastating news that the treatment had stopped working and that there was nothing more that could be done.
"A true gentleman, a great guy, inspiring, a lovely man... Those are just a few words used to describe my dad"
My dad tried his hardest but it was too much for him. About seven weeks before he passed away he spent a week in St Benedicts Hospice in Sunderland. They do amazing work there but he just wanted to be at home. The last six weeks of his life was spent at home and he received care from my mam, my sister, an amazing Macmillan nurse called Wendy and I. It was the hardest six weeks of our lives seeing him disappear.
He battled right until the end with determination, he wouldn't give in and he was the one who kept us all positive. He was a true fighter.
He passed away on June 21st 2013 with his family by his side.
He will always be remembered with fond memories by everyone who knew him. He was our hero and always will be.
I unfortunately didn't know about this wonderful charity until earlier this year (2014) when I was researching charities, as I am doing the Bupa Great North Run and wanted to raise money for a charity working with brain tumours, so I set up this fund in my dad's memory.
We hope to raise as much money as possible and hopefully find a cure one day.
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Brazil’s Petrobras Has Big Plans ...
Brazil’s Fiocruz Opens Doors and ...
Brazil’s Petrobras Has Big Plans to Take on the World
by Clara Angelica Porto July 11, 2006
Brazilian oil giant Petrobras expands investments and seeks joint venture in the US. Nestor Cerceró, the director of International Affairs for the state-owned company is spending a lot of time in airplanes and is a great collectors of stamps in his passport.
From Saudi Arabia to London, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela, his traveling is more than a hint to Petrobras’ serious intentions to grow internationally in all areas of the oil business.
The company plans to spend US$ 1.4 billion in international investments, an increase of 40% on the 2005 one billion figure. Between 2006 and 2010 Petrobras will spend US$ 7.1 billion in international investments, a significant 13% of its total investment budget.
The rest of the money, US$ 49.3 billions will be spent in Brazil. According to information given out to Brazilian press, Petrobras plans to invest US$ 1.4 billion in Africa and the United States, and US$ 1.2 billion in other countries.
Seen as ambitious inside and outside Brazil, Petrobras investment plans are causing much speculation. But the solidly established company wants to produce 2.3 million barrels by 2010, against the 1.9 million of today’s production. It also plans to more than double the foreign production, going from 263,000 barrels a day to 545,000 by the same year.
Petrobras started its international activities in 1972, with Braspetro, created to increase oil offer in Brazil. After 1997, the company’s goals changed and the year marks a more assertive approach in the international market. Today Petrobras has activity in all different scales of the oil industry in 14 countries.
With branch offices in China and Japan, it recently opened a branch in Chile. In eight countries, Petrobras produces 263,000 barrels of oil a day and a similar amount of natural gas. The company concentrates more activity in Latin American countries, where it plans to act in an even more assertive way.
Petrobras has determined three priority areas for investment: South America, United States, in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Africa’s west coast. The Middle East, where the biggest oil reserves of the world are located, is another target being considered by the Brazilian company.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are on focus for future business deals. Other countries are also being analyzed for future inclusion in the South American giant’s international business plans.
The plans for the US are big and include the acquisition of an oil refinery in a join venture to adapt it to process the heavy oil produced in Brazil, about 300 thousand barrels a day, expected to grow to 500 thousand barrels by 2010. The idea is to have the oil refined in the US.
The expansion of oil production will receive 80% of the total sum for investments in 2006. In some countries, Petrobras has acquired significant value in the economy. It represents almost 20% of the GDP in Bolivia, it owns 10% of oil reserves in that country, and it represents 98% of the Bolivian refinery market, same number as in Brazil.
Petrobras was responsible, in 2005, for 17% of the oil production in Latin America, and 26th of refinery capacity.
Investing in Latin America at No Risk
According to a report released by the United Nations, 875 million persons throughout the world accessed the Internet in 2004. In the United States alone, the top of the list, 185 million people had Internet, followed by China, with 94 million.
Japan follows with 75 million and Brazil is number 10, with more than 22 million Brazilians connected to the Internet, 4 million more than in the previous year.
Google is opening branch offices in Brazil and Mexico, to get closer to the Latin American market. Alexandre Hohagen, former HBO general manager in Brazil, will lead Google’s Brazilian office.
The American giant, Internet’s most resourceful search site, was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. With Orkut, gmail, online classifieds, and about to start an online payment system, Google is an example of the power of the growing Internet business.
Estimated today in US$ 118.8 billion, Google loses only to Microsoft, Intel and IBM in the technology business, but it is worth more than Coca Cola already, with only successful stories to tell.
Another UN report, this one on deforestation, shows Brazil as the world champion in forest devastation. Anything but a complimentary title, to say the least. Brazil’s Environment Authority Office disagrees and says that in 2005 alone there has been a noticeable 40% reduction of devastation of forests in Brazil.
UN reports a loss of 3.1 hectares. After Russia, Brazil has the world’s biggest forest and it has 52% of Latin America’s forests. The UN reports that 7.3 million of hectares is lost all over the planet every year, the size of a country like Panama and the biggest devastation occurs in Brazil and the rest of Latin America.
Forests today cover around 4 billion hectares, around 30% of the earth. Ten countries concentrate two thirds of this natural wealth, Australia, Canada, China, Brazil, Congo, India, Indonesia, Russia and the United States. The information comes from UN research done in the last five years.
Coconut Coast
Driving along the Green Line highway in the state of Bahia in Brazil is an unforgettable experience. The road was built alongside the coast, filled with coconut trees, mango trees and the sounds of parrots and parakeets in the background make the trip cozy and relaxed, even though the highway does not have enough lanes.
There is another very noticeable feature to any driver, the many constructions of mega-hotels and inns in the area, more so when one approaches the so-called Coconut Coast, not too far from the capital city of Salvador.
The region is quickly becoming the main tourism region in Bahia. It all started with the beginning of the Projeto Tamar, a government program developed in Praia do Forte to protect sea turtles from extinction.
People started coming to visit the turtles and investors came along, bringing the first resorts of the area. The whole area is beautiful, with miles and miles of the finest beaches and hundreds of thousands of coconut trees all along, with warm waters and lots of sunshine.
Today, Portuguese groups own a lot of land in the area, like the Reta Atlântico Grupo Espírito Santo, with 35 km of land for sale. Vila Galé, another group, owns today 80 km of land. The Brazilian Odebrecht is among the main investors of the area.
Around US$ 1.1 billion dollars are being spent in construction in the Coconut Coast and US$ 4.1 billion more are on the way, according to State Secretary of Tourism and Culture Paulo Gaudenzi, with concentration of the spending in Sauípe, Imbassaí, Praia do Forte and Guarajuba. The ultimate goal is to turn the area into the biggest tourism region of South America, which is not far from being accomplished.
The Spaniard group Iberostar is investing US$ 500 million in a mega hotel expected to open in 2007 at Praia do Forte, 78 km from Salvador, Bahia’s capital city.
Together there are 193 km of coast north of Salvador. Costa de Sauípe, a resort in the area that is part of the Marriott chain of hotels, registered 54% of occupation in 2004 and 67% during the first three months in 2005. The interest of many tourist groups in the area was the green light to attract new investment.
The new resort will feature four hotels with around 400 rooms each, and a total of 3,200 beds. A 27-hole gulf field is meant to attract many foreign tourists and a condominium with 208 houses will be the ideal accommodation for those seeking more homelike surroundings.
A spa and a convention center for 1,500 people will make sure modern beauty requirements are met, and businesses can be made in paradise land. By the end of 2005 the first hotel will be ready, featuring 406 rooms and an 18 hole gulf field, with nine additional holes to be added as the construction follows its plan.
This is the first time the Reta Atlântico Group invests in Brazil and the Imbassaí Reserve will mount to R$ 220 million reais distributed in three hotels and three condominiums with 181 houses, with a commercial villa, sports and leisure club, tennis, volley, soccer courts and a nautical center.
The Hotel Starfish with 334 apartments and the villa will be ready early 2007. 40% of the houses have been sold, 50% to state residents and 45% to foreigners, 90% of which are Portuguese.
Another Portuguese hotel, the Vila Galé Marés will open early 2006, an investment of 70 million reais, with all units integrated with nature.
Clara Angelica Porto is a Brazilian bilingual journalist living in New York. She went to school in Brazil and at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Clara is presently working as the English writer for The Brasilians, a monthly newspaper in Manhattan. Comments welcome at clara.angelica@gmail.com.
Clara Angelica Porto
Brazil’s Fiocruz Opens Doors and Wallet to Foreign Postdoctoral Researchers
Brazil Exports 31% of World’s Beef. Russia Still Main Importer.
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Free Concept of Public Health in the UK Essay Sample
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Buy Cheap Concept of Public Health in the UK Essay
Public health in the UK has been a function of a number of parameters that generally affect trends and census figures. To start with morbidity and mortality rates greatly affect population growth and development. In the past the greater UK region had no census figures that are vital is analyses of public health issues. As early as the beginning of 19th century, UK started conducting census. This has greatly helped in interpretation of a number of issues to this regard. Migration especially in the EU bloc has been a serious issue of public health that has been identified. This essay therefore looks at the concept of health in and how the case applies in UK. In addition to these, the essay also looks at the epidemiological trends in UK to demonstrate comprehensively how UK’s public health is affected.
Human health is at a center of debate globally today. Even with improved technology there is a greatest concern on what people do with their body. A lot of questions are raised by nutritionist on kind of food people eat, time they spend sleeping and some regular practices. The concerns are geared towards ensuring better health. This has prompted nutritionists propose some practices to be followed to guarantee better health. One of requirements as proposed by nutritionists is regular feeding on good and nutritious food. In this regard, a balanced diet and personal hygiene are vital. Nutritionists suggest further that for the sake of good health, regular exercise and enough sleep and rest are inevitable. One must abstain from abusing any drug whether hard or not at all cost. This include over the counter drugs as well. Immunization is a preventive measure that also helps to boost health; thus, is encouraged too. Reckless eating habits, lack of enough sleep and exercise and poor hygiene are highly discouraged. People are encouraged to perform the above stipulated practices in order to remain healthy. For the body to maintain its effective function then it has to remain healthy.
However, defining good health has been somewhat challenging task. Good health has been misconstrued by many people to mean absence of any disease in the body. This is a misconception of the real fact since good heath should be determined by ability of the body to function properly. This does not necessarily mean absence of any disease. This idea is supported by the World Health Organization that puts it clearly that health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease. It does not mean absence of infirmity. One can be sick but still is healthy as long the body can function effectively. Health put a lot of emphasis on social and personal resources with regard to physical and mental capabilities. To be healthy is; therefore, considered to be homeostasis state of the body which has to maintain constantly in relation to external changes.
There are indicators of good health. These indicators are based on physical, mental or social aspects of health. These three aspects of health are, however; are interrelated as will be realized from discussion hereafter. A person is considered to be physically health when he or she has good appetite and energy to perform some tasks. The person should be capable of maintaining the right body posture as required of human race. One is considered to have right posture when she or he is able to walk in an upright position without any difficulty. The weight of that particular individual should be proportionate to either his or her age and height. In addition the person should have clear and clean eyes and skin. Most importantly, good physical health demands that all organs in the body function normally without fatigue. One that is physically healthy is; therefore, normally attentive and very responsive.
An individual is said to be socially healthy when his or her manners are agreeable with societal norms. The person should not have any problem interacting with people around. In other words she or he should have high self-esteem thus should not feel inferior before other people around. The person should not have questionable character. Such a person is expected to show love to others by helping them and fulfilling some responsibility on their behalf. She or he is endowed with a lot of confident to operate among other people in society.
Mental health on the other hand implies that one is capable of making sure that emotions do not flare in case of a problem. Such people are in control of their emotions. They are also normally sensitive to recognize prevailing needs of other people. Mental health calls for one to be free from uncalled tensions and anxieties that might lead into high blood pressure. They are also devoid of worries or stress that might result into unnecessary burning of calories and development of stomach ulcers .The person is relaxed and peaceful in mind. Such people have strong abilities to cope up with criticism from different people while at the same time dealing with challenging issues amicably. They are just outstanding in the manner with which they conduct themselves. It is; therefore, mandatory that one must have good social, physical and mental health in order to be considered healthy. The three aspects of health are however, affected by various factors. These factors are classified as inherent and outside factors.
Inherent are inborn factors that we might have very little or no control over. They include age, genetic makeup and sex, just to mention but a few. Very elderly people and infants are prone to illness due to their low immune system. To boost their immune system, it is normally advisable that they be vaccinated against some preventable diseases. Genetic constitution plays a very vital role in determining health of an individual. Some diseases like breast cancer and diabetes have leaved with us over centuries because they are passed from parents to offspring through genes. A gene which is the basic unit of inheritance, determine the genetic makeup of an individual. Some inheritable disorders are sex linked. Sex linked disorders are carried in sex chromosomes making them to be inherited together. Most of harmful sex linked disorders are carried in X chromosomes. These disorders are normally controlled by recessive genes, thus, they do not express themselves in the presence of a dominant gene. This explains why male are more vulnerable to harmful sex linked disorders such as colorblindness and haemophilia which are both carried on X chromosomes.
Outside factors may result from social class, education and occupation among others. Social class determines way of life and behavior hence affecting illness associated with these norms. Level of education determines the kind of choices people make in life. Some of these choices ranging from nutrition and habit may be useful in preventing some diseases. Some diseases like lung cancer are common among those working in dusty areas like asbestos. Exposure to radioactive materials due to work can spontaneously alter genetic makeup of a person as a result of mutation. Such spontaneous changes can result into disorders like albinism which is then passed from parents to children. Health is monitored using negative indices in a community such as mortality and morbidity rates. Mortality rate takes into account the number of deaths in a specified population size. Morbidity on the other hand, shows rate of occurrence of diseases in a population. This includes report on new cases and the total number of times a disease has existed in a given population per unit time. A population that experience high mortality and morbidity rate may be considered to be less healthy.
Development of public health in UK from 19th century to present is associated to the ever rising population in British towns. This rapid growth has been attributed to migration of people from British rural areas and immigrants seeking either greener pasture or education. Dramatic growth rate in population has in turn put a lot of pressure on the available health facilities which has prompted UK government to improve health facilities. Public health has been improving to cope up with the rising population. This is in line with the government obligation of providing quality health care to her people. So many healthcare facilities have made available in urban centers such as Liverpool, Manchester and London among others. Many health professionals have also been trained to tackle shortages in health sector today. Main emphasis of public health is on entire population rather than individual patient. This emphasis has since 19th century made public health in bridging the gap between individual medicine and greater society. Public health has been praised by its proponents for its greater interest in the society where it functions. This has resulted into improved birth rates and low morbidity rates. The UK experienced low birth rate at the period of World War Two and this has been reflected in the age groups of around 63 years as at 2004.
Demographic Changes in UK
UK has undergone population changes since the 19th century to present the day. Population structure has been affected by a number of parameters and this is a show of how diversified the population is. The UK consists of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland before the Act of Union of the 19th century. The Republic of Ireland was part of Great Britain but in 1922 it attained its independence and withdrew from the greater UK. The current constituent of the UK consists of the 4 countries named above. The past population trends of the UK is difficult to explain due to a number of issues. To begin with, the present form UK has been in existence after 1922 and before the Act of Union, UK and Ireland were different Kingdoms run by different administrations. Secondly, prior to the 19th century, there was lack of adequate sources of data to study the population trends especially in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Only England has sufficient data in the whole UK region. The region has ethnic diversity that includes a number of ethnic groups. The white population constitutes 92.1% while Black British forms 2% of the entire population. The others include Pakistani and Indians who constitute 1.3% and 1.8% respectively. In addition, the population consists of Black Africans, other Asians, among other minority ethnic groups, (Jefferies, 2005, p. 13).
There are two main reasons that lead to population change in a nation. Jefferies note that “A population can change in size via two main mechanisms: natural change; the difference between the numbers of births and deaths and net migration; the difference between in-migration and out-migration,” (2005, p. 2). In a similar way, if the number of birth surpasses that of deaths or there are large numbers of in-migrants than out-migrants, a population will increase and vice versa. The main focus of this essay is on the consequences of health problems and how it affects population. Health problems subjects a county to economic expend its budget to provision of treatment services besides affecting the workforce of a nation. If majority of the working population underperforms, so is the economy.
The Great Britain has conducted census after every 1 decade since the 1801 with an exception of period of Second World War. “In 1841 the population of Ireland stood at nearly 8.2 million and just as the case of Great Britain, the Irish census was conducted after every 10 years,” (Jefferies, 2005, p. 3). Since the 19th century, the population of the UK has changed as shown by census results. “Population of England had more than doubled from 8.3 million in 1801 to 16.8 million in 1851 and, by 1901, had nearly doubled again to 30.5 million…2001 population was still nearly six times higher than the population 200 years ago,” (Jefferies, 2005, p. 3).
In Scotland and Wales, the same growth trends were witnessed in the 19th century; 0.6 million in 1801 to nearly 1.3 million in 2001 for Wales and 0.6 million growth for Scotland. The age-sex structure of the UK according to 2004 census figures show that there are more females than males at a comparative ratio of 96 men for every 100 women. There were more children aged below 16 years than the retirees. Those aged 60 and above for females and 65 and above for males constituted an 18.6% while those under 16 years represented 19.5%, (Jefferies, 2005, pp. 10-11).
Trends of migration in the UK have had health problem implications. According to European Academies Science Advisory Council, “The public health implications of migration have received comparatively little attention in EU policy development, but it is important not to generalize about migrants or infectious diseases, (2007, page 1 of 1). Effects of migration in public health in the UK have been associated with mainly infectious diseases unlike other disease like cardiovascular, mental health diseases or obesity. This is because they pose serious and acute threat to public health than the other diseases; for instance Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS. It is prudent that a nation’s public health policy does not discriminate against migrants in regard to provision of health care services.
Access to public health facilities should be inclusive of all population constituents because that will reduce health risks posed by migrants to the entire UK population. There are a number of most rated impedances to public health care system that need to be addressed comprehensively if meaningful healthcare is to be achieved. Current screening practices in the entire EU bloc should be improved and information shared across borders. There should be an articulate communication channel to address any health issue that arises. The third issue should be directed at rectifying inaccessible healthcare services for immigrants. The entire EU bloc has to develop a consensus on how to resolve matters of arising cases of infectious diseases that are related to migration. “…the increasing internal movement of goods and people encourage the spread of infection,” (Weiss and McMichael, 2004).
Epidemiological Trends in the United Kingdom
Cardiovascular disease put a great burden of illness not only in UK but also globally. However, the epidemiologic trends have beenvery encouraging. Morbidity rate from cardiovasculardisease has fallen by at least 50% in most countries from about 1980to 2000. Capewell, (2009) illustrates that, “Some two-thirds of this decline can be attributed toa decrease in adverse events and reflects reductions in theprevalence of major risk factors. The remaining third is attributableto reduced case-fatality rates, owing mainly to treatments. “Mortality as a result of cardiovascular disease fell by 30% in between 2002 and 2005” (Capewell, 2009). The declineis registered to b slightly more for acute myocardial infarction than for strokeand heart failure and hospitalization rates for stroke and heartfailure fell by 27%, whereas age-adjusted hospital admissionrates for acute myocardial infarction apparently fell by only9% (O’Flaherty, Bishop, Redpath, 2007). The true proportion of the rate of cardiovascular disease among the UK population is probably greater but concealed bythe effects of the aging and growth of the population, by diagnosticchanges that have inflated patient numbers and by the countingof episodes rather than of patients (MacIntyre, Murphy, Chalmers 2000). The practice by UK hospitals and Clinics of recoding diagnoses to maximize income may also have contributedto the apparent 33% decline of in-hospital case-fatality ratesamong patients with acute myocardial infarction. In contrast, “reductions in case-fatality rates due to stroke and heart failurewere relatively modest” (MacIntyre, Murphy, Chalmers 2000). An increase in the average age of patientsin UK, as elsewhere, was consistent with a compressionof morbidity, which means that disease commences at a laterage and affects a shorter period of the total life span and itis crucial to note that, most deaths occurred outside of hospital,many among individuals with no prior diagnosis of cardiovasculardisease (MacIntyre, Murphy, Chalmers 2000).
The evaluation of UK situation, specificto UK and based on data of adequate quality, it is acknowledgedlimitations included its analysis of episodes rather than individuals,leaving open the possibility that a greater reduction in incident-relatedhospitalizations may have occurred but been obscured by an increasein recurrent admissions (Ford, Ajani, Croft, 2007). A lack of information on case mix meansthat severity of disease may have declined as thresholds foradmission to hospital were relaxed. The apparent decline incase-fatality rates may thus have been inflated.The decrease in prevalence rate of cardiovascular diseases in UK is of great significance in health management. In comparison to other European ountries, McIntyre and colleague as quoted by O’Flaherty, Ford and Allender, (2008) found that admissionsfor chest pain and unstable angina increased by about 40% whilerates of myocardial infarction declined by about 30%. In theNetherlands, a study by Koek and colleagues using a similarapproach found that rates of myocardial infarction declinedby 20% Such studies provide valuable information for quantifying trendsin burden of disease and making cautious projections. It isproblematic, however, to assume that rates of hospitalizationrepresent an accurate measure of incidence or that they canbe used to estimate prevalence directly. Puting a clear relationbetween trends in mortality and hospital admission and changesin medical and surgical treatments is also complex (MacIntyre, Murphy, Chalmers 2000). Furthermore,many out-of-hospital deaths among people with no prior diagnosisof cardiovascular disease are always sudden, and therefore amenable onlyto primary prevention.
Trends in cardiovascular disease over the last 3 decades, however,show a striking similarity, Ford and colleagues as quoeted by MacIntyre, Murphy, Chalmers (2000), recently reporteda “43% total decline in deaths due to coronary heart diseasebetween 1980 and 2000. Using a validated and comprehensive policymodel, they attributed about 47% of this reduction to specificmedical therapies”. Among these therapies, revascularizationmade a limited contribution. Koek, de Bruin and Gast, (2000) illustrates that, “a decrease in the prevalenceof major risk factors potentially contributed to two-thirdsof the total decline in mortality rate in UK”. However, this mail stone was offset by an increase in rates of obesity anddiabetes, which were in turn compounded by persistence in theprevalence of smoking (particularly among younger age groups).The rates of hypertension cases that were previously in decline have now, ominously flattened. These adverse trends in seriousrisk factors for cardiovascular disease are worrying, especiallygiven recent similar trends in many other countries.
A stagnant of rates of death from cardiovasculardisease in younger age groups has now been reported in theUnited States, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere (MacIntyre, Murphy, and Chalmers 2000).This stall in progress is occurring in spite of the availabilityof evidence-based therapies for the majority of eligible patients.It is noted that, worsening trends in cardiovascular disease may be even greateramong people in socially deprived groups (Asaria, Chisholm, Mathers, 2007). Due to the fact that ratesof cardiovascular disease increase steeply with age, demographicaging compounded by an expansion in population in most industrializedcountries represents an iceberg of hidden cardiovascular diseasewhich will become visible in the very near future(Asaria, Chisholm, Mathers, 2007)..
The implications of the above epidemiological trends in the United Kingdom form the foundation of analysis of the impact of the cardiovascular disease not only to the population but also to the economic progress of the country and it is prudent to note that cardiovasculardisease will remain the most common cause of death for the nearfuture. Large numbers of individuals with cardiovascular diseasenormally flood hospitals and a given span of time they will be older and thusposemore challenging process of treatment. Therapeutic extension of life expectancywill be correspondingly shorter, forcing us to concentrate moreon improving quality of life rather than just prolonging itslightly.
Clinical Interventions
Prevention awareness campaign as a major clinical intervention in the fight a gaist cardiovascular diseases is vital this because over 80% of prematurecardiovascular disease is avoidable. Medications geared towards the reduction of lipids and blood pressure will help and the promotion of population-widecontrol of tobacco, cessation of smoking, a healthier diet andincreased physical activity is crucial (Asaria, Chisholm, Mathers, 2007). A big and a significant impact ismade by such interventions at the global, national and provinciallevels, potentially halving the future burden of cardiovasculardisease (Aslan, Critchley, Capewell, 2005). Aslan, Critchley, Capewell, (2005), further explains that, feasible policy; legislative and fiscal measurescould eradicate industrial trans-fats, halve the dietary intakeof saturated fats and salt, make fresh fruit and vegetablescheaper, increase physical activity and render smoking prohibitivelyexpensive. Healthcare professionals and practitioners have an immense responsibilityto support such initiatives, which are aimed at substantially reducingthe costly societal burden of cardiovascular disease in UK. However,tracking the effectiveness of preventive interventions willdemand regular, high-quality monitoring. All health stake holders should therefore look tofrom Statistics on UK cardiovascular disease trend and to other sourcesto provide hospitals and health centers reports on a regular basis. In this case, it will be easy to win the war of these diseases.
It is evident from this essay that public health is affected by a number of issues. Migration trends are crucial in understanding how infectious diseases spread across borders. It is vital to develop policies that are non discriminative in provision of healthcare services to an entire population if public health issues are to be adequately addressed.
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Easyjet passengers ordered off over-fuelled aircraft
January 11th, 2011 by elisa
A recent article in the Telegraph has reported on an Easyjet Boxing Day flight from Birmingham to Geneva blunder. The aircraft was apparently over-filled with 10 tonnes extra fuel so the captain asked the last 37 customers to board the plane to get off to lessen the load.
The pilot first said passengers who volunteered to get off would be given £100 and an overnight stay in a hotel. However, when some passengers refused to leave they were informed that three police officers were waiting in the airport terminal and would arrest them if necessary.
The remaining passengers might have felt lucky to have set off on the flight, but were unaware that some of their luggage had been removed from the flight to save weight also and some did not received their baggage for another five days.
A spokesperson for Easyjet said: “We’d like to sincerely apologise to the passengers affected by the weight restrictions on the flight from Birmingham, resulting in some passengers and bags being offloaded.
“The cause of the weight restriction was due to a fuelling error which resulted in the aircraft taking on too much fuel, and therefore being too heavy for take off when fully loaded.
“An investigation has been launched to understand how this happened.”
Discount airlines
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Tagged / CHED
More Newton Fund opportunities announced
BU research, Funding opportunities, Global engagement, student research, Training Emily Cieciura
In addition to the Newton Fund opportunities previously announced, the following new calls have been added, with their closing dates:
INDIA- Cultural Heritage and Rapid Urbanisation in India 22/09/15 (4pm GMT)
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) are pleased to announce a joint call for Research Networking projects addressing the theme of ‘Cultural Heritage and Rapid Urbanisation in India’.
PHILIPPINES- Newton PhD Placements Programme 22/09/15 (4pm GMT)
On behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills of the UK Government (BIS), the British Council, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) are pleased to offer the Newton PhD Programmes. The aim of the Newton PhD Programmes is to facilitate the capacity building of individuals, and the building of sustainable, long-lasting links between the UK and the Philippines through the DOST-Newton PhD Scholarships and the Newton PhD Placements with CHED.
CHINA- PhD Placements and Supervisor Mobility Grants China-UK 10/10/15 (11:59 pm GMT)
Grants to sponsor PhD students and their supervisors from the UK and China to spend a period of study of between three and 12 months (for PhD students) and up to three months (for supervisors) at higher education institutions in China or the UK. Placements must start between January and December 2016
If you wish to apply for any of these, please contact Emily Cieciura, Research Facilitator – EU & International, as soon as possible.
Tags: AHRC BIS British Council Business Innovation and Skills CHED China Commission on Higher Education Department of Science and Technology DOST global india international Newton Fund PhD Philippines
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Dr. Mustapha is a frequent speaker at many national and international medical conventions and is founder and director of the AMPutation Prevention Symposium, the largest medical conference dedicated to the treatment and prevention of critical limb ischemia.
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Tenth Circuit: Question of Jurisdiction Must First be Determined Before Issue of Interaction of Federal Banking and State Foreclosure Laws
August 15, 2013 By Heidi Ray Leave a Comment
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals published its opinion in Dutcher v. Matheson on Tuesday, August 13, 2013.
In 2011, Stuart T. Matheson, a Utah-based attorney, conducted a non-judicial foreclosure sale on behalf of ReconTrust against the Dutchers. After that sale, the Dutchers, along with the other named plaintiffs, filed a class-action lawsuit in Utah state court alleging that Matheson and his law firm, ReconTrust, and Bank of America violated Utah law as it applies to non-judicial foreclosures. The defendants sought to remove the case to federal court and filed a motion to dismiss based in part on federal preemption. The district court held that it had jurisdiction and dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim.
Shortly thereafter, another district court in Utah concluded in a similar case that federal law did not preempt Utah state law. This led the plaintiffs in this case to file a motion for reconsideration. They also asked for leave to amend their complaint. The district court denied all motions. Plaintiffs appealed.
The central question was whether the court had subject matter jurisdiction to hear the case. A claim may be brought in federal court if the claim is one “arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 1331. When determining whether a claim arises under federal law, the court examines the well pleaded allegations of the complaint and ignores potential defenses.
The plaintiffs’ complaint did not assert any cause of action premised upon a violation of a federal statute or the Constitution. But the doctrine of complete preemption provides an exception to the well pleaded complaint rule. When the federal statute completely preempts the state law cause of action, a claim that comes within the scope of that cause of action, even if pleaded in terms of state law, is in reality based on federal law. Complete preemption is rare.
In the Tenth Circuit, a claim of complete preemption demands a two-part analysis: the first question is whether the federal question at issue preempts the state law relied on by the plaintiff; and second, whether Congress intended to allow removal in such a case, as manifested by the provision of a federal cause of action. The court concluded, after reviewing the holdings of other circuits who have reviewed the issue, that the absence of a federal cause of action precluded the court from relying on complete preemption as a jurisdictional basis for the district court to act.
The district court held in the alternative that diversity jurisdiction provided a basis for its jurisdiction. In order to invoke diversity jurisdiction, a party must show that complete diversity of citizenship exists between the adverse parties and that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. Complete diversity is lacking when any of the plaintiffs has the same residency as even a single defendant. Here, the plaintiffs and some of the defendants—Matheson and his law firm—shared a state of residency: Utah. The court was not persuaded that some of the defendants had been fraudulently joined.
Accordingly, the Tenth Circuit VACATED the district court’s dismissal of this action and the denial of the plaintiffs’ motions for reconsideration and to amend. The court REMANDED with instructions for the district court to determine whether it has jurisdiction to act.
Filed Under: Case Law Tagged With: 10th Circuit, federal preemption, foreclosure, litigation, subject matter jurisdiction
Colorado Court of Appeals: Announcement Sheet, 8/15/13
August 15, 2013 By Susan Hoyt Leave a Comment
On Thursday, August 15, 2013, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued seven published opinions and 37 unpublished opinions.
People v. Presson
People v. Russell
People v. Johnson
Mountain-Plains Investment Corp. v. Parker Jordan Metropolitan District
Yotes, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office
CapitalValue Advisors, LLC v. K2D, Inc.
Winter v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office
Summaries for these cases are forthcoming, courtesy of The Colorado Lawyer.
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Home » Blog » Board Does Not Fulfill its Duty to Assist in Herbicide Exposure Claim
Board Does Not Fulfill its Duty to Assist in Herbicide Exposure Claim
Friday May 19, 2017 Last Updated: January 3rd, 2019 CCKBlog
Summary of the Case: DMZ Veteran and Herbicide Exposure
The Veteran served in the United States Air Force from August 1968 to August 1972, including service in Korea during the Vietnam War. He served as a security policeman and stated that he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at the Korea Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for training.
In April 2002, the Veteran filed a claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, and the Regional Office (RO) denied his claim in March 2003. In August 2006, the Veteran filed a claim to reopen his claim for service connection for diabetes. The Veteran later submitted a statement in January 2007 stating that he was stationed in the DMZ in 1969 and 1970. The RO denied the Veteran’s claim to reopen in February 2009. The Veteran appealed this decision to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
In its decision, the Board granted the Veteran the reopening of his claim, but denied the claim for service connection on the merits. VA indicated that the Veteran indicated serving at the DMZ during “April 1968 and July.” The Board only required VA to obtain service records for March and April of 1968 in order to try to corroborate the veteran’s DMZ service. However, the Veteran and VA both stated that the Veteran had service in the DMZ beyond that two-month period. CCK appealed the Board’s denial to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).
Court Rules that the Board did not Fulfill its Duty to Assist and Remands the Case
CCK successfully appealed to the CAVC the Veteran’s Board decision that denied him service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, including as due to herbicide exposure. The Court found that the Board erred in only requiring VA to search for records during March and April of 1968. The Court ruled that the duty to assist required VA to request records for multiple two-month windows within the time that the veteran indicated he was at the DMZ in order to attempt to verify this service. Due to these rulings, the Court vacated the Board’s decision and remanded the case back to the Board with an order that it require VA to obtain service records for the entire period that the veteran indicated he served at the DMZ.
To read the Court’s decision, click here.
Board Provided Inadequate Statement of Reasons or Bases for Denying Service Connection for Left Knee Disability
Board failed to provide adequate reasons and bases for extraschedular denial
Court holds the Board must consider applicable VA Fast Letter
Board misinterpreted and misapplied the law in psychiatric disorder denial Continue Reading »
Remands from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Under Appeals Reform Continue Reading »
CCK Successfully Argues for Reversal of the Board’s Presumption of Soundness Determination Continue Reading »
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Lowering Youth Unemployment in Asia-Pacific through Youth Economic Citizenship Education
News News from the Network
Asia-Pacific, as a region, accounts for more than half of the world’s unemployed youth – about 220 million young people. In response to the urgency of this issue, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Bank of Thailand (BOT), and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (SEC) organized the OECD/Thailand Seminar on Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy in Asia in Bangkok, Thailand last December 16-17, 2014.
Bringing together more than 150 international experts from 30 countries in Asia-Pacific, the seminar tackled topics related to advancing financial inclusion and financial literacy within the Asia-Pacific, with a primary focus on national strategies addressing:
the emerging topic of financial education’s role in supporting micro-, small-, and medium-entrepreneurs (MSME’s),
the complementary nature of financial education and consumer protection,
measuring the impact of financial education.
How Economic Citizenship Education can Boost Youth Entrepreneurship and MSMEs
Rene Cuartero, Child & Youth Finance International’s Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, stressed the key role which Economic Citizenship Education (ECE) – a curriculum which combines financial, social and livelihoods education - can play as a driver for youth entrepreneurship in the Asia-Pacific.
As young people dictate the future of the region, investing in young people’s ECE is vital to ultimately empower young people to have the capacity to make good financial decisions, find the work they want, or establish their own enterprise. By receiving ECE young people’s interest, initiative and confidence in starting their own entrepreneurial initiatives can be vastly increased – contributing to the emerging importance of MSMEs to stimulate job creation and drive overall economic growth.
The author of this article is Rene Cuartero, Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific at CYFI
Rene leads CYFI's efforts in Asia and the Pacific, a region he holds close to his heart. He finished his BSc Economics and BSc Financial Management studies in the Philippines, and his MSc International Management in the Netherlands. During his diplomacy courses he realized that his true passion lies and has always been in creating meaningful impact for future generations – a passion that led him to CYFI. Rene considers himself as a “Global Filipino” and is always enthusiastic to learn and grow his expertise in business, international affairs, and pop music.
Young Entrepreneurs APAC OECD economic citizenship Asia & The Pacific
APEC Guidebook on Financial and Economic Literacy
The APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Guidebook on Financial and Economic Literacy in Basic Education, released earlier this month, is set to be a valuable resource for policy makers and practitioners concentrating on financial and economic education at the primary and early secondary school level. The Guidebook demonstrates how to design and implement learning activities related to financial and economic literacy for children and youth.
