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__label__wiki	0.581746	0.581746	Home / Entertainment, Music & Posters / 2017 June 17 - 18 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction - Beverly Hills Auction #7161 / Lot #89004 A Marilyn Monroe Group of Black and White Press Photographs, 1950s.... (Total: 4 ) A Marilyn Monroe Group of Black and White Press Photographs, 1950s. Four total, all original prints with a glossy finish; the first depicting the star standing next to Gladys Lloyd Robinson [wife of Edward G.] at an art exhibit in 1954; the second depicting the star on the set of "The Seven Year Itch" in 1955, verso stamped in part "Credit / Tom Caffrey / Globe Photos / ...N.Y.," further penciled annotation reads "Marilyn smiles very / prettily for the camera;" the third depicts the star during her photo session with Cecil Beaton in 1956, verso stamped in part "Globe Photos / ...N.Y.;" and the fourth depicts the star on the set of "Some Like It Hot " in 1959 (with Paula Strasberg barely visible behind her as they sit in a car), verso stamped in part "Credit / Dick Miller / Globe Photos / ...N.Y." and another stamp from a press agency in Cape Town, Africa; all images ran in various publications at the time and most have not been seen in decades. (Please note there is paper residue on the Beaton-related one; all have slight dents that can be seen in raking light only.) 10" x 8" and smaller 17th-18th Saturday-Sunday	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line768
__label__cc	0.523575	0.476425	Rendezvous Film Festival Screenwriting Contest 97119 Pirates Way Yulee, Florida 32097 View Map City Hall 204 Ash Street Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034 View Map Amelia Island Museum of History 233 S 3rd St View Map Island Art Association Gallery 18 N 2nd St And 2 Additional Venues Collapse Venues Kim Murray Randy Bowman Screenwriting Competition Organizer John Boles Welcome to Rendezvous Film Festival at Amelia Island FL - a Film Makers Haven where we spend 4 days celebrating the art of independent films and the dedicated souls who make them. The 13th Annual Rendezvous Film Festival on Amelia Island (The Isle of Eight Flags) will take place September 24-27, 2020. Events and Screenings are all within walking distance in our historic downtown (home of the oldest saloon in Florida, birth place of the shrimping industry and home of pirates) district with amazing fresh food, quaint shops, southern hospitality and stunning views of nature. Amelia Island has also hosted numerous films over the years such as G.I. Jane, Sunshine State, the 1988 Pippi Longstocking adaptation and The Manchurian Candidate. For the 13th Annual Rendezvous we're bringing back our recently added Script Writing Competition. Rendezvous Board Members consulted with producers and screenwriters to develop our competition to ensure it's not just a competition but a learning experience with opportunities for growth. Screenwriters are invited to submit screenplays for short films (30 pages or less) that haven't been produced. Readers for the screenplays will consist of Award Winning Writiers, Directors and Producers. The TOP 10 selected Screenplays will be invited to a Pitch Competition at the 13th Annual Film Festival, where the writers will have VIP passes for the weekend. The Pitch Competition will be before a live audience and a professional panel. After feedback from last years first every Rendezvous Screenwriting competition we have made some tweeks to to our program. This years screenwriting competition will invite the Top 10 screenwriters to the festival with VIP Passes, a slot at the pitch competition, and professional notes / feedback from the screenwriting judges. The Top 5 screenplays will also be part of a table read with audience. Screenplay judging will be based on: plot, characters, formatting, pacing, mechanics, dialouge and marketability. **Please note that our screenplay competition is not designed to designate 1st place or otherwise but is a way to get professional feedback and exposure for your script and talents. Each script received is reviewed and scored off the metric system created by John Boles, professional screenwriter, screenwriter professor and professional coverage provider. The score is not meant for ranking but to designate who qualifies for the table read, feedback and festival invites. In addition to workshops, screenings, welcome mixer, after parties, an under the stars gala, green room for filmmakers, swag bags, a pitch fest and table reads we're continuing our Sunday Brunch for filmmakers. And since everyone loved the film tour of possible locations during the 12th annual film festival we've decided to bring it back again for the 13th annual with a bag breakfast and tour of places to help you plan your next film. Awards will be given to the Best Actor, Actress, Child Actor, Screenplay, Feature, Student, Short, Florida Film, Director, Female Director. Awards are subject to change based on the submissions received. All selected films received 1 VIP pass and all cast and crew are offered 1/2 off tickets. Film Submisions: 1. Student Films must submit Student ID's to verify student statues with submissions. 2. All films submitted must have been completed since 2016 3. All those submitting their films agree that they have the full permission and rights to submit the films. Screenplay Competition: 1. Must be original screenplays 2. Must be submitted by the writer 3. Must be 30 pages or less 4. Must be an unproduced screenplay Sandy Parker I was very impressed with the level of communication from this festival, and I absolutely LOVE their uniquely designed laurels! I really wanted to attend, but had a conflict with work. Nonetheless, I'm proud that ALIENATED was included in this well-run festival. Walter Brandes I wish I did not have conflicts as I REALLY wanted to attend this festival. Was just heartbroken that it didn't work out. It looks like so much fun! The e-mail correspondences were wonderful and detailed. KILL AL was honoured to be part of this fest. Lois Norman Kim is a wonderful example of everything a festival should be: professional AND deeply human! So very happy that our script ‘Exposed’ got to the Finals and I really wish I could have been there to share it all with you! Until the next rendezvous! Thank you- Lois Renji Philip Had a fantastic time attending this festival with our feature, The Wake of Light. Communication from the outset was excellent and the entire staff was warm, helpful and fantastic. Not to mention the town of Fernandina Beach is a fantastic location for a film festival, or shooting a film. Highly recommend! Aaron Hosé We were honored to have our film "A Fresh Perspective" not only selected but also nominated for Best Documentary Short at Rendezvous. Kim was super-friendly and always kept me updated regarding all festival matters. Unfortunately, due to an injury, we could not attend the festival, but it looked like everyone had a blast! I definitely plan to submit my next work to RFF! Thank you Kim & Team!	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line769
__label__cc	0.536265	0.463735	Tag: Algeria Celtis tetrandra No Comments on Celtis tetrandra Botanical Name : Celtis tetrandra Familia: Cannabaceae Genus: Celtis Species: Celtis tetrandra Habitat :.…Celtis tetrandra Along the edges of terraced fields to elevations of 2500 metres in Nepal. Mesophytic mixed forests, valleys and slopes at elevations of 700 – 1500 metres. Celtis tetrandra is a deciduous Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in). The bark is grey, smooth, lenticellate; blaze whitish with purplish speckles.Young branchlets are terete, tawny pubescent.Leaves are simple, alternate, distichous; stipules lateral, caducous and leaving scar; petiole up to 0.8 cm long, canaliculate above, pubescent; lamina 3.5-10 x 1.2-4 cm, ovate -lanceolate, apex acuminate, base asymmetric, margin serrate, membranous, pubescent beneath; 3-nerved at base; midrib flat or slightly raised above; secondary_nerves ca. 4 pairs; tertiary_nerves distantly horizontally percurrent. Flowers are inflorescence axillary cymes; flowers polygamous; pedicels up to 1 cm long they bloom in April. Fruits & seeds are drupe with one seed and the fruit ripens in october….CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. Edible Uses:….Fruit – raw. A mealy pleasant taste. The fruit is up to 8mm in diameter, containing a single large seed about 5mm in diameter. We have no further information, but the fruit is liable to consist of a thin, sweet, though dry and mealy flesh around a large seed. Medicinal Uses:…The juice from the seeds is used in the treatment of indigestion. Other Uses: …Fuel; Wood…..Wood – very tough, pliable, strong, durable. Used for oars, toolhandles etc. An excellent fuel. Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider. https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celtis_tetrandra http://www.pfaf.org/USER/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Celtis+tetrandra http://www.biotik.org/india/species/c/celttetr/celttetr_en.html Gear Review: B5 Systems Gripstop 85 Sheltered Housing Units for Senior and Public Facilities / GRND82 Americans Should Know What’s in Their Soap and Shampoo Artemisia gmelinii The CharIN Association Aims for Single System To Cover All Charging Scenarios Up To 200 kW DC Support Vector Machines for Machine Learning Better Launcher for Z3C? Functional medicine: The ultimate misnomer in the world of integrative medicine Study Says Acetaminophen ‘Not Clinically Effective’ for Osteoarthritis Pain Nothing to hide Tags 1, 4-Dioxane, Aesthetics, Algeria, Alternating current, Alternative Medicine, Alzheimer's disease, AR-15, Audi, Barcelona, Food and Drug Administration Zizyphus vulgaris No Comments on Zizyphus vulgaris Botanical Name : Zizyphus vulgaris/Ziziphus jujuba Family: Rhamnaceae Tribe: Paliureae Genus: Ziziphus Synonyms: Zizyphus sativa. Brustbeeren. Judendornbeeren. Rhamnus Zizyphus. Common Name :Jujube Berries, Indian jujube or Chinese date.Bengali :Kul Vernacular names: Jujube fruit is called or just in Mandarin Chinese,”pomme surette” in French, “bor” in Konkani and Marathi, “ber” in Hindi, kul in Bengali,borai in Bangladesh, ilanthappazham or badari in Malayalam, (ilanthai/elantha pazham) in Tamil-speaking regions, (Yelchi Hannu) in Kannada and “Regi pandu” in Telugu. It is called zinzell in Malta. In Vietnamese, the fruit is called “táo tàu,” which translates to “Chinese apple. In Urdu it is called “UNNAB” Habitat:Jujube Berries is Originally a native of Syria, Zizyphus vulgaris was introduced into Italy in the reign of Augustus, and is now naturalized in Provence, and particularly in the islands of HyŠres, where the berries are largely collected when ripe, and dried in the sun. It is distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The trees average 25 feet in height and are covered with a rough, brown bark. They have many branches, with annual thorny branchlets bearing alternate, oval-oblong leaves of a clear green colour, with three to five strongly-marked, longitudinous veins. The small flowers are pale yellow and solitary. The fruit is a blood-red drupe, the size and shape of an olive, sweet, and mucilaginous in taste, slightly astringent. The pulp becomes softer and sweeter in drying, and the taste more like wine. They have pointed, oblong stones. CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES Edible Uses:The freshly harvested as well as the candied dried fruits are often eaten as a snack, or with coffee. They are available in either red or black, the latter being smoked to enhance their flavor. In China and Korea, a sweetened tea syrup containing jujube fruits is available in glass jars, and canned jujube tea or jujube tea in the form of teabags is also available. Although not widely available, jujube juice and jujube vinegar are also produced; they are used for making pickles in West Bengal and Bangladesh. In China, a wine made from jujubes, called hong zao jiu is also produced. Jujubes are sometimes preserved by storing in a jar filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), which allows them to be kept fresh for a long time, especially through the winter. Such jujubes are called jiu zao (??; literally “alcohol jujube”). These fruits are also a significant ingredient in a wide variety of Chinese delicacies. In Korea, jujubes are called daechu and are used in Daechucha teas and samgyetang. In Lebanon, Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries the fruit is eaten as snacks or alongside a dessert after a meal.[citation needed] In Persian cuisine, the dried drupes are known as annab, while in neighboring Azerbaijan it is commonly eaten as a snack, and are known as innab. These names are related, and the Turks use a similarly related name, “hünnap”. Ziziphus jujuba grows in northern Pakistan and is known as Innab, commonly used in the Tibb Unani system of medicine. There seems to be quite a widespread confusion in the common name. The Innab is Z. jujuba: the local name Ber is not used for Innab. Rather Ber is used for three other cultivated or wild species i.e. Z. spina-christi, Z. mauritiana and Z. nummularia in Pakistan and parts of India and is eaten both fresh and dried. Often the dry fruit (Ber) was used as a padding in leather horse-saddles in parts of Baluchistan in Pakistan.[citation needed]The Arabic names Sidr is used for Ziziphus species other than Z. jujuba. Traditionally in India, the fruits are dried in the sun and the hard nuts are removed. Then, it is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt, and jaggery. In some parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and dried under the sun to make cakes called ilanthai vadai or “Regi Vadiyalu” (Telugu). In Madagascar, jujube fruits are eaten fresh or dried. People also use those fruits to make jam. In Italy there is an alcoholic syrup called brodo di giuggiole. In Vietnam, the jujube fruit is eaten freshly picked from the tree as a snack. It is also dried and used in desserts, such as sâm b? l??ng, a cold beverage that includes the dried jujube, longan, fresh seaweed, barley, and lotus seeds. Medicinal Uses: Constituents: A full analysis has not yet been made, but the berries are valued for their mucilage and sugar. Jujube paste, or ‘Pâte de Jujubes,’ is made of gum-arabic and sugar. It may be dissolved in a decoction of jujubes and evaporated, but is considered as good a demulcentwithout their addition. It is frequently merely mixed with orange-flower water. A decoction of the roots has been used in fevers. An astringent decoction of leaves and branchlets is made in large quantities in Algeria, and seems likely to replace the cachou. In Europe the fruit was made into a cough medicine and tisane for medicinal reasons in times past. The fruit has been used in traditional medicine as an emollient, expectorant, coolant, anodyne and tonic and has been used as an antidote for aconite poisoning. It is given to relieve abdominal pains during pregnancy and can be applied to wounds when used in a poultice. The leaves can be used as a laxative and for throat problems as a decoction and the same liquid can also be used for skin problems. The roots have wound healing properties too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/j/jujube10.html http://www.organicfoodproducts.co.in/zizyphus-vulgaris-908957.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube Herb of the day for August 30 is Jujube Berries Jujube Fruit (Chinese Date) – Health Benefits Fruit of the Week – Jujube Juazeiro(Ziziphus joazeiro) Jujube Microwave Drying Solution Python released in Kailali forest Comparison of Drip, Pipe and Surge Spring Root Irrigation for Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) Fruit Quality in the Loess Plateau of China #8 Personal Dictionary Farmer’s Market Report: Seasonal Candies Tags Algeria, Augustus, Fruit, Italy, Jujube, Provence, Syria, Ziziphus Rocella tinctoria No Comments on Rocella tinctoria [amazon_link asins=’B00S730YWG,B00Z46VAMW,B00PI6SNKA,B00OAYL7IG,B00UY9QFK6,B00OLFH5E4,B0009K4EDK,B06XCFYNCZ,B014VR129K’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’348934f0-6793-11e7-8387-81af37011e39′][amazon_link asins=’B01J8VDBNO,114848244X,B01IOF1LNW,B00VQIAE38,B01N147BE0,B01J2HI0EY,1140955047,B01I7JDUXE,B01J2G1K9M’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5623ce2c-6793-11e7-862d-b36d50243bdf’] Botanical Name : Rocella tinctoria Family: Roccellaceae Genus: Roccella Species: R. tinctoria Division: Ascomycota Class: Arthoniomycetes Order: Arthoniales Synonyms: Roccella,Lacmus. Orchella Weed. Dyer’s Weed. Lacca caerulea. Lacca musica. Orseille. Persio. Rock Moss. Lichen Roccella. Roccella phycopsis. Roccella Pygmaea. Turnsole. Touresol. Laquebleu. Common Name : Cudbear,Litmus Habitat: Rocella tinctoria is a type of lichen. It is a thallophytic plant of the division Lichenes; occur as crusty patches or bushy growths on tree trunks or bare ground, seashore rocks on all warm coasts and some mountain rocks. Roccella tinctoria is a small, dry, perennial lichen, in appearance a bunch of wavy, tapering branched, drab-coloured stems from 2 to 6 inches high, springing from a narrow base. These bear nearly black warts at intervals, the apothecia or means of fructification peculiar to lichens. It is found principally on the Mediterranean coasts but other species from other localities are also sources of commercial Litmus. Blue and Red Orchil or Archil are used for dyeing, colouring and staining. The red is prepared by steeping the lichen in earthen jars and heating them by steam. The blue is similarly treated in a covered wooden vessel. They are used as a thickish liquid for testing purposes. Cudbear, prepared in a similar way, is also used as a dye. It is dried and pulverized, and becomes a purplish-red in colour. The preparation of Litmus is almost exclusively carried on in Holland, the details being kept a secret. About nineteen kinds seem to be there, varying very much in value. The lichens are coarsely ground with pearlashes, and macerated for weeks in wooden vessels in a mixture of urine, lime and potash or soda, with occasional stirring. In fermentation the mass becomes red and then blue, and is then moulded into earthy, crumbling cakes of a purplish-blue colour. The scent is like violets and indigo and the taste is slightly saline and pungent. Indigo is mixed with inferior kinds to deepen the colour. Blue Litmus Paper is prepared by steeping unsized white paper in an infusion or Test Solution of Litmus, or by brushing the infusion over the paper, which must be carefully dried in the open air. Red Litmus Paper is similarly prepared with an infusion faintly reddened by the addition of a small percentage of sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. Vegetable red, much used in colouring foods, is a sulphonated derivative of orchil. Click to see the pictures : …>……(01)....(1).……....(2).…….…(3).……...(4).…....(5)... Other Species: Two of the chief sources of Litmus are now R. Montagnei of Mozambique and Dendrographa leucophoea of California. Lecanora Tartare, or Tartarean Moss, was formerly much used in Northern Europe. R. pygmaea is found in Algeria\. R. fuciformis is larger, with flatter, paler branches. R. phycopsis is smaller and more branched. Inferior kinds of Litmus are prepared from species of Variolaria, Lecanora and Parmelia. Part Used: The whole plant, for its pigment. Chemical Constituents: The lichen contains a brown resin, wax, insoluble and lichen starches, yellow extractive, gummy and glutinous matters, tartrate and oxalate of lime and chloride of sodium. The colouring principles are acids or acid anhydrides, themselvescolourless but yielding colour when acted upon by ammonia, air and moisture. The chief of these are Azolitmin and Erythro-litmin, sometimes called leconoric, orsellic and erythric acids. The dye is tested by adding a solution of calcium hypochlorite to the alcoholic tincture, when a deep blood-red colour, quickly fading, should appear, or the plants can be macerated in a weak solution of ammonia, which should produce a rich violet-red. Demulcent and emollient. A decoction is useful in coughs and catarrhs. Other Uses: R. tinctoria is the lichen from which Litmus is obtained. The lichen is boiled with water, containing chalk in suspension, and then concentrated in vacuum; it is then dried, freed from impurities and put in large vats together with the liquor and ammonia. It is kept at 25 to 30 degrees F. for two or three months and then dried and powdered. Litmus is used officially as a test for acids and alkalis. Acids impart a red colour to blue Litmus and alkaloids cause reddened Litmus to return to its original blue. It may be used in solid or liquid forms as well as on the papers. click to see..>...(1)..…….(2).. Cudbear is a purplish-red powder prepared from a species of the Rocella tinctoria, Lecanora Acharius and other lichens. Cudbear is employed for colouring purposes as a dye.It is very difficult to extract, so the liquid preparations are rarely uniform in colour, and for this reason powdered Cudbear is generally used. The powder is made from an ammoniacal infusion of the lichen evaporated to dryness and then reduced to powder. In pharmacy it is sometimes used as a test for alkalies and acids. It is an alcoholic or agueous preparation of a deep red colour, which is lightened by the addition of acids and changed to a purplish red by alkalies. It yields about 35 per cent of ash, mostly sodium chloride. The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/cudbe125.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roccella_tinctoria http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Roccella%20tinctoria http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/litmus35.html Prompts for the Promptless – What’s A Litmus? Lichens at Red Cross Garden, SE1 Acid or Litmus? This is a Test Deep lichen green wedding pinspiration Palicourea densiflora Lichen on Mars Tree Snowflakes: Lichen or not… I’m a Fungi Food Additives (with E codes ) that May Be Harmful to Your Health. Green Algal Photobionts: Trentepohlia Tags Algeria, Dendrographa, Lecanora, Lichen, Litmus, Roccella, Roccella tinctoria, Rocella Asphodelus ramosus (King’s Spear) [amazon_link asins=’B01MQ0PD16,B01GXBH64C’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’04828765-3858-11e7-91ac-1d1f5cc025fc’] [amazon_link asins=’0838310230,B01K92ZJI6′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c399e9fc-385c-11e7-a29e-5739829202bf’] Botanical Name :Asphodelus ramosus Family: Asphodelaceae Subfamily: Asphodeloideae Genus: Asphodelus Species: A. ramosus Order: Asparagales Synonyms: White Asphodel. Asphodele Rameux. Royal Staff. Branched Asphodel. King’s Spear. Common Name:Common Asphodel Habitat: Asphodelus ramosus is native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. It can also be found in the Canary Islands. It is particularly common on the Catalan coast, where it shows an affinity for acidic soils, mainly schist. It is to be found close to the sea on the slopes of the Albères massif, where it forms abundant colonies in April to May. Life form: Hemicryptophyte Stems: Erect, single, glabrous branched scape Leaves: Basal rosette; sessile from an underground stem; parallel venation, ensiform, smooth margin Flowers: White with pink, stellate; 6 tepals with central reddish-brown mid-vein; 6 anthers, white firm filament and an orange anther; superior ovary. The plant is about 3 feet high, with large, white, terminal flowers, and radical, long, numerous leaves. It is only cultivated in botanical and ornamental gardens, though it easily grows from seeds or division of roots. The roots must be gathered at the end of the first year. The ancients planted the flowers near tombs, regarding them as the form of food preferred by the dead, and many poems refer to this custom. The name is derived from a Greek word meaning sceptre. Edible Uses: The roots, dried and boiled in water, yield a mucilaginous matter that in some countries is mixed with grain or potato to make Asphodel bread. In Spain and other countries they are used as cattle fodder, especially for sheep. In Barbary the wild boars eat them greedily. In Persia, glue is made with the bulbs, which are first dried and then pulverized. When mixed with cold water, the powder swells and forms a strong glue. Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and Pliny said the roots were cooked in ashes and eaten. The Greeks and Romans used them in several diseases, but they are not employed in modern medicine. Constituents: An acrid principle separated or destroyed by boiling water, and a matter resembling inuline have been found. An alcohol of excellent flavour has been obtained from plants growing abundantly in Algeria. Acrid, heating, and diuretic. Said to be useful inmenstrual obstructions and as an antispasmodic. The bruised root has been recommended for rapidly dissolving scrofulous swellings. Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphodelus_ramosus http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/aspho080.html http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Asphodelusaestivus_page.htm Tags Algeria, American crow, Americas, Animal Diversity Web, Asphodelus, Canary Islands, Common Name, Emmanuel Macron, Europe, Greek, Marine Le Pen, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Sea, President of France, Royal Staff, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom No Comments on Artichoke [amazon_link asins=’B0013OUJ8U,B000SR600O,B000OSQQDS,B00D5C02XA’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8d0422b2-4420-11e7-bfb1-bb546ae5edb4′] Botanical Name:Cynara Scolymus Family:Asteraceae Tribe:Cynareae Genus:Cynara Species: C. scolymus Order:Asterales Common Name : Artichoke, Globe Artichoke Habitat: Artichoke native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist. Description: The Globe Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows to 1.5-2 m tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery glaucous-green leaves 50 to 80 cm long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8 to 15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the “heart”; the mass of inedible immature florets in the center of the bud are called the “choke.” .click to see the pictures…....(01)..….(1)…....(2).……...(3).…..…(4)..…....(5)..…... A globe artichoke is a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. Artichoke may also refer to: Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower Chinese artichoke, a species of woundwort Project ARTICHOKE, a CIA operation PH Artichoke, a designer Light fixture Artichoke, Cardoon Globe Artichokes were first cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century, and are said to have been introduced to France by Catherine de’ Medici, Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where they were growing in Henry VIII’s garden at Newhall in 1530. They were introduced to the United States in the 19th century, to Louisiana by French immigrants and to California by Spanish immigrants. The name has originated from ardi shauki , which is Arabic for ground-thorn, through the Italian, articiocco. An artichoke flower.Today, the Globe Artichoke cultivation is concentrated in the contries bordering the Mediterranean basin. The main producers are Italy, Spain, and France. In the United States, California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop, and approximately 80 percent of that is grown in Monterey County; there, Castroville proclaims itself to be “The Artichoke Center of the World”. The cultivar ‘Green Globe‘ is virtually the only kind grown commercially in the U.S. Artichokes can be produced from seeds or from perennials. Perennials produce the edible flower only during the second and subsequent year, while varieties from seeds can be annual. Commercial culture is limited to warm areas in USDA hardiness zone 7 and above. It requires good soil, regular watering and feeding plus frost protection in winter. Rooted suckers can be planted each year so that mature specimens can be disposed of after a few years, as each individual plant only lives a few years. The peak season for artichoke harvesting is the spring, but they continue to be harvested throughout the summer, with another peak period in mid autumn. When harvesting, if they are cut from the ground so as to leave an inch or two of stem, artichokes possess good keeping qualities, frequently remaining quite fresh for two weeks or longer under average retail conditions. The recently introduced hybrid cultivar ‘Imperial Star’ has been bred to produce in the first year without such measures. An even newer cultivar, ‘Northern Star’, is said to be able to overwinter in more northerly climates, and readily survive sub-zero temperatures. A second generation of new hybrid cultivars were bred during the last decade, much more homogeneous and stable than the former and more suitable for professional growers. Apart from food use, the Globe Artichoke is also an attractive plant for its bright floral display, sometimes grown in herbaceous borders for its bold foliage and large purple flowerheads. Traditionally, globe artichoke has been grown by vegetative propagation of suckers, although seed planted cultivars has been introduced in the latest years. Traditional cultivars (Vegetative multiplication): Green color, large size: Camus de Bretagne, Castel, Blanc Hyerois (France), Green globe (USA). Green color, medium size: Blanca de Tudela (Spain), Argentina, EspaÃ±ola (Chile), Blanc d’Oran (Algeria), Sakiz, Bayrampsha (Turkey). Purple color, large size: Romanesco, C3 (Italy). Purple color, medium size: Violet de Provence (France), Brindisino, Catanese (Italy), Violet d’Algerie (Algeria), Baladi (Egypt). Spined: Spinoso sardo (Italy), Criolla (Peru). Varieties multipled by seeds: Edible Uses: Whole Globe Artichokes are prepared for cooking by removing all but 5-10 mm or so of the stem, and (optionally) cutting away about a quarter of each scale with scissors. This removes the thorns that can interfere with handling the leaves when eating. Then, the artichoke is boiled or steamed until tender, about 15-45 minutes. If boiling, salt can be added to the water, if desired. It may be preferable not to cover the pot while the artichokes are boiled, so that the acids will boil out into the air. Covered artichokes can turn brown due to the acids and chlorophyll oxidation. The leaves are often removed and eaten one at a time, sometimes dipped in butter, mayonnaise, aioli, or other sauces. Artichokes can also be made into an herbal tea; artichoke tea is produced as a commercial product in the Dalat region of Vietnam.photo. Artichoke is the primary flavor of the Italian liquor Cynar. Medical uses: The total antioxidant capacity of artichoke flower heads is one of the highest reported for vegetables. Cynarine is a chemical constituent in Cynara. The majority of the cynarine found in artichoke is located in the pulp of the leaves, though dried leaves and stems of artichoke also contain it. It inhibits taste receptors, making water (and other foods and drinks) seem sweet. Studies have shown artichoke to aid digestion, liver function and gallbladder function, and raise the ratio of HDL to LDL. This reduces cholesterol levels, which diminishes the risk for arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Aqueous extracts from artichoke leaves have also been shown to reduce cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and having a hypolipidemic influence, lowering blood cholesterol. Artichoke contains the bioactive agents apigenin and luteolin. C. scolymus also seems to have a bifidogenic effect on beneficial gut bacteria. Its effect in arresting pathogenic bacteria may be attributed to the notable presence of phenolic compounds. Both are higher in the baby anzio artichoke (Cyrnara scolymus). Artichoke leaf extract has proved helpful for patients with functional dyspepsia, and may ameliorate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome Artichoke leaves contain a wide number of active constituents, including cynarin,1,3 dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, and scolymoside. The choleretic (bile stimulating) action of the plant has been well documented.In an un controll clinical trial it is observed that 320 -640 mg of stadardized artichoke extract taken three times per day can reduce nausea,abdominal pain, constipation,and flatulence . The standard extract has been used to treat high cholesterol and triglycerides. Studies have shown that blood cholesterol levels dropped after eating artichoke. An anticholesterol drug called cynara is derived from this plant. In 1940, a study in Japan showed that artichoke not only reduced cholesterol but it also increased bile production by the liver and worked as a good diuretic. This make artichoke useful for gallbladder problems, nausea, indigestion, and abdominal distension. It has been found that globe artichoke contains the extract cymarin, which is similar to silymarin. Researchers discovered that this extract promotes liver regeneration and causes hyperaemia. It was also found that an artichoke extract caused dyspeptic symptoms to disappear. The researchers interpreted the reduction in cholinesterase levels to mean that the extract effected fatty degeneration of the liver. In 1969 a team of French researchers patented an artichoke extract as a treatment for kidney and liver ailments. Although the leaves are particularly effective, all parts of the plant are bitter. A Mediterranean home recipe uses fresh artichoke leaf juice mixed with wine or water as a liver tonic. It is also taken during the early stages of late-onset diabetes. It is a good food for diabetics, since it significantly lowers blood sugar. In France it has been used to treat rheumatic conditions. Ethnomedical Uses Dried or fresh leaves and/or stems of Cynara are used as a choleretic (to increase bile production), to treat gallstones, and as a tonic for convalescence. Cynarin is the principal active constituent in Cynara; research in 2005 found that cynarin causes an increase in bile flow. You may click to learn more about Artichoke Known Hazards: Can cause allergic reactions (dermatitis) due to lactones. . Use with caution in cases of biliary obstruction. May hinder breast feeding (lactation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artichoke http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/artic066.html http://www.prevention.com/cda/vendorarticle/artichoke/HN2038002/health/herb. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cynara+scolymus http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm Related articles by Zemanta Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus Celebrate season with baked artichokes Grilled Artichoke & homemade Tzatziki Sauce Sicily’s Flower with a Heart: The Globe Artichoke Globe Artichoke snacks Louisiana Crab-Stuffed Artichoke The Sicilian Connection Braised Artichokes, Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Mint Hot or Not? Artichoke Felt Ottomans by Moa Jantze Fabulous flowers, all the year round Veggie Wednesday: The Complete Book of Garlic Tags Academic term, Algeria, Artichoke, Barbecue chicken, Beef mince, Blog, Bolsa Chica State Beach, California Automobile Museum, Caper, Casserole, Cooking, Cynara, Fruit and Vegetable, Green Globe, Home, Italy, Louisiana, Mediterranean Sea, Olive oil, Project ARTICHOKE, Provence, United States	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line771
__label__cc	0.630599	0.369401	Peugeot is not coming to Geneva motor show 21 January 2020 FineAuto The French automaker had previously missed this event, but most were sent to individual instances. It became known yesterday that the French automaker Peugeot this year will miss the Geneva motor show. Recall that the event is annual and takes place in early March. Peugeot rarely considered this event as the main and mostly brought to Geneva a few instances in particular, charged the car. However, this year, and it will not. This means that at a major exhibition we will not see other members of the PSA group – Citroen and Opel. As said the representatives of Peugeot, the decision not to go to Geneva mainly based on the absence of major innovations from the manufacturer. But to show individual modifications that are unlikely to become repetitive, uneconomical. Peugeot was not the first brand that he said pass dealership – informed about such decision said the representative of the luxury Italian brand Lamborghini. Italian brand to focus on the individual and such mass events, where his production will definitely be the center of attention. Note that the motor show in Geneva was not the only one that passed the leading car manufacturers. So, Audi and Mercedes-Benz will not go to new York, and Volkswagen will not visit Paris. GenevaPeugeot Want a new X-Trail? Take a ride first on RAV4posted on November 10, 2020 Volvo kills: Swedes recall 54,000 carsposted on November 09, 2020 KIA Cadenza: a new name for more moneyposted on November 28, 2020 Ford Edge gets new multimedia systemposted on October 30, 2020 Tesla, goodbye: NIO electric car with a power reserve of 1000 kmposted on January 11, 2021	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line773
__label__cc	0.628031	0.371969	I&I Editorial: Democrats Found Their Scapegoat If Biden Loses — NC Businessman and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just in case you tuned out for a day or two, know that there is another conspiracy theory about President Donald Trump is rigging the election. This one is supremely stupid. Actually, the Democrats seem focused on destroying trust and creating chaos, while also doing it with the dumbest means possible. President Donald Trump is trying to steal the election by stealing the mail. Or stopping the mail. Or sabotaging the mail, or some such thing. The absolutely asinine charge seemed to reach critical mass over the weekend. But a week ago, the editorial board at Issues and Insights were already predicting the Democrat’s strategy: this means the Democrats have found their scapegoat. If Joe Biden loses the Left will accuse Trump of stealing the election, and the scapegoat is North Carolina businessman and Post Master General Louis DeJoy. From I&I: “The postmaster general is rarely a household name. Expect that to change should the Democrats lose in November. If that happens, they will try to turn Louis DeJoy into the Vladimir Putin of the 2020 elections. DeJoy took the helm of the postal office in June, and since then the former head of New Breed Logistics has been trying to bring some semblance of fiscal order to an operation that has been losing billions of dollars for years. “Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight, and we face an impending liquidity crisis,” DeJoy told the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board last week. So far, the changes have been relatively modest. He’s done some reorganizing and took steps to cut back the excessive amount of overtime pay that postal carriers rack up. As Ross Marchand noted in a recent I&I op-ed, “DeJoy must deliver on these, and other critical postal reforms, in order for the agency to be fiscally stable.” But to hear Democrats tell it, DeJoy is engaged in “deliberate sabotage” of the upcoming elections. That’s how Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., put it. DeJoy, you see, is a Trump supporter, and so must be part of a broad conspiracy. Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said that “it’s hard not to be suspicious when you see the postmaster general, who is a big Trump donor, now at this exact moment taking steps that are undermining this service. Of course I’m suspicious.” Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., warned that “our democracy is being held in the hands of the postal service.” […]” Trending: Lee County School Board Member Attends ‘Save America’ Speeches, Targeted for Harassment Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) also accused the president of so frustrating the delivery of mail, in order to win an election, that seniors in her district are not even receiving their Social Security checks in the mail. That is pretty low, even if the Social Security Administration hasn’t mailed physical checks to recipients in about 10 years. Like we said; sabotage by the STUPIDEST MEANS POSSIBLE. Consider for a moment that Democrats are spinning the narrative that the USPS cannot be trusted to handle an election, AFTER pushing with all their might to force an election by mail. But North Carolina has a special spot in this bit of theater by the Left; DeJoy ran his successful logistics business in Greensboro. He has also been a a big donor and bundler for Republicans for quite some time, raising money for Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump, as well as other Republican lawmakers in the state. His wife, Dr. Aldona Wos, served in the administration of Governor Pat McCrory as Health Secretary, and was a U.S. Ambassador to Estonia during the Bush presidency. (If only we could trade Dr. Mandy Cohen’s Pandemic Panic for Dr. Wos’s no-nonsense demeanor) So yes, DeJoy and his wife are big time Republicans. Demonizing him, then, comes natural for the Left, especially because he’s guilty of doing something that successful businessmen have a knack for; efficiency reform. Specifically, reforms at USPS to improve the bottom line. The I&I editorial goes on to highlight WHY reforms may be needed at this agency: “Take a look at just a few headlines that appeared well before DeJoy took over. “‘Overwhelmed’ Postal Carrier Hoarded 17,000 Pieces of Mail, Officials Say” “A postal worker rented a storage unit to hide mail because he felt ‘pressured’ to deliver it” “Postal service struggles leave Bay Area residents searching for their mail” “3,000 Pieces of Undelivered Mail Found At DFW Postal Facility” “Post office searching for missing Christmas mail in Alexandria” “Former Fitchburg letter carrier, feeling stressed, fails to deliver 758 pieces” “More than 1,000 pieces of stolen mail found in late postal worker’s storage unit” ” Postal Service has no answer for 2018 disappearance of Neenah-Menasha mail” “St. Petersburg mail carrier found with 2,129 pieces of stolen mail” “60,000 ballots not delivered in Adams County; Duplicate ballots sent out in Weld County” That’s to say nothing of the recent experience – before DeJoy took over – of problems with mail-in balloting. Just one example: The USPS inspector general investigation of the April 7 Wisconsin primary found that more than 3,500 absentee ballots never made it to voters, and hundreds had no postmarks. […]” Yet, it’s not the electoral fraud of bad actors and activists the Democrats worry about (anyone remember this?!?!), it’s that President Trump will force DeJoy to stop and sabotage the mail to win an election. Yes, after continually and pointedly warning that we SHOULD NOT rely on vote by mail, because it is especially vulnerable to FRAUD and INEFFICENCY, President Trump and Postmaster General DeJoy are the ones using the mail to rig an election. By the stupidest means possible, the Left shoves us toward strike. Read more of the I&I editorial.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line776
__label__wiki	0.825821	0.825821	Beside The Points For Thursday, March 22, 2018 Mar. 22, 2018 , at 5:26 PM Filed under Beside The Points Things That Caught My Eye Celtics bring the Thunder There have been 885 NBA teams who trailed by 5 or more points in the final 20 seconds of a game this season so far. Of those, 884 of them went on to lose that game. On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics became the first team this season to pull off a win in that scenario, beating a 5 point deficit with 16.8 seconds to go. [FiveThirtyEight] Boeheim on top Jim Boeheim of Syracuse has edged out Tom Izzo of Michigan State to take the top sport when it comes to wins over expected in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Boeheim has 54 wins and 25 losses when we’d only expect his teams to get 44.3 wins, giving him a 9.7 wins over expected in the tourney. [FiveThirtyEight] Try out our interactive, Which World Cup Team Should You Root For? Gore to mount campaign in Florida Frank Gore, an immortal, has signed a one year deal with the Miami Dolphins. In 2017 he rushed 961 yards for the Indianapolis Colts, 39 yards shy of a tenth career 1,000 yard season. Frank Gore will be 35 years old. [ESPN] Mickelson is playing the best in his career Phil Mickelson has finished in the top 15 in 6 out of 8 tournaments this year with a season average finish position just under 20. This makes this season one of the best of his career so far. [FiveThirtyEight] New Football league In addition to Vince McMahon’s attempt to revive the XFL, a competitor to the NFL, this past week documentary filmmaker Charlie Ebersol announced the Alliance of American Football will debut in February, 2019 and will run for 10 weeks. Reality is, there are 28,000 Division I NCAA football players and at any given time only 1,700 NFL jobs, so they’ll certainly have players. The competitive advantage of the league would be 60 percent fewer commercials and no TV timeouts. [ESPN] Soccer players not unanimous fans of not playing soccer A poll of 104 current Major League Soccer players across 22 of the league’s 23 clubs found rising but still middling support for promotion and relegation. In 2017, 54 percent of players favored the introduction of promotion and relegation — where the worst teams in a league are relegated to a lesser league while the best teams in that lesser league are elevated to the majors — but that figure’s since risen to 63 percent. The main concerns are that a viable second division doesn’t yet exist and that ownership groups would be destabilized. [ESPN] Big Number 30 quick time outs Gregg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, has no qualms about calling a time out in the early moments of a game. As of Monday, Popovich had called 30 time outs in the first two minutes of a game since 2009, head and shoulders above the rest of the league. [FiveThirtyEight] Leaks from Slack chris.herring [9:51 PM, Wednesday] Pop just called timeout 2 mins into their game on national TV micah: @chris.herring I’ll tweet that from the main account! chris.herring [9:51 PM, Wednesday]: In fairness to Pop, Spurs missed their first 7 or 8 shots. I would’ve called timeout, too :joy: NCAA Men’s Tournament See more NBA predictions Oh, and don’t forget Why can’t the Rockets be the Warriors? Beside The Points (65 posts)	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line778
__label__wiki	0.539874	0.539874	Which cars hold their value most? 3 minutesread Car ownership is dear. This isn’t news. But one important consideration is what proportion of money the vehicle in your driveway is going to be worth after you plan to sell it. According to studies of over 7.7 million new and used car sales, the typical amount of depreciation after five years is simply shy of half the initial price (49.6%). We’re focusing in on the strongest performers here, the cars that hold their value best after 60 months. Subaru Impreza WRX: 60.0% The list kicks off with a surprising entry: Subaru’s rally-bred WRX. Offering a potent combo of turbocharged power and all-wheel-drive security for nearly twenty years on our shores, the WRX has stayed remarkably near its original recipe the complete time. that may be why it holds onto its value—nearly 10% better than the average—so well: irrespective of which generation buyers choose, there’s a 2.0-liter flat-four and Subaru’s famous symmetrical AWD backing it up. It’s still an inexpensive, fun package: no wonder it only loses 40% of its value on average. Nissan Frontier: 60.5% The Frontier is comfortably the oldest car on the list. this model has had some facelifts throughout its life since Nissan debuted it in 2005. It’s a mid-size truck within the old-school mold, with two different bed and cab lengths available. Large-displacement four- and six-cylinder engines aren’t particularly high-tech, but they’re reliable. With average depreciation of 39.5%. Nissan GT-R: 60.6% Another Nissan and this one couldn’t be more different than the Frontier. Well, they put power to any or all four wheels. The reborn Godzilla holds its value well, just edging the Frontier for 8th, with 39.4% depreciation. similar to the large lizard, the GT-R has evolved and gained new powers over the years, but it retains an enormous slug of turbo-V6 power and one in all the foremost advanced all-wheel-drive systems on the market. Its tuner-friendliness and limited numbers help keep values strong. Honda Ridgeline: 61.9% Another Japanese mid-size truck, you say? Yes, amongst the whole lineup of Honda vehicles, it’s the Ridgeline that comes out on top when selling time comes. It retains 61.9% of its original value over five years. Sharing its unibody platform with the Pilot crossover and Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline features a smoother on-road ride than most other trucks out there. a strong and fairly economical 3.5-liter V6 engine also helps. Toyota 4Runner: 63.5% Welcome to truck town. the highest 1/2 of the list is exclusively SUVs and trucks, with the Toyota 4Runner kicking things off. Sticking to a body-on-frame platform within the face of unibody crossover competition, the 4Runner prioritizes off-road prowess and towing capability over mall runs. There’s decent room for five within the rugged (but plasticky) interior and a good amount of power from its 4.0-liter V6 engine. That legendary Toyota reputation for reliability little doubt helps the 4Runner retain a robust 63.5% of its original asking price. Toyota Tundra: 64.1% The Toyota Tundra beats its big-rig competitors on resale value. Tundra owners are a fiercely loyal bunch, with many trading in one for an additional when the time comes. the present all-V8 lineup—Toyota discontinued the V6 in 2010—keeps things simple. It lags behind more modern engines in terms of fuel mileage, but it does give the Tundra a hearty tow rating. just like the 4Runner, the Tundra also benefits from the Toyotas-are-reliable reputation too. Toyota Tacoma: 68.0% The Toyota Tacoma has long stood at the sharp end of the resale value scale. Demand for this tough-as-nails mid-size truck keeps prices robust within the used market. The Taco features a Goldilocks mixture of size and power, making it a preferred choice for Overlanding and general off-roading. It also avoids the posh trappings of the full-size truck market, keeping prices level over the years—and thus, not giving the Tacoma the maximum amount room to drop. The Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner help push Toyota past all other brands on the general depreciation charts. As a marque, Toyotas average a 42.3% loss over five years, compared to the industry-wide average of 49.6%. Who’s Used Cars are better, Hyundai or Toyota? (1 minuteread) Which are Toyota’s most reliable used cars? (1 minuteread) Which are the most reliable Japanese Used Cars ever? (1 minuteread) What are the best Japanese Used Cars under $2000? (1 minuteread) Which used car is better, Toyota or Honda? (2 minutesread) What is the fastest Japanese sports car? (1 minuteread) How to ensure mileage is genuine when buying a used car? (1 minuteread) Why do Japanese Used Cars have low Mileage? (2 minutesread) Is it safe to buy Japanese imported cars? (1 minuteread)	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line779
__label__wiki	0.961863	0.961863	Sebacean Articles needing citations, Season 4 episodes Farscape episode Episode no. Season 4 Guest star(s) Blair Venn (Macton Tal); John Brumpton (Katoya); Rachel Gordon (Lo'Laan) Writer(s) Mark Saraceni Director Geoff Bennett Production no. 10415 Original airdate January 31, 2003 (US); January 20, 2003 (UK) Episode chronology "Twice Shy" "Bringing Home the Beacon" When Scorpius brings the boys of Moya to receive special training from an individual named Katoya, Ka D'Argo comes face to face with his wife's murderer, Macton Tal. But Macton claims he didn't kill Lo'Laan Tal (his sister), it was D'Argo himself who did during one of his uncontrollable hyper-rages. Though reluctant to believe him, and insistent he did not, D'Argo still can't help but wonder... 