Child & Youth Finance International joined the World Bank, OECD, Aflatoun, and national authorities from Australia, Canada, China, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States in setting the outline and content of the Guidebook in September 2012. CYFI’s Global Evaluation and Engagement department contributed to the chapter on resource mobilization and edited the rationale and curriculum integration chapters.
The report comes the month after the APEC celebrated 25 years of being the primary forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
APAC Asia & The Pacific Financial Literacy Guidebook
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Home Projects AVL Upgrade Video Switcher Upgrade in Austin
Video Switcher Upgrade in Austin
Images courtesy of Roland.
Theater at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, Austin, Texas
When St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Austin, Texas, needed to update its AV production capabilities, it recently worked with local AV systems dealer and integrator Intelligent Lighting Services. The company recommended the Roland V-60HD HD Video Switcher, which is now installed as the central hub in the school’s newly revamped production department.
“The Roland V-60HD switcher was the perfect choice for the school,” says Eric Bernstein, co-owner of Intelligent Lighting Services. “It’s incredibly simple and straightforward to operate, which you want in a school setting where most of the operators will be the students themselves as well as their teachers, but you’re not giving up any professional features or performance.”
“It’s incredibly simple and straightforward to operate, which you want in a school setting where most of the operators will be the students themselves...." Eric Bernstein, Co-Owner, Intelligent Lighting Services, Austin, TX
Efficiency in performance
For instance, says Bernstein, routing and mixing on the V-60HD is highly automated: The HDMI multiview output enables viewing eight inputs, as well as program and preview, on a single monitor with audio level display. The unit enables live switching of HD and computer-video formats without requiring external scan converters. It supports up to eight inputs with four SDI and two HDMI, plus two still image files. The HDMI inputs support video and computer resolutions, allowing mixing of video and computer graphic formats. Two SDI and two HDMI-assignable outputs support program and preview, and auxiliary busses easily send discreet outputs to separate displays. End users can apply the multi-channel audio embed function to record eight discreet audio channels to an SDI video recorder to fix audio issues in later editing or separate multi-language audio sources post-event. In addition, audio auto-mixing automatically adjusts audio level, ensuring even levels for the room mix, recordings, or live streaming.
Roland V-60HD Multi-Format HD Video Switcher
“Students can also run the V-60HD remotely through the LAN port using Roland’s Remote-Control Software from PC or Mac, which gives students and teachers a lot of flexibility,” Bernstein says. “We brought the school’s entire AV complement to the next level, for instance replacing their older conventional-lamp projector with a laser model, so we needed a high-definition switcher to match that – something that had a lot of features but would be appropriate for an educational setting. The Roland V-60HD met all criteria and then some.”
“[The Roland V-60HD] made switching between multiple input sources, such as video and slide shows, so much easier and efficient, and we’ve only just scratched the surface with it." Ivan Klousia,, Director of Theatre, Fine Arts Department, St. Michael's Catholic Academy, Austin, TX
Ivan Klousia, director of theatre in the school’s fine arts department, and who oversees all of St. Michael’s theatrical activities, says that the V-60HD has been an excellent fit for the school. “It’s made switching between multiple input sources, such as video and slide shows, so much easier and efficient, and we’ve only just scratched the surface with it,” he says.
Other departments within the school have also been using the V-60HD with similar outcomes. “We have a pretty robust film department here, and they’ve been using the switching capabilities and the ease with which it supports various formats to great effect,” he says. In addition, visiting presenters are happy to find a state-of-the-art switcher in the high school. Klousia notes that the school recently had Erik Weihenmayer, an American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker, and the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, as a guest speaker. “His team was able to plug right into the V-60HD and had Erik’s slides and video on the screen effortlessly,” he says. “It adds to the school’s prestige to have the kind of technology that can accommodate presentations like that.” Klousia says he’s looking forward to the summer break, when he’ll be able to delve deeper into the V-60HD’s capabilities. “I’m sure all of the students in the department will be able to master it in no time, too.”
To learn more about the Roland V-60HD, visit https://proav.roland.com/global/products/v-60hd/.
avl design video News
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Jason Dunham Memorial to honor Marine at Freedom Motorsports Park
Corporal Jason Dunham of Western New York, killed in Iraq on 2004.
By Larry Ott|Published Thu, Jul 4, 2019 |Updated Thu, Jul 4, 2019
For Dan and Deb Dunham of Scio, the pain and sorrow that has accompanied the passing of their son, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, during an act of military bravery and heroism 15 years ago will never go away. They live with it each day.
Yet, it means so much when from time to time they are brought comfort by those who remember including, friends, community, the military, Jason's former Marine comrades and also the local auto racing community of which the Dunham family has been part of for many years.
On Friday, Freedom Motorsports Park will host the annual United Late Model Series (ULMS) Jason Dunham Memorial in honor and remembrance of Dunham, who delivered the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Dunham was posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor for actions while conducting a reconnaissance mission during the Iraq War. While on patrol in Husaybah on April 14, 2004, his unit was attacked and he deliberately covered an enemy grenade to save nearby Marines. Dunham was gravely injured and died eight days later at the age of 22.
Dunham also has a U.S. naval ship named in his honor, the USS Jason Dunham.
"I love the fact that this race remembers Jason," Deb said. "Families remember when we lose a family member, but the Marines, the Navy and the racing community remembers Jason on more than just Memorial Day. By remembering Jason, they also remember our active military and our fallen military that have given us our freedom."
Dan says the grieving goes on, but events like the Dunham Memorial have healing power.
"What sometimes people don't understand is that there is an old saying that the death of a loved one gets easier with time. That's a lie," Dan said. "Today, 15 years later, it's like I held Jason's hand yesterday. We still cry. We still have emotional problems.
"But all this outpouring from the outside is also part of our healing and keeps us driving forward. When someone calls and says that they are remembering Jason today or they say they remember when Jason did this or did that or are you guys doing all right and we still get that, it keeps us moving on and holding onto Jason. It's keeps Jason here with us."
"It's quite an emotional loss," Deb said. "When we go to gatherings or something people will say, 'Oh it's so nice to see all the family together,' but Dan and I will look at each other and say, 'No, not everyone is here.' It's a comfort and an honor that so many people remember Jason and are willing to hold a memorial race where you can also say, 'Hey guys we still have active military that are wounded and those who have fallen.'
"The racing community is special. There's competition on the track and in the pits, but if it comes to helping each other as people in difficult times, the racing people are there."
Jason actually extended his service time because of the dedication to his Marine buddies.
"I think we take for granted sometimes the sacrifices our military have made for us," Dan said. "In July of 2000, Jason joined the military. He was 17 and got our permission to do the delayed entry program. He actually went in when he was 18. Jason was actually scheduled to be out of the Marines before his deployment in 2004, but he decided to extend his service because the guys he trained with were in and he wanted to go out with them.
"He planned on becoming a state trooper when he got out."
Jason is the oldest of four siblings, joining Justin (now age 36), Kyle (30) and Katie (26).
"I raced about 22 years," Dan said. "Early on as a youngster Jason helped out with my race cars and he pretty much did so right up until he went in the military. He was a big part of the team for at least eight to 10 years helping around the garage and at the track. He asked me if I could get another race car after he got out of the military because I raced the dirt Late Models for awhile.
"In 2007 or 20o8, I actually did get a car. My brother and I put it together. I won a race in 2008 and got out and dedicated it to Jason and I haven't been in a race car since and I don't plan to ever be again."
Over the years Dan raced in various classes and at different tracks. He won championships at McKean County Raceway in Pennsylvania and another at Bradford Speedway, also in Pennsylvania, and raced Late Models in Ohio and Canada.
"I think I hit most every track within an eight-hour drive from home," he said. "I started in Street Stocks and I ended in dirt Late Models."
Dan is also a veteran, having served in the Air Force from 1979 to 1982.
"Different tracks have hosted our son's memorial race over the years," Dan said. "Chris Zuver (ULMS director) has put on this race faithfully each year. He's a good guy and we are grateful for what he has done for us. I'm happy when anybody in an aspect remembers not only Jason but all our fallen veterans."
The ULMS Super Late Models, DIRT.car Sportsman, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks and Bandits will all partake in Freedom's 7:30 p.m. Friday card.
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The Left Archive: “Advance” from the Socialist Party of Ireland, 1977 December 31, 2007
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Left Online Document Archive, Socialist Party of Ireland (SPI).
spi-1977-2.pdf
As 2007 wanes, let’s cast our minds back some 30 odd years to the heady days of 1977. The year of punk, of monarchist celebrations in the UK, a failed UWC strike. And here in Ballymun and North County Dublin we have – by way of an anonymous donation – the newspaper of the Socialist Party of Ireland from 1977. Now, it’s important to make a distinction between the SPI in 1977 and the CWI orientated SP of today. The SPI was – as a most informative, and seemingly broadly accurate wiki entry says – a sort of proto-split from Official Sinn Féin established in 1971. The SPI regarded OSF as insufficiently Marxist (one wonders at who was the ultra-leftist jibe directed – step forward Mr. Costello). However, it also considered the CPI unworthy as a Marxist party.
What is interesting is that this line led it in a curious trajectory towards engagement with a number of other groups such as the indefatigable British and Irish Communist Organisation who found like minds as regards Provisional Sinn Féin and the national question. What is of particular interest is the strong emphasis on social rights issues. The SPI campaigned for divorce, contraception and abortion.
The end point of the trajectory was the Democratic Socialist Party with Jim Kemmy, where much of BICO also ended up. Still, I knew people in the WP in the early 1980s who had joined between 1977 and 1982 in some numbers.
The wiki entry says that Eamonn O’Brien, who in this edition of Advance is lauded as the SP TD for Ballymun, managed to get 6% of the vote in Dublin County North at the election and that ‘this encouraged OSF on the parliamentary road’. Well, yeah. Perhaps. Although I seem to recall a spot of bother in 1969 over abstention which might have had a bearing on OSF’s position long before 1977.
Advance is in fact quite a professional production. The design is good. Kudos to them for the star and torches logo. I’m wondering where they swiped that particular formulation from. There is a strong, and remarkably positive, emphasis on local issues. Internationally there is an identification with Moscow line parties and a run-down of some of the glories of the centrally planned Eastern European economies. There is little mention of PSF or PIRA, but the editorial speaks of:
…the Party [making] the most determined effort yet to eliminate bourgeois nationalism from the labour movement. Its realistic policy self-determination and democratic renewal for the people of Northern Ireland is proven more correct every day as the various paramilitary groups produce ever more futile mutual slaughter and destruction. However, it is still the case that many people with progressive and socialist ideas remain blinded by bourgeois nationalism and have departed completely from Marxism-Leninism in order to favour one or other of the competing paramilitary groups.
The cynic in me suggests that this was a deliberate downplaying of their more scarifying policy on the North for electoral purposes. But perhaps there is another reason. In fairness it seems like a better read that the Irish People posted up in the Archive earlier in the year. But then, the cynic in me also suggests that that wouldn’t be difficult.
1. Peter Regan - December 31, 2007
The cover opens as a .jpeg but nothing else?
Best wishes for 2008 to yourself and the anonymous contributors who scan in these great journals from the 70’s
2. WorldbyStorm - December 31, 2007
Sorry Peter, my apologies. I’m adding it as a PDF to the front of post. Happy New Year to you as well and thanks for taking the time to look at this stuff…
3. Peter Regan - January 2, 2008
I found this at –
http://www.cil.ie/sh618x4064.html
“Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Labour, represents the Ballymun-Whitehall area and is on the board of Ballymun Regeneration Ltd which is building a new town on Dublin’s Northside to replace the Ballymun high-rise flats. He was first elected a Councillor in 1985, and served as Deputy Lord Mayor in 1993-4.
In 1987 he was involved in ridding Dublin City of its gaming machines by having the 1953 Gaming and Lotteries Act rescinded.
Councillor O’Brien has a profound love of the sea and has said he is delighted to be appointed a Commissioner of Irish Lights. He has also been selected to serve for a 5 year term on the board of Dublin Port Company.
Councillor O’Brien took his seat on the Board on 24 September 1999”
To get rid of gaming machines was excellent. Fair dues to him!
4. WorldbyStorm - January 2, 2008
Indeed, also got to note his premature Labourism, something that took other SPI/WP/DLers a good decade and a half more!
5. Joe - January 2, 2008
Not sure about your decade and a half WBS. O’Brien stayed with the WP after the DL split and, if memory serves, was actually proposed for Party President at a subsequent Ard Fheis. Marian Donnelly from Derry beat him I think – my guess is that O’Brien was proposed as a sort of blind to show that the Party still existed in Dublin and the South. Anyway a year or two later he left the WP – presumably after a local row, he was always independent minded and probably had enough of being told what to do by HQ and its local manager – and went straight into Labour while DL still chugged on for a few more years before following him. Lost his Council seat in the SF landslide last time. PS: He was a CIE busman by trade.
My mistake Joe!
7. Starkadder - January 2, 2008
Happy New Year WBS.
Interesting to read about the infamous Father Paul Marx
on in the pamphlet. As I remember, Marx was often invited
to Ireland to support people like William Binchy,
Des Hanafin and John O’Reilly in the anti-abortion
Happy New Year to you as well.
God, yes, long time since I heard of him… ah the memories… (shudder!)
This Socialist party was linked with the “Socialists Against
Nationalism” pressure group, if I remember correctly.
SAN (or “Tories Against Reality”, as its opponents called it)
campaigned against Articles 2 & 3 and the H-Block
Hunger Strikes. Jim Kemmy was in it, and I’m sure Manus
O’Riordan and Fergus Brogan were too.
10. Left Archive: Outline policy on Church and State – Democratic Socialist Party, c1981 « The Cedar Lounge Revolution - March 7, 2011
[…] anti-Republican. In that respect there was some crossover of activities with both BICO and the Socialist Party of Ireland (1970s). Kemmy was elected to the Dáíl in 1982 where he remained until well after the merger of […]
11. Left Candidates from … The 1977 General Election « The Cedar Lounge Revolution - April 16, 2011
[…] Party of Ireland Eamonn O’Brien -Dublin County North […]
12. Left Archive: Advance, No. 22 July-August, 1976, Socialist Party of Ireland [1970s] « The Cedar Lounge Revolution - November 21, 2011
[…] issue of Advance from 1976 is, like the other copy in the Archive, a well produced document from the Socialist Party of Ireland, a relatively small […]
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The Search for Al Qaeda
Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future
Riedel, Bruce O.
Al Qaeda is the most dangerous terrorist movement in history. Yet most people in the Americas and Europe know very little about it, or their view is clouded by misperceptions and half truths. If the first rule of war is to "know your enemy," then we have a long way to go. This important book fills this gap with a comprehensive analysis of al Qaeda--the origins, leadership, ideology, and strategy of the terrorist network that brought down the Twin Towers and continues to threaten us today. Bruce Riedel is an expert on the Middle East and South Asia, with thirty years of intelligence and policymaking experience. He was actually in the White House Situation Room during the 9/11 attacks, serving as special assistant to the president and National Security Council senior director for Near East Affairs. He draws on this insider experience in profiling the four most important figures in the al Qaeda movement: Osama bin Laden, its creator and charismatic leader; ideologue Ayman Zawahiri, its Egyptian coleader and principal spokesman; Abu Musaib al Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq until his death in 2006; and Mullah Omar, its Taliban host. These profiles provide the base from which Riedel delivers a much clearer understanding of al Qaeda and what must be done to counter it. The Search for al Qaeda reviews how al Qaeda was created and developed, presenting authoritative and chilling background on "The Manhattan Raid," but Riedel focuses more closely on what has happened to it since that awful day. He outlines al Qaeda's ultimate goals, which are to drive America out of the Muslim world, to destroy Israel, and to create a jihadist caliphate larger than the Ottoman Empire at its height. The profiles and subsequent analysis reveal the network's multipronged strategy for accomplishing those goals: * Draw America into "bleeding wars" like the one that drove the Soviets from Afghanistan. * Build a safe haven for al Qaeda in Pakistan. * Develop other "franchises" in the Islamic world that can overthrow pro-American regimes. * Conduct more Western attacks along the lines of 9/11 or the transit bombings in Madrid and London. The book concludes with a strategy for dealing with--and defeating--this most dangerous menace.
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, c2008.
Read more reviews of The Search for Al Qaeda at iDreamBooks.com
Ẓawāhirī, Ayman.
Bin Laden, Osama, 1957-2011
Muhammad Omar, Mullah, 1960-2013
Zarqāwī, Abū Muṣʻab, 1966-2006.
Qaida (Organization)
Ideology.
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The Cobots
4-6 Axis Cobots
AUBO: OUR-1
Automata: Eva
Carbon: KATIA
COMAU: Racer 3 & 5
Denso: Cobotta
F&P: P-Rob-2
Fanuc: CR-35iA
HY Robotics: HCR-5
Kawada: Nextage
Kawasaki Robotics: duAro
Kinova: JACO & MICO
MABI: Speedy 10
Precise Automation
Stäubli: TX2
Techman: TM5
Universal Robots: UR3, UR5, UR10
Yaskawa: Motoman HC10
7 Axis Cobots
ABB: Yumi
KUKA: LBR IIWA
Productive Robotics: OB7
Rethink: Baxter
Rethink: Sawyer
Applied Robotics
BarrettHand
Chanto
Empire Robotics
OnRobot
RightHand Robotics
Robotiq
Schmalz
qb robotics
Weiss Robotics
Work Assistant
Set Up A Cobot
PR Portal
Cobot Safety
IP Ratings Chart
Does Robotic Automation Kill Jobs?
by Preston Summers
When the general public hears the word “robot”, many either think of robots that will become smarter than us and eventually enslave the human race, or picture robots taking away all of our jobs. Fortunately, the point of singularity–when robots match human intelligence–is a hotly debated topic, and scientists are unsure about its possibility. Even those who think it will happen posit that it will be in the distant future. As for the possibility of robots displacing everyone from their jobs, this just isn’t the case. Let’s look at the evidence:
In the six years leading up to 2016, there were 135,000 new industrial robots installed throughout the United States, mainly in the race to automate the automobile manufacturing industry. There’s another scary word–automate. These one hundred-thousand plus robots certainly killed jobs right? Intuition leads us to say, “well, of course,” but when we looked at the data, the evidence actually revealed the contrary. During that same six year period, in the automotive manufacturing industry alone, 230,000 new jobs were added. So if automation doesn’t kill jobs, how does it create opportunity for more jobs?
To answer that question, let’s look at Waison Group, a manufacturer of power distribution and energy management products that deployed multiple Rethink collaborative robots in their operation to automate repetitive parts assembly tasks. Liao Qianzhong, general manager of production, told Modern Materials Handling that they are “just beginning to introduce this level of automation into [their] manufacturing processes…[which] will enable [them] to speed up production and migrate to smart manufacturing”. In seven months after Waison Group deployed collaborative robots in their workforce, productivity improved 45%, while operating costs and product defect rates decreased by 25% and 50%, respectively. According to Qianzhong, the increase in output and profitability enabled Waison Group to retrain “workers who were previously on the assembly line,” and assign them to higher “value-added” positions. Waison Group is just one example of a company that reaped the benefits of updating their manufacturing processes. (ref.1)
Franke Küchentechnik AG, a Swiss company that produces kitchen sinks, is another case where collaborative robots helped automate part of the assembly process and boost productivity, without impacting jobs. Franke implemented Universal Robots’ UR5 to automate and increase precision in the repetitive task of gluing mounting blocks to each side of their aluminum sinks. The collaborative robot is decreasing the likelihood of human error while reducing waste with more precise gluing. By automating a highly repetative assembly task, Franke has freed up labor resources for the company to use in other value-added, more satisfying jobs, thus increasing productivity and employee morale. (ref.2)
Contrary to what intuition leads us to believe, when robotics are introduced in the workforce, employment generally increases. Automation enables companies to make better products and cut costs in production, allowing money to be spent on expansion and retraining employees for higher value-added positions. Robotic automation is the future, but we need not be afraid–it will result in a net benefit to the global economy and ultimately the human race.
1 MMH
Author: Preston Summers
Cobots News Online
Barrier-free, ‘collaborative’ robots
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Collaborative robots market to $4.28 billion 2023
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Collaborative Robot Polishes Speaker Cabinet
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Manufacturers rapidly rolling out 'collaborative' robots, but half of low-skilled US jobs still at risk
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Popular Robots are Dangerously Easy to Hack, Cybersecurity Firm Says
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The Factory of the Future
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Teradyne Drops 9%, Takes Down Lam, AMAT: Trouble With [Universal] Robots
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A Human, a Bot, and a Manufacturing Shop: Welcome to the Future Workplace
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North American Robotics Market Surges 32 Percent in Unit Volume
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Productive Robotics Announces The Acquisition of Cobots Guide
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US Gives Midea Green Lights to Buy Kuka
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Rethink Robotics raises $18 million in New Funding
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Collaborative Robot Risks & Rewards
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Case study: A task for two collaborative robots
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Robot-as-a-Service? What next year will mean for robotics?
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Man and machine: The new collaborative workplace of the future
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IFR Report Offers Good News for Robot Developers
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Startup claims launch of ‘world’s first robot to sew complete garment’
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The $3.1B Collaborate 'Co-Bot' Market Isn't Hazard Free to Humans
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New Nitco solutions feature collaborative robotics and automation technology
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Collaborative Robots Market to Reach $3.3 Billion by 2022
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Collaborative robots: Tips and advice for beginners
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Machines on Ford production line can make coffee and give workers FIST BUMPS
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Safety Considerations with Collaborative Robots
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What are the best collaborative robots?
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Robots Being Employed As Receptionists
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DHL Runs Warehouse Pilot with Collaborative Robots
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Electrical & Electronics Industry expect 42% Annual Growth
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Cobot Investment Will Benefit Next Generation of Graduate Engineers
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Robots Un-Caged
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The Robot & AI Revolution I Robots will Change Work & Industry
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Meet the Cobots: Humans and Robots Together on the Factory Floor
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Countries with the Most Robots
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Americans think robots will steal jobs, but not theirs
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What Is An Average Price for a Collaborative Robot?
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2016 – The Year of Robot Democratization?
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The Facts about Co-Bot Robot sales
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Huntsville Teaching "Smart Jobs" instead of Manual Labor
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Cobots: Making It Safe for Humans, Robots to Work Side-by-Side
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Collaborative Robotics Market to Grow to $1 Billion by 2020
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Check Out How Much The Average American Works Each Year Compared To The French, The Germans, And The Koreans
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© 2017 CobotsGuide.com
US Gives Midea Green Lights to Buy Kuka Productive Robotics Announces The Acquisition of Cobots Guide
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Villanova on quest to earn third Big East Tournament title in four years
Jared Eprem New York Sports 2018 March 11, 2018 March 11, 2018 2 Minutes
Villanova secured its place in Big East history by becoming the third program in conference history to appear in four straight championship games after defeating Butler 87-68 Friday.
The Wildcats will have a chance to earn their fourth Big East conference championship as they take on Providence College on Saturday. A win would mark their third championship in four years and would move them into third place in all-time tournament victories.
This year’s team suffered three of its four losses in the month of February. However, it played two of its best games in the tournament, winning by an average of 21.5 points. Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright, however, doesn’t believe the time of year affects the team’s play.
“I think this year has been a unique year where we just had crazy injuries,” Wright said. “Now that we’ve got everybody back, we’re back kind of playing how we did before the injuries.”
Providence College is the lowest-seeded opponent Villanova has faced since the 2014-15 Xavier Musketeers, a game the Wildcats won by 17 points.
Wright does not believe the same outcome will translate just because his opponent is a low seed, stating that the Friars’ length and athleticism on defense can really disrupt the Wildcats’ offensive flow. He’s focused on making sure his team plays well on both sides of the ball.
“We’re more concerned with how good Cartwright is, how well Lindsey shoots the ball and how to defend them,” Wright said. “They do a great job defending us. We have to be able to score on them.”
Although Wright would not concede that the team is now hitting its stride, he did praise how well his unit defended against Butler, despite its 48 percent shooting clip in the game, a trait he said the team must continue if it wants to win Saturday.
“It might have been one of our best defensive efforts,” Wright said. “This is a hard league to defend in. So even though they shot 48 percent, I thought they (Villanova) played pretty well.”
The Wildcats have secured victories in eight of their last nine meetings with the Friars in the Big East Tournament. Wright will not change their play style to try on capitalize on their opponent’s fatigue after playing in two straight overtime games.
“We’ll be more concerned with what we do,” Wright said.
The championship game will tip at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Madison Square Garden.
Published by Jared Eprem
View all posts by Jared Eprem
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More than 1800 from banned countries entered US since travel ban was struck down
David Thornton
Since a federal judge suspended the enforcement of President Trump’s Executive Order temporarily halting the refugee resettlement program and immigration from seven countries, more than 1,800 refugees from the listed countries have immigrated to the United States. However, the number is consistent with figures prior to the Executive Order and does not indicate a stampede to immigrate before the ban is restored.
A Pew Research analysis of State Department data found that the largest numbers of refugees from banned countries came from Syria, Iraq and Somalia. There were 5,490 Syrians, 5,378 Iraqis and 4,480 Somalis. Only nine refugees were from Libya or Yemen. Admission of refugees from the seven countries almost totally halted after the Order was signed and then resumed after the federal court decision.
The total number of refugees from nations restricted by the Executive Order was not higher after the ban was reversed. The total number of refugees from the seven countries for Trump’s entire first month in office (Jan. 21 through Feb. 17) was 2,733. The number who arrived from those nations in Barack Obama’s last month in office was 2,883.
Refugees from the seven nations made up 45 percent of the total 6,095 refugees during Trump’s first month. Forty-three percent of these immigrants were Christian while 46 percent were Muslim. Each of the countries singled out has a Muslim majority, but several have significant Christian populations that have faced persecution from radicals.
So far, 36,217 refugees have been admitted during the current fiscal year, which began last October. Refugees from the restricted nations make up 49 percent of those immigrants.
The federal court order did not rescind the portion of the Executive Order that lowered the number of refugees allowed annually from 110,000 to 50,000. If this provision remains in place, only 14,000 additional refugees will be admitted until the next fiscal year begins.
The approval process for the recent refugee arrivals began 18 to 24 months ago. Before being admitted to the United States, they were screened and vetted by several federal agencies including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Since 2001, at least 72 immigrants from restricted countries were convicted on terror-related charges. Nevertheless, none of the successful terror attacks in recent years was carried out by citizens from the countries on the list. Many Iraqis have fought alongside American soldiers against al-Qaeda and ISIS. A leaked report from the Department of Homeland Security showed that the agency found citizenship to be an “unlikely indicator” of terrorist threats.
Since shortly after the ban was suspended, the White House has been considering rewriting the Executive Order to address the legal setback after initially vowing to prevail in court on appeal. So far, no revised Order has been forthcoming in spite of the president’s tweet on Feb. 9, more than two weeks ago, saying, “The security of our nation is at stake!”
Originally published on The Resurgent
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Silent Night for Religious Intolerance
Topics: Religion, Injustice, Faith, Religious Freedom
Silent Night for Religious Intolerance December 22, 2015 | By Peter Stockland
There was good news and bad news around an open letter released in Ottawa last week.
The bad news was the letter concerning the persecution of about 230 million Christians worldwide faced with “daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment, and torture.” An estimated 400 million more Christians face appalling discrimination in housing and jobs.
‘Inclusion’ to the Exclusion of Religious Freedom
A Message From Manning
Religion, Freedom, Citizenship
The good news is the post-Hanukkah/pre-Christmas missive came from Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Co-Chair of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and by Most Rev. Douglas Crosby, Bishop of Hamilton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In poised yet implacable words, these esteemed leaders of their two faiths laid out the case that even in a world awash in the blood of tormented minorities, virtually every credible human rights observer agrees Christians experience religious persecution more than any other faith group on a global scale and in absolute numbers.
They note both Pope Francis and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, have described what is happening to Christians in parts of the Middle East and Africa as outright genocide.
“From Egypt to Iran and from Iraq to Nigeria, Christian communities throughout the region experience persecution in various forms, ranging from state discrimination to intimidation by local populations to attacks by terror groups on churches,” Bishop Crosby and Rabbi Frydman-Kohl write. “In some countries this has (caused an) exodus of local Christians – an added tragedy given that many of these communities have existed for millennia in a region that is the birthplace of Christianity.”
The bad news is that the despite the calibre of the religious leaders making the plea, there was distressingly little news coverage from journalists who would normally run around in excited and ever-diminishing circles at the palest exhalation of the word “genocide.” Doubly troubling was that a rabbi and a bishop joining in common cause should itself have been a compelling news hook.
Given the blood-soaked history of Christians and Jews, the joint appeal merited natural attention at this time of year. More, it came only days after the release of a marvellous document from the Vatican’s Commission For Religious Relations With The Jews.
As the noted Anglican journalist Michael Coren wrote in the National Post, there is a sense of history being fully turned by the Vatican commission’s affirmation that Jews have never been excluded from salvation for refusing to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God. The commission goes even further when it says that salvation “is not a matter of (Christian) missionary efforts to convert Jews, but rather the expectation that the Lord will bring about the hour when we will all be united….”
These are not dusty theological points to glaze the eyes of secularists.
The contrary view, that Jews were anathema for refusing to profess Christ, was a ground for almost two millennia of horrifying persecutions and pogroms and violent hatred suffered by God’s chosen people, Israel. Historically, it justified the torments against Jews that Bishop Crosby and Rabbi Frydman-Kohl now protest against being inflicted on Christians in the Islamic world.
Surely days before Christmas, only hours after Hanukkah, such rapprochement and common cause by two of the world’s three great Abrahamic faiths is a good news story to be told by all. But no. It’s silent night for religious harmony and, oh, yeah, for Christians facing genocide.
The danger of that deepening silence affronted a friend recently as he was watching CBC’s Power and Politics discussion about Syrian refugees in Canada. One panelist, Supriya Dwivedi, said this: “(Stephen Harper) tried to come across as emotional but it was lost in all the Conservative…wink-wink, nudge-nudge of ‘we’re only accepting those who are most vulnerable’ which, as we know, were really code for Christian refugees and I think that that probably put a bad taste in a lot of Canadian’s mouths.”
What stunned my friend was that no one else on the panel spoke out. No one raised three axiomatic concerns: 1) Why do we suddenly need to speak in code about Christians? 2) How do we “all know” speaking about Christians creates a bad taste for Canadians? 3) Don’t we face a serious problem of emerging anti-Christian bigotry if 1 and 2 become persistently true?
The good news is Christian and Jewish leaders are joining voice to articulate what happens to the world when the bad news of religious intolerance is ignored.
Peter Stockland is Senior Writer with Cardus, and publisher of Convivium.
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CPJ urges Nepal to adopt free press recommendations
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai
Prime Minister of Nepal
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
Singhadurbar
By facsimile: + 977 1 4211 086
Dear Prime Minister:
The International Fact Finding and Advocacy Media Mission to Nepal that met with you in February has finished its review of specific provisions from the country's draft constitution that the Constituent Assembly will finalize by May 28. As one of the groups on the mission, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to encourage the assembly to incorporate the group's recommended changes before the constitution is finalized. The review and recommendations pertain to freedom of expression, the right to information, and freedom of the press.
In a 2011 analysis on Nepal, CPJ noted that political in-fighting has encouraged anti-media attacks, and that a failure to address violence against journalists both before and after the 2006 peace accord has established a deeply entrenched culture of impunity in the country. On the mission, we were encouraged by our interactions with representatives of Nepal's vibrant press, and by your own express wish to ensure that the constitution holds the strongest possible protections for journalists' rights.
We also welcome the explicit guarantees of media freedom already included in Article 4 of the draft constitution. However, in its current form, the draft allows potential legal restrictions on the mass media, including censorship of expressions deemed to be treasonous, according to the mission's review of the draft. CPJ believes these grounds are vague and open to abuse, and we support the mission's recommendation that the constitution be amended to ban all kinds of censorship. "International law regards any form of prior censorship with the greatest suspicion," the mission's review noted (original emphasis).
We urge you, along with party leaders and members of the Constituent Assembly, to comply with the mission's suggestions for revising these provisions, and thereby strengthen the guarantee of media freedom in accordance with international standards. We further support the mission's recommendations on freedom of expression and the right to information and believe that adopting all of these changes will create a more transparent environment for the media as well as for Nepal's fledgling democracy.
Thank you for your consideration.
Joel Simon
Constituent Assembly
International Fact Finding and Advocacy Media Mission
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Tag Archives: Ukraine
Reuters reported on Thursday that the Senate moved Wednesday to advert a shutdown of U.S. domestic security agency this weekend by voting to clear the way for funding a funding bill that does not include the immigration issue. The vote came shortly after an appeal from the current and two former Security secretaries appealed to Congress to avoid the shutdown and give full funding for the department of Homeland Security this year. The final hurdle for passage will fall to the conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives who still oppose the bill and procedural negotiations that could delay the final vote beyond Friday’s funding deadline for the department. The agency set up after 9/11 coordinates domestic efforts to combat security threats like the recent Somali based Islamic militants against U.S. shopping malls and encompasses the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration as well as border, immigration and several other federal agencies. The original bill would of funded the agency with $39.7 billion until Republicans against Democratic President Barack Obama’s executive order lifted deportation threats of undocumented immigrants got in the way causing Republicans to approve the bill adding a provision to ban spending on the order. This in turn caused a deadlock that lasted weeks between Republicans and Democrats leading up to Wednesday’s vote. The 98-2 vote cleared the way to take out the House’s immigration provisions and leave the vote on immigration orders for a later date under the plan designed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to end the deadlock. The overwhelming bipartisan support for McConnell’s approach means there is strong support for drama free funding for Homeland Security. Democrats have called for a clean Homeland bill all along without any immigration restrictions as Obama had threatened to veto the House passed measure. House Speaker John Boehner declined to tell Reuters if he would put the bill to a House vote even thought the deadline ends at midnight Friday. If no deal is reached, then Homeland Security would be forced to furlough about 30,000 employees or 15 percent of its workforce. This translate to many of the essential personnel such as airport and border security agents would have to wait to be paid until new funding is approved. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and some of his predecessors pleaded at a news conference for Congress to swiftly pass the funding bill. A cut-off in funds also would suspend grants to states to support local counter-terrorism activities.
As security issues at home become increasingly worrisome, the White House has said President Barack Obama would be open to negotiating with Congress for new authorization for military force against Islamic State militants including a three year limit on U.S. military action and use of American troops, according to the AP’s Nedra Pickler, Obama open to changes to military authority against IS. After a weeklong holiday break, lawmakers returned to Washington Monday and have started to consider the proposal with some Republicans saying it is too restrictive for the mission to succeed and some Democrats wanting more limitations on Obama’s authority so the U.S. doesn’t sign on for another open ended war. Obama is open to discussing every aspect of his proposal but firmly opposed to any geographic restriction on where the U.S. military pursues ISIS with strongholds in Iraq and Syria but have been operating across international boundaries. White House press secretary Josh Earnest stated, “I’m not at all going to be surprised if there are members of Congress who take a look at this legislation and decide, ‘Well, I think there are some things that we should tweak here, and if we do, we might be able to build some more support for. So I think it is fair for you to assume that this reflects a starting point in conversations.” Obama argues he doesn’t need new authority to legally pursue the militant group as he has been launching strikes based on authorizations given to President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. However, critics say Obama’s use of this authority is a stretch and the White House has taken a new position making it clear it doesn’t see reliance on this authorization as ideal. Once new authority is signed into law, the White House says Obama will mot longer rely on the 2001 approved authority to purse the group and rely solely on the new powers. The White House added that Congress could make that clear in the new authorization. The change also prevents any future president from interpreting the law the way Obama has since last year. On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department announced the arrest of three men accused of planning or supporting ISIS in Syria, AP’s Deepti Hajela reports, Feds: 3 accused in Islamic State plot vocal about beliefs. Two men are charged with plotting to help the Islamic State group as evident by both online and personal conversations about their commitment and desire to join the extremists, federal authorities reported. Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, was arrested at Kennedy Airport, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, with plans to head to Syria, authorities said. Another man, 24-year-old Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, had a ticket to travel to Istanbul next month and was arrested in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors said. The two were held without bail after a brief court appearance. A third defendant, Abror Habibov, 30, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts. He was ordered held without bail in Florida. If convicted, each faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton said this was the first public case in New York involving possible fighters going to the Islamic State, but he hinted at other ongoing investigations. According to the federal complaint, Saidakhmetov said he intended to shoot police officers and FBI agents if his plan to join the IS group in Syria was thwarted. Loretta Lynch, who is Obama’s choice to be U.S. attorney general, said “The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies.” The Islamic State group largely consists of Sunni militants from Iraq and Syria but has also drawn fighters from across the Muslim world and Europe.
While the U.S. fights to thwart and contain the Islamic State, the rest of the world has not been so lucky in keeping ISIS as bay. On Tuesday, AP’s Zeina Karam reported, Dozens of Christians abducted by Islamic militants in Syria, the Islamic State militants before dawn raided homes in a cluster of villages along the Khabur River in northeastern Syria abducting at least 70 Christians as thousands fled to safer areas. The captives’, mostly women and children, fate was unclear Tuesday as relatives said mobile phone service was cut off and land lines were not working and heavy fighting in the area was reported. The Islamic State group has a history of killing captives, including foreign journalists, Syrian soldiers and Kurdish militiamen. Most recently, militants in Libya affiliated with the extremist group released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. While the U.S. and coalition of regional partners conduct airstrikes against the group, the group has repeatedly targeted religious minorities since taking a third of both Syria and Iraq. The British based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights working with a network of activist in Syria have reported the number of Christians held by the group at 90. The extremists could use the Assyrian captives to try to arrange a prisoner swap with the Kurdish militias it is battling in northeastern Syria. Hassakeh province, where a majority of the captives come from, is strategically important due to sharing a border with Turkey and areas controlled by IS in Iraq. Kurdish militiamen from the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, backed by the coalition airstrikes, have made advances in the province in a new offensive launched this week. Heavy fighting broke out in the province Monday as Kurdish fighters and IS militants battled for control of villages near the Iraqi and Turkish borders. The Kurds have been one of the most effective foes of IS, a reputation they burnished in recent months by repelling an assault by the extremists on the town of Kobani on the Turkish border. The coalition carried out hundreds of airstrikes that helped the Kurds break the siege in January.
As the world tries to get a grip on the seemingly phantom group called ISIS, the ongoing ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia seems once again to have fallen apart as fighting continues to rage and Russia refuses to loosen its grip on Ukraine. On Wednesday, AP reported Russian courts refused to release Ukrainian prisoners whose fate has attracted global attention as Moscow’s City Court turned down an appeal by Nadezhda Savchenko’s lawyers leaving her to remain behind bars pending an investigation, according to the article, Russian court refuses to release Ukrainian prisoner. Savchenko, a Ukrainian military officer captured by Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine in June and put in custody in Russia, is awaiting trial on charges of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine. She denies the accusations. Russia claims Savchenko voluntarily crossed the border into Russia before she was detained, but she said she was dragged across the border into the Russian custody. Savchenko has been on a hunger strike since Dec. 13 demanding her release, and her lawyers on Wednesday voiced concern about her condition. More than 11,000 people including prominent cultural figures have petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin urging Savchenko’s release. Even while in jail, Savchenko was elected to the Ukrainian parliament and named a delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The European Union and the United States have urged her release. Pavel Polityuk and Anton Zverev reported, Kiev Says It Can’t Withdraw Weaponry As Attacks On Ukrainian Troops Persist, the Ukrainian military said Monday it could not leave the front line in the east as required by the ceasefire due to pro-Russian separatists who advanced last week were attacking its position making it difficult to withdraw heavy weaponry. A truce to end fighting that has killed more than 5,600 people appeared stillborn last week after rebels ignored it to capture the strategic town of Debaltseve in a punishing defeat for Kiev. Nevertheless, the peace deal’s European sponsors still hold out hope it can be salvaged, now that the Moscow-backed separatists have achieved that objective. Spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said in a televised briefing: “Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there can not yet be any talk of pulling back weapons.” Anatoly Stelmakh, another military spokesman, said rebel forces had attacked the village of Shyrokyne overnight, along the coast on the road to Mariupol, a port of half a million that Kiev fears could be the next big rebel target. Rebel commander Eduard Basurin denied the fighters had launched any such attack, and said the situation was calm. Nearly a million people have been driven from their homes by the war between pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine and government forces. Last week’s ceasefire was reached after the rebels abandoned a previous truce to launch their advance, arguing that previous battle lines had left their civilians vulnerable to government shelling. Kiev says the rebels are reinforcing near Mariupol for a possible assault on the port, the biggest city in the two rebellious provinces still in government hands. Defense analyst Dmytro Tymchuk, who has close ties to the military, said rebels had brought 350 fighters and 20 armored vehicles including six tanks to the area.
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Tagged Boehner, CIA ISIS, Coptic Christians, East Ukraine Truce, Egypt Libya Islamic State, Egyptians Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, FBI ISIS, homeland security, Homeland Security Funding, Isis, ISIS abductions Syria, ISIS Homeland Security, ISIS plot in US, Isis Syria, ISIS Threat, Islamic Caliphate, Islamic State, middle East, Migrant Workers, Mitch McConnell, Obama Isis, Obama war authority, POTUS, POTUS ISIS, Syria, Syria Fighting, Syria Violence, Syria War, Syria War Crimes, Syria War Crimes Investigation, Terrrorism, U.S. Congress, U.S. ISIS plot, U.S. ISIS Threat, U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Senate, Ukraine, Ukraine Ceasefire, Ukraine Civil War, Ukraine Crisis, Ukraine Fighting, Ukraine Peace Deal, Ukraine Pro Russia Separatists, UN War Crimes Panel, video, War Crimes ISIS, War Crimes Syria, WorldPost
September 20, 2014 by craftymcclever
Islamic State Hits Syria Hard As U.S. and Allies Ramp up Offensive, Ukraine and Russia Make Progress and Catalonia Looks For Independence Following Scotland’s Vote
On Thursday, Islamic State fighters besieged a Kurdish city in northern Syria after seizing 21 villages forcing neighboring Kurds in Turkey to call to arms followers to resist the group’s advance, Tom Perry and Laila Bassam report, Islamic State Seizes Syrian And Kurdish Villages In Major Assault. The attack on Ayn al-Arab, Kobani in Kurdish, came two days after U.S. military officials said the Syrian opposition would be needed in order for the Syrian Kurds to defeat the Islamic State. U.S. President Barack Obama last week said he would strike the radical Islamist group that used Syria as a base to advance its pan to reshape the Middle East according to the radical views of Sunni Islam. The United States is conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and now Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria. Ocalan Iso, deputy head of the Kurdish forces in Kobani, told Reuters via Skype, “We’ve lost touch with many of the residents living in the villages that ISIS (Islamic State) seized.” The Kurds appealed for military aid from other Kurdish group including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party who issued a call for young men in Turkey’s southeast to join the fight in norther Syria. On their website, in a statement, PKK said, “The youth of northern Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) should go to Kobani and take part in the historic, honorable resistance.” As night fell, a Reuters witness said 3,000 men, women and children waited at the Turkish border 6 miles from Kobani as Turkish forces stopped the crowd from crossing. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara: “We’re ready to help our brothers who are building up at the borders regardless of their ethnicity, religion and sect. But our priority is to deliver aid within Syria’s borders.” Redur Xelil, spokesman for the YPG, said Islamic State had encircled Kobani, telling Reuters via Skype.: “We call on world powers to move to halt this barbaric assault by ISIS.” Obama’s plan to expand support for groups fighting Islamic State in Syria focus on Sunni Muslim insurgents deemed moderate by Washington. On Friday, several thousand Syrians mostly Kurds crossed into Turkey finding refuge from the Islamic State militants who took over villages in northern Syria in the past 28 hours, the Associated Press reported, Syrian Kurds fleeing IS group cross into Turkey. In a statement on his website, Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq’s largely autonomous Kurdish region, said the Islamic State’s “barbaric and terrorist acts” on the Kobani area in northern Syria “threaten the whole entirety of the Kurdish nation and it has targeted the honor, dignity and existence of our people.” He also said, “The ISIS terrorists perpetrate crimes and tragedies wherever they are, therefore they have to be hit and defeated wherever they are.” The main Kurdish forces in Syria called the People’s Protection Unit or YPK have been battling the Islamic State for more than a year, but is viewed with suspicion by mainstream Syrian rebels and there Western supporters due to their supposed link to President Bashar Assad’s government. Meanwhile, France on Friday conducted its first airstrikes against the Islamic State group destroying a logistics depot that it controlled, Iraqi and French officials said, according to Jamey Keaten, France strikes Islamic State group’s depot in Iraq. President Francois Hollande confirmed the hit in northern Iraq, saying, “Other operations will follow in the coming days with the same goal – to weaken this terrorist organization and come to the aid of the Iraqi authorities. There are always risks in taking up a responsibility. I reduced the risks to a minimum.” Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi military, said four French airstrikes hit the town of Zumar, killing dozens of extremist fighters. France has become the first foreign country to publicly add military aid to the United Stated airstrikes against the group. In Washington, Congress approved with a vote of 78-22 in the Senate, a bill already approved by the House 273-156 Wednesday, to allow funding for the government after the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 and allow the U.S. military to train and equip Syrian rebels for a war against ISIS on Thursday night, the Associated Press reported, Strong Senate vote for Obama on Syria rebel aid. In the Senate, 44 Democrats, 33 Republicans and one independent voted for the bill, while 9 Democrats, 12 Republicans and one independent opposed it. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told one House committee that Obama “is not going to order American combat ground forces into that area.” Obama’s general plan is to have U.S. troops train Syrian rebels at camps in Saudi Arabia, a process that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said could take a year. Kathleen Miles reports, Iranian Foreign Minister: America Helped Create ISIS And Is Taking The Wrong Approach … Again, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday that the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the U.S created ISIS and foreign military presence will only create new terrorists. During a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations, Zarif said: “If you look at the essence of ISIS, it’s the product of foreign invasion. Foreign presence in any territory creates a dynamic for demagogues like ISIS to use the resentment in the population of being occupied.” He noted that the Islamic State began with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an Islamist leader of the anti-American insurgency in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. He continued on to say: “As a principle, we do not believe that injection of foreign forces, either air or ground, solves our problem. We continue to have serious doubts about the willingness and ability of the U.S. to seriously engage this menace across the board –- and not just pick and choose where to engage. People need to be realistic. The so-called Syrians moderates — look at what’s happening on the ground — they control no territory. They can have no influence in fighting against either ISIS or the Syrian government. Syria is either controlled by the government or by ISIS. The U.S. cannot effectively fight against both at the same time.” Referring to the meeting in Paris and the U.S. led coalistion to fight ISIS, Zarif said: “Most participants in that meeting in one form or another provided support to ISIS … at the end of the day, creating a Frankenstein that came to haunt its creators. [Extremists] do not fly into Iraq. They come on foot from somewhere, and they don’t come from Iran. You can look at the addresses, and I believe every location was [represented] around the table in Paris.”
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Poroshenko renewed his call for American weaponry during his address to a joint meeting of Congress, expressing his appreciation for non lethal assistance from the U.S. but saying it was not enough to quell the violence in eastern Ukraine. the Associated Press reports, Ukraine’s pleas for lethal aid from US go unmet. Poroshenko, before heading to the White House to meet with Obama, said, “Blankets and night vision goggles are important, but one cannot win a war with a blanket.” The White House announced a new $46 million security package for Ukraine’s military that included counter mortar radar to detect incoming artillery fire, vehicles and patrol boats, body armor and heavy engineering equipment. In addition, $7 million will go to humanitarian organizations to assist people affected by the violence. Regarding his discussion with Obama and the desire for lethal American military assistance, Poroshenko told reporters: “I am satisfied with the level of our cooperation with the United States of America in the defense and security sector. I cannot say more, but I am satisfied.” In the Oval Office, Obama sat side by side with Poroshenko declaring, “The people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.” Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists agreed to a cease-fire on Sept. 5, but the deal has been violated repeatedly. Both sides have promised to regroup and continue fighting, if required. Poroshenko came to Washington seeking lethal military assistance to help push back the Russian forces. His request has support from some members of the Obama administration, as well as lawmakers on Capitol Hill, where the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously Thursday to advance legislation that would authorize $350 million for military assistance including anti-tank weapons. Senator Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who chairs the committee, said, “President Putin has upended the international order, and a slap on the wrist will not deter future Russian provocations. In the face of Russian aggression, Ukraine needs our steadfast and determined support, not an ambiguous response. ” Obama has argued more weapons into the conflict will not de-escalate the situation. However, Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said, “The more costly the Ukrainians can make any fighting for the Russians, the less Moscow’s interest in resuming the conflict.” While sanction from both the European Union and the United States have had a negative impact on Russia’s economy, they have done little to detour PUtin’s tactics. Meanwhile, back in Ukraine, Yuras Karmanau and Mstyslav Chernov report, Ukraine, Russia, Rebels Agree To Buffer Zone In Peace Talks, Saturday that sporadic artillery fire hit part of eastern Ukraine hours after negotiators agreed to create a buffer zone between government troops and pro-Russian militants by halting their advances, pulling back heavy weapons and withdrawing foreign fighters. Despite a ceasefire agreement that has been in place since Sept. 5, the fighting between the two sides has been deadly. Shelling could be heard in Donetsk and rebels opened fire on the village of Stakhanovets in the Luhansk region, according to the Interior Ministry. Ukrainian national security council spokesman Volodymyr Polyoviy said Saturday that about 20 rebels and one soldier had been killed in clashes but did not specify if those took place after the negotiators agreed on the buffer zone around 4 a.m. The deal reached by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Moscow-backed rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says the two sides should stay where they were Friday and make no attempt to advance. According to the report: “Under the deal, each party must pull back artillery of 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) or larger at least 15 kilometers (9 miles), setting up a buffer zone that would be 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide. The longer-range artillery systems are to be pulled even farther back to make sure the parties can’t reach one another. The deal also specifically bans flights by combat aircraft over the area of conflict and setting up new minefields.” NATO’s top general, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, hopes the agreement announced Saturday to create a buffer zone between Ukrainian government troops and the pro-Russian militants will succeed in stabilizing the situation. On Friday, Reuters reports, US, Canada send jets to intercept Russian aircraft, that U.S. and Canadian fighter jets intercepted Russian aircraft flying near U.S. and Canadian air space this week, a military spokesman confirmed. On Wednesday, six Russian aircraft entered the United States’ air defense identification zone (ADIZ), an area beyond sovereign U.S. airspace, according to a statement from NORAD, a U.S. and Canadian aerospace command, and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). In response, “two Alaskan-based F-22 fighter jets acting under the authority of NORAD identified and intercepted two Russian IL-78 refueling tankers, two Russian Mig-31 fighter jets and two Russian Bear long-range bombers in the ADIZ, west of Alaska,” the statement said. On Thursday, Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian Bear long-range bombers in the Canadian ADIZ. John Cornelio, a spokesman for NORAD and NORTHCOM, said that such intercepts had happened over 50 times in the last five years as Russian aircraft conducted exercises.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s vote for independence from Britain ended with voters resoundingly rejecting independence, but helped pave the way for a possible vote for Catalonia who wants independence from Spain, Jil Lawless and Danica Kirka report, Scots reject independence in historic vote. The historic vote and referendum ultimately prevented the rupture of a 307 year old union with England and brought a sigh of relief to Britain’s political establishment including Prime Minister David Cameron, who faced demands for his resignation if Scotland broke away. The vote on Thursday saw an unprecedented turn out of 85 percent with 55 percent against independence and 45 percent in favor. Alistair Darling, head of the no campaign, said Friday from Glasgow: “We have chosen unity over division. Today is a momentous day for Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole.” Cameron from his Downing Street office lived up to his promise to Scotland to give new powers on taxes, spending and welfare and the new plans will be agreed upon by November with draft legislation by January. He added, “We will ensure that those commitments are honored in full. We have heard the voice of Scotland, now the voices of millions in England must be heard.” Cameron also said people in other parts of the U.K. should also have more rights to govern their own affairs, particularly in England. The No campaign won the capital city, Edinburgh, by a margin of 61 percent to 38 percent and triumphed by 59 percent to 41 percent in Aberdeen, the country’s oil center. The Yes campaign won Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, but it was not enough. The vote to keep the U.K. together helps it avoid substantial loses to its territory and oil reserves and prevents it from having to find an new base for its nuclear arsenal housed in Scotland. The no vote also allowed the United Kingdom to keep its influence within international institutions including 28 nation European Union, NATO and the United Nations. Additionally, Britain avoids a prolonged period of financial insecurity that were predicted by Scotland’s independence. AOL reports, Catalonia pushes for independence following Scottish vote, hours after the vote on Friday, Spain’s Catalonia region took steps toward holding their own independence referendum. Catalonia’s regional parliament authorized a consultation vote on independence for the region with a presumptive November 9 date. However, the Spanish government condemned the possible vote as illegal. Due to Spain’s painful financial crisis, nearly two million people lined the streets of Barcelona a week earlier in support of independence. The decades-old independence movement has also been bolstered by Scotland’s referendum. Catalonia’s President Artur Mas told reporters he admired the U.K.’s commitment to a democratic referendum and expected the same process from Madrid. “It is more important to hold the referendum than the independence. … This represents high-quality democracy.” But Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who opposes Catalan independence, has been quick to congratulate Scotland for choosing not to break with the U.K. Catalan independence faces a battle due to the Spanish constitution that requires the authorization by Spanish parliament for any referendum. Spain will most likely take the Catalan parliament’s new law to the country’s constitutional court that favors Madrid over Barcelona. If held, Catalonia’s planned referendum would not result in legal separation from Spain, but provide President Mas with a political mandate to pressure Madrid for independence.
Posted in 2014, activism, al-Qaida, bombing, civil rights, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, death, goverment, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, militants, military, news, peace, people, politics, Russia, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, white house, world
Tagged 'Abdul Wahhab, Abd Al Wahhab, Air Strikes ISIS, America ISIS, Arming Syrian Rebels, Barack Obama, Catalonia Independence Vote, Catalonia Referendum, Catalonia Scotland, Catalonia Spain, Coalition of Repenters, Iran ISIS, Iran Nuclear, Iran Syria, Iran Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister, Iraq Iran, Isil, Isis, ISIS Iran, Isis Iraq, Isis Syria, ISIS U.S., Islamic State, Islamic State Barack Obama, Islamic State Group, Islamic State Iran, Islamic State Iraq, Islamic State Syria, Islamic State Threat Obama, Islamic State War, Javad Zarif, John Kerry, Kurdish Villages, Mohammad Javad Zarif, obama, Obama Isil, Obama Isis, Obama Isis War, Rebels Ceasefire, Reuters, Russia Rebels, Russian separatists, Saudi Arabia, Scotland Britain, Scotland Independence Vote, Scotland Referendum Vote, Scotland UK, Scotland Votes No Independence, Secretary of State John Kerry, Separatists Ukraine, Syria Paris, Syria Peace, Syria Peace Talks, Syrian rebel aid congress, Syrian Rebel vote Congress, U.S. Air Strikes ISIS, Ukraine, Ukraine Buffer Zone, Ukraine cease fire, Ukraine Ceasefire, Ukraine Moscow, Ukraine Putin, Ukraine Russia, Ukraine Russia Peace Talks, Ukraine Russian Separatists, Vladmir Putin, Wahhabism, Zarif, Zarif Nuclear
Progress in Gaza and Ukraine as Russian Soldiers Return Home, Escalation Between Obama and ISIS Cast a Big Shadow Over 9/11 Rememberance and an Important Global Warming Update
In an interview with Al Quds TV on Thursday, Hamas No. 2 Musa Abu Marzouk said “Hamas is willing to talk directly to the Israelis” regarding issues including Gaza border crossings and prisoner releases, according to Ibrahim Barzak, Hamas Says It’s Ready For Direct Talks With Israel. Obtained by the Associated Press, in the taped interview, he said: “Just as you negotiate with weapons you can also negotiate by talk. Up till now our policy was no negotiation with (Israel), but others should be aware that this issue is not taboo.” Israel has consistently said it will not talk directly with Hamas until the group recognizes its right to exist and renounces violence. Abu Marzouk insist the reason for considering take such steps reflects growing tensions with Abbas, whom Hams believes is trying to reclaim control of Gaza. He said, “Hamas finds itself compelled to make this move when the natural rights of the people in Gaza come under pressure from the Palestinian Authority and the government.” Hamza Hendawi and Josef Federman report, Evidence growing that Hamas used residential areas, that evidence is mounting against Hamas militants regarding the use of residential areas as cover for launching rockets at Israel several times which Hamas now admits mistakes were made. According to the Associated Press, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said: “Gaza, from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south, is one uninterrupted urban chain that Israel has turned into a war zone. The Israelis kept saying rockets were fired from schools or hospitals when in fact they were fired 200 or 300 meters (yards) away. Still, there were some mistakes made and they were quickly dealt with.” According to Palestinian figures, 2,000 Palestinians died with three quarters of them civilians and more than 500 children included, while 11,0000 were wounded and 100,000 left homeless. On the Israeli side, seventy two people died including six civilians. Ahead of the U.N. investigation, the Israeli military released reams of evidence, including satellite photos and aerial footage, to support its claims that it acted appropriately and tried to minimize casualties, while Hamas made no effort to disguise its aim of maximizing Israeli casualties. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, said, “Hamas’ excuses are outrageous, misleading and contrary to the evidence supplied by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and the reality documented by international journalists on the ground in Gaza.” A visit to the area uncovered three separate military sites possibly training grounds larger than a football field near state schools concealed from the street with barriers made of corrugated iron. Hamas restricted access to these areas making it impossible for photographers to enter the site and Israel confirmed that the areas were targeted in airstrikes. Another site identified by Israeli military as a rocket launching site is in northern Gaza near the new Indonesian hospital in close proximity to residential homes. The two Hamas military facilities are across the road to the west of the two story hospital which stands intact. Hamad, the Hamas official, said the buildings shown in Israeli videos were either a safe distance from the rocket launchers or the building were vacant during fighting. Bill Van Esyeld, a senior researcher at the Human Rights Watch, said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt urban areas were used to launch rockets from in the Gaza Strip. What needs to be determined is how close to a populated building or a civilian area were those rocket launches.” Sami Abdel Shafi, a Palestinian American representing the Carter Center in Gaza, said: “Yes, Hamas and others may have used civilians as human shields, but was that consistent and widespread? The question is whether Israel’s response was proportionate.” The death toll and number of civilian deaths led to harsh condemnation of Israel and raised questions on the proportionality of Israeli’s response causing Israel, in order to prevent an international investigation, on Wednesday to open its own criminal investigation into two high profile cases involving Palestinian civilian casualties. Hamas also has been sharply criticized for launching rockets aimed at Israeli cities and towns. Israel says its own civilian death toll would have been much higher had it not been for its rocket defenses. The U.N. Human Rights Council has appointed a commission to look into the latest fighting. Its report is expected no sooner than March.
While long standing peace could remain elusive for Gaza and progress is slow to say the least, Ukraine is taking steps forward to ensure peace in eastern Ukraine as Russia beefs up its military strategy. Laura Mills reports, Ukraine’s President Pledges To Give The Country’s East More Autonomy, Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday said he will introduce a bill next week offering greater autonomy to the pro-Russian east but rejects the idea of federalization that both Russia and the rebels want. During a televised Cabinet meeting, Poroshenko explained: “[the ceasefire deal reached] envisages the restoration and preservation of Ukrainian sovereignty over the entire territory of Donbas, including the part that is temporarily under control of the rebels. Ukraine has made no concessions with regards to its territorial integrity.” Ukraine and the West both accused Russia of fueling the separatists with arms, expertise and its own troops, something Russia denies. In late August, NATO estimated more than 1,000 troops were operating on Ukrainian spoil and helping the rebels to turn the tide of the war in their favor. In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Wednesday for new sanctions against Russia that would deepen earlier penalties targeting Russia’s energy and arms sectors and tighten Russia’s access to International loans. Merkel told German parliament that the ceasefire improved the situation but there was “a lack of clarity on the fulfillment” of many other points of the peace plan. Ambassadors from EU nations were meeting Wednesday to discuss the sanction against Russia in Brussels. Poroshenko says since the agreement, 70 percent of the Russian troops in Ukraine have been withdrawn and 700 Ukrainian prisoners have been freed from rebel captivity with 500 more being freed by the end of the week. Mills reports: “Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security Council, told journalists that only 20 servicemen had returned home so far. In Donetsk, a rebel spokesman said a planned exchange of 36 soldiers from each side had been put off until Thursday, blaming the government for the delay. The cease-fire has been violated numerous times and Poroshenko accused the separatists of “provoking” Ukraine’s troops. Ukraine says five servicemen have been killed and 33 injured since Friday. A volley of rocket fire was heard in the rebel-held city of Donetsk late Tuesday.” In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, the leader of the rebels in Luhansk, Igor Plotnitsky, reacted to Poroshenko’s commnets: “Neither we, nor our friends in Donetsk, are going to abandon the course to build our own state. A temporary cease-fire cannot cancel the results of the people’s vote. People voted unanimously for the independence of our republics. There’s no way back to the previous status.” Other rebels have been in favor of a broad autonomy. Plotnitsky said the next round of talks between Moscow, Kiev, the insurgents and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is likely to discuss the status of the rebel-held areas. The Ukrainian public has been largely supportive of the war against the separatists. Peter Leonard reports, Ukraine, rebels exchange prisoners in peace deal, government and revel forces on Friday exchanged dozens of prisoners captured during fighting in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire agreement earlier this month outside the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk under the watch of international observers. Yurly Tandit, a negotiator for the government, said: “There is an ongoing process of talks. We are meeting each other’s demands and fulfilling our promises.” Meanwhile, Reuters reports, Russia Tests Nuclear Missile, Russia successfully tested their new Bulava intercontinental nuclear missile on Wednesday and will perform two more test launches in October and November, according to the head of its naval forces. The 12-meter long Bulava, or mace, has undergone numerous tests, some of which have failed, causing setbacks for the project that aims to be the cornerstone of Russia’s nuclear arsenal over the next decade. Thomas Grove and Maria Tsvetkova report, Moscow stifles dissent as soldiers return in coffins, that 15 Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine and hundreds more are in the hospital, according to human rights workers and military workers. A survey by pro-Kremlin pollster Fund of Social Opinions said 57 percent of Russians support the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk, but only 5 percent support an invasion of Ukrainian territory. Russian authorities have worked to systematically silence rights workers’ complaints over soldiers’ deaths, intimidating those who question the Kremlin’s denials regarding Ukraine. Vladimir Isachenkov reports, Putin: Russia to focus on new offensive weapons, on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia is developing a variety of new nuclear and conventional weapons to counter the U.S. and NATO and weighing the cost to avoid overburdening its economy. Putin said potential threats must be analyzed and an adequate response given to avoid excessive military spending. In addition, he said Russian defense industries must rid themselves of dependence on imports and become capable of producing key components at home, referring to recent Western sanctions imposed on Russian arms sales. Russian West relations are at their lowest point since the Cold War with NATO deciding last week to create a rapid reaction spearhead force to protect Eastern Europe from Russian bullying. Meanwhile, Fred Westerbeke of the Dutch National Prosecutors Office told reporters that most likely the downing of MH17 in eastern Ukraine on July 17 was shot down as a separate Dutch air crash investigation concluded this week that the plane was hit from the outside by numerous high energy objects, according to Mike Corder, Shooting down of MH17 ‘most likely’ scenario. Police chief Patricia Zorko said detectives are poring over 350 million webpages and thousands of photos and films that could contain evidence and are trying to authenticate intercepted phone conversations. Corder reports: “A highly placed rebel officer told the AP in an interview after the disaster that the plane was shot down by a mixed team of rebels and Russian military personnel who believed they were targeting a Ukrainian military plane. Intercepted phone conversations between the rebels released by the Ukrainian government support that version of events.” Detectives and forensic experts are looking at 25 metal objects recovered from bodies and wreckage to see if any clues surface. Westerbeke warns the complex investigation is complex and time consuming comparing it to the Lockerbie bombing hat took years to identify suspects.
As the rebels and Ukraine government try to reach some sort of long lasting peace and stability internally and externally with Russia, the United Stated joined by other countries in their alliance try to wage war against an entity that has spread quickly throughout the Middle East and internationally through recruitment of foreigners to brutal battles. Julie Pace reports, Obama orders airstrikes in Syria for first time, President Barack Obama authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time Wednesday night with expanded strikes in Iraq as part of a “steady, relentless effort” to root out Islamic State extremists. In a prime time address to the nation from the White House, Obama declared: “We will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.” Obama announced he will send 500 more U.S. troops to advise and assist Iraqi security forces as well as conduction intelligence and reconnaissance flights, bringing the total number of American forces this summer to 1,500. He urged Congress to authorize a program to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting both the Islamic State militants and Syrian President Bashar Assad. He added: “But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.” Officials said Obama plans to proceed with both broader airstrikes in Iraq and Syria without seeking new authorization from Congress as he is acting under a use of force authorization Congress passed in the days following 9/11 to give President George W. Bush the ability to go after those who perpetrated the terror attacks. Obama previously called for its repeal, but used it as support for strikes against terror targets in Yemen and Somalia. Pace reports: “Obama said his approach in Syria is modeled after those long-running U.S. counterterrorism campaigns. But it is different in important ways, starting with the fact that it marks the first time since 9/11 that a U.S. president has authorized the bombing of terror targets in another nation without seeking permission or at least notifying it in advance.” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, praised Obama for acknowledging the grave and growing threat that the Islamic State poses, but said Obama was coming to that conclusion too late. Boehner said: “He has finally begun to make the case the nation has needed him to make for quite some time: that destroying this terrorist threat requires decisive action and must be the highest priority for the United States and other nations of the free world.”The White House wants Congress to include the authorization in a temporary funding measure lawmakers will vote on before they adjourn this month. Republicans have made no commitment to support the request and the House GOP has so far not included the measure in the funding legislation, while a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Nevada Democrat might opt to seek separate legislation. The White House announced Wednesday that it was also providing $25 million in immediate military assistance to the Iraqi government as part of efforts to combat the Islamic State. David Cohen, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, wrote in a blog post that the U.S. would be working with other countries, especially Gulf states, to cut off the group’s external funding networks and its access to the global financial system. The U.S. has been pressing allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to help with efforts to degrade the terror group. Meanwhile, rebels, desperate and disenchanted, don’t believe help will come from the West, blaming the United States and its allies for past failures when support was promised and not delivered allowing the rise of ISIS, according to Sophia Jones, Cash-Strapped Moderate Syrian Rebels Blame West For Rise Of Islamic State. The Islamic State has amassed considerable wealth from foreign donations, oil smuggling, extortion and hostage ransoms. They’ve taken control of crucial weapons warehouses and supplies, such as weaponry the U.S. gave to the Iraqi Army. In addition, the new found power has allowed them to gain support by setting up needed infrastructures and imposing order as well as strictly enforced rules such as bans on smoking, and mandates that women wear full-face veils. Jones reports: “Three and a half years into a devastating civil war that has ripped apart the country, Syrian fighters say that if something doesn’t change they’ll lose more and more moderate fighters to the Islamic State. As secular, moderate rebel groups face infighting, divisions and a lack of necessary equipment and training, some may be enticed by the rich and highly organized Islamic State. The group of fighters gathered in the Turkish border town said they usually make roughly $50 a month. But they’ve heard that Islamic State fighters can make $600 or more.” As the rebels fight both the regime and Islamic State, they fear the threat of the jihadi group will cast a shadow over their efforts to curb the regime’s grip on Syria. While the Islamic State beheads U.S. journalists and persecutes and kills religious minorities, the Assad regime continues to indiscriminately bomb civilian areas and likely is using chemical weapons against its own population.
Meanwhile, international, the U.S. tries to rally allegiance from neighboring countries int he Middle East and allies to fight the Islamic State casting a shadow on the 13 anniversary of 9/11. On Thursday, Key Arab allies promised to help in the fight against the Islamic State, but NATO member Turkey refused, Lara Jakes and Adam Schreck report, Arab allies pledge to fight Islamic state group. As the CIA doubled its assessment of how many fighters the extremist group can muster, the Arab states’ endorsed the broad strategy to stop the flow of fighters and funding to the insurgents and to join possible military action. On Thursday, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined the President in his call to combat the militants after laying out his long term campaign to include expanding airstrikes against the fighters in Iraq, launching strikes against them in Syria for the first time and bolstering the Iraqi military and moderate Syrian rebels to allow them to reclaim territory from the militants. After a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in thr Red Sea city of Jiddah, 10 Mideast allies announced their backing for a strategy to destroy the group wherever it is. Kerry’s visit, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, was aimed at pinning down regional allies and so far 40 nations have agreed to contribute to what Kerry said would be a worldwide fight to defeat the group. Kerry said of the terror attacks on the U.S. 13 years ago: “The devastating consequences of extremist hate remain fresh in the minds of all Americans, and to so many of our friends and allies around the world. Those consequences are felt every day here in the Middle East.” New intelligence assessments estimate the extremists have between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, up from a figure of 10,000, the CIA said Thursday. CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said the new total reflects stronger recruitment by extremists since June, following battlefield successes and the group’s declaration of an Islamic State or caliphate on territory under its control. On Friday, Larak Jakes reports, US, Turkey mull strategy against Islamic militants, the United States pressed Turkey to harden its borders against fighters and funding going to the Islamic State and sought clarity on how far Ankara is willing to go to help a world coalition to destroy the group. While Turkey sits on the front line battlegrounds of Iraq and Syria as it assists refugees and cracked down on cross border traffic from both countries, Turkey resist endorsing the new strategy as 49 Turkish citizens have been kidnapped including diplomats. At the start of a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu cited “challenges and threats” in Iraq and Syria. Jakes reports: “It was the third meeting so far this month between Kerry and Cavusoglu, who also together participated in talks during the annual NATO summit in Wales and this week in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, about the Islamic State threat. Kerry said the two men also will chair a counterterrorism forum at the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September. But the U.S. is being careful to not push Turkey too hard as it grapples with trying to free its hostages. The Turks were kidnapped from their consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul when it was overrun by the Islamic State in June.” In addition, American hostages are being held as payback for the 150 airstrikes that Washington has launched in Iraq since last month. Kerry said: “But I think for the moment, they have a few sensitive issues. We respect those sensitive issues, and we’re going to work with them very carefully.” Rachelle Blinder and Jonathan Lemire report, New terror fight casts shadow over 9/11 ceremonies, due to the growing threat of the Islamic State, a heavy cloud hung over the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Thursday causing many to feel anxiety and determination in coming to ground zero to remember loved ones. The silence to mark the attack and the roll call of the nearly 3,000 lives lost came hours after President Barack Obama told the country he is authorizing expanded strikes in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State group. Vasile Poptean said as he left the ceremony, where he had gone to remember his brother, Joshua Poptean: “It’s an ongoing war against terrorists. Old ones die out and new ones pop up. If we don’t engage them now, there’s a possibility there will be another 9/11 down the road.” Victims’ relatives and dignitaries gathers in the plaza where the twin towers stood and now where the soon to open 1,776 foot One World Trade Center stands to commemorate the attacks, while in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where former House Speaker Dennis Hastert gave the flag that flew atop the U.S. Capitol on 9/11 to the Flight 93 National Memorial, did the same. At the Pentagon, Obama spoke at the wreath laying ceremony without mentioning the rise of Islamic State extremists specifically, but noted: “We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world. That was the case before 9/11 and that remains true today.”