2 Memorable quotes 3 Background information 4.1 Starring 4.2 Guest stars 4.3 Puppeteers 4.4 Voice artists 4.6 External link John and Aeryn Sun are sitting in Pilot's den. Pilot tells them that they've reached the optimum departure point and Rygel, Scorpius, and D'Argo are waiting for John on Lo'La, while Chiana, Sikozu, and Noranti are already in a transport pod. John opens his Christmas gift from Aeryn – a remote control. "Does something come with this?" John asks with a knowing smile. She tells him yes, something big that's pretty much taking over his room. John tells Pilot they'd actually stay behind rather, and sit and watch and eat popcorn like normal people. Pilot tells him that D'Argo is waiting. John tells Aeryn he has to go look after Scorpius; Aeryn says she should go with him. John tells her she knows that's not possible and she needs to look after the girls. She says that's not funny and he tells her it'd be better than mental arts training. "I don't know, you could do with the mental discipline," she tells him. "Not from someone Scorpy recommends. You got the better job." Sarcastically, she says rummaging around a dead Leviathan settlement looking for a Moya part is thrilling? She'd much rather swap places with him. Pilot tells Aeryn that now Chiana is asking where she is, and so they say "Merry Christmas," kiss and part ways. D'Argo, Rygel, John, and Scorpius are at the training camp. The trainer, Katoya, tells them their objective is mental discipline, a skill few ever achieve. He tells them of the task chairs, which provide access to a "mindscape", where they will compete with an opponent to the point of great pain. If they endure the pain, they'll succeed. Retreat, and they'll suffer the consequences. He gives them 80 microts to leave if they have self-doubt, after which the Juxtowi crystals on their heads will activate and on any attempt to leave it will bore through their brain. John says he needs to know about the creature that attacked his family and killed his friends and Scorpius assures him that if it's from Tormented Space Katoya will know about it. Scorpius says his price is completion of the course. D'Argo smells something that gives him flashbacks. Rygel comments it's "the stench of that frelling Charrid", also in training. "Oh, I know that odor," D'Argo assures. That person pulls off a mask he's wearing, and it's indeed someone D'Argo knows - Macton, the man who killed his wife. D'Argo attacks him. "You killed my wife. You set me up and then you sent me to prison," he shouts. Macton says he didn't want the truth then and won't now, and tells the others to let D'Argo hit him like he beat Lo'Laan. As they jostle for the advantage, Katoya separates them, saying, "That ends this." As they sit in a room outside the main chamber, John asks D'Argo if he's okay. Rygel says that Macton's a liar and he can't believe a Peacekeeper has found them. He suggests they leave before any more arrive. Scorpius tells him that they will not be permitted to leave prematurely. They agreed to say; they must obey the rules. John says they won't stick around and wait for a Marauder, regardless of the rules. Scorpius tells him that this sector of Tormented Space is forbidden to Peacekeepers without express orders from Peacekeeper High Command, so it's likely Macton is here unofficially. D'Argo says that Macton destroyed his family, his wife, and his son and deserves to die. D'Argo has a flashback to a time when, at his home, he overheard Macton telling Lo'Laan that D'Argo is a Luxan, and he can't help but hurt her. She retorts that they are in love and D'Argo would never hurt her, nor would she hurt D'Argo. Macton promptly storms out. "Now we're both here," D'Argo says, "One of us must die. I wouldn't run even if I could." John says he's got D'Argo's back on this, but Katoya won't let them disrupt his class, so they should wait until after training. They are called back to the arena. Katoya asks John to join him for a demonstration; John says he's here to watch. Katoya tells him everyone must participate. John says that after everything he's had in his head, he won't offer another chunk for Katoya's games. "It is not a game," Katoya insists. John tells Katoya to fail him, but he won't get in. Katoya looks to Scorpius, who agrees. John tells Scorpius it proves nothing to him if he wins. Scorpius steps in and they are in a huge blackened room with a grid of tiny lights like a starry midnight sky, on a platform. The task-chairs are within a metal frame icosahedron looking device. There is a glowing orange icosahedron (hologram/energy-ball? - in shape of a mini replica of the device they are in) hovering around, that they are pushing towards each other with their minds. Katoya tells Scorpius to overcome the pain. They push it back and forth with their minds and Katoya tells him not to withhold his efforts, nor is anger a substitute for clarity. The task may be completed with a minimum of harm. Katoya pushes it against Scorpius, asking if they should end this, Scorpius pushes it back almost hitting it's target. "I was just starting to enjoy the pain," he replies, as Katoya retaliates, gives a final push, and it smashes against Scorpius. When Scorpius gets off, John sarcastically comments on how constructive it was. Scorpius tells him it's not meant to be painless. "It never will be painless, John," he assures him. John goes to the bathroom, where Macton is waiting. John asks why he's here, and Macton says he's responding to D'Argo's death threats; D'Argo told him he was coming for him. Macton says he won't allow D'Argo to kill him to conceal what he did to his wife, my sister – he killed Lo'Laan. John says that it was Macton who killed her, but he tells John that D'Argo killed her in a fit of hyper-rage. John says D'Argo says he didn't do it and that's good enough for him. "You do know that Luxan hyper-rage causes blackouts?" Macton asks, adding that any honest Luxan would tell him that. And again insists that D'Argo was the one who killed his wife, just doesn't remember, or has blocked out, doing it. John returns to the chamber, where Rygel wants to go up against the Charrid. Katoya tells him this is not a game. "It's a war of wills," Rygel says, "Where else will I get chance at a fair fight, where I have the advantage?" Katoya allows Rygel to proceed. D'Argo asks what lies Macton told John. He admits to sending the death threats. John says he doesn't want to talk about it anymore, as it will piss D'Argo off. D'Argo says he's pissed off already, so John tells him about the mention of Luxan's hyper-rage causing blackouts... D'Argo flashes back to a moment when he went in to hyper-rage in front of Lo'Laan because he didn't want Macton in his house. Back in the arena, D'Argo says that blackouts during hyper-rage do happen, but he learned to control them successfully. Young Luxans are genetically violent and the impulses take cycles to master, which is why Luxans aren't allowed to marry young. He says Lo'Laan knew he would never hurt her and he made a solemn vow that if he ever did he would leave immediately, no questions. Rygel is groaning and frothing from expending so much energy against the Charrid. John tells Katoya, "Excuse me Master Jedi, Sparky there looks like he's loosing a few brain cells", and so maybe it's time to let him out. "It was his choice," is Katoya's reply. John and D'Argo approach to take him out anyway and are both thrown back by an invisible force by Katoya. Rygel ultimately prevails and overcomes the Charrid and wins. He smiles triumphant... then promptly collapses. D'Argo and John take Rygel to the outer room and D'Argo says he's like ice. John, angry, tells Katoya that they're leaving, and this wouldn't have happened if he'd allowed them to take Rygel out before. Katoya just ignores him, then exclaims, "Your training isn't over," and as John turns his back on him, strikes him down the stairs. "It's just begun," he adds. The trainees enter, along with Scorpius and D'Argo. Scorpius says that John is fine; he's just been moved to remedial training. D'Argo was thinking about Macton and Scorpius says that perhaps he should remain focused and heed their example. Katoya calls him up and Scorpius reiterates the need to stay focused. D'Argo flashes back to asking Lo'Laan if he hurt her. She says they'll get through it. "If I did ever hurt you, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" he asks. She says he's never hurt her, and promises she'd tell him if he did. D'Argo is in a room with barriers of blue energy beams and has to try to find his way out. Katoya tells him to release his mind and find the path. D'Argo keeps getting hurt by the barriers and eventually gets so angry that Katoya stops the task, telling him to exert even a microt of self-control over his personal impulses is the point of the exercise. In another room, D'Argo says he's leaving. Katoya tells him that will not help him find the answers he's looking for. D'Argo gets angry again, telling Katoya he's sick of the mind games and that if he remains here he will kill Macton. He stops his anger slowly and Katoya tells him that proves he can control it. John is locked up in a small barred cell that has a coaled furnace that takes up a quarter of the cage's floor space. He calls for D'Argo, but gets no answer. Meanwhile, Rygel tells D'Argo that Macton must be lying, why?, because he's a Peacekeeper. Macton is just trying to get to him. D'Argo says that he and Lo'Laan were happy together and Macton can't change that. He says he should have killed Macton. "Isn't that what you set out to do when we all left Moya?" Rygel asks. D'Argo says part of him knew that wouldn't bring Lo'Laan back, but the other part wanted to let him know he knew exactly where Macton was. Rygel urges him to pay attention to the part that wants to kill Macton, so he can finally get it over and be done with it. D'Argo says he's not so sure that he wants to take revenge any more. Katoya goes to see John, who tells him to let him out. Katoya drops a key into the room through the bars, which lands on the furnace. Katoya tells him he wasn't quick enough and that he can leave when he catches a key to let himself out... Macton and D'Argo meet just outside the chamber. D'Argo tells Macton to stay away from him and his friends and to stop spreading his lies. He says Macton always hated him and would have hated any non-Sebacean that married his sister. Macton replies that he may have come to accept the marriage in time had D'Argo not started beating her. D'Argo says he's violent when he chooses to be, and now he chooses not to kill Macton. But that could change. Macton said that if he came to kill D'Argo he'd never see him coming. He tells D'Argo he came to give him the truth the blackouts and Lo'Laan stopped him from seeing. D'Argo says he's lying and when Macton taunts him further, he pushes him onto the desk. For a moment, he sees Lo'Laan lying on the table in Macton's place and is taken aback, and Macton tells him this is his uncontrollable rage and asks if he thought he could really ever protect Lo'Laan from that. And that if he looks deep within he'll know the truth - or in fact, he's certain he's always known!. Another key is dropped down to John, which he doesn't catch in time. Scorpius turns up and says that Katoya told him John was experiencing setbacks. Scorpius tells him neither Earth nor John himself is safe; the Scarrans know of him and are coming for him. He cannot run away and Scorpius says he cannot protect John from them. John shouts for him to get him out of the hole, but Scorpius says he's undergoing specific Scarran training. John tells him that he'd figured that out already. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity," John spits mockingly. Scorpius tells him the heat mechanism the Scarran employs is just the beginning, and if they disable his mind's defenses, there is no secret that they will be unable to extract. John tells him that he'll take his chances on his own. Scorpius stresses that when they find John, the Scarrans will extract the wormhole knowledge and then kill him. "After all we've meant to each other, you'd kill me first," John pronounces. "You... have such a limited mental capacity, John, but apparently an abundant will to prevail." Scorpius says that his advice is to use that will right here right now, as Katoya is the only one that can give him the tools he needs to survive the Scarrans. Scorpius is talking with Katoya. He says that he knows John will survive, just like he would. Katoya says that for Scorpius to have survived this long, his training must have been helpful. Scorpius tells him they've saved his life, on countless occasions. He requests three favors. "Do I owe so many?" Katoya asks. "I did spare you from Peacekeeper captivity, and my Aurora Chair." Katoya says he would have survived the Aurora Chair, but tells Scorpius to proceed. Scorpius' first request is to intensify John's training; without the training, he will ultimately die anyway. Second, Macton has become a dangerous distraction with Scorpius certain he will either kill or be killed by D'Argo. Katoya says he will have neither here, but Scorpius asks that Katoya take some pre-emptive action. Thirdly, Scorpius asks for information on a species he has no knowledge of. This species recently attacked John. "May I describe it for you?" Scorpius asks... John is still in his cage, with the coals sizzling around him getting hotter by the minute. D'Argo comes and tries to help release him, but he can't do it. So instead he gives John a drink and tells him this is doing his head in. He's been thinking of killing Macton for half his life, but is now questioning if Lo'Laan lied to him. John says that Macton is filling him with possibilities. What Lo'Laan did, she did for D'Argo, and that means something. D'Argo says that means it's possible he killed the woman who loved him more than life. D'Argo talks again with Katoya, saying he has a great deal of respect for his work. He says that mental strength just isn't his strength, and asks if Katoya can help him find an answer. "What would you like to know?" Katoya asks. "What kind of monster I really am." They enter the task chair, where D'Argo sees an image of Lo'Laan with a knife through her chest. D'Argo says he doesn't want to see that, but Katoya tells him to stay focused. Lo'Laan says that she knows it upsets him, but he's getting worked up over nothing. D'Argo says that his anger is to be controlled, not used against someone you love. Katoya asks if he used it against her. D'Argo eventually lashes out and sees himself hitting her. He kneels next to her. "Did I hurt you?" he asks. She says no, he'd never hurt her. He says she promised to tell him if he did and asks if she knows how much he loved her. She says yes - suddenly Katoya implodes into swirling shards of glass and disappears/exits, ripped from the task; and in the chair where he sat, Macton has replaced him. "Sorry to interrupt... Master," Macton utters sarcastically. John is getting more and more agitated in his cell, which now has heating elements on further sides of the cage, making the heat unbearable. Meanwhile, Macton hits D'Argo, and the environment morphs into the house he shared with his wife, returned to "the scene of the crime." D'Argo goes to hit Macton, but he morphs into the visage of Lo'Laan again. Macton starts hitting D'Argo and switching his image with Lo'Laan's to try and convince D'Argo he couldn't control himself and it was all his doing, putting these images in his head. With 'her' visage, (but in Macton's voice), showing D'Argo huge bruises, (presumably inflicted by him), on her legs, arms and neck. Is this what you never meant to do Macton/Lo'Laan asks, taunting him ?... They switch to D'Argo's cell on Moya, where Macton says he belongs. D'Argo is chained up, and Macton starts punching him, saying that this is what he did to Lo'Laan so it's no less than he deserves; what D'Argo's rage felt like. Another key is thrown down and this time, John exasperated and in utter frustration just pulls off the grill cover, dips his hand into the coals, and retrieves the key; enduring great pain and severely burning his hands. D'Argo tells Macton he didn't kill Lo'Laan and Macton says no, but D'Argo drove her to her own death. He shows Lo'Laan stabbing herself, saying he beat her beyond her capacity to endure and longer. Macton says, on finding her dying, he doctored the scene to provide the evidence and put D'Argo in prison forever. D'Argo begins to go in to hyper-rage, (exactly what Macton planned), and then leaves him to rot in his rage for eternity. D'Argo shouts in an incontrollable HYPER-rage... As Macton leaves, D'Argo makes himself focus and manages to control and exit the rage. Macton turns around and D'Argo causes his chains to just fall away. "You're lying. Every word you've said is a lie." Macton insists no, he beat her and drove her to suicide. D'Argo hits Macton to the ground and says he knows what Lo'Laan went through for their love, and he wishes he could have loved her half as well. "Oh, you loved her to death," Macton croaks, "You do not have this power!" D'Argo says Lo'Laan taught him that he does have power over his rage; then even though Macton now expects D'Argo to strike him a killing blow, D'Argo says he has no intention of killing him. He stresses he loved his wife, but Macton wouldn't know that because he didn't even know Lo'Laan, but D'Argo did. He says she could have left him for his failings and maybe she should have, but he knows that she would never have left her son without a mother, therefore she would never have taken her own life. That's why he's certain all he says are lies. D'Argo now 'turns the table' on Macton and wants to see Macton's memories, and why he killed Lo'Laan. D'Argo grabs his head and has a vision of Macton telling Lo'Laan of what he plans to do to D'Argo, turning him in so he'd be dishonourably discharged and put away. She pleads that he's done nothing wrong, and as Macton walks away she says she won't let him. She grabs a knife and goes to strike him, but he turns and on his reflex, grabs her and stabs her in self-defense. Macton tells D'Argo it was his fault, she attacked him and his Peacekeeper training took control, by the time he was aware of what he had done, it was already too late. D'Argo says that's not the whole truth, since she was clearly beaten. Macton says he had to make D'Argo pay and make it look like he did it in a fit of hyper-rage, so he beat her after she'd perished. D'Argo walks away disgusted, leaving a guilt-ridden Macton to relive what he did. Back on Lo'La, D'Argo, Rygel, Scorpius, and John are leaving the camp. John is nursing his hands, and asks if D'Argo's all right. D'Argo says he's fine. "If you were fine you'd have killed Macton instead of leaving him there." D'Argo says that he's trapped in a coma with his own nightmares, killing him would've been merciful – he's not that enlightened. Scorpius asks John if he was able to obtain the key, but John whistles and doesn't answer. Scorpius tells him that the creature that attacked him was a Skreeth, a species that can communicate over long distances telepathically, quite possibly passing on the information regarding Earth. John asks who he'd pass it on to. "Grayza, almost certainly." John comments that the Peacekeepers now know where Earth is. "May know," Scorpius corrects him. John asks if Grayza will go there and Scorpius says it's possible, but she doesn't want Earth, she wants John first and foremost. John again asks if D'Argo is OK, and he says he will be, but he's got things on his mind. Things he's done, things he can't take back. Memorable quotes[edit \| edit source] D'Argo (About Macton): He's trapped in a coma with his own nightmares. Killing him would have been merciful. I'm not that enlightened. Crichtonisms After observing that he has landed in "detention", John whistles a song from the 1957 film Bridge on the River Kwai, "The Colonel Bogey March." Bridge is a classic World War II POW movie starring Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Jack Warden. This is also a reference to The Breakfast Club, as the song was whistled by the cast during their detention. (citation needed • edit) Background information[edit \| edit source] Gigi Edgley (Chiana) does not appear in this episode. Despite not appearing, Melissa Jaffer (Noranti) and Raelee Hill (Sikozu) are credited among the guest cast for this episode. This is the only episode of Season 4 in which Sikozu does not appear. Dave Elsey wanted to have Katoya wear special contact lenses, but John Brumpton was suffering an eye infection and the Unit Nurse prevented them from using the lenses. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) The title comes from the band whose lead singer designed the Mambo shirts regularly worn by Ricky Manning. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) The set of lights and CG area of the set caused issues for some of the actors, making them feel sick when they turned their heads, as the lights seemed to move. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) The opening scene with John and Aeryn was added late to explain why only the guys were featured in the episode as well as to introduce the television set. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) Some of the writers were in favor of revealing D'Argo as Lo'Laan's murderer, but David Kemper felt that it did not fit the character. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) The light ball in the arena was added by the visual effects department after the editing of the episode. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) There was insufficient time to change D'Argo's makeup to its season one look, though he should have looked this way in the flashbacks. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v4.3) Links and references[edit \| edit source] Starring[edit \| edit source] Ben Browder as John Crichton Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun Anthony Simcoe as Ka D'Argo Gigi Edgley as Chiana Wayne Pygram as Scorpius Guest stars[edit \| edit source] Raelee Hill as Sikozu Melissa Jaffer as Noranti Blair Venn as Macton Tal John Brumpton as Katoya Rachel Gordon as Lo'Laan Puppeteers[edit \| edit source] Peter Jagger Fiona Gentle Virginia Weule Tim Mieville Mat McCoy Mario Halouvas Voice artists[edit \| edit source] Jonathan Hardy as Rygel Lani Tupu as Pilot Aurora Chair; baseball; blitz; Bridge on the River Kwai; cat; Charrid; Christmas; Colonel Bogey March; coolant suit; cycle; Dr. Seuss; dren; Earth; frax; frell; Grayza, Mele-On; hyper-rage; icosahedron; Jedi; Juxtowi crystal; Ka Jothee; Krabappel, Edna; Leviathan; Lo'La; Luxan; marauder; microt; Moya; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper First Command; Peacekeeper High Command; Pilot; popcorn; pulse grenade; Qualta Blade; Riddler; Scarran; Sebacean; Skreeth; Sparky; Star Wars; task chair; television; The Cat in the Hat; The Simpsons; Tormented Space; transport pod; wormhole; yotz External link[edit \| edit source] Farscape World Synopsis by Dani Moure Retrieved from "https://farscape.fandom.com/wiki/Mental_as_Anything?oldid=32835" Articles needing citations 1 Chiana 2 Scorpius	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line780
__label__cc	0.559002	0.440998	Track Lion Parcel Courier ... Try: 1ZX30343YW00652681 Lion Parcel is a subsidiary of Lion Group. Lion Parcel was established on February 14, 2013 engaged in safekeeping services that serve domestic and international shipping supported by the Lion Group’s network and infrastructure as one of the largest airlines. As part of the Lion Group, Lion Parcel has a mission to develop the Lion Group’s business line in the Logistics industry with a philosophy to help accelerate economic growth in all domestic areas through the concept of “Just In Time Air Distribution”. Although counted as a new player, Lion Parcel already has trusted network and operational capital with the support of aircraft fleets and high flight frequencies from the Lion Group as linehaul to almost all airports in Indonesia, Lion Parcel will provide integrated shipping and document services. certainty with an outlet network that spreads to remote areas of the archipelago. Lion Parcel will continue to develop its network and service performance to provide assurance and security of the delivery of goods and documents supported by integrated information and operations systems and a commitment to service performance over operational priorities to improve service quality continuously. Lion Parcel has been supported by partners who are reliable and experienced in their fields, and are closely monitored operationally by the head office located in Jakarta. Future network development will continue to be carried out to penetrate more than 5,000 POS networks throughout Indonesia in 2016 which will be developed not only to receive safekeeping services, but also become the most extensive and reliable distribution channel. Lion Parcel Headquarters itself is located in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta. Lion Parcel also opened a partnership for online / corporate customers who want to routinely deliver via Lion Parcel. With the advantages they offer are: Free API postage for online shopping. Free Pickup Service without minimum. Payment Per Term. Free Insurance. Monitoring shipments every day to ensure packages arrive on time. lionparcel.com customer.care@lionparcel.com	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line782
__label__wiki	0.784308	0.784308	Piers Morgan goes to town on Rita Ora after ‘inexcusable error of judgement’ Rita Ora was in deep trouble with Piers Morgan and Lorraine Kelly on Good Morning Britain after she was caught flouting lockdown restrictions for her birthday. Piers and his co-presenter Susanna Reid were discussing Lorraine’s 61st birthday on Monday morning when they noted it had been Rita Ora’s 30th birthday last week. While Lorraine said she would be postponing the celebrations this year, both she and Piers noted that Rita Ora had decided to have a major birthday party despite the current UK lockdown. Rita Ora was in deep trouble with Piers Morgan and Lorraine Kelly on Good Morning Britain after she was caught flouting lockdown restrictions for her birthday. Pic: Good Morning Britain/ITV ‘It’s a shame we can’t come give you a hug and a kiss, although you’re probably glad you can’t get one from Piers. Are you having a small get together?’ asked Susanna Reid. ‘Yeah, it’s just what everyone is doing apart from Rita Ora,’ replied Lorraine. 30 people allegedly attended the singer’s birthday bash in a restaurant, before Met Police arrived at the scene to investigate the gathering. A post shared by RITA ORA (@ritaora) ‘These celebs, “I’ll do what I want and no one else matters”, I don’t get it… what’s the restaurant doing allowing all those people in?’ asked Piers. Commenting on Rita’s 30th birthday party, Lorraine joked that she ‘could have 61 people for 61? That would be quite nice when it’s all over’. According to current British lockdown restrictions, no social gatherings are to take place indoors with people from other households, and restaurants should be closed except for takeaway meals. In a statement following the birthday party, Rita Ora apologised for hosting the gathering, describing it as a ‘spur of the moment decision’. In a statement following the birthday party, Rita Ora apologised for hosting the gathering, describing it as a ‘spur of the moment decision’. Pic: Instagram / @ritaora ‘I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk. This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. ‘Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility. ‘I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hand how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep us all safe. ‘Even though this won’t make it right, I want to sincerely apologise.’ ‘I felt sick… we had to beg for vaccines’ — Nurse’s fury as ‘leftover’ COVID-19 jabs given to staff relatives at The Coombe hospital Grim COVID-19 milestone reached with over 2,000 people in hospital as ICU pressure mounts ‘Anything but Anne’ — Anne Hathaway doesn’t want anyone to call her ‘Anne’ anymore Previous articleAJ Prichard won’t find out about grandmother’s passing while on I’m A Celeb Next articleKatie Price hits out at trolls after giving teen daughter a makeover	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line783
__label__wiki	0.895825	0.895825	Former state pathologist Prof John Harbson dies George Morahan The former state pathologist Prof John Harbison has died following a career in which he was involved in prominent investigations such as the Kerry babies case and the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Prof Harbison became Ireland’s first state pathologist in 1974, carrying out more than 100 post-mortem examinations a year. He retired in 2003 following a career that lasted more than three decades. He is survived by his wife Kathleen, his two children Isobel and Austin and his grandchildren. Former state pathologist Prof John Harbison has died. Pic: RIP.ie A death notice said Prof Harbison, who was in his 80s, passed away peacefully in Howth, Co. Dublin on Friday and that a private funeral service for family and friends will take place on Monday. Trinity College Dublin paid tribute to Prof Harbison, who graduated from the university in 1960 and went on to lecture in medical jurisprudence there. We were saddened to hear of the passing of Prof John Harbison, Ireland’s first State forensic pathologist with over 30 years of service,’ Trinity College tweeted. We were saddened to hear of the passing of Prof John Harbison, Ireland’s first State forensic pathologist with over 30 years of service. Prof Harbison graduated from @tcddublin in medicine in 1960 and lectured in medical jurisprudence for many years with us. #RIP pic.twitter.com/Ddb46Ki673 — Trinity College Dublin (@tcddublin) December 19, 2020 ‘Prof Harbison graduated from @tcddublin in medicine in 1960 and lectured in medical jurisprudence for many years with us. #RIP’ RTE make decision on Angelus’ future after calls to see it scrapped Vicky Phelan gives update after arriving in the US for treatment ‘Nothing more essential’ — Dublin Dad’s hilarious garda checkpoint stop Previous article‘Uncertain’ weather in store for Christmas week with storm, ice and hail Next articleSouth Africa reports ‘severe’ new variant of coronavirus to WHO Grim COVID-19 milestone reached with over 2,000 people in hospital as...	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line784
__label__wiki	0.674228	0.674228	Tubridy: Police ‘went easy’ but different outcome if protestors were black Emma Costello Ryan Tubridy believes police may have been ‘easy’ on rioters who stormed a government building in Washington DC. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump’s supporters invaded Capitol Building after the businessman’s Vice President Mike Pence publicly broke away from Trump. Four people were confirmed dead after the riot which went on for 90 minutes. Ryan Tubridy believes police may have been ‘easy’ on rioters who stormed a government building in Washington DC. Pic: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images Speaking on his RTE Radio 1 show on Thursday, Ryan insisted he didn’t want to spend long discussing Wednesday’s events. However, he certainly gave a very strong opinion as he admitted to ‘ditching the laptop’ to turn on the news. ‘I’m being flippant here but I thought it was like a scene from Planet of the Apes,’ the host began. The RTE Radio 1 host compared the event ‘like a scene from Planet of the Apes’. Pic: Win McNamee/Getty Images Ryan compared the start of the riot to some ‘mad school tour’ as he noted that the mob ‘obeyed the velvet rope’ instead of instantly storming the building. ‘I didn’t get a sense it was going to be a bloodbath,’ he continued. ‘I have to say I thought we were going to be okay here because, although they were a mob, they didn’t seem to be a gun-touting from what I could see — which is a good thing.’ ‘I have to say I thought we were going to be okay here because, although they were a mob, they didn’t seem to be a gun-touting from what I could see — which is a good thing.’ Pic: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Ryan did acknowledge that a woman died from a gunshot wound, however the low number of fatalities was ‘remarkable’. ‘I didn’t for a minute think it was going to be a coup,’ he said. ‘I just thought it was unruly. The police seem to either decide to go easy and go in not all guns themselves, and that might have helped matters. ‘As somebody said last night, Jake Tapper, imagine if the people protesting were a different skin colour — the outcome would have been very different. ‘As somebody said last night, Jake Tapper, imagine if the people protesting were a different skin colour — the outcome would have been very different. Pic: Win McNamee/Getty Images ‘On Trump, to an extent it felt a bit like this virus; the last of a dying monster as it twitches, if Godzilla goes down and twitches a tail two skyscrapers go with him. ‘It reminds me a bit like that it’s the last belt of a blaoted bully being dragged out in his nappy and being told you’re not welcome here anymore. ‘And not just Democrats by the way, I thought Pence threw him under the bus last night. You can see there’s resignations all around the place in the White House as people are going, “Ah yeah I think I’ll give that one a miss”.’ Who remembers Zig and Zag talking big bucks with Donald Trump? Capitol rioters intended to ‘capture and assassinate US elected officials’ according to federal prosecutors Trump staff ‘told not to pay Rudy Giuliani’s legal fees’ following impeachment Previous articleCelebrities on both sides react to horrifying US Capitol Building mayhem Next articleKate Garraway’s kids got to see dad at Christmas after nine months apart	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line785
__label__cc	0.645094	0.354906	What is the mission of the International Affiliate Faculty professors ? To work together with the permanent professors of Audencia, as adviser, co-author, or co-researcher. The mission of the International Affiliate Faculty is to work together with the permanent professors in their area of expertise. Current IAF practices indicate that they may play three kinds of roles: Adviser. IAF professors provide feedback and recommendations to professors’ current papers, research, and methodology. As senior researchers with broad experience with editorial boards and publishing in best journals, they are entitled to provide rich commentaries so as to improve the chances of Audencia’s permanent professors to get published in top academic journals in the domains of CSR, culture and communication, entrepreneurship, finance, management and supply chain. Co-author. IAF professors come to Nantes up to 10 days per year in order to develop knowledge and relationships with Audencia’s permanent faculty so as to be able to further collaborate together. They write and cosign academic articles with Audencia’s permanent faculty on a regular basis. Co-researcher. In some cases, IAF professors also initiate and conduct new research projects with Audencia’s permanent faculty, which imply doing field work together in the same country or separately in (at least) two countries, with the aim to produce high-quality research outcomes. Alistair ANDERSON Business & Society Department Yehuda BARUCH Andrew CRANE Charles HOFACKER Colleen MILLS Communication & Culture Department Mark PAGELL Dimitris PETMEZAS Thomas ROULET Cristel RUSSELL Cynthia STOHL Constantin ZOPOUNIDIS oui Audencia faculty* I wish to receive information on Audencia's faculty * news from audencia I am interested in the latest news from Audencia and all of its chairs You are hereby informed that your personal information provided in this form is processed by Audencia Business Shool, acting as data controller, and are used by the school’s marketing, promotional and communications services. In accordance with the terms and conditions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (the "GDPR") and Act No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978, as amended (the French "Data Protection Act"), you have the right to access, rectify and, where applicable, delete your data, as well as the right to object to processing for a legitimate reason or to restrict it by sending an e-mail to the DPO at dpo@audencia.com. For more information, we invite you to consult our Privacy Policy.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line789
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Common Diabetes Drug May Slow CKD Progression, Study Finds In an unexpected discovery, researchers recently determined that a medication commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes also slows the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), significantly reducing the risk of developing kidney failure or end stage kidney disease. The international clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that for patients with diabetic kidney disease CKD stages 1-3, canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor known commercially as Invokana™, reduced the risk of developing kidney failure by 32 percent and significantly slowed CKD progression compared to placebo. Dr. Dugan Maddux, vice president of kidney disease initiatives at Fresenius Medical Care North America, said that this is the first time she is aware of a diabetes medication having such a positive impact on CKD progression. “It is exciting to see such a significant impact on preserving renal function,” Maddux said. “Medications that can slow CKD progression are much needed.” The new study was funded by the pharmaceutical company Janssen which manufacturers canagliflozin. The study randomized about 4,400 patients with diabetic kidney disease to receive either canagliflozin 100 mg a day or placebo. For more than 20 years, renin-angiotensin system blockade medications commonly used for blood pressure control have been the primary medication choice for slowing CKD progression by improving renal hemodynamics. Canagliflozin controls blood sugar rather than blood pressure, making it very different from renin-angiotensin system blockade drugs. Canagliflozin may work to reduce CKD progression risk by increasing weight loss and enhancing lipid metabolism. Canagliflozin and SGLT-2 inhibitors also cause increased urine flow, which may have cardiovascular benefits. Researchers speculate that SGLT-2 inhibitors decrease glucose reabsorption in the kidney, which may decrease kidney fibrosis and scarring in diabetic kidney disease. “For the first time in 18 years, we have a therapy for patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease that decreases kidney failure,” said Kenneth Mahaffey, MD, professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine and co-principal investigator of the trial. “Now, patients with diabetes have a promising option to guard against one of the most severe risks of their condition.” Maddux added that the possible reno-protective effects of canagliflozin in diabetic kidney disease is encouraging, but those at risk of developing CKD should continue to take all recommended precautions, including eating a kidney-healthy diet, controlling blood pressure and exercising daily. “The final pathway of end stage kidney disease is fibrosis and scarring of the functional units of the kidneys, and today there is no proven way to reverse that,” Maddux said. “During early stages of CKD, some interventions quiet down the inflammation and protect kidney function, so early treatments may prevent fibrosis and scarring.” Diabetes is commonly linked to CKD as a comorbidity. People with diabetes can develop kidney disease because prolonged high blood sugar harms large and small blood vessels in the kidney. In addition, diabetes is often associated with high blood pressure, which also causes vascular injury. The study involving canagliflozin also reported positive cardiovascular outcomes, including a 20 percent decrease in risk for heart events like stroke and heart attack. The risk of death from cardiovascular disease increases with worsening kidney function, so improving cardiovascular outcomes will benefit patients with diabetes-related CKD, according to Maddux, who said the study outcomes are very encouraging for patients with diabetic kidney disease. The study suggests that canagliflozin and perhaps other SGLT-2 inhibitor drugs commonly used to treat diabetes may be beneficial in slowing CKD progression and providing cardio-protection in patients with early stages of diabetic kidney disease. “The first step is education and awareness for the risk of kidney disease for people with diabetes,” said Maddux. “Once identified, the hope is we can better slow the progression of chronic kidney disease and increase the likelihood that people will never have kidney failure.” The FDA has granted canagliflozin a priority review in patients with diabetes and CKD, potentially expediting FDA approval for use as a drug that slows the progression of CKD in diabetic patients. Insights You Might Like COVID-19 Antibodies & Vaccine Provide Hope for Patients with CKD KDIGO Releases New Guidelines for Management of CKD & Diabetes Distribution Center Opening Supports Path Forward for Home Dialysis To get the latest on Fresenius Medical Care and our services, sign up for our newsletter. © 2006-2020, Fresenius Medical Care, All Rights Reserved	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line791
__label__wiki	0.785296	0.785296	Keyword: nationofislam Florida High School Principal: 'Not Everyone Believes the Holocaust Happened' 07/07/2019 4:07:40 AM PDT · by Kaslin · 126 replies Townhall.com ^ \| July 7, 2019 \| Matt Vespa There are some things that are just not up for debate. These aren’t political issues. What happened in Florida didn’t center on MAGA hats, flag burning, or the merits of tax cuts. We actually had a high school principal question whether the Holocaust was a “historical, factual” event. The Palm Beach Post has the story. A mother of a student tried for a year to reason with the school administration to, you know, actually teach kids about this terrible period in human history without the nonsense. She wondered how this was being taught at the school. The emails between the... Principal in Holocaust Controversy Fired Again in Florida 11/02/2020 1:46:11 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 38 replies ABC ^ \| November 2, 2020 School officials in Florida have fired a high school principal again over comments he made regarding the HolocaustA Florida high school principal was fired again on Monday over a comment he made to a student's parent last year regarding the Holocaust. The Palm Beach County School Board's vote on Monday morning reversed an earlier decision to reinstate Spanish River High School Principal William Latson. SNIP On Monday, the board reversed course and voted 7-0 to fire Latson following outrage in the Jewish community, the Palm Beach Post reported. Bernie Sanders Blames Israel for Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting at Soros Group's Memorial 10/31/2020 11:47:16 AM PDT · by Impala64ssa · 8 replies Front Page ^ \| 10/29/20 \| Daniel Greenfield This wasn't a memorial by the actual synagogue that was shot up. Instead Bend the Arc, a toxic leftist group backed by Soros' son, tried to hijack the memorialization of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue by an alt-righter to push an anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda. And who better to invite to that kind of circus than Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders delivered, bashing Israel, and insisting that the shooting of 11 Jews wasn't really about Jews, but about "multiracial democracy" and "immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people". Then he shifted over to insisting, "All over the world... Progressives sharpening knives for Dem ‘bloodbath’ if Biden loses 10/31/2020 10:52:15 AM PDT · by billorites · 143 replies New York Post ^ \| October 31, 2020 \| Jon Levine Progressives, socialists and Bernie Bros are gearing up for war should Joe Biden fall short of his quest to unseat President Trump in Tuesday’s election. “You would see a complete repudiation of the Democratic establishment as we know it,” said Jabari Brisport, 33, a Democratic Socialist-backed candidate for state Senate expected to easily win a Brooklyn seat next week. “The Democratic establishment is not working for everyday people.” Brisport said a Biden loss would completely discredit the moderate wing of the party, paving the way for more successful insurgents like himself. “It’s going to be the mirror image of what... Why Won't Joe Biden Repudiate Anti-Semitic Democrats? \| Opinion 10/15/2020 1:58:47 AM PDT · by Impala64ssa · 13 replies Newsweek ^ \| 10/14/20 \| Bruce Abramson and Jeff Ballabon At the first debate, Joe Biden took ownership of today's Democrats with an uncharacteristically clear proclamation: "I am the Democratic Party." With that, Biden assumed responsibility for repudiating and distancing himself from the anti-Semitism surging through his party's ranks. Anti-Semitism has been on full display among Democratic leaders and left-wing protest groups alike in recent years. Leaders of the Women's March, for example, proved so undeniably anti-Semitic that even former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz felt compelled to distance herself. Yet those same anti-Semites—Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory—were featured speakers at this summer's Democratic convention. The Women's March since recruited new... News Summary-Intelligence Report Friday 10/23/2020 Newsdump Friday 10/23/2020 11:17:18 PM PDT · by Nextrush · 3 replies Nextrush Free ^ \| 10/23/2020 \| Nextrush/Self A security firm in Tennessee cutting a deal with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Ellison's office probing an allegation that armed guards were being recruited for polling places in Minnesota... Efforts by President Trump's campaign to monitor activity at ballot drop boxes in Philadelphia with video recording may be voter intimidation. That's the view of... Pennsylvania's Supreme Court with an elected 5-2 Democrat majority ruling that that election ballots cannot be rejected for mismatched signatures... Is this all just a political stunt? That's what Republican lawmakers here in York County, Pennsylvania are asking... More towns added to Connecticut's Red Alert... Delta passenger slaps flight attendant on plane \| ABC7 10/20/2020 1:53:19 PM PDT · by vespa300 · 74 replies ABC Eyewitness News Los Angeles ^ \| 10/20/2020 \| ABC Eyewitness News An airline passenger slapped a Delta Air Lines flight attendant during boarding in a disturbing incident that was captured on video. Ocasio-Cortez, House progressives warn Biden on corporate hires 10/16/2020 6:32:53 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 13 replies www.politico.com ^ \| By ALEX THOMPSON 10/16/2020 08:30 AM EDT WASHINGTON — The election is still 18 days away but Democrats are already drawing battle lines over what a Biden administration ought to look like. Left-wing House members including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Katie Porter, Ayanna Pressley, Raúl Grijalva and candidate Jamaal Bowman along with 39 progressive groups signed a letter, obtained by POLITICO, arguing that no C-suite level corporate executives or corporate lobbyists ought to have Senate-confirmed positions in a Biden administration. “One of the most important lessons of the Trump administration is the need to stop putting corporate officers and lobbyists in charge of our government,” they wrote. “As... Malcolm X met the Klan to discuss a separate black state The Times UK ^ \| 12th October 2020 \| Mark Bridge A previously unpublished interview with a Nation of Islam minister has revealed a detailed account of a secret two-hour meeting involving Malcolm X and the Ku Klux Klan that discussed an extraordinary unholy alliance. The conversation on January 28, 1961, detailed in a forthcoming biography of Jeremiah Shabazz, reveals how, on behalf of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and a fellow minister sought the white supremacist terrorist group’s help in acquiring a “separate state” for black Americans opposed to integration. According to Malcolm X’s fellow minister, the Klansmen offered Nation members the right to wear “purple robes”... Hillary Clinton Claims ‘Black Lives Matters’ Is A ‘Theological Statement’ Thenationalpulse.com ^ \| October 9, 2020 \| Natalie Winters Failed Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton insisted Black Lives Matter is a “theological statement” while speaking on her newly-launched podcast, You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton. The bizarre remarks came on Clinton’s inaugural episode “Faith” – a 50-minute show featuring guests such establishment journalist Krista Tippett, Daily Show Correspondent Aasif Mandvi, and Reverend William Barber II. While speaking positively about the Black Lives Matter, the former Secretary of State commented that the activist movement, which in lockstep with AntiFa has been responsible for nationwide rioting and violence, was a “theological” movement: “When you think about the very deliberate, concerted effort... James O'Keefe goes NUCLEAR in debunking bogus Fox 9 report that defends illegal ballot harvesting 10/06/2020 2:26:43 PM PDT · by SmokingJoe · 13 replies Project Veritas YouTube Channel ^ \| October 9 2020 \| James O'Keefe Fox 9 did a little piece defending Ilhan Omar's diabolical ballot harvesting scheme in Minneapolis and attacking James Oâ€™Keefe. In this video Oâ€™Keefe fires back at Fox 9 and let it rip at full barrel. Oâ€™Keefe systematically dismantles the illegal ballot harvesting defenders at Fox 9 in Minneapolis and takes them apart. Only 9 minutes long. Some Fox stations have gone full retard and are now full members of the massive fake news propaganda and disinformation machine to steal the elections from Trump and the GOP in November. Be warned accordingly. Joe Biden Ad Features Rapper Who Called Nation Of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan His ‘Mentor’ 10/03/2020 9:12:09 AM PDT · by Republican Wildcat · 12 replies Daily Caller ^ \| 10/02/2020 \| Chuck Ross The Biden campaign has released an ad narrated by a rapper with close ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Rapper Jeezy has called Farrakhan his “mentor” and a “great guy,” despite the Nation of Islam leader’s numerous anti-Semitic comments. The Biden campaign is airing Jeezy’s ad as part of an initiative to boost black voter turnout. In August, the Democratic National Committee featured another rapper with ties to Farrakhan at its convention. Joe Biden’s presidential campaign released an ad this week narrated by a popular rapper who has called Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan his “mentor” and... Ocasio-Cortez withdraws from Rabin memorial event after backlash 09/26/2020 4:22:14 PM PDT · by Impala64ssa · 35 replies Times of Israel ^ \| Joel Maged Democratic congresswoman pulls participation from Americans For Peace Now commemoration for assassinated Israeli premier, after pro-Palestinian activists call move ‘disgusting’ Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday withdrew her participation from an event commemorating former prime minster Yitzhak Rabin on the 25th anniversary of his assassination. The decision, which came after backlash from pro-Palestinian activists, was confirmed to The Times of Israel by a spokeswoman for the congresswoman, a rising star in the progressive wing of the Democratic party. The about-face came a day after Americans for Peace Now announced that Ocasio-Cortez would be joining the October 20 virtual event emceed... Scientists Combat Anti-Semitism With Artificial Intelligence 09/21/2020 12:35:33 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 20 replies KOB4 ^ \| September 21, 2020 \| Kristen Grieshaber An international team of scientists said Monday it had joined forces to combat the spread of anti-Semitism online with the help of artificial intelligence. The project Decoding Anti-Semitism includes discourse analysts, computational linguists and historians who will develop a "highly complex, AI-driven approach to identifying online anti-Semitism," the Alfred Landecker Foundation, which supports the project, said in a statement Monday. "In order to prevent more and more users from becoming radicalized on the web, it is important to identify the real dimensions of anti-Semitism - also taking into account the implicit forms that might become more explicit over time," said... STANLEY CROUCH TOLD IT LIKE IT IS 09/17/2020 11:32:36 AM PDT · by Hojczyk · 6 replies Powerline ^ \| SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 \| BY PAUL MIRENGOFF Stanley Crouch died yesterday at the age of 74. Crouch is best known as a great jazz critic. His biography of Charlie Parker is a classic. But Crouch was also a literary critic and a critic of our culture. Here are some gems from his criticism: On rap: It is “either infantile self-celebration or anarchic glamorization of criminal behavior.” On Toni Morrison: She has a certain skill, but she has no serious artistic vision or real artistic integrity. “Beloved” was a fraud. It gave a fake vision of the slave trade, it didn’t deal with the complicity of Africans, and... CAIR and CAIR Rep Seek Revenge on the ADL 09/14/2020 7:39:52 AM PDT · by SJackson · 7 replies Frontpagemagazine ^ \| Sep 14, 2020 \| Joe Kaufman ADL points out Hamas and anti-Semitism; CAIR cries “Islamophobia". Joe Kaufman, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, is Chairman of the Joe Kaufman Security Initiative and the 2014, 2016 and 2018 Republican Nominee for U.S. House of Representatives (Florida-CD23). Last month, a letter was published, signed by a large number of organizations, calling on Progressives to “drop” their partnerships with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), claiming that the ADL “undermines the rights of marginalized communities.” What is at the heart of this letter is the perception that the ADL is a defense mechanism for the state of... Racist fringe Ben Norton, reminds radicals' talking points that you're not black, if you don't vote for Biden 09/03/2020 4:20:18 PM PDT · by Marinario · 5 replies I realize, it was Biden himself that said that one isn't black if one votes for Trump. But we all know, the idea's root is at AOC, Omar/Tlaib types. Recently, after the Beirut explosion, and Arab Lebanese began criticizing the armed Hezbollah, an Amerucan radical left called these Arabs "sellouts". His name is Ben Norton. Writing at Salon and active at his Grayzone With the UAE deal, the BDS movement is over Frontpagemagazine ^ \| SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 \| EMILY SCHRADER The normalization agreement between the UAE and Israel has effectively ended the racist BDS movement. A Palestinian man walks by a grafitti sign calling to boycott Israel seen on a street in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on February 11, 2015. (photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90) With the recent developments between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, it’s become clearer than ever that there’s no future for the discriminatory and racist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. From its inception, the movement was rooted in a desire to destroy the State of Israel as we know it. While cleverly presenting itself... Hamas threatens: 'The Zionists will sit in bomb shelters' 08/31/2020 4:17:25 AM PDT · by Eleutheria5 · 8 replies Arutz Sheva ^ \| 31/8/20 Hamas spokesperson Mushir al-Masri has said that the terror organization has decided to "remove the siege" in any way possible, Arab media reported. Al-Masri added that "if the negotiation efforts fail, it will mean that the Zionist enemy will experience a siege in the heart of the bomb shelters." "Since we have nothing to lose, we will not accept the continuation of the siege, the force, and the enemy's attempt to use the coronavirus plague to renew the siege on the Palestinian nation. All options are open." Meanwhile, the Qatari emissary to Gaza confirmed the continuation of negotiations to restore... Gaza: Four Palestinian Islamic Jihad Terrorists Accidentally Blow Themselves Up 08/26/2020 7:41:33 AM PDT · by texas booster · 42 replies Legal Insurrection ^ \| Augusr 25, 2020 \| William A. Jacobson “in an apparent accident, while preparing explosives.” Four terrorists from Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Saraya al Quds brigade died in an explosion at their facility in Sajaiya, in eastern Gaza City. They were killed “in an apparent accident, while preparing explosives.” This is what commonly is referred to as a “work accident,” a topic we have covered many times: Four terrorists from Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Saraya al Quds brigade died in an explosion at their facility in Sajaiya, in eastern Gaza City. They were killed “in an apparent accident, while preparing explosives.” This is what commonly is referred to as a...	