As many try to heal old wounds and remember those they lost to what it seems is an endless war, the United Nations along with scientist this week had some good news about the health of the planet. Seth Borenstein reports, Scientists say the ozone layer is recovering, earth’s protective ozone layer has begun to heal largely due to the phase out since the 1980s of certain chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol cans, the U.N. scientific panel reported Wednesday. Scientists said the development demonstrates that when the world works together, it can counteract a brewing ecological crisis. For the first time in 25 years, scientists confirmed a statistically significant and sustained increase in stratospheric ozone shielding the planet from solar radiation that causes skin cancer, crop damage and other problems. Paul A. Newman, a NASA scientist and co-chaired the every four years ozone assessment by 300 scientist published by the United Nations, said from 2000 to 2013 ozone levels climbed 4 percent in key mid-northern latitudes at 30 miles up. The ozone layer has been thinning since the 1970s due to man made chlorofluorocarbons called CFCs which release chlorine and bromine destroying ozone molecules high in the air. After scientists raised the alarm, countries agreed to a treaty in 1987 that phased out CFCs allowing those chemicals to decrease between 30 and 50 miles up. The United Nations calculated in earlier reports that without the pact, by 2030 there would be an extra 2 million skin cancer cases a year around the world. Newman added that heat trapping greenhouse gases are also helping to rebuild the ozone layer as the cooler air caused by carbon dioxide and other gases increase the amount of ozone. MIT atmospheric scientist Susan Solomon said the chemicals that replaced CFCs contribute to global warming and are on the rise expecting that a dramatic increase will occur by 2050 and make a big contribution to global warming. The long lasting ozone eating chemicals still linger in the atmosphere creating a yearly fall ozone hole over the extreme southern Hemisphere and the hole hasn’t closed up. By Newman’s calculations, the ozone layer is still 6 percent thinner than in 1980. Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, said there are encouraging signs that the ozone layer “is on track to recovery by the middle of this century.” He added: “More than 98 percent of the ozone-depleting substances agreed over time have actually been phased out. If not for such efforts, Steiner said, “we would be seeing a very substantial global ozone depletion today.” Earlier this week, the United Nations announced that atmospheric levels of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, surged to another record high in 2013. The increase from 2012 was the biggest jump in three decades.
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How to Stop Ebola, NATO and the E.U. Try to Deter Russia As Ukraine Signs Ceasefire Deal, NATO Allies Join Forces to Fight Militants as Militants Vow Revenge and the Impact of NO Net Neutrality on the World
The United Nations on Wednesday, said $600 million in supplies were needed to fight West Africa’s Ebola outbreak that has killed 1,900 people and entered new territory within Guinea, Reuters reports, U.N. says $600 million needed to tackle Ebola as deaths top 1,900. The pace of the infection has accelerated with 400 deaths in the past week, officials reported Wednesday. The current outbreak was first identified in March in Guinea and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, and Senegal, and has killed more people than all outbreaks since Ebola was first uncovered in 1976. Though there are no approved Ebola vaccines or treatments, Ottawa on Aug. 12 said it would donate 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine being held at Canada’s National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg for use in Africa. In a statement, Health Canada spokesman Sean Upton said: “We are now working with the WHO to address complex regulatory, logistical and ethical issues so that the vaccine can be safely and ethically deployed as rapidly as possible. For example, the logistics surrounding the safe delivery of the vaccine are complicated.” Human safety trials will begin this week on a vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline Plc and later this year on one from NewLink Genetics Corp. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday said a federal contract worth up to $42.3 million will help accelerate testing for an experimental Ebola treatment being developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. Senior U.N. Coordinator for Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, said the cost for supplies needed by West Africa to control the crisis will cost $600 million which is higher than the $490 million estimated by the WHO last week. Nabarro explained, “We are working intensively with those governments to encourage them to commit to the movement of people and planes and at the same time deal with anxieties about the possibility of infection.” Ivory Coast, which closed its borders with Liberia and Guinea last month, said on Tuesday it would open humanitarian and economic corridors to its two western neighbors. With more than 3,500 cases across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) told a press conference in Washington, “This Ebola epidemic is the longest, the most severe and the most complex we’ve ever seen.” While a shortage of equipment and trained staff plague West Africa and the virus has claimed more than 120 healthcare workers, the Liberian government now offers $1,000 bonus to any healthcare workers who will agree to work in Ebola treatment facilities. Meanwhile in Guinea, Aboubacar Sikidi Diakité, head of Guinea’s Ebola task force, said: “There has been a new outbreak in Kerouane, but we have sent in a team to contain it.” Guinea has recorded 489 deaths and 749 Ebola cases as of Sept.1, and the epicenter has shifted to neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. In a television broadcast, Guinean President Alpha Conde said: “Even for a simple malaria (case), you have to protect yourselves before consulting any sick person until the end of this epidemic. We had started to succeed, but you dropped the ball and here we go again.” Nigeria, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo , though not linked to the West African cases, have all reported cases of Ebola. Since Ebola was first detected in Congo in 1976, WHO reports more than 20 outbreaks in Africa and 1,590 victims. The WHO warned last week the Ebola epidemic could spread to 10 countries and infect more than 20,0000 people. Dr. Thomas Kenyon, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Centre for Global Health, said on Wednesday: “Guinea did show that with action, they brought it partially under control. But unfortunately it is back on the increase now. It’s not under control anywhere.” He warns that the longer the disease goes uncontained, the greater the possibility it will mutate with suspected cases of airborne infection already being reported in monkeys in laboratories. In a conference call, Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Development and Democracy on the National Security Council, said: “I don’t think at this point deploying biological incident response teams is exactly what’s needed.” Regarding a rapid increase in Ebola treatment centers in affected countries and other required staff and equipment, Smith added: “We will see a considerable ramp-up in the coming days and weeks. If we find it is still moving out of control, we will look at other options.” Margery A. Beck reports, US doctor infected with Ebola arrives in Nebraska, the third American aid worker to become sickened with the disease, Dr. Rick Sacra, arrived Friday at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and officials said he will be treated at the hospital’s 10 bed special isolation unit on the seventh floor which is the largest of four in the U.S. Sacra delivered babies but was not involved in treating Ebola patients, so how he contracted the disease is unclear. Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the Omaha unit, said a team of 35 doctors, nurses and other medical staffers will provide Sacra with basic care, including ensuring he is hydrated and keeping his vital signs stable. He added, “We’ve been trying to collect as much information on possible treatments as we can.” Sacra was in stable condition in Liberia ans was able to board the plane to the U.S. under his own power.
While West Africa fights a microscopic enemy, the U.S., E.U. and other NATO allies try to ensure Ukraine’s ceasefire between pro-Russian rebels and the Kiev government remains in place with no inference from Russia. Nataliya Vasilyeva and Peter Leonard report, Ukraine signs cease-fire with pro-Russian rebels, the Ukrainian president declared the ceasefire Friday to end the five month long war in the eastern Ukraine after representatives reached a deal with the Russian backed rebels at peace talks in Minsk. President Petro Proshenko said he ordered government forced to stop fighting at 11 am EDT following a protocol signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In a statement, Poroshenko said: “Human life is of the highest value. And we need to do everything that is possible and impossible to stop bloodshed and end people’s suffering.” Heidi Tagliavini of the OSCE told reporters the deal focused on 12 separate points, while Poroshenko said a prisoner exchange would begin Saturday and international monitors would keep watch over the ceasefire. Since April, Moscow backed separatists and government forces have been fighting in eastern Ukraine that has killed nearly 2,600 people, according to U.N> estimates. The rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko, said from Donetsk: “The cease-fire will allow us to save not only civilians lives, but also the lives of the people who took up arms in order to defend their land and ideals.” However, Igor Plotnitsky, leader of the separatist Luhansk region, told reporters “this doesn’t mean that our course for secession is over.” A plan approved Friday in Wales by NATO leaders will create a rapid response force with a headquarters in Eastern Europe that could quickly mobilize if an alliance country is attacked. Even though Ukraine is not a member, the entire alliance has been alarmed by Russia’s actions in Ukraine causing U.S. and E.U. sanctions to go into effect due to Russia’s backing of the rebels. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday from Wales at the NATO summit: “We have to see whether this cease-fire is being applied. Do Russian troops withdraw, so far as they’re there? Are there buffer zones and things like that – a lot of things will have to be sorted out. These sanctions certainly could be put into force – this is all in flux – but with the proviso that they can be suspended again if we see that this process really yields results.” As of late Friday, Associate Press reporters heard heavy shelling north and east of the key southeastern port of Mariupol suggesting the rebels had partially surrounded the area. Tatyana Chronovil, a Ukrainian activist at a mustering point for the volunteer Azov Battalion on the eastern edge of the city, said, “Mariupol is a strategic point. If we lose it then we could lose the entire coastline, the whole south of Ukraine.” Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s national security council in Kiev, said seven servicemen had been killed over the past day, bringing the Ukrainian forces’ death toll to 846. As of Saturday, the Associate Press reports Cease-fire in Ukraine appears to hold, National Guard Commander Stepan Poltorak was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that some shooting took place 45 miniutes after the cease-fire, “as of this morning there haven’t been any violations, either from our side, of course, or from the terrorists.” Alexander Zakharchenko, top separatist leader from Donetsk, told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the ceasefire had been violated by two rounds of shelling in Amvrosiivka, 50 miles southeast of Donetsk. Earlier Saturday, the mayor’s office in Donetsk said there were no reports of shooting or shelling with some shelling late Friday afternoon.
While battle may be over, the United States and other world leaders are taking on the Islamic State. Reuters reports, Obama To Meet Congressional Leaders On ISIS: Source, U.S. president Barack Obama will meet with four leaders of U.S. Congress Tuesday to discuss rising concerns over the advancement of the Islamic State, a senior congressional source said Friday. Lawmakers return Monday after their five week August recess. The meeting will include Harry Reid, the Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate, and Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s top Republican, as well as John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives and Nancy Pelosi, the House’s top Democrat. Julie Pace reports, US and UK seeks partners to go after Islamic State, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday asked NATO leaders to confront the Islamic State militants who have taken large parts of Syria and Iraq, urging regional partners like Jordan and Turkey to join the effort. IN a joint editorial published as the meeting began, they wrote: “Those who want to adopt an isolationist approach misunderstand the nature of security in the 21st century. Developments in other parts of the world, particularly in Iraq and Syria, threaten our security at home.” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he believed the broader international community “has an obligation to stop the Islamic State from advancing further” and would seriously consider requests for assistance, particularly from the Iraqi government. The Islamic State became an international priority after taking large parts of Syria and Iraq to create a caliphate and is considered more merciless than al-Qaida with intelligence officials warning that the violence could spread beyond its declared borders as hundreds of Westerners join. The U.S. launched airstrikes against militant targets in Iraq last month with Britain joining American forces in humanitarian airdrops to minority populations. The militants’ killing of two American journalists inside Syria has raised questions about targeting the group there as well. Beyond direct military action, the White House said it was also seeking commitments from allies to send weapons, ammunition and other assistance to Western-backed Syrian rebels and to Iraqi forces. Pace reports: “Germany moved in that direction Thursday, with the government announcing that it had sent a first planeload of military equipment to the Kurds in Iraq’s north, including helmets, protective vests, field glasses and mine-searching devices. The German government also said it had decided to send assault rifles, ammunition, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles to the Kurdish forces, but it hadn’t yet set a date for the arms deliveries.” In between sessions on Afghanistan and Ukraine, Obama and Cameron met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II Thursday, and both plan to meet Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who are both with Obama in Wales, plan to travel to the Middle East next week to rally more support from regional partners. Cameron told the British network ITV: “We need to show real resolve and determination; we need to use every power and everything in our armory with our allies – with those on the ground – to make sure we do everything we can to squeeze this dreadful organization out of existence.” Lolita C. Baldor reports, NATO allies agree to take on Islamic State threat, on Friday the U.S. and 10 of its allies agreed that the Islamic State group posed a significant threat to NATO countries and they will take them on by squeezing their financial resources and going after them with military might. Obama said the new NATO coalition will mount a sustained effort to push back the militants.At the summit conclusion, Obama said: “I did not get any resistance or push back to the basic notion that we have a critical role to play in rolling back this savage organization that is causing so much chaos in the region and is harming so many people and poses a long-term threat to the safety and security of NATO members. So there’s great conviction that we have to act, as part of the international community, to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, and that was extremely encouraging. I think it is absolutely critical that we have Arab states and specifically Sunni-majority states that are rejecting the kind of extremist nihilism that we’re seeing out of ISIL, that say that is not what Islam is about and are prepared to join us actively in the fight. What we can accomplish is to dismantle this network, this force that has claimed to control this much territory, so that they can’t do us harm. They have been, to some degree, outgunned and outmanned. And that’s why it’s important for us to work with our friends and allies to support them more effectively.” In a meeting with the foreign and defense ministers from the coalition countries, Secretary of State John Kerry said: “We very much hope that people will be as declarative as some of our friends around the table have been in order to be clear about what they’re willing to commit, because we must be able to have a plan together by the time we come to (the United Nations General Assembly). We need to have this coalesce.” Along with the United States, the coalition comprises the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. One prong of a Western coalition approach would be for nations’ law enforcement and intelligence agencies to work together to go after the group’s financing in banks and more informal funding networks; however, U.S. intelligence officials say oil revenue will keep them well funded. NATO agreed to increase cooperation among nations on sharing information about foreign fighters. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said the effort against the militants “is not only about a military effort, it is also about stopping the financial contributions to ISIS, to coordinate intelligence, it is about stopping foreign fighters, young people from our own societies. It is decisive that we get more countries along.”
While a solid plan seems to be forming for dealing with ISIS, Somalian government is warning terrorists could strike back after the death of an Islamic Insurgent group who was killed in a U.S. air strike Monday in southern Somalia, the Associated Press reports, Somalia warns of attacks to revenge Godane death. In televised speech Friday night, Gen. Khalif Ahmed Ereg, Somalia’s national security minister, said based on credible intelligence that militants plan to attack key targets including medical and educational institutions following the death of Ahmed Abdi Godane. Godane had publicly claimed al-Shabab was responsible for the deadly Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya almost a year ago that left 67 people dead. President Barrack Obama confirmed Friday that Godane was killed by the U.S. airstrike. Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldar report, Al Shabab Leader Ahmed Godane Killed In U.S. Strike: Pentagon, it took the Pentagon four days to conclusively determine that Godane had not survived Monday’s strike, according to Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, via written statement. Al-Shabab has not publicly confirmed Godane’s death. In a statement Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said, “While an extreme hardcore may fight over the leadership of al-Shabab, this is a chance for the majority of members of al-Shabab to change course and reject Godane’s decision to make them the pawns of an international terror campaign.” The Somali president said the U.S. operation was carried out “with the full knowledge and agreement of” his government and that Somalis “greatly value the support of our international allies” in the fight against al-Shabab. The Associated Press reports: “Obama, speaking at the conclusion of a NATO summit in Newport, Wales, told reporters the success against al-Shabab should leave no doubt about his determination to degrade and eventually destroy the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. military announced later Friday that a mix of fighter jets, drones, attack planes and bombers launched four airstrikes Thursday and Friday in northern Iraq, destroying a host of Islamic State targets including an observation post, an armed vehicle and three mortar positions.” Army Col, Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said, “The individual who takes his place will live in fear.” Matt Bryden, the head of Sahan Research in Nairobi, Kenya, said due to Godane weakening and effectively dismantling the al-Shabab council of leaders known as shura, a meeting of regional commanders will have to take place to pick his successor which will be difficult and dangerous to organize. Terrorism analyst J.M. Berger predicted a significant splintering between al-Shabab’s domestically focused insurgents and internationally aspiring terrorists. Abdi Aynte, a Somali analyst who runs a Mogadishu-based think tank called the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, predicted that Godane’s death “will almost certainly be the beginning of the end of the organization.”
While biological and man made wars are continually fought through out the world, the war over who owns the internet has just begun and may lead to catastrophic consequences for internet users. Ryan Gorman reports, The ‘Battle for the Net’: Companies fighting to save free and open Internet access, several brand name websites are banding together to protest the end of net neutrality which allows equal access to the net. Net neutrality is what keeps the internet free and open from corporate interest, however recent deals by Netflix to secure bandwidth from cable companies are bringing that to an end. Activist group Battle for the Net is organizing a September 10 Internet protest and has been joined by the likes of Etsy, Foursquare, General Assembly Imgur, Kickstarter, Namecheap, Reddit, Vimeo, WordPress and others. The sites are will use animations to simulate the slower loads times on their websites and sevices in a way similar to how activists and experts believe cable companies will if net neutrality ends. “Cable companies want to slow down (and break!) your favorite sites, for profit,” Battle for the Net claims on its website. The group is urging people to put these GIFs on websites as well as email regulators and politicians protesting what it says is the end of open and free Internet. The Federal Communications Commission first introduced net neutrality rules in 2010. They require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide fair and equal “lanes” for all web traffic regardless of content. Earlier this year, a U.S. appeals court tossed out this rule that could change the world forever as the court ruled that ISPs are not utilities like phone and electric companies and are free to charge for their services how they see fit. This brought a wave of deals between bandwidth-hungry Netflix and Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and others. Experts claimed immediately after the ruling in a Wall Street Journal report that tiered web access, in which sites who pony up the most money are afforded the fastest loading times, would soon become the norm. The fear is the cost will be passed to the web surfers leading to a barrier to entry for less prosperous people. In a Wired op-ed announcing Etsy’s participation in the September 10 protest, site founder and CEO Chad Dickerson wrote that “the FCC has proposed an end to the open Internet… If internet users find it too difficult to load our websites and see our products, it will be impossible for us to grow or succeed. Companies would succeed because of deals struck with cable companies, not because of superior products.” That sentiment is being echoed not only in forums and article comments, but also in the more than one million comments sent to the FCC in response to a recent proposal basically bringing an end to net neutrality. The Washington Post reports less than one percent of the comments received support the end of net neutrality with 500,000 coming from individuals concerned about internet access and the rest from foundations, law firms, companies and other organizations.
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Gaza Ceasefire Holding, Libya on the Brink of Collaspe, Islamic State Advances, New Challenges for Syria, and All While Ukraine and Russia Hurl Accusations
Officials on Tuesday from Hamas and Islamic Jihad , the main groups in Gaza, said a deal had been reached with Israel to end the seven week war that killed 2,000 Palestinians, Mohammed Daraghmeh and Karin Laub report, Palestinian officials: cease-fire made with Israel. Ziad Nakhala, a senior Islamic Jihad officials, said the deal included an open ended cease fire, an Israeli agreement to ease the blockade of Gaza to allow relief supplies and construction materials into the territory and talks on more complex issues, such as Hamas’ demand to build an airport and a seaport for Gaza, would begin in a month. According to Palestinian health officials and the United Nations, the Gaza war this round killed 2,133 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000, while the Unite Nations estimates 17,000 homes were destroyed leaving 100,000 homeless. The Israeli side had 68 deaths with only four being civilians. Later the same day, both Egyptian state television and the state news agency MENA announced officially the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that began at 7p.m. local time, the Associate Press reported, Egypt state media announces Gaza war cease-fire. Hamas declared victory and celebratory gunfire erupted across Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a long rival of Hamas, will likely play a key role in the new border deal for Gaza as he is expected to regain a foothold under the Egyptian brokered deal after losing it to Hamas in 2007. In this scenario, Abbas forces will be posted at Gaza’s border crossings to allay fears by Israel and Egypt about renewed attempts by Hamas to smuggle weapons. On Tuesday night, Abbas in a televised address said a permanent solution to the conflict with Israel is needed: “What’s next? Gaza has been subjected to three wars. Shall we expect another war in a year or two? Until when will this issue be without a solution? Today, I’m going to give the Palestinian leadership my vision for a solution and after that we will continue consultations with the international community. This vision must be clear and well defined and we are not going to an open-ended negotiation.” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a news conference at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital: “We are here today to declare the victory of the resistance, the victory of Gaza, with the help of God, and the steadfastness of our people and the noble resistance.” In Washington, State Department spokesman Jen Psaki told journalists: “We view this as an opportunity, not a certainty. Today’s agreement comes after many hours and days of negotiations and discussions. But certainly there’s a long road ahead. And we’re aware of that and we’re going into this eyes wide open.” On Wednesday, the Associate Press reports, Gaza cease-fire holds as sides weigh gains, the Israeli military said there were no reports of violations since the ceasefire went into effect at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not put the ceasefire to a vote in his cabinet because of opposition from ministers who wanted to continue fighting. Political commentator and critic of Netanyahu, Nahum Barnea, wrote in the mass circulation Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “Israelis expected a leader, a statesman who knows what he wants to achieve, someone who makes decisions and engages in a sincere and real dialogue with his public. Instead they received a slick spokesman and very little else.” In Gaza, life regains some normalcy as civilians returned to their homes and utility crews hurried to fix electrical and water infrastructure issues.
While Gaza seems on the mend, Libya seems to be on the verge of collapse as weeks of fighting escalated in Libya this weekend when anti-government fighters secured control of the country’s main airport in the capital of Tripoli, Eline Gordts reports, How Libya Became A Country On The Brink Of Collapse. A group of pro-government fighter from the curt of Zintan controlled the airport after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2001, however Saturday, a collation of Islamist fighters from Misrata called Operation Dawn pushed them out. Only three years ago, the two fought together side by side against Gaddafi forces, but now the two groups are locked in a vicious fight for economic and political control pushing the country toward collapse. The current violence is the most intense since 2011 starting after the country’s parliamentary elections in June when members of the outgoing Islamist dominated parliament lost the vote to liberal and federalist candidates. The Islamist and their backers would not recognize the newly elected body forcing the new MPs to move the parliament from the capital to the eastern city of Tobruk out of fear of safety. The Islamists victory in Tripoli this weekend has led to demands on Monday for the old parliament to be reinstated and calls for their own prime minister to be elected causing the country to have two rival leaders and assemblies backed by armed factions. The Libyan army has few national troops it can rely on forcing it to turn to local militias to secure key sites, but these militias have their own agenda and allegiance ultimately lies with their commanders. Washington Post’s Frederic Wehrey explains the divide between groups, according to Gordts: “There’s a political divide between Islamists and liberals, a regional divide between fighters from the city of Misrata and Zintan, and a divide between the old order and those who consider themselves revolutionaries.” Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Aziz told the Guardian on Monday that Operation Dawn is stronger and better armed than the government making it impossible for the government to safeguard key institutions. On Monday, American officials told the New York Times that attacks on Islamist fighters last week were by Egyptian and the United Arab Emirates’ planes, nut both countries deny involvement in the strikes. The article explains: “Since the military ouster of the Islamist president in Egypt one year ago, the new Egyptian government, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have formed a bloc exerting influence in countries around the region to roll back what they see as a competing threat from Islamists. Arrayed against them are the Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, backed by friendly governments in Turkey and Qatar, that sprang forward amid the Arab Spring revolts.” Meanwhile, civilians in the capital are facing dire conditions as violence in Tripoli lead to gangs of armed men burning and destroying the homes of government supporters with entire neighborhood being leveled. A the beginning of August, 5,000 to 6,000 people cross into Tunisia each day forcing authorities to close the border, while international organizations pulled employees out of Libya and many countries closed their diplomatic posts due to violence. According to Bradley Klapper and Maggie Michael, Officials: Egypt, UAE behind airstrikes in Libya, a joint statement from the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressed concerns over the recent attack saying “outside interference in Libya exacerbates current divisions and undermines Libya’s democratic transition.” Newly appointed U.N. convoy to Libya headed by diplomat Bernardino Leon said only an inclusive political process with all Libyans represented in parliament, government and other state institutions can get “Libya get out of chaos.”
While Israel was granted a temporary reprieve from fighting in Gaza, another battle seems to be spilling over into the country from the Syrian border. Islamic State militants, an offshoot of al-Qaida, executed Syrian army soldiers and took hostages after capturing an air base in northeast Syria near Ragga city on Sunday, posting pictures on the Internet and on Twitter by supporters on Wednesday, Reuters reports, ISIS executes soldiers, takes hostages at Syria base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports after five days of fighting at the base cost more than 500 lives with 346 Islamic State fighters and 170 members of security forces dead. According to the Associated Press, Syrian rebels seize border crossing with Israel, Syrian rebels, including fighters from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, took control of a frontier crossing with Israel in the Golan Heights on Wednesday after heavy clashes with President Bashar Assad’s forces leaving 20 Syrian soldiers dead, The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said reports. Fighting also took place in the towns of Jaba, Tal Kroum and Rawadi in Quneitra province. Gen. Ibrahim Jbawi, the spokesman for the Free Syrian Army’s southern front, as well as the Local Coordination Committees activist group, also confirmed the rebel gains. Israel’s military said an officer stationed in Golan Heights was wounded by errant fire Wednesday from the Syrian side of the frontier as it appeared that the heavy fighting from Syria had spilled over with large clouds of smoke could be seen in the distance. Israel has avoided taking sides in the war, but has responded to the violence across its border, according to the military, by targeting two Syrian army positions that were confirmed hits. Israel says it holds the Syrian government responsible for any violence that comes out of the territory.
While war rages on in the region, an independent U.N. commission on Wednesday said that the Syrian government has likely used chlorine gas to attack civilians and the Islamic State group fighting them has committed crimes against humanity with attacks on civilians in two provinces, John Heilprin reports, UN Panel: Crimes Against Humanity Spread In Syria, Including Possible Gas Attack. The commission said government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad used a chemical agent likely chlorine on civilians in northern Syrian villages eight times in April. Commission member Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai professor who investigated human rights in North Korea, said: “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the chlorine has been dropped, particularly in barrel bombs from helicopters belonging to the government authorities. So the finger points there.” The commission also said the widespread and systematic killings of civilians by the Islamic State, which controls large parts of north and eastern Syria, have also committed crimes against humanity in Iraq and Syria where the group has carved out their caliphate. One disturbing fact was the large training camps where children mostly 14 and older are recruited and trained to fight along side adult Islamic State fighters. Commission member Carl del Ponte, a Swiss former war crimes prosecutor, said: “In Syria, it’s total impunity. Crimes are committed each day, from all parties, and nobody’s dealing with the criminal responsibility for those crimes.” Heilprin explains: “The report, based on 480 interviews and documentary material, cited dozens of documented public executions in Aleppo and Raqqa during the bloody and complex Syrian civil war that the U.N. says has killed more than 190,000 people since 2011. Crowds of people including children have reportedly watched as the group’s fighters pronounce mostly adult men guilty of violating religious laws and then behead them or shoot them in the head at close range. The purpose, according to the commission, is ‘to instill terror among the population, ensuring submission to its authority.’ But the commission also emphasized that Assad’s government forces continue to perpetrate crimes against humanity through massacres and systematic murder, torture, rape and disappearances. And it said other factions fighting Assad’s government are also committing massacres and war crimes.” Zeina Karam reports, Syria Suffers Record Death Toll, the British based Syrian Observatory for Human rights said about 1,240 soldiers and other Assad loyalist have been killed in the past 10 days in northern Syria. Despite the war, Assad was re-elected last month in a vote confined to government controlled areas and dismissed by the opposition and its Western allies as a sham. He was sworn in on July 16 and declared victory praising his supporters for “defeating the dirty war” against Syria. The government losses followed shortly after his speech when fighters from the Islamic State group attacked army positions in northern and central Syria capturing a government controlled gas field and two major air bases in three different provinces this past week.
While the Middle East has collapse into chaos with cross border fighting, Ukraine and Russia trade accusations about alleged men in green crossing from Russia into Ukraine. Maria Tsvetkova reports, Heavily Armed ‘Men In Green’ Enter East Ukrainian Villages, heavily armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared in an eastern Ukrainian village arousing suspicions despite Moscow’s denial. Two witness told Reuters on Tuesday that dozens of men entered the village over the weekend and set up a road block and carrying military ration packs marked with Russian writing. The men had white arm bands similar to the ones worn by 10 men captured by Ukrainian forces few miles away and were identified as Russian paratroopers on Tuesday. Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said in a Twitter post: “The new columns of Russian tanks and armor crossing into Ukraine indicates a Russian-directed counter-offensive may be underway.” A resident of the town said the military vehicles had their identifying marks painted over with white circles adding: “The people at the new checkpoint, they were polite military men wearing green. Definitely not Ukrainian. They’re definitely not from around here.” Another witness, Alexei, who was in Kolosky Monday, said the men told residents that they came to protect them. In addition, he and a friend counted what they said was 38 armored personnel carriers, 2 fueling trucks and numerous military transport vehicles full of people in Kolosky and the immediate vicinity. Both sides said they first saw military hardware in Sunday including anti-aircraft systems and artillery guns. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine met late Tuesday for their first bilateral talks in Minsk. The talks came as Ukraine captured 10 Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine and shelling spread to a new front in the southeast. Nataliya Vasilyeva and Peter Leonard report, Putin sits down with Ukrainian president for talks, Poroshenko said the purpose of the visit was to find political compromise and promised that the interests of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine would be taken into account, while Putin concentrated on Ukraine’s decision to sign an association agreement with the 28 nation EU that would result in losses for Russia who would then be forced to protect its economy. Ukraine is set to ratify the agreement in September. Regarding the fighting in the east, Putin said the conflict “could not be solved by further escalation of the military scenario without taking into account the vital interests of the southeast of the country and without a peaceful dialogue of its representatives.” Poroshenko is unlikely to agree with Russia’s demand to federalize Ukraine, but would consider giving the regions some expanded powers.
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Israeli Citizens Flee the Border, Ukraine Faces New Challenges, and New Threats to U.S. Security
Tens of thousands of Israelis are fleeing their homes near the border of Gaza as fear and frustration grow in a war between Israel and Hamas that appears to have no end in site. The government on Monday has offered assistance in the first large scale voluntary evacuation in the eight week war with the school year fast approaching, Ian Deitch reports, Gaza attacks triggers Israeli exodus from border. Officials estimate 70 percent of the 40,000 inhabitants of the farming communities along the Gaza border have left including hundreds on Monday. According to Gaza officials, the fighting has killed 2,100 Palestinians, leveled thousands of buildings and left tens of thousands displaced. The death toll on the Israeli side has remained low due to air raid sirens, bomb shelters and the Iron Dome missile defense system. In a TV interview Sunday, Finance Minister Yair Lapid said, “It is their right to leave, and we will assist them with temporary solutions. The state of Israel will not run away from terror organizations. It fights terror organizations.” Israeli education officials said the children will be absorbed into areas schools, but Tamir Idan, a regional council head in southern Israel, said schools will not open next week if rocket fire persists. The fighting in Gaza has caused more disruption to students as officials have delayed the start of classes which should of started on Sunday.The Israeli military said it carried out 65 airstrikes Monday, while the Palestinian militants fired more than 100 rockets into Israel. Palestinian health officials said seven people were killed, while one Israeli was wounded by Palestinian fire.
On Tuesday, meanwhile in Ukraine, Ukrainian military reportedly captured a group of Russian paratroopers who crossed into Ukrainian territory on a mission, but Moscow claims they ended up there by mistake, Andrei Makhovsky and Alessandra Prentice report, Ukraine Releases Footage Of Captured Russian Soldiers. In addition, the military reports pro-Russian separatist forces were shelling the town of Novoazovsk and buildings were ablaze with 12 Ukrainian soldiers killed and 19 wounded in the past 24 hours, according to military spokesman Andriy Lysenko. Earlier, the security services released video footage claiming that it shows testimonies from Russian paratroopers detained by the Ukrainian government forces while fighting with pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine. The video provides the strongest evidence so far to back up claims by Kiev that Russia is involved in the conflict and the intensified fighting in the east overshadowed the meeting of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the Belarussian capital Minsk. Russia denies giving military help and a Russian defense source, quoted by RIA Novosti, said the servicemen had strayed into Ukrainian territory by mistake during border patrol. Lysenko in a briefing stated, “It wasn’t a mistake, but a special mission they were carrying out.” In the footage posted to Kiev’s Anti-Terrorist Operation Facebook page, one of the soldiers who identified himself as Ivan Milchakov listed his personal details including the name of the paratroop regiment based in the Russian Town of Kostroma. In the video, he said: “I did not see where we crossed the border. They just told us we were going on a 70-kilometer march over three days. Everything is different here, not like they show it on television. We’ve come as cannon fodder.” Another man named Sergeant Aleksei Generalov said: “Stop sending in our boys. Why? This is not our war. And if we weren’t here, none of this would have happened. They would have sorted things out with the government themselves.” Social network pages appear to corroborate the men’s story that they are active in the Russian military. The Russian soldiers were detained with personal documents and weapons near Amvrosiyivka in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian state security service reports. Lysenko said Russian Mi-24 helicopters has fired on a border post Monday killing four border guards, while rebel forces backed by an armored column allegedly moved across the border from Russia attacked Novoazovsk on Monday aiming to open up a new front. In a Facebook post, Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey said: “Officially they are on military exercises in various corners of Russia. In reality they are involved in military aggression against Ukraine.” The same day, Tuesday, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine sat down for talks meeting fact to face for the first time since June to discuss the fighting that has engulfed Ukraine’s east. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports, Putin sits down with Ukrainian president for talks, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko were joined by the presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan and three senior officials from the European Union in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. As talks began, Poroshenko said: “The fate of my country and Europe is being decided here in Minsk today. The interests of Donbass (eastern Ukraine) have been and will be taken into account.” Opening the meeting, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko urged both sides to “discard political ambitions and not to seek political dividend.” Ukraine wants the rebels to hand back the territory they captured in eastern Ukraine, while Putin wants to retain leverage over the mostly Russian speaking region so Ukraine does not join NATO or the European Union. THe fighting in eastern Ukraine began in April and has killed 2,000 people, 726 Ukrainian servicemen and forced 340,000 to flee, according to the U.N.
While internationally Ukraine has faced many challenges and criticism from rivals and allies, internal conflict has forced Poroshenko to dissolve parliament and call for new elections to take place quickly. Jim Heintz reports, Ukrainian president dissolves parliament, Ukraine’s president on Monday announced in a statement via his website that he has dissolved parliament and called for early elections on October 26. He said the move was in coherence with the Ukrainian constitution commenting that the ruling coalition collapsed several weeks ago. Poroshenko stated: “Many deputies who are in the Rada (parliament) are direct sponsors or accomplices, that is to say allies of the militant separatists….I have decided to prematurely end the authority of parliament.” Under the law, the election must be held within 60 days of the decree being published.
Back in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported, The US has begun surveillance flights over Syria, the White House and U.S. officials have announce surveillance flights over Syria following President Barack Obama approval, but has yet to approve military actions inside Syria due to lack of intelligence on the militants. Pentagon officials have drafted potential options for the president that include airstrikes, while one official said the administration needs reliable intelligence from Syria and called the surveillance flights important to obtain data. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday the U.S. wants more clarity on the militants in Syria. Dempsey explained: “Clearly the picture we have of ISIS on the Iraqi side is a more refined picture. The existence and activities of ISIS on the Syrian side, we have … some insights into that but we certainly want to have more insights into that as we craft a way forward.” The U.S. began launching strikes against the Islamic State inside Iraq earlier this month with Obama citing the threat to American personnel in the country and the humanitarian crisis in the north, while top Pentagon officials said the only way the threat from militants can be eliminated is to attack the group in Syria as well. The president has tried to avoid getting involved in Syria’s long standing bloody civil war, however, due to the execution of American journalist James Foley in Syria and the group threatening to kill other U.S. citizens held in Syria, the president has changed his tune. Dempsey said the U.S. has been meeting with allies in the region to help develop a better understanding of the threat and believes those talks are setting “the conditions for some kind of coalition to form.” Dempsey believes key allies in the region will join the U.S. in quashing the Islamic State group including Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Prior to the airstrikes in Iraq, the U.S. had already stepped up air surveillance of the Islamic State inside Iraq earlier this year. In addition the administration run some surveillance missions over Syria when an attempted mission to rescue Foley and other U.S. hostages failed earlier this summer. A top Syrian official said Monday any U.S. airstrikes without consent from Syria would be considered an aggression. Speaking in Damascus, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told reporters his government is ready to cooperate and coordinate with any side including the U.S. or join any regional or international alliance against the Islamic group. However, any action taken would be coordinated with the Syrian government adding: “Any strike which is not coordinated with the government will be considered as aggression.” He said Damascus has long warned of the threat of terrorism and the need to cut off resources and funding, but no one listened. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the west will “have to choose what is more important: to change the regime and satisfy personal antipathies with the risk that the situation will crumble, or find pragmatic ways to join efforts against the common threat, which is the same for all of us – terrorism.” Moscow and Damascus have been close allies for decades providing it will weapons and funding to help support Assad through the current conflict. Mustafa Alani, the director of the security and defense department at the Gulf Research Center in Geneva, said: “The Syrian government is trying to say they are on the same side as the international community. The old claim from Day 1 that the Syrians have tried to make is that they are fighting pure terrorism. There’s no revolution, no rebels, no opposition. I don’t see this sort of call being acceptable, especially on the regional level. The Americans might find themselves forced to cooperate under the table with the Syrians. But I don’t think Arab countries will accept Syria as a member of the club fighting the Islamic State.” Referring to the failed attempt at rescuing U.S. citizens held by the militant group, al-Moallem said: “Had there been prior coordination that operation would not have failed.” The minister did condemn the killing of James Foley, but asked: “Has the West ever condemned the massacres by the Islamic State … against our armed forces or citizens?”
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Tagged East Ukraine Civilian Death Toll, Egypt ceasefire deal, Egypt Israel Hamas, Gaza Strip, Gaza War, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Gen. Martin Dempsey Islamic State Group, Hamas airstrikes, Hamas Israel, Isil, Isis, Islamic State Iraq, Islamic State threat to U.S., Israel Palestinians, Israeli airstrikes, Joint chiefs of Staff, Obama Islamic State, Obama Syria, Palestinian Territories, Palestinians civilian casualties, Pentagon, Pentagon ISIS, Pentagon Islamic State, Petro Poroshenko, President Barack Obama Syria, Russia, Russia Ukraine, Russian Soldiers Ukraine, Syria Islamic State, Syria U.S. relations, U.S. airstrikes Iraq, Ukraine, Ukraine Crisis, Ukraine Election, Ukraine New Election, Ukraine new elections, Ukraine News, Ukraine president, Ukraine Russia, Ukraine Vote, Ukrainian president dissolves parliament, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Urkaine Captures Russian Soldiers, Urkaine President, Vladimir Putin
Ebola Death Toll Continues to Rise, No End in Sight for Gaza War, Islamic State Advances and Russia Wants to Send More Aid
So far, according to figures released Friday by the WHO, 2,615 people have been infected with Ebola and 1,427 deaths have occurred in the outbreak in West Africa with Sierra Leone being the hardest hit at 910 cases and 392 deaths. On Sunday, the health minister, Felix Kabange Numbi, in the Congo confirmed two Ebola deaths from the northwest Equateur province out of eight samples, the Associated Press reports, Health minister: 2 people have died of Ebola in Congo. Numbi stated that Congolese officials believe 13 people have died of Ebola in the region including five health workers, while 11people are sick and in isolation as 80 contacts were being traced. In addition, the Congo has been hit seven times before with Ebola outbreaks, however the two deaths are the first in a long time and admits the infections were of a different strain than those of the outbreak in West Africa that has killed 1,400 people. The samples came from the region where the World Health Organization said an outbreak of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis has killed 70 people in recent weeks. The HuffPost UK reports, Britain’s First Ebola Victim Is Flown Home In Hi-Tech Quarantine For Treatment At Royal Free, a volunteer nurse working in West Africa has landed back in Britain for treatment in a high tech isolation unit after contracting the disease. A man in his 20s identified as William by several news sites landed at RAF Northolt in west London to be transported to UK’s high level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London. It is the first confirmed case of a Briton contracting the disease in the current outbreak and the identity of the patient, who lived in Sierra Leone, has not been confirmed. The virus was identified first in March in Guinea and spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. The effects of disease take between two and 21 days after infections and is transmitted to people from wild animals spreading in the human population through person to person transmission. The Sierra Leone Parliament has voted to pass a new law which means anyone caught hiding Ebola patients can receive prison terms of up to two years. The numbers in the country have been underestimated as the WHO reports that corpses are being buried in rural villages without notifying health officials and no investigation into the cause of death. In some cases epidemiologists have traveled to villages and counted the number of fresh graves as a rough estimate of suspected cases. Lawmaker Ansumana Jaiah Kaikai said the new law passed Friday and will now go for presidential approval, Clarence Roy-Macaulay reports, Sierra Leone makes hiding Ebola patients illegal. He said the measure was necessary to force residents to cooperate wit government officials noting some residents resisted steps to contain Ebola and build isolation centers in their community for fear of stigma related to the disease. New treatment centers in Liberia are being overwhelmed by patients that were not previously identified suggesting more cases are going undetected, the WHO said Friday. The Ivory Coast announced Friday it was closing its land borders with Guinea and Liberia, while Gabon, Senegal, South Africa and Cameroon all imposed border restrictions on some or all of the four countries with confirmed cases – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. On Saturday, the Philippine government was recalling 115 peacekeepers from Liberia due to the health risks posed by Ebola. According to Mari Yamaguchi, Japan ready to offer flu drug for Ebola treatment, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that Japan can offer the anti-influenza drug tablet favipiravir, developed by a Fujifilm Holdings Corp. subsidiary, at any time the WHO requests it. The Who said earlier in the month that it is ethical to use untested drugs on Ebola patients given the magnitude of the outbreak. The tablet itself is used to treat novel and re-emerging influenza viruses and was approved by the Japanese health ministry in March. Fujifilm is in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on clinical trials of the drug in treating Ebola, company spokesman Takao Aoki said. The drug is stocked to treat 20,000 and theoretically similar effects can be expected on Ebola as in influenza which are the same type of virus. According to the company: “Favipiravir inhibits viral gene replication within infected cells to prevent propagation, while conventional ones are designed to inhibit the release of new viral particles to prevent the spread of infection.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian officials said in the southern town of Rafah Israeli airstrikes leveled a seven floor office building and damaged a two story shopping center in Gaza Sunday signalling a new escalation in the seven week long war with Hamas and Israel, Ibrahim Barzak and Peter Enav report, Israeli airstrike levels 7-story building in Gaza. The strikes came hours after Israel bombed an apartment tower in Gaza City collapsing the 12 story building with 44 apartment wounding 30 and killing one. Over the weekend, the army began warning Gaza residents via phone that it would target building harboring terrorist infrastructures and to stay away. A senior military officials confirmed that strikes require prior approval from military lawyers and the local population must be warned before hand. Before Israel’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Gaza residents: “I call on the people of Gaza to immediately evacuate any structure that Hamas is using to commit acts of terror,” he said. “Every one of these structures is a target for us.” On Sunday, Gaza militant continue to fire rockets and mortar shells at Israel, at least 10, the military said, in addition to 100 on Saturday. In addition, five rockets were fired from Syria and fell in northern Israel with no clear picture of who fired them. As violence escalates, Egypt urged Israel and the Palestinian to resume indirect talks in Cairo on a long lasting ceasefire, but stopped short of an invitation. The Israeli military has carried out 20 strikes on Gaza since midnight Saturday with eight fatalities, Gaza police and medical officials report. The U.N. estimates that 17,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair since July 8. More than 2,000 Palestinians including 500 children have been killed with Israel losing 64 soldiers and four civilians, according to Palestinian health officials and U.N. figures. Scott Anderson, deputy director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees in the territory said: “Despite the difficult circumstances, the (U.N.) stands by the refugee committee here in Gaza. Even though we can’t start the school year as we would normally it is very important that the children have structure in their lives and we will continue their education by any means possible.”
In Baghdad and northern city of Kirkuk, 42 people were killed in Iraq on Saturday as the government investigated a deadly attack on Sunni mosque the day before that increase already volatile sectarian tensions in a fragile political transition, Sinan Slaheddin and Vivian Salama report, Bombings Hit Iraq’s Kirkuk, Baghdad, Dozens Dead. Kirkuk deputy police chief Tarhan Abdel Rahman said three bombs went off in a crowded district killing 31 people and wounding dozens. In Baghdad, a suicide bomber drove an explosive laden car into the gate of the intelligence headquarters in Karrada district killing six civilians and five security personnel, the police officer confirmed, while wounding 24 others. Since earlier this year, Iraq has been in a constant state of chaos due to the Islamic State extremist group and allied Sunni militants who have seized large areas in the country’s west and north. Local security officials in Diyala said Friday’s attack began with a suicide bombing near the mosque entrance followed by gunmen storming the building and opening fire on worshipers. At least 64 people died including the four Shiite militants who found the bombs planted by the militants as they rushed to the scene with security forces. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he’s “deeply concerned about the impact such acts of sectarian violence will have on the already grave security situation and on the political process,” While the European Union said the “heinous crime” should not stand in the way of government formation and urged Iraqis to unite against violence. In addition, Saturday, an explosion in the Kurdish capital of Ibril injured three, military officials report, but what caused the explosion is still under investigation.
Activist and state media reported on Sunday that the Islamic State has captured a major military base in northeastern Syria eliminating the last government held outpost in the province dominated by the group, Ryan Lucas reported, Islamic State Fighters Capture Syrian Air Base. The British Observatory on Human Rights said at least 100 Islamic State fighters were killed and 300 wounded not including casualties from the final assault, while 170 government troops were killed on Sunday alone and there were reports 150 were captured. Their slow and stead push in northern and eastern Syria and quick advances across Iraq has brought a large stretch of territory running from Syria’s northern border with Turkey to the outskirts of Baghdad in central Iraq under their control. The mainstream Syrian opposition, which is fighting President Bashar Assad and the Islamic State group, called for similar raids against the extremist in Syria, however, the Obama administration refuses wary of getting dragged into a bloody and complex civil war that has killed 190,000 people, according to U.N. figures. Also Sunday, an American hostage held in Syria by an al-Qaida linked group was released, a relative and the U.S. government confirm. Meanwhile, the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan met in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, the official Saudi news agency said without providing details. However, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the group will discuss the security threat posed by Islamic State group and search fro ways to bring about needed political solutions to the Syrian crisis.
On Saturday, hundreds of Russian aid trucks left from rebel held eastern Ukraine headed for home highlighting the need for long term assistance to the region destroyed by the months of fighting, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in Kiev ahead of the much anticipated meeting between Russia and Ukraine, Alexander Roslyakov and Peter Leonard reports, Russian Aid Trucks Leave Ukraine. The Russian aid trucks came through the rebel held border point Friday and by mid-afternoon Saturday all the vehicles returned to Russia, Paul Picard of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe told reporters in the Russian town of Donetsk. Ukraine and others including the U.S., the European Union and NATO denounced the move as a violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty. One country pledging aid to Ukraine is Germany as Merkel held talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev Saturday promising 500 million euros in loan guarantees to support private investment in infrastructure and schools in war-struck areas. Merkel urged for political solutions to the crisis three days before Poroshenko meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk in their first encounter since June. Asked what message he would like to convey to Putin, Poroshenko said “take away your armed people from our territory and I can promise peace will come to Ukraine very soon.” The United Nations says more than 2,000 people have been killed and 340,000 forced to flee their homes since the fighting began in April following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. According to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, Russia wants to send a second humanitarian aid convoy to eastern Ukraine in the near future after Kiev and the West criticized Moscow for sending the first cargo without official permission, Reuters reports. Lavrov told a news conference: “The humanitarian situation is not improving but deteriorating. We want to reach an agreement on all conditions for delivering a second convoy by the same route… in the coming days.” Ukraine marked its independence day on Sunday with a military march past Kiev to send a message of defiance to Russia, however, pro-Moscow rebels countered by parading captured Ukrainian troops through the streets of their main stronghold, Reuters reports, Ukraine defiant on national day, rebels parade captives. Some of the troops marching past Kiev were heading to the front line in eastern Ukraine. Poroshenko said. In an emotional speech, he said his country is fighting “a war against external aggression, for Ukraine, for its freedom, for its people, for independence”. It is clear that in the foreseeable future, unfortunately, a constant military threat will hang over Ukraine. And we need to learn not only to live with this, but also to be always prepared to defend the independence of our country.” In Donetsk, 100 people introduced in a public address as Ukrainian pirsoners-of-war were marched through the city’s central Lenin Square on Sunday. People came to watch the parade shouting “fascists!” and “murderers!” with some throwing bottles at the POWs. Alexander Zakharcheno, self proclaimed prime minister of the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” said his forced will launch a counter attack and were fighting to take the town of Olenivka, 20 miles from Donetsk. He told reporters, “I don’t want to fight, I don’t want to kill anyone, but I will fight to the last for my land. We want to live the way we want to live on our own soil.” To date, officials in Kiev report 722 people with Ukrainian government forces have died jumping from 568 announce don Aug. 11.
Posted in 2014, activism, al-Qaida, bombing, conflict, congress, controversial, death, disease, goverment, health, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, law, militants, military, news, peace, people, politics, Russia, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, white house, world health
Tagged Air Base, American Freed Syria, American Journalist freed, AP, Department of Health, Ebola, Explosions Kirkuk, Gaza War, Guinea, health news, Iraq, Iraq Bombings, Iraq Explosions, Iraq Kirkuk, Iraq News, Iraq Violence, Islamic State, Islamic State Syria, Israel Hamas, Israel Palestinians, Israeli death toll, NHS, Palestinian Death Toll, Palestinians Fleeing, Palestinians Israeli News, Peter Theo Curtis freed, Russia Aid Convoy, Russia Aid Trucks, Russia Convoy Ukraine, Russia Ukraine, Russian Aid Trucks Leave Ukraine, Sierra Leone, Syria, Syria Air Base, UK NEWS, Ukraine, Ukraine Fighting, Ukraine News, Ukraine Violence
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Made Your Own Bed
A strong man with no restraint from the bottle / The signs of addiction are all coming through / The coke the booze it's talking to me (pre-chorus) The coke the booze it's talking to me (chorus) Made your own bed / Made your own bed / You're the only one that can fix it / You're love life is the bottle / That's the only salvation for you (pre-chorus) (chorus) You're all alone and you don't care / Your family's had enough of you / You're all alone & you don't care / Your addictions calling for you / The crack the booze it's talking to me / The pills the booze it's talking to me / The smack the booze it's taking to me / The coke the booze it's talking to me (chorus)
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Gala commemorates Cuito Cuanavale
Campaign News | Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday presided over a gala to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the victory in Cuito Cuanavale of Cuban, Angolan and Namibian troops against the forces of
the Apartheid regime of South Africa.
During the gala, held at the Universal Hall of the Armed Forces Ministry
in Havana, Division General Samuel Rodiles Planas, Hero of the Republic
of Cuba and last Chief of the Cuban Military Mission in Angola, recalled
that on March 23rd, 1988, the powerful forces of the Apartheid and the
enemies of the Angolan and Namibian independence were forced to sit at
the negotiation table in New York and to sign peace accords.
After paying homage to those who died fighting and praising the courage and tenacity of the more than 55,000 Cuban internationalists who fought there, Rodiles Planas reaffirmed the decision of the Cuban people to defend the values and principles of the Cuban Revolution.
The ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of Namibia, Jose Condesse;
Angola, Claudia Grace; and South Africa, Thenjiwe Mtintsoe, in Havana,
who agreed on the importance of the victory of Cuito Cuanavale, which
became a turning point in the course of events.
They said that this victory facilitated the independence of Namibia, accelerated the disappearance of the Apartheid regime, contributed to the independence of Zimbabwe and to the security and integrity of Angola
and the countries of southern Africa.
The diplomats thanked the Cuban people, the Cuban Armed Forces and Cuban leader Fidel Castro in particular, for their decisive contribution to the independence of the region.
They reiterated their support of the Cuban people and again condemned
the US financial, trade and economic blockade against the island. They
also demanded the immediate release of five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters who remain held in US prisons since 1998 for infiltrating anti-Cuba groups in South Florida that were planning and carrying out terrorist actions against the island.
The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic
corps in Havana, high-ranking officials of the Cuban Armed Forces and by internationalists and war correspondents as well as relatives of fallen internationalist fighters.
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Terrorist Luis Posada Carriles takes refuge in the US
Campaign News | Saturday, 2 April 2005
He is negotiating terms for his surrender to US authorities
BY JEAN-GUY ALLARD-Special for Granma International-
LUIS Posada Carriles, the most dangerous terrorist on the continent, who swore openly in Panama that he would continue to commit criminal acts, has taken refuge in the United States, where he has negotiated the details of his surrender, processing and residence with the US immigration authorities.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Posada Carriles has been negotiating his surrender to US authorities for several days. EFE claims that its information comes from “sources” linked to Cuban-American terrorist circles and local TV Station Channel 41 announced the news citing extra-judicial sources. For its part, El Nuevo Herald newspaper cites “a source familiar with the case.”
The Herald article says that Posada was negotiating “the details of his surrender, processing and residence in the United States” with the Department of Homeland Security’s local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Posada is responsible for numerous acts of terrorism, including the mid-flight explosion of a Cubana airliner over Barbados that killed 73 people in October of 1976. Venezuela has applied for his extradition based on those acts, after he escaped in 1985 from San Juan de los Morros prison, 140 km from Caracas, with the help of the Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation.
AN INFERNAL HISTORY
An active CIA agent from 1963 as confirmed in documents declassified by the Church Commission, Luis Posada Carriles was in Dallas at the time of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and more than a few experts suspect that he was one of the snipers who killed the US president.
He also acted as a CIA expert in demolition and sabotage and as an informant until his excessively foul-smelling relationship with the South Florida world of drug trafficking led the Company to suggest that he look for a job elsewhere.
Posada joined - with the best recommendations from the CIA - the Venezuelan DIGEPOL, where he rapidly ascended to its leadership until that political police agency became the DISIP, using bloody repression to get rid of the guerrilla movement. There, according to his own words, he organized and participated in a veritable massacre, kidnapping, torturing and murdering with a free hand.
In 1976, after losing his position, he and his friend Orlando Bosch, the murderous pediatrician, organized the attack on the Cubana passenjer aircraft that killed 73 people and led to his being thrown in jail.
His escape from prison, negotiated and paid for by the founder of CANF and his old buddy from Fort Benning - Jorge Mas Canosa - enabled him to resurface at the Salvadoran military base of Ilopango, where together with Félix Rodríguez Mendigutía, a right-hand man of George Bush Sr, he organized a gigantic exchange of arms for drugs to benefit the Nicaraguan Contra, which caused the Coca-Contra scandal.
The old killer continued to organize assassination attempts against the Cuban president - including from La Esperanza yacht, which failed in Puerto Rico after an unexpected intervention by the Coast Guard - and terrorist actions such as the 1997 campaign against tourist locations in Cuba, until he was arrested in November 2000 in Panama.
Pardoned by President Mireya Moscoso on August 26 of last year, Posada disappeared during a stopover in Honduras, while his three Miami accomplices, Pedro Crispín Remón - the Omega-7 hired assassin - Gaspar Jiménez and Guillermo Novo of the CORU were welcomed in Miami... without even the slightest intervention on the part of individuals supposedly charged with enforcing US laws, including those against terrorism. And to the applause of some 50 individuals linked to terrorism.
In San Pedro Sula, where he arrived with a US passport in the name of Melvin Cloide Thompson, Posada was welcomed, supposedly, by his old buddy, arms trafficker and TV station owner Rafael “Ralph” Hernández Nodarse.
After a media circus, his trace was officially lost.
“OFFICIALLY OR NOT OFFICIALLY?”
According to US journalist Anne-Louise Bardach and several experts, Posada has made several illegal trips to the U.S over the years.
During a three-day interview with Bardach, beginning June 18, 1998, and in which he confessed to being payrolled by the CANF, Posada revealed that he had four passports from different countries using false identities.
“He admitted that he has an American passport but would not say how he obtained it or disclose the name,” wrote the reporter. “I asked when he last visited the United States and he answered with a laugh and a question of his own: “Officially or unofficially?” He added coyly that he had occasionally used his fake American passport to visit the States “unofficially”.
A friend of Posada’s later told Bardach that he had bought the passport from a corrupt official in Miami and that he was using “the name of a gringo from Atlanta, Georgia.”
“I have a lot of passports,” Posada told the journalist later in the interview. “If I want to go to Miami, I have different ways to go. No problem.”
Benefiting from the murderous tolerance granted in the United States to the same individuals who were being fought against by the five anti-terrorist Cuban patriots still unjustly imprisoned by imperialist justice, Posada has illegally returned to US territory with no problem.
WAS THE FBI UNAWARE OF THE OLD ASSASSIN’S PRESENCE?
Was FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael S. Clemens - a “terrorism expert” - unaware that Posada was in the United States? Are his services so badly uninformed in spite of their numerous ties with terrorist circles in Miami, as admitted by his predecessor, Héctor Pesquera? Didn’t the federal police know what Remón, Jiménez and Novo were already commenting on?
In an interview recently granted to the Miami Herald, Clemens emphasized that in the struggle against terror, Miami’s ports and airports were an absolute priority. Everything seems to confirm - with the crudeness of Posada’s appearance in Miami - that that priority does not apply to Cuban-American terrorists.
Just a few days ago, Ricardo Alarcón, president of the Cuban Parliament, presented to the press a declassified FBI document indicating that the US federal police 40 years ago knew the addresses where the international terrorist was living in Florida. In a sworn statement that is part of that document, Posada affirmed that had always acted with the conviction of having the tolerance of the US government.
“Do another 40 years have to go by before the FBI provides us with a document that includes the private address and contact that they assuredly continue to maintain with Mr. Posada?” the Cuban leader asked.
During his imprisonment in the Panamanian jail El Renacer, Posada as well as Remón Jiménez and Novo, repeatedly proclaimed on both Miami and Panamanian television that they hoped to get out of there in order to continue committing acts of terrorism.
Will the US legal apparatus continue to “negotiate” with the most dangerous terrorist on the continent?
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2005/abril/vier1/15posada.html
Terrorist Posada Carilles to seek asylum in US
MIAMI April 1: Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles who plotted to kill Fidel Castro plans to seek asylum in the United States in hopes of avoiding prosecution in Venezuela for allegedly blowing up a Cuban airliner in 1976, according to a lawyer who will represent him.
Posada Carriles, 77, is also wanted by Cuba and could face execution if he were extradited there.
The attorney, Eduardo Soto, said he planned to file an application for asylum with the Homeland Security Department as soon as Posada is ready to come forward.
Foreigners seeking asylum generally get to stay in the United States while their case is decided and could remain permanently if they can prove they face persecution or are in fear for their lives if deported.
"I anticipate a huge struggle here, both on the immigration front and in other matters," Soto told The Miami Herald in a story published on Friday April 1.
If Posada is granted asylum, it could protect him from extradition to Venezuela even though it has an extradition treaty with the United States.
Posada, who is Cuban-born and a naturalized Venezuelan citizen, is wanted for escaping from a Venezuelan prison in 1985 while awaiting the outcome of a prosecutor's appeal of his acquittal in the airline bombing case.
Posada was also one of four men pardoned last year by Panama's former president, Mireya Moscoso, for their roles in an alleged plot to assassinate Fidel while the Cuban president attended a summit in Panama in 2000.
In Cuba, an editorial in Granma, Cuba's Communist Party daily, asserted that Posada has likely been in the United States for some time. Soto said he did not know Posada's exact whereabouts.
"The news is not news, and the announced legal process will only constitute a farce," said the editorial in April 1 editions of the newspaper.
"Who is going to think that a man whom Washington owes for so much dirty work would have to present himself to the courts threatened with deportation?"
Homeland Security Department officials declined comment on Posada, other than to say he was not in US custody. Soto said he expected to receive further instructions about Posada's plans from intermediaries early next week.
Posada, a veteran of the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, has fought against Castro for decades and masterminded the series of 1997 bombings of prominent tourist spots in Cuba in whihc an Italian toruist was killed.
He and Orlando Bosch, a Miami pediatrician, where tried twice in Venezuela for the 1976 bombing of a Cubana airlines plane that killed 73 people.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-41cubanmilitant,0,2320711.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
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Category Archives: public policy
Popular music policy in Australia and New Zealand: Part Two: “A portrait of a politician as a young rocker”: Shane Homan on live music venue regulation in NSW
Posted on July 8, 2009 by Ben under creative industries, cultural economics, cultural geography, cultural policy, emerging artists, music industry, popular culture, public policy, urban renewal, valuing culture
Today I have a look at Shane Homan’s 2008 article in Popular Music, “A portrait of the politician as a young pub rocker: live music venue reform in Australia”, 27(2): 243-256.
For non-Australians, the Joyce reference in the title refers not to Australia’s arts minister, Peter Garrett, the former lead singer for seminal Australian rock band Midnight Oil, but New South Wales’ former Premier (Chief Minister), Morris Iemma, who rediscovered a teenage love of attending pub rock gigs after taking office in the mid 2000’s . But Homan’s article is really about the policy framework that regulates Australia’s live contemporary music venues in this country’s largest state, New South Wales, and the demographic and regulatory trends that have affected it.
Sydney’s famous “pub rock” scene produced a number of world-famous acts in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, including Midnight Oil, the Hunters and Collectors, INXS, Icehouse and a slew of others. Homan’s paper does a good job of explaining this scene: “the Australian pub rock experience in particular distinguished the local product in a global market; the renowned ferocity of bands and ‘punters’ provided a distinctive regional characteristic to a local industry built upon an imported cultural form.”
By the mid-1990s, however, the commercial live music sector was confronting some significant problems: rapid gentrification of the inner-city neighbourhoods where live music pubs were located was leading to complaints against live venues and regulatory enforcement by local governments; this issue was exacerbated by state laws aimed at suppressing alcohol-related violence and public disorder. “Gambling law changes also made an impact,” Homan writes, as slot machines rapidly proliferated in New South Wales pubs, often at the expense of support for live music.
Ironically, it is the cosmopolitan and cultural nature of inner-city districts that is typically the selling point for urban redevelopment and inner-city gentrification; Homan argues that “the property boom, and subsequent changes to residential populations, has thus provoked a perverse programme of social selection, where the more controlled urban environment sought by the new residents is distinctly at odds with its earlier vibrant, cosmopolitan reputation.”
Homan then goes on to take an in-depth look at New South Wales’ live music venue regulations. Predictably, he finds they are expensive, opaque and typically at odds with other aspects of cultural policy, such as live music initiatives. It’s a fascinating discussion for those interested in the policy minutiae, and a valuable lesson in one jurisdiction’s regulatory overhead on cultural expression for the rest of us.
Homan concludes that “within more orderly, gentrified constructions of the night-time economy, the presence of the ‘noisy’ live music venue remains a key means of assessing our commitment to a diversity of cultural leisure communities.”
The economic value of magazine street vendors
Posted on June 15, 2009 by Ben under creative industries, economic development, independent production, public policy, publishing, The Big Issue
From today’s Brisbane Times comes an article reporting about a study of the economic value of The Big Issue street vendors:
The Economic Value of Street Vendor Program report released today estimates the concept – in which vendors sell the magazine for $5 and keep half for themselves – saves tax payers $20,000 per vendor per year in welfare services which the vendors would not otherwise have been able to pay for.
In addition to the $7 million saved in welfare services, the vendor program generates commercial benefits of $3 million from sales of the magazine.
It strikes me this strategy of street-level economic development may have wider implications for pubic and cultural policy. What do you think?
I haven’t been able to find a copy of the report on the web, but I’ve put a request in with The Big Issue for a copy. Hopefully I will be able to profile it here in coming days.
Philip Schlesinger on think-tanks and the policy process
Posted on June 12, 2009 by Ben under creative industries, cultural policy, Philip Schlesinger, public policy, sociology of art, think-tanks and policy institutes, Uncategorized, valuing culture
From Philip Schlesinger, Professor of Cultural Policy at the University of Glasgow, comes a fine paper on think-tanks as cultural and policy institutions: “Creativity and the Experts: New Labour, Think Tanks, and the Policy Process.” It’s published in the January 2009 issue of The International Journal of Press/Politics, 14(3): 3-20.
This enviably well-written article looks at the phenomenon of UK think-tanks specifically from a creative industries perspective: an important topic, given the vast influence exerted by institutions like Demos and the Institute for Public Policy Research on the Blair and Brown governments.
Those who work in think tanks, as policy advisers or consultants, are a tiny and select segment of the university-educated
intelligentsia. They operate within elite circles where the costs of entry to
knowledgeable policy discussion are high. Their exclusivity — or as Pierre Bourdieu (1986) would put it, their “distinction” — is based in the claims to expertise made by the ‘thinktankerati.’
Those who work in think tanks, as policy advisers or consultants, are a tiny and select segment of the university-educated intelligentsia. They operate within elite circles where the costs of entry to knowledgeable policy discussion are high. Their exclusivity — or as Pierre Bourdieu (1986) would put it, their “distinction” — is based in the claims to expertise made by the ‘thinktankerati.’
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I feel so proud . . . - Live as if the World Were As It Should Be
I feel so proud . . .
trophoblast on March 1st, 2003 02:49 am (UTC)
Did you take part in forming this diagram? :)
What do you call doing circles in your car?
discoflamingo on March 1st, 2003 09:26 am (UTC)
At home, we call it "whipping shitties"
and we're apparently some of the only people that do. For a moment, it just made me proud to be from Northern Wisconsin, like the people who call a "daddy long-legs" the daddy graybeard.
seiryu_16 on March 1st, 2003 10:32 am (UTC)
Re: At home, we call it "whipping shitties"
That's WACK, yo. But evidently there is a wee little dot in MY state that indicates there are people that say it THERE, too... yow ::shakes head:: Nifty.
drchase on March 1st, 2003 09:06 am (UTC)
The question is a bit misstated. The art of doing donuts is more sliding in circles than driving in circles, as the turning radius is a lot tighter. Those are the most fun donuts to do -- when the diameter of the circle is almost exactly the length between front and rear wheels. : D
(the car was basically spinning around on its y-axis)
The question is mis-stated because the respondent needs to be able to fill in the blanks. If you ever get a chance to do a dialect survey (I did a very small one in my Sociolinguistics class), you need to get intentionally vague so that the question doesn't make people respond with a non-instinctual word. For example - I've heard the word "cruller" before, but I have no idea what it means. Do you know what "shining" is?
But that is a bad-ass shitty you be whipping in the picture, I must say ;)
Ahh...I get it now. : )
I'm going through all the questions..some of them are quite amusing!
drowdancer on March 1st, 2003 11:47 am (UTC)
well, i know what shining is, much to my chagrin. but in my experience, whipping shitties only applies to the use of a hand brake to make a 180 degree turn, a turn out of which you accelerate like a fiend and get the hell out of dodge. in high school, whipping shitties was usually the best way to beat a bunch of your friends out of the parking lot, especially when you have a dilapidated station wagon which impedes everyone else's progress in the process [not a reference to me.]
chouyu_31 on March 1st, 2003 12:28 pm (UTC)
It all depends on the dialect. In my area, we used the 'doing donuts' and 'whipping shitties' interchangeably (with a serious emphasis on 'doing donuts'). As far as their meaning is concerned, for us, they were the same.
What would we call using a hand brake to make a 180 degree turn? A '180'.
Any non-powered skid through the use of a hand brake would be referred to as the number of degrees we had rotated.
Any powered turn, if used to turn, was just 'breaking the ass-end loose' or 'breaking it loose'.
Any powered turn, where the desire was just to turn in a circle repeatedly, was 'doing donuts'.
abaddonx99 on March 1st, 2003 05:15 pm (UTC)
I've always known using the hand brake to make a 180 as a "smugglers turn" or a "bandit's turn". Got that from my dad, who used to pull them in the canyons in the New Mexico desert near his grandma's house. He claims that smugglers would lead cops into dead end canyons, pull the turn and blast past them as they came to a stop. I have to admit, I've only heard whipping shitties used very infrequently, and only to describe full 360 degree turns. Most of the time, I refer to them as turning donuts.
discoflamingo on March 3rd, 2003 05:27 am (UTC)
Bootlegger's turn
is what we call the "smuggler's turn".
scathach on March 1st, 2003 03:12 pm (UTC)
I didn't have a car until after graduation from COLLEGE, and so didn't call it anything.
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Shanghaî Disneyland Weekend Update !
Here we go for the ShanghaI Disneyland weekend update! Plenty of pictures for you but we'll start by the park ticket prices for both peak and usual days, which will cost 499 yuan (almost US$75.85) and 370 yuan (almost US$56.24) respectively. Advance booking of tickets will start from Mar. 28 ahead of its grand opening in mid June.
The peak days include its multi-day opening celebration from Jun. 16 to 30, Chinese holidays, weekends and the summer break.
The amusement park will provide special offers for children (between 1 to 1.4 meters tall), the elderly (over 65 years old) and the disabled, who will enjoy a 75 percent discount. Toddlers below one meter in height are free to enter the park.
As you understood the prices will be different depending of regular, peak or opening days prices, the picture below will help you to see a bit more clearly.
Here are the prices of others Disney parks around the world to help you to see the differences.
All tickets will be date-specific and valid for admission only for the date purchased.
Following the grand opening period, regular price of admission to the theme park is set at 370 RMB. Peak pricing for high-demand dates, including designated holidays, summer holidays and weekends, is set at 499 RMB. Special pricing will be provided to many guests. Children (1.4M and below), seniors (65 years old and above) and guests with disabilities will receive discounts of 25%. Infants (1.0M and below) receive free admission. A two-day ticket will be available at a 5% discount.
Pricing is based on in-depth market research and analysis conducted with a wide range of Chinese consumers, industry experts and local regulators. Shanghai Disneyland’s two-tiered pricing and date-specific tickets will allow the park to manage the extraordinary anticipated demand for the innovative attractions and premium entertainment at the newest Disney destination, putting choices in the hands of guests while at the same time delivering an exceptional experience.
On March 28, 2016, guests can obtain information and purchase tickets through several official channels. To ensure access to park facilities, guests should only purchase tickets from these authorized official channels:
1. The newly updated website of Shanghai Disney Resort, www.shanghaidisneyresort.com
2. The Shanghai Disney Resort Reservation Center at 400-180-0000 or 86-21-31580000
3. Official travel partners listed at www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.
Other authorized official channels, including Shanghai Disney Resort’s official mobile app and onsite ticket sales at the resort will be available at a date to be announced soon.
The picture at the top is supposed has been shot this week and shows SDL castle as seen from the back.
Let's have a look now at some new park pictures posted on Chinese media sites, starting by this picture of SDL Mickey Avenue showing buildings freshly painted and looking nice!
The next pic shows obviously a pirate from Treasure Cove and probably may be from the POTC ride!
The next picture are showing works in Adventure Isle on Roaring rapids raft ride - you can see the lift on the right.
No Disney theme park without geysers!