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line794
__label__wiki	0.798636	0.798636	Bullet to the Head (2012) Bullet to the Head (in Hollywood Movies) Bullet to the Head (2012) - Download Movie for mobile in best quality 3gp and mp4 format. Also stream Bullet to the Head on your mobile, tablets and ipads Plot: After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy. Starcast: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater Director(s): Walter Hill Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Tags: detective Downloads: 57653.0 IMDb Rating: 5.7/10 (44635 votes) BluRay (Uploaded on: 25 Mar 2017) Bullet to the Head BluRay 480p.mp4 (211 MB) { 23397 hits } - MediaInfo - SS Top IMDb Reviews (Caution: May contain spoliers) Rambo Meets the New Conan!!! (by zardoz-13) Watching the Sylvester Stallone shoot'em up "Bullet to the Head" felt like a blast from the past. This polished but predictable anthology of action movie clichés contains several R-rated, close-quarters, combat scenes with sufficient amounts of blood splatter and gore; some high-octane, fireball explosions; lots of snappy tough guy banter; and surprising displays of frontal female nudity. Half the scenes reminded me of producer Joel Silver's explosive, slam-bang, white-knuckled, testosterone-laden tales, such as "Conspiracy Theory," "Exit Wounds, <more> "Swordfish," and his "Lethal Weapon" franchise. Indeed, Silver serves as one of the producers, and "Bullet to the Head" adheres to his formula. Meanwhile, action auteur Walter Hill drew the other half from his hardboiled melodramas. For the record, Hill helmed the two "48 Hrs" flicks with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, "Extreme Prejudice" with Nick Nolte, "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis, and "Red Heat" co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi. Although "The Messenger" scenarist Alessandro Camon adapted the Alexis Nolent graphic novel "Du plomb dans la tête," "Bullet to the Head" looks like "48 Hrs" and/or "Red Heat" clone. Mind you, "Bullet to the Head" is Hill's first theatrical release since his gritty 2002 prison melodrama "Undisputed" with Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes. During his absence from the big screen, Hill helmed the premiere episode of HBO's "Deadwood," and then the television mini-series western "Broken Trail" 2006 costarring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church." In many respects, this action-packed, largely straightforward, odd couple buddy picture compares favorably with earlier, exceptional Stallone sagas like "Assassins," "The Specialist," and "Demolition Man." Most definitely, it surpasses "Tango and Cash" and "Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot." Cast as a seasoned hit-man in the Crescent City, Sylvester Stallone tangles with a mysterious cabal of Big Easy investors who have the New Orleans Police Department on their payroll. Director Walter Hill has juggled the occupations of the protagonists from his earlier buddy picture epics. The cop was always the lead in the combo in the "48 Hrs" movies and "Red Heat." This time around, world-weary, career criminal James "Bobo" Bonomo Sylvester Stallone of "Rocky" is the lead, while saintly, Washington, D.C. Detective Taylor Kwon Sung Kang of "Fast & Furious" behaves rather naively and relies too much on his cell phone. Ironically, the two men want to exact vengeance for the deaths of their former partners. They agree to form an uneasy alliance, but Kwon's conscience prompts him to constrain Bonomo. These two don't immediately run into each other. When the plot unfolds, Bonomo and his partner Louis Blanchard Jon Seda of "Bad Boys 2" masquerade as cops to snuff a cocaine-snorting thug, Hank Greely Holt McCallany of "Fight Club" , in a motel room. Bonomo spots a tattooed prostitute cowering in the shower, but he lets her live. This amoral murderer draws the line at shooting women. When he is behind the wheel on the road, he swerves to avoid stray cats in front of him. "It's bad luck," he assures Louis. These two show up at a crowded bar where they are supposed to pick up the balance of their loot for the shooting. Before either realizes they have been double-crossed, another assassin, Keegan Jason Momoa of "Conan" , stabs poor Louis repeatedly to death in front of everybody. He wields a small blade to hack both of Louis' lungs so nobody in the noisy bar knows a murder has occurred. Keegan isn't quite as lucky with Bonomo. Now, Bonomo wants payback. Our hero crosses paths with a hard-nosed, Washington, D.C. police detective who is visiting New Orleans. As it turns out, Hank Greely was his former partner in Washington. Kwon wants the people who ordered Hank's demise. Sure, neither Bonomo nor Kwon have much use for each other initially, but they kind of grow on one other as they survive back-to-back fracases.Hill stages some gripping shoot-out scenes that genre fans will savor, and you get to see Silver's trademark Ka-Boom explosions! Hill never lets the narrative bog down in aimless chatter or an over elaborate plot. Stallone's character provides deadpan narration throughout the pyrotechnics so you never take anything seriously in "Bullet to the Head." "Bullet to the Head" is not unlike a Tarantino thriller. Camon and Hill wrap up everything, but leave room for a sequel since the hero's daughter and the D.C. cop are dating. At 66 years of age, Sylvester Stallone appears as fit as a fiddle. This is the kind of movie where guys shed shirts and clash muscles. He channels a little bit of "Rocky" in his tongue-in-cheek performance. The ax fight between beefy, muscle-bound Jason Momoa and Stallone has been carefully edited to present both to maximum advantage. You know Stallone is going to triumph, but Momoa doesn't make it look easy. Momoa makes a lusty villain. No less villainous is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as a crippled, African investor has no qualms about murder. Christian Slater appears briefly as a smarmy swindler with a flash drive around his neck that boasts the goods of everybody. The interrogation scene is pretty amusing. Clocking in at a lean, mean, 97 minutes, "Bullet to the Head" doesn't wear out its welcome. You don't even have to wait around to see what's after the end credits so you can clear out early. Were it not for the pedigree talent involved, "Bullet to the Head" would qualify at best as a seven-star rather than a ten-star movie. If you still like Stallone, you'll love "Bullet to the Head" because it is worth shelling out the bucks to watch this Spartan saga. <less> A Surprisingly Incredibly Funny Movie (by maeve-tee) I'm female but I do love action flicks and I know what to expect when I go watch a Stallone movie. I just like seeing kick-a$$ scenes and good guys winning over the bad guys, but this was way better than I expected!Sly had the funniest lines. Like when the new Conan - I mean the villain - wanted them to fight to the death with axes, Sly said: What are we, Vikings? Oh and BTW this last fight scene rocked!The exchanges between Fast and the Furious' Han and Sly are hilarious. sly: let's take him out Han: take him in sly: take him in, take him out, whatever you want to call itThe <more> thing is, I know we all know we won't get a really complex storyline from this film. And that's cool, since this movie wasn't made to be thought-provoking in the first place. What Sly aimed with this one was to entertain and he and his brilliant cast did it perfectly! Christian Slater, with the regretfully few minutes he got, stole the show with his convincingly sleazy ways. I can go on and on but bottom line, you need to watch this movie if you want a great action film with lots of LOL moments. Stallone turns back the clock (by hadysalem5) WOW what can I say, just simple plain clear wow bravo SLY man you did it one more time. My goodness Stallone as he gets older as much as he gets better. Rocky Balboa , Rambo, Expendables 1&2, and now Bullet to the Head. Action fans all over the world have the full package in this movie, everything what a hardcore action fan could ask for is there. Bullets...Done Action...Done Fighting...Done Killing...Done Humor...Done Story is short and simple not complicated at all, well directed by Walter Hill as usually, Cool soundtrack, well edited, good supporting cast Jason Mamoa, Sarah Shahi and <more> come back kid Christian slater. Bullet to the Head is dedicated to pure man vs man old school action fans worldwide. Sylvester Stallone God Bless you man and keep kicking ass. Fantastic action movie (by TdSmth5) Sly is part of a hit-man team. Their latest job is to kill some guy who's at a hotel with a prostitute. They kill the guy and uncharacteristically let the girl live. Later at a bar his partner is killed and Sly barely survives.An Asian detective, Kwon, is investigating the dead guy and travels to New Orleans. Magically Kwon, upon seeing the corpse of Sly's partner in the morgue next to the other guy's corpse has an inkling the two deaths are related. He connects the dots and meets Sly. When Sly saves his life they reluctantly partner up. Kwon likes doing things by the book. Sly <more> being the seasoned criminal does things differently, that is, brutally but effectively.They slowly start following the trail of one bad guy after another. There's the guy who hired Sly's team. The guy behind him, some big shot who organizes an extravagant party and is kidnapped by Sly and Kwon. Then there's the big bad businessman who has real estate plans for New Orleans and has politicians and cops on his payroll. He also has special ops guys as his security staff. One of them is Momoa the only actor with weirder eyebrows than Sly , who killed Sly's partner and now has kidnapped Sly's daughter, played by the lovely Sarah Shahi.Bullet to the head is an exhilarating old-fashioned action movie. It has a great setting- New Orleans, great music, a good story and an outstanding cast. It wonderfully violent with plenty of bullets to the head, fist fights, explosions, has some nudity and characters to care about. This is the kind of movie The Expendables should be. They need to hire Walter Hill to direct Expendables 3. This guy knows how to direct an action movie. Bullet to the Head is a fun and intense action movie the likes we haven't seen in a while. Exactly what you are looking for in this kind of film... Blu-ray: Excellent A:10 V:10 (by lathe-of-heaven) Yep, I gave this baby a '9' Why...? I mean is it another 'CITIZEN KANE'? Or another 'BLADE RUNNER'? Uh, no... The reason why, and this I feel is the way movies should be reviewed and rated, is that the bloody film does PRECISELY what you want it to for a fun, exciting, and frigg'n entertaining Action film.I admit that I was surprised that it was this good because I really didn't care for 'THE EXPENDABLES' that much, but ol' Walter Hill is right at the TOP of his ability, let me tell you! Beautifully directed, great fun script a tad weak between the <more> two leads, but not bad excellent action, pacing, and a FANTASTIC soundtrack! Like I alluded to, the interaction between the two leads was a little hokey at times, but I think Sly carried it well. The very end was a little goofy too, but it didn't detract from the film as a whole.So, if what you are looking for is a very well directed Action film with nice touches or irony and with a couple of your favourite stars, then you will totally enjoy this movie! A Throwback To The 80's! (by g-bodyl) Bullet to the Head is about as 80's as you're going to get, but personally I think that is a good thing especially with today in cinema. These kind of films hold a special place in my heart, so naturally I would be sold on this film. Despite all the action clichés, there is no resisting the hardcore action, the explosions, and all the guys getting beat up.This film, which of course has to be directed by Walter Hill, is about an aging hit-man named Jimmy Bobo who was betrayed after he performed a job and his partner was killed. Seeking revenge, he teams up with a cop named Taylor Kwon <more> as they both seek out justice. But these two have a different way of serving justice.If you're expecting Oscar-caliber acting, then don't watch this film. You don't need that kind of acting in a film like this. Sylvester Stallone is nearing 70 and it's neat to see him efficiently take down people more than half his age. Sung Kang, known for his role in Fast and the Furious films, was decent. Jason Momoa is an effective badass as Keegan, the guy hunting down Bobo. There is also a welcome return to the big screen by Christian Slater who was drunkingly funny.Overall, there is nothing new with Bullet to the Head. But I can promise a fun ride and Sly kicking butt. This is definitely an adrenaline rush and action junkies will be sure to enjoy this. It's a shame people don't watch these kind of films anymore because they are good. I rate this film 9/10. It almost feels like you've been thrown back in time to the 80s or early 90s! (by Hellmant) 'BULLET TO THE HEAD': Four Stars Out of Five Sylvester Stallone in a classic 80s style revenge action film directed by none other than Walter Hill who helmed such popular 70s through 90s action flicks as 'THE WARRIORS', 'THE LONG RIDERS', '48 HOURS', 'RED HEAT', 'EXTREME PREJUDICE', 'TRESSPASS' and 'LAST MAN STANDING' . The film is based on a graphic novel of the same name, when translated to English by Alexis Nolent and illustrated by Colin Wilson. It was scripted by Alessandro Camon and puts Stallone in a buddy tale as a <more> hit-man teamed with a cop out to revenge the killing of his partner. It also pits Stallone in a classic axe fight with Jason Momoa of 'STARGATE: ATLANTIS', 'BAYWATCH' and 'GAME OF THRONES' fame. He also played Conan in the recent 'CONAN THE BARBARIAN' reboot . The film also co-stars Sung Kang most well known from 'THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS' franchise , Christian Slater and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. It's a great throwback to 80s action flicks and Stallone and Hill fans should be thrilled with it.Stallone plays James Bonomo, a hit-man in New Orleans who takes an assignment to kill a dirty cop, named Hank Greely Holt McCallany , with his partner, Louis Blanchard Jon Seda , but leaves a witness alive, a prostitute the cop was sleeping with named Lola Weronika Rosati . Bonomo and Blanchard are later attacked at a bar by another hired killer named Keegan Momoa . Keegan kills Blanchard but fails to defeat Bonomo in a bathroom brawl. Bonomo later learns that Keegan is working for a man named Robert Morel Akinnuoye-Agbaje who wants a file Greely had. Bonomo of course wants revenge for the death of his partner. A cop named Taylor Kwan Kang comes to town to investigate the death of his ex-partner, Greely, and pieces it together that Bonomo was involved. The two reluctantly team up to stop Morel and Keegan. The beautiful Sarah Shahi also co-stars as Bonomo's daughter, who helps him out when Kwan is in need of medical attention because she's a tattoo artist .The film, for me, had exactly the same feel as the old neo-noir revenge flicks from two to four decades ago the same ones that Stallone used to star in or Hill used to direct . While watching it it almost feels like you've been thrown back in time to the 80s or early 90s! It's just great nostalgic fun and Stallone is perfect in it. Kang makes a great sidekick and Momoa is an awesome bad guy. It's of course perfectly directed by Hill as well who hasn't changed at all in style in the last thirty-some years . The script isn't very deep and the lines are sometimes very cheesy but that's the way it's supposed to be. I enjoyed it more than 'EXPENDABLES' co-stars, of Stallone's, latest action vehicles Schwarzenegger's 'THE LAST STAND' and Statham's 'PARKER' , which came out in theaters weeks apart from each other. They all underperformed greatly at the box office especially this one but people are idiots and have poor taste in movies also all three will kill on video . It's a great B action film, the kind that Stallone and Hill are legendary for!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v sH2nsN_uuBI Bullet To The Head is great and a must for action fans (by dworldeater) I am a big fan of both Stallone and director Walter Hill, so I have been excited about this for awhile now . I am not disappointed .By reading some of these negative user reviews, it is obvious they either hate action movies or expect more from this than it needs to deliver . Whether you love it or hate it, at least do so for what it is , a straight up action picture.Bullet To The Head is very similar to 48 Hours and Red Heat , also made by Hill and is also fast paced, violent and funny. This won't get any awards, but the film is well made and the performances from the actors are good <more> enough to move the story between the action scenes. The action is brutal and my main man Sly gives one of his toughest , most badass performances to date. Even though this is'nt doing well at the box office , Bullet To The Head will find its audience and most likely achieve cult status . If you enjoy old school action classics like 48 Hours and Cobra , you will most likely dig this as Bullet .. is both entertaining and well made Another Solid Actioner for Stallone (by ksj870) Assassin. Fixer. Hit-man. Whatever you call him, the hired gun has been a staple of movies for decades, from Alad Ladd in THIS GUN FOR HIRE to Tom Cruise in COLLATERAL. The best of the breed is certainly Chow Yun Fat as THE KILLER from 1989, and while Sylvester Stallone's latest entry, BULLET TO THE HEAD, is nowhere near that level, it is pretty good.Stallone stars as a lifelong rulebreaker who only knows one way to live: by making sure other people don't. He does have a few ruleshe only kills people who have it coming in his eyes , never works with cops, and never shoots women or <more> children. But when a supposedly simple job goes awry and his partner gets killed, Stallone finds himself forced to break one of his basic principles and make a deal with a cop Sung Kang . Someone is behind the scenes pulling the strings, and Stallone is a loose end they want to cut off.As its title suggests, BULLET TO THE HEAD isn't the most subtle piece of filmmaking. It's all about action and suspense, and director Walter Hill knows how to make the most of the basic script. The action is brutal and life is cheap, and Stallone and Kang frequently find themselves backed into corners with no option but to fight their way out. Though their characters don't trust one another, Kang and Stallone have a great chemistry and their choleric exchanges are often surprisingly witty and sometimes truly riotous.Acting is quite good for this type of film, with Stallone having lost none of his powerful on screen presence over the years. His hit-man is hard and dangerous, but not unsympathetic. Jason Momoa is on hand as Stallone's opposite number, a hired gun employed by the antagonists. Some of you may remember Momoa from the remake of CONAN THE BARBARIAN A couple years back. Have no fear, Momoa is a far better mercenary than he was a sword-wielding barbarian. His mercenary is big, bad, and probably crazy, but like Stallone's character lives by a personal code of honor that his more profit-minded employer cannot understand. Rounding out the quality cast is Christian Slater as a white collar criminal who isn't as much in control as he thinks he is, and Sarah Shahi brings a sort of noir-like mystery and beauty to the affair as Stallone's daughter.BULLET TO THE HEAD is a very entertaining film. There's no shortage of explosive action along with the requisite high body count and the cast and crew lift what could have been a pedestrian exercise to a higher plane of professional achievement. This isn't a film that's going to change your life, but if you like actioners and thrillers, you won't regret taking a BULLET TO THE HEAD.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line795
__label__cc	0.657272	0.342728	The case against training plans Written By Cassie Shortsleeve CardioRunningWorkouts Runners, ditch your daily requirements. To runners, training plans are everything: the all-controlling document, the injury-avoidance bible, the pathway to a PR. But especially among advanced runners looking to compete, David Siik, Los Angeles-based creator of Equinox’s Precision Run program, makes a strong case against them: “Everyone thinks that having a strict professional plan is great for every goal,” he says. “We’re discovering that’s really not the case.” Many people, he says, claim their best 5K, half marathon, and full marathon times after training sans plan. Take Michelle Malia, a runner and editor in New York City, who tested a lax style of training for the Brooklyn Marathon in October. While she followed set-in-stone plans in the past, this time she aimed for one 20-plus-mile run every other weekend and two back-to-back medium runs, averaging 15 miles, on the others. She added variety with shorter run commutes and weekly strength class and cycling classes. “I liked knowing that even if I was too busy to run during the week, those Saturday and Sunday runs helped me maintain fitness,” she says. She ended up PRing by almost three minutes. Chelsea Caracciolo, a 26-year-old doctorate student and runner in Boston, also thanks a laid-back strategy for her recent PR. Training for the Newport Half Marathon, she listened to her body (instead of running through pain, like she had in the past in an effort to complete the obligatory workouts) and supplemented running with cycling and barre. “Going into the race, I felt amazing and most importantly like my body was rested and ready,” she says. “I genuinely enjoyed training rather than feeling like I had a strict plan shackled to my leg.” It’s a common sentiment, says Boston-based running coach Amanda Nurse, who has run 17 marathons and knows several people (including herself) who have nixed structured training. When you marry a plan, each week looks more or less like the next: cross-training on Mondays, speed work on Tuesdays, tempo sessions on Wednesdays, easy miles on Thursdays, and long runs on Saturdays, or some variation thereof. It leaves little wiggle room if you’re sick one morning or want to join friends for happy hour on Friday. Saturday’s long run is imminent. The no-plan plan isn’t as laissez-faire as you might think. You still have to run, but you have the freedom to decide week by week (even day by day) how you want to train, whether that means logging two high-mileage days and three short runs or running the same distance on a few days during the week. Or, perhaps it means skipping a run in lieu of some other form of physical activity. One crucial aspect of the training plan that you should continue to follow is progression, meaning that you log more miles or overall physical activity week over week. Then, over the three weeks leading up to the race, reduce your training volume and fully taper in the last week. You should only prepare for a race sans plan if you’ve followed plans in the past. That gives you a frame of reference so you can use your experiences to dictate your solo approach. For example, Malia realized she didn’t need to log hill workouts, since her Central Park route included lots of elevation gain and loss. And Nurse started taking barre classes as a form of strength training because she found it more doable than lifting on her own at the gym. That edit paid off: This fall in Berlin, Nurse ran an Olympic Trials qualifier of 2:41—and felt much stronger. Instead of worrying about the daily to-do of a structured plan, thinking of a more holistic weekly or aggregate goal lends flexibility and allows you to break it up however you choose. “Training is all about aggregate: total mileage, total fitness, total wellness,” says Ellen London, a run coach with Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Boston. “I set my sights on 70 to 90 miles per week, so if I’m too tired or busy to get an eight-mile tempo run in, I log five quality tempo miles instead. I don’t worry about those three pesky miles, which I typically make up later in the week anyway.” It can also be helpful to run for a certain amount of time, like an hour out and an hour back, instead of a certain distance. “The point is to spend a good healthy amount of time on your feet, without the incessant pressure of exact mileage,” London says. “You’re preparing your body for the impact of a race and your mind to operate efficiently under uncertain conditions.” If you put all of these tactics together, you’ll feel ripe and ready on race day—and you won’t need a plan to do it. Photo: James Acomb/The Licensing Project.com Run these bridges Combine intervals and views with these 4 routines. The essential post-run cool-down How top chefs train	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line798
__label__wiki	0.549496	0.549496	Quick Look: SanDisk ImageMate USB 2.0 reader/writer About two weeks ago SanDisk announced their refreshed ImageMate memory card readers and most times we’d pass right by it without a second thought, but these seemed different. The transfer speeds that SanDisk boasted seemed intriguing and the one-touch transfer button seemed like a novel idea, but it’s all a sham, folks. Well, we haven’t tested the transfer speeds yet, but the transfer button is pretty rubbish. It’s supposed to open images up in Photoshop or upload to Flickr, but the transfer button app itself sucks something fierce. It doesn’t allow you to customize which application or website to dump images into and the image that’s opened/loaded is user defined. You can’t load more than one at a time. The image I choose uploads lightning fast in Preview.app, but I don’t want it to open up in Preview.app. Maybe it’s a Mac thing, but so far this feature is a total sham. I’ll be testing it on a Windows machine in a bit. On the flipside, these ImageMate readers look great. The USB-powered readers sit atop metal stands and are held secure by magnets. You have to be rather gentle when the reader is placed on top of the stands, though. The magnets aren’t that strong, so the reader could easily be knocked off its perch. The transfer button is inconspicuously placed on the top corner of each reader by the card slots, which is nice but only the back half of the button works. The front half of the transfer button doesn’t move. All in all, they’re still card readers and in that capacity they work fine. I’ll have to tinker with the transfer button settings and test speeds in the coming days with a full review sometime in the near future.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line801
__label__cc	0.633734	0.366266	Spotify competitor We7 screws up iPhone app launch Steve O'Hear @sohear / 11 years [UK] It’s probably tricky to time these things to perfection, since Apple pulls the strings. The UK Spotify competitor, We7, has had its iPhone app approved and is now available to download from the iTunes App Store. The problem is that the associated premium music subscription service, needed to run the app, doesn’t seemed to have launched yet. Or at least that’s how it looks. Judging by the site’s subscription page and reviews published in the App Store, whilst you can download the app, since you can’t yet subscribe to the mobile version of We7’s music subscription service, it’s currently useless. In fact, Musically reports that the premium plus version of We7 isn’t scheduled to launch until 1st of March. Update: We7 CEO Steve Purdham has responded to this post in the comments. He confirms that the date for We7’s Premium+ (mobile) launch is still 1st of March, and that the delay between the iPhone app going live and the associated subscription service was intentional. “The time difference lets us check and test the service live end to end”, explains Purdham. When it does launch, the app and subscription (costing £9.99 per-month) will enable: – Unrestricted access to the full we7 library of music – No adverts – Player queue: see full list of queued tracks at a glance – Full streaming @ 192kbps – Sync playlists to any changes on the we7 website – Offline playlists: enjoy playlists offline, when mobile connection is weak or non-existent – Top Rated Tracks: constantly updated lists of all the most popular tracks – Search: by song, by artist, by album. That’s pretty much on-par with Spotify’s offering.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line802
__label__wiki	0.890086	0.890086	Get Taxi Launching in London. This Is Way Beyond Uber. Sarah Lacy 10 years You wanna bitch about valuations and call this a bubble? Go ahead. I, for one, love that a flood of we-can-do-anything enthusiasm fueled by seemingly infinite cheap venture capital is disrupting all kinds of annoying, antiquated corners of the real world. Groupon is changing local business in a fundamental way, Airbnb is disrupting hotels and of course in San Francisco and New York, Uber has given people willing to pay just a little more a superior taxi experience. But– as much as I love Uber— a new Israeli-based startup called Get Taxi is so ambitious it makes math-based, complex Uber look like a lemonade stand. I don’t mean this as a knock on Uber. Uber is building a company city-by-city in a sober rational way. Get Taxi is going huge, swinging for the fences. Obviously the bigger the initial ambition, the bigger risk it could fail big. (Just ask WebVan.) And a big advantage is that Get Taxi is skipping the US and launching in Europe, where the taxi industry is a lot easier to disrupt en masse because it’s mostly made up of non-union independent contractors. (Refresher: Uber invoked legal threats immediately and can’t even legally keep “cab” in its name.) It launches in London in two weeks, Moscow in two months and cities in France and Germany soon after that. Forget proving a concept, it’s launching in the largest cab markets first. And instead of focusing on limos and premium cars, Get Taxi is trying to replace dispatch systems in all cabs in all major European cities. Like Uber, it has a glitzy iphone app and user experience that streamlines the ordering, tracking and payment. But it’s also like OpenTable– providing hardware to cab drivers that coordinates pickups and payments. And to get inventory for those cabs it offers a concierge-like service for high-volume cab bookers like receptionists at law firms and concierges of hotels. More on all that in a bit. Get Taxi is founded by serial entrepreneur Shahar Smirin who splits his time between Israel, Russia, Silicon Valley and now, the various capitals of Europe. He also splits his time between several companies. Of late, he’s been particularly consumed building Vigoda.ru, a daily deal site in Russia. Like a lot of daily deal sites, it’s growing fast; 100% every three months he says. It’s doing about $50 million in revenues and offering about 500 deals per week. Talking about Vigoda and Get Taxi, Smirin kept referencing the importance of time-to-market. That’s something I haven’t heard much in Silicon Valley since the late 1990s. In fact, most of the big winners of late haven’t been the first to market, whether it’s Google in search or Facebook in social networking. The big winners have been the companies that took their time, and got the product exactly right. But Smirin says the difference is those are pure Internet companies. What he– and others like Airbnb and Groupon– are building are not pure online companies. They’re part online, part offline logistics companies. You need physical inventory, sales forces, a brand name, and in the case of Get Taxi hardware in as many cabs as possible. In this category of companies, he says, you can’t afford to be number two. Looking at the wild landgrab happening in the daily deals category world-wide, you can see a lot of people agree with him– including Groupon, which has been the most international acquisitive startup I’ve ever seen. Groupon’s money-bleeding international strategy has very much been “buy now before anyone in any market gets too much traction, no matter the cost and ask questions later.” That’s one reason Smirin loves building these types of companies. It’s anathema in Silicon Valley to say this, but his job as an Web entrepreneur isn’t to just obsess about product all day long. He’s executing on business model from day one, since these types of companies are disrupting pre-existing juicy markets, not creating new ones from whole cloth that people may or may not pay for. He’s building sales teams and delivery models, as fast as he’s looking for great engineers. “You have to be the first to market and run fast,” he said over lunch in San Francisco last week. Wow, did I just go back in time? That sounds a lot like a throwback to the early days of the Internet, and there’s a good reason why. Back then, Web businesses weren’t just about grabbing time as a billion people already came to this vast digital medium every day, they had to evangelize why you’d go online to solve certain needs; why skeptics should “go to the Internet.” People were so un-Web savvy that they had just enough confidence to go to the online travel site they knew, not explore around. That’s not too different from the barriers of building a real-world physical business. Get Taxi relies even more heavily on building a real-world logistical infrastructure than Smirin’s Groupon clone. Like the daily deals sites and unlike the early Web 1.0 days, there’s real and immediate market opportunity. “This is a $30 billion dollar per year market,” he says. “This is not about features and eyeballs.” In Europe there are 600,000 taxis and most of them are independent contractors paying $5,000 per year for a dispatch service. In a classic Web play that uses the medium to disrupt a pricey middleman, Get Taxi promises to send cabs customers in a more efficient, more user friendly way for one-third of that price. Because there’s no unions or exclusivity contracts, taxi drivers can use it as a secondary system. They pay month-by-month; if it doesn’t bring them value, they can get rid of it. If it brings them value, the system quickly pays for itself. And if they’re skeptical, Smirin will even let them try it free for two months to see what it can do. Get Taxi is trying to do more than just bring drivers more riders, it’s trying to solve pain points for drivers so they never go back to traditional dispatch services. For instance, not only does his five-inch hardware device sync with smart phones to handle the dispatch information in an Uber-like-way, it handles the payments. The service links the cab driver and the consumer by name, so the cab knows who it’s picking up, the consumer knows where that cab is and that dramatically cuts down on no-shows. The service has been running a full 24/7 beta test service in Israel for several months, and Smirin is confident he’s ready for a London launch in August. It will be available on every smart phone from day one, and if you order a cab and Get Taxi doesn’t have a driver in its network, it will call a competitor and book one for you. “Our customer care philosophy is no excuses, no bullshit,” he says. The bigger challenge, since Get Taxi only has a month to prove his value to cabbies, is to get a flood of riders quickly. This is where the concierge-like part of the business comes in. Smirin seeks out businesses that regularly need a large volume of cabs– places like hotels, restaurants, law firms and other large companies. He set up an OpenTable-like consumer end for receptionists to easily call and manage taxis for guests, and like OpenTable, they get points the more cabs they book. In the last two weeks he’s pre-signed 250 cabs in London and fifty businesses to send them traffic. Get Taxi is obviously a big, gaudy, ambitiously crazy idea and fortunately Smirin has big pockets behind him. He’s already put in several million dollars of his own money behind it, and he raised $9 million more from Russian billionaire industrialist Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries Fund. Among other assets, Blavatnik recently bought Warner Music for $3.3 billion. Safe to say, there’s more cash where that $9 million came from. It’s also safe to say Get Taxi will need it.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line805
__label__wiki	0.904672	0.904672	The EPA says the Tesla Model S Long Range can go 402 miles on a charge Matt Burns @mjburnsy / 7 months The Tesla Model S Long Range now has an EPA-rated range of 402 miles on a charge. This comes after a previous rating capped the Long Range variant at 391 miles — a rating with which Elon Musk took issue, claiming the agency left the door open and the key in its tester overnight, draining the battery by 2%. The EPA refuted Musk’s claim. According to Tesla, all Model S Long Range vehicles made in 2020 are equipped to hit this EPA rating. With a 402-mile range, the latest version of 2020 Model S Long Range can go 20% farther on a charge than the 2019 model. Tesla detailed the tweaks and upgrades needed to cross the 400-mile mark. To squeak out the extra range, Tesla installed several upgrades in the latest version of the Model S Long Range. Tesla says the “standardization of Tesla’s in-house seat manufacturing” lead to a significant weight loss. The automaker also redesigned its aero-focused wheels and used different tires specifically engineered to reduce rolling resistance. An electric oil pump replaced a mechanical version, and the gearbox was tweaked in some way that helped contribute to the increased range. Tesla engineers reworked the Model S’s regenerative braking system, too. A new drive feature called HOLD “blends the motor’s regenerative braking with physical brakes to bring our cars to a stop by easing off of the accelerator pedal.” This system works at a lower speed than previous iterations and can send more energy back to the battery pack. The 400-mile range represents a significant milestone for Tesla. The range is significantly farther than competing electric vehicles, but 400 miles per charge is nearly the same as vehicles powered by internal gas engines.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line806
__label__cc	0.579629	0.420371	Atom vs Sublime: Which text editor to choose in 2020? Galaxy Weblinks Developers use Text Editors, also known as code editors, for editing programming code. These editors basically contain features like quick navigation, syntax highlighting, automatic indenting, etc. There are many developers who are writing for the web (JS, CSS, HTML, etc.) using Sublime for Mac. At the same time there are others who prefer programming in an IDE because it comes with a bit more support from a debugging side. It’s all skewed to personal preferences, and for most of the time- what they have become used to. So, a straightforward answer to the ‘what is the best text editor for developers?’ question, doesn’t exist. Whereas, views on “Which is the best text editor between Atom and Sublime?” is subjective. In this post we will share with you a side by side comparison between these two popular text editors, and try to be as objective as possible. So that you will have enough information to make a choice that best fits your needs. Prime Difference Atom is an open source text editor developed in 2014 by GitHub. Created using Node JS and HTML, it supports Windows, Mac, and Linux OS. Whereas, Sublime was created by Jon Skinner, a former Google Engineer, and supports the same platforms as Atom. Sublime offers a free trial version for testing, but all continual users are required to pay $80 to keep it active. $80 sounds steep right? But it’s important to note that the licenses are per-user, rather than per-machine. So you can enjoy Sublime on as many operating systems and computers as you want with your license. And in case, if you don’t like the fact that Sublime loves to remind you to purchase one, then Atom is for you! With more people contributing to open source frameworks, Atom has an edge in the growth space as it will tend to improve at a quicker rate than Sublime. But when it comes to performance and speed, Sublime edges out Atom, and other editors -The main reason why it stays ahead of Atom among developers. Sublime is well known for being responsive, speedy, and lightweight. If performance is your top priority, Sublime Text navigates, manages, and loads large projects incredibly well. Whereas, if there’s one bone to pick with Atom, it’s that at times, developers have found it slow. Especially while opening a file or switching between tabs sometimes, and while working with large codebases, like the Linux kernel or the Android open source project. As a developer, the freedom to tweak, add, and extend your editor to match your development style and flow is really essential that also gives an incredible feeling of power. Both the programs are pretty bare bones out of the box, allowing you to fully customize the experience by adding your own custom shortcuts, and customizing themes. Sublime is very much like Atom. The power to control aspects such as “trim whitespace”, “save on lost focus”, and more is available. The configuration files are simple JSON and there’s a whole host of hidden settings waiting for you to play with. The expected customization features are there in both the tools — all the necessary wrapping, indenting, theming, language tweaks, etc. Whereas, Atom has 2,900+ themes as compared to 7,000+ themes in Sublime. With Atom many features come out of the box, whereas, for those same set of features you need to install a package manager in Sublime before even beginning the coding process. Then, users must learn which plugins, extensions, and packages best enhance their experience. Atom comes pre-installed with eight syntax and four UI themes in both light and dark colors. Atom is visually oriented, and has rich features such as minimaps of individual folders, project sidebar, modular design, and built-in package manager, folder trees for drag-and-drop style organization. The out-of-the-box features of Atom are a stark contrast to Sublime. But as Sublime has been accepted by the developer community for years as it is an older text editor than Atom, the variety of packages in sublime text is wider than atom. There are some unique packages in Sublime that have no exact similar alternative in Atom. Both Text Editors offer a more familiar code editing experience without an integrated terminal and debugger. From all the above appearances, it seems that Sublime is the reigning champion of text editors but Atom is the up-and-coming underdog soon to take the lead. Hope it will help you in understanding the core differences between the two to choose from, depending on your development needs. If you need fullstack or other development assistance on projects needing such basic and critical technical expertise, reach out to us. Originally published at https://blog.galaxyweblinks.com on July 27, 2020. Technology Insights, Design Trends and Industry Updates. https://www.galaxyweblinks.com More from Galaxy Weblinks What’s New in React Native 0.64? Joan Saum in Better Programming No Document? Here is How TDDD Save Your Life Yuichi Murata [LeetCode]Construct Binary Search Tree from Preorder Traversal Yinfang in The Startup The Top 3 Choices for Your First Programming Language Ann Adaya in Better Programming Java 13 Features: Switch Enhancements and Text Blocks Oskar in Better Programming Learning to Code Is NOTHING Like Learning a Foreign Language Graham Sahagian in The Startup Non-Programmer Welcome- Sum, Average and Other Data Set Fun With Kotlin Eric N in The Startup Configuring Jira for your needs Dmitry Semenihin in Bumble Tech	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line818
__label__wiki	0.636724	0.636724	Razer Blackshark V2 review \| Tom’s Guide By Game Share Online Last updated Dec 8, 2020 Today’s best Razer BlackShark V2 deals Razer BlackShark V2 Gaming… Razer Blackshark V2: Specs Compatibility: PC, PS4, Switch (handheld), Xbox One Drivers: 50 mm Wireless: No I’ve liked a number of Razer headsets in the past, but the Razer Blackshark V2 is the first one I’ve loved. While most Razer headsets are too bulky, too convoluted, too expensive, or some combination of the three, the Blackshark V2 is a sleek, comfortable little peripheral that costs $100 — not cheap, to be sure, but also not that expensive, given how good it sounds. The Blackshark V2 gets just about everything right. In addition to being comfortable enough to wear for hours on end, it also sounds fantastic for both games and music. For certain games, the Blackshark V2 even supports THX-engineered profiles for subtle and robust three-dimensional soundscapes. As is often the case for Razer gear, the software is a little hard to navigate, and I wish it were easier to get the headset to fit properly. But these are quibbles in what is otherwise one of the best gaming headsets you can buy. Read our Razer Blackshark V2 review for all the details. Razer Blackshark V2: Design Unlike most Razer headsets (take the Razer Kraken Ultimate as an example), the Razer Blackshark V2 isn’t a bulky monster that could live only in a large gaming nook. The Blackshark V2 weighs just 9.2 ounces, and is both small and durable enough to stash in a backpack. This is partially because Razer is positioning the Blackshark V2 as an esports headset, and the company imagines that it will have to travel often — for when that’s actually possible. With that in mind, my one complaint is that the earcups don’t swivel, meaning it can’t fold flat. Adjust your luggage accordingly. Razer Blackshark V2 (Image credit: Razer) On the left earcup, there’s a detachable, flexible mic with a large foam pop filter. There’s also a volume dial which is large, easy to locate and has a distinct “click” when you reach its midpoint. This takes the guesswork out of knowing how loud your game will be when you first plug in. There’s also a small mic mute button on the back. The right earcup doesn’t have any extra features. Aesthetically, the Blackshark V2 features a black plastic chassis with tasteful green Razer logos on the earcups. While it’s definitely a gaming headset, you could wear it out and about without turning too many heads. My only issue here is that the earcups are held in place with adjustable metal bars, which are quite pretty, but leave something to be desired in terms of functionality. Razer Blackshark V2: Comfort For the most part, the Razer Blackshark V2 is an extremely comfortable headset. The plush earcups feature both passive noise canceling and breathable memory foam, so wearing them blocks out a little noise while keeping your ears cool. The headband also features a generous amount of padding, giving every part of your head a soft cushion against which to rest. The Blackshark V2 does have one significant shortcoming, though, and that’s finding a good fit. Rather than an adjustable steel or plastic headband, the earcups themselves move up and down, held in place by two metal rods. It’s extremely difficult to adjust the rods when you’re not wearing the headset — and when you are wearing it, it’s impossible to see whether the headset is even. Expect to spend a lot of time pulling one side down as you pull the other side up, or asking your roommate or spouse whether it’s even. You’ll eventually be able to get a good fit, but if you ever need to readjust the headset, you’ll have to start the whole tedious process over. Razer Blackshark V2: Performance When it comes to both gaming and music, the Blackshark V2 sounds absolutely gorgeous. That’s at least partially thanks to the headset’s incorporation of THX spatial audio. You’re probably familiar with THX as the legendary film audio company that made movies like Star Wars sound so memorable, but THX does indeed license its tech to home audio equipment, too. By default, the Blackshark V2 enables THX Spatial Audio, and can even recognize whether the program you’re using requires its Game, Movie or Music mode. The Blackshark V2’s stereo sound is good as well, but I turned the THX on for just about every application, and it made things better across the board. Razer Blackshark V2 X (Image credit: Razer) In terms of gaming, the Blackshark V2 sounds great for any genre. I tested the device with Doom Eternal, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and World of Warcraft. Doom Eternal was a particularly impressive experience, as I heard the roars of demons, the boom of my shotgun and the patter of enemy footsteps all in perfect balance with the game’s pounding electronic soundtrack. But listening to the chill orchestral score in Age of Empires was just as immersive, as was Lara Croft’s expository dialogue. I was only able to test THX’s general audio profiles, but over time the company will add game-specific profiles to Razer’s Synapse software. These optimized soundscapes will include multiplayer games such as Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, as well as single-player adventures such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Half-Life: Alyx. Even Final Fantasy XIV will get its own sound profile, which should come as a bit of good news to fans who enjoy that game’s sweeping score and strong voice acting. Musically, the Blackshark V2 did better than I expected it to. While many gaming headsets make music sound flat and uninspired, there’s some depth to the musical soundscape here. Both the Razer software and the THX protocols offer music modes, and they provide a big boost to the bass, as well as a finer balance between vocals and treble. I listened to tunes from Flogging Molly, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Rolling Stones and G.F. Handel, and found that the Blackshark V2 provided vibrant, nuanced sound with a fantastic balance between channels. It’s not quite up to the level of a pair of dedicated audio headphones, but it’s much, much better than I expected from a $100 gaming headset. Razer Blackshark V2: Features The most prominent feature of the Razer Blackshark V2 is its THX profiles, as discussed above. But even apart from that, the headset has a few good things going for it. First and foremost is its mic, which is clear and precise, and filters out a lot of unpleasant consonant noises. Just be aware that the mic is quite quiet by default, so you’ll want to adjust the pickup in the Razer Synapse software. Speaking of the Synapse software, this is where you’ll adjust just about every aspect of the headset, from its equalization levels to its mic volume. I’ve gone back and forth on Synapse a few times, as it’s both feature-rich and a little convoluted. The options you need are often buried under a layer of menus. For the Blackshark V2 in particular, I found it a little obnoxious that you can choose only one THX profile per application. This does you no good for a program like Chrome or VLC, which is perfectly good at playing both music and videos. It’s nothing a little manual tweaking won’t fix, but I wonder if there was a more elegant solution. It’s also worth mentioning that the Blackshark V2 connects to PCs via USB dongle, but it also features a 3.5 mm audio cable. As such, you can use the Blackshark V2 with game consoles and tablets. It’s not primarily what the headset is designed for, but you can get pretty decent sound out of a PS4 or Xbox One, if you don’t feel like buying multiple gaming headsets. Razer Blackshark V2 X vs. Razer Blackshark V2 It’s worth briefly mentioning the Razer Blackshark V2 X here as well. While there aren’t quite enough differences between the two devices for a full separate review, the less expensive Blackshark V2 X ($60) might be a good choice for more casual gamers who aren’t quite willing to drop the full $100 on a mid-range wired model. The Blackshark V2 X resembles its $100 counterpart physically, featuring the same basic chassis and similarly plush earcups. However, the mic is not removable, which is a bit of an eyesore, as you can’t quite position it out of sight. The Blackshark V2 X also connects via 3.5 mm audio cable rather than USB, so you won’t get any THX profiles or other software options. The sound quality is not quite as good overall, but it’s good enough for everyday gameplay and audio applications. Overall, I found the non-removable mic somewhat irritating, but the Blackshark V2 X’s comfortable design and decent sound quality make it a good investment for the asking price. However, if you have an extra $40 to spend, the Blackshark V2 + USB Sound Card is well worth the upgrade for the improved audio options alone. Razer Blackshark V2: Verdict In our Razer Blackshark V2 review, we broke down the headset’s excellent sound quality, comfortable design and robust profile options. There’s very little that we didn’t like about the headset, particularly at its very reasonable $100 price. The Blackshark V2 is easily the best headset Razer has ever made, and gives similar models from Logitech and SteelSeries a run for their money. While the SteelSeries Arctis 5 and the Logitech Pro X are also excellent options within the same price range, the Blackshark V2 is about as good as it gets for mid-range wired gaming headsets. Ghost of Tsushima review \| Tom’s Guide Acer XFA240 review \| Tom’s Guide Best mobile strategy games 2020 –… The best Oculus Quest 2 games Steam Winter Sale 2019: The best deals… Killer Deal: Xbox One X Fallout 76… Nintendo Switch Bundle Sale: Up to $49… You Can Now Get Xbox Live Gold for Free	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line820
__label__cc	0.588552	0.411448	Enterprise Engineer at WordPress VIP Genesis Framework Press This Podcast Transcript I was invited by David Vogelpohl to appear as a guest on the PressThis podcast, to talk about the Genesis Framework: The rise and rise of the Genesis Framework with Genesis core contributor Gary Jones The transcript is below. Introduction Welcome to Press This, the WordPress community podcast featuring exclusive content and interviews with leaders in the WordPress community. Covering everything from development to integrating your digital marketing strategy with WordPress. Join host David Vogelpohl of WP Engine and special guests from across the community as they keep you up to speed on the latest advancements in WordPress. Let’s get started. David Everyone, welcome to the Press This, WordPress community podcast on webmaster radio. This is your host, David Vogelpohl, and I support the WordPress community through my role at WP Engine, and I love to bring the best of the community to you here every week on Press This. As a reminder, you can always subscribe on iTunes or iHeartRadio or download the latest episodes at WebmasterRADIO.FM. In this episode, I’m really excited for this one, we’re gonna be covering the rise and rise of the Genesis framework. And in order to do that we brought a very special guest to the show, core contributor to Genesis and general community leader, Mr. Gary Jones. Gary, welcome to the show. Gary Thank you much for the invite. How are you doing, David? David Doing great. So glad to talk to you here today. I know, you and I spoke shortly after WP Engine acquired StudioPress and the Genesis framework, and I really enjoyed that opportunity to get to know you then. But also enjoying this opportunity today to get to know you a little bit better and share a little bit about the Genesis framework with those that are unfamiliar with it. So basically what we’re gonna be covering today are Gary’s thoughts on the kind of history and evolution of Genesis, the power of the community behind Genesis, which is really quite large and impressive, and then at the end really how brands and agencies use Genesis kind of in their day to day to scale the work they do and frankly to build better experiences. So fun, fun stuff. And if you’re unfamiliar with the Genesis framework, you’re on the right podcast. Gary’s quite an informed person. Gary, you have history, right? It’s not just like you picked up the Genesis framework last week. Gary No, no. I’ve been using Genesis for about eight years now and contributing to it for all that time as well. So yeah, fairly in depth usage and knowledge of the code base and the community and everything that surrounds Genesis. David Awesome. Well I know and I actually ran a Genesis agency for five years and was involved with the community. But you know, one of the roles I have at WP Engine was leading the acquisition team behind StudioPress, and your name just kept coming up over and over and over again. So again, super excited to have you here today to talk about these things. But you also have some big news. You just accepted a position. Is that correct, Gary? Gary Yeah, it’s correct. After 10 years of running my own agency, which was a predominately Genesis-based agency as well, I have accepted an offer to be a VIP Developer at Automattic. I start as of the date of recording, next week. But as I think when this recording goes live, then it will be tomorrow. David Yeah. Gary Yep. David There you go, you’re talking to future Gary now. But congratulations on that. Such a good company to get aligned with and glad you found a home there. Gary Yeah, thank you very much, yeah. David Awesome. You told us your Genesis origin story a little bit there, but I’m kind of curious. What is your WordPress origin story? How did you first get connected to the WordPress world? Gary So I started many moons ago. My first real experience with writing code for the web was when I went to university back in 1998. The IT suites were available all night, and that was my first chance to experience kind of permanently connected web. The IT suites were rocking the latest in the browsers or Netscape Navigator and IE4 at that time. I soon found some online chat rooms. They’re not live now unfortunately, but they were a fairly simple affair. You type some text into a field, you hit submit, and every few seconds a page would reload with the updated chat from yourself and others. Gary Some of the folks had color text, though, so I was wondering how they did that. And how they had different sized text and depending which browser you were using, the text scrolled across or the text flashed. When I found out how to do that, then it was the HML, and so my first introduction to coding was the font, marquee and blink tags. So it was a promising start. From there, I moved onto Geocities and as every self respecting new developer did in the ’90s. It was just static HTML pages. I later discovered that you had server-side includes and then CSS appeared and so I didn’t have to spend my days updating thirty different files just because I changed the photo for instance. Gary During the eight years or so I graduated from university, I started teaching in schools and prisons. Moved my sites over to some proper hosting. The design still sucked, I’ve never claimed to be a designer. And it wasn’t yet WordPress but all that time it was just a hobby. Around 2007 I had to go to, went to Malaysia, my wife was sent on work out there. And because I wasn’t allowed to work out there then I started playing and discovered WordPress around then and started playing with it, experimenting and customizing. From that point I was definitely hooked into WordPress. It was right about version 2.3 at that time. David You touched on a lot of bases there. You got IE4, you got flashing text, you got Geocities, you’re really building your resume up. I see why VIP at Automatic hired you Gary. Gary Absolutely, I’m kind of top drawer. [crosstalk 00:05:31] David … Just absolutely stellar resume here. Gary I’m good. I mean and it’s fun to think of the history that someone like myself has gone through who’s completely self taught. We didn’t have the Zacs and the Weses around at the time to offer the courses on the latest and greatest within web development. If you didn’t go to university and learn it there, I mean my degree was in teaching so I was all self taught, and that for me has been the best way of doing it. I’ve taken the long way around, it’s taken twenty years. Eleven years of WordPress and ten years running an agency but that’s a lot of experiences and cases to come across. And be, not necessarily a better developer but an all-round developer because of that experience. David Well, I’m with you there, coming up in the nineties having to be self taught. Because there certainly wasn’t, certainly college material but definitely even the courses and things we enjoy today so fun times. Now, shifting gears a little bit, kind of the topic of the podcast, is kind of around Genesis and what it is and why people use it and that kind of stuff. And obviously your role as a open source contributor to Genesis I think for all this time puts you in a unique position to answer these questions. You know this question comes up a lot to me but what benefits does Genesis afford to a business or agency? Why choose a theme framework like Genesis or any other of the theme frameworks out there? Gary There’s a few different reasons but for me as business it was a chance to grow. Be able to grow my business because it was a tool that I could make use of, but also for my own brand and reputation that I wanted to establish myself. Not just in the WordPress niche of web development, but in the Genesis niche of the WordPress community. So it was my chance to be part of the community, to get involved. And if this was a tool that I was going to be basing my business on then I wanted to see it always be continued to be improved. By contributing to the code base I got exposure and referrals from Brian Gardner. People who were contacting him, somebody who wanted a website, wanted to a Genesis developer, he would pass those on to me. Gary Also spending time in the forums and helping people in the Genesis … There was originally a Skype group and then there’s a Facebook group. There was a LinkedIn group. On Twitter at the moment obviously you’ve got a Slack workspace. I was getting referrals from other developers for projects that they couldn’t manage and doing code audits for them. Which helped to improve their coding abilities as well as whatever project they were working on. So even before you actually start looking at the code and how that can help speed development then the community is a big factor of why use Genesis. David Yeah. It’s so funny, I asked you the question like what benefits did it provide and you didn’t talk about, in the beginning, around workflows. You didn’t talk about capabilities, you didn’t talk about features. You talked almost exclusively about the community. And I think, you know I think that’s one of the powers I think of WordPress, but then also certainly the Genesis sub-community. And you know as I’ve engaged with the community more, having been involved with it more, seeing that sub-community and how people help each other, how people help each other to succeed, and the benefits that they extract from participating and contributing, has really been really awe inspiring. And then to hear you have that be your first response was testament to that. David Then if we switch gears a little bit, if the primary driver benefit for you is the strength of the community and how you were able to both contribute but then also extract value and benefit from participating, what is the more technical reasons? Why do people use Genesis and theme frameworks? Gary It’s, I mentioned it briefly before, it’s the speed of development. The way Genesis is built and can be customized it’s makes use of the action and filter hooks rather than the template parts. And that benefits me. You don’t have to edit multiple files to make the same change in different contexts. And if you look at the latest Twenty Theme I think the main element appears seven times across various different files and templates. So if you want add an attribute to it it means editing seven files. Whereas Genesis, being a little bit more abstracted, means it’s four lines of code for me to add an attribute in there. The snippets to do any of those customizations or templates but also, you can have text or keyboard shortcuts in your IDE that makes dropping in the logic easier. Gary For developers you’ve got the same code base to work on, whatever the site looks like. The visual design of what the child theme has to be to meet the requirements for the client is completely decoupled from Genesis itself and how you go about doing those customizations. You get built-in value for the client so you can let them choose the layout per page. Or it’s got the basic SEO field supports. And then there’s a ton of plugins that will allow them to choose what the footer or the hooked in content will contain. So it’s flexible for advanced developers but also for other, perhaps less-knowledgeable people. David Novice people yeah, [crosstalk 00:10:54] I do want to touch on that, absolutely. I do want to touch on that. It’s interesting, but to just kind of recap, it’s efficiency because you’re working within a framework so you kind of have a bit of a common language. It’s abstracted or in a sense kind of decoupling the notion of your theme settings with your theme itself in some ways. So it enhances things like theme portability. But it was interesting to hear your observations on some of the benefits on the engineering side. David And you started to talk about the novice side and what I want to do is after this quick break we’re going to come back and I want to kind of dig into a little bit of that kind of dual personality of Genesis. So everybody hang tight and we’ll be right back. PART 1 OF 3 ENDS [00:12:04] David Hello everyone, welcome back to The Press This, WordPress community podcast on WebmasterRADIO. This is your host David Vogelpohl and I’m interviewing Gary Jones, one of the core contributors to the Genesis Framework. And right before the break, Gary, you were sharing some of the benefits that Genesis provides to development teams. And you started to kind of get into a little bit about how Genesis can also be beneficial for the novice user, and you know, Genesis is kind of funny and the community is kind of funny because it has this duel personality, right? It helps novice people build better sites, but it also helps advanced teams build sites faster and more performant. So how do you think … you kind of share your thoughts on Genesis’s role for the advanced developer, what are your thoughts for, say, the more novice website user or person building their own site? What are the benefits of leveraging something like Genesis? Gary The benefits, it comes from the same origin as the fact that Genesis is built on the Hooks API. So the same way that advanced teams can hook their customizations in directly is the same way that you can get tools like Design Palette PRO, or Genesis Extender, Genesis Layout Extras, Genesis Super Customizer. These are all plugins that are either free or premium in the WordPress space, either from StudioPress or from third parties that allow Genesis users, who are not comfortable in the command line or with code to make the changes that they want to do. It’s very easy to see, I mean, there’s so many Genesis specific plugins, it’s easy to see how Genesis acts a bit like a PostCSS or Remarq with all of their kind of respective, separate customization packages. It is the framework, it is the hub and there’s a lot of ways to extend that, that you aren’t just relying on the main Genesis itself. I think the main issue of this duel personality comes down to the marketing, is gonna be the tricky bit of the duel personality. It’s gonna be a fine line to balance. Gary I mean, have a look at the plugin page on the StudioPress website, it mentions kind of 15 plugins that StudioPress has built and there’s only one from a third party there, yet there’s many free and open source plugins that exist on WordPress.org and GitHub. David I think there’s 219 at my last count that are specific to Genesis on WordPress.org. And then countless- Gary And there will be many more. I mean, I know I’ve got some on GitHub that I’ve not put on WordPress.org. But again, down to the marketing issue is that if you look on the main Genesis page it includes some words, ’cause I was looking at it earlier today, of “schema.org” and “microdata” and “turnkey designs”. Now, for some audiences that’s just gonna be jargon. As novice users, they’re not gonna know what that is, necessarily care what that is. And perhaps there’s some sort of level of education there, that they will benefit from this if they understood what it is. But yet, for other perhaps more advanced people, that might be exactly the type of features that they’re looking for. And so marketing, this duel personality kind of package is where the trick is, I think. David Yeah, it certainly can be challenging speaking to both audiences. For me, I don’t know, if you think about the WordPress context for a minute, it also has this same issue or the same duel personality, where it’s used by novice, non web-developers, non-WordPress developers, extensively and millions of times. And then it’s also used by advanced teams of huge agencies building super complex things. And I don’t know, it’s almost like the flexibility of WordPress, but also in the Genesis context of flexibility of Genesis allows you to use tools that make it easy as a novice, but then also allows, say, your engineering team or your developer, or your agency to build crazy stuff, but build it in a way that makes it easy for you as a novice to then work with and deal with. Have you found that to be true? Gary Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, there’s definitely stuff that for client work that I’ve been part of, that we’ve gone over and above where anybody ever thought Genesis would be able to do, just because we’ve done some customizations and we’ve moved parts of the page around, and we’ve added in more semantics or moved bits and pieces where it needed. So yeah, it’s very flexible for those who need it, but it’s that same flexibility that allows these extra tools to be used as well. David Yeah, great, great point. And again, kind of parallel to the power of WordPress itself, which I think is really interesting. So earlier you talked about kind of the role that the community played in your business and the Genesis community in particular. And I know that there’ve been … you know, I’ve talked to half a dozen people that have talked about their journey as a WordPress developer and Genesis, and other framework’s role in that in helping them build complex experiences, build things kind of above their punching weight a little bit. And a lot of that value came from the community as well, help them figure out problems, learn new things. But how do you think of the overall benefit to the community? Explain how it affected you, but when you engage with people in the community, when you see others engage with them, what benefits do you think people are getting from participating? Gary Predominantly support. For those who want to do customizations, there’s a ton of tutorials out there. And I know that for the kind of upcoming versions of Genesis, where we might be looking to change some bits and pieces, one of the key factors is, well let’s not break things so much that these tutorials no longer work. So that’s very important. You could kind of look at Slack, there’s the community support forums, there’s groups on other platforms, there’s Genesis meetup. There’s lots of ways to find interact with other Genesis users, who you can ask about how to do X or find the best plugin to do Y. One prominent member of the community, a gentleman called Sridar, and he went along the forums, and he was answering just for everyone’s benefit. But instead of just answering the forum question specifically, he was putting it onto his own website and then actually could build up a business from that because he built up all these tutorials, 300-400 tutorials, a link back to them from the support forum, the person who asked the question and from there he was able to turn it into a premium website. Gary So that community aspect has allowed him to develop kind of a subscription business model. In terms of other support, I mean, we had a Genesis Camp, which was like a virtual conference. A bit like the WordSesh Conference in the wider WordPress environment. And that was 2015 and we had some 36, 38 videos and it was covering development workflows or how to deal with clients, or understanding Genesis hooks, or selling maintenance plans, internationalization. I was part of the UK Genesis kind of set up there, we did a podcast episode. There was Troy Dean doing about recurring revenue, so there’s a lot of things that isn’t just relative to how do you do X with the code in Genesis, but how do you run your business. How do you as a freelancer or a small agency kind of make best use of Genesis to grow your situation. David I love that you called that out and specifically Sridar, and the work that he did. I got a chance to talk to him the other day and learned more about his backstory. And it was really kind of inspiring to see that he started all that, not starting a business, but helping others and then through that was able to establish a business that provides a good stream of income. And so it’s so interesting to see that, but then even if you go to the Genesis WordPress Facebook group and look at people’s questions in there, and they’re very particular. Like you said, support is a key part of this. And they’ll say, how in this way do I do this thing, or using this feature, how do I accomplish this objective. And there’ll be half a dozen, you know, multiple dozens of responses helping them, thinking about it, offering options and then again, just to see that and see that level of assistance from the community I thought was also really inspiring. And then as you pointed out, all the different businesses that have kind of popped up in that ecosystem, and really kind of the sense of community, or the analogy of stone soup, right? I’ll bring a little something, you bring a little something and we’ll walk away with a good meal. David But to see that kind of expressed, I thought was really interesting. And of course, we see that in the broader WordPress context, but to live that on the edges and my Genesis agency, and then kind of come more into the center as we’ve worked with the community and worked with the products, I think was even a little bit surprising to me. I don’t know if I’ve participated in a group that’s active with helping people. Gary Yeah and I know Brian Gardner was very key in … There might be, I come in and say perhaps we need an advanced sample theme, perhaps we need this, perhaps we need that. And he’d say well, look, if we’re not doing it at StudioPress, you go ahead in the community, and you do it because we will support you to do that. And if you come up with a subscription model that does this or some other service, I think there’s so many people doing services from converting from the HTML 5, no sorry, the XHTML Genesis Child Theme into HTML 5 Child Themes. And it was a particular service, particular kind of niche. It wasn’t something that was gonna be automated from StudioPress, so people could do that as a business, and StudioPress and the Genesis community would support that. So yeah, very interesting to see that happen as well. David Excellent. I certainly feel the yolk of that heritage, as I participate in helping to support the community moving forward. And you know, the kind of principles that Brian set down and operated by, that the community then kind of reacted to and oriented around, to me is a great degree of responsibility, that we feel in necessary to honor and to support and to grow and expand. I think these are fun things to do. And glad also to have Brian Gardner as our partner in still doing that and continuing that legacy. So, I do have some more questions Gary. This is fun, interesting stuff, but we’re going to take a quick break. When we come back we’re going to dig more into Genesis in the community. So, everybody hang tight and we’ll be right back. David Everyone, welcome back to Press This, the WordPress Community Podcast on WebMaster Radio. This is your host David Vogelpohl talking about the Genesis framework with Genesis core contributor and Automattician, Mr. Gary Jones. David Gary, before the break we were talking a little bit about the power of the community and the role that it plays in supporting others and even things like spawning businesses and all of that cool stuff. But, I wanted to wind back the clock a little bit because, at a point in time you had discovered Genesis, you had discovered the community, you wanted to participate and be part of its future and be a contributor. But, what was that moment? What was that moment you decided, for example, and I mentioned earlier I ran a Genesis agency. I never bothered with learning how to contribute or having my staff contribute. I never bothered with really participating in the community, I think, to my detriment. But you did. You did bother with that. You did lean into that. What was that moment for you where you said: Look, this isn’t going to directly drive revenue for me, but I still feel the need to do it. How did you make that transition? Gary My story starts even further back than that. When I first started getting into WordPress, somebody suggested the Thesis theme, and I used that for a couple of years. That served well for the time, it allowed me to create client projects and client websites. But, where I got frustrated with it was … I mean, two parts. One, it seemed to work against WordPress. It has very opinionated concepts and approaches, whereas Genesis tends to work with WordPress. But the second was that I really wanted to help improve the code base, be through documentation, through a new feature, through better code standards, whatever it might be, and just found that I was being blocked on doing that. There just was no interest in me being part of that. Gary I then was introduced to Genesis. A lady called Darcy, she was in Thesis community and had moved over to Genesis and she told me about it. I looked at it and then she, very quickly, introduced me to Brian Gardner via email … very standard introduction email. He said, “Ooh well, if there’s any suggestions for Genesis then please let me know.” I sent him a big long email list of items that I think could be improved and he was like: “Wow. Okay. We need to get you onboard here.” It was that willingness to be open and to listen and to request and require … Not require. But to request contributions or allow contributions to be made. Gary That was the turning point. It was like: Yes. Somebody wants to listen. I don’t know it all, but I probably know some things different, so if they’re wanting to listen, I’ll go ahead. As I said before, if it can help improve my business because that’s what I’m going to base my client work around, let alone my brand and reputation, then that’s what I want to help with. Gary It was only later that I realized that helping so much on the forums, for instance, well, being part of the forums allowed me to not only answer those questions and build the knowledge base of the code, but also to help individuals improve theirs, while at the same time improving my brand and reputation. David That’s really great thoughts. So, basically the gist is, that this was an important tool for you and that without having that voice and the ability to help improve it, maybe felt a little powerless. But by having the voice and the ability to contribute and make it better, you ultimately made your own product better. And in the process, benefited from all the ancillary benefits of the community, in terms of your business and so on and so forth. Really, really interesting to think about those things. David I have a friend, actually, who runs a conference. I remember he was telling me this story. Back in the day he went to someone who ran the industry’s biggest conference at the time, and said, “Hey, we have some ideas and think it would be fun to do this.” And that person flat out rejected those ideas. So he and his partner went out and started their own conference, and now that is the industry-leading conference in that particular industry. But it was that moment where, if that person had just listened. If that person would just have been thoughtful about those suggestions, they could have had allies in helping them in their mission, rather than someone that might be going out elsewhere. Not that you would have done that per se, but to have that outlook with Genesis was helpful for you to make sure that you could rely on the product and have a voice in its future. Gary Yeah, absolutely, yeah. David So, last question here and maybe a real quick one. What is one fun story from the history of Genesis? As quick as you can. Gary Not so much with Genesis. The only one I could think of is that, back in 2013 WordCamp Europe in Leiden. It was lunchtime, I was standing outside. I was chatting to Joost de Valk, obviously head of Yoast. We were just having a conversation, it was the first time I’d met him. I was still very starry-eyed, as one of these WordPress heroes. Somebody came up to interrupt, said: “Oh I’m really sorry to disturb you guys.” Then started talking to me. He said, “Gary, I just want to thank you for the work you’ve done in Genesis. For everything you’ve done, it’s been really helpful. I’ve learned a lot.” And so on and so forth. Really complimentary towards me, then he effectively just walked off. Gary The fact that he did just interrupted myself and Joost de Valk, and I think: Well, hang on, he’s talking to me and not Joost. Now perhaps he knew Joost already. Perhaps he already spoken, I don’t know. But it was interesting or I found it mindblowing that somebody would, at that point, come and talk to me and thank me for the stuff I’ve done on Genesis, even though the very famous, even back then, Joost de Valk was standing there as well. David Ah, that is a fun story. Well I definitely thank you Gary for your contributions. I don’t know if you know this or not, but Joost actually used to host this podcast, and then- Gary I didn’t know that. David Yeah. And so now I have the helm, but funny story to hear. Gary, I wanted to thank you so much for joining the show today. This has been really enlightening and interesting and I really appreciate your time. Gary Oh, thank you for inviting me. David Awesome. Well thanks everyone else for listening to Press This, the WordPress Community Podcast on Webmaster Radio. Just a reminder, you can always subscribe on iTunes, iHeartRadio or download the latest episodes at WebmasterRADIO.FM. Again, this has been your host, David Vogelpohl, and I support the WordPress community through my role at WP Engine, and I love to bring the best of the community to you here every week, on Press This. Filed Under: Genesis Framework About Gary Jones Gary Jones is a UK-based WordPress Engineer, husband, father of awesome twins and a middle-of-the-pack runner. Driven by a passion for excellence, he developed elegant custom WordPress solutions for marketing departments to maximise their efficiency through his agency Gamajo for 10 years, before joining WordPress VIP where is he now an Enterprise Engineer. Gary has contributed to most major branches of WordPress Core since 3.3, and contributed to many open source projects in the community. He is a General Translation Editor for the British English locale, has attended many WordCamps, is a three-time organiser of WordCamp London, and a former co-organiser and podcast host for WordPress London. Gary is a key contributor to the Genesis Framework and is a co-host on the UK Genesis podcast. A former teacher in schools and prisons, Gary's motto is knowledge is power. I’m joining Automattic Be Like Bill – How To Start The Engine Like A Genesis Expert My experience of giving a talk at WordPress Suffolk The 5 Surprising Marketing Benefits of Answering Support Forums Copyright © 2021 · GaryJones.io, based on Authority Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line823
__label__cc	0.724995	0.275005	GL Brands, Inc.’s Green Lotus Hemp Launches Organic, Gluten-Free Wild Berry Melatonin CBD Gummies GL Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: GRLB) (www.glbrands.com) a global house of brands with focus on CBD and hemp consumer packaged goods based in Dallas, TX, announced today that its flagship subsidiary brand, Green Lotus Hemp, a premium hemp oil products brand dedicated to promoting a world where the healing power of hemp is readily accessible, has released its highly anticipated Vegan Wild Berry Melatonin Gummies with 10 mg of CBD and 3mg of Melatonin. Company CEO, Carlos Frias, stated, “These are exciting times for GL Brands and all of us shareholders. We are very pleased to add this sleep formulation to Green Lotus’ line of nutraceutical products. Gummies are the fastest growing product category for Green Lotus Hemp TM, and we are just getting started. We are committed to continued creation and distribution of innovative wellness solutions in this category. The global CBD gummy market size is expected to reach USD 6.94 billion by 2025, exhibiting a 31.9% CAGR over the forecast period, according to a recent Grandview Research report. Mr. Frias continued, “I’m confident our Melatonin CBD gummies will be an impactful, and profitable, success in serving those with difficulty sleeping. Over 9 million Americans are currently taking prescription drugs in hopes to obtain better sleep and, though many conditions vary and this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, I’m convinced there are natural solutions, like our Green Lotus CBD Gummies with Melatonin, that can curb our society’s reliance on prescription medications that often come with an undesirable list of side effects.” Green Lotus CBD Gummies use only the finest sustainably sourced, organic ingredients, no dyes or fillers, and are: 100% Organic, Vegan & Gluten-Free. Third-party, lab-tested for Purity. Real Wild Berry Flavor for Vibrant, Natural Sweetness. Sleepy? You can purchase this delicious new flavor at https://greenlotushemp.com/shop/cbd-gummies-vegan-melatonin-25-count/ #cannabis #revenues #cbd #hemp #cpg #beverages #VETERANS receive 25% off Green Lotus orders! Visit: https://greenlotushemp.com/veterans-program/ About GL Brands Inc.: GL Brands is a global hemp consumer packaged goods company that creates authentic, enduring and culturally relevant brands engaged in the development and sale of cannabis-derived wellness products. Through its premier brands Green LotusTM and Irie CBD, GL Brands delivers a full portfolio of hemp-derived CBD products, including tinctures, soft gels, gummies, sparkling beverages, vapes, flower and topical segments to promote greater wellness and balance, in the U.S. and throughout the world. For more information, please visit https://www.glbrands.com. This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,” “forecasts,” “estimates” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe GL Brands’ (the “Company’s”) business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward- looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of GL Brands’ products and services, changes in relationships with third parties, and other factors described in GL Brands’ periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in general industry or regional market conditions; changes in consumer and customer preferences for our products; loss of business from increased competition; changes in strategic relationships; unfavorable fluctuations in currencies or interest rates in the regions in which we operate; changes in regulatory conditions; changes in tax laws, import and export duty and tariff rates in or with the countries with which we conduct business; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and the negative impact of any governmental investigations and associated litigation. The occurrence of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. Investor Contacts: Matt Bartlett COO GL Brands Investor Relations ir@glbrands.com 707-535-6846 Press Release provided by OTC PR Wire	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line831
__label__wiki	0.50608	0.50608	Boards and Bylaws World Federalist Institute Embracing a United Federation of Nations Global Democracy and Governance Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance Support the UN Transform the UN CGS Virtual Book Club Esperanto Classes Mondial Journal UN Peacekeeping Forces: One Tool Among Many By Rene WadlowMay 30, 2019No Comments On May 29, the world marked the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers, a date chosen in memory of the creation of the first UN interposition force in the Middle East. In the years since, 3,800 have lost their lives. Of the 14 currently active operations, the most difficult are in Africa where there has been large scale breakdown of state structures such as the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. How effective are UN peacekeeping operations in preventing and stopping violence? Are there alternatives to the ways that UN and regional organizations currently carry out peacekeeping operations? How effective are peacekeeping operations in addressing the root causes of conflicts? Individual Governments Train Their Own Soldiers The reality is that there are no permanent UN-trained troops, only national units loaned by some national governments but paid for by all member states. Each government trains its army in its own spirit and values. There have been proposals by some for the creation of a permanent UN standby force. This has been rejected, usually on grounds of cost (although it would be only a fraction of what is now spent on national armies.) There has also been an alternative proposal of creating within national armies specially trained forces for UN use. To be successful, UN peacekeeping operations need to have clear objectives, but such objectives cannot be set by the force commanders themselves. Peacekeeping forces are temporary measures that should give time for political leaders to work out a political agreement. The parties in conflict need to have a sense of urgency about resolving the conflict. Without that sense of urgency, peacekeeping operations can become eternal, as they have in Cyprus and Lebanon. UN forces are one important element in a peacemakers tool kit, but there needs to be a wide range of peace building techniques available. There must be concerted efforts by both diplomatic representatives and non-governmental organizations to resolve the conflicts where UN troops serve. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the official policy of Citizens for Global Solutions. Rene Wadlow is the President of the Association of World Citizens. Photo Credit: Photo by Albert Gonzalez Farran – UNAMID under Creative Commons license. Author Rene Wadlow More posts by Rene Wadlow Sign up! Stay informed! Announcements, world federalist news. No spam. © 2021 Citizens for Global Solutions. Citizens for Global Solutions	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line833
__label__wiki	0.837067	0.837067	13 March 2017 – Airbnb Closes Series F, IPO for Snap and Much More http://media.blubrry.com/globalventuringreview/p/s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/inearproduction/podcasts/globalventuringreview/episodes/51-globalventuringreview-13mar2017.mp3 Airbnb has closed its series F round at just over $1bn, bringing its overall equity funding to $3.4bn. Instacart, the company touted as ‘the Uber of grocery shopping’, has raised $400m at a $3.4bn valuation, with VC firm Sequoia leading the round with a reported $100m investment. Interestingly, none of Instacart’s corporate investors – Comcast Ventures, American Express Ventures and Whole Foods – were named as participants in the series D round. Alibaba has spent around $250m in a secondary transaction to boost its stake in One97 Communications by an extra 4.3%, giving exits to Reliance Capital, Sapphire Ventures and Saama Capital in the process. BBVA has led a $102m funding round for mobile banking app Atom Bank, investing just over $36m at a $320m valuation to maintain its 29.5% stake. Baidu is said to be lining up a $100m investment in NextEV, the smart electric vehicle developer that unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest electric supercar in November. Liberty Global and Zain have joined existing backers including Sky and the CAA-backed Evolution Media Capital to invest $90m in iFlix, which has brought the Netflix template to Southeast Asia. Ping An Overseas Holdings has led a series C round for livestreaming platform and communication services operator Bigo that valued it at $400m. Spero Therapeutics, a biopharma working on treatments for superbugs, has completed an oversubscribed series C round, raising $51.7m. Viva Republica, the Korean developer of mobile payment platform Toss, has picked up $48m in a series C round featuring PayPal which Forbes estimates values the company at roughly $250m. Biohaven Pharmaceutical, a biopharmaceutical spinout of Yale University, yesterday closed an $80m series A round from investors that included spinout-focused investment firm Osage University Partners. Joyme Capital, the CVC arm of online gaming community operator Joyme Group, has teamed with gaming services provider Kee Ever Bright Technology to launch a strategic investment fund that will back game developers, eSports companies and gaming ancillary service startups among others. US-based microfinance non-profit organisation Accion has launched a $141m financial technology and services investment fund with contributions from limited partners including the World Bank’s private sector investment arm International Finance Corporation. The Cradle Fund, an investment vehicle owned by the government of Malaysia, has announced DEQ800, an initiative that will offer early-stage equity to startups, Tech in Asia wrote on Monday. Uniseed, the venture fund backed by four Australian universities and research institute CSIRO, has announced a A$20m ($15m) fund that will make follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies. Snapchat owner Snap has formally closed an IPO that featured a $500m investment by NBCUniversal at $3.91bn, after its underwriters took up the option to buy an additional $410m in shares following a heady first two days of trading last week, with the company’s stock at one point up more than $12 from its flotation price. Now that the dust is starting to clear from Snap’s flotation last week, onlookers are getting ready for the next big tech IPO, with MuleSoft setting terms for an offering that will net it $182m in proceeds and a $2bn+ valuation if it floats at the top of its range. CA Technologies has agreed to buy cloud security platform Veracode in a $614m cash deal that will provide exits for backers including Telus, Tivo and Symantec, which spun the company out in 2006. Otsuka Pharmaceutical has agreed to acquire ADHD treatment developer Neurovance in a deal that will give an exit to Novartis Venture Fund. Author Global Venturing ReviewPosted on March 13, 2017 March 12, 2017 Tags "Biohaven Pharmaceutical", "CA Technologies", "International Finance Corporation", "Joyme Capital", "Otsuka Pharmaceutical", "Ping An Overseas Holdings", "Spero Therapeutics", "The Cradle Fund", "Viva Republica", Accion, Airbnb, Alibaba, Baidu, BBVA, corporate venturing, funding, government venturing, iFlix, Instacart, investment, IPO, MuleSoft, Snap, Uniseed, university venturing, venture capital Previous Previous post: 06 March 2017 – British Business Bank’s $500m fund and Much More Next Next post: 20 March 2017 – Netflix’s Regional Rival iFlix Secures $90m and Much More	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line835
__label__cc	0.609566	0.390434	Trending NowJoe Biden Coronavirus Hannity Lindsey Graham NYC DC Inauguration Store Dual-Lens Dashcam Shop 2020 Mike Pence OUT OF CONTROL: NYPD Hunt for Suspect in Anti-Semitic Attack Against a Grandfather in Brooklyn A 63-year-old man was violently attacked with a giant rock at a park in Brooklyn Wednesday, with the New York Police Department asking for help in tracking down the suspect in the anti-Semitic assault. “There was a battlefield… When he saw me, he jumped towards me… Shutting rocks with full force towards my head,” he told CBS2’s Jenna DeAngelis. “Then, he jumped on me and start to fight with me, trying to knock me in the face – probably, I would say, 20, 25, 30 times with his fists, and I was protecting myself.” “It was a hate… he said Jew, Jew. He said something in that direction,” he said. “He was for certain looking to kill. No doubt about it.” “The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating this despicable act of violence, and we will find the attacker. This city will stop at nothing to protect our communities from hate and violence.@BennysMusic, I wish your father-in-law a speedy recovery,” posted Mayor Bill de Blasio on social media. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating this despicable act of violence, and we will find the attacker. This city will stop at nothing to protect our communities from hate and violence.@BennysMusic, I wish your father-in-law a speedy recovery. https://t.co/EVSSKWF0M0 — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 27, 2019 “I’m disgusted by the vicious attack on Avraham Gopin this morning in Crown Heights’ Lincoln Terrace Park. No one should be attacked, hate-fueled or not. Violence is violence, wrong is wrong. Contact @NYPDNews if you have any information on this crime,” added Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams. I'm disgusted by the vicious attack on Avraham Gopin this morning in Crown Heights' Lincoln Terrace Park. No one should be attacked, hate-fueled or not. Violence is violence, wrong is wrong. Contact @NYPDNews if you have any information on this crime. https://t.co/zSXx3065dF — Eric Adams (@BPEricAdams) August 27, 2019 Read the full report at CBS New York. BAD COMPANY: Farrakhan Defends Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Semitic Rant, Rails Against ‘Wicked Jews’ Nation of Islam leader and notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan publicly praised embattled Rep. Ilhan Omar Sunday; saying she “has nothing to apologize for” after promoting vicious stereotypes on social media. “The wicked Jews want to use me to break up the women’s movement,” Farrakhan said during his annual Saviours’ Day event. “It ain’t about Farrakhan; it’s about women all over the world [who] have the power to change the world.” Farrakhan then defended Omar’s twitter tirade; saying “Ms. Omar from Somalia – she started talking about ‘the Benjamins’ and they are trying to make her apologize. Sweetheart, don’t do that. Pardon me for calling you sweetheart, but you do have a sweet heart. You sure are using it to shake the government up, but you have nothing to apologize for,” Farrakhan said. “Israel and AIPAC pays off senators and congressmen to do their bidding, so you’re not lying, so if you’re not lying. Stop laying down. You were sent there by the people to shake up that corrupt House.” h/t Washington Free Beacon CARTOON FALLOUT: NY Times Takes ‘Disciplinary Steps’ Against Publisher of Anti-Semitic Illustration The New York Times yielded to growing international pressure Thursday and announced they would be taking “disciplinary steps” against the editor that approved a vicious anti-Semitic cartoon featuring President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Times confirmed the paper is “taking disciplinary steps with the production editor who selected the cartoon for publication,” adding staffers will take “unconscious bias training to ensure it includes a direct focus on anti-Semitism.” “Though I’ve been assured there was no malice involved in this mistake, we fell far short of our standards and values in this case,” added the paper’s publisher. The cartoon depicts Netanyahu as a dog wearing a Star-of-David leash held by a blind President Trump. THE PITY PARTY: Desperate Democrats Say Debate Rules ‘UNFAIR’ for Some Candidates	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line856
__label__wiki	0.686608	0.686608	Explore HBR Case Selections Topic Feeds Subscribe Diversity Latest Podcasts Video The Magazine Store Webinars Newsletters All Topics The Big Idea Visual Library Reading Lists Case Selections My Library Account Settings Log Out Sign In My Library Topic Feeds Orders Account Settings Email Preferences Log Out You have 1 free articles left this month. You are reading your last free article for this month. Subscribe for unlimited access. Create an account to read 2 more. Before a Merger, Consider Company Cultures Along with Financials Not everything can be accounted for on a spreadsheet. David Fubini Buy Copies A normal acquisition process seeks to ensure something basic: a strategic rationale for a deal, supported by a thoughtful selection process, with known risks identified by a short, intense due diligence. But what isn’t practiced, and too often ignored, is the process of asking: “What are the likely challenges we will face as we integrate these two complex companies over the next 1-2 years?” My experience, after being involved in considerable numbers of such transactions over the past decade, is that in the majority of cases little due diligence is done beyond the financials to investigate the challenges of having two organizations become one. Management is usually shocked to find the degree of differences that exist between their two, soon to be merged, organizations — and too few actively consider these integration challenges before the deal. What this requires is doing some integration due diligence as part of the M&A process. You can define this type of due diligence with a few key steps: Assessing the institutional strengths of the acquired company and comparing and contrasting these to the acquiring company to map where there are welcomed overlaps and where there are redundancies. Understanding the cultural dynamics of the acquired organization, including how they operate, the manner in which they develop their talent, how are they motivated to succeed, and their executive management decision making style. Doing a stakeholder analysis to understand the additional challenges from political, regulatory, union, and community sources to be expected in the wake of a merger. While this may sound like common sense, the reasons for ignoring this due diligence step are numerous. CEOs often fear that such analyses require involving too many people, when they have an understandable desire to complete deal negotiations with only a very few trusted lieutenants and advisors involved — and to conduct them in secrecy so as not to alert external markets. Investment bankers resist having to consider integration challenges lest the prospects for a deal be undermined by the realization of the all too numerous challenges that lie beyond their valuation analyses. Plus, unlike financial due diligence, which can be done through data rooms and shared financials, integration due diligence requires an examination of another’s institutional capabilities, operating cultures, and management talent — all of which are difficult and time consuming to investigate when in the midst of an intense deal negotiation. The result of this lack of due diligence is played out all too publicly when deals suddenly fall apart. For example, in 2014, mining giants Barrick and Newmont had to unwind their planned transaction after only nine months due to what published reports stated were “clashes over leadership and governance.” Barrick also claimed that the Newmont wanted to “renegotiate foundational organizational elements of the deal.” It was reported that among the causes of the breakup were disagreements about headquarters location, management roles, and other strategic and structural disagreements. Publicis and Omincom had to unwind their $35 plus billion transaction after they were unable to agree on who would run the combined organization and whose operating strategy would be adopted in a newly merged agency. Now both agencies have to go back their suite of clients and explain why the value of the merger they had been so recently touting wasn’t needed any longer. Office Depot and OfficeMax announced their intended merger deal without an agreement of which (if either) CEO would run the combined retailer, without an agreement on retail brand strategy, and without a chosen corporate headquarters location. Each of these deals might have greater potential for success with due diligence, before the deal, on the post-merger integration challenges. This kind of due diligence, even if CEOs can get past all the reasons above why not to do it, is hard and unglamorous work: It requires CEOs to look beyond the financials and the strategic rationale and see the stark challenges the integration will require. Such a cultural due diligence can be done by talking to past members of the target organization, interviewing common suppliers, customers, industry observers, and analysts. It is an “outside-in” analysis that can be undertaken in parallel to all the financial negotiations. Those who conduct integration due diligences have two major advantages. First, they can build on their knowledge of their own strengths as the acquiring entity. Knowing these strengths means the acquirer can better focus their integration planning, adding only at the margin from the acquired entity into those areas of known strengths. In turn, this means one can focus the integration activities on areas of their weakness. Acquiring management will know at the outset what they need to receive from the acquired entity to strengthen and build a more collective competitive operation. Second, the whole integration plan is more easily designed, easier to execute, and can be implemented at a faster pace. It’s easier to make decisions about retaining crucial staff, forming the new leadership structure, making changes to management systems, and segregating the integration from the base business to protect revenues during this vulnerable period. CEOs and their senior teams can be more confident and more directive in their communications after the deal announcement right up to legal close. A prerequisite for any transaction is financial due diligence. But boards and CEOs need to make the integration due diligence as much of a core part of their pre-deal effort. For those that do, the benefit is faster paced, more focused integration planning efforts. Those that don’t risk adding to the enormous probability of failure that already surround such transactions. Read more on Mergers & acquisitions or related topics Leadership and Organizational culture David Fubini is Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company, Inc., where he founded and led the firm’s global practice supporting mergers and integrations, and currently serves as senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. 