Let's move to Fantasyland to have a look at the different buildings
The next picture shows the Tangled tavern.
And what about the castle, you ask? Here are the latest pics!
Blue Frog restaurant bar will be settled in Shanghaî Disneyland DisneyTown next to the Walt Disney Theatre.
"Western-style casual dining experts "Blue Frog restaurant bar" confirmed that a Blue Frog restaurant will be settled in Shanghai Disney Resort's shopping dining and entertainment district. The Blue Frog restaurant bar will open at Disney's town Broadway next to the Walt Disney Theatre, offering visitors a variety of dining options. It will be integrated in all other aspects of the Disney classic decor and menu design elements, with the introduction of North American style dishes and creative drinks, family dinners, friends and romantic date with the most perfect dining experience . Disney enduring "Sharing Family Entertainment" concept will also be here to get the perfect embodiment."
As China's rapidly growing Western-style casual dining chain, Blue Frog restaurant bar have opened in more than 24 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Wuxi, Chengdu and other major cities.
On the picture below showing SDL Disney Town the part of itwith a blue square shows where the Blue Frog will be most probably located.
Let's have a look now at the Shanghaî Disneyland hotel, starting my these plans indicating the different wings and rooms.
More pictures from shots from the outside and entrance.
And here are shots of the inside, the first one showing the columns of the lobby that you've seen previously in the rendering.
Pictures of the room also designed in Art Nouveau style... Kids will sleep in company of Mickey thanks to the mural hidden behind the kids bed.
And a last pic showing the view on the park from Shanghaî Disneyland hotel!
See you soon for a new SDL update and have a great weekend!
Pictures, copyright Disney - Shendi, Blue Frog, DR
Publié par Alain Littaye à l'adresse 4:01 AM 3 commentaires
Libellés : shangai disney resort, Shanghai Disneyland, shanghai disneyland pictures
Shanghaî Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland Infographic Shows the Differences Between the Two Parks
As usual i will have a great Shanghaî Disneyland update for you this week-end, but for now have a look at this great infographic doc showing the differences between Shanghaî Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. Make sure to click on the picture or download it to see it in much bigger size.
This infographic was done by the South China Morning Post who did a great article titled "One country, two Disneys: can Shanghai and Hong Kong theme parks share the spoils in battle for the tourism dollar?" that i suggest you to read HERE as it talks about the two parks and include pictures like this one below showing the works on HKDL new Explorers Lodge hotel which will open in 2017.
Picture and Infographic: copyright South China Morning Post
Libellés : Hong Kong Disneyland Infographic, Shanghaî Disneyland, Shanghaî Disneyland Infographic
Grand Interview of WDI Legendary Imagineer Tony Baxter - Part Two
Here is the second part of the fantastic interview of legendary WDI Imagineer Tony Baxter, originally published on the ThemeGo Blog by Yariv Padva who interviewed Tony and kindly allowed me to post it on D&M. ThemeGo is a great place to share experiences and read reviews about every element of a theme park vacation including attractions, shows and more. Check them out at: http://www.themego.com
In the first part of the interview with the legendary Tony Baxter we spoke about the future of theme parks, what it takes to be a succesful imagineer and what makes an attraction work. Join us for this exciting second part as Tony discusses what it was like working with Star Wars creator, George Lucas, how animatronic characters can evolve, interactive queues and more!
Yariv Padva:
How do you see the relations between the author/director from an external IP (Intellectual Property) and Imagineer. Can you speak about how George Lucas was involved in Star Tours? How was his feedback incorporated if at all.
Tony Baxter:
Going back to that time, Disney was not doing films that were of a popular nature enough to build IP around. So, you’re talking about films like Robin Hood and The Fox and The Hound and Basil of Baker Street and things like that, that you couldn’t go and build an attraction and have millions of people wanting to come do it. So, the danger is that Disney could be out of touch with the generation if you didn’t find the things in the park that you loved as a child growing up. So, if I was a young person that raised in the late 70s and the 80s, I wasn’t in touch with the Disney films, but I was in touch with Indie and Star Wars and E.T. and all of those things, which were the films of that generation. So, we approached management, saying, “I’d love it if Disney had the films that we could use, but we don’t.” Our feeling is, we need to get involved with people that are in touch with popular cultures that children are growing up with, so when they come do Disneyland, they’ll see their childhood in the park.” That was great for my generation, because Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan and all those were things that were around when I was a little kid, but now you’re 30 years after that, and there wasn’t anything.
So, it’s a part that was connected unless we created our own, which was Big Thunder. That worked, because that was a Disney brand. In the case of Star Tours, we had a choice between Spielberg and Lucas. If you went with Spielberg, you got E.T. and Jaws and whatnot; if you went with George, you would get Star Wars and Indiana Jones and so forth. Instead of Spielberg, who was connected with Universal, we thought that George’s films had more emotion to connect to. So that decision was made. We came up with some ideas. The company agreed to bring George in to look at the ideas. He was very positive about Disneyland; telling stories about being a child, getting to go there, how much it meant to him. He said he saw his products as first-class and he thought Disneyland is first-class and he felt comfortable that two first-class, quality organizations working together and then we went forward with that. He had the definitive ideas that he wanted to inject into it. Like in the first show (Star Tours), we had a scene at the beginning where the vehicle didn’t go the way it was supposed to go. It went into a maintenance door. I remember he said, “When I was a kid, I’d come here and I’d always try to open those doors and went somewhere I wasn’t supposed to go, and I would love to have the ship at the beginning go that way.”
So, there were things like that where he would have a specific thing he’d want to add to it. Then he was very vocal on the director of the film on the first (Star Tours) one. I didn’t work on the second (Star Tours) one. That was Tom Fitzgerald, the redo, but on our first one, I remember I wanted the trench shot that I told you (about) earlier. I’ve always wanted to do this. Well, I was speaking for myself. I wanted to go down into that trench. ILM didn’t want to do it again. They didn’t want to film something they’d filmed again. So, George became the vote on that, and they presented why they didn’t want to do it. I said I felt people would feel cheated if they didn’t get to have (that) one moment that they dreamed about in those movies and they need to feel that experience. He agreed. He said, “I want to put my backing here behind my affiliates.” Then he thought, “I won on that, but everyone was mad that I won because everybody had to do the work.” I’m glad we did it, because I think that was a high point in the show. So, I’m going to say he worked from coming up with ideas for it, to listening to both sides of the story and then voting and being that vote that cast the decision that we went with, to not being involved at all in other things where he just trusted us to do it. Indie was more a case of his trusting us, because we had already done Star Tours. So when we got to Indie, we said, “Okay, we’re going to take that kind of approach with the movie simulation system, but we’re going to put in on a truck and drive it through an experience like Pirates of the Caribbean.” He got that right away and he saw exactly what we’re doing.
So, he left us alone until we had a working prototype that you could ride on. He was also, when we explained we’re going to try to put some interactivity in it and make it unpredictable so then when you ride it, different things will happen, and he understood that right away. I remember, I think it’s in the book, (a story) about the snakes. Maybe not. Maybe it isn’t in that book, but he had a hard time thinking in theme park world, where you have no control of the camera to focus people’s attention, which is the world he’s familiar with. When we got into the snake scene, I wanted a 50-foot snake, and he wanted real-world snakes. He said in the Indie films, we never break that window of reality. It doesn’t go into a fantasy or whatever. That 50-foot snake wouldn’t be realistic, and I said, “But you have the advantage of, when Indie is threatened by the cobra, the camera zooms in on that cobra head, and it fills a 50-foot screen and the audience is shocked by that shot of that thing jumping out. We can’t do that. If a put a regular cobra across the room, it’s 25 feet away from you. You’re not even going to see that it’s there.” So, what was funny is, we put 1,000 snakes for George in that room. There’s 1,000 real live snakes and then the one 50-foot snake. It’s funny, because nobody ever sees the other snakes. They’re only looking at this big, threatening snake. I think that was a case where he came out of that understanding, a very major difference between the staging of something for film and the staging for something in an attraction.
So, it was a great relationship. We never had arguments or fights. Generally, the things he added, we’d go, “Oh, that would be really neat. Let’s change it and put that in.” Then, occasionally when there would be internal battles between different people on the project, George would listen to everyone’s opinion and give us his judgment and we’d go with that. Then, other times, like one time I won because I was insistent, I said, “It’s not going to work that way if we do it that way.” I think in the end; he came around to understanding that view. So, it was good.
Sounds really amazing. What are your thoughts about recent trends such as dark ride-roller coaster combos and using large screen projections and combined sets to tell a story, rather than animatronic creatures and large-scale themed sets?
It’s all over the map. Some of them work incredibly well. Do you know the great stop-motion effect artist Ray Harryhausen? Ray said what he always tried to do was confuse the audience with different technologies all the time so that just when you’re starting to figure out how they’re doing it, you go to a projection and then you go back to stop-motion and then you go to a full rubber creature that is televised and all this stuff. So, the audience is kept guessing what’s going on, rather than, “Okay, we’re going to do this whole ride with projection.” I think the danger of projection shows and also CG is people take it for granted. I felt sort of this way with the movies The Lord of the Rings, and definitely when he followed it up with the three Hobbit movies that I never felt really scared or frightened by any of that stuff because I knew it was all computer generated and I knew they could make 10,000 orcs coming over the hill. Once you get one design, you just duplicate it and you’ve got thousands of them. I still respect the stop-motion guys when they work so hard to get one Cyclops or one dragon to move and I think I marvel at that still.
I think with animatronics, where something that’s dimensionally there in the room, just the sheer wonder of something being there that is defined reality is so impressive. So, I think, sure, I would say extend the sets with computer generated things that adjust the perspective and as you move through the coordination of the perspective and the projection is synced with a changing perspective in the room. That blows me away, but I wouldn’t necessarily say put all the characters into that, because you’re aware then it’s just a movie running on the wall. You can go see movies in better quality than that. You can see Spider Man. You can see anything in the theater in wonderful quality. So, I think as we move into 4K or 8K, I might have to revise my thinking on that or it becomes so seamless that there’s absolutely no detectable way to tell the difference between one and the other. We’ve been experimenting with some improvements in animatronics and I think people still really marvel at it, like something that’s really there with them that is apparently alive, but it’s something that couldn’t be alive, you know what I mean? It’s kind of a wonder.
So, I don’t think that will go away. As long as you see the tools of integrating into a dimensional world of film extension or ability to do something that can’t physically be done in the spaces that you have, I think that’s okay. I think if you depend on it 100%, it becomes boring sooner. Pirates of the Caribbean has been open for 40-some years, and even though we know they’re fake, you really enjoy looking at them again, because they’re marvelous. They’re amazing things that they can do and you’re seeing them right then, real. This is something that was filmed five years ago, and you’re watching the film again on the wall. It’s really happening in the room, and they’re really driving close, and they’re really talking to one another. So, there’s a different thing going on there.
How do you see these animatronic characters develop in the future?
Well, the neat thing is, electronics is allowing to get rid of most of the hydraulics. Hydraulics, while they’re very powerful, create a whole lot of problems. They leak, they really limit the kind of skins you can use, because they rot due to the oil leaks and everything. So, I’m excited about seeing total electronic characters giving us the ability to use skins that are as realistic as what you’d see in a film with monsters and things like that are so supple and so moveable. Traditional animatronics skin is tough as leather because it’s got to endure oil leaks all over them all the time that you have to swipe it off and keep the show going. So you can’t soft and very subtle things that would deteriorate with all these caustic chemicals on it. So, we’ve experimented with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. We have an electronic head on the figure at Disneyland and it’s lasted incredibly well and allows him to make expressions with his face and move his cheekbones. The other thing that the computer’s given us, you can sculpt the skeleton of a figure. In the past, you had a machine interior that didn’t really match the bone structure or the physicality of a creature. It was just metal parts that you bolted the skin onto the metal skeleton. Now, the interior skeleton structure is sculptural, and when you put the fabric of the skin on it, it adheres like a magnet. It’s all moving in concert with the interior. So, that frees us up to get a lot more realism in it.
Yeah. I think one of the current trends is to reserve things in advance. You plan and get a tailored experience. How do you think this advanced planning can affect an actual ride? I’ll explain. If someone can plan or choose preferences before actually going to the park, each visitor can have his or her own tailored experience when going on a ride. For example, you see that sort of beginning with Fast Track. These personalized experiences are something that I think can be very interesting for the future, and I would love your thoughts about it.
Okay, let me try. There’s two things that you’re talking about. I think I understand that you mean, can you change the things that you would see in a ride experience? I want to eliminate the other one which is before you go to the park, you’ve already planned out what things you’re going to do, like the MyMagic+ system that they have. You’re not talking about that. You’re talking about being able to control the sequence of things you see in an attraction?
Okay. Well that, again, one of these technology elements that, it’s great if what you do makes some sense. It’s not so great if all it is, is that you affected change. Every time there’s been a new technology in entertainment, going back to I think the first film ever shown was The Great Train Robbery. It was a train rushing towards the audience on a black and white screen, silent film. Everyone ran, got out of their seats and ran back to the room because they were scared they were going to be hit by the train on the film, because they’d never seen a film before. As soon as you realize the mechanics of film, you sit there and that would be boring. There’s nothing exciting about it. So, the danger is, you’ve got to tell a story with the film. The film has got to be not just, “Don’t look. We’re putting film up on the walls,” and then you can see that train moving. That works for a little while until everybody’s seen a film and they go, “Okay. I’ve seen that. Now what are you going to do with it? What is it going to be that I keep coming back to it?” So, I’m moving this question right back to where we were before about emotional.
If what you do to the attraction has an emotional effect on it that makes it far more inclusive, that you become wrapped up in it and something happens. Now, instead of just being generic to the entire audience, it’s happening to you, of course, that makes a lot of sense, but if the pirate simply said, “Hey, Tony. It’s your birthday. Happy birthday.” That’s boring. That’s just like, “Oh, what a novelty,” and then after I’ve done that once, I don’t care. Like E.T. at Universal. I remember when it opened, it was probably 20-some years ago and you filled out a magnetic card. It was supposed to be your pass to the studio, and it was a very clever idea. So, the girl said, “What is your name?” and you wrote your name and everything on this computer and then you took it in and you had to surrender your pass when you went on the ride. Then, at the end of the ride, E.T. said “Goodbye, Tony.” So, everyone went, “Oh, that’s really unique,” but then the next time you went, I’m going to figure out how to write my name so it phonetically will sound like a curse word. Then the joy was getting to hear E.T. say a four-letter word, like “Oh my god, I figured out a way to get him to say to f-word.” So, it no longer really was becoming part of the story. It was becoming, how do I trick it into doing something that it wasn’t supposed to do? Then they dropped it all together and then he just goes, “Goodbye everybody, goodbye,” because it didn’t prove out to be anything that added, really, to the show.
So, that’s where I look at those kind of things. The ones that will survive are the ones who dramatically and emotionally adds a new layer to it where it really does become something that you’re so excited the next time to get to see and do something that’s out of the ordinary and haven’t experienced and experience before, but that’s tough. In the case of Indiana Jones, I always refer to that as an unpredictable show rather than an interactive show, because you’ve got 12 people and it’s very difficult at the speed that ride’s going in the show to get 12 people the ability to have an effect on the show. How do you do that? It would be anarchy. All of the stuff that’s going on, nobody would know. It’s like the difference between, for me, Midway Mania. I really do understand what I’m shooting at in the show and how it’s affecting my score. I find that always fun to go back to. I don’t go back to Buzz Lightyear because I don’t really have any sense about what I’m hitting or there’s so many light beams out there on the set. I don’t know which one is mine and whatnot. That one has it as well. It hasn’t done as good a job of informing the rider how he’s being effective in changing the outcome of the show. You know what I mean?
Yeah. We see attraction queues becoming more interactive and entertaining and become a bigger part of the whole attraction experience. Can you elaborate on that and some of the ideas to make queues more fun for the attractions you designed?
Well, probably the best one I did, I think, was Indiana Jones. It needs to be a preshow. It doesn’t need to be as much fun as the ride. If it does, then it diminishes the quality of the ride. So I think it’s fun to put a surprise in the queue where you’re not expecting something. Or if you’ve been on it, you love to scare your friends by pushing the pole in Indiana Jones when the ceiling starts to come down. Things like that, but I’ve seen some of them that are so elaborate that the ride isn’t as good as the queue. I think that’s the dangerous thing. I think that before they put all of the money into a queue, that you’d want to study a ride and say, “Okay. Where are the slow parts of the ride?” Or “Where are the parts that are the least interesting” and make sure you’ve made all of those opportunities as good as they can be before you start throwing effort into the queue. I think where we’ve gotten into trouble, and if the ride doesn’t have enough capacity, the queue becomes excessive and slow because the ride doesn’t have enough people. That’s a trend that I’ve seen more recently more recently that I don’t like. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean hold 4,000 people an hour. The Haunted Mansion is 2,400 and Indie’s 2,400, but there’s some new things that are really slow.
That means that only a few people can do it in an hour. Then the queue becomes a real long thing and you have to create stuff to make the queue entertaining or get in a fast pass or something that gives you a way of not having to endure a long wait in line. I think the strong way to go is just design things that are matched better to the number of guests are going to desire it. There’s capacity here. People talk about this theoretical capacity, and that’s what the designers enable. Theoretically, 2,000 can go on it. Then there’s the operational capacity, that when you try to load people, you find out that they’re slow and it’s really difficult to board. The operational capacity is always lower than the theoretical. The more important one for me is preferred capacity. How many people want to ride it in that hour? If you can figure that one out, then you’re not building a theater where you’ve got so many seats, thousands of seats and nobody wants to see what you’re showing on the screen. Half of them are empty all the time. Well, those are wasted dollars because you didn’t go through the study of finding out how many people want to see this every hour. A lot of shows have closed because it looks like nobody’s going in there because all the theater seats are empty, but if it was designed to hold far less, it would have looked really good.
On the other end of it is where you’ve got no capacity and everybody wants to ride this ride because it’s fantastic and so the line is three hours long and the line moves so slow and all of that. So, I think that more should be done in really understanding the preferred capacities and then designing the attraction to be right in the ballpark of the number of guests that are going to want to do that. Then you’ll eliminate the need, because really, designing these queues that are really fantastic is because somehow, it is a working ride and people are spending too much time in the queue. That’s why you’re doing that effort, is to make that “Oops,” that wrong time more entertaining. So, I would rather put the effort into getting it balance right so you’re creating a show is just at the right number of people that want to every hour go over there and get in line for it. Then you wouldn’t have that problem.
If you could pick one attraction you worked on as your favourite attraction, what would it be and why?
Well, I think every attraction you do is your favorite attraction while you’re working on it, whether it’s big or little, at least it should be, but I’d say probably looking back, that Indiana Jones was my favorite for a lot of reasons. It was a lot of the things that you said. It’s not interactive; it’s definitely unpredictable. We had complete control over the vehicle reacting to the show, and that was a breakthrough, because the theater and films and all the other forms of entertainment have a set of things like lighting and music that you can use as tools to make people feel emotionally. So, if I light that dark and spooky, you’re going to feel scared and nervous. If it’s all bright and sunny, you’re going to feel happy, like “it’s a small world”. If you have John Williams shark music playing, like Jaws, like da dum, da dum da dum – you know you’re going to be eaten. All of those are great, but the ride vehicles for years and years until Indie, they just rolled through. They didn’t add anything. I thought with Indie, we can have this vehicle react to a snake. It can jump away just like you’d be scared and you’d pull away if something jumped out of you. That vehicle can do that, where it can race around a corner. It’s back wheel can apparently fall through a broken piece of wood and hang there on three wheels and jiggle back and forth, or it can appear to be backing up when a rolling ball is coming at you.
All these tricks allowed us to emotionally tell a story with a vehicle in the same way that lighting can tell a story and that music can tell a story. It’s one more way, because no one’s listening to the script. Nobody’s listening to what the characters are saying or anything like that on a ride. They’re screaming and yelling and having a good time and all that, so you have to have other ways to tell stories. Your brain can absorb a tremendous amount of environmental cues and those all add up to something if you’re careful, if you’ve orchestrate them. They can put you in a jeopardized mood. They can put you in a happy mood. They can really do all these things. So, Indie was a step in the direction of really getting a new tool for the first time in history into the bag of things that you use to tell a story. Indie was a cool guy. I loved Indiana Jones. He’s the coolest character ever on the screen for me. So, if you’d ask me, when I saw that movie, that was 1980, that 14 years later we would be building this thing about Indiana Jones and I would work with George Lucas and all that, I would have died. There was no way that could have happened, and here we were doing it. So it’s just really, really cool as well.
The last question, more on a personal note, which moment are you most proud of? It can be a personal moment, not related to theme parks.
Gosh. Oh, gosh, I don’t even know how to talk about that. Everything seems to be related. I guess a lifetime achievement award from the themed entertainment industry. I was very proud of that, but then that sort of ties back to theme parks. I built my house. That was pretty impressive. I depend on hundreds of really talented people here at Disney, because you don’t do anything alone. You do it with hundreds or thousands of people that contribute to these things and make it look great. Each one of them adds something that couldn’t do, that you don’t know how to do. Then, all of the sudden it’s done and you go, “It’s a thousand times better than I could ever do.” So, I had this idea that I would build my house and I’d learned a lot from construction and installation and all the things that I’d seen people doing. I thought, “Well, could I do the drawings and then have them engineered, then work to build the house?” and I did. So, I don’t know that I’d ever want to do it again, but I was proud that I did it, and it looks neat. If you looked at the house, you’d go, “Well, that definitely looks like a Disney thing.” We used a lot of theatrical techniques rather than normal house-building techniques. I guess that would be at the top.
That sounds fantastic.
Tony, I wanted to thank you very, very much for this interview from the bottom of my heart.
If you've missed the part one of this great interview, jump to ThemeGo to read it HERE.
You can find the great and not-to-be-missed Tony Baxter biography by Tim O'Brien on Amazon HERE and even in Kindle format for immediate download - and read! - on a Kindle, iPad, or any tablet device- with the amazon Kindle App - and for $11.81 only!
Pictures: copyright Disney, ThemeGo
D&M Exclusive: A Closer Look at the Construction of Shanghaî Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle
I've got a fantastic pictorial article for you today about the construction of Shanghaî Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle, thanks to a video posted on a Chinese news site. The news report in itself was not extremely interesting for Disney fans as they used mostly stock shots of the SDL model or Disney U.S theme parks but it included pictures from where are coming the screen captures below.
Since the last two years we've seen the castle and its towers rising little by little but many sculpted elements were created separately in the meantime, stored backstage and then added to the castle. What you'll see today is rare pictures of these elements as well as workers at work inside the castle. So, let's not wait anymore and have a look at these pics, shall we?
We'll start by a few pics of the castle as seen from outside as i know you like these shots so much. The picture at the top shows some of the castle tower and their different styles. Some have concerns about the mix of different architectural styles for this castle, and i have too. I'm still not convinced that it will" work", but i give it the benefit of the doubt until i see it in real next June. Same for the colors. My first reaction was "Bring back John Hench from his grave and ask him to redesign all the castle colors!". Let's wait for the final painting and see how it will look on opening day. The good point with painting is that they can change them later - even if "later" probably means "10 years later" when they will repaint the castle if no one is satisfied... something they can't do of course with the architecture.
And now, let's have a look at these sculpted elements, as some bring surprises.
Yes, it's some of the animals from Disney's classic animated film Bambi that you see sculpted above, and below it's the mouses from Cinderella.
On the next picture i think that we have Chip and Dale...
Note that Disney characters won't be "hidden" - if i can say as they'll be clearly visible - on each sculpted elements, like these other ones below.
Of course, all these innumerable pieces must be fixed on the castle and that's what Shanghaî Disneyland workers are doing now...
...while others take care of the final touches here and there.
Hope you enjoyed this update on the making of Shanghaî Disneyland castle, more Shanghaî Disneyland updates will come soon. Disney and more is the only Disney fan site which post Shanghaî Disneyland updates several times per week always doing the best to find for you never seen before pictures. Your support is not only always appreciated but truly needed. Please consider donating via Paypal, you can use if you wish the Paypal button below. Thanks!
Libellés : Disney Castles, Enchanted Storybook Castle, Shanghaî Disneyland, Shanghaî Disneyland Castle
Shanghaî Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland Infog...
Grand Interview of WDI Legendary Imagineer Tony Ba...
D&M Exclusive: A Closer Look at the Construction ...
Disneyland Paris Walt Disney Studios Animagique Fi...
Why an Atlantis Resort Next Door to Disney's Aulan...
Interesting Poll About Shanghaî Disneyland
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Marketing Yourself: Making a Cover Letter Work for You
Keith H. Dickinson / February 5, 2014
reblogged by Keith Dickinson
HBR Blog Network
by Amy Gallo | 2:00 PM February 4, 2014
THE HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
No one likes job hunting. Scouring through online jobs boards, spiffing up your résumé, prepping for grueling interviews — none of it’s fun. But perhaps the most challenging part of the process is writing an effective cover letter. There’s so much conflicting advice out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Indeed, in an age of digital communication, many might question whether you even need a cover letter anymore.
The answer is yes. “Not sending a cover letter is a sign of laziness. It’s akin to making spelling and grammar mistakes in your résumé. You just don’t do it,” says Jodi Glickman, a communications expert and author of Great on the Job. John Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author of Knockout CV, agrees. Even if only one in two cover letters gets read, that’s still a 50% chance that including one could help you, he explains. “It’s an opportunity to distinguish yourself,” Glickman adds. Still, as anyone who’s ever written a cover letter knows, it’s not easy to do well. Here’s how to give hiring managers what they’re looking for.
Do your research first
Before you start writing, find out more about the company and the specific job you want. Look at the company’s website, its executives’ Twitter feeds, and employee profiles on LinkedIn. “Do some research beyond reading the job description,” says Lees. Find out what challenges the company is facing and how your role would help address those. Knowing the company better also helps you decide on the right tone to use in your cover letter. “Think about the culture of the organization you’re applying to,” advises Glickman. “If it’s a creative agency, like a design shop, you might take more risks but if it’s a more conservative organization, like a bank, you may hold back.”
Open strong
“People typically write themselves into the letter with ‘I’m applying for X job that I saw in Y place.’ That’s a waste of text,” says Lees. Instead, lead with a strong opening sentence. “Start with the punch line — why this job is exciting to you and why you’re right for it,” says Glickman. For example, you might write, “I’m an environmental fundraising professional with more than 15 years of experience and I’d love to bring my expertise and enthusiasm to your growing development team.” Chances are the hiring manager or recruiter is reading a stack of these, so you want to catch their attention. But don’t try to be funny. “Humor can often fall flat or sound self-regarding,” says Lees. Stay away from common platitudes, too. “Say something direct and dynamic, such as ‘Before you read any further, let me draw your attention to two reasons why you might want to hire me….’
If you have a personal connection with the company or someone who works there, also mention it in the first sentence or two. And always address your letter to someone directly. “With social media, there’s no excuse to not be able to find the name of a hiring manager,” says Glickman.
Emphasize your personal value
Hiring managers are looking for people who can help them solve problems. Drawing on the research you did earlier, show that you know what the company does and some of the challenges it faces. These don’t need to be specific but you might mention a trend that’s affected the industry. For example, you might write, “A lot of healthcare companies are grappling with how the changing laws will affect their ability to provide high-quality care.” Then talk about how your experience has equipped you to meet those needs; perhaps explain how you solved a similar problem in the past or share a relevant accomplishment.
Convey enthusiasm
Make it clear why you want the position. “In today’s economy, a lot of people have the right skills, so employers want someone who really wants the job,” says Glickman. “Enthusiasm conveys personality,” Lees adds. He suggests writing something like “I’d love to work for your company. Who wouldn’t? You’re the industry leader, setting standards that others only follow.” Don’t bother applying if you’re not excited about some aspect of the company or role. “Sending out 100 résumés is a waste of time. Find the 10 companies you want to work for and put some heart and soul into it,” Glickman says. At the same time, don’t go overboard with the flattery or say anything you don’t mean. Authenticity is crucial. “You don’t want to sound like a gushing teenager,” Glickman warns. Be professional and mature. Lees notes that in some industries, like fashion or technology, it’s more appropriate to say how much you love a company’s product or services. A good rule of thumb is to “use only the kind of language that the hiring manager would use with one of his customers.”
Much of the advice out there tells you to keep it under a page. But both Glickman and Lees say even shorter is better. “Most cover letters I see are too long,” says Lees. “It should be brief enough that someone can read it at a glance.” You do have to cover a lot of ground—but you should do it succinctly.
When you can’t submit a cover letter
“In the black hole of an online system, the rules may be different,” Glickman concedes. Many companies now use online application systems that don’t allow for a cover letter. You may be able to figure out how to include one in the same document as your résumé but that’s not a guarantee, especially because some systems only allow for data to be entered into specific boxes. In these cases, use the format you’re given to demonstrate your ability to do the job and your enthusiasm for the role. If possible, you may try to find someone who you can send a brief follow-up email highlighting a few key points about your application.
Principles to Remember
Have a strong opening statement that makes clear why you want the job and why you’re right for it.
Be succinct — a hiring manager should be able to read it at a glance.
Share an accomplishment that shows you can address the challenges the employer faces.
Try to be funny — too often it falls flat.
Send a generic cover letter — customize each one for the specific job
Go overboard with flattery — be professional and mature
Case study #1: Demonstrate an understanding of what the company needs
Michele Sommers, the vice president of HR for the Boys & Girls Village, a nonprofit in Connecticut, recently posted a job for a recruiting and training specialist. “I was looking for someone with a strong recruiting background who could do everything from sourcing candidates to onboarding new hires,” she says. She also wanted the person to hit the ground running. “We’re a small team and I can’t afford to train someone,” she says.
More than 100 candidates applied for the job. The organization’s online application system doesn’t allow for cover letter attachments but one of the applicants, Heidi (not her real name), sent a follow-up email after submitting her résumé. “And it’s a good thing she did because she would’ve been weeded out otherwise,” Michele says.
Heidi’s résumé made her look like a “job hopper”— very short stints at each previous employer. Michele assumed she was a poor performer who kept getting fired. She was also the only candidate who didn’t have a four-year college degree.
But Heidi’s email caught Michele’s eye. First off, it was professional. Heidi stated clearly that she was writing to double-check that her application had been received. She went on to explain how she had gotten Michele’s name and information (through her husband’s boss who was on the board) and her personal connection to Boys & Girls Village (her father-in-law had done some work with the organization).
What really stood out to Michele, though, was Heidi’s understanding of the group and the challenges it was facing. She’d done her research and “listed some things she would do or already had done that would help us address those needs,” says Michele.
“The personality and passion she conveyed in the cover letter came through during her phone screening,” Michele says. Heidi ended up being more than qualified for the job. “I wanted this role to be bigger from the get-go but I didn’t think that was possible. When I met her, I knew we could expand it.” Three weeks later Michele offered Heidi the job and she accepted.
Case study #2: Catch their attention
Over the past four years, Emily Sernaker applied for multiple positions at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). She never gave up. With each application, she sent a personalized cover letter. “I wanted my cover letter to highlight my qualifications, creative thinking, and genuine respect for the organization,” she says.
Sarah Vania, the organization’s regional HR director, says that Emily’s letters caught her attention, especially because they included several video links that showed the results of Emily’s advocacy and fundraising work at other organizations. Emily explains, “I had prior experience advocating for former child soldiers, human trafficking survivors, vulnerable women, and displaced persons. It’s one thing to make statements in a cover letter, like ‘I can make a pitch, I am a creative person, I am thoughtful,’ but showing these qualities seemed like a better way of convincing the recruiter that the statements were true.”
This is what Emily wrote to Sarah about the video:
Here is a short video about my story with activism. The nonprofit organization Invisible Children made it for a youth conference I spoke at this year. It is about four minutes.
As you’ll see from the video, I’ve had a lot of success as a student fundraiser, raising over $200,000 for Invisible Children. I’ve since gone on to work as a consultant for Wellspring International and have recently concluded my studies as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar.
In each of the cover letters, Emily also made clear how much she wanted to work for IRC. “To convey enthusiasm is a vulnerable thing to do and can come off as naiveté, but, when it came down to it, my enthusiasm for the organization was genuine and expressing it felt right,” she says.
This is how Emily conveyed her interest in working for IRC:
You should also know that I have a sincere appreciation of the IRC. I have enjoyed learning about your programs and have personally visited your New York headquarters, the San Diego New Roots farm, the We Can Be Heroes exhibit, and the Half the Sky exhibit in Los Angeles. The IRC is my top choice and I believe I would be a valuable addition to your fundraising team.
Emily learned throughout the process that the organization had hundreds of applicants for each position and it was extremely competitive. “I appreciated that I wouldn’t be the best for every opening but also remained firm that I did have a significant contribution to make,” she says. Eventually, Emily’s persistence paid off. Last June, she was hired as a temporary external relations coordinator and, in October, she moved into a permanent role.
Amy Gallo
Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review. Follow her on Twitter at @amyegallo.
February 5, 2014 in Uncategorized. Tags: Amy Gallo, Cover Letters, Harvard Business Review, Job Applications, Job Hunt, Job Search, Marketing Yourself, Resume
Why you need to Google yourself (and why no news is not good news, if you’re job hunting).
Self-Promotion, American Style
Teaching Business for the Real World: Combining Theoretical AND Practical
← H-E-B: The Smartest Supermarket You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of.
In Russia, Internet shopping comes with very personal touches. →
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Multiple Vulnerabilities in Apple QuickTime
Credit: Mike Price
CVE: CVE-2006-4389 | CVE-2006-4388 | CVE-2006-4385 | CVE-2006-4384 | CVE-2006-4382
McAfee, Inc. McAfee Avert(tm) Labs Security Advisory Public Release Date: 2006-09-12 Apple QuickTime Multiple Vulnerabilities CVE-2006-4382, CVE-2006-4384, CVE-2006-4385, CVE-2006-4386, CVE-2006-4388, CVE-2006-4389 _________________________________________________ * Synopsis Apple QuickTime is a multimedia technology used to process image, audio and video data. QuickTime is used by the Mac OS X operating system and by the QuickTime media player for Microsoft Windows. Seven code execution vulnerabilities are present in QuickTime support for various multimedia formats including: MOV, H.264, FLC, FPX and SGI. Exploitation could lead to execution of arbitrary code. User interaction is required for an attack to succeed. The risk rating for these issues is medium. _________________________________________________ * Vulnerable Systems QuickTime 7.1.2 and below for Mac OS X QuickTime for Windows 7.1.2 and below _________________________________________________ * Vulnerability Information CVE-2006-4382 Two buffer overflow vulnerabilities are present in QuickTime MOV format support. CVE-2006-4384 On heap overflow vulnerability is present in QuickTime FLC format support. CVE-2006-4385 One buffer overflow vulnerability is present in QuickTime SGI format support. CVE-2006-4386 One buffer overflow vulnerability is present in QuickTime MOV H.264 format support. CVE-2006-4388 One buffer overflow vulnerability is present in QuickTime FlashPix (FPX) format support. CVE-2006-4389 One uninitialized memory access vulnerability is present in QuickTime FlashPix (FPX) format support. _________________________________________________ * Resolution Apple has included fixes for the QuickTime issues in QuickTime version 7.1.3 for Mac OS X and for Microsoft Windows. Further information is available at: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304357 _________________________________________________ * Credits These vulnerabilities were discovered by Mike Price of McAfee Avert Labs. _________________________________________________ * Legal Notice Copyright (C) 2006 McAfee, Inc. The information contained within this advisory is provided for the convenience of McAfee's customers, and may be redistributed provided that no fee is charged for distribution and that the advisory is not modified in any way. McAfee makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy of the information referenced in this document, or the suitability of that information for your purposes. McAfee, Inc. and McAfee Avert Labs are registered Trademarks of McAfee, Inc. and/or its affiliated companies in the United States and/or other Countries. All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners. Best regards, Dave Marcus, B.A., CCNA, MCSE Security Research and Communications Manager McAfee(r) Avert(r) Labs
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Category Archives: Bob Marley
My Top 10 Songs of the Week! “Am I A Man… or…” : MYFAVORITES
Posted by d1esel6 in Amy Adams, Barrington Levy, Beyoncé, Bob Marley, Jason Segel, Jennifer Hudson, M.I.A., Madonna, Major Lazer, MUSIC, Sleigh Bells, The Muppets, The Partysquad, Usher
Amy Adams, Barrington Levy, beyonce, Bob Marley, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Deena Jones, Diplo, Dreamgirls, Effie White, Jason Segel, Jennifer Hudson, M.I.A., Madonna, Major Lazer, MIA, Miss Piggy, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, Sleigh Bells, Switch, The Muppets, The Partysquad, Top 10, Top 10 Songs, Top 10 Songs of the Week, Usher, Walter
Some of you might be wondering… “What the hell happened to the Top 10 Songs this past Friday?” Well as “MDNA Week” begins today, last week was “Midterm” week with so many papers due and tests to study for. By Friday, I was spent… I did a rough draft of seven songs but when I got home I didn’t even log onto the computer before falling off to sleep. So sorry for the wait, but it’s cool because I can add a few songs I was loving (and rather embarrassed that I couldn’t get out of my head) over the weekend.