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__label__wiki	0.651806	0.651806	GuelphWire COVID-19 Education News Politics Guelph school board to consider reviewing police presence By Eli Ridder June 15, 2020 June 15, 2020 1 Comment on Guelph school board to consider reviewing police presence The trustees will consider the proposal on Tuesday. Guelph’s public school board will consider establishing a task-force charged with reviewing the presence of police officers in its buildings following complaints lodged by members of the community identifying as Black, Indigenous or a person of colour. A police officer looks on as protestors march in downtown Guelph on June 6, 2020. GUELPHWIRE/Eli Ridder The eighth agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting will be brought forward by the chair. It will ask trustees to approve the creation of the Police Presence in Schools Task Force that will include seven community members, three staff members and three trustees. The search for the community members will start immediately if the proposal is passed and trustees will be chosen at a later June meeting. “Over the past two weeks, both staff and trustees have received numerous emails and phone calls regarding police presence in schools,” a report from Chair Martha MacNeil said. “Specifically, the emails and calls have suggested that police have been targeting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) students and have demanded that the Upper Grand District School Board end its partnership with the Guelph Police Services.” “The Upper Grand District School Board takes these allegations seriously and is committed to a learning environment where BIPOC students, staff, and families feel safe.” The effort would be required to bring forward recommendations before the entire board “no later than December 2020.” GuelphWire reached out for comment from several trustees who directed inquires to MacNeil. UGDSB spokesperson Heather Loney repeated the same statement as was given in MacNeil’s report in response. A few thousand demonstrators marched through the streets of Guelph on June 6 in support of the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement, with speakers rallying protesters against police violence and calling for systemic change. “Today we are here to stand for something we believe in. It is enough of the police brutality and the violence that our BIPOC community faces,” organizer Kayla “Kween” Gerber told a roaring, diverse crowd during the march. The demonstration took place in tandem with gatherings across the country, and around the world, continuing the momentum that started with the killing of George Floyd — an African-American — at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis in late May. This sign was at the Guelph Black Lives Matter rally on June 6, 2020. GUELPHWIRE/Eli Ridder Many of these protests have included calls for a significant decrease in police funding with more funds allocated towards public health initiatives and services that offer support for the vulnerable in a community, such as illicit drug addicts and those who are homeless. One of the only levers municipalities have over local police departments in Canada and the United States is annual fiscal budgets, with some cities using funding to find new ways to tackle public safety and leading to a “defund the police” movement growing in some communities. Should the Upper Grand District School Board remove police from the hallways and classrooms of the institutions it oversees in the Guelph and Puslinch areas, it would not be the first to cut ties since Floyd’s death on May 25. In Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin as three other officers looked on, the local school board decided in early June to terminate its relationship with the police department. Published by Eli Ridder Eli Ridder is a freelance journalist. He founded The Avro Post in October 2017. He has reported for several online and print publications. Feel free to connect at ELIRIDDER@ICLOUD.COM or at ELIRIDDER.CAView all posts by Eli Ridder Pingback: Live: UGDSB votes on police presence review – GuelphWire Deputy Tory leader stepping down to back MacKay - source GuelphWire was launched on May 1, 2020 as an information and updates platform for Guelph residents amid the coronavirus pandemic. Previous Entry CERB extension considered; More of Ontario moves to Stage 2 Next Entry CERB, border restrictions extended	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line861
__label__cc	0.532833	0.467167	Mother Of Slain Chicago Teen Tooka Talks Chief Keef, King Von & Keeping The Peace Published on: Dec 2, 2020, 6:35 PM 15-year-old Chicago gang member Shondale “Tooka” Gregory was murdered while waiting at a bus stop in 2012. He was allegedly a member of the Gangster Disciples (GD), rivals to Chief Keef‘s alleged crew, the Black Disciples (BD). His death was reportedly in retaliation for the death of another BD member, and his name soon became known outside of Chicago when Keef would often say he was “smoking Tooka” in his music as a jab at the slain teen. Years later, King Von – also affiliated with the Black Disciples – brought Tooka’s name back up again when he rapped on his 2020 Lil Durk-assisted song “All These Niggas,” “Tooka in my lung, I say that every time, ’cause he got smoked.” In a new interview with Chicago’s Drea O Show alongside other Chicago mothers who’ve lost their children to violence including the late FBG Duck’s mom, Tooka’s mother Dominique Boyd opened up about the pain she’s felt hearing her child reduced to a disrespectful synonym for smoking weed. “I don’t get how they could be intimidated by someone who was 15 years old and want to take a person and want to be making it into a strain of weed,” she said. “Like how could you [say] ‘smoking on Tooka?’ Like where did that come from? Who smokes on a dead person? It makes me upset. … Where does the level of disrespect stop? He’s already dead.” She continued on, noting how long it’s been since Tooka’s passing and how messed up it is that rappers continue to bring him up. Polo G Speaks On Fellow Chicago Rapper King Von’s Shooting Death “People are just so cruel out here in this world,” Boyd added. “My son been dead for ten years. … If it ain’t the upcoming [rappers], it’s the ones already in the industry—and they don’t even know my son.” FBG Duck’s mother LaSheena Weekly also spoke, expressing her wish that people will stop saying things about people who are no longer here to defend themselves. “What I’m trying to establish now is a round table to bring all the moms together who have lost their children due to the violence,” Weekly said. “Due to the stigma that everybody has on Chicago with the smoking the dead people and disrespecting the dead. Hopefully, this movement will stop that and show people’s real talent.” Watch the full conversation up top.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line868
__label__cc	0.6947	0.3053	Fulcrum Coffee: March 2020 Costa Rica Obata MariaJosé We source and roast thoughtful coffees and make them accessible and approachable. Our mission is to connect people and communities through coffee. We strive to understand and inspire how people experience and enjoy coffee. Specialty coffee is about the transparent and creative expression of where the coffee comes from. From farm to cup, it is our priority to better understand and pay attention to the context of each coffee beyond the scores and flavors. As a simple device supporting a lever, the fulcrum plays a key role in lightening the load. As a name, it signals the company’s commitment to collaborating with our partners and customers. In 2012, Fulcrum brought together local roasters Urban City (1993) and Silver Cup (1994) under one roof with a vision to elevate our approach to coffee and service. We established Fulcrum as a house of premium coffee brands, adding single origin coffees. We kept the two brands (Silver Cup + Urban City) to honor its legacy and history, as well as the precious relationships we have built with existing customers. Originally born as a full-service, wholesale coffee supplier, Fulcrum entered the consumer market in 2017 with a website launch, and in 2018 with the opening of the brick and mortar Fulcrum Café. We are constantly growing and evolving all three brands under the Fulcrum umbrella. Our Partner Highlight Blas Alfaro Partner & Senior Vice President “Every coffee has a story to tell, starting where it’s from.” As a fifth-generation Costa Rican coffee farmer, Blas knows how much work goes into every cup of coffee. That’s why he treats each bean with respect. An experienced roaster and an SCAA Licensed Q Grader since 2010, he oversees Fulcrum’s coffee program while constantly learning and honing his unique coffee sensibilities. Blas travels often, hand-selecting green coffees, building lasting relationships with farmers, and helping them implement sustainable practices. Costa Rica Obata MariaJosé comes from Fulcrum’s Partner & VP Blas’ family’s farm in Central Valley. From the start of a seed, this coffee has been touched by the members of Blas’ family in every step of the way. Obata is a cross between Villa Sarchi (Arabica) and Timor (Arabica & Robusta) coffee varieties. It was first bred in Brazil, and introduced to Costa Rica in 2014. Due to its Robusta grandparent, Obata is resistant to the coffee leaf rust called La Roya, a devastating plant disease for farmers especially in Latin America. “Until 5 years ago, my niece and brother in law would often tell me that they were looking to sell their farm because growing coffee was not profitable anymore,” said Blas. An increasing number of farms has been impacted by La Roya due to climate change, and Blas’ family’s farm was no exception. But the new Obata seeds have given them hope – just 2 years after planting, they harvested up to 40% more coffee cherries while using only one third of the fungicides. When it was time to process the fresh-picked coffees, they decided to use the natural processing method to conserve water usage and contribute to the Costa Rican government’s effort to become a carbon-neutral country by 2021. There’s a common misconception that hybrid coffees don’t taste as good as pure Arabica varieties because they are distant offspring of Robusta—the other major coffee variety known to be less sweet. However, when the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica conducted a blind-tasting in 2016, the Obata coffee scored higher than some of the other Arabica varieties like Caturra and Catuai. This also means great potential for other hybrid varieties, giving hopes to the farmers that they can plant more productive, resilient, and efficient varieties without sacrificing cup quality. We’re the first roaster in Seattle to feature the Obata variety. It is so juicy and lively with watermelon, lemonade, and strawberry notes. It’s delicious enough to shake the paradigm against hybrid coffees. Origin: Central Valley, Costa Rica Farm/Farmer/Producer: MariaJosé Vega Alfaro Elevation: 1,500 MASL Process: Natural Varietals: Obata Tasting Notes: Juicy and lively with Meyer lemon, strawberry, and watermelon notes Other Notes: Other Notes Brewing Recipe In: 18g Out: 40g Time: 29 sec Pressure: 9 Bar Temperature: 200℉ Pre-Infusion: No A 17g basket was used for this recipe. This recipe was crafted using coffee 2 weeks after roasting. Allow coffee to rest at least 1 week after the roast date for optimal flavors. Posted in Home Espresso Subscription	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line872
__label__wiki	0.741457	0.741457	HooblerAuthors.com The Official Website of Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler All Our Books American Family Album Series The African American Family Album The Chinese American Family Album The Cuban American Family Album The German American Family Album The Irish American Family Album The Italian American Family Album The Japanese American Family Album The Jewish American Family Album The Mexican American Family Album The Scandinavian American Family Album Be Careful What You Witch For Captain John Smith: Jamestown and the Birth of the American Dream The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Deduction The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein The Samurai Detective Novels 1. The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn 2. The Demon in the Teahouse 3. In Darkness Death 4. The Sword That Cut the Burning Grass 5. A Samurai Never Fears Death 6. Seven Paths to Death 7. The Red-Headed Demon What We’re Working On Our Blog/Social Media » All Our Books » American Family Album Series » The African American Family Album 1995, Oxford University Press Excerpt from The African American Family Album: African Americans are the only group whose ancestors were brought to the United States against their will, as slaves. However, millions of them made a journey like other immigrants when they decided to leave the harsh conditions of the South and come North or West seeking greater opportunities. This movement, called The Great Migration, brought the Robinson family to California in the 1920s. Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break the color barrier in baseball’s major leagues, remembered why his mother was determined to move her family. “My mother is a religious woman. She had no formal education, but she possessed the wisdom to perceive that times were changing. And she was gifted with the courage to speak out in defense of her beliefs….She knew that we [her five children] could receive a superior education only in that part of the United States that was not corrupted by memories of the days when Negroes had been on a par with domestic animals. “To move away from the South required money, and to accumulate money was not easy. My parents labored from dawn to dark on the white man’s land, then saw the products of their toil snatched from them. The plantation owner gave them a few dollars for the necessities of life, then took the dollars away by overpricing the goods they were forced to buy at his general store. Only by the greatest thrift could my mother save enough…to buy train tickets to California for her children and herself….Our destination was Pasadena, where my mother’s brother, Burton, worked as a gardener….She went into the open labor market for work as a domestic. We children seldom saw her during the day; she was gone before we were up and did not return until we were in bed. She was hands caressing us or a voice in our sleep.” Parents’ Choice Award Selected for the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen-Age Powered by WordPress. Theme by Webulous.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line874
__label__wiki	0.83124	0.83124	Free Agency 2021 HoopsHype Explains HoopsHype Podcasts Key Contract Dates NBA 2K Ratings NBA Player Follows Re-Drafts Roster Details Top Rumors All NBA Teams Rusty Simmons: Warriors announce that Steve Kerr is coa… 5 years ago – via Twitter Rusty_SFChron Rusty Simmons: Warriors announce that Steve Kerr is coaching tonight. Coaching, Uncategorized Coaching, Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors More HoopsHype Rumors January 18, 2021 \| 6:01 am EST Update Kemba Walker on minute restriction for some time Now, Boston will wait to see how Walker’s knee responds to him getting back on the court again, a process that will likely include a minutes limit for some time. “I don’t,” Walker said, when asked when his minutes limit will end. “I’m going to be honest, I hope it’s over next game. But I’m sure it’s going to be for a few games. “I’m just getting back. We just want to see how my knee reacts after these games and stuff like that. It’ll ramp up, though. I’ll get there. It’s no rush. I already took my time coming back, and I’m going to keep taking my time until I’m full go.” 2 hours ago – via Tim Bontemps @ ESPN Top Rumors, Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics “When did I feel fully healthy? I don’t know. … I can’t tell you exactly when,” Walker said. “But it’s just like … as the days go by, mentally, it’s just like every day, every day I’m not thinking about it. “At one point it was like, mentally that’s all I could think about. Like, on the court, in the bubble, that’s all I could think about was my knee. Every step I took, every move I made, it was something, even when I wasn’t playing. Now I’m out there and I’m trying to do a step-back and the first thing out of my mind is like, ‘Damn, this is probably going to hurt.’ Not even worried about making or missing the shot; it’s just about the pain. Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics Marc J. Spears: De’Aaron Fox is the first Kings player with 40 points & 10 assists in a game since Tiny Archibald on March 13, 1973 with the Kansas City Royals. Sadly for losing Sacramento, it has allowed 120 points in 8 straight games, tied for the 2nd-longest streak over the last 35 seasons 2 hours ago – via Twitter MarcJSpears Statistics, Tiny Archibald, Uncategorized Statistics, Tiny Archibald, De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings Jason Anderson: More from Luke Walton on De’Aaron Fox: “So much of the fourth-quarter games will come down to somebody just finding a way to get buckets. I thought De’Aaron did that at a very elite level tonight.” 2 hours ago – via Twitter JandersonSacBee Luke Walton, Uncategorized Luke Walton, De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings Sean Cunningham: “I’m glad to see we found our fight again” – Kings coach Luke Walton 2 hours ago – via Twitter SeanCunningham Luke Walton, Sacramento Kings Michael Singer: Michael Malone, on Campazzo’s role: “Unlike all the other teams he’s been with in Argentina, in Real Madrid, he’s not going to have the ball in his hands for 40 minutes a night. That’s just not the makeup of our team.” 2 hours ago – via Twitter msinger Coaching, Michael Malone, Uncategorized Coaching, Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets, Real Madrid Doncic had 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists to post the 29th triple-double of his career, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan to move into 15th on the league’s all-time list. However, Doncic blamed himself for the loss, suggesting that he got caught up with his statistics after a spectacular first half. “The second half, I played terrible,” Doncic said. “That’s on me, that game. I was being selfish a little bit because I had 30 points in the first half. That wasn’t me in the second half. I’ve got to do way better in the second half. That’s just on me. I’ve got to do way better.” 2 hours ago – via Tim MacMahon @ ESPN Statistics, Uncategorized Statistics, Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, Dallas Mavericks Doncic became only the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game and the youngest to do so. Oscar Robertson had five such performances. Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden each had one. “The stats are spectacular,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “I mean, 36, 16 and 15, it’s phenomenal, but without a win, he won’t be happy with it, either. Right now, we’re entering the most difficult seven days of scheduling in Mavericks history. Individual stats are impressive, but we’re in the business of trying to win games.” Rick Carlisle, Statistics, Wilt Chamberlain, Uncategorized Rick Carlisle, Statistics, Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden, Luka Doncic, Oscar Robertson, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks 💰 Salaries of players right now 💸 Salaries of players back in the day 💼 Ranking agents by wages 🏀 Depth charts today 📞 Daily transactions ⭐ Upcoming free agents 🏆 All NBA awards in history 🎮 NBA 2K ratings 🎓 Re-ordering draft classes 📺 TV ratings 🎙️ Listen to our podcast 📷 Follow us on Instagram Hot Storylines CJ McCollum Injury Game Postponements Jaren Jackson Jr Injury L2M Report Victor Oladipo Free Agency Anzejs Pasecniks Free Agency Team Payrolls Player Salaries 1. Golden State $174,422,319 2. Brooklyn $164,262,837 3. Philadelphia $145,911,794 4. LA Clippers $140,942,843 5. LA Lakers $138,685,077 6. Milwaukee $137,428,372 7. Orlando $136,284,183 8. New Orleans $133,139,275 9. Cleveland $133,131,867 10. Utah $133,061,913 View more team payrolls 1. Stephen Curry $43,006,362 2. Chris Paul $41,358,814 2. Russell Westbrook $41,358,814 4. James Harden $41,254,920 4. John Wall $41,254,920 6. LeBron James $39,219,566 7. Kevin Durant $39,058,950 8. Blake Griffin $36,810,996 9. Paul George $35,450,412 10. Klay Thompson $35,361,360 View more player salaries Business Check NBA salaries from back in the day DunkWire Five most likely candidates to sign with Nets after James Harden trade DunkWire Here is the projected rotation for the Nets after trading for James Harden DunkWire Here is the projected rotation for the Rockets after trading James Harden Business What the four-way James Harden trade means for each team	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line875
__label__cc	0.5676	0.4324	2,300 'research OR assistant OR STATECODE:"MA"' Jobs RESEARCH ASSISTANT, School of Dental Medicine, Department of Health Policy/Health Services Research RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGER, School of Public Health, Health Policy & Mgmt FELLOWSHIP IN HEALTH SERVICES AND IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School RESEARCH ASSISTANT, School of Public Health, Environmental Health Research Assistant - Cancer Center/Psychiatry Research Assistant II - Center for Outcomes and Policy Research Clinical Research Coordinator - Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention Postdoctoral Research Fellow Assistant Professor of Sociology, Economic Inequality, College of Arts & Sciences Research Scientist in Global Health Systems and Policy Research Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Research Manager I - Pediatric Outcomes Research Assistant/Associate/Full Professor - Robotics - Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Instructor/Assistant Professor - Physician Assistant Program, School of Medicine Director Feinstein International Center - Friedman School of Nutrition Assistant/Associate Professor Assistant/Associate/Full Professor - Electrical and Computer Engineering - Robotics Receptionist - Portland, ME	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line878
__label__cc	0.701568	0.298432	Joel Osteen: False Teacher Finally Exposed On August 30, 2017 August 30, 2017 By Geri UngureanIn Uncategorized Through the years I have written about false teachers and the “itching ear” crowd. Well, this past week in the midst of the devastation of Texas and its people by Hurricane Harvey, one of these so-called teachers showed the world his true colors. He will answer for this. Joel Osteen has never been a true pastor of the Gospel. He is a motivational speaker and the people who happily sit under his “Your best life now” speeches are deceived. But they really only have themselves to blame. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4: 3-4). If you are among those in Osteen’s congregation, and you are angry at this article; you should take this to heart. You should know that if you have never repented of your sin, and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin – you are NOT born again. You will NOT go to heaven when you die. To see how you can be born again, click this link: Joel Osteen and his beautiful wife live in a $10.5 million dollar home. Here is a picture of it: They live like royalty. NO ONE should get rich from sharing Christ. But even though Osteen’s congregation believes that he is sharing the Gospel; he is a business man who saw the opportunity to make millions of dollars from his “congregation.” Sharing in the Sufferings of Christ When Christians are beheaded in various places in this world, was that their best life now? When Christians are mocked and called all sorts of disparaging names – do you think that they are experiencing their best life now? When we come into the family of God through His Son, Jesus, we should expect to suffer for His namesake. This is not our home. We are hated by those who do not believe in God. I believe a time is coming when we will be imprisoned for our belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Osteen Gets Rich off his Congregation While people on fixed incomes give much of their money to the Osteens, Joel and Victoria live a life similar to a King and a Queen. Is this the Gospel of Jesus Christ? That’s a rhetorical question. By shutting down his “church” building, and not allowing victims of the monstrous storm to have shelter, food and water in his building; the Lord used this to show people what Joel Osteen is really about. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25: 31-46). For those who need proof that Osteen refused to open his doors: From nypost.com Joel Osteen Shuts Megachurch Amid Flooding Crisis Televangelist Joel Osteen canceled services at his Houston megachurch Sunday and has yet to reopen its doors — despite the fact that thousands of flooded-out residents are desperately seeking shelter. The perpetually smiling pastor told followers on Twitter on Monday to lean on their faith. “Jesus promises us peace that passes understanding,” he wrote. “That’s peace when it doesn’t make sense.” But Osteen’s comforting words didn’t sit well with critics, who want to know why the doors to his 16,800-seat arena at his Lakewood Church near downtown Houston are closed. “You have taken so much money away from your people to live like a king,” entertainment publicist Danny Deraney blasted. “It’s the least you could do.” Washington, DC-based writer Charles Clymer tweeted pictures of Lakewood Church, which did not appear to be damaged by floods. “It doesn’t make sense why you’re not opening up your mega church to house Houston citizens, help me understand that. Jesus,” according to Florida-based writer Emily Timbol. While the church and its arena have not suffered any flood damage yet, ministry spokesman Donald Iloff said their property is inaccessible because of surrounding waters. And it makes no sense to open church doors when the city and county are already treating thousands of flood victims at the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center, according to Iloff. “It has everything inside there — medicine, doctors, places to sleep,” Iloff said of the convention center. “It’s amazing what they’re doing there to make people comfortable.” – source Do not believe the story coming out of CNN, defending Osteen. Birds of a feather do flock together. I’ve heard it said “The truth will find you out.” The truth has exposed Joel Osteen, and it’s about time. Margaret Sanger: Eugenics MONSTER Who Hillary Greatly Admired Where Is Discernment In the Body of Christ? Most Responses to My Osteen Article Were HATEFUL 9 thoughts on “Joel Osteen: False Teacher Finally Exposed” Bibleguy317 Hi I agree with what you said Joel Osteen is a false teacher but what about when people say he didn’t want to open his church up too the Texas flood victims because maybe he did want people to wreck it. I ask you this: What would JESUS say about that? Jesus would tell Joel Osteen to let them in right? Please don’t get me wrong I’m not defending Joel osteen he’s a false teacher plain and simple. How can the blind lead the blind? Only God knows the heart of Joel Osteen. Only He knows whether Joel has gotten used to living the high life, and he feels trapped in a way. If Joel Osteen knows the way of Salvation, and yet does not share it with his people – he will answer to the Living God. Woe be to him……… The blind can’t lead the blind because they are the the only thing the blind do is lead the blind into hell am I right? Only Jesus can take the blinders off the blind so the blind can see The Truth because Jesus is The Truth. Got a question is Franklin Graham a false teacher doesn’t Now The End Begins news site say that. Doesn’t Franklin Graham support the Roman Catholic false system. Brian Lazewski (@BrianL_3) Now The End Begins is hardly a source of measure I would care to use. I use an ancient text message called the Bible. It’s a lot more reliable than any web page….. Concerning Osteen and Graham, let’s use the Bible as the measure: Osteen is by the measure of God’s word a False Teacher. Geri used 2 Timothy 4:3. I believe rightly concerning Osteen. Just look at his words and teaching and compare it to the Bible. Graham on the other hand seems well rooted in the Word. I think his remarks about the Catholic church were directed at moral issues not theology. The Catholic church IS pro-life (presently). So YES, I hope they remain unmovable. In regards to theology, now that’s another issue altogether. Like MOST “denominations” they are in gross error. As far as the attack on Osteen. I’m withholding judgement concerning his opening/not opening his church. It may be warranted justly, however when the NY Times starts an article on Osteens’s false teaching they quickly degrades into a bash Trump article.. Well…. Since when does the NY times care about proper Christian Theology? Hm? Matthew 7:15-20 (NASB) 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. What fruit has Osteen? What fruit has Franklin Graham? Use those questions and search the scriptures. I’m sure you’ll have two different answers concerning each. Truth2Freedom Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog. watchman73 Reblogged this on By the Blood of the Lamb.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line881
__label__cc	0.739505	0.260495	Today At The I-Desk Very busy day today at the I-Desk. We will bring you the latest on radical cleric Abu Hamza, who lost his last ditch appeal to avoid extradition to the United States. A high court in London ruled that Abu Hamza and four others could be extradited immediately to the U.S. to face terrorism charges. CNN’s Dan Rivers is in London and will bring us the latest live. Big news today came in the form of a very unexpectedly positive September unemployment reading in the U.S. This is certainly very welcome news for President Barack Obama, whose lackluster performance in his debate against Mitt Romney on Wednesday did him no favors. Not only did America’s jobless rate fall below 8% to 7.8% in September – its lowest level since January 2009 – but the number of jobs created in August and July was revised upward. I can imagine some administration officials are now breathing a big sigh of relief. Nick Paton Walsh will cover the latest from Syria and the spiraling violence in the suburbs of Damascus. There are reports rebels have shot down a fighter jet outside of Damascus. We’ll bring you the latest on that. That and all the big news stories of the hour as they develop, as always! See you on air, Posted by: Hala Gorani Filed under: Abu Hamza •Syria •Today At The I-Desk •U.S. Elections @sergio_curado October 5th, 2012 10:03 pm ET Great Show today, Hala. As always! Speculations: President Barack Obama should follow his own INTUITION, despite the results of the polls and analysis of the experts. Assuming both Obama and Romney have similar levels of competence and tenacity, the key to winning a debate – or a soccer match – is MOTIVATION. At this moment in the campaign, Obama should not change his tactics, timing and tone, and his breathing, unless HE HIMSELF deems necessary. I feel Obama has an extraordinary perception of what is going on around him during a debate, and most important, a deep – almost phenomenological – perception of his mind. Muthyavan. October 6th, 2012 1:25 pm ET Regarding job creations and jobless rate fall in USA. As leading electronic manufacturers in world including apple, Nokia and many others are getting their products assembled in China. So the china job rate increase also now mostly depends on the USA economy , and jobless rate decrease in USA. Beside these assembly jobs, today many direct marketing jobs and many electronic parts and software are originating from many parts of the world. Internationally if USA economy is booming it has an effect on the world economy too. Destruction of historic land marks and building in Syria indicates the present day civilized world is not ready yet to safeguard and preserve early days humans achievements. Same thing happened when war broke in Iraq ,even the historic museum in Baghdad was ransacked and most of the rare ancent collections were looted. It is the duty of the UNESCO and all the other world bodies to intervene in the Syrian conflict before it is too late to stop this merciless killings and destructions making Syria another world ruined nation. If sectarian fighting fightings between various divisions is allowed, democracy and people's freedom will be destroyed and peace might never come to syria. Jobs and politics as campaign enters homestretch War devastating Syria’s ancient sites	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line887
__label__cc	0.569282	0.430718	The Real Question Is What Took So Long Human Events Archive Stocks got downright ugly on Wednesday. So much so that going into the final half hour, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had plunged some 720 points, or more than 2.7%. What makes today’s sell-off more uncomfortable and potentially worrisome going forward is that it comes after more than a week of strong selling, and one that’s shaved off more than 4% of the Dow’s value over the past five trading sessions. Chart courtesy of stockcharts.com And it’s not just the Dow. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite are similarly lower, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ leading the charge into the red and down nearly 7% over the past week. And speaking of tech, that sector is down some 3.5% today, as the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) now has plunged precipitously below support at the short-term 50-day moving average. So, what’s the main culprit causing investors to de-risk in droves here? Well, the first cause is the one grabbing most of the financial news headlines, and it’s the sharp and sudden rise in Treasury bond yields. The yield on the benchmark 10-Year U.S. Treasury Bond now is at 3.22%, a level not seen in about seven years. Then we have a Federal Reserve that has stayed committed to raising interest rates. Recent comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, in which he said that the Fed could go “past neutral” and that he thought rates were “a long way from neutral at this point,” raised concerns that monetary policy would become too strict, and that this could be a chokepoint for the economy. Another reason for the market tumble was Monday’s earnings warning from bellwether chemical firm PPG Industries (PPG). The makers of specialty paints and coatings warned that earnings would be weaker in both Q3 and Q4. More importantly, the company cited every worry that keeps market analysts like me up at night, such as higher input costs and reduced international demand for its products weighing on its bottom line. Rising interest rates are one thing, but markets can handle that if the reason for rising rates is a stronger U.S. economy, strong jobs growth and a robust U.S. dollar. Yet if corporate earnings from industrial bellwethers are about to come in substantially softer than expectations, then that means that one of the key pillars that’s buttressed this rally for the past year and a half now is under threat. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll see the actual third-quarter numbers coming from many of Wall Street’s biggest names. If the collective corporate outlooks are timid, weaker than expected or just too cautious, then that will be a reason for more risk-off trading in this market. That means you should expect to see some of the froth come off the highest-valuation sectors, i.e., technology, semiconductors, biotech and other growth sectors. That also means we expect to see flight-to-safety sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and value stocks outperform. That’s largely the rotation we saw today, and if this continues, it will change the complexion that’s colored the 2018 market. Finally, I had a friend call me mid-morning (when the Dow was “only” down 500 points) and ask me why this sell-off was taking place. My answer was that the real question he should be asking was why it took so long for a pullback to finally occur. Markets don’t keep making record highs forever. I know it may seem like that if you suffer from recency bias in the 2018 market, but remember that volatility, fear and accelerated selling are all part of the normal ebb and flow of markets. Does it feel bad to be long stocks on a day like today? You better believe it does! I know I’ll be reaching for the Advil later today. Yet when my headache subsides, and the markets are closed, I’ll also be digging through the detritus, looking for great companies selling at a discount compared to where they were just a week ago today. I recommend you do the same. On days like today, wouldn’t it be nice to know you had a plan in place to tell you if it’s time to sell stocks? That’s what subscribers of to my Successful Investing advisory service have, and it’s why I think they’ll be sleeping a lot better tonight than investors who are just rolling the dice. To find out more, check out Successful Investing today! Life Lessons from a West Point Graduate Have you ever wanted to peek into the mind of a West Point graduate? Have you ever wanted the opportunity to converse with a prominent precious metals dealer about how he got to where he’s at, and what drives his success? In the latest episode of the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast, I accomplish both of these missions via my conversation with Rich Checkan, West Point graduate, former U.S. Army officer and President and COO of Asset Strategies International, which in my opinion is the best precious metals firm in the business today. Some of the topics we cover in this episode include: What kind of training enables a person to succeed with confidence? Does circumstance dictate reality? What is really within your control as a human being? How military training fuels both Rich’s and Jim’s ability to succeed. Rich’s unique path to his career, including a stint doing door-to-door sales. The roles of agility, malleability and adaptability in life. I loved my talk with Rich, as we share a worldview that has been molded by our military service, our love of success and the underlying Renaissance Man ethos that animates us both. If you’ve ever wanted to listen in as two men discover their common values, then this episode is for you. Finally, if you like the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast, I encourage you to subscribe to the show on iTunes. Doing so is free, and it will ensure you never miss the latest episodes. Watch My Interview on Unlock Your Wealth Today Last week, I was a guest for the entire episode of the outstanding and highly recommended internet TV show, Unlock Your Wealth Today. Hostess extraordinaire Heather Wagenhals asked me to help kickoff her newest season on the show, and I was both flattered and honored to do so. During the show, we discussed the markets in the third quarter, and I offer a few prognostications on what’s in store for the fourth quarter. We also reflect on my previous appearance on Unlock Your Wealth Today in July, where I expressed a bit of concern over, of all things, the high personal debt history of what was then Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Other topics of note discussed in this show are my thoughts on the tumult at Tesla Motors (TSLA) and Elon Musk’s ousting as chairman; the ongoing Facebook (FB) data breach issues and shareholder concerns; and the important role of concepts such as acceptance of reality and positive affirmations in life. Plus, find out why I chose to wear a t-shirt on a financial news TV appearance, and see why the message the shirt conveys can help save lives. If you’re in the mood to watch an entertaining, educational and lively discussion, check out the season two premiere of Unlock Your Wealth Today. Achievement Is a ‘Brees’ “You can accomplish anything in life if you are willing to work for it.” — Drew Brees On Monday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke the record for the most all-time NFL passing yards. It’s a remarkable achievement, especially for an athlete who experts say has relatively average physical skills and stature compared to other greats who’ve played the position. Perhaps one reason why Brees broke the record is the message he chose to deliver to his children immediately after throwing the record-breaking pass, which is today’s quote. Of course, hard work doesn’t guarantee you’ll reach the pinnacle of success the way Brees has. Good luck and fortuitous serendipity play a big role. But ask yourself this: What have you ever done in life of any significant value that hasn’t involved a good dose of very tough, very demanding work? I dare say the answer is not much. Kudos to Drew Brees for choosing to emphasize that message to his children, and to America, after such a remarkable achievement. Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim. Is the Stock Market Going to Crash? GOP Needs Update to Dems??? UFC Cage Match Rules Written By Human Events Archive Investing expert Jim Woods explains why the real question about the recent market downturn is not why it's happening, but why it hadn't already happened. Investing expert Jim Woods explains why the real question about the recent market downturn is not why it’s happening, but why it hadn’t already happened. What makes today???s sell-off more uncomfortable and potentially worrisome going forward is that it comes after more than a week of strong selling, and one that???s shaved off more than 4% of the Dow???s value over the past five trading sessions. And it???s not just the Dow. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite are similarly lower, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ leading the charge into the red and down nearly 7% over the past week. So, what???s the main culprit causing investors to de-risk in droves here? Well, the first cause is the one grabbing most of the financial news headlines, and it???s the sharp and sudden rise in Treasury bond yields. The yield on the benchmark 10-Year U.S. Treasury Bond now is at 3.22%, a level not seen in about seven years. Then we have a Federal Reserve that has stayed committed to raising interest rates. Recent comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, in which he said that the Fed could go ???past neutral??? and that he thought rates were ???a long way from neutral at this point,??? raised concerns that monetary policy would become too strict, and that this could be a chokepoint for the economy. Another reason for the market tumble was Monday???s earnings warning from bellwether chemical firm PPG Industries (PPG). The makers of specialty paints and coatings warned that earnings would be weaker in both Q3 and Q4. More importantly, the company cited every worry that keeps market analysts like me up at night, such as higher input costs and reduced international demand for its products weighing on its bottom line. Rising interest rates are one thing, but markets can handle that if the reason for rising rates is a stronger U.S. economy, strong jobs growth and a robust U.S. dollar. Yet if corporate earnings from industrial bellwethers are about to come in substantially softer than expectations, then that means that one of the key pillars that???s buttressed this rally for the past year and a half now is under threat. Over the next couple of weeks, we???ll see the actual third-quarter numbers coming from many of Wall Street???s biggest names. If the collective corporate outlooks are timid, weaker than expected or just too cautious, then that will be a reason for more risk-off trading in this market. That means you should expect to see some of the froth come off the highest-valuation sectors, i.e., technology, semiconductors, biotech and other growth sectors. That also means we expect to see flight-to-safety sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and value stocks outperform. That???s largely the rotation we saw today, and if this continues, it will change the complexion that???s colored the 2018 market. Finally, I had a friend call me mid-morning (when the Dow was ???only??? down 500 points) and ask me why this sell-off was taking place. Markets don???t keep making record highs forever. I know it may seem like that if you suffer from recency bias in the 2018 market, but remember that volatility, fear and accelerated selling are all part of the normal ebb and flow of markets. You better believe it does! I know I???ll be reaching for the Advil later today. Yet when my headache subsides, and the markets are closed, I???ll also be digging through the detritus, looking for great companies selling at a discount compared to where they were just a week ago today. On days like today, wouldn???t it be nice to know you had a plan in place to tell you if it???s time to sell stocks? That???s what subscribers of to my Successful Investing advisory service have, and it???s why I think they???ll be sleeping a lot better tonight than investors who are just rolling the dice. To find out more, check out Successful Investing today! Have you ever wanted the opportunity to converse with a prominent precious metals dealer about how he got to where he???s at, and what drives his success? How military training fuels both Rich???s and Jim???s ability to succeed. Rich???s unique path to his career, including a stint doing door-to-door sales. I loved my talk with Rich, as we share a worldview that has been molded by our military service, our love of success and the underlying Renaissance Man ethos that animates us both. If you???ve ever wanted to listen in as two men discover their common values, then this episode is for you. During the show, we discussed the markets in the third quarter, and I offer a few prognostications on what???s in store for the fourth quarter. Other topics of note discussed in this show are my thoughts on the tumult at Tesla Motors (TSLA) and Elon Musk???s ousting as chairman; the ongoing Facebook (FB) data breach issues and shareholder concerns; and the important role of concepts such as acceptance of reality and positive affirmations in life. If you???re in the mood to watch an entertaining, educational and lively discussion, check out the season two premiere of Unlock Your Wealth Today. Achievement Is a ???Brees??? ???You can accomplish anything in life if you are willing to work for it.??? On Monday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke the record for the most all-time NFL passing yards. It???s a remarkable achievement, especially for an athlete who experts say has relatively average physical skills and stature compared to other greats who???ve played the position. Perhaps one reason why Brees broke the record is the message he chose to deliver to his children immediately after throwing the record-breaking pass, which is today???s quote. Of course, hard work doesn???t guarantee you???ll reach the pinnacle of success the way Brees has. Good luck and fortuitous serendipity play a big role. But ask yourself this: What have you ever done in life of any significant value that hasn???t involved a good dose of very tough, very demanding work? I dare say the answer is not much. Kudos to Drew Brees for choosing to emphasize that message to his children, and to America, after such a remarkable achievement. Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote you???d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim. Written By Jim Woods Jim Woods is a freelance financial journalist specializing in the markets and the economy. He champions the cause of liberty from a secured location deep inside the Golden State.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line894
__label__cc	0.530196	0.469804	18.10.2018 Author: Catherine Shakdam Saudi Arabia’s Great Tumbling Down – The Boy Who Wanted to be King is No More Column: Politics Where has Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gone? Since mainstream media broke news of the disappearance and alleged death of Jamal Khashoggi, MBS has gotten a little camera shy … and somewhat politically withdrawn. Whatever did happen to our buoyant reformer, who, from the platforms of his friendships so openly spoke wars and violent retributions to those who dared opposed his ‘vision’? By vision of course I speak of MBS’s ambition to play Nero to a tamed Middle East while his name would suffer no contention on the international scene. Once feted as a great reformer, or as the Independent put it this February: “Saudi Arabia’s great young reformer”, MBS no longer sits a favourite of the ‘ruling class’ on account of the sins he committed against that very elite. It would be the disappearance and suspected murder of one prominent journalist and retired intelligence officer: Jamal Khashoggi, that broke the proverbial camel’s back … not the many grave human rights violations, not the aberration of a doctrine advocating bloodshed, not the engineered famine of Yemen, not the wanton massacre of civilians in Yemen, and certainly not the countless infringements on other nations’ sovereignty. I would say that the world’s outrage over Khashoggi’s death betrays Western society moral relativism, and most importantly the irrationality of its self-righteous anger. Outrage today is a trend underpinned mostly by status than principles. While the murder of children warrants but a few whispers of opposition, one missing prominent journalist will force governments to face off even the most powerful of lobbies – even if it means endangering the war industry. As we have seen transpired over the past few days, Saudi Arabia’s link to the West is dependent on its ability to sustain America’s war complex, and to grace PR firms and lobbyists with millions of dollars worth of hush money. As Tom Freeman writes in TomDispatch: “In 2016, according to FARA records, they [Saudi Arabia] reported spending just under $10 million on lobbying firms; in 2017, that number had nearly tripled to $27.3 million. And that’s just a baseline figure for a far larger operation to buy influence in Washington, since it doesn’t include considerable sums given to elite universities or think tanks like the Arab Gulf States Institute, the Middle East Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (to mention just a few of them).” And: “This meteoric rise in spending allowed the Saudis to dramatically increase the number of lobbyists representing their interests on both sides of the aisle .. Lobbyists and publicists are using the deep pockets of the Saudi royals to spread their propaganda.” Saudi Arabia’s gravest sin as yet was to target he, who the elite holds untouchable by virtue of his social status – a grand genocide and the normalisation of Terror as a valid system of governance hold little sway in the great scheme of it all … such is the depth of our collective amoralism. However Saudi Arabia’s reckoning came about, many will find comfort in the fact that anger is rising up against the Kingdom, and more particularly MBS. If noone is … as yet anyway, speaking regime change in the land of Al Saud, we are definitely witnessing a fall of dominos leading towards a change of the guard. Silence on the Crown Prince’s abuses was broken and adjectives flying out of the mouth of journalists. Rula Jebreal, an award-winning journalist told Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hassan on October 13th, that she believed Mohammed bin Salman to be much worse that Muammar Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein combined, in terms of his brand of authoritarianism. “This is Gaddafi on steroids. This is worse than Gaddafi because he [MBS] has billions of dollars to spend on the US, on PR, o lobbying, on buying consensus. This is where the danger lies,” she stressed. Not even CNN could help but jump on the ‘critic’ train … also somewhat muted in comparison to other media. It writes: “The Khashoggi drama is only the latest incident that has given international observers reason to question the stability of the Crown Prince — whose credentials as a reformer were initially applauded overseas and for some time obscured his growing brutality.” MBS is sitting on quick sand! If recent moves by other princes and officials in Riyadh to push their counsel onto the King so that Saudi Arabia, as an entity, would survive the storm, are anything to go by, the Crown Prince is living his last days of absolute power. As CNN puts it: “No one is indispensable in the Royal Court.” In hindsight MBS may wish he had played a softer hand against his family members last October when he decided against both logic and reason to shakedown royals for their billions on allegations of corruption. And though it may be so that they were guilty, few will forget the means exerted to extract the aforementioned billions. By raising a hand against his own, MBS may have precipitated his fate … I doubt many will cry his early retirement. In the face of such controversy, MBS retains one potential ally: US President Donald Trump. “As America’s elite abandons a reckless Saudi prince, will Trump join them?” asks The New Yorker’s Robin Wright. “Trump has long had close business ties with the Saudis, beginning in the nineteen-nineties,” she notes. Should Trump yields to public pressure, or should he be forced to acknowledge MBS’s guilt should Turkey decides to release the footage it claims to hold we may see yet a great realignment of geopolitics and financial interests. As it were America will have to admit to the nature of Saudi Arabia’s inner sanctum … too much of it was already laid bare. From Turki Aldakil’s [Head of Al Arabiya] threat that the Kingdom will shift its loyalty towards Iran and Hezbollah out of spite for western capitals, to semi-veiled threats by officials that the Western world would collapse under an oil prices spike, Saudi Arabia’s image is taking a beating. Proof as they say is in the pudding … “MBS played Kushner, Trump and his other American acolytes for suckers,” writes the Times’s Nicholas Kristof. “It’s a disgrace that Trump administration officials and American business tycoons enabled and applauded MBS as he imprisoned business executives, kidnapped Lebanon’s prime minister, rashly created a crisis with Qatar, and went to war in Yemen.” Whichever the balance will tip, MBS is unlikely to survive the storm and Saudi Arabia will find itself weakened and exposed for the autocratic abomination that it currently is. Catherine Shakdam is a research fellow at the Al Bayan Centre for Planning & Studies and a political analyst specializing in radical movements. She is the author of A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud. She writes exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”. Also on this topic Iraqi People are Forcing Washington to Withdraw its Troops What Did More Damage to the World: COVID-19 or Trump? Information War Dethrones US President UK’s Renewed Focus on Children The ‘European Challenge’ for the Biden Administration India: Tractors at the Republic Day Parade? Iran: What Awaits the Country and the Region this Year?	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line899
__label__wiki	0.511984	0.511984	/ JOY Eurovision / Posts tagged 'FYR Macedonia' Tag: FYR Macedonia Eurovision 2019: Previewing the second half of Semi Final 2 May 11, 2019 — JOYEurovision: The Show, Music, Society & Culture — It’s starting to get crowded in Tel Aviv, and Michael finally found a quieter place with good wifi. Once again joined in Melbourne by Io and John from In the Studio, the team preview the second […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/joyeurovision/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2019/05/2019-05-11-JOYEurovision-128.mp3 Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts \| Google Podcasts \| Spotify \| RSS Previewing Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Part 2 November 24, 2018 — Junior Eurovision, Music, Podcasts, Society & Culture — Michael, Liam and Io continue to love the kids’ work in this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The babblePOP! team preview the final ten entries ahead of the big show. Who gets the team’s top […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/babblepop/wp-content/uploads/sites/261/2018/11/2018-11-24-babblePOP-128.mp3 It’s a Euroclub party for the 2018 season finale! It’s a wrap for this year’s JOYEurovision season, and what better way to celebrate than throwing a Euroclub party? Michael, Liam and Io queued up with their accreditation badges to enter an hour of club […] FYR Macedonia: I found Eye Cue May 6, 2018 — Interviews, Music, Society & Culture — FYR Macedonia found a duo to take to Lisbon this year. Bojan and Marija are Eye Cue and they’ve taken a story about being lost to their Eurovision song. They talked about what they’ve lost, […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/joyeurovision/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2018/05/PC-2018-JOYEurovision-MAC.mp3 April 21, 2018 — JOYEurovision: The Show, Music, Society & Culture — After getting through the first half of the first Eurovision semi final last week, it’s only fair that the second half also got a go. Michael, Liam, Mark and Io gathered together to preview the […] Previewing Junior Eurovision 2017 (Part 1) November 20, 2017 — Junior Eurovision, Music, Society & Culture — Michael’s taken over babblePOP! to preview eight of the sixteen songs heading to Georgia for this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. He’s impressed. He’s unsure about Albania’s tree though. If you’re just as impressed, make […] 2017-01: #JOYEurovision is back! January 17, 2017 — National Finals, Podcasts, Society & Culture — It’s been a little while but you can celebrate: Eurovision is back! Keep up to date with everything JOYEurovision and share your own thoughts on social media: / JOY949ESC @JOY_Eurovision @JOY_Eurovision The News The UK decides […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/joyeurovision/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2017/01/JOYESC-PC-20160116-128.mp3 Waiting for Heartbeats: Eurovision 2016 Semi 2, First Half Preview It was a full house as the JOYEurovision crew checked out the first half of Eurovision Semi Final 2. Michael, Mark, Brett and Brett pondered the depth of the entries that will be coming your […] 2015-16 #5: Comings and Goings December 7, 2015 — Music, News, Podcasts, Society & Culture — The Junior Eurovision Song Contest may have finished, but that means the adults get into gear. And it’s been a crazy couple of weeks since the last update! Hold on to your seats. Keep up […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/joyeurovision/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2015/12/PC_JOYESC_20151207-128.mp3 Junior Eurovision 2015: Preview #2 November 17, 2015 — Junior Eurovision, Music, News, Society & Culture — Liam joined JOYEurovision‘s Michael to preview four more songs that are on their way to Sofia. Claws were sharpened for this one… What do you think of the songs? Share your thoughts on social media: […] http://media.blubrry.com/joy_eurovision/p/joy.org.au/joyeurovision/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2015/11/PC_JESC_2015-2-128.mp3 JOY Eurovision Follow @joy_eurovision Copyright © 2021 JOY Eurovision. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line901
__label__wiki	0.604385	0.604385	PumpSelector Internet + Software Books + Papers Contracts + Case Stories Corporate News - Persons Zack Hoyle Joins TurboTides as Application Engineer TurboTides, Inc., provider of state-of-the-art turbomachinery design technology, announces that Zack Hoyle has joined the company as an application engineer. Zack Hoyle (Image source: TurboTides, Inc.) Hoyle will be responsible for all pre-sales technical activities including demonstrations, training and material oversite. He also will be instrumental in the testing and validation of software systems to ensure optimal application operation. Hoyle’s new role as application engineer was effective January 15, 2020. He reports directly to TurboTides Vice President of Global Sales, Scott Hanratty. TurboTides is the newest and most advanced, fully integrated design system for turbomachinery, including pumps, compressors, turbines (gas and steam), turbochargers and fans/blowers. “We are glad to have Zack join our team to help provide our customers with the highest level of development and technical support services,” said Hanratty. “Not only will he be a key member for our team’s success in software sales, but he also will be instrumental in providing design engineering services to our clients in the Americas and Europe." Prior to joining TurboTides, Hoyle was CEO and lead engineer of Black Pine Engineering, a startup he founded in 2014 where he applied expert turbomachinery simulation and analysis using ANSYS CFX and led a team of four turbomachinery engineers. He also was a manufacturing engineer at Moebius Precision Medical & Aerospace. “I look forward to being part of the TurboTides team,” said Hoyle. “TurboTides offers unparalleled capabilities with a modern and seamless system workflow, as well as powerful robustness to streamline and automate design processes and I look forward to applying my experience in optimizing customer implementations while developing the next generation of the software.” Hoyle earned a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering at Michigan State University. Among his many honors, he was featured in the Forbes article, “Meet 15 of the Brightest College Entrepreneurs and Their Innovative Start-ups,” in January 2016, and he was awarded the Michigan Collegiate Innovation Prize by the University of Michigan Energy Institute as well as the Department of Energy Clean Energy Prize by the Clean Energy Trust, both in 2014. Source: TurboTides Inc. More articles on this topic SEEPEX Transforms Sales Organization SEEPEX is excited to announce a transformation to their sales organization. Fire Water Technology 4.0: Water Tanks Go Digital One of the most important measures of preventive fire protection is the provision of extinguishing agents in sufficient quantities. Direct Sales and Support for Bredel Heavy Duty Hose Pumps in Europe Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group will provide direct sales, support and service of its Bredel range of heavy duty hose pumps in all regions from 1st of January 2021. Acquisitions + Mergers - Corporate News Ebara Corporation Announces Acquisition of Turkish Pump Manufacturer EBARA CORPORATION has signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Çiğli Su Teknolojileri A.Ş., the parent company of Vansan Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., a Turkish pump manufacturer, and Vansan Makina Montaj ve Pazarlama A.Ş. (Vansan), with current shareholders. Corporate News - Locations Flender Opens State-of-the-Art Testing and Workshop Facility in Australia Flender has opened its new state-of-the-art testing and workshop facility at the Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate in the Perth suburb of Bayswater. New 3D BIM Library for Wastewater and Sewage Pumping Systems Pump Technology Ltd., based in Berkshire, UK, have developed in cooperation with CADENAS the comprehensive 3D BIM library of wastewater pumping systems (incorporating Jung Pumpen pumps) to compliment the recently launched Jung Pumpen 3D BIM library for the Compli sewage lifting station range. Directly to the product selection in First CCI Tokyo Grand Prize for Woman Engineers Papantonatos Launches New Vortex Pump Models New Overhead Mounted Agitator Drive for High Temperatures and Pressures PulsaPro Hydraulically Actuated Diaphragm Metering Pumps Certified by WQA Software Developer Web Applications (m/f/d) VSX – VOGEL SOFTWARE GmbH The latest news from the world of pumps impeller.net is a service of VSX - VOGEL SOFTWARE GmbH Advertising possibilities Copyright © 2020 VSX - VOGEL SOFTWARE GmbH We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.ACCEPTDENYPrivacy policy	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line908
__label__wiki	0.756577	0.756577	Conventions, San Diego Comic Con, Toy Korner, Toy News How To Get NECA’s Comic Con Exclusives If You’re Not In San Diego Desperately want NECA’s awesome Comic Con exclusives, but not attending? The toymakers reveal how you can score their 2013 SDCC stuff as non-attendees. Look, I love Comic Con as much as the next geek, but you can’t always get to the convention. More and more, companies are realizing this and making a small stock of their exclusives available for non-attendees of the show. NECA has done it on and off in the past, working with sites like Amazon and Toys R Us… but for 2013 they’re doing it themselves. The company just launched a new site called NECAClub.com, and will sell a small, non attendee stock of their amazing exclusives starting July 17th. You can sign up for their newsletter right now, so you’ll be ready to hit the ground running when the exclusives go on sale next week. This is a great movie for NECA, and it seems like the ideal site to release future hard to find and exclusive items. Below are more details on NECA Club, as well as a new look at their 2013 Comic Con exclusive lineup: NECA ANNOUNCES SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2013 EXCLUSIVES LINE-UP New Limited-Edition Exclusives Spanning Various IP Hillside, NJ – July 11, 2013 – National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) today announced the San Diego Comic-Con International 2013 exclusive merchandise line-up, available directly at the show with limited quantities available online July 17-21. Four limited-quantity convention exclusives, created just for the event, have been revealed and include: KICK-ASS 2 “Betsy Ross” Axe Handle Prop Replica – Modeled directly on the prop used by Colonel Stars & Stripes in the upcoming film, KICK-ASS 2. The exclusive will be available for $50, while supplies last. KICK-ASS 2 Series 1 Action Figures – The Series 1 Action Figure set includes Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and villainous The Motherf*cker with exclusive, uncensored packaging. The set will be available for $75, while supplies last. Albino PREDATOR Action Figure – As seen in the classic fan film “Dead End,” the 7″ Albino Predator features more than 25 points of articulation, including ball-jointed hips and double knee joints. Complete with exclusive albino paint and tribal deco, the Albino Predator will be available for $25, while supplies last. FRIDAY THE 13TH Video Game Jason Voorhees Figure – Based on the 1989 video game, the 7″ Video Game Jason Voorhees is complete with glowing hands, feet, mask and weapons. Comes in special game-style packaging and will be available for $25, while supplies last. Fans who are unable to make it to the show can visit NECAClub.com, where a very limited quantity of show exclusives will be made available at various times daily throughout the show, July 17-21. European fans can obtain the exclusives at Loudclothing.com. Additionally, WizKids Games has also revealed two limited-edition 2013 HeroClix convention exclusives: Marvel HeroClix 2013 Convention Figure: Shuma Gorath – Born from nightmares, Shuma Gorath is one of the greatest terrors of the Marvel Universe. Standing nearly 8″ tall, the exclusive Shuma Gorath HeroClix piece also features an articulated eye! Shuma Gorath will be available for $50, while supplies last. DC HeroClix 2013 Convention Figures: The Trinity of Sin – Tying directly into DC Comics’ summer crossover event, The Trinity War, the Trinity of Sin HeroClix team base features three iconic characters: the mysterious Pandora, the Phantom Stranger, and The Question! These exclusive HeroClix figures can be played individually or all together on their team base for even greater effect. The Trinity of Sin will be available for $25, while supplies last. More information on the exclusives can be found here. Visit NECA at booth #3145. About NECA National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc. is a media and entertainment company operating in the United States and internationally, with three segments: Consumer Products, Filmed Entertainment and Online Retail/Digital Distribution. NECA is the leading designer, marketer, and worldwide distributor of licensed entertainment consumer goods based on some of the world’s most established and beloved properties, providing products across all consumer categories and distribution channels. Together, NECA’s divisions provide a comprehensive, end-to-end solution to elevate each property, maximizing exposure and reach, while protecting the vision of the creator. As a result of NECA’s singular passion and reverence for the intellectual property backing its products, some of this generation’s most recognized content creators enjoy working with NECA, allowing us to help bring their vision to their audience. For additional information, visit www.necaonline.com. G.I. Joe Club Subscription Kicks Off With Two Ninjas The GI Joe Club has officially launched their Subscription Service! The figures in this set will be shipping two per month for the next six months, and the first two new recruits are a pair of ninjas– Jinx and Cobra ninja Dice. The Vulture Takes To The Sky To Battle Spider-man Walmart kicks off the Summer of Spider-man with an Ultimate Marvel Legends 2-pack. Ultimate Spider-man takes on the Vulture continuing to build the Ultimate villain roster.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line932
__label__wiki	0.625977	0.625977	The Ninja Turtles Are Ready For Dimension X By bill - November 4, 2015 Playmates’ latest TMNT action figures bring the Heroes on the Half Shell to a new dimension. The new season of Nickelodeon’s hit animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will introduce Dimension X to the new Turtles-verse, as our heroes meet new friends and foes in the otherworldly new dimension. Playmates Toys is getting behind the new sci-fi spin of the show in a big way, with an all new theme for their awesome action figure line, which is kicking off with new Dimension X-ready toys of the reptilian brothers, as well as their robotic ally Fugitoid, and new foes such as Mozar and Lord Dregg (the latter two of whom are Wal-Mart exclusive action figures). We’ll be looking at the new bad guys very soon, but in the meantime, let’s check out the new Turtles and Fugitoid. When traversing this new dimension, it’s good to have some protection, and the Dimension X Turtles are fully geared up and ready for the adventure. Each Turtle features removable space armor, complete with a hinged dome helmet, shoulder pads, a color-coded utility belt, and arm and leg armor. The armor has a neat design, with just the right amount of detail to offer a Jack Kirby-esque technological design that’s very comic book-y and fun. The pearlescent gear is uniform across all four Turtles, and the overall shapes and layout of the armor is similar but not identical between all four figures. This makes each Turtle visually distinct, yet uniform when they’re all together in their space gear. As if the armor weren’t enough, the Turtles’ weapons also get a sci-fi upgrade for their new adventure. Each Turtle’s new weapons are made of color-coordinated translucent plastic, and take the basic concept of the brother’s classic weapon, but with a robotic, technological twist. Leonardo’s twin katana are the most familiar, while Raphael’s sai get a sleek new revamp. Donatello’s bo staff gets an energy bulb on one end, while Michelangelo trades in his nunchucks for some cool bladed tonfas. Joining the Turtles on their trek to Dimension X is the Fugitoid, the cybernetic scientist who has appeared in virtually all iterations of the TMNT mythos. Professor Zayton Honeycutt’s modern design is very familiar to his classic look, with a circular head with spherical black eyes and spindly arms and legs. He makes for a really cool figure, and his design allows for lots of useful articulation– Fugitoid gets a swivel neck, ball shoulders and hips, and swivels at the forearms and shins. Fugitoid’s design is mostly the same pearlescent white as the Turtles’ space gear, with gold and black accents. This ties him nicely to the space-faring team, and leaves him with an appropriately sleek, robotic finish. It’s fun to see Playmates launch a core theme to their latest wave of TMNT figures, and the Dimension X tie-in seems like a perfect format considering the TV show’s ongoing story arc. The space gear Turtles look interesting, and their design feels more organically tied to the Ninja Turtles’ universe than some of the past, sillier Turtle variants we’ve seen. My one complaint is that the Dimension X Turtles use the Storage Shell figures as their base, and while their shells can’t open due to the non-removable utility belts, the hinge that holds the shell in place gets in the way of each figure’s right arm, greatly limiting the figures’ poseability. Overall, the Dimension X TMNT figures are very cool additions to this great toy line. I love the concept of tying the current TV show’s theme more closely into the toy line, and as a long-time TMNT geek, I’m stoked to see Dimension X finally included in this new telling of the Turtles’ story. The Dimension X collection is just starting to hit retail right now… The Turtles and Fugitoid are available everywhere, while Target is offering a pretty cool box set of all five with an alternate chrome-plated color design. Some of Dimension X’s most dangerous villains, Lord Dregg and Mozar, the Triceraton Commander, are also hitting retail now, only at Wal-Mart. Keep an eye out to add them to your collection, and check back soon for our spotlight on the big bad guys of Dimension X. Thanks to Playmates Toys for giving us the opportunity to review these awesome TMNT action figures! Review: Game Of Thrones Legacy Collection Daenerys (Mother of Dragons) Khaleesi makes a welcome return to Funko’s Game of Thrones Legacy Collection. Catwoman ‘Returns’ to the DC Multiverse Mattel captures Michelle Pfeiffer’s villainess in plastic for the latest wave of DC Multiverse action figures.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line933
__label__cc	0.692565	0.307435	Katie Bachelder Fantasy should be more than just white-knighted heroes going on adventures. A Mole Named Talpa (Celebrating 100 Followers) Posted on September 11, 2020 September 10, 2020 by Katie Bachelder Hello, everyone! I am so excited to announce that our little corner of the internet has grown to include 100 followers. That may not seem like much to some, but it was only recently that I started to get more active on my blog, and I’m happy to see that it’s paid off, that the content I’m putting out has made so many of you excited enough for new content that you wanted to join our small community. To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to share a short story with you. It’s been one that I’ve wanted to write for some time now. It takes place in the same world that my current work in progress takes place in, and I wanted to use it to explore the magic system through a different set of eyes. The following short story is the result. If you like the story and you’re interested in the world, my high-tier patrons, among other things, do get behind-the-scenes bookish content like this. Already, there’s another short story published there about the other part of the magic system that one can find in my WiP. I’m quite proud of it 🙂 Here’s the link for our patreon. But, without any further ado, the story of… The mole’s real name was not, of course, Talpa, as moles do not have a sense of identity the same way a human might. They have their senses of smell, of course, but that will not help the reader, so Talpa it is. Talpa and his five siblings were all rather large, as far as moles go, and it had taken everything out of their mother, the poor thing, to keep them fed. And so it came to pass that, while ruffling about towards the surface to look for food, a coyote unearthed their mother and swallowed her whole. It is unfortunate, but do not fear; this is not her story. It is Talpa’s. The young siblings did the animal equivalent of arguing with each other about the next appropriate course of action. They spent a considerable amount of time squeaking and shuffling, expecting their mother to hear their distress and hurry on over to help them. Talpa, as the first to begin to suspect that they were now on their own, was the first to fall silent, waiting for his siblings to come to the same conclusion. He was hungry, but not starving, and it had not yet crossed his mind that the only way they would get food now was if they went and searched for it themselves. Of course, that brought another round of arguments. They were safe in their little den beneath the ground, and with Talpa leading the charge, they had even made a few renovations to fit their growing bodies. It was an architectural marvel, as far as mole dens go. The roof only collapsed in two places, and they were able to fix it within the hour. A few worms fell through, and that, they quickly learned, meant dinner. But there is only so long one can live in a mole network with one’s mole siblings before one feels the need to find a new place to live. In this, Talpa was not the first, but only on a technicality. He had found himself adding to a small store of food, his worms properly paralyzed and waiting to be consumed, and he did not want to leave them for the others. With them eaten, Talpa finally said his farewells to his remaining siblings and braved the surface. It was a long climb, at least for him. They had expanded their tunnels, but stuck to their own little corners, and Talpa was very much out of shape. In truth, he did not even know such a place existed where there was no dirt and worms. It sounded terrifying. Yet instinct drove him up, and for the first time, Talpa felt the warmth of the sun on his velvety fur. He thought perhaps he was dying. But, no, this did not seem like death. It hurt his tiny eyes, but his nose was crazed by the new smells. He shuffled through the tall grasses for quite some time, preoccupied with the important question of what was Food and what wasn’t, before he realized that there was something different… something new. While everything else seemed so vibrant and strange, something now felt muffled and subdued. The soil did not tremble in its loud and familiar way. It did not move for him the way he was used to. Talpa continued to wander, something tugging at his tiny little heart, a soft pulsing. When something slithered in the grass nearby, he squeaked in terror, but the earth pitched beneath his six-fingered paws and the grass rippled violently away from him. The slithering quickly faded away as the snake accepted Talpa was not worth the effort to kill. He dug a smallish hole for the night, intending to build upon it as his new home. He expected to be happy at the silence that it brought him. But, when Talpa woke, he found himself clawing back to the surface. This was how Talpa travelled for several days, hoping against hope that one of these dens would finally give him the happiness he desired. Yet every morning, without fail, no matter how tasty the worms or how pleasantly the earth hummed under his paws, he inevitably would find himself heading to the surface come morning. As the sun began to set on the eighth day of travel for Talpa, he sensed that he was nearing the end of his journey. It didn’t feel any different, except that he found he could not bring himself to stop for the night. And so it was that, waddling through the towering grasses, he heard a sharp owl’s cry. Panicked, he let the earth rumble around him. He saw the shadows of dirt fly upward, seeking out a kill like the owl’s very own talons, an irony not lost on the predator. Talpa scrambled as fast as he could, and the earth aided him, but even so his place was underground and he was more than out of his element. The bird, enraged, swung back around with a piercing shriek, and called to the wind around him. For he, unlike Talpa’s mother or the snake, had been born with the thrum of nature’s power under his wings. And he, like Talpa’s siblings, had not been given the call the way Talpa had. And so it was that the bird, dodging Talpa’s attack, whirled around and sought the mole out with keen, vengeful eyes. The grass rustled, making way for a great, silver tree. The bird flapped his mighty wings, aided by the wind that had answered him, and dove for his prey. Talpa felt the wind kiss his velvety skin. As the owl’s talons reached for him, he tumbled and fell. The earth shifted beneath his tiny paws, sending him down, down, down even as the root-clumped soil flew. It blocked off the sun, and once more, Talpa was where he belonged: underground. Yet he did not stop. He thought perhaps the bird could claw its way through. He did not know that the owl had not been able to dodge his blast, and that he now lay, unmoving, on the shredded earth. He moved so fast underground he was practically swimming, for the dirt sensed his fear and obliged his hungry paws. The tunnel was straight and true. Talpa’s claws scraped against something hard and unforgiving. His heart pounded and his body thrummed, but he realized it was not all from fear. He had found what his heart had bid him seek. Talpa scratched at the silvery root, but his paw went through it instead. He felt a cold wind on his disappeared paw. But nothing could stop him now. He shuffled his other paw through, sniffing as the root swallowed the rest of his body, welcoming him to the home he did not realize he’d never had. Talpa’s little mole eyes were not equipped to marvel at the beauty of this strange place. It was not underground, or aboveground. It was in a space that could only be described as Other. He knew that it was so devoid of scent that all he smelled was the dirt clinging to his own fur. He knew that it had no sound, not even the singing of the wind he thought he had felt earlier. There was no dirt under his paws, but although he could see that he stood on a path made of silver, he did not know that his path was made of great roots that crossed over one another, leading this way and that, endlessly. This place felt right, like the feeling of a full stomach, or of rich earth giving way beneath his paws. But still, the call. It was not here he was meant to stay, for there were no worms, no dirt, just whatever it was that made his blood sing. He did not know what directed his path, only that he continued to waddle down one stretch of silvery root before turning onto another. There was something at the other end of this. He would know it when he saw it. A great silvery wall loomed above him,but Talpa did not hesitate. He knew it was not real, not in the sense that dirt was real or wind was real. He stepped through the wall, overwhelmed by the sudden resurgence of scent and sound. It was loud, here. The ground thundered, and it was not because of Talpa. Shadows passed over him. Giants loomed. The dirt was so tamped down that it could have served as a roof though it was under his paws. It did not respond so quickly to him, though he shifted the dirt more in those few minutes scampering through that smelly warren than he had in those days travelling away from his home. But that wasn’t his home. Whatever he found at the end of this journey, he knew instinctively, would be where he spent the rest of his life. He did not know that what he sought was not a where or a what, but a who. At least, not until he stopped in the middle of a patch of grass as another shadow thundered close, and the shape (and scent) of a young boy appeared before him. His name was Boreil Edvjorni. Talpa stood at the edge of the boy’s vegetable patch. Moles, of course, are terrible for gardens, tearing up the roots and making the ground unstable. The boy knew this, but when he looked at Talpa, it was not just the mole’s yearning that finally settled. The boy scooped up Talpa gently. A sense similar to being doused with icy water fell across Talpa’s velvety fur. The earth pulsed, though his feet did not touch it. The wind pulsed. The heat of the sun. The dampness of the air. He could feel it all. The boy could, too. Talpa had no such words for the feeling, but young Boreil had heard stories of such things. They were bonded, Talpa and he. Talpa was a soulbeast. For some years in the future, as he grew into a man, Boreal would wish he’d been given something fierce, like a wolf or a bear or a hawk, but later he would find himself feeling as he did now: loving and cherishing this small creature that had stumbled onto his vegetable patch. And Talpa looked at his new human and found he was not so afraid of the loud, bumbling creatures, for Boreil Edvjorni was his sjarvisk, and such magic could they do together. Posted in UncategorizedTagged animal magic, elemental magic, Fantasy, magic, magic systems, Short Story Setting Study: Bayern from The Goose Girl Sidestepping Monarchy (WoT Setting Study part 1) Patching Up Jane, Unlimited January 15, 2021 Rapid Book Reviews (Legendborn, Fool Moon, A Phoenix First Must Burn) January 8, 2021 End of the Year Reading Wrap-Up (2020) January 1, 2021 Archived Posts, Etc. Archived Posts, Etc. Select Category Blog-Tag posts (4) For Fun :) (18) For Writers: Builder’s Theory (38) On Stories and Ethics (8) Reading Reflections (62) Shower Thoughts (10) The Matriarch (13) Uncategorized (43) View @katie_bachelder’s profile on Twitter View katiebachelder’s profile on Pinterest	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line934
__label__cc	0.687352	0.312648	Stock indices and averages A woman walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong Kong Stock Exchange Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. Shares fell Monday across most of Asia following a retreat on Wall Street, but benchmarks in Hong Kong and Shanghai rose after data showed the Chinese economy grew a solid 2.3% in 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Shares fell Monday across most of Asia following a retreat on Wall Street, but benchmarks in Hong Kong and Shanghai rose after data showed the Chinese economy grew a solid 2.3% in 2020. The stronger than expected performance for the world's second-largest economy helped counter growing wariness... FILE - In this Nov. 23, 2020 file photo, stone sculptures adorn the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks are pulling lower again on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, after reports showed the pandemic is deepening the hole for the economy, as Washington prepares to throw it another lifeline. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Stocks fall as economy's pain deepens, post a weekly loss NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Friday, posting their first weekly loss after two weeks of solid gains. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%, with stocks of companies that most need a healthier economy taking some of the sharpest losses. The declines came as more reports showed how the... FILE - This Monday, Nov. 23, 2020 file photo shows the New York Stock Exchange, right, in New York. U.S. stocks are ticking higher Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, despite a dismal report on the number of layoffs sweeping the country. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Late drop in Big Tech stocks pulls indexes mostly lower A late slide in several Big Tech stocks left major indexes lower on Wall Street, even as small-company stocks marched to another record high. The S&P 500 turned lower in the last hour of trading to wind up with a loss of 0.4% Thursday. The benchmark index was weighed down by losses in Apple,... A currency trader passes by monitors showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Inde, and foreign exchange rate at the foreign exchange dealing room of a KB Kookmin Bank branch in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, where major indexes spent the day drifting up and down near their record highs. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Asian shares mixed after lackluster day on Wall Street Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, where major indexes spent the day drifting up and down near their record highs. Benchmarks rose in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney but fell in Shanghai. U.S. futures were trading slightly higher after the U.S. House of... In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, traders Edward MacCarthy, left, and Robert Charmak work on the trading floor, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. U.S. stocks are drifting near their record heights Tuesday, while Treasury yields keep marching higher amid expectations that the economy will pull out of its slump after a powerful recovery sweeps the globe later this year. (Colin Ziemer/New York Stock Exchange via AP) Stocks notch gains on Wall Street; Treasury yields climb Wall Street capped a wobbly day of trading Tuesday with modest gains, while Treasury yields extended their recent rally. The S&P 500 inched up less than 0.1% after flipping between small gains and losses for much of the day. About 62% of companies in the index rose, with energy sector stocks... A woman walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Asian stocks advanced Tuesday as investors watched for details of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's promised economic stimulus plan. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Asian stocks gain as markets watch for Biden stimulus plan BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks advanced Tuesday as investors watched for details of President-elect Joe Biden's promised economic stimulus plan. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong were higher. Seoul declined while Sydney swung between gains and losses. Overnight, Wall Street declined following a string of... A man walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong Kong Stock Exchange Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Asian shares were mostly higher Monday as bullish sentiment persisted despite continuing signs of economic damage from the pandemic. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Asian shares mostly higher on optimism despite pandemic TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Monday as bullish sentiment persisted despite continuing signs of economic damage from the pandemic. Traders continued to be cheered by prospects that the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden will pump more aid into the U.S. economy, a... FILE - This Nov. 23, 2020 file photo shows the New York Stock Exchange in New York. U.S. stocks are ticking higher on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, despite a sober reminder of how many jobs the pandemic is destroying, as Wall Street keeps focusing more on the economy’s potentially brighter future than its current pain. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Stock market shakes off a slump to reach more record highs Stocks shook off a midday slump and powered higher in the afternoon, bringing major indexes to record highs and leaving the market with solid gains for the first week of the year. The S&P 500 added 0.5%. It rose 1.8% for the week. The Dow and Nasdaq also closed at record highs. Investors are... A currency trader walks by the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Asian shares mostly rose Friday on hopes for additional economic stimulus after U.S. Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Asian shares mostly up on Wall Street rally, stimulus hopes TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Friday on hopes for additional economic stimulus after U.S. Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. Japan's state of emergency to combat surging coronavirus cases, which kicked in Friday, did little to dampen market... FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020 file photo, a sign for Wall Street is carved in the side of a building. Stocks rose on Wall Street, Wednesday, Dec. 30, putting the market back on a positive footing following a modest pullback the day before. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Stocks rally despite protests on hopes for Senate turnover Wall Street rallied Wednesday on expectations of more stimulus for the economy, although the enthusiasm was dampened by chaotic scenes in Washington as pro-Trump protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, giving up much of an earlier rally, while the Dow Jones Industrial...	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line942
__label__wiki	0.595343	0.595343	Commentary: Does Megawati’s Son Intend to Avenge Jokowi’s ‘Betrayal’? BY :PITAN DASLANI Jakarta. Supporters of President Joko Widodo have denied allegations that the recently released song “Traitor” by Prananda Prabowo, a son of Megawati Soekarnoputri, Joko’s political patron, is directed at the president. Sihol Manulang, the head of the Jokowi Volunteers Front (BaraJP), claims the song is directed at officials who have failed to fulfill their promises to the people at large, and that Prananda is not targeting the president, who rose to his position because of the nomination of Megawati’s the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). To agree with such claims, we need to carefully analyze the lyrics of Prananda’s song, made with his band Rodinda and which has been uploaded on Youtube, where it is attracting a curious public. The song is in Indonesian, but its translation is roughly as follows: "Surrendered have I all my soul To be the breath in your struggle But you a traitor You blow the war trumpet The two aces You think because of your power You render me unmovable Deception is your promise Deceitful your intoxicating smile Enough my wounds My hatred preserved Remaining time my altercation You a traitor A benign-face traitor You a traitor Behold your actions It’s time for you to depart It’s time for you to depart Your end has come A shameless human Deception is your promise Deceitful your intoxicating smile Enough my wound My hatred preserved Remaining time my altercation You the traitor A benign-face traitor Behold your actions Your end has come A shameless human Wait for the time It surely will come When I make my day To avenge the betrayal." Before Prananda released the song, the relationship between the president and Megawati’s family had presumably deteriorated over a number of reasons. The latest incident was when Joko erroneously referred to Blitar instead of Surabaya as the birthplace of Megawati’s father, founding president Sukarno. Before this, Puan Maharani, Megawati’s daughter and the coordinating minister for human development and cultural affairs, labeled Joko “an assigned executive of the party,” effectively saying that he was answerable to a higher authority. Prior to that, Megawati had issued a strongly worded statement warning anyone unwilling to abide by the party’s hierarchical stipulations to leave. Prananda starts his song with a resentful expression as his backing chorus shouts out the word “traitor.” As a new rising star in the PDI-P constellation, Prananda is not known to have launched any big political agenda, to which an obstruction could justify a sudden outburst of anger to be publicized in that manner. Is he actually echoing Megawati’s anger? But even so, against whom? Megawati’s family has no reason to fire such political shots at anybody; their only opponent was presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who has since the election embraced Joko and promised to support his presidency until 2019. No single politician in Indonesia today is so dangerous to Megawati to be the reason for plotting revenge. So where can we find a rational reason to defend the notion that Prananda is not aiming at President Joko? The lyrics clearly suggest that the so-called “traitor” should be brought down because the composer believes the time has come to end his rule. Who else would best fit the message conveyed by the song? In uttering the phrase “It is time for you to depart,” Prananda used the Latin phrase “tempus abire tibi est.” The complete phrase of this Latin expression introduced by Quintus Horatius Flaccus is: “Lusisti satis, edisti satis, atque bibisti; tempus abire tibi est,” which translates as, “You have amused yourself, you have eaten and have drunk enough; it is time for you to depart.” Depart from where? Only a person in power can be expected to leave his position. And “betrayal” is a word that, according to Free Dictionary by Farlex, has two meanings: first, to give aid or information to an enemy, commit treason against; and second, to inform upon or deliver into the hands of an enemy in violation of a trust or allegiance. Dictionary.com defines the word “betrayal” more comprehensively as: “To deliver or expose to an enemy by treachery or disloyalty; to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling; to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to; to reveal or disclose in violation of confidence; to reveal unconsciously [something one would preferably conceal]”; and “to deceive, misguide, or corrupt.” Meanwhile, the dictionary defines the word “traitor,” which is repeatedly used in Prananda’s song, as “a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust; a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.” This lyric is extraordinary because the composer must have identified the the kind of person who fits his description before including such precise words as “traitor” and “betrayal” to justify his conviction. The phrase “deception is your promise” suggests that the so-called “traitor” has betrayed his oath of allegiance. If indeed this song is directed at the president, Megawati, being a highly respected public figure, needs to come forth with a clear explanation so as not to arouse wilder speculation. The public does not need another aimless political tug-of-war between her and the president at a time when stability is required to ensure successful execution of the government’s agenda. Anybody in Joko’s position as it is right now would not be able to maneuver freely as president because he is surrounded by so many conflicts of interests. Some of these originate in the political parties that put him in the chair, others from business powers whose approaches are hard to resist. Joko has even revealed that some oil mafioso had failed to force him to fire Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti even though they tried in to bribe him with up to Rp 5 trillion ($375 million). Joko is heading a country that is infested with anacondas, rats and tigers. The newly appointed chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Maj. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, was right: when Joko was running for Jakarta governor, Sutiyoso had warned that unlike Solo, Central Java, where Joko served as mayor and where people were more obedient, the capital would be a dangerous jungle full of beasts. If becoming the top leader of Jakarta is like trying to rule over a jungle full of beasts, it is more so now that he rules the country, a much bigger and more dangerous jungle, from which he probably does not know how to maneuver safely. But that is not what the nation — the public at large — is waiting for. Our economy is not performing well as the rupiah continues to plummet against the dollar, food prices are on the rise, the household burden soars along with unemployment, and regional competition has caught us unprepared. Indonesia’s public figures and politicians need to be aware that the countly would face a larger crisis unless the government can perform well. What is tragically lacking, unfortunately, is a sense of urgency to solve, instead of attack, those myriad problems. Pitan Daslani is director of Managing the Nation Institute in Jakarta. He can be reached at pitandaslani@gmail.com. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle PDI-P Prananda Prabowo	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line944
__label__cc	0.545446	0.454554	STAGE WEIGHT: 127 OFF SEASON WEIGHT: 140 BUST: 36.5in ARMS: 13in WAIST: 29.5 (off season) 26.3 (in season) HIPS: 36.2 QUADS: 24 CALVES: 14.3in THIS IS WHERE IT STARTED Tamika has been involved in athletics for as long as she can remember. Starting at just eight years old Tamika was placed in gymnastics. As a competitive gymnast for the Aurora Illusions she earned three state titles. Tamika participated in gymnastics until high school, becoming captain her senior year. It was in high school that Tamika became an all state athlete in all three sports; gymnastics, cheerleading, and track & field at Denver East High School, where she graduated with honors near the top of her class. She accepted a track & field scholarship to Dakota Wesleyan University in South Dakota, where she became an All-American in the 100 and 200 dashes. After getting injured while training for an Olympic Qualifier she discovered her passion for the sport of body building. meter A NEW PASSION After working just over a year with her coach, Jason Alan Robinson she developed a highly competitive physique, worthy of becoming the first woman in Colorado to win a Figure Overall title at the largest and to some the toughest NPC National level competition; The NPC National Body Building Championships held in Miami, Florida. Tamika may now compete professionally in the International Federation of Body Building. Before earning her pro card, Tamika earned her Master’s Degree in Criminology just six months prior. Tamika graduated with honors from the prestigious Regis University. This degree accompanies her two Bachelor Degrees in Fine Arts and Behavioral Sciences. Tamika received her certification of personal training through the National Council of Strength and Fitness shortly after finishing school. She is excited to share her knowledge and passion with those of all fitness levels alongside her husband Jason Alan Robinson as the co-coach of JARFit. LIFE AS A PRO After earning her pro card, Tamika set fire to the stage debuting at the third most prestigious show in the IFBB; The New York Pro and placing 5th. Tamika’s highest placing was in Los Angeles where she earned 4th. Unable to qualify for Olympia in her rookie season, she did become one of the only Pro’s to place top five in both the East coast and the West Coast. Tamika’s rookie season was nothing short of amazing, her goal of going to Olympia is within reach and she shall be there shortly. 2016 IFBB New York Pro 5th 2016 IFBB Puerto Rico Pro: 9th 2016 IFBB LA Pro: 4th Colorado State: 2nd Open D NPC USA’s 6th NPC Nationals: 1st Open D and Figure Overall Colorado State: 16th (bikini) The Warrior Classic: 8th Novice and 8th Open (bikini)The Natural: 1st First Time Ever Novice, 1st Novice1st Open D, Figure Overall The Phil Heath Classic: 1st Open The Rocky: 4thNpc Nationals: 16th Rocky Mountain Classic 16th (bikini)	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line948
__label__wiki	0.77009	0.77009	Journal of Biomedical Science Dengue virus infection induces autophagy: an in vivo study Ying-Ray Lee1, Hsuan-Yun Hu2, Szu-Han Kuo2, Huan-Yao Lei2,5, Yee-Shin Lin2,5, Trai-Ming Yeh3,5, Ching-Chuan Liu4,5 & Hsiao-Sheng Liu2,5 Journal of Biomedical Science volume 20, Article number: 65 (2013) Cite this article We and others have reported that autophagy is induced by dengue viruses (DVs) in various cell lines, and that it plays a supportive role in DV replication. This study intended to clarify whether DV infection could induce autophagy in vivo. Furthermore, the effect of DV induced autophagy on viral replication and DV-related pathogenesis was investigated. Results and conclusions The physiopathological parameters were evaluated after DV2 was intracranially injected into 6-day-old ICR suckling mice. Autophagy-related markers were monitored by immunohistochemical/immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting. Double-membrane autophagic vesicles were investigated by transmission-electron-microscopy. DV non-structural-protein-1 (NS1) expression (indicating DV infection) was detected in the cerebrum, medulla and midbrain of the infected mice. In these infected tissues, increased LC3 puncta formation, LC3-II expression, double-membrane autophagosome-like vesicles (autophagosome), amphisome, and decreased p62 accumulation were observed, indicating that DV2 induces the autophagic progression in vivo. Amphisome formation was demonstrated by colocalization of DV2-NS1 protein or LC3 puncta and mannose-6-phosphate receptor (MPR, endosome marker) in DV2-infected brain tissues. We further manipulated DV-induced autophagy by the inducer rapamycin and the inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MA), which accordingly promoted or suppressed the disease symptoms and virus load in the brain of the infected mice. We demonstrated that DV2 infection of the suckling mice induces autophagy, which plays a promoting role in DV replication and pathogenesis. DV is a positive single-strand RNA virus which belongs to the Flaviviridae family, and is composed of four serotypes (DV1 to 4). It is transmitted to vertebrate hosts via the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus. DV causes over 390 million infections every year, and is one of the most important arboviruses causing human diseases[1]. The symptoms of DV infection range from mild dengue fever (DF) to life-threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Generally speaking, DF is self-limited, but in a small proportion of people the disease may proceed to severe DHF/DSS. Diverse hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pathologic mechanism of DHF/DSS, but the findings remain contradictory. Autophagy participates in the degradation of long-lived and aggregated protein as well as damaged organelles in the cytoplasm to maintain homeostasis. Autophagy is characterized by a double-membrane vesicle known as an autophagosome, which recruits cytoplasmic materials and fuses with lysosome for protein degradation[2]. Autophagy is classified as macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperon-mediated autophagy, depending on how it delivers the cargo to lysosome and its physiological function[3]. Aberrant autophagic activities lead to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including diabetes, neurodegeneration, heart disease, and cancers. Tian et al., reported that autophagy was detected in brain sections of a GFP-LC3 transgenic mouse model after transient cerebral ischemia and demonstrated a relationship between autophagy and apoptosis[4, 5]. Dengue virus infection induces apoptosis in various cell lines and clinical patient specimens[6]. However, dengue virus-induced apoptosis and its relationship with autophagy remain to be determined. Beclin1 serves as a platform to recruit other regulatory molecules of C3-PI3K complex, including Atg14-like protein (Atg14L), UV irradiation resistance-associated gene (UVRAG), Bax-interacting factor-1 (Bif-1) and activating molecule in Beclin-1-regulated autophagy protein-1 (Ambra-1)[7–10]. During vesicle elongation, two ubiquitin-like conjugation systems are activated. First, Atg12 is covalently conjugated with Atg5 by E1-like enzyme Atg7 and E2-like enzyme Atg10. Second, Atg5 binds to Atg16L1, a coiled-coil domain-containing protein, to form a heterotrimeric complex, Atg5-Atg12-Atg16L1. This complex is responsible for the expansion of the phagophore and is dissociated from the membrane when autophagosome formation is completed. Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) (mammalian homologue of yeast Atg8) is initially cleaved by Atg4, a cysteine protease, followed by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) modification on the carboxyl terminus of the cleaved LC3[11]. The lipidated LC3 located on the membrane facilitates autophagosome maturation. The autophagosome may fuse with the endosome to form the amphisome or with the lysosome to form the autophagolysosome[12–14]. Autophagy is also involved in the host immunity against pathogen infection[15]. Autophagy acts as an anti-viral component of the innate immune system and is induced by the ligands of the toll-like receptors[16]. Furthermore, autophagy enhances the presentation of viral antigens by dendritic cells during the infection of Sendai and vesicular stomatitis viruses[17]. Autophagy can also function in the adaptive immune response by enhancing the presentation of antigen onto MHC class II molecules[18–20]. Autophagy not only plays an antiviral role, but also shows pro-viral functions[21, 22]. Poliovirus, coxsackievirus B3, hepatitis C virus (HCV), coronavirus, enterovirus 71 and DV activate autophagy to elevate viral replication[23–28]. HCV uses autophagy for the early protein translation and suppresses the innate antiviral immunity[23, 29]. The double membrane of the autophagosome may support poliovirus replication[30], and the autophagic machinery is utilized for the replication of coronaviruses[25, 31]. DV infection increases autophagic activity to enhance viral replication, indicating the use of autophagosome as the docking site for viral replication complex or as the organelle for lipid metabolism to provide ATP energy for DV replication[25, 32–35]. Autophagy induction by NS4A protein of DV prevents the infected cell from death and enhances viral replication[35]. While it is known that autophagy plays an important role in DV replication in vitro, the role of autophagy in vivo has not been reported. This study focused on autophagic activity, virus titer and pathogenesis in DV2 infection of the suckling mice. Dengue virus and mice The DV2 (strain PL046) was routinely maintained in A. albopictus-derived cell line C6/36 (purchased from ATCC). Breeder mice of the ICR strain were purchased from the National Laboratory Animal Center, Taiwan. The mice were maintained at the Animal Facility of National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and were manipulated according to the animal experiment guidelines of the National Science Council, Taiwan. Six-day-old suckling mice were inoculated intracerebrally with 2.5×105 pfu of active or heat-inactivated DV2 or control Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) (GIBCO BRL, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) containing 2% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The mice were sacrificed and perfused with isotonic saline containing EDTA. For plaque assay, the brain tissues were collected, weighed and homogenized in 1 ml of DMEM containing 2% FBS. The supernatant was collected by centrifugation at 8000 rpm for 15 min at 4°C and frozen at −70°C. For Western blot analysis, the brain tissues were homogenized with 1 ml of Radio-immunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) lysis buffer (50mM Tris, 150mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, 1% Triton X-100, PMSF, pH7-8) (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). The supernatant was collected by centrifugation at 14000 rpm for 20 min at 4°C and frozen at −70°C. For IFA and IHC assays, the brain tissues were embedded in Tissue-Tek O. C. T. compound (Sankura Finetek, Torrance, CA, USA), frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −70°C. Serial coronal sections (5 μm) were cut on a cryostat (Leica CM1800, Heidelberg, Germany) and mounted on a silanized slide (Dako, Carpinteria, CA, USA). Plaque assay BHK-21 cells were plated in a 12-well plate (9×104 cells/well) and cultured in DMEM (GIBCO). After adsorption for 2 h with serially diluted virus solutions, the solution was replaced with fresh DMEM containing 2% FBS and 0.8% methyl cellulose (Sigma-Aldrich). At four days post-infection, the medium was removed and the cells were fixed and stained with the crystal violet solution consisting of 1% crystal violet, 0.64% NaCl, and 2% formalin for 1 h at room temperature (RT). Finally, the crystal violet was removed and the plate was washed with the tap water. The viral titer was determined by the plaque assay[25]. Immunohistochemostry staining (IHC) and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) Mice brain sections were fixed with acetone and blocked with 3% H2O2 (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) in methanol. The sections were blocked with SuperBlock (SuperBlock blocking buffer in PBS; Thermo Scientific, Rockford, IL, USA) or Vector M.O.M mouse immunoglobulin G blocking reagent (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA, USA) for 1 h at RT. The sections were further incubated with the anti-DV2-NS1 antibody (ab41632, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA), anti-autophagy LC3 antibody (AP1802a, Abgent, San Diego, CA, USA) or anti-Beclin 1 antibody (ab62472, Abcam), which was diluted in blocking buffer overnight at 4°C. The sections were further incubated with biotinylated secondary antibody (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark) for 1 h at RT and stained with AEC Substrate Chromogen (Dako). DAPI (4′-6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) was used to stain the nuclei of the brain cells. Subsequently, the slides were immersed in hematoxylin (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) for counterstaining and then rinsed in tap water for 10 min. Finally, the slides were mounted with Dako Faramount Aqueous Mounting Medium (Dako). For the immunofluorescence assay, the section after the primary antibody treatment was incubated with the secondary antibody conjugated with red (A11004, Invitrogen, Eugene, Oregon, USA) or green (A11008, Invitrogen) fluorescence. Subsequently, the slide was stained with Hoechst 33258 (Sigma-Aldrich). Finally, the sections were mounted and examined under a laser confocal scanning microscope (Olympus FluoView FV1000, CenterValley, PA, USA). DV2 (2.5 x 105 pfu/mouse) was intracranially injected into the brain of six-day-old ICR suckling mice. The clinical score and body weight were measured every day. Five mice were treated with live DV2, three were treated with heat inactive DV2 (iDV2), and three mice were treated with the culture medium. At five days post-infection, mice were sacrificed after anesthesia with 7% chloral hydrate followed by perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer (PB). After fixation, the cervical spinal cord was removed and kept in PB solution overnight at 4°C. The cervical cord was cut into 100 μm sections and fixed with 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (4% sucrose, 1 mM MgCl2 and 1 mM CaCl2) and post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide (Electron Microscopy Sciences, Hatfield, PA, USA). The sections were then dehydrated in a series dilutions of ethanol and embedded with LR White (Agar Scientific, Stansted, UK). Ultrathin sections were obtained using an ultramicrotome (Reichert-Jung, Heidelberg, Germany) and stained with saturated aqueous uranyl acetate (Electron Microscopy Sciences) and lead citrate (Electron Microscopy Sciences) at RT, and then investigated under a Hitachi H-7650 transmission electron microscope (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan). Western blot analysis Cells were cultured and infected with DV2, and the total cell extracts harvested at various time points were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE). The separated proteins in the gel were electrically transferred to a PVDF membrane (Millipore, Bedford, MA, USA), followed by hybridization with their corresponding specific primary antibodies (anti-LC3: PM036, MBL, Woburn, MA, USA; anti-Beclin 1: sc-11427, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; anti-p62: Santa Cruz; anti-β-actin: A5441, Sigma-Aldrich) and the secondary antibodies (Goat anti-mouse IgG peroxidase conjugated Ab: AP124P and Goat anti-rabbit IgG HRP conjugated: AP132P, Chemicon, Billerica, MA, USA). After incubation with enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) solution (Millipore) for 1 min, the membrane was exposed to an X-ray film (Eastman Kodak, NY, USA). Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation. Differences between the test and control groups were analyzed by the Student’s t test using the Prism software. Significance was set at p < 0.05 (), p < 0.01 () and p < 0.05 (*). Dengue virus type 2 infection of the ICR suckling mice causes physiopathological changes We and others have demonstrated that dengue virus infection of various human cell lines induces autophagy, which further promotes virus replication[25, 33, 36]. In order to establish the role of DV2 infection in the induction of autophagy as well as its roles in DV replication and DV-related pathogenesis in vivo, DV2 or UV-inactivated DV2 (iDV2) (2.5×105 pfu/mouse) was intracranially injected into six-day-old ICR suckling mice. The body weight, clinical score, and survival rate of the infected mice were measured daily for seven days. The body weight of DV2-infected mice was greatly decreased from day 5 to day 7 post infection (p.i) as compared to the mock-infected and iDV2-infected groups (Figure 1A). The disease symptoms progressed from mild sickness (losing weight and ruffled hair) at days 2 and 3 to severe paralysis and mortally ill at day 5 p.i., and mice started to die in the DV2-infected group, whereas no deaths were noted in the mock- and iDV2-treated groups at day 6 p.i. (Figure 1B). The survival rate in the DV2-infected mice was 40% at day 6 p.i and all of the mice died at day 7 p.i., but no mice died in the other two groups (Figure 1C). To verify that the abovementioned disease symptoms were indeed caused by dengue virus infection, NS1 protein, an indicator of DV infection, was detected by anti-NS1 antibody in the brain tissues, including the cerebrum, medulla and midbrain of the infected mice, but no NS1 antigen was seen in the cerebellum and pons (Figure 1D, arrow). Altogether, DV2 was shown to be capable of infecting the brain tissue of the ICR mice, and of causing severe disease symptoms leading to death. Dengue-2 virus infection induces physiopathological changes of the ICR mice. Six-day-old ICR suckling mice were intracranially inoculated with DV2 (2.5×105 pfu/mouse). The (A) body weight (B) clinical score and (C) survival rate were monitored daily after inoculation. (D) The mice were sacrificed at day 5 p.i. The brain tissues were cryosectioned and DV2-NS1 expression in various regions of the mouse brain was detected with anti-DV NS1 antibody by IHC staining. Arrow points NS1 labeling. Disease symptoms were scored as follows: 0 for healthy; 1 for lightly sick (losing weight and ruffled hair); 2 for slow-moving and reduced mobility; 3 for moving with difficulty and anterior limb or posterior limb weakness; 4 for paralysis and mortally ill; 5 for death. Mock group was treated with 2% FBS/DMEM and iDV2 group was the virus subjected to heat treatment at 56°C for 30 min. The numbers of mice in each group were from 3 to 5. Data were analyzed using the Student’s t test. Significance was set at p < 0.05 (), p < 0.01 (), p < 0.05 (*). Dengue virus induces amphisome and autophagosome formation as well as autophagic flux in the brain of infected mice The aforementioned data showed that DV-NS1 antigen was detected in the brain tissues of the infected mice (Figure 1). In order to establish that autophagy was induced in these DV2-infected mice, aggregation (puncta formation) of endogenous LC3 protein (a marker of autophagy) and DV2 NS1 expression in the brain tissue were assessed. The increased green fluorescent LC3 puncta, representing autophagosome formation, and the increased red fluorescent, representing DV-NS1 expression, were detected in the DV2-infected mice brain as compared to levels found in the mock-infected mice (Figure 2A, lower panels). Furthermore, colocalization of green LC3 puncta and red DV2-NS1 was seen in the brain sections of the infected mice (Figure 2A, arrow), suggesting that autophagosome formation was induced and that NS1, as a component of the replication complex working in concert with autophagosomes, may participate in DV replication. The expression levels of DV2 NS1 and LC3 II protein (a marker of autophagosome formation) in the brain were increased only in DV2-infected mice at days 5 and 6 p.i. compared with mock-and iDV2-infected mice. This result further supports the finding showing that DV induces autophagy in vivo (Figure 2B), and these phenomena were not seen in the heat-inactivated DV2 infection and mock control groups. This finding indicates that autophagy induction requires active DV infection and/or replication. Beclin 1, a coiled-coil protein, interacts with Bcl-2 and plays a critical role during autophagy progression[37]. However, in this in vivo study, Beclin 1 expression was not changed either in infected or in mock-infected mice brains by Western blotting at days 3, 5 and 6 p.i. and IHC assay at day 5 p.i. (Additional file1: A and B, arrow). In summary, the role of Beclin 1 in DV2-induced autophagy requires further confirmation. The double-membrane autophagosome-like vesicles (V) were detected in the brain tissue of DV2-infected mice (Figure 3C,3D and3E, arrow), but not in the mock-infected group (Mock) (Figure 3A and3B) under transmission electron microscopy. This double-membrane ultrastructure further supports the result showing that DV induces autophagy in vivo. We further detected the colocalization of green LC3 puncta and red MPR in the brain tissue of DV2-infected mice, indicating fusion of endosome with autophagosome to form amphisome (Figure 4A, arrow). We also observed the colocalization of DV2 NS1 (red) and MPR (green fluorescence, a marker of endosome) protein in brain sections under fluorescent microscopy, indicating that DV2 existed in the endosome (Figure 4B, arrow), which is consistent with an in vitro investigation by Panyasrivanit et al. that showed dengue virus was recruited into the endosome, which was then fused with the autophagosome to form amphisomes[36]. The data described above demonstrate that DV2 infection in vivo can induce autophagy and amphisome formation. Dengue-2 virus infection induces LC3 puncta formation and increases LC3 II expression in the mouse brain tissue. As in Figure 1, DV2 was injected into the six-day-old suckling mice. (A) At day 5 p.i., the brain tissues were sectioned and the expression of DV2-NS1 and LC3 in the mouse brain tissue was determined with anti-DV NS1 and anti-LC3 antibodies by IFA staining under the confocal microscope (Olympus FluoView 1000). DAPI was used to stain the nucleus of the cell. Arrow points indicate the colocalization of NS1 and LC3. (B) The brain tissues of the mice used in (A) were harvested and total protein lysate was collected at various times p.i. and analyzed by Western blotting to measure the expression of DV2-NS1 and LC3 with the anti-DV NS1 and anti-LC3 antibodies. The numbers under each band are the quantification of LC3II band intensity after normalization with β-actin. DV2 infection of mice brain induces double-membrane vesicle formation. The same treatment as in Figures 1 and 2 was conducted in this study. The brain tissues were collected and investigated by TEM. (A) Mock group was treated with DMEM containing 2% FBS. The enlargement of the square region in panel (A, 12000X) is shown in (B, 25000X). (C) DV2-infected brain tissue of the suckling mice. The enlargements of the square regions in panels (C, 12000X) are shown in (D, 25000X) and (E, 25000X), respectively. Arrow points indicate the double-membrane vesicles representing the autophagosome-like vesicles. N: nucleus; V: double-membrane vesicle. DV2 infection of mice brain induces amphisome formation. The same treatment used in the above figures was conducted. The expression of NS1, the endosome marker MPR, and the autophagosome marker LC3 protein in the sections of the mice brain tissue was shown by IFA staining under a confocal microscope using specific antibodies followed by secondary fluorescent conjugation. The DAPI was used to indicate the nucleus of the cells. (A) colocalization of LC3 (green) and MPR (red); (B) colocalization of NS1 (red) and MPR (green). Arrow points indicate colocalization of LC3 and MPR or NS1 and MPR. The polyubiquitin-binding protein p62/SQSTM1 interacts with the ubiquitinated cargo protein followed by binding with LC3, and then is transported into the autophagosomes for degradation. The degradation of p62 has been used as an indicator of autophagic progression from autophagosome to autophagolysosome. To further confirm that DV2 infection indeed induces autophagic progression in vivo, the kinetics of LC3, p62, and NS1 expression level in two representative mice were evaluated at days 3 and day 5 p.i. by Western blotting. When the expression level of LC3II was induced at days 3 and 5 p.i., the expression of p62 was decreased in the DV2-infected group compared to that of the mock-infected group (Figure 5, 0.59 vs. 0.94 and 0.70 vs. 0.83, respectively). Furthermore, 3-MA was used to block DV2-induced autophagy, and the degradation level of p62 was reversed in the DV2 infection group at days 3 and day 5 p.i. (Figure 5, 0.73 vs. 0.59 at day 3, and 1.00 vs. 0.7 at day 5). These data indicate that an autophagic flux was induced during DV2 infection in vivo. Taken together, these findings demonstrate formation of amphisome and autophagosome, as well as the autophagic flux were induced in the DV2-infected brain tissues of the mice. Autophagic flux is induced in the brain tissue of DV2-infected mice. The six-day-old ICR suckling mice were pre-treated with 3-MA (80μg/g) or PBS by intracranial inoculation followed by DV2 (2.5 x 105 pfu/mouse) inoculation 2 h later. The brain tissues of two mice from each group were harvested and total protein lysate was collected at day 3 and day 5 p.i. and analyzed by Western blotting to measure the expression levels of LC3I, LC3II, p62, and DV2-NS1. The numbers under each band are the quantification and the mean of the intensity of LC3II, p62, and NS1 bands after normalization with β-actin. Regulation of autophagy affects DV-related pathogenesis of suckling mice during dengue virus infection We have demonstrated that 3-MA suppresses autophagy and reduces DV replication in vitro[25]. To further investigate the effect of autophagy on DV2-related pathogenesis, mice were pretreated with 3-MA (80μg/g), rapamycin (0.15μg/g), or PBS (Mock) by intracranial injection two hours before DV2 infection. The expression of LC3-II protein was suppressed by about 18% at days 3 and 5 p.i. in the 3-MA treated group (DV2+3MA) as compared to that of the DV2-infected group (Figure 5). The viral titer in the brain of the mice pre-treated with 3-MA was not significantly decreased at days 3 and 5 p.i. (Figure 6A). However, in the group treated with autophagy inducer rapamycin (DV2+Rapa), the viral titer was significantly elevated as compared to that of the DV infection group at day 5 p.i. (Figure 6B). Furthermore, with the addition of 3-MA to block autophagy, the clinical scores were decreased at days 5 and day 6 p.i. in the DV2-infected mice (DV2+3MA) as compared to that of the DV2 infection and mock infection groups (Figure 7A). Accordingly, in the presence of the autophagy inducer rapamycin, the clinical scores of DV2 infection group (DV2+Rapa) were significantly increased at day 5 p.i. compared to those of the DV2 infection and mock infection groups (Figure 7B). The survival rate of DV2-infected mice that received 3-MA treatment was increased to 40% as compared to 20% in the DV2 infection group at day 6 p.i. (Figure 7C). In contrast, the survival rate of the rapamycin-treated group (DV2+Rapa) dropped to 40% as compared to 71% in the DV2 infection group at day 5 p.i. (Figure 7D). Both 3-MA and rapamycin showed no effect on DV2 infection-related loss of body weight in the mice (Additional file2: A and B). In summary, regulation of autophagy in vivo during dengue virus infection could influence physiopathological parameters, including disease symptoms, survival rate, and viral titer. The DV2 titer was affected by manipulating autophagy activity in DV2-infected mice brain. Six-day-old ICR suckling mice were pre-treated with 3-MA (80μg/g), rapamycin (0.15μg/g), or PBS by intracranial inoculation, followed by DV2 (2.5 x 105 pfu/mouse) inoculation 2 h later. Plaque assay was conducted to measure the viral titer in DV2-infected mice brain tissue at day 3 and day 5 p.i. in (A) together with 3-MA (DV2+3MA) and at day 5 p.i. in (B) together with rapamycin (DV2+Rapa). PBS-treated group is shown as DV2. Manipulation of autophagy by 3-MA or rapamycin affects the clinical score and survival rate of DV2-infected suckling mice. The six-day-old ICR suckling mice were divided into three groups. The same treatment as in Figure 6 was conducted. (A) The clinical score in (A) for 3-MA treatment and in (B) for rapamacin treatment, as well as survival rate in (C) for 3-MA treatment and in (D) for rapamycin were monitored daily after the treatments. The criteria of the clinical score are described in Figure 1. This study showed that in ICR suckling mice, DV2 can indeed infect the brain tissue at various regions detected by anti-DV-NS1 antibody at five days p.i. (Figure 1D), which is consistent with the results of our previous report that showed DV2 antigen was detected in the brain and liver of the infected mice[38]. However, DV-NS1 antigen was not detected in the cerebellum and pons of the infected mice (Figure 1D). DV2 infection of the brain of 2-day-old Swiss mice induces apoptosis, and dengue virus antigen was detected in the cortical and hippocampal regions[39]. Amaral et al. reported that NS3-positive cells could be visualized throughout the parenchyma including the cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum in the 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice[40]. The discrepancy between our results and those reported in other studies may be attributed to differences in the strain of mouse or virus, age disparity of the mice, and inoculation titer of the viruses. Taken together, the findings described above indicate that dengue virus could infect various regions of the brain and cause disease symptoms. Our findings are consistent with those of previous reports[39, 40]. The results showed that DV2 infection of mouse brain induces autophagy as demonstrated by increased LC3-II protein expression in the brain tissues of DV2-infected mice (Figure 2B), LC3 protein aggregation, and colocalization of DV2-NS1 and LC3 in DV2-infected brain section (Figure 2A), as well as the double-membrane (autophagosome) vesicle formation under TEM (Figure 3C, 3D, and 3E), which was similar to the findings of our previous in vitro report[25]. Fusion of autophagosome with endosome to form amphisome was also detected in dengue virus-infected mouse brain (Figure 4), which was consistent with the result of an in vitro investigation by Panyasrivanit et al. that showed that the endosome harboring dengue viruses fuses with the autophagosome to form amphisome, which serves as the docking site of the viral replication complex[36]. Welsch et al. revealed that dengue virus modifies the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane structure to promote its replication and efficient encapsidation of the genome into progeny virus under electron tomography[41]. Miller and Krijnse-Locker reported that viral replication complexes form clusters around the double membrane vesicles, which are formed by contiguous invagination of the ER[42]. The aforementioned reports indicate that DV may replicate at diverse locations, including the autophagosome membrane. Therefore, autophagy may play a role in enhancing viral replication[43]. In this study, we demonstrated the formation of autophagosome and amphisome in vivo during DV infection (Figures 2,3 and4). Whether these vesicles are also involved in DV replication requires further confirmation. Autophagy is a dynamic, multi-step process that can be modulated at several steps, both positively and negatively. An accumulation of autophagosomes (measured by TEM, as fluorescent GFP-LC3 dots, or as LC3II lipidation on a Western blot), could reflect either increased autophagosome formation due to increases in autophagic activity, or to reduced turnover of autophagosomes. The latter can occur with the inhibition of their maturation to amphisomes or autolysosomes, which happens if there are defects in the fusion with endosomes or lysosomes, respectively, or following inefficient degradation of the cargo once fusion has occurred[44]. In our study, we demonstrated that the fusion of autophagosome and endosome occurred to form amphisome in vivo during DV infection together with p62 degradation, indicating that DV2 infection induces the autophagy flux in vivo (Figures 4 and5). This funding is consistent with our previous in vitro report[25]. It has been widely reported that the infection of many viruses affects autophagic flux. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) induces the formation of autophagosomes without promoting lysosome-mediated protein degradation[27, 45]. In contrast, HIV-1, Influenza A virus, and HCV infection impair autophagic flux[45]. HCV does not eliminate long-lived protein through autophagic degradation[45, 46]. We have demonstrated that DV2 infection triggers autophagic flux and DV2-induced autophagosome is favorable for viral replication in hepatoma cells[25]. Panyasrivanit et al. further showed that DV2 titer is increased by blocking autophagic flux using fusion blocker L-asparagine, suggesting that the autophagic flux process decreases DV2 titer[36]. Some viral proteins regulating autophagic activity have been reported. Overexpression of the hepatitis B virus X gene (HBx) enhances starvation-induced autophagy through the upregulation of Beclin 1 expression[47]. Poliovirus 2BC and 3A proteins regulate LC3 modification and membrane induction[30, 48]. Furthermore, DV2 NS4A protein induces LC3 cleavage and translocation in epithelial cells[35]. However, whether DV2 NS4A alone in vivo is capable of inducing autophagy requires further investigation. We also demonstrated that expression of Beclin 1 was not changed either in DV-infected or in mock-infected mice (Additional file1). This result is consistent with the finding of our previous in vitro study[25]. Nevertheless, whether Beclin 1 participates in DV-mediated autophagy needs further investigation. We further demonstrated that manipulation of autophagy affects DV2 infection-related pathogenesis, including disease symptoms, survival rate, and virus titer by the autophagy inhibitor, 3-MA, which suppresses the PI3K class III signaling pathway and autophagic activity, and the autophagy inducer rapamycin, which blocks the mTOR signaling pathway. Although encephalitis and neuronal involvement in dengue virus infection are rare, this suckling mice model provides a unique system to clarify dengue-mediated autophagy in vivo. While the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA suppressed LC3II expression, it could not significantly suppress virus titer at days 3 and day 5 p.i. in vivo (Figures 5 and6A). It is known that 3-MA plays dual roles in autophagy[49]. Under starvation conditions, 3-MA suppresses PI3K class III and inhibits autophagy; however, under normal conditions, 3-MA promotes autophagic flux. Therefore, the treatment conditions of 3-MA needed to be further optimized to increase its inhibitory effect on autophagy. In summary, manipulation of autophagy by 3-MA and rapamycin affects clinical scores, survival rate, as well as DV2 titer in vivo. A recent report demonstrated that DV-NS4A expression induces autophagosome formation during dengue virus infection, and promotes the infected cells to avoid apoptotic cell death, which thus contributes to viral replication[35]. Therefore, whether suppression of DV-mediated autophagy by 3-MA induces infection-mediated apoptosis and further reduces the replication of dengue virus requires further confirmation. We demonstrated herein that DV2 infection can induce autophagy both in vitro[25] and in vivo. Furthermore, manipulation of autophagy by 3-MA or rapamycin affects the replication of DV2 and symptoms of dengue infection in vivo. 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Suhy DA, Giddings TH, Kirkegaard K: Remodeling the endoplasmic reticulum by poliovirus infection and by individual viral proteins: an autophagy-like origin for virus-induced vesicles. J Virol. 2000, 74: 8953-8965. 10.1128/JVI.74.19.8953-8965.2000. Wu YT, Tan HL, Shui G, Bauvy C, Huang Q, Wenk MR, Ong CN, Codogno P, Shen HM: Dual role of 3-methyladenine in modulation of autophagy via different temporal patterns of inhibition on class I and III phosphoinositide 3-kinase. J Biol Chem. 2010, 285: 10850-10861. 10.1074/jbc.M109.080796. We thank P. Wilder for his critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from National Science Council, Taiwan (NSC-99-2745-B-006-002 and NSC- 101-2321-B-006-029-) and Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, NCKU, Tainan, Taiwan. Department of Medical Research, Chiayi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan Ying-Ray Lee Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Hsuan-Yun Hu, Szu-Han Kuo, Huan-Yao Lei, Yee-Shin Lin & Hsiao-Sheng Liu Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Trai-Ming Yeh Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Ching-Chuan Liu Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Huan-Yao Lei, Yee-Shin Lin, Trai-Ming Yeh, Ching-Chuan Liu & Hsiao-Sheng Liu Hsuan-Yun Hu Szu-Han Kuo Huan-Yao Lei Yee-Shin Lin Hsiao-Sheng Liu Correspondence to Hsiao-Sheng Liu. YRL initiated this project and wrote the manuscript. HYH and SHK executed the experiments. HYL, YSL, TMY and CCL conceived the plan. HSL initiated this project and proposed the fundamental frame of this project. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Beclin 1 expression was not changed in the brain tissue of DV2-infected suckling mice. Additional file 1: Six-day-old ICR suckling mice were intracranially inoculated with DV2 (2.5×105 pfu/mouse) or control media (Mock). After virus infection, mice were sacrificed and the brain tissues were harvested at days 3, 5, and 6 p.i. The expression of Beclin 1 was determined by (A) Western blotting and (B) IHC staining of day 5 brain sections using anti-Beclin 1 antibidy. β-actin was used as the internal control. (PDF 123 KB) Autophagy inhibitor 3-MA and inducer rapamycin had no effect on the body weight of DV2-infected suckling mice. Additional file 2: Three groups of six-day-old ICR suckling mice were mock-infected or infected by DV2 (2.5 x 105 pfu/mouse) inoculation. At 24 h p.i., mice were treated with 3-MA (80μg/g) in (A), rapamycin (0.15μg/g) in (B), or PBS by intracranial inoculation. The body weight of the mice was determined every day for 5 to 6 days. (PDF 152 KB) Lee, YR., Hu, HY., Kuo, SH. et al. Dengue virus infection induces autophagy: an in vivo study. J Biomed Sci 20, 65 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1423-0127-20-65 Suckling mice	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line950
__label__wiki	0.792667	0.792667	Latest complete issue Archive by article type About JEB Editors and Board Editor biographies Travelling Fellowships Journal Meetings The Company of Biologists Presubmission enquiries Cover suggestions Promoting your paper Outstanding paper prize Biology Open transfer Contact JEB About The Company of Biologists Disease Models & Mechanisms Biology Open Unsteady locomotion: integrating muscle function with whole body dynamics and neuromuscular control Andrew A. Biewener, Monica A. Daley Journal of Experimental Biology 2007 210: 2949-2960; doi: 10.1242/jeb.005801 Andrew A. Biewener Monica A. Daley By integrating studies of muscle function with analysis of whole body and limb dynamics, broader appreciation of neuromuscular function can be achieved. Ultimately, such studies need to address non-steady locomotor behaviors relevant to animals in their natural environments. When animals move slowly they likely rely on voluntary coordination of movement involving higher brain centers. However, when moving fast, their movements depend more strongly on responses controlled at more local levels. Our focus here is on control of fast-running locomotion. A key observation emerging from studies of steady level locomotion is that simple spring-mass dynamics, which help to economize energy expenditure, also apply to stabilization of unsteady running. Spring-mass dynamics apply to conditions that involve lateral impulsive perturbations, sudden changes in terrain height, and sudden changes in substrate stiffness or damping. Experimental investigation of unsteady locomotion is challenging, however, due to the variability inherent in such behaviors. Another emerging principle is that initial conditions associated with postural changes following a perturbation define different context-dependent stabilization responses. Distinct stabilization modes following a perturbation likely result from proximo-distal differences in limb muscle architecture, function and control strategy. Proximal muscles may be less sensitive to sudden perturbations and appear to operate, in such circumstances, under feed-forward control. In contrast, multiarticular distal muscles operate, via their tendons, to distribute energy among limb joints in a manner that also depends on the initial conditions of limb contact with the ground. Intrinsic properties of these distal muscle–tendon elements, in combination with limb and body dynamics, appear to provide rapid initial stabilizing mechanisms that are often consistent with spring-mass dynamics. These intrinsic mechanisms likely help to simplify the neural control task, in addition to compensating for delays inherent to subsequent force- and length-dependent neural feedback. Future work will benefit from integrative biomechanical approaches that employ a combination of modeling and experimental techniques to understand how the elegant interplay of intrinsic muscle properties, body dynamics and neural control allows animals to achieve stability and agility over a variety of conditions. spring-mass Prior studies of terrestrial locomotor biomechanics have revealed common principles that underlie muscle function and mechanisms for reducing the metabolic cost of steady movement. Only recently has research of locomotor biomechanics expanded to include non-steady behaviors in more complex environments. Yet animals regularly move over uneven and graded terrain, changing orientation, speed and gait as they maneuver within their natural environment, necessitating the study of locomotion under these conditions. The variable and context-dependent nature of these non-steady behaviors, however, makes rigorous biomechanical analysis a formidable challenge. When animals move slowly through complex environments, voluntary control of movements through both higher brain centers and neural reflexes are likely of key importance. However, when moving fast, animals must rely on the interaction of local spinal sensorimotor circuits with intrinsic biomechanical properties of their musculoskeletal structures. This results from the slow response time of higher level neural control due to transmission delays relative to the fast response times required for running stability. Consequently, walking and running likely differ in stabilization behavior and neural and mechanical coordination mechanisms. Our commentary focuses on running; however, future work on slower, voluntary coordinated movement through complex environments is needed and deserves attention. Here we highlight the potential for an integrative biomechanical approach to uncover basic principles of running stability and maneuverability in non-steady behaviors that involve a response to sudden perturbations. A fundamental emerging principle is that understanding the integration across organizational levels (e.g. muscle fiber – muscle–tendon unit– neuromuscular circuit – joint and limb – body mechanics) is a critical component of the neuromuscular and mechanical control of locomotion. Direct measures of muscle function must be interpreted in the context of whole body, limb and joint dynamics. Conversely, body, limb and joint dynamics alone cannot predict or explain the mechanical role played by individual muscles. This is because multiple muscles often operate agonistically at a joint and biarticular muscles may transfer energy between joints, so that mechanical work performed by muscles at one joint appears as energy at a different joint (Bobbert et al., 1986; Prilutsky et al., 1996). Muscle–tendon architecture and choice of synergist muscle activation for a task can dramatically influence how an animal's neuro-musculoskeletal system responds to perturbations (e.g. Brown and Loeb, 2000). Consequently, elucidating the integration that occurs across organizational levels through a biomechanical approach will be critical for understanding the mechanics and neuromuscular control of terrestrial locomotion in complex environments. To illustrate the critical insights that arise from an integrative biomechanics perspective, we summarize a number of key findings from steady locomotion, highlight recent advances in the mechanics and neuromuscular control of running stability in non-steady conditions, and suggest directions for future work. We focus on three areas: (1) the relationship between whole body mechanical energy changes and muscle work modulation during locomotion; (2) proximo-distal regional differences in muscle–tendon architecture and links between architecture and mechanical performance in steady and non-steady tasks; and (3) the interplay between intrinsic properties of the musculoskeletal system, reflex feedback and feed-forward control in stabilization of running following sudden perturbations. These examples reveal that many principles emerging from studies of steady, level running also play important roles in the dynamics of non-steady movement. Nonetheless, important gaps in knowledge exist that require innovative approaches incorporating integrative biomechanical analysis, controlled neural and mechanical perturbation experiments, and advanced computational modeling tools. Muscle function in relation to changes in whole body and limb work Steady versus non-steady locomotion Most studies of terrestrial locomotion have focused on steady level locomotion. For running, trotting and hopping gaits, a simple spring-mass model (Blickhan, 1989; McMahon and Cheng, 1990; Farley et al., 1993) explains surprisingly well the observed dynamics and energy fluctuations of the body's center of mass (CoM; Fig. 1A,B). The model represents the body's CoM supported on a mass-less `limb' spring. The model simplifies single and multi-legged support phases of various running gaits as a single linear `effective limb spring'. Despite a diversity of complex limb designs with varying musculoskeletal organization and body size (Fig. 1C), the model emphasizes the fundamental role of spring elements to store and return elastic energy to reduce muscle work (Alexander, 1988). Despite its simplicity, the model's accuracy indicates that the combined action of muscles within the limb(s) is to store and return energy (in the form of elastic spring energy from tendons, ligaments and aponeuroses), reducing the demand for muscle work. (A) Spring-mass model (or `spring-loaded inverted pendulum', SLIP) for the dynamics of legged terrestrial locomotion. The body is represented by a point mass m, located at the body center of mass (CoM; black circle), and the leg by a linear compression spring with leg stiffness kleg and contact angle θo. (B) Despite its simplicity, the spring-mass model accurately describes the fluctuations in mechanical energy of the body during running (PEg, gravitational potential energy; KEv and KEh, vertical and horizontal kinetic energy, respectively; Ecom, center of mass energy) (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Daley et al., 2006). (C) Furthermore, all terrestrial animals appear to exhibit spring-mass dynamics, whether they run on two, four, six or eight legs. Multiple legs act in concert to produce the effective `leg-spring' dynamics (Holmes et al., 2006). (D) Similarly, a lateral spring-mass model describes well the medio-lateral dynamics of cockroach locomotion, in which three legs operate as a single effective `leg-spring' in the medio-lateral plane (Full et al., 2002). When used to describe forward locomotion, this spring-mass model is also called a `spring-loaded inverted pendulum', emphasizing that the spring-mass sweeps through an arc during stance, like an inverted pendulum (Cavagna et al., 1977; McMahon and Cheng, 1990; Blickhan and Full, 1993). Recent modeling analysis has shown that this model also applies well to walking (Geyer et al., 2006). Rather than modeling walking as a simple inverted pendulum with no spring compliance, Geyer et al. (Geyer et al., 2006) show that the ground reaction force and mechanical energy patterns of walking are best described by a spring-loaded inverted pendulum model (Fig. 1A). Thus, use of limbs as a spring-mass inverted pendulum reduces the mechanical work muscles must do to move an animal's CoM during both walking and running (Fig. 1B,C), helping to lower its metabolic energy expenditure. As a consequence, the magnitude and rate of force generation by muscles, not mechanical work per se (Heglund et al., 1982), determines a large fraction of the metabolic cost of locomotion across animal size and running speed (Kram and Taylor, 1990), with differences in locomotor cost depending strongly on limb length (Pontzer, 2007). Consistent with these observations, studies of in vivo muscle function have shown that distal muscles often generate force economically by contracting isometrically or with low shortening velocity (Roberts et al., 1997; Biewener et al., 1998; Daley and Biewener, 2003; Fukunaga et al., 2001; Lichtwark and Wilson, 2006; Lichtwark et al., 2007). In the gastrocnemius, the most accessible and commonly studied muscle, similar activation and strain patterns are observed for running in all of the animals studied (e.g. compare human and guinea fowl; Fig. 2). This suggests that active strain patterns observed within functionally similar, homologous muscle groups may not differ dramatically among species. By contracting with low shortening velocity or with an initial pre-stretch, muscles do little mechanical work and produce force using less ATP, reducing the amount of metabolic energy required to move (Biewener and Roberts, 2000). This also favors elastic energy storage and recovery in the muscle's tendon and aponeurosis, in addition to distal limb ligaments. Yet, even when animals move at steady speed over level ground, some muscles produce or absorb mechanical energy, rather than contracting economically with little length change. In general, proximal limb muscle fascicles undergo larger strains during the stance phase of locomotion, in stretch–shorten cycles that suggest work absorption (through active lengthening) followed by production (through active shortening) (Fig. 3). Intriguingly, however, their strain patterns are often biased toward lengthening during the first half of stance (Figs 3 and 6 show examples for the rat, wallaby, dog and goat vastus lateralis and biceps femoris, as well as the horse triceps) (Carrier et al., 1998; Gillis and Biewener, 2002; McGowan et al., 2007; Wickler et al., 2005) or shortening during the second half of stance [rat, wallaby and goat biceps femoris and dog semimembranosus (Gregersen et al., 1998)]. This suggests that energy is mainly absorbed by the vastus during the first half of stance and produced by the biceps during the second half of stance. Thus, whereas distal muscles tend to act as force transmission links, facilitating elastic energy storage in tendons, proximal muscles are recruited in more complex patterns to yield spring-like behavior at the level of the joint and whole limb. Nonetheless, spring-like performance of the limb and body is accomplished through the collective action of the limb muscles, although some muscles absorb energy and others produce energy. Gastrocnemius muscle performance in a human (A) and guinea fowl (B) during running. Traces are scaled to align the stance periods of the running stride (broken lines). EMG traces in A and B are rectified and averaged over many stride cycles. (A) Average human gastrocnemius activity (EMG) relative to ground reaction force (Dietz et al., 1979), along with gastrocnemius fascicle length measured from ultrasound recordings [traced from fig. 3 in Lichtwark and Wilson (Lichtwark and Wilson, 2006)]. (B) Average guinea fowl gastrocnemus activity (EMG), muscle–tendon force and fascicle length [thin lines indicate s.e.m. (Daley, 2006)]. Note that the muscle is activated with similar timing and undergoes a similar strain pattern during stance in both the human and guinea fowl (as well as other animals). The muscle is activated in anticipation of stance, with increases in activity during stance suggestive of reflex feedback (e.g. Dietz et al., 1979). Proximo-distal differences in muscle architecture within the hindlimb of a cursorial animal (similar patterns occur in the forelimb and in the limbs of other running birds and mammals). Representative fascicle strain (red) and myoelectric (EMG) patterns (black) recorded in vivo from muscles of various animals are shown in relation to proximo-distal differences in muscle–tendon architecture. For fascicle strain traces, the tick on the scale bar indicates zero strain (the estimated resting length of the fascicles, based on the average length during quiet standing). In vivo forces (gray) are also shown for the two distal muscles. Fascicle strain and time scales are the same for all muscle recordings shown. Duration of stance phase is shaded gray. Differences in force–length performance among limb muscles appear to relate to the proximo-distal gradient in muscle–tendon architecture that is apparent within the limbs of terrestrial vertebrate animals (Fig. 3). Proximal muscles tend to have long-parallel fascicles with little in-series tendon elasticity, and distal muscles tend to have short, pinnate fascicles with long compliant tendons. Mechanical work output of muscles might be expected to be independent of differences in architecture because muscle tissue has constant work per volume capacity (Alexander, 1992). Nonetheless, in-series tendon elasticity decouples muscle fiber shortening and joint excursion, favoring elastic energy cycling, force control and force economy over direct control of joint position and work (Biewener and Roberts, 2000; Alexander, 2002; Roberts, 2002). In circumstances requiring short, high power bursts, such as during acceleration and jumping, tendon elasticity can enhance maximum power output by allowing the muscle to shorten against the tendon at relatively constant velocity, storing elastic energy in the tendon that is suddenly released as force declines and the tendon recoils (Roberts, 2002). Yet, proximal muscle architecture is better suited for precise control of joint position and steady work output. Natural selection also favors muscle mass to be concentrated proximally in the limbs to reduce inertial costs, particularly in larger animals. It is likely, therefore, that the majority of limb work is performed by larger proximal muscles. Thus, regional distribution of muscle–tendon architecture in the limb favors force economy and elastic savings in distal muscles, and position control and work modulation by proximal muscles. Regional patterns of muscle work in relation to joint work and muscle architecture One current research focus is investigation of regional patterns of muscle work within the limb during both steady and non-steady behaviors, to test hypotheses about the relationship between muscle architecture and function. This requires integrated studies of in vivo muscle function in concert with measurements of joint work and whole body mechanical energy changes. An integrative approach is necessary because (1) calculations of muscle work are more meaningful in the context of the whole body energy demand; (2) muscle work cannot be directly measured in most muscles, and must instead be estimated through approaches that combine in vivo measures with inverse dynamics analysis; and (3) energy is often transferred among joints of the limb via biarticular muscles. Relatively little is still known about regional patterns of muscle work performance because most studies have focused on distal muscle function. Calculation of muscle work output requires direct measures of both muscle force and muscle fascicle strain. Muscle forces are most feasibly measured using tendon transducers, which can be placed only on distal muscles with sufficiently long tendons (Gregor et al., 1988; Herzog et al., 1993; Biewener and Baudinette, 1995). Recent studies have also investigated muscle strain and EMG patterns in proximal muscles during locomotion, although calculation of muscle work is not possible. Instead, inverse dynamics analysis, which combines ground reaction force and kinematic data to calculate joint torques and joint work, is used to evaluate how joint torque and work requirements change for different tasks. Nonetheless, inverse dynamics analysis must be interpreted with caution, as regional patterns of muscle work within the limb do not necessarily match patterns of joint work. This is because biarticular muscles often transfer energy between joints, so that muscle work performed at one joint may appear at a more proximal or distal joint (Fig. 4). Transfer of energy via biarticular muscles has been demonstrated during jumping or sprinting actions (Bobbert et al., 1986; van Ingen Schenau et al., 1994; Jacobs et al., 1996). However, it also occurs during steady locomotion in cats (Prilutsky et al., 1996) and wallabies (McGowan et al., 2007), and likely other animals. In cats and wallabies considerable net work appears at the ankle joint during stance, even though the ankle extensors, which span both the knee and ankle, contract under nearly isometric conditions (Fig. 3). In these animals, the biarticular ankle extensors have been observed to function as isometric links to transfer energy from proximal muscles acting at the hip and knee (Fig. 4). This occurs during different phases of limb support, with energy absorbed through negative muscle and joint work during the first half of stance (Fig. 4B) and produced during the second half of stance (Fig. 4C). Similarly, the hamstrings and rectus femoris may transfer energy between the hip and knee joints, or to the trunk, as observed during vertical jumping (Bobbert et al., 1986). As a result, measurements of joint torque and work are most informative when accompanied by in vivo measurements of muscle strain, EMG and muscle tendon forces, where possible. (A) Schematic representation of regional patterns of joint work over the course of stance summarizing patterns observed for muscle groups of various animals during running. Curved arrows indicate the rotational motion of the distal segment of each joint (clockwise versus counterclockwise). Arrow color shows whether net energy is produced (red) or absorbed (blue) or zero (gray) at that joint during stance. These joint patterns are shown in relation to muscle work patterns in B and C. Muscle path arrows indicate hypothesized contraction of muscle groups, undergoing net shortening and positive work (red), lengthening and negative work (blue), or no net length change (gray). In this example, the hip extends, doing positive work mainly during the second half of stance (C); the knee flexes, doing negative work (energy absorption) mainly during the first half of stance (B); the ankle initially flexes during the first half of stance (B) and then extends during the second half of stance (C), doing net positive work; and the TMP (tarsometatarsal–phalangeal) joint dorsiflexes doing negative work throughout stance, though shown in B only (overall limb work is zero, characteristic of steady level locomotion assuming no work is done by other pelvic and trunk muscles). In comparison, the hamstrings (biceps) shorten while active, performing positive work (second half of stance, C); the quadriceps (vastus) undergo net lengthening while active doing negative work (first half of stance, B); the triceps surae [gastrocnemius (soleus, not shown) and plantaris] contract isometrically doing zero net work throughout stance, whereas the digital flexors are stretched and absorb energy initially (B) and then remain isometric during the second half of stance (not shown). As a result of their biarticular organization, the gastrocnemius, plantaris and digital flexor act as force links and, although they do no significant net work as a group, act to transfer energy from the hip and knee joints (via the hamstrings and/or quadriceps) to the ankle joint. This pattern is observed during steady level locomotion as well as during jumping in several species. See text for additional details. One way to examine the regional distribution of work performance within the limb is to study muscle and joint net mechanical energy changes during locomotion on a steady grade. Energy must be produced with every step to move uphill, and absorbed to run down hill. In these tasks, the total net work demand is easily quantified by the change in the gravitational potential energy (PEg) of the body with each step. This provides an opportunity to compare the net work output of muscles to the total body net work demand. Certain distal muscles of turkeys and guinea fowl, the lateral gastrocnemius and peroneus longus, modulate their net work output with changes in grade (Roberts et al., 1997; Daley and Biewener, 2003; Gabaldón et al., 2004) (Fig. 5). Changes in muscle work are achieved through multiple mechanisms, including shifts in the amount of muscle