10. Madonna “Girl Gone Wild”
still not going crazy over the song, but the video that came out last week is pretty amazing. sexy, visually stunning, good dancing, and Madge looks great. definitely brought a new dimension to the song, which is still a very basic output. (get ready for “MDNA Week!”)
9. Beyonce “Dreamgirls”
How did I get Here? I forget now, but one song led to another which led to another and somehow I landed on the “Dreamgirls” movie soundtrack and this was one of the highlights. The scene is so pretty, and Beyonce’s err Deena’s spin towards the end gives me life every time.
8.(tie) Jason Segel & Walter “Man or Muppet”/ Amy Adams & Miss Piggy “Me Party”
Yes! I Went There. So I’m a kid of the 80’s so The Muppets were like my heroes, so when the recent movie “The Muppets” was released for rent I had to see it. And these two campy, cheesy and hilarious songs stuck in my head for the whole weekend. I still have “I’m a Muppety Man” replaying in my mind.
7. Bob Marley & The Wailers “War”
First line: “Until the philosophy which hold one race superior, and another inferior, Is Finally and Permanently Discredited and Abandoned, Everywhere is War!” … enough said! #TrayvonMartin
6. Jennifer Hudson “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”
Did Jennifer sing the Hell out of this song!!?? Yes she did!!! After not seeing the movie or hearing the soundtrack for a minute, I came back to this and was as impressed as when I heard it the first time. She did a phenomenal job.
5. Sleigh Bells “End of the Line”
I BOUGHT an album this weekend (well two! thanks Sopa! *laugh), this had been on my wish list for a while and I JUST finished it, but this song was an early stand out. It’s so peaceful, but still has those heavy and intense synths that the Bells are known for now. Could this be a single that makes top 40!? Who cares, but it’s an awesome song.
(you’ll have to settle for a live clip.)
4. M.I.A. “Bird Flu”
This track is so… different! I can’t really even explain what it is that I love about it, but it’s definitely something a little off-kilter but I can still dance my butt off to it.
3. Barrington Levy “Sensimella”
Last week, I was trying to find “new/old” music from some Reggae legends. Along with Barrington I grabbed some Steel Pulse, Aswad and Black Uhuru. This song, among a few from Barrington’s “Poor Man Style” album, stuck with me.
2. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad “Original Don”
When I first grabbed this track, I was kind of like “wtf!?”… but it’s catchy so I kept going back to it. Now I pretty much love it. Yeah sometimes it gets a little exhausting, but I love this mix of Dancehall and what I’ve been told is called HardStyle. Fun song.
1. Usher “Climax”
Usher is really out to make sure his seat as King of R&B is still his. And this song can easily do it. It’s a bit of elevated R&B, a really strange but simple track by Diplo with some great lyrics and some standard flawless and very much alive vocals by Mr. Raymond. Can’t wait to see what else is on this forthcoming album, because this song is pure gold. (And I also really love the video!)
Flashback Video of the Week: Lauryn Hill & Bob Marley “Turn Your Lights Down Low”
Posted by d1esel6 in Bob Marley, Flashback Video, Lauryn Hill, The Wailers
Bob Marley, Flashback Video, Lauryn Hill, The Best Man, The Best Man Soundtrack, The Wailers
Was getting my Marley on this weekend, and it reminded me of this beautiful remix of one of his classic songs “Turn Your Lights Down Low”. Coming from “The Best Man” soundtrack late-Summer of 1999, this was actually my first real introduction to Bob Marley, of course I had knowledge of him but I don’t think I had listened to any of his music at that point. Lauryn Hill was coming off her multi-award and multi-platinum “Miseducation” era, so anything new she put out she had the attention of the masses. So I’ll thank her for putting me on to Bob, I LOVED this song so much and the video was beautiful as well. And now that I’m well versed in Marley, I can say this remix (where Lauryn trades verses with the old Marley recording) is just as good as the original version. It’s a little more Hip Hop with the strong back beats, but it still keeps the calm and breezy nature of the original. Lauryn’s vocals, both sung and rapped, flow so well with Marley you want to believe they were in the studio together.
Beautiful song, and some nice mellow Monday music for you.
>Top 25 All-Time Favourite Artists (10-6)
Posted by d1esel6 in Bob Marley, Kanye West, Missy Elliott, OutKast, Stevie Wonder, The Wailers, Timbaland, Top 25 All-Time Favourite Artists
>6. Bob Marley/The Wailers
Last year, I got really into discovering the legacy of Bob Marley and The Wailers. And much like The Beatles, I love Marley not only for the amazing music but also for having a very inspirational career. There are the undeniable Reggae classics like “Jammin” “Is This Love” “Turn Your Lights Down Low” and (my favourite) “Waiting in Vain”, and aside from the singles Marley delivered some truly amazing albums in “Natty Dread” “Burnin” and the epic “Exodus”. What I think is amazing about his career is that for one, he basically carried the whole Reggae genre on his shoulders and introduced it to the masses in the U.S. and Worldwide which in turn inspired dozens of artists in very different genres. Though he did have his fun songs, Marley also was very politically driven and used his music to let the world hear the voice of the oppressed in Jamaica, which actually translated quite well in the U.S. during the 1970’s. And I think the most admirable thing about Marley’s too short career was that he used his music to make a change. He used his music, his image, his celebrity and fame, and his power to make positive changes in his community. In videos and in different biographies, it seemed like he actually put his community above himself and was never really selfish or let his success go to his head and make him forget about what’s really important. A truly inspirational genius.
myTop 3 Favourite Bob Marley/The Wailers albums: 1. Exodus (1977), 2. Kaya (1978), 3. Rastaman Vibration (1976)
7. Stevie Wonder
You don’t even really have to dig too deep into Stevie’s musical catalogue to know that this man is incredibly talented. His lyrics are beyond amazing, and of course he has a great voice. One of the highest regarded musicians of all time, with all the gold award trophies to prove it. If you do happen to dig deeper, which I did last year, you will realize that Stevie is one of the more diverse artists in our history. Of course he was part of the Motown machine in the 1960’s, he truly emerged in the 1970’s. And listening to any of those albums, “Music on My Mind” “Innervisions” “Songs in the Key of Life”, you will see he never boxed himself into one genre. He experimented with Country, Reggae, Pop, Funk, R&B even Rap in the early 80’s. A risk taker who loves music, and has contributed some of the most well crafted music of all time.
myTop 3 Favourite Stevie Wonder albums: 1. Hotter than July (1980), 2. Innervisions (1973), 3. Where I’m Coming From (1971)
8. Kanye West
This guy is well on his way to topping my list if he keeps going the way he’s been the last four albums. I think I can personally relate to his music more than any other artist on this list. I love the fact that he’s not the stereotypical Rapper of today, he’s Himself and not scared of it. He wasn’t scared to rhyme about working at the Gap on his first album instead of pretending he was a drug dealer or something like that. Things like that make me respect him on a personal level, and his music and how it just keeps getting better and better each album makes me respect him on that artistic level. He… like Prince… is always forward thinking, original and creative, gives you something outside of the norm but is still accessible to the masses. Genius!
myTop 3 Favourite Kanye West albums: 1. Late Registration (2005), 2. Graduation (2007), 3. 808’s & Heartbreak (2008)
9. Missy Elliott/Timbaland (tie)
Don’t really know what I can say that hasn’t already been said about these two. They are just so far left and do their Own thing, and always have. The most unique, creative hip hop artists since they both were introduced on the scene. Admittedly, they both have fallen off considerably. Timbaland mainly because he keeps producing the same types of tracks over and over. And Missy only because she’s been gone so long. I still will love them for the great music they gave me from 1996-2002ish…
myTop 3 Favourite Missy Elliott/Timbaland albums: 1. Da Real World (1999), 2. Shock Value (2007), 3. MissE… So Addictive (2001)
10. OutKast
I honestly don’t know where to start when it comes to talking about these ATLiens Outkast. Who really knows what’s going on with them at the present moment, but they have consistently produced some of the best Hip Hop albums of all time. In fact if you ask me, “Aquemini” and “The Love Below/Speakerboxxx” are two (or three) of the best albums Period. Simply put, they have had an incredible career. The two very different personalities of Big Boi and Andre 3000 work well on their own (as best evidenced in the aforementioned double album, and even on their most recent and underrated “Idlewild” album) but are just as good and sometimes better together. And what seemingly might be taken as gimmickry (Andre 3000’s bizarre fashion sense, Big Boi’s obsession with booty in his videos) to hide minimal talents, is completely not the case with this duo because from their beginning they proved they have the skills in both delivery and their writing and production. I hope there is at least one last album from the pair, and i’d have no doubt that it would be another classic.
myTop 3 Favourite Outkast albums: 1. Aquemini (1998), 2. Speakerboxx/The Love Below (2003), 3. Stankonia (2000)
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Tag Archives: The Temper Trap
>Album Review : Quick Update!!!
Posted by d1esel6 in Album Review, Grizzly Bear, Gucci Mane, Hot Chip, Lil Wayne, Robin Thicke, The Temper Trap
Album Review, Conditions, Conditions Review, Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear Review, Grizzly Bear Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear Veckatimest Review, Gucci Mane, Gucci Mane Review, Gucci Mane The State Vs Radric Davis, Gucci Mane The State Vs Radric Davis Review, Hot Chip, Hot Chip One Life Stand, Hot Chip One Life Stand Review, Hot Chip Review, Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne Rebirth, Lil Wayne Rebirth Review, Lil Wayne Review, One Life Stand, One Life Stand Review, Rebirth, Rebirth Review, Robin Thicke, Robin Thicke Review, Robin Thicke Sex Therapy, Robin Thicke Sex Therapy Review, Sex Therapy, Sex Therapy Review, Temper Trap, Temper Trap Conditions, Temper Trap Conditions Review, Temper Trap Review, The State Vs Radric Davis, The State Vs Radric Davis Review, The Temper Trap, The Temper Trap Conditions, The Temper Trap Conditions Review, The Temper Trap Review, Veckatimest, Veckatimest Review, Weezy
>So 2010 is shaping up to be a boring year Music wise. There haven’t been many big releases thus far, and reading Rolling Stones “Spring Music Preview” it doesn’t look like there’s much to look forward to either. I’ve checked out a few new releases, and just now getting into some stuff from last year. So here is just a quick run down of what’s standing out to me right now.
Grizzly Bear “Veckatimest“
When I first played this album, only two tracks grabbed me. Those two tracks still remain the standouts on this album, but I grew to love the laid back vibe and beautiful harmonies and melodies this group has put together on their third album which was released last summer. The albums first single (and now featured in a Volkswagen commercial) “Two Weeks” is a light, upbeat and a great showcase for all 4 band members talents. “Ready, Able” is a slower, moodier song that blends perfectly with the vibe of the album — which is very moody, but also very relaxing and also very Earthy (I suppose this is what you might call Contemporary Folk music). Those two benefit from very strong hooks and melodies, but the entire album with their very textured harmonies is a great listen, a great example of a band that blend together perfectly.
The Temper Trap “Conditions“
This groups break out single “Sweet Disposition” grabbed me when I heard it on the radio, but like Grizzly Bear I wasn’t bowled over the first time I listened to the album. And that amazing single is still the only real standout to be honest. The powerful and unique vocals and vocal delivery of Dougie Mandagi, matched with the upbeat instrumentation and strong hook make this one of the better songs I’ve heard in a while. Unfortunately it seems like the group couldn’t match the greatness of this song with anything else on the album. However, if you like that song (and I love it) the rest of the album isn’t a big disappointment. It’s very much in the same vein of that song, power hooks over very polished electronic/rock beats. “Soldier On” shows a lot more restraint than most of the tracks, with a soft guitar backing and very great delivery by the lead vocalist it also stands out a little more than the rest. However, this is their first studio album. So I think this group has amazing potential to be pretty big in the years to come, if they keep in the same direction as “Sweet Disposition”
Lil Wayne “Rebirth”
Sticking in this, “sort of Rock” tradition, let’s talk about Lil Wayne’s much talked about Hip Hop/Rock album. I listened to it twice to be sure, and I’m pretty much certain now that this album is Awful to the point of being one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard. And the thing about it is, it could have been saved. Wayne seems to have gotten too confident that he could pull this off, and he really didn’t. At all. “Ground Zero” is no doubt the best song on the album. Weezy and Producers DJ Infamous and Streetrunners do a great job at keeping the dirty vibe of a rock track and mixing it with the dirty vibe of a Hip Hop track. And there are occasions, on a pure instrumental level, that some of the tracks really do work in that way. The problem is the Auto-Tune. Wayne uses it way too much on this album, and at all the wrong moments. Sometimes, most of the times, listening to the album is unbearable because of it. And really if he wanted to embody a Rock Star, they aren’t scared to have their voice sound off-pitch, gritty or out of tune because it’s Rock and Roll!! I think Wayne thought it was a cool effect and that’s really what ruined this album. And the other problem, is that some of the songs don’t sound like Rock at all. “On Fire”, one of the singles released, is another highlight but it’s hectic drum programming and his delivery are pure Hip Hop and nothing else. And there are times when the producers just seemed to throw a bit of a guitar sound on the track and pass it off as Rock. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but I was expecting a lot better. (And don’t even get me started on the “Knockout” song, which is just so infuriating in theme)
Gucci Mane “The State Vs. Radric Davis”
The most surprising album so far this year has been Gucci Mane, which I expected NOTHING from. I was a big fan of his single “Wasted”, which led me to download this album. And I think everything I like about “Wasted” is the reason why I actually really like this album and why it actually works. Gucci is very simple in delivery, but he does a great job of matching whatever the track dictates. The album begins with a very underground Hip Hop sound with standouts like “Heavy” and “Stupid Wild”, but they come off as just very fun songs (almost the feeling of Project PAT). The album than flows into the more commercial ready Rap/R&B stuff (collaborations with Keyshia Cole, Bobby Valentino and Usher on the hit “Spotlight”), and than lands back to a grittier sound to end out the album. Still Fun though, and the bottom half of the album is definitely focused on the party with one of the best tracks “Kush is my Cologne” and two versions of “Wasted”. The album is sequenced well, and the guest appearances from the likes of Lil Wayne, Mike Epps, E-40 and Soulja Boy among others are well spaced apart to let the star actually shine. Who knows where Gucci will be next year, there aren’t an extraordinary amount of skills coming from this album, but he does bring back the fun that Hip Hop sometimes lacks.
Robin Thicke “Sex Therapy”
Another huge surprise, Thicke’s fourth album which was released late 2009. I’ve never been a big fan of his and I was so ready to put him in the “One Hit Wonder” group after 2006’s “Lost Without You” made him the “White boy singing R&B Star of the Moment”. Than I heard this albums title track, a very Prince influenced “baby-making” song that is growing into one of my favorite slow burners. I’m not surprised it’s sitting at #1 on the R&B Single charts, because it is a real winner. On his 4th studio album there are a good number of other great songs. The summer-y “Meiple” featuring Jay-Z, the electro-disco sound of “Rollercoasta” featuring Estelle, the slow ballads “Brand New Luv” and “2 Luv Birds”. There are also a good number of songs that sound really dated (like “Make U Love Me” or the god-awful “Shakin it 4 Daddy” with the ever present Nicki Minaj), but my biggest problem with the album on the whole is that Thicke still isn’t really a distinctive singer. He’s a bit recognizable because of his falsetto, but he doesn’t have enough attitude or personality with his vocals so sometimes it sounds like he’s channeling Justin Timberlake sometimes Maxwell sometimes Prince, and never making his own style. I do appreciate an R&B album where the man actually respects women, and that’s a running theme on the album. Even on the sex drenched title track, it’s about pleasing Her. And “Diamonds” with The Game is another standout where he celebrates black women who have worked hard to get where they are.
Hot Chip “One Life Stand”
I discovered this Electronic group last Fall, and once I listened to some of their music I became a fan. I love that their this electronic group, but somehow they don’t over-do it with the effects and keyboards but still make really dance floor ready songs. I became addicted to their second album “The Warning”, and really excited when I saw they released a new album earlier this year. And though it’s not nearly as good as that aforementioned album, it’s a pretty solid and a little more cohesive effort. “I Feel Better” and the title track are clearly the best songs here, and “Brothers” is a sweet love song to brotherly love which has hit potential because it’s speaking so obviously to the younger generation (with references to playing X-Box and “drinking my fill with my brothers”). The rest of the album is alright, but it suffers from an insanely irritating lead vocalist Alexis Taylor. And I’m sure his voice would sound fine over some other tracks, but it just didn’t mesh all that well with me. However, it’s something I could get used to.
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Rebati Adhikari December 1, 2016 167 Views
Used to be one of the most popular mobile brands Nokia has announced to make a comeback in 2017 with a new range of smartphones. The mobile phone maker has made a strategic agreement with HMD Global Oy, the Finnish company. HMD has taken the responsibility of manufacturing upcoming smartphones for the next ten years.
HMD and Nokia signed a deal back in May. Under the agreement, the smartphone maker will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of every mobile phone and tablet, covering both brand and intellectual property rights.
Microsoft acquired the highly regarded mobile maker’s business back in 2013 and released phones under the name Microsoft Lumia. But Lumia phones couldn’t wow the customers for long. Due to its bad performance in the market, it sold the phone business to HMD Global and FIH Mobile, which now have acquired rights of overall sales, distribution, and marketing of the upcoming smartphones. IT is reported that new Nokia-phones will be powered by Google’s Android Operating System.
Brad Rodrigues, interim president of Nokia-Technologies, said in a press statement, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown around the world for the return of the brand with new smartphones. I’m sure our millions of Nokia fans will be excited to see their new products!”
Nokia Nokia is releasing new smartphones next year' Nokia smartphones Nokia to make comeback in 2017 2016-12-01
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On location with McQueen's Legendary 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
On location with McQueen's Legendary 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback Featured
On location with McQueen's Legendary 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback 2018 Morgan Segal and Drive-My EN/US
Engine: Petrol V8 6.4-litre
Power: 335bhp at 4800rpm
Torque: 427lb ft at 3200rpm
Speed: 120MPH
0-60mph: 8 sec
by Axel E Catton
in Retro Reviews
font size - +
1967 Ford Galaxie 500 Fastback Coupe - 302cu in V8 Mustang GT-engined
1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL
1957 Mercury Monterey
1974 Ford Falcon XB GT saloon
2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Axel E Catton
An expert in the field of car of the 20th century and the brand Porsche
Bull it t is back! After decades in storage, one of the most iconic movie cars returns to the scene of its most famous appearance: the streets of San Francisco… Words: Axel E. Catton. Images: Morgan Segal.
Homecoming Queen On location with McQueen's Legendary 1968 Mustang
For many of us, there is a specific car that influenced our childhood – could be anything from a Matchbox miniature to a movie star. Iconic automotive film roles cover everything from Herbie to James Bond’s Aston Martin, but nothing has had a greater impact on the silver screen than Steve McQueen’s 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback from the movie Bullitt. In just 10 minutes and 53 seconds, the car chase through the streets of San Francisco established itself as the benchmark for an entire genre epitomised by the likes of The French Connection and Ronin.
1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
I was 10 years old when Bullitt etched itself permanently on to my mind – the chase, the sound of those gear changes and the many hubcaps (six) flying off that jet-black Dodge Charger. So you can imagine the feeling when I took a call from Bullitt Mustang’s owner Sean Kiernan just a few weeks ago, asking if I would like to be the only writer in the world invited to San Francisco to witness the car returning to the original movie locations for one time only. Of course I would! On my way to San Francisco I reminisced about those iconic scenes.
The movie’s automotive protagonists were considered lost for more than 40 years (although 558 was found in 2017) when Sean Kiernan, whose family has owned the Bullitt Mustang for 44 years, drove his car on stage at the Detroit Auto Show in the presence of Steve McQueen’s granddaughter Molly. Since then, he has brought it everywhere from Detroit to Goodwood. But for us, he returned to the place where Bullitt became legend. Sean agreed to drive his Mustang – although currently not road registered – one last time through the streets of San Francisco, albeit not as dramatically as in 1968.
The movie’s leading man, Hollywood star and racing driver Steve McQueen, saw the car chase as one of the crucial elements of the film, which was the first of a series his own company, Solar Productions, produced for Warner Brothers. McQueen was aiming for an authentic movie experience and had the chase scenes filmed in real time. For 10 minutes and 53 seconds all eyes are on the cars dashing through the city at speeds upwards of 110 mph. No music or dialogue distract the viewer, while images cut in fast succession from inside to outside, from wide-angle to close-up – a revolutionary approach for 1968. So much so that it earned cutter Frank Keller an Oscar. McQueen hired Englishman Peter Yates as director after seeing Yates’ work on an equally striking car chase through the city of London in Yates’ movie “Robbery”.
McQueen and stunt co-ordinator Carey Loftin invited stuntman Bud Ekins to join the team. Motorcycle dealer Ekins had started his stunt career doubling for McQueen in motorcycle jumps for The Great Escape. Max Balchowsky from Hollywood Motors in Los Angeles was tasked with building two cars with sequential VIN numbers, referred to as 558 and 559.
Once filming was over, both cars were considered lost for decades, until 2017 when the chassis and assorted parts of 558 turned up in California. However, 559 had not been seen for 40 years – until now. 558 was scheduled for the legendary jumps on Taylor and Filbert Street and fitted with a roll cage. Bud Ekins drove 558 in the movie, while all scenes that showed Steve McQueen at the wheel were filmed using 559. Most of the driving scenes were shot using 559 after 558 had been badly damaged during the jumps.
Both McQueen and Balchowsky wanted the car to have a mean look. The highland green body was stripped of the clear coat to reduce reflections – something that makes it even more difficult today for Sean to preserve the car in its current state. “I had to cover the entire car in hydrophobic paste to minimise environmental impact,” admits Sean.
The rear fascia was painted black and stripped of all lettering, the reversing lights are gone and so is all the chrome, save for a tiny strip along the top end of the trunk. There is also no pony at the front for the same reason. Both the underside of the car as well as the engine compartment still bear signs of where the cameras were mounted, while the trunk still has a huge exhaust hole for the generator used to power the cameras. “I know some folks have hinted at a smoke machine being back here, but it was always only a generator,” insists Sean.
Engine work was similarly extensive. The 390 cu in engine got a different cam, a polished cylinder head and a larger exhaust manifold from a truck – “not so much for more power, but for more torque at lower revs,” explains Sean. Balchowsky also added an Autolite carburettor, which the car still has to this day. The sound is real, confirms Sean, but it was taped and added later, which would also explain the odd double-clutch noise. We can only assume that the gas generator in the back was making such a racket that real-time audio was useless.
The book on which the movie was based – Mute Witness – is set in New York. However, Yates placed the movie in San Francisco as the mayor wanted to establish the city as a competitor to LA for movie sets. In the end, the crew had four weeks to shoot the entire chase, with anything up to 60 blocks cordoned off at a time. McQueen was a perfectionist and had all the takes done as often as necessary to achieve exactly the look he was going for.
Speculation on the whereabouts of 559 never really ceased, with numerous cars presented as the “real Bullitt” ending up being fakes of varying quality. All this changed when Ford launched the 2019 edition of the Bullitt Mustang on January 14 this year at the Detroit Motor Show. Steve’s granddaughter Molly McQueen was also there, along with Sean Kiernan and his real Bullitt – 559. Ever since, Sean has been touring the world with support from the Ford Motor Company and America’s Historic Vehicle Association. When Kiernan and Bullitt were scheduled to return to San Francisco for the press test drives of the new model, Sean asked me if I would like to get there a day early as the world’s only writer to witness his car taking on the original chase locations one more time.
On a cloudy Sunday morning, photographer Morgan Segal and I wait for Bullitt on the corner of Chestnut and Taylor Street in San Francisco’s North Beach district. This is where the chase scene began. To our left, stuntman Bill Hickman fastens the seat belt in his jet-black Dodge Charger. Moviegoers saw the Charger dash up Chestnut Street, with Bullitt unable to follow because of traffic blocking the way on Taylor. In the background on Columbus Ave was a huge sign for Bimbo Club 365, one of the Few movie remnants still visible to this day.
On cue, a black Ford F-350 Heavy Duty pickup (what else?) shows up towing a long nondescript trailer – turns out Sean handles all transport himself. Because it’s a Sunday, Sean can park his trailer directly on Chestnut. Even though he must surely feel the weight of this moment on his shoulders, he doesn’t let on what it means to him. “Of course, she’s insured. But the registration, well, we’re waiting for the papers at this very moment, so let’s not make too much noise, shall we?” Wait a minute, “she”? “Sure, Bullitt’s a she, always has been,” he laughs.
Sean opens the trailer – and I can see Bullitt for the first time in real life. Here, in San Francisco. To call this a high point in my automotive career would be an understatement. Sean quickly starts up that glorious V8. Oh my god, it sounds exactly like in the movie! But it’s not until all six rear lights come on that it really hits home what’s actually happening. This is not just any car or just any location, this here is the Holy Grail for car aficionados! Sean still comes over as if this is something he does every day.
He drives over to an empty parking space at the side of the road, time for us to take in the car we have admired so often on TV. Anybody not knowing what this is about might mistake the GT for a wreck. The paint is dull, the fenders and the rear bumper are rusty. On the backseat I notice a cover. “This has to be with the car at all times,” Sean insists. “If there is even one drop of rain in the air, you have to throw it over the car, whether I’m in it or not.” Morgan and I realise what we’re dealing with here. This isn’t a restored car, this is a job for a conservationist. Sean Kiernan: curator, custodian. So how did he end up with this car?
After filming was over, 559 was sold – still bearing its original movie scars – to Robert Ross, a Warner Brother employee. Ross soon sold it on to New Jersey Police detective Frank Marranca, who kept it until 1974. It was advertised in Road & Track with only five lines, not even a picture. Sean’s father, Robert Kiernan, bought it as the family car, replacing an ageing MGB GT.
“Initially, my dad was looking for a GT350,” explains Sean. “This car was clearly advertised as the one from the movie, so we were never in any doubt that it’s the real deal. In those days, movie cars weren’t such a big thing. My dad loved it mainly for its power and handling. In the Seventies, my mom, Robbie, drove it to work at a Catholic school. She always said the nuns could hear her from afar and would say: ‘Ah, that’s Robbie’.”
In 1977, the family received a letter from Steve McQueen whose marriage to Ali McGraw (Convoy) was on the rocks. Steve wanted to gather around him the things that were important in his life. He was looking to buy “his” Mustang back, with “buying” not entirely the correct term here. “He didn’t want to pay anything but offered to find us a suitable replacement. My dad politely declined,” says Sean with a happy grin.
In 1980, Bullitt went into storage at the Kiernans’ New Jersey home after a clutch malfunction. “My dad then bought a 1981 Plymouth Horizon – a car I also still own.” Over the decades, Bullitt remained under cover with knowledge of its existence fading. “For us, she was always there. She has been part of the family for longer than I’ve been around,” explains Sean, who was born in 1981. He and his father, Rob, shared a love for all things automotive, especially Mustangs. Their last experience together was a visit to a local Cars&Coffee event four years ago. “The next day, he was dead – suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of just 66 years,” explains Sean.
Meanwhile, on location in San Francisco, the experienced owner is feeling the magnitude of the moment getting to him. “My Dad and I always wanted to put Bullitt back on the road,” he says, “but over the years, we never got around to doing it.” The resurrection of this car is more than just the revival of a legend. For the public, this has always been Steve McQueen’s Mustang, but for Sean, it is first-and-foremost his dad’s car.
The photographer, Morgan, is ready to go and so is Sean. Despite the fact we’re not making a movie, so speed and sound are not being recorded, Sean steps on the gas as if the cameras were rolling. “I couldn’t resist,” he says, “I just had to hear that sound.” Next, we’re on Filbert Street coming down Larkin with Alcatraz in the background.
In the movie, the sequence of locations makes no real sense at all. Later in the chase, the cars are in the south on 20th Street, then they are on the way to the Golden Gate Bridge but don’t go over it. A continuity issue, just like the six hubcaps the Charger loses during the scenes and the little green VW Beetle that shows up again and again.
Our last location is 1153 Taylor, Lt. Frank Bullitt’s house. By now it’s noon and dozens of tourists have shown up, witnessing the car and Morgan. Sean is noticeably nervous, there are too many cars and people around who could cause damage. The owner calls it a day. Bullitt’s homecoming is over.
As Sean closes the trailer’s tailgate he says something that puts everything in perspective. At the car’s reveal at the Detroit Motor Show in January, Molly McQueen said to him: “Steve would like what you’re doing with the car. It’s in good hands with you guys.”
Letter authenticating the Bullitt Mustang from Warner Bros.
Much of the ‘plastic chrome’ trim has delaminated with age. ...and an outlet had to be created for the exhaust fumes. A generator to power the camera was mounted in the trunk... Writer Axel Catton talks to Sean Kiernan, the current owner. Reversing lights were removed. The issue of Road & Track out of which the Mustang was bought.
“MCQUEEN WAS AIMING FOR AN AUTHENTIC MOVIE EXPERIENCE AND HAD THE CHASE SCENES FILMED IN REAL TIME...”
1968 Ford Mustang 390GT Fastback
390 FE big block motor was introduced in ’1967 for the Mustang and while making the car’s nose heavy, they offered plenty of grunt: 325bhp in the ’1968 390 GT. Promo still from the movie. McQueen’s letter attempting to get the car back. Sean’s parents Robbie and Robert. Robbie with the Mustang. Sean takes the wheel.
Read 233 times Last modified on Wednesday, 14 November 2018 01:22
1968 Mustang 390GT Fastback
1968 Ford Mustang Fastback
Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
Ford Mustang GT390
More in this category: « 1966 Oldsmobile 442 1957 Mercury Monterey »
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Updated Car Reviews
Reviews & Photos On New Cars
Top 10 Comfortable Cars for Winter Fishing
So far, the automotive market is very diverse. Everyone can choose what they want. Today we will find suitable cars for winter fishing enthusiasts. It is because someone uses it as a hobby because someone needs a car to get around the city.
For hunting and fishing, the car must be given the following qualities:
Increased permeability
Wide trunk (can accommodate tent, fishing equipment, small refrigerator)
Spacious lounge (to accommodate people with the same thoughts)
Winter fishing is not an easy test for both the car and the owner. So if you recognize your car in the next, you can safely dream about a winter catch. And if you're looking for a car to hunt or fish in the winter, there are the top 10 that do not disappoint in bad weather.
10. UAZ
Model Hunter is the most pure form of classic UAZ. Car without any frills and modern fixtures. An absolutely new "iron horse" spends only 300,000 rubles on its owner. Despite the fact that even the comfort of this car does not occupy the first line, it is natural and has good throughput. Another feature is the all wheel drive, various kinds of petrol engines. Despite the foreign jokes about the creation of this car, it will faithfully serve you in your efforts.
Anecdote about UAZ:
Russian specifically made such a machine not to put a particularly good road.
9. Mitsubishi L200
This car is chosen by people who understand the characteristics of the car. Because cars look good compared to other cars, but they are great. It is made of high quality materials, comfortable, beautiful appearance and interior, and is visible to the rest. But the main advantage is that the car does not consume a lot of fuel and has a very important trunk and excellent running for fishermen or hunters. Because of the quirky "cute" appearance, the car is also perfect for driving in the city.
8. Mitsubishi Pajero
The car is different from its relatives (9) brutal appearance. This is absolutely masculine, impregnated with reliability, practicality and compactness, and has a very large interior space. This car can overcome all obstacles and the off-road capability is very high. As a result, Pajero can be regarded as the absolute leader among other vehicles in the collection.
With a wide trunk, you can mount everything you need for fishing and even boot your motor and boat. However, if you forget your tent or sleeping bag, the trunk becomes a place to sleep.
7. Nissan Pathfinder
It is worth noting that cars are immediately more expensive than the above allies. But if you still decide on such purchases, you will not have to regret. The car becomes friends in long distance trips, fishing and picnics. With the help of several movements, the wider seats turn into double beds, and the large and spacious trunk can store everything from mini fridges, clothes, tackles, and more.
6. Discover Land Rover
This car will be a road owner because it has everything for the most comfortable driving in the city. It is well suited to those who like to travel on a vacation in a big company because almost everything can get in the car's cabin and trunk! The trunk room is designed for 1231 liters and when the seat is unfolded, the volume reaches 2500. There are four-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic transmission.
5. Skoda Octavia Scout
At first glance, cars can look as simple as a family. However, once you are fishing, your doubts about fishing will disappear. It is good for male attacks against nature. The protrusion of the car protects it from unnecessary contact with stones and other obstacles on the road. The car has a spacious interior and luggage compartment as well as a cross, dynamic, premium power unit.
4. Jeep Commander
The exterior of the car makes it clear that the joke is bad. Certainly there are no obstacles to it. The car is excellent between the above for its large dimensions. It is not easy to get used to. In it you will feel confident in the rainy autumn and the harsh winter. The seven-seater tank has a huge cabin and plenty of space. In cross-country comfort, he does not have equality only if it is not just Jeep itself.
3. Jeep Wrangler
In it, you will feel confident in floods and hurricanes. He will definitely not move anything. You can "survive" in the desert in the marshes of Siberia using double-sided moving boxes. He will overcome obstacles imaginable using an electronic differential lock and a convertible stabilizer bar. The car will overcome any climb with the right rubber.
2. Toyota Land Cruiser
Very often the Toyota Land Cruiser can be seen on the city's roads. But many people do not realize that cars are very good for traveling around the country. Many people say that they are outdated and unreasonably expensive, but it is worth noting that demand for cars has not declined since the late seventies. Toyota brand fans have heard about the TLC200 model and its features are attractive. The car has the same quality as reinforced hinges and bump stops, special bushings to prevent swaying in the pit, and bottom protection package. The thickness of the exhaust system made of stainless steel is twice that of the car.
1.Hummer H2
This car is an absolute leader in terrain in forests, wetlands and fields. It allows you to arrive in the wild, as well as arrange new ways to reach places where other ways fishermen and hunters obstruct the road. This will contribute to:
All-wheel drive system that can pull a car from every pit
Anti-slip system that controls all movement of wheels
The floor space exceeds 25cm. The bumper, floor and engine room are secured by special means. Plus cars can last a long time. But it is better to try and share your exposures, and even better catch and feed!
Driver dictionary: Russian drift
The most popular car sports history dates back to the 1960s. Surprisingly, the world’s first person to master controlled drifting technology is a motorcycle racer. Kunimitsu Takahashi became the first Japanese to win the 1961 World Circuit Championship. Having won a number of cups, the radar had to leave motor sports after a serious accident on the stage of the Man of Isle of Man game.
However, the Takahashi injuries could not stop saying “I always feel thirsty for speed.” The “four wheel drive” sports world was “bursting” and he immediately began to win. The Japanese Grand Prix, Japan’s Formula 2000, “24 Hours Le Mans” and even “Formula One” are all included in his record. In circuit racing, Takahashi developed his own unique drifting method. “On full steam” I created an oversteer, though the car did not slow down in rotation, it passed it at full speed filling the tracks with the smoke of the burned rubber.
Keiichi Tsuchiya became a person who breathes and popularizes a new life. Many victorious pro race drivers were indifferent to illegal competition in controlled drift, and he lost his career almost. We would like to thank the D-1 Grand Prix for granting legitimacy to this professional series of events, the world’s largest drift association.
The influenced world culture did not pass through our country. We talked about the drifting of Russia and what it takes to “join” the best drifters in the business.
Please tell us more about the drifting of Russia. What is the function?
Details of the drift in Russia are several semi-pro leagues and one main RDS (Russian drift series) in the Russian Federation. This year RDS GP starts in Moscow and ends in Vladivostok. Everything is different in both financial components and pilot experience. Of course, we have a dream to go to RDS, but until now there are no vehicles ready to compete with pilots and finance and sponsors. I hope you will start moving in this direction by participating in the Western Regional Championship Drift Matsuri SPB next year.
What is the difference between winter and summer?
Winter drift – relatively inexpensive summer. This is necessarily “Lada”. You can only brew the differential as if it were in stock, and you can go to a machine ready for locks, buckets, hydraulic handbrake, and more. It all depends on your imagination and ability. Of course, as pilots, cars and championship training levels rise every year, you have to be prepared to buy new tires at all levels, constantly monitor your car and build powerful engines. But as I said before, everything depends on your ability. A good level of winter “Lada” is 150-200 million rubles, and the cost of rubber adds to the stage. If everything is assembled with high quality and accuracy, the season is going well, so I recommend you do not save the excellent craftsmen. “Zhiguli” has this function. The quality of all new parts is so different that they are not suitable for cars after you purchase new parts.
Drift in the summer – even on a budget. I think at least 400,000 people buy trained Japanese or German, mostly Nissan, Toyota and BMW. Fixed cost for rubber, car maintenance, because 400,000 people will always fail. Let’s not forget about breakdown because drift is a touch sport. The drift in the professional league is one-third to one-quarter of a million cars and it will be an average player. The cost of the stage will be over 200 – the cost of team, machine, accommodation, rubber, and contribution.
I want to start wandering. What is needed for this? What is the minimum specification sheet?
For winter drifting (I will judge by my example.) I will buy the VAZ 2102 and prepare disk locks, buckets, handbrake, sport steering wheel, prepare front and rear suspension and put at least 1.7 engines in Niva will be. And I will enjoy the winter drift. As for the drift of summer, I am a fan of the BMW brand. So I will advise E30, E36 and E46. These are quite popular in the history of drift, and they have many ready solutions for construction. So everything depends on your desires and possibilities, such as pipes, air engines, cams, sequential or standard manual gearboxes. In summer, the options for making cars are several times more than winter, so there are many combinations.
How did your drift begin?
My drift story started with the purchase of the BMW M3 in the 46th body and the creation of a project on Youtube. “I want to drift.” It was a long time and I think everything started well.
The perfect drift car?
The ideal drifting machine is the BMW 3er on the 92nd body or the more modern M4 platform. But often this is all Silvia S15.
Nikita Sikov
2nd RDS Drift Series winner, Russian and international contestants and winners
The drifting culture of Russia is very diverse. First of all, it has to do with deployment geography. Drift can be divided into Western and Eastern. In a spirit closer to the origins of drifting in Japan. In my opinion, we have done our best in the old school. However, from the standpoint of ideology and composition, the Russian championship was built according to Japanese audiences in an appropriate style. This is not an inertial drift, but a power slide, which is adopted in the United States and represents the whole. Turn on the gas. These are smaller distances between race cars than in more technical tracks and double heat.
Of course, the main features of our drift culture can be called throughout the year. Becoming one of the most widely known sports, predominantly winter and ice makes it easier for the owner, drifting constantly to create new competitions, series and championships.
I will not be humble if I say that Russian drift today is very high. And a series of RDS competitions are in the TOP-3 World Championships. Also, the level of participants in many other countries is much lower than that of Russian athletes.
This question is very controversial. On the one hand, there are some differences, and on the other hand, they do not really exist. The main difference in the technical aspect of this problem is accessibility. Winter drift is very reasonable price. Feel the irresistible feelings of drift and develop driving skills with pleasure, you will hear our favorite Soviet “classic”. You can “cheer” the motors a bit, replace similar ones in Niva, install handbrake and buckets to successfully participate in winter competition and improve your skills.
Winter drift is one of the best assistants in training muscle memory and improving the skills of driving skills. You can also spend a lot more time behind the wheel of the “drift car” because of the harsh climate that makes the ice cover almost everywhere.
Summer drift does not forgive mistakes. More technology and precision are required. It takes far more time and money to build a car ready for summer drift. In addition, winter drift is a necessary basis to become unable to learn the basics of summer drift. In summer, the cornering speed is much faster and the grip is maximum, so the pilot must be far more skilled at surpassing drift.
In summary, the following conclusions can be drawn.
Winter drift – less expensive and less complicated,
Summer drift – cheap, complex, and much better.
It is impossible to rule out these sports. Winter drift has gained momentum and has become a truly national motor sport, rooted in Soviet motor sports milestones, creating a whole project.
If you have a minimum budget, the ideal option to start is actually to buy “Zhiguli”. There are lots of blogs and videos on the network that tell you about the construction of “cars” for winter drift. This study allows you to make good cars independently for drift.
As for summer contests, you can start buying traditional Japanese bodies such as your favorite Toyota Mark II, Chaser, and Altezza. This model has the most suitable platform, engine, gearbox and gearbox to withstand drift characteristics. Nissan models such as Sylvia and BMW vehicles of course can not be excluded.
List of minimum specifications:
Engine (rated at 300 hp)
lock,
A wheel that reveals a little sophistication.
Do not jump into the “supercar” construction that surprises other people and forum users, uses the fastest, minimal sheet, and polishes your driving skills.
And of course, the second tip: Please! Begin with the winter drift and sharpen your skills as it is very interesting and inexpensive.
The story started in 2006 when a big car fan working in this field decided to buy a new car. I prefer Japanese cars, surf the Internet and find the right specimen, and I’ve seen a video of controlled drift that pulls me from my teenage years.
Then bought the “stock” Toyota Altezza, and I started learning this culture. Unfortunately, there were no winners or competitors at the time, but we could not improve our skills and get to enjoy the unspoken pleasure of walking around the desert parking lot. And when the first competition started, 40 people took part in the competition and came in eighth place. I believed I could compete for the title in this game.
It is worth noting that my history is very similar to the drift development in my country, since my career development can be said to have begun at the moment of a drifting culture in Russia.
I created a special project consisting of six episodes titled “Drifting in Russia”, all of which became familiar with this culture and traced all the formation steps passed by me and many Russian pilots.
As I said, there is a basic platform ideal for drift. You do not have to “relaunch your wheels” by creating drift racing cars in completely improper cars. Pay attention to competing cars – these are ideally suited platforms for controlled drift.
I would like to add that it is important to find a balance between strength, grip and reliability. Unlike popular misconceptions, I would like to deduce from mythology that professional drift is not a bad grip between rubber and asphalt. Thanks to plastic rubber. Conversely, drift car tires have the best grip and riders use low-pressure “half-poly”. The entire skid is due to the rider’s high speed and skill set.
We invite everyone who is interested in the first stage of the RDS at the Moscow Raceway from May 5th to 6th. With your eyes, ears, nose and fingertips you can feel like a real professional drift!
Thank you for helping prepare the material: Maxim Tishchenko
Nikita Shikova
Commission the BMW 750i and Audi A8 L at the racetrack.
After all, everyone knows the fastest car rolling! It should be noted, I quickly learned and used all the potential of the machine.
For the first time, I got a chance to test a premium car under such conditions. I want to talk more about BMW right now. I like this brand and I like cars, but I will not forget the A8 too.
I think, "7" is really nice when standing next to Audi, but it is not the most beautiful compared to the old BMW model. The former 750 was more aggressive, and it was more of a true "BMW Spirit". And here's the car chrome through the element .. Yes, and the outline is somewhat ambiguous. Just like the new "Five" is "7" and it's getting bigger and I want Botox injected …
Holding the keys to this car, I fell in love immediately. For the first time I see the "Key-iPhone": In fact, the touchscreen can see many machine parameters. You can start the engine remotely, or you can provide this key to your passengers. I am deeply involved in "core business", but I can not say that the device has impressed me. The main task was to "gazanut" on the machine and try rather than participate immediately.
But among the "gaznut", the key and appearance was the salon. And I can say that some of the Bayern moments do not really like it. Comparing this BMW with the Audi A8, we pay attention to the quality of the rustic "wooden" inserts, leather (plastic, metal – especially steep in this class of cars) that look like wood and look like plastic. At this point, Audi has become more and more elegant. Seating indoors is expensive and looks rich.
On the other hand, the 750th electronics and multimedia systems were very pleased. It's understandable, logical, but there are a lot of interesting and interesting "chips". You can twist your fingers in the air in front of the center screen. The system recognizes this and adjusts the music volume. "Twist" – The sound is added counterclockwise – Decrease. The car hangs on all sides of the camera, so a three-dimensional "machine" can be displayed on the monitor. The actual situation is displayed around it. Try moving the "camera" in any direction like a computer game. Too cool, there is no such thing in Audi, nothing compared to a totally different atmosphere. A separate note requires BMW's normal "joystick" to control menus and settings. He turns to "right" to move the menu up and down as on most machines. The opposite is true in A8. A terrible discomfort.
My job was mainly to evaluate the handling, so I can say that BMW still remains and is more athletic than my competitors. I will not say: "Ride to the track by chance and throw it in time." This car is not made for this, but if you still have to go to the track, BMW will definitely be more fun. It's easier, more active, and at least allows you to ride on a small slide. No, it does not provide a "break" at all: the stabilization system, even when off, chokes the motor and disturbs the control … but you will get a certain touch of pleasure. Also, under extreme conditions, you have a good road potential. And I intentionally stitched the same aid system so that the other driver in everyday life would not let the car fall by foolishness.
Of course, I tried to ride for the track quickly, quickly but for them. But in BMW, for example, I was relaxed by the absence of the steering wheel petals. Only the "Joystick" of the automatic box can be switched manually. And as the steering wheel keeps moving out of the "manual" position of the drive, the car starts to think about turning itself into a fool … It's much easier to keep the engine at the right speed with Audi. "Seven" slower response to gas – The pedal must be pushed hard on the floor to spin the engine. At the same time, the rotational speed jumps. However, all the noise too radically and underneath the rear wheels disappear from the slip.
This car can not be considered a race. However, if you accidentally drove the track, it is a good idea to drive BMW. Despite changing the motor at slower corners or the inconvenience of being "stupid", it does more interesting and interesting action in the fastest part of the path. It is not that heavy. And the "delegate", like the Audi A8, has at least some sort of sport note. Typical life measured routinely has great potential and this "journey over" is once again emphasized. In ordinary life, such liners can only access the racetrack when good crowds come in to view the situation competition, and that is their beauty. They have to go back slowly. Maybe the older you are, the more I like it. Until now, however, I did not like the personal use of the BMW 750 or Audi A8. And do not get upset about this!
New Mercedes GLS 2020: Off-Road S-Class
The Germans brought the next generation Mercedes-Benz GLS 2020 SUV 2019, and the company has become an off-road version of the S-Class. The car is bigger and more comfortable than its predecessor, and provides the height of class luxury.
The launch of the new Mercedes GLS in Russia is at the beginning of the 19th or 20th year. The price will be announced later, but there is no doubt that the car will be more expensive. In the future, production of “gi-el-si” will be coordinated at the Russian factory.
Mercedes catalog
From a design point of view, the SUV was absolutely recognizable while retaining the look of the previous generation cars. But there are completely different fronts from other bumpers, headlights and grills. The latter has two gigantic margins with six small slits (three on each side) and the head optics already on the base are Multibeam LEDs with 112 diodes in each headlight.
The horizontal directional diode taillight with 3D pattern is very narrow, and the chrome plated bar traverses the full width of the vehicle across the full width of the car. The side walls of the GLS have lost sharp edges and stamps, but the rounded wheel arches use a giant overlay and embossed hood to create a brutal look.
The interior of the new Mercedes GLS 2020 in front of the Junior GLE is completely repetitive. The front panel has two 12.3-inch displays beneath normal glass and has deflectors mounted to the sides. The left screen acts as an electronic dashboard and the right is assigned to the MBUX multimedia system to recognize both voice commands and gesture control.
Below the multimedia screen are four rectangular vents and even lower-narrow horizontal temperature controls. The dashboard features a small joystick and touch pad for entering information, as well as a secret drawer with a cup holder. A high resolution projection display of 720×240 pixels is available for a fee.
The difference begins after the average column between GLA and FPP. The SUV basically has three rows of seats, one of which can be a three-seater sofa or armrest and two separate skipper chairs (for this model, for the first time) with individual electrical controls. The two columns also have the ability to fold the back using an electric drive by touching the button.
The all-in-one sofa can be moved back and forth, the seats are split at a ratio of 60:40, and the rear (40:20:40) can be adjusted at an angle of inclination. For a surcharge, you can order two 11.6-inch monitors and an entertainment system for the second row with internet access. In the 6-seater version, you can control the various functions via optional lumbar massage and a 7-inch touchscreen on the center armrest. can.
The company claims it will not offend third-class passengers. Two adults should be able to easily accommodate up to 194 cm, and the gallery has heated seats and USB connectors. When the owner hits the five-zone climate control system, the third-tier population will descend to their own set of baffles with autonomous air conditioning and electric heaters.
The new Mercedes GLS 2020 body is based on the MHS (Mercedes High Architecture) platform, with an overall length of 5,207 mm (+ 77), a width of 22 mm (up to 1,956) and an additional 60,135 At length (5,151) and the distance between the axle (3,105), the newly introduced BMW X7 is left behind.
By increasing the wheelbase, the distance between the first and second lines of the cabin has been increased by 87 mm at a time. In the future, Germans are expected to prepare a luxury Mercedes-Maybach GLS. GLS will surely remove the third line, which allows rear passengers to move further back and comfort the business jet.
Manufacturers who did not specify an SUV’s trunk volume specified only a volume of up to 2,400 liters (100 liters reduced) when the second line and the third line were collapsed. The car washes in the Mercedes GLS II seemed to check in at the car wash. All windows and hatches are automatically closed in the car wash, the rain sensor is turned off, air recirculation and all round-vision cameras are activated and the suspension is in the highest position.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLS Class 2020 comes with two gasoline engines, both with a hybrid EQ-Boost add-on representing a 22 horsepower starter-generator. And powered by a 250 Nm, 48-volt electrical system. The motor assists the main engine during acceleration and is responsible for starting the engine while the start / stop system is operating.
The version of the Mercedes GLS 450 features a 3.0 liter turbo sterling capacity of 367 hp. And 500 Nm. And the more powerful GLS 580 is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbocharger delivering 489 hp. And a torque of 700 Nm. There are also two 3-liter six-cylinder diesel engines OM 656 in range. At the GLS 350 d, it develops 286 hp. (600 Nm), the rebound from the GLS 400 d increases to 330 “horses” and 700 Nm.
See also: The Germans are preparing the luxury Maybach SUV: very fast
All engines are combined with the 9-band automatic 9G-Tronic, and the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system is based on the razdatka with a multi-plate clutch equipped with electronic controls to distribute the propulsion between the axles. Optionally, you can order off-road razdatkoy packages.
On the basis of the new Mercedes GLS relies on an Airmatic air suspension with an adaptive shock absorber. To pay the extra fee, you can replace it with a more advanced hydraulic suspension E-Active Body Control that works on the 48-volt onboard network mentioned above. Here, each wheel is individually controlled. There is a struggle with the roll, and if it sticks, you can simulate the stacking of the system.
As a result, FPP remains a full-fledged off-road vehicle, especially when you order the equipment, you should look good on the outside of the asphalt. But almost everyone will not chase that car on the road, except that the Arabs can make various terrain configurations on the sand.
Configuration and Price
The production of Mercedes GLS will be adjusted in the US Tuskalus (Alabama) company, later in the Russian brand factory. Sales will begin before the end of 1900, but model costs will be announced later. GLS 400 d 4Matic and GLS 450 4Matic.
It is also anticipated that AMG’s “billed” FPP and Maybach will be available in the future. These versions also appear to us, but should not be expected before 2020.
New Honda Odyssey 5 released for the US in Detroit
At the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, Honda introduced a fifth-generation Odyssey minivan in the US market, which is fundamentally different from the US market. This novelty has received modern multimedia complexes, negotiation systems as well as cameras that monitor passengers in the back row.
In the new model, the side sliding door guide is delivered to the subwindow line, reducing the risk of contamination. The minivan tailgate can now be opened from below the bumper.
Honda Catalog
The new Honda Odyssey 2017-2018 is based on the same chassis. It formerly based its Pilot 3 crossover and Ridgeline 2 pickup on its base. At the same time, minivans are offered exclusively on front-wheel drive. Therefore, the longitudinal lever is used in the car instead of the rear multi-link suspension.
There is a 3.5-liter V6 i-VTEC engine with direct injection into the move of the new 2018-2019 Honda Odyssey. Engine rebound is 284 horsepower and works with 9- or 10-speed automatic transmissions.
The interior of the car got the “organizer” of the magic slide second row seats. This feature allows you to move three separate chairs in portrait and landscape directions. The second row seats can be removed from the cabin but can not be folded on the floor.
The minivan has a rear passenger surveillance system called CabinWatch and is intended primarily for the safe transport of children. Therefore, parents can observe the child’s behavior on the 8.0-inch display. It displays a picture of the camera installed on the ceiling above the second row.
In turn, the CabinTalk system is used to negotiate with the rear passengers. It allows you to improve the driver’s voice by using the speakers of the audio system installed in the second and third columns, or reproducing it through the multimedia headset designed for the rear passengers.
In addition, the new Honda Odyssey 2017-2018 has an entertainment system with a 10.2-inch screen on the ceiling, allowing passengers to watch movies on the back or to follow the path.
CabinControl, a special application for smartphones, can be used to control the function of this complex, which also provides access to climate control and explorer. The multimedia system supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and also has a Wi-Fi access point.
All new items except the bass have automatic braking system, frontal crash protection system, control system for “blind” area, and keeping the lane in the car. For a fee, you can equip your car with a built-in vacuum cleaner and automatic high-beam LED headlight.
Home Sales The Honda Odyssey 5 will be sold in the US in spring 2017, but the price is not called e.
Honda CR-Z Hybrid Dvuhdverka
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show debuted at the Sports Hybrid Honda CR-Z Coupe. The car is powered by a 122-horsepower, four-cylinder, four-cylinder I-VTEC 1.5-liter engine that works with a 15-horsepower electric motor driven by a 100-volt nickel metal-hydride battery in the trunk.
The new Honda CR-Z is very eco-friendly with a braking energy recovery system and start / stop functions. The model, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, has a CO2 emission rate of 31-37 grams per kilometer and a variator of 36-38 grams / km.
Honda Catalog Honda CR-Z Reviews
Sport suspension is fitted to the vehicle, standard 16-inch wheels can be replaced with 17-inch sport suspension, and a variety of active and passive safety systems and standard equipment are also available for Coupe.
Updated Honda CR-Z 2013
Originally the Honda CR-Z 2013 hybrid coupe was supposed to be held at the Paris Motor Show in 2012, but a two-door retrofit took place a week ago at the Indonesian Motor Show.
The car has a modified head optics with modified grille, LED section, enlarged air intake and other foglights, LED taillights, diffuser and other front bumper with 17-inch wheels in a modified design.
The Honda CR-Z 2013’s hybrid power plant has become somewhat more powerful without losing efficiency and environmental friendliness. If the previous engine gave 122 horsepower (173 Nm), then increased to 134 after increasing the power, and the maximum torque is 190 Nm.
Such indicators have a coupé with a manual gearbox, and for versions with a variable gear, the force and torque are reduced to 133 hp. 172 Nm. In addition, the car has a new mode of operation “plus sports”.
At the end of August 2015, the Japanese released the second updated Honda CR-Z model. But now the technical content of the hybrid coupe remained unchanged, affecting both exterior and interior design.
Outside, the Honda CR-Z 2016 stands out with a new front bumper with revised grille and revised optics as well as different sections of fog and stylish spoilers.
The rear bumper and light went through the revision. And a new sorting rim appeared in alignment. Inside the reconstructed Honda CR-Z 2016, the audio system’s touchscreen and parking brake lever were replaced with buttons, bringing the armrest between the front seats to the spotlight.
In addition, the car was equipped with an active noise cancellation system, and audio systems can now improve the engine sound through the speakers by creating a feeling of driving a more powerful car than the speaker.
The Honda CR-Z is not officially sold in the Russian market and has no pricing information.
New Honda Pilot 2019
The configuration and price of Honda Pilot 2019 in Russia starts at 3,214,000 rubles and the most expensive crossover requires 3,814,000 rubles. In the United States, these options appeared last summer, but the sale of the re-styled version began at the end of February 19th.
Specifications The Honda Pilot 2019 offers a single engine. It is a 3.0-liter V6 at atmospheric pressure and is “strangled” in Russian specifications, consisting of a 249-horsepower six-speed automatic transmission and a rear wheel coupling that individually combines all-wheel drive all-wheel drive systems.
Picking and pricing Honda Pilot 2019
9.9% Credits
Complete set price
3.0 (249 hp) Lifestyle AWD AT6 3 214 900
3.0 (249 horsepower) Executive AWD AT6 3,564,900
3.0 (249 hp) Premium AWD AT6 3,814,900
AT6 – Automatic 6-speed, AWD – 4 wheel drive
At the Chicago Auto Show, the premiere of a huge crossover (already three generations to the pilot) was held at 2500th, but official photos of cars were leaked to the network a few hours before the show. And in the summer of 18th, the car was significantly updated with modified shapes and modern technical materials.
Early version Lifestyle Includes 10 airbags, ABS and ESP, light and tire pressure sensors, cruise control, leather seats, full electronic, electric front seat with heating, rear camera, engine start button and alloy wheels. In this case there is a simple air conditioner and a simple CD player.
Complete set Executive 3-zone thermostats, heated rear sofa and steering wheel, rain sensor, all-in-one camera, parking sensor, multimedia system, keyless entry and trunk lid servo drives onboard.
Best performance premium It boasts front seat ventilation, standard navigation, DVD player, premium music and screen for rear passengers.
The new model of Honda Pilot 2018-2019 is based on an upgraded chassis of earlier models shared with Acura MDX 3. Below the car’s hood is an i-VTEC 3.5 liter, 6 liters 280 horsepower. (This is 30 power more than before) 355 Nm. In the United States, you can use 6 or 9 automatically pairs, and the drive can be either full or front.
The manufacturer promises substantial fuel savings. Reduced due to the weight of the car itself reduced by a start-up / stop system and a modified engine with the ability to shut down the cylinder half under light load and a weight of 136 kg (1,813 kg, all-wheel drive – 1,903).
Sales of the Honda Pilot 3 in Russia were expected to begin in March, which is 2600, but India was postponed in June. We have a large crossover with a three-stage trim level with an eight-seater cabin and a 3.0-liter PI VTEC engine in the Earth Dreams family with an alternating control system for VCM cylinders. This motor produces 249 horsepower. It is combined with a 6-band automatic machine equipped with an electronic control unit and torque converter.
The average fuel consumption of a combined cycle is 10.4 liters per 100 kilometers (city – 14.3, on the highway – 8.2 liters), while the pilot from one point to 100 meters is 9.1 seconds (-0.8 seconds), top speed is 192 km / h. In addition, Arsenal includes a complete drive system with various operating modes such as highway, snow, mud, sand, and thrust vectoring iVTM-4.
The overall length of the model is 4,954 mm, the wheelbase is 2,820, the width is 1,997, the height is 1,788, the ground clearance (clearance distance) is 200 mm, and the amount of baggage varies from 305 to 827 or 1,779 liters. The position of the back of the second and third rows of the seat.
Among other things, Honda Pilot 2019 has received a new list of new standard equipment and options that were previously unavailable. For example, in foreign markets, the steering wheel is already included in the database, and the first and second rows of the seat (with front ventilation) are included. For a fee, a panoramic roof, 20-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control, a tracking system, and frontal crash warnings can be fitted.
Exterior & Salon
Judging by the pictures of the new Honda Pilot 2019, the design of the car has changed dramatically compared to previous generation versions. The image has lost cruelty and angle contours. It has been completely changed to a different outline. This model has a completely different lighting technology (diode) and bumper, CR-V style grille, redesigned glaze and loop line.
In the 2019 model, the front bumper was modified, the LED headlight gained the “diamond” design, and the lanterns changed the design. Other steering wheel and electronic dashboards appeared on the cabin. Combined security system “Honda Sensing”, CabinTalk function, non-contact opening system of the fifth door, and improved monitor entertainment system for rear passengers.
The interior design of the Honda Pilot III has become more traditional and modern. The shape of the ventilation nozzle has changed, and a new steering wheel and dashboard have appeared. The multimedia system’s 8.0-inch touchscreen display is mounted on the center console and the shift lever has disappeared from the dash as it moves to the transmission button.
However, the beauty salon still has three seats and can accommodate up to 8 people, including drivers. In fact, the buyer can give up the integral rear sofa. The manufacturer offers modifications in two separate seats. Rear passengers use a 9-inch screen at an additional charge. In 17 years, we saw support for upgraded multimedia in Russia with Yandex.Navigator, MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto and Siri voice volunteers.
Ford Explorer, Haval H8, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Grand Santa Fe, KIA Sorento Prime, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Cent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas,
New Volvo V60 Cross Country
Volvo Cars representatives said they had received orders for the V60 Cross Country wagon. At first glance, you can assume that the V90 wagon was photographed, but not all of these. Why? Because the new V60 is a smaller, more budgeted version of the Volvo V90.
The Volvo V60 cross country is an all-terrain all-rounder, so the suspension has an upgraded suspension with a ground stopping distance of 210 mm. This is higher than the 7.5cm of the base model. The most common engine in the Russian market is a 250-liter 2-liter gasoline turbocharged engine.
The All-road V60 is equipped with the latest equipment and is already fitted in the standard version of the vehicle, and the buyer will be provided with an all-wheel drive system, descent assistant, stabilization system and traction control with City Safety system with automatic braking function. Other cars will receive a special mode "off-road" to overcome off-road obstacles. The cost of the new item will be at 3,069,000 rubles.
Tips on buying used Volvo XC90
Skoda showed a new Superb.
Cars Ideas
drugsinfo on Solaris price crossover. Editor's Choice Top 5
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When overbearing book editor Margaret Tate learns that she's in danger of losing her visa status and may be deported back to Canada, she forces her put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her.
Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Nouri, Oscar Nuñez
Anne Fletcher
Comedy, Romantic Comedies, Blockbusters
Witty, Romantic
English SDH, French, Spanish (Neutral)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Neutral): Dolby Digital 5.1
English: DTS 5.1 Surround, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Neutral): Dolby Digital 5.1
Parents need to know that this charming romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds has a much talked-about scene in which the leads, both naked, accidentally crash into and fall down on top of each other. But since it's rated PG-13, all that's shown is a tumble of skin. There's also plenty of innuendo, as well as couple of passionate kisses and a comical scene featuring a flabby exotic dancer in a G-string. Language is the basic PG-13 variety ("ass," "bitch," and "s--t" are the main offenders), and there's some social drinking and product placement.
The main characters accidentally crash into each other while completely nude (lots of skin is glimpsed, but no uncovered sensitive body parts). In addition to that, there are a few kisses, scenes of a couple in bed, references to morning erections, and a comical sequence of a flabby exotic dancer's strip tease (he gets down to a male G-string and pumps his hips near a woman's face).
In one scene, Margaret, who can't swim, falls into a lake and has to tread water for a few desperate seconds. The big "naked fall" scene is played for laughs, but it had to hurt...
Language includes "bitch," "ass," "damn," "s--t," "boobs," "hell," "oh my God," and "Jesus!"
Lessons about looking past the superficial.
Several brands featured, including Starbucks, Apple (Mac), Pringles, Pepsi, and Hostess.
Adults drink at a cocktail party and at a bar, where one character gets buzzed.
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1974–75 United States network television schedule
(Redirected from 1974-75 American network television schedule)
This was the television schedule on all three commercial United States television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1974. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.
New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending their original runs are in italics.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]
Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.
SundayEdit
Local The Sonny Comedy Revue The ABC Sunday Night Movie
The Six Million Dollar Man The ABC Sunday Night Movie Local
Apple's Way Kojak (14/23.3) Mannix (20/21.6)
(Tied with Cannon)
Cher (22/21.3)
(Tied with The Streets of San Francisco and NBC Sunday Mystery Movie)
Manhattan Transfer 60 Minutes
The Wonderful World of Disney (18/22.0)
(Tied with The Rookies) NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (Columbo / McCloud / McMillan & Wife / Amy Prentiss) (22/21.3)
(Tied with Cher and The Streets of San Francisco)
Note: 60 Minutes aired at 6:00-7:00 pm on CBS from September 1974 to June 1975.
MondayEdit
The Rookies (18/22.0)
(Tied with The Wonderful World of Disney) ABC NFL Monday Night Football
The ABC Monday Night Movie
S.W.A.T. (16/22.6) Caribe
Gunsmoke (28/20.5) Maude (9/24.9) Rhoda (6/26.3) Medical Center (27/20.6)
Born Free NBC Monday Night at the Movies
The Smothers Brothers Show
The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola (8:00) / Monday Night Baseball (8:15)
TuesdayEdit
Happy Days ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week Marcus Welby, M.D.
Good Times (7/25.8) M*A*S*H (5/27.4) Hawaii Five-O (10/24.8) Barnaby Jones
Adam-12 NBC World Premiere Movie Police Story
WednesdayEdit
That's My Mama ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week Get Christie Love!
The Jim Stafford Show
Sons and Daughters Cannon (20/21.6)
(Tied with Mannix) The Manhunter
Tony Orlando and Dawn (25/20.7)
(Tied with Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers)
Dan August
Little House on the Prairie (13/23.5) Lucas Tanner Petrocelli
Note: Dan August consisted of reruns of the 1970-1971 ABC series.
ThursdayEdit
The Odd Couple Paper Moon The Streets of San Francisco (22/21.3)
(Tied with Cher and The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie) Harry O
Barney Miller Karen
The Texas Wheelers
Almost Anything Goes!
The Waltons (8/25.5) CBS Thursday Night Movie
Sierra Ironside Movin' On
The Mac Davis Show Archer
Sunshine The Bob Crane Show The Mac Davis Show
The Gladys Knight & the Pips Show NBC Thursday Night at the Movies
Ben Vereen...Comin' At Ya
FridayEdit
Kodiak The Six Million Dollar Man The Texas Wheelers Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kung Fu The Six Million Dollar Man
Kolchak: The Night Stalker Hot L Baltimore The Odd Couple Baretta
Get Christie Love!
Planet of the Apes The CBS Friday Night Movies
Khan!
The Friday Comedy Special Frigidaire Spring Feature
Your Hit Parade We'll Get By
Sanford and Son (2/29.6) Chico and the Man (3/28.5) The Rockford Files (12/23.7) Police Woman (15/22.8)
SaturdayEdit
The New Land Kung Fu Nakia
Kung Fu The ABC Saturday Night Movie
Keep on Truckin'
All in the Family (1/30.2) Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (25/20.7)
(Tied with Tony Orlando and Dawn) The Mary Tyler Moore Show (11/24.0) The Bob Newhart Show (17/22.4) The Carol Burnett Show (29/20.4)
The Jeffersons (4/27.6)
The Dick Cavett Show
Emergency! (30/20.0) NBC Saturday Night at the Movies
^ Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
Additional sourcesEdit
Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1974–75_United_States_network_television_schedule&oldid=892661700"
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1994–95 Iraqi National League
The 1994–95 Iraqi National League was the 21st season of the competition since its foundation in 1974. The league title was won by Al-Zawraa for the second time in a row, and they also won the Iraq FA Cup for the third consecutive time. Exactly half of the competing teams in the league were relegated, in order to create a 12-team league for the next campaign. In this season, three points were given for a win instead of two points, and four points were given for a win by three goals or more.[1]
Iraqi Premier League
Al-Zawraa
(6th title)
Relegated
Diyala
Al-Kut
Al-Mosul
Karbalaa
Al-Nasiriya
Salahaddin
Al-Umal
Al-Amara
Al-Diwaniya
Al-Shabab
1996–97 Asian Club Championship
1996–97 Asian Cup Winners' Cup
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Top goalscorer
Muayad Joudi
(30 goals)
League tableEdit
a The number in brackets after the points totals are the number of games that the team won by three or more goals (each win by three or more goals earned one extra point).
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts[a] Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Zawraa (C) 46 31 11 4 113 31 +82 120(16) 1996–97 Asian Club Championship
2 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 46 28 12 6 109 47 +62 107(11) 1996–97 Asian Cup Winners' Cup
3 Al-Najaf 46 28 9 9 85 29 +56 107(14)
4 Al-Talaba 46 28 14 4 80 28 +52 105(7)
5 Al-Naft 46 28 9 9 88 43 +45 104(11)
6 Al-Shorta 46 26 12 8 92 49 +43 98(8)
7 Al-Karkh 46 25 12 9 99 54 +45 93(6)
8 Al-Jaish 46 20 12 14 81 63 +18 80(8)
9 Al-Sinaa 46 20 9 17 90 66 +24 78(9)
10 Samaraa 46 17 17 12 70 55 +15 73(5)
11 Al-Minaa 46 16 21 9 54 42 +12 72(3)
12 Al-Ramadi 46 15 20 11 73 44 +29 71(6)
13 Diyala 46 17 10 19 50 64 –14 64(3) Relegated to Iraq Division 1
14 Al-Kut 46 16 11 19 46 56 –10 63(4)
15 Al-Mosul 46 14 11 21 45 66 –21 56(3)
16 Karbalaa 46 13 11 22 71 84 –13 55(5)
17 Babil 46 13 7 26 51 75 –24 51(5)
18 Al-Nasiriya 46 10 14 22 38 77 –39 47(3)
19 Salahaddin 46 11 12 23 44 75 –31 46(1)
20 Al-Umal 46 9 11 26 38 75 –37 42(4)
21 Al-Amara 46 9 11 26 28 70 –42 38(0)
22 Erbil 46 4 14 28 44 126 –82 26(0)
23 Al-Diwaniya 46 5 10 31 25 82 –57 25(0)
24 Kirkuk 46 4 10 32 31 144 –113 22(0)
Note: Al-Shabab withdrew from the league and were relegated.
Top goalscorersEdit
1 Muayad Joudi 30 Al-Karkh
2 Sahib Abbas 27 Al-Zawraa
Shakir Mohammed Sabbar Al-Ramadi
^ List of Iraqi Premier League Champions
Iraqi Football Website
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1994–95_Iraqi_National_League&oldid=879240373"
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