shortening versus lengthening (Fig. 5C) and shifts in the timing of force relative to the strain pattern (Daley and Biewener, 2003; Gabaldón et al., 2004). Although these distal muscles increase their net work output during locomotion on a grade (Fig. 5A), the change in work is less than expected for their mass, and relatively small compared to the total body work demand (Fig. 5B) (Daley and Biewener, 2003; Gabaldón et al., 2004). Furthermore, in wallabies and humans, distal muscles remain nearly isometric during incline locomotion, with little or no change in net work output (Biewener et al., 2004b; Lichtwark and Wilson, 2006). The importance of proximal muscles for modulating mechanical work output on graded surfaces is consistent with muscle strain and EMG patterns recorded in the proximal muscles of rats, wallabies and horses when running, hopping or galloping up a grade. A variety of proximal muscles show shifts toward net shortening on an incline, or in the case of the rat and wallaby vastus lateralis, significantly decreased net lengthening (Gillis and Biewener, 2002; Wickler et al., 2005; McGowan et al., 2007) (Fig. 6). For decline locomotion (not shown in Fig. 6), Gillis and Biewener (Gillis and Biewener, 2002) found decreases in biceps and vastus shortening (resulting in greater vastus net lengthening). Although direct measurements of muscle force and work are not possible for proximal muscles, inverse dynamics analysis of joint work patterns also suggests that proximal muscle work is modulated (Roberts and Belliveau, 2005; McGowan et al., 2007). Inverse dynamics analysis in humans reveals that nearly all the net work output for incline running occurs at the hip (Roberts and Belliveau, 2005), with the ankle and knee joints retaining the same function as during steady level running. Distal-limb muscle performance during running on a slope in guinea fowl (A,B) and turkeys (C). (A) Fascicle strain (via sonomicrometry), EMG and muscle–tendon force in the lateral gastrocnemius (LG) of guinea fowl during running on the level versus the incline. Although LG work output increases by increased fascicle shortening and force development on an incline, (B) total and mass-specific work performance of the LG (and digital flexors) is less than if each hindlimb muscle contributed work in proportion to its mass, and small compared to the whole-body work demand (see Daley and Biewener, 2003). (C) Patterns of fascicle strain, force and muscle work for the LG and peroneus longus (PL) of turkeys running on the level, incline and decline show that these muscles also modulate their mechanical work output largely by changes in lengthening versus shortening strain [part C was originally published in Gabaldón et al. (Gabaldón et al., 2004)]. In C, negative strain and velocity indicate lengthening, filled circles are averages over stance, and open circles are averages over the period of force production within stance. How do muscle, limb and body dynamics change during non-steady locomotion? Principles emerging from studies of steady level locomotion, such as simple spring-mass mechanics that explain body and leg dynamics of trotting, running and hopping gaits (McMahon and Cheng, 1990; Blickhan and Full, 1993; Farley et al., 1993), also appear to apply to the dynamics of stabilization. When animals encounter an unexpected force (Full et al., 2002; Jindrich and Full, 2002), a change in substrate compliance or damping (Fig. 7A,B) (Ferris et al., 1999; Moritz and Farley, 2003; Moritz and Farley, 2004), or a sudden change in terrain height (Fig. 7C,D) (Daley and Biewener, 2006), they use spring-mass dynamics to help passively stabilize their locomotor trajectory. These observations support the view that simple spring-mass dynamics serve as a template (Full and Koditschek, 1999) for understanding the mechanics and neuromuscular control of legged terrestrial locomotion. These principles of spring-mass function and common CoM mechanical energy patterns, which apply to all terrestrial gaits (Blickhan and Full, 1993; Cavagna et al., 1977; Farley et al., 1993; Geyer et al., 2006), also suggest that diverse running animals employ similar stabilizing mechanisms when perturbed. Nevertheless, animals that use a greater number of limbs will likely have increased running stability. When impulsively perturbed, running cockroaches rapidly stabilize CoM roll, pitch and yaw moments, often within the period of support of the perturbed step (Jindrich and Full, 2002). This rapid adjustment suggests intrinsic stabilization via muscle–tendon and limb compliance and damping properties. These intrinsic stabilizing properties, which reflect the inverse force–velocity property of muscle, have been termed `preflexes' (Brown and Loeb, 2000). Although these occur prior to neural feedback via reflexes, they also apply throughout a neuromuscular response to a perturbation. The lateral stabilization of running cockroaches also exhibits spring-mass dynamics characteristic of a virtual lateral leg spring (Fig. 1D) (Full et al., 2002; Schmitt and Holmes, 2000). In addition to the vertical direction, running animals exhibit stable periodic motion of their CoM in the lateral direction when running. An impulsive perturbation that disrupts a cockroach's periodic lateral motion also disrupts its lateral (yaw) rotational velocity, body orientation and heading direction. Dynamical systems analysis reveals that the animal's lateral rotational velocity and body orientation are stabilized independent of neural reflexes, enabling the animal (and lateral leg spring-mass model) to establish a new stable heading direction (Schmitt and Holmes, 2000). This work shows the importance of simple spring-mass dynamics as an underlying principle of the control and stabilization mechanics of legged locomotion in both the lateral and vertical plane during running. How are these body dynamics related to underlying limb, joint and muscle function? Recent analysis of the passive viscoelastic properties of the legs of cockroaches (Dudek and Full, 2006), based on a hysteretic model, reveal that the limbs exhibit both elastic and damping properties in the vertical direction, consistent with the vertical spring behavior observed during running. This behavior arises from the orientation of arthropod limb joints that allow motion primarily in the vertical plane. However, studies to date do not show how underlying joint moments and muscle forces developed during running in arthropods act in response to perturbations and help to stabilize the animal. Proximal muscle strain (bold lines) and EMG patterns (thin lines) recorded in vivo during level (red traces) versus incline (blue traces) locomotion for muscles of various animals (gait indicated in parentheses on right). Example patterns show increased shortening of the horse triceps and vastus (Wickler et al., 2005), the rat biceps (Gillis and Biewener, 2002) and wallaby biceps femoris (McGowan et al., 2007), as well as reduced net lengthening of the wallaby vastus, when moving on an incline. Stance duration is shown by the light red (level) and light blue (incline) shading. All muscles are displayed with the same fascicle strain and temporal scales. For fascicle strain traces, the tick on the scale bar indicates zero strain. To examine how underlying muscle forces and joint moments influence stabilization dynamics in bipeds, we (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Daley et al., 2006; Daley et al., 2007) have recently investigated the response of running guinea fowl to a sudden unexpected drop in substrate height, camouflaged by tissue paper to remove visual cues. This perturbation, equal to ∼40% of the bird's hip height, results in a sudden loss of PEg as the animal falls and extends its limb to make contract with the ground (force platform) below. These studies show that guinea fowl adjust limb mechanical function to stabilize their CoM dynamics in a posture-dependent manner (Fig. 7C,D, Fig. 8B,C). Depending on the initial contact angle of the limb on the ground (θo) and relative limb extension (Lo/LT, ratio of initial stance limb length to maximally extended length), guinea fowl adjust the distribution and amount of net joint work that the limb performs. The knee joint plays a large role in determining the overall limb posture, but contributes little to the total energy production during stance (Fig. 9) (Daley et al., 2007). With a more extended knee, lower θo and greater Lo/LT, the distal joints (ankle and tarsometatarsal, TMP, joints) absorb net energy, resulting in a net loss of total mechanical energy of the body during stance (Fig. 7D, Fig. 9B). However, if limb motion following tissue breakthrough results in a more flexed knee, more vertical θo and lower Lo/LT, these distal joints act more as springs and net work during stance is positive (Fig. 7D, the hip joint produces positive work under all breakthrough conditions; Fig. 9B) (Daley et al., 2007). As a result, the decrease in body PEg is converted into forward kinetic energy (KE), helping to stabilize the animal's motion. Thus, we observed two modes for stabilizing the perturbed vertical motion of the body in running guinea fowl (Fig. 7D) (Daley et al., 2006). When the limb contacts the ground with a more vertical angle and the distal joints behaving as springs, PEg is converted to KE, and the animal stabilizes by speeding up during the perturbed step (EKE mode). This stability mode was observed most frequently (63% of trials). When the limb contacts the ground with a more extended knee and at a shallower limb angle, however, net energy absorption by distal joints results in net decrease in total body mechanical energy (Ecom mode, 37% of trials), and the animal avoids speeding up. Interestingly, when the substrate drop was visible, guinea fowl had difficulty negotiating it, often stumbling and slowing down more to avoid falling. These results show that an animal's stabilization strategy is variable and context-dependent. Nonetheless, when confronted with an unexpected drop perturbation guinea fowl running performance was remarkably robust, with only one fall observed in total of 72 trials. The ability of guinea fowl to stabilize their running by converting PEg into KE, and speeding up, is consistent with the passive dynamics of a simple spring-mass system (Fig. 7C) (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Daley et al., 2006), which requires no net change in CoM energy over a full stride. However, the posture-dependent work performance of the distal joints suggests that variation in intrinsic mechanical factors and neural control sometimes results in altered work performance of the distal muscles. Integrating mechanics and neural control for stability of non-steady locomotion Up to this point we have focused primarily on mechanical aspects of locomotion in steady and non-steady tasks. However, accomplishing context-appropriate locomotor behavior in a complex environment requires integration of body, limb and muscle dynamics with reflex feedback and feed-forward neural control. As we have noted, the body and limb of terrestrial animals are tuned to operate around a spring-mass template, which allows passive–dynamic mechanisms to facilitate a return to a steady locomotor trajectory following a perturbation (Ferris et al., 1999; Schmitt and Holmes, 2000; Full et al., 2002; Jindrich and Full, 2002; Daley and Biewener, 2006). Passive–dynamic control mechanisms (also called preflexive, intrinsic mechanical, or just intrinsic), can simplify control of locomotion. Intrinsic control mechanisms rely on the natural dynamics of the mechanical system as it moves through the environment, without the need for any explicit modification of muscle activity through neural pathways. Nonetheless, maintaining a spring-mass trajectory in the face of a changing environment often requires tuning of limb properties, including kleg (Fig. 7A,B, Fig. 8A) (Ferris et al., 1999) andθ o (Fig. 7C,D, Fig. 8B) (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Seyfarth et al., 2003). Furthermore, muscles can produce or absorb energy to change Ecom, allowing the animal to change velocity or body height. These adjustments in limb performance can occur both through intrinsic dynamics and through active neural control, including feedback and feed-forward modification of muscle activity. Furthermore, intrinsic mechanical and neural aspects of control are inherently linked because mechanical changes elicit proprioceptive feedback. Little is known about how these effects are integrated during natural locomotor behaviors to help stabilize and maneuver in complex environments. Body CoM dynamics following perturbations in relation to spring-mass model dynamics. (A) Computer simulation of the spring-mass trajectory following a change from a soft to hard surface, with no change in leg stiffness (kleg), resulting in an asymmetrical CoM path and a steep trajectory during take-off at the end of support. (B) Actual CoM vertical displacement of a human runner encountering an abrupt but expected change from a soft to hard substrate. The runner maintains similar (symmetrical) CoM motion by anticipating the change and adjusting kleg within the first step (Ferris et al., 1999). (C) Computer simulation of the spring-mass trajectory following a sudden, unexpected drop in substrate height (40% of leg length). In the perturbed step, the only model value that differs from the level step is the limb contact angle (θo), which is steeper due to the backward motion of the limb before it contacts the ground (see also Fig. 8B). The angle used in the simulation was that measured experimentally from guinea fowl. (D) Actual CoM trajectory and energy changes of running guinea fowl following an unexpected drop in substrate height equal to 40% of leg length (PEg, solid blue line; KEv and KEh, solid green and broken purple lines; Ecom, total center of mass energy, solid black line). The broken vertical gray line indicates when the foot contacted the tissue paper `false floor', and the gray box indicates the duration of stance. The bar graph (right) shows the net energy changes during the step (between the start and end of the traces on the left). Two response modes were observed: in most cases the body dynamics of the bird match the conservative spring-mass model (as shown in C), converting lost PEg to forward KE (D, top graphs). In some cases, however, the limb muscles absorb net energy, decreasing the total body mechanical energy (Ecom; D, bottom graphs). The different response modes are associated with different limb postures when the foot contacts the ground (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Daley et al., 2006). Perturbation experiments help elucidate the interplay between intrinsic and neural control. Experiments that perturb terrain stiffness, viscosity or surface height have provided insight into how intrinsic mechanical and neural mechanisms are coordinated. Limb posture plays a crucial role in stabilization through the intrinsic mechanical response to a perturbation. Adjustment of limb posture to a more crouched (flexed joint) or upright (extended joint) stance changes the effective mechanical advantage, or gearing, of limb muscles (Biewener, 1989; Carrier et al., 1994; Biewener et al., 2004a) and intrinsic limb stiffness (Fig. 8A) (Moritz and Farley, 2004). The normal backward motion of the limb during late swing phase just before foot contact, to match foot and ground speed, also leads to automatic adjustment of θo in variable terrain (Fig. 8B,C) (Daley and Biewener, 2006; Seyfarth et al., 2003). This simple mechanism alters leg-spring loading (Fig. 8B) (Daley and Biewener, 2006), facilitating rapid stabilization following a sudden change in substrate height. Postural influences on intrinsic limb dynamics following a perturbation. Intrinsic mechanical changes can simplify control and stabilization of running dynamics, because these mechanisms rely on the natural dynamics of the body and limb interacting with the environment, without the need for altered muscle activation through central or reflex neural pathways. (A) Following an unexpected change in substrate properties during hopping in place, humans exhibit an intrinsic decrease in limb stiffness (kleg) due to increased flexion of the knee in response to rapid limb loading (Moritz and Farley, 2004). (B) Upon encountering an unexpected drop in terrain height, guinea fowl exhibit an intrinsic increase in limb contact angle (θo) due to the normal backward motion of the limb during late swing phase just prior to ground contact (to match foot and ground speed). If the limb acts as a simple compression spring, limb loading (and ground reaction force) depends on the angle between the limb and the bird's velocity (φo). The backward motion of the limb in the drop step results in altered geometry as shown, which is associated with an intrinsic decrease in the ground reaction force impulse over stance (the time integral of force, Fg), due to decreased peak force and shorter contact duration. These dynamics are consistent with the spring-mass model (Daley and Biewener, 2006). Changes in limb posture are mediated through a combination of feed-forward and intrinsic mechanical mechanisms. Muscles are activated in a feed-forward manner in anticipation of the stance phase of locomotion (Figs 2, 3 and 9). When the interaction with the ground suddenly changes, feed-forward muscle activation and intersegmental dynamics lead to altered joint angles (Fig. 8A and Fig. 9) (Daley et al., 2007; Patla and Prentice, 1995; Moritz and Farley, 2004). The resulting change in limb posture leads to altered limb stiffness, limb loading and whole body dynamics (Moritz and Farley, 2004; Daley and Biewener, 2006). Additional intrinsic mechanical effects result from the nonlinear and time-varying mechanical properties of muscle tissue. Muscle force production depends on a number of mechanical factors, including instantaneous length and velocity, as well as recent work history (reviewed by Josephson, 1999). These intrinsic properties of muscle tissue can provide inherent stabilization following a perturbation (Brown and Loeb, 2000). Muscle–tendon architecture is also likely to influence a muscle's intrinsic mechanical response to a perturbation. Because in-series tendon elasticity decouples muscle fiber shortening and joint excursion, muscles with long, compliant tendons facilitate elastic energy cycling and economic force production at the expense of direct control of joint position and work (Biewener and Roberts, 2000; Alexander, 2002; Roberts, 2002). Additionally, tendon elasticity could either amplify or buffer a perturbation's effect on muscle fascicle strain, depending on whether the disturbance occurs when the muscle fascicles are passive or actively contracting at high stress. If a perturbation occurs when the muscle is passive or at low force (for example an obstacle encountered at the initiation of stance), most of the angular excursion at a joint will likely occur in the muscle fascicles (fascicles being less stiff than the tendon). This could dramatically alter the subsequent active force–length dynamics of the muscle. In contrast, if a perturbation occurs when the muscle is already actively developing high force (such as a sudden drop in terrain in the middle of stance), much of the angular excursion at a joint could occur through tendon stretch or recoil (fascicles being more stiff than the tendon, so length change occurs mainly in the tendon). If a perturbation leads to large changes in muscle fascicle length or velocity, it will likely result in dramatic changes in the force and energy output of the muscle, due to its intrinsic tissue properties. Consequently, changes in limb posture near the onset of force production, when muscle force is low, will likely have a larger effect on the length and contractile dynamics of the muscle fascicles. Because muscle–tendon architecture likely influences a muscle's sensitivity to external perturbations, as discussed above, muscles with substantial in-series elasticity are likely to exhibit high sensitivity to perturbations that occur at low muscle force and low sensitivity to perturbations at high muscle force. Muscles with little in-series elasticity, however, will exhibit relatively constant sensitivity to perturbations. The proximo-distal distribution of muscle–tendon architecture discussed above (Figs 4 and 9) also suggests a similar gradient in the perturbation response of the limb muscles. In particular, we predict that the perturbation sensitivity of proximal muscles will be relatively low and less variant with muscle contractile state, whereas the perturbation sensitivity of distal muscles will be especially high at low force (such as at the initiation of stance) due to amplified intrinsic mechanical effects. The high perturbation sensitivity of distal joint mechanics of guinea fowl during the unexpected drop experiments are suggestive of this architectural principle (Daley et al., 2007). However, these ideas remain to be directly tested in more controlled experimental settings. The left panel schematically illustrates the hypothesized interplay between feed-forward muscle activation and intrinsic mechanical effects during running over a terrain drop (solid line) perturbation. Arrow color and direction conventions are the same as in Fig. 4. (A) Activation of muscles in anticipation of stance results in extension of the hip, ankle and TMP joints upon tissue paper (dotted line) contact. Depending on the balance among multiarticular muscles at the knee joint, the knee either flexes (A) or remains relatively extended (B). This alters limb posture and limb loading at ground contact. When the knee is flexed and θo close to vertical (A), limb loading is low, and the distal joints act as springs (purple and blue cumulative work curves for the ankle and TMP joints absorb with low net work output). When the knee is relatively extended and θo is lower (B), limb loading is greater, and the distal muscles undergo stretch, resulting in net energy absorption (blue arrows for distal muscles, and negative cumulative work for the ankle and TMP joints). In contrast the hip behaves uniformly, producing energy, as if the hip extensors are under feed-forward control and insensitive to perturbations. The knee does little net work under either condition. We hypothesize that variation in the breaking force of the tissue paper results in altered distal muscle contraction dynamics during the perturbation (on left, greater and lower distal muscle work production in A and B, respectively), leading to altered stance phase limb posture and dynamics Multiarticular muscles likely play a key role in integrating neural and intrinsic control mechanisms, yet the details of how this plays out remain largely speculative and should be addressed by future research (Figs 4 and 9). Because the force and displacement of multiarticular muscles relate to the torques and angular excursions of multiple joints, their performance is likely to be especially sensitive to the configuration and loading of the limb. Most of the distal limb muscles are multiarticular; thus, the high sensitivity of distal joint mechanics to limb posture supports this idea (Daley et al., 2007). Multiarticular muscles also transfer energy between joints (Bobbert et al., 1986; Prilutsky et al., 1996; McGowan et al., 2007). Consequently, their altered force–length behavior in response to changing mechanical environment could influence the distribution of energy among the joints, even if they exhibit relatively little change in total muscle energy output. Thus, we believe that further research will show that multiarticular muscles play a key role in redistributing force and energy among the joints and muscles of the limb in response to perturbations. Intrinsic mechanical effects must be tightly integrated with reflex feedback. Due to neural transmission and electromechanical delays, the immediate response of the musculoskeletal system depends entirely on intrinsic mechanical properties, including force–length, force–velocity and history-dependent properties of muscles, and postural effects on joint dynamics. Nonetheless, reflex feedback follows with a short delay and can contribute to further stabilization within a single stance phase (Hiebert and Pearson, 1999; Nichols and Houk, 1973). Both stretch (from muscle spindles), and force (from Golgi tendon organs) feedback contribute to locomotor control (reviewed by Pearson, 1995). However, the relative effects of intrinsic mechanics, stretch feedback and force feedback likely depends on the speed of locomotion. Due to shorter mechanical delays, force feedback might improve locomotor stability over stretch reflex feedback, especially at higher speeds. Evidence suggests that positive force feedback plays a key role in the control of stable locomotion (Geyer et al., 2003; Pearson, 1995). At high locomotor speeds, intrinsic mechanical effects are likely to play a predominant role in control, because feedback delays could be destabilizing. Indeed, reflex gains tends to be reduced with increasing speed of locomotion (Capaday and Stein, 1987). Thus, the intrinsic mechanical stabilization mechanisms we have highlighted likely play a predominant role in fast locomotion, such as running and galloping. However, sensorimotor reflexes and higher brain centers likely play a substantial role in stabilizing slower gaits, such as walking (e.g. Marigold and Patla, 2005; Marigold and Patla, 2007). The work examined here points to the need for further studies of terrestrial locomotion that integrate whole body and limb dynamics with the contractile function of individual muscles. In vivo studies of individual muscles are valuable for testing hypotheses about design and function of muscle–tendon elements in the limbs of animals. However, because many muscles are activated to execute locomotor movements and muscles often span two or more joints, an understanding of their functional integration within the limb as a whole will benefit from being linked to studies of joint, limb and whole body dynamics. Much of the work to date has focused on muscle synergists that function to support and move the animal during limb support. Nevertheless, the role of antagonist muscles for joint and limb stabilization also needs to be considered in relation to muscle synergists that are active during limb support. The interaction of antagonist muscles for controlling joint motion and overall body dynamics is likely to be particularly critical when animals negotiate obstacles more slowly or are perturbed from steady movement. To date this issue has received scant attention, beyond studies of EMG and limb kinematics. A theme emerging from studies of steady level terrestrial locomotion and more recent studies involving various sudden perturbations is that a simple spring-mass template can explain much of the behavior of the limb and body as a whole. Not only does this model help to explain how terrestrial animals economize their movement during steady locomotion, it also serves as a framework for understanding how animals simplify the control problem of stabilization. Intrinsic force–length and force–velocity muscle properties also help to simplify the problem of control, yet both are clearly linked to subsequent neural reflex mechanisms. Given the complexity of reflex effects on locomotion, and the nonlinear nature of limb and muscle contractile dynamics, there is a substantial need for further research to investigate how intrinsic mechanical effects and reflex feedback are integrated during natural movements. It is well known that reflex contributions to the control of movement are highly context-dependent (Pearson, 1995; Zehr and Stein, 1999). Each muscle also receives a unique combination of reflex inputs depending on its unique set of actions and muscle synergies (Nichols, 1994). Given the complexities of the neuromuscular system, an integrative biomechanics approach is required to understand its design and control features in relation to movement; one that combines analysis of behavior, whole body dynamics, inverse dynamics analysis of joint mechanics, and in vivo measures of muscle performance. Computational modeling approaches will likely become increasingly important for formulating and testing hypotheses about control strategies for stable and agile locomotion. A challenge for studying non-steady locomotion and the neuro-musculoskeletal principles that guide its control is the inherent variability of these behaviors. Again, understanding how animals contend with the more variable conditions of non-steady movement depends on recognizing that the biomechanics and neural control of such movements is context-dependent. Different responses for achieving stability will apply, depending on the initial conditions of the animal's physical interaction with its environment. Studies conducted to date suggest that postural effects are key to establishing the initial conditions that govern an animal's stability response. It is interesting that simple kinematic features of limb movement and changes in posture appear to govern the distribution of work within the limb and the contractile function of muscles underlying this, influencing the manner in which they are activated and controlled. List of symbols body center of mass θo initial contact angle of the limb on the ground limb length Lo/LT relative limb extension gravitational potential energy vertical kinetic energy KEh horizontal kinetic energy center of mass energy point mass kleg leg stiffness bird's velocity Much of the authors' work described here has been supported by an NIH grant (AR047679) to A.A.B., an HHMI predoctoral fellowship to M.A.D., and an NSF Bioinformatics Grant (DBI-0630664) to M.A.D. 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__label__wiki	0.969089	0.969089	Jeffrey Mann Fine Jewelers Mann Made® Lab Grown Diamonds Hours & Directions (419) 882-6994 (419) 963-3799 (text) Planning Proposal Kit Ethically Sourced Jeweler Mann Made® Lab Grown Diamond Guide Mann Made® Lab Grown Diamond Search Mann Made Mann Made® Diamond Stud The Custom Design Process Custom Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands Custom Fashion The Jeffrey Mann Guarantee John Krasinski and Cast of ‘The Office’ Rejoice at Fans’ Virtual Wedding In a video that was posted Sunday and has already topped 8.8 million views, The Office star John Krasinski officiated the Zoom marriage ceremony of Maryland superfans, whose proposal mimicked a scene from the popular TV show. As a surprise bonus, Krasinski invited the cast of The Office to dance at their virtual wedding. For the past seven weeks, Krasinski has brightened the lives of home-bound viewers with his YouTube series “Some Good News.” During the second half of Sunday’s episode, Krasinski introduced Susan and John, whose marriage proposal was “oddly familiar.” The Office fans will remember how Krasinski’s character, Jim, asked Pam (Jenna Fischer) to marry him in the rain at a gas station convenience store. John’s proposal to Susan matched the TV version almost exactly. “So I knew the proposal needed to be something really special, but also really something unique,” John said. “‘The Office’ has been something that has connected the two of us for a very, very long time so it just felt right.” Susan explained, “Then he got down on one knee and he said, ‘Just like Jim, I can’t wait any longer.'” As huge fans of the popular workplace comedy, John and Susan tweeted an invitation for Krasinski to attend their virtual wedding. Krasinski took the sweet gesture one step further. The actor got ordained via an online ministry, which allowed him to officiate the couple’s virtual marriage ceremony. Said Krasinski, “Susan and John, because you elegantly ripped off our proposal, I think it’s only fitting that you rip off the wedding too.” At that point, Krasinski introduced a number of key players who were queued up to be revealed during the Zoom call. The actor introduced the couples’ parents, some close friends, and Fischer, who played Kraskinski’s love interest on the show. Kraskinski volunteered to be the best man and nominated Fischer to be the matron of honor. After country star Zac Brown performed a special song, the couple recited their vows and Krasinski pronounced them husband and wife. But that’s not it. To top off the virtual ceremony, Krasinski invited the cast of The Office to recreate the wedding scene from Jim and Pam’s wedding in Season 6. Among the stars showing off their dance moves were Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, Angela Kinsey, Ellie Kemper, Kate Flannery, Brian Baumgartner, Ed Helms, Phyllis Smith, Oscar Nunez, Rainn Wilson and Creed Bratton. Krasinski said that this was likely the first and only wedding that would take place on “Some Good News.” “Because, let’s be honest,” he said. “How does it get better than that? It doesn’t!” Check out Sunday’s episode of “Some Good News,” which has a been trending as high as #2 on YouTube. The virtual wedding segment starts at the 7:20 mark. Also included below are the engagement and wedding scenes from The Office. Jim Proposes to Pam The Office Wedding Dance Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/SomeGoodNews. (419) 882-6994 Hours & Directions (419) 963-3799 (text) Copyright © 2021 Jeffrey Mann Fine Jewelers	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line953
__label__wiki	0.660423	0.660423	CIO Viewpoint CXO Insight CASE Study News Vendors Most Popular ( 1-4 of 8 ) Olivier Huynh Van, CTO and Co-founder, Glue Networks Jim Deren, Director, CareTech Solutions Andrea Di Fabio, CISO, Norfolk State University Andrew Wilson, CIO, Accenture Serge Zenevich, CTO, SoftTeco Alexey Makarov, CEO, Qulix Systems Mike Capone, CIO, Medidata Solutions Jeff Jacobs, CIO/Global IT, OCLC Checking the Pulse of Cloud Based Services: Rethinking Definitions and Future Benefits Dr Mark Zecca, CIO, Kyriba Ltd Dr Mark Zecca, CIO, Kyriba Ltd, Dr. Mark Zecca, PhD, is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Cloud Services and Engineering for Kyriba, an international Treasur... More >> More posts by this contributor: Uniformity of Data Structures with 365 Apps Share your experiences through CIOReview I don’t know why I feel a little territorial every time I hear the word Cloud coming from one of our sales or marketing guys. The term has taken so many twists and turns in the last 20 years, so I thought that a short respite to look where we have been and, more importantly, where we are going and what have we gotten, as a result of this Cloud Computing thing. I have a rock on my desk. Every CIO should have one; on one side it says “You gotta love Marketing” on the other side it says, “You gotta love Sales.” It came to me in a box that said, “In case of dire frustration, throw this object!” The term cloud seems like it should have a deeply scientific meaning such as gaseous anomaly that the Starship Enterprise was sent out to explore! Unfortunately its origins were much more mundane. Back in the 70’s and 80’s communication designers used drawing templates with standardized symbols to represent certain components, and sure enough, there was a billowy cloud there to represent a heterogeneous interconnection of elements in a network. Yet the term did not get traction until the Millennial turn. During the dot.com boom, all sorts of ASPs or Application Service Providers started popping up. They would build an application, and run it for you in your premise or in theirs. In their premise and with the customer’s equipment, they would connect you via a direct circuit or a connection to the Internet. Pretty soon it was just easy for the ASP provider to provision the hardware, order the circuits, and drop the application on the system and Viola you have Software as a Service (SaaS). Right behind this you had providers selling shares of data storage, specialty networks, processing, etc. and before you know it Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) was born. As more and more small businesses ran screaming from the room at the high cost of data center construction, hardware and operating system acquisition the market opened up for providing platforms on which companies could run the software for internal or commercial use. Thankfully the naming gods were working overtime, because this gave us Platforms as a Service (PaaS). Wrap these three experiences (SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS) up with a marketing bowand you get Cloud Computing! So if someone asks you what this “Cloud” thing is all about, you can just sum it up by saying it is storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet. Growth has taken place not only vertically in the proliferation of Cloud Computing services, but horizontally in the types of services that have stretched the now traditional Cloud models Believe it or not, it is still cheaper to put data on a USB and send it FedEx than to use a cloud based storage service, even a free one (considering all the costs of the computer, network service provider, etc). However, that applies to mostly individual consumers or really small businesses. Business usage is a better cost model, since it is using the same connectivity for a lot more functionality and cost savings. But this too, has its drawbacks. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak warned about Cloud Computing in 2012, saying: "I think it's going to be horrendous. I think there are going to be a lot of horrible problems in the next five years." What he was saying was not a criticism of Cloud Computing per se, or what could happen as a result of its gargantuan proliferation by hundreds of thousands of businesses. In 2014, system outages affected companies such as Dropbox, Gmail, Basecamp, Adobe, Evernote, iCloud, and Microsoft. In 2015 major outages were experienced at Apple, Verizon, Microsoft, AOL, Level 3, and Google. Microsoft had another major one this year. These problems typically last for just hours, but they happen to hundreds or even millions of people and effect tens of thousands of businesses. According to the Cloud Security Alliance, the top three threats in the cloud have been identified as Insecure Interfaces and API's, Data Loss & Leakage, and Hardware Failure. These accounted for 29percent, 25 percent and 10 percent of all Cloud security outages respectively. Let’s face it, in Cloud Computing you are putting a lot of processing power on a lot of networks, being shared and used by a lot of people and businesses (hence the cloud); but when an outage hits, it can hit all of those in the Cloud. For many businesses, the benefits of Cloud Computing outweigh the risks. Three main examples of benefits include: • Self-service provisioning: End users can spin up computing resources for almost any type of workload on-demand • Elasticity: Companies can scale up as computing needs increase and then scale down again as demands decrease • Pay per use: Computing resources are measured at a granular level, allowing users to pay only for the resources and workloads they use And just when you think that the marketing guys have run out of labels, there are various types and styles of Cloud Computing for individuals and businesses to pick from to meet their needs. These computing services can be private, public or hybrid. Private cloud services are delivered from a business' data center to its internal users, offering versatility and convenience, while preserving management, control and security. Public cloud service providers deliver the cloud service over the Internet, are sold on-demand, by the minute or the hour, or customers only pay for the CPU cycles, storage or bandwidth consumed, or they pay for a series of functionalities and services as a subscription. Hybrid cloud is a combination of Public cloud services and Private cloud – where automation has been engineered between the two. Here companies can operate missioncritical systems or applications on their private cloud, then burst to the Public cloud when load factors require a scale on-demand. The future shows that Cloud Computing is growing at a rate that has the MIT guys recalculating Moore’s Law! Growth has taken place not only vertically in the proliferation of Cloud Computing services, but horizontally in the types of services that have stretched the now traditional Cloud models. New types of models such as StaaS: Storage as a Service, UCaaS: Unified Communications as a Service, IdaaS: Identity as a Service, MaaS: Monitoring as a Service, and XaaS: Everything else as a Service (Seriously, now I am looking for my rock)! And don’t forget the hybrids. From Hadoop to Big Data- BI to Cloud Bursts; Hybrid Clouds have become, what Caitlin White of Tech Target coined, Frankenclouds! Through all of this there has to be a little help in making a decision to go or no-go for Cloud Computing. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines five essential characteristics for good Cloud Computing. These include: On-demand self-service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity, and Measured service. So there is help out there as you fly amongst the Clouds looking for the elusive bird of cost savings that combines functionality with stability and quick engagement. Or you could always throw rocks at the sales and marketing guys! 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__label__wiki	0.587949	0.587949	[email protected] Tel: 0800 0119 828 / 01606 642307 Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Incident Management Services Technical Security Assessment Services Mobile Security Services IT Security Consultants Permanant Staff Security Awareness – Phishing Security Awareness Services Security Awareness Training- Social Engineering Virtual DPO Services Category: Microsoft Exchange adobe, Automox, cybersecurity, Don't miss, Featured news, Hot stuff, Intel, IT Security, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, News, patch tuesday, Qualys, SAP, Security Update, Tenable, Trend Micro, vulnerability management, Windows 8th September 2020 9th September 2020 September 2020 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft fixes over 110 CVEs again On this September 2020 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft has plugged 129 security holes, including a critical RCE flaw that could be triggered by sending a specially crafted email to an affected Exchange Server installation Adobe has delivered security updates for Adobe Experience Manager, AEM Forms, Framemaker and InDesign Intel has released four security advisories SAP has released 10 security notes and updates to six previously released notes Microsoft’s updates Microsoft has released patches for 129 CVEs, 23 of which are “critical”, 105 “important”, and one “medium”-risk (a security feature bypass flaw in SQL Server Reporting Services). None of them are publicly known or being actively exploited. Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative’s Dustin Childs says that patching CVE-2020-16875, a memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange, should be top priority for organizations using the popular mail server. “This patch corrects a vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute code at SYSTEM by sending a specially crafted email to an affected Exchange Server. That doesn’t quite make it wormable, but it’s about the worst-case scenario for Exchange servers,” he explained. “We have seen the previously patched Exchange bug CVE-2020-0688 used in the wild, and that requires authentication. We’ll likely see this one in the wild soon.” Another interesting patch released this month is that for CVE-2020-0951, a security feature bypass flaw in Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). Patches are available for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 and above. “This patch is interesting for reasons beyond just the bug being fixed. An attacker with administrative privileges on a local machine could connect to a PowerShell session and send commands to execute arbitrary code. This behavior should be blocked by WDAC, which does make this an interesting bypass. However, what’s really interesting is that this is getting patched at all,” Childs explained. “Vulnerabilities that require administrative access to exploit typically do not get patches. I’m curious about what makes this one different.” Many of the critical and important flaws fixed this time affect various editions of Microsoft SharePoint (Server, Enterprise, Foundation). Some require authentication, but many do not, so if you don’t want to fall prey to exploits hidden in specially crafted web requests, pages or SharePoint application packages, see that you install the required updates soon. Satnam Narang, staff research engineer at Tenable, pointed out that one of them – CVE-2020-1210 – is reminiscent of a similar SharePoint remote code execution flaw, CVE-2019-0604, that has been exploited in the wild by threat actors since at least April 2019. CVE-2020-0922, a RCE in Microsoft COM (Common Object Model), should also be patched quickly on all Windows and Windows Server systems. “As COM is the base framework of Microsoft services like ActiveX, OLE, DirectX, and Windows Shell, if left unpatched it would give a malicious player a large target to focus on when seeking out vulnerabilities in a network. Given that the exploit can be taken advantage of through a simple malicious JavaScript or website, potentially delivered through a phishing email, it is necessary to address to minimize a network’s attack surface,” noted Richard Melick, Senior Technical Product Manager, Automox. He also advised organizations in the financial industry who use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (on-premises) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 (on-premises) to quickly patch CVE-2020-16857 and CVE-2020-16862. “Impacting the on-premise servers with this finance and operations focused service installed, both exploits require a specifically created file to exploit the security vulnerability, allowing the attacker to gain remote code execution capability. More concerning with these vulnerabilities is that both flaws, if exploited, would allow an attacker to steal documents and data deemed critical. Due to the nature and use of Microsoft Dynamics in the financial industry, a theft like this could spell trouble for any company of any size,” he added. Jimmy Graham, Sr. Director of Product Management, Qualys, says that Windows Codecs, GDI+, Browser, COM, and Text Service Module vulnerabilities should be prioritized for workstation-type devices. Adobe’s updates Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) – a web-based client-server system for building, managing and deploying commercial websites and related services – and the AEM Forms add-on package for all platforms, Adobe Framemaker for Windows and Adobe InDesign for macOS. The AEM and AEM Forms updates are more important than the rest. The former fix eight critical and important flaws, most of which allow arbitrary JavaScript execution or HTML injection in the browser. The latter plug three critical security holes that carry the same risk (i.e., that of an attacker running malicious code on a victim’s machine). The Adobe Framemaker update fixes two critical flaws that could lead to code execution, and the Adobe InDesign update five of them, but as vulnerabilities in these two offerings are not often targeted by attackers, admins are advised to implement them after more critical updates are secured. None of the fixed vulnerabilities are being currently exploited in the wild. Intel’s updates Intel took advantage of the September 2020 Patch Tuesday to release four advisories, accompanying fixes for the Intel Driver & Support Assistant, BIOS firmware for multiple Intel Platforms, and Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) and Intel Standard Manageability (ISM). The latter fixes are the most important, as they fix a privilege escalation flaw that has been deemed to be “critical” for provisioned systems. SAP’s updates SAP marked the September 2020 Patch Tuesday by releasing 10 security notes and updates to six previously released ones (for SAP Solution Manager, SAP NetWeaver, SAPUI5 and SAP NetWeaver AS JAVA). Patches have been provided for newly fixed flaws in a variety of offerings, including SAP Marketing, SAP NetWeaver, SAP Bank Analyzer, SAP S/4HANA Financial Products, SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform, and others. attack tools, Don't miss, enterprise, Featured news, IT Security, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, News, Vulnerability 25th June 2020 25th June 2020 How attackers target and exploit Microsoft Exchange servers Microsoft Exchange servers are an ideal target for attackers looking to burrow into enterprise networks, says Microsoft, as “they provide a unique environment that could allow attackers to perform various tasks using the same built-in tools or scripts that admins use for maintenance.” And while they are not the initial entrance point in the majority of cases, the company has witnessed lately a rise in attacks aimed at compromising Exchange servers by exploiting an unpatched flaw – more specifically CVE-2020-0688, a patch for which was released in February 2020. While the attackers need to have compromised, valid email credentials to access the server before attempting to exploit the flaw, they are obviously succeeding in getting their hands on them. (Kevin Beaumont explained why that’s not much of a problem.) “This is an attacker’s dream: directly landing on a server and, if the server has misconfigured access levels, gain system privileges,” the Microsoft Defender ATP Research Team noted. And, unfortunately, there are still too many internet-facing, unpatched Exchange servers out there. The attack chain According to Microsoft, April was the month when multiple campaigns began to target Exchange servers. After gaining access, the attackers proceeded to install web shells to allow them to control the server remotely, and then started exploring its environment for info on domain users and groups, other Exchange servers in the network, and mailboxes, as well as scanning for vulnerable machines on the network. They achieved persistence on the compromised Exchange server by adding new user accounts and elevating their privileges, then proceeded extract credentials from the Security Account Manager (SAM) database, the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) memory, and the Domain Controler. They used WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) and PsExec (a Microsoft tool for running processes remotely) to achieve lateral movement, exported mailboxes via Exchange Management Shell commands, created a network architecture that would allow them to bypass network restrictions and remotely access machines through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and, finally, they compressed the data and put it in a web-accessible path for easy pickup. Mitigation and prevention “As these attacks show, Exchange servers are high-value targets. These attacks also tend to be advanced threats with highly evasive, fileless techniques,” the team noted. The attackers are also trying to disable security tools like Microsoft Defender Antivirus, archive scanning and automatic updates to increase their stealth. Aside from doing the best possible thing – implement the latest security updates as soon as they become available – admins are advised to: Audit MS Exchange servers regularly for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and suspicious activity Regularly review highly privileged groups and the list of users in sensitive roles for anomaliers (e.g., suspicious additions) Practice the principle of least-privilege, maintain credential hygiene, and enable multi-factor authentication. Microsoft naturally also touts its Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection security platform as a means to add protection to Exchange servers, automatically block behaviors like credential theft and suspicious use of PsExec and WMI, prevent attackers from tampering with security services, and to prioritize alerts so that attacks are spotted before they can do much damage. Corelight, Don't miss, Email Security, enterprise, Featured news, IT Security, Microsoft Exchange, News, Rapid7, Vulnerability 8th April 2020 15th January 2021 Actively exploited MS Exchange flaw present on 80% of exposed servers Attackers looking to exploit CVE-2020-0688, a critical Microsoft Exchange flaw patched by Microsoft in February 2020, don’t have to look hard to find a server they can attack: according to an internet-wide scan performed by Rapid7 researchers, there are at least 315,000 and possibly as many as 350,000 vulnerable on-premise Exchange servers (out of 433,464 total) out there. What Rapid7 discovered The scan also revealed more depressing statistics: Over 31,000 Exchange 2010 servers have not been updated since 2012 Nearly 800 Exchange 2010 servers have never been updated There are 10,731 Exchange 2007 servers and over 166,000 Exchange 2010 servers. (The former versions is no longer supported, and the latter will reach that status in October 2020.) Attackers are looking to exploit CVE-2020-0688 Despite Microsoft releasing patches for CVE-2020-0688 in February 2020, and despite the fact that soon after attackers began probing for vulnerable servers and using freely available PoC exploits and a Metasploit module released in early March to breach them, far too many organizations have yet to implement the patch. Security updates fixing the flaw have been provided for: MS Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 Update Rollup 30 MS Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23 MS Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14, 15 and 3 MS Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4 What makes random exploitation difficult? The one thing that makes random exploitation of the flaw difficult is that attackers need compromised, valid email credentials to access the server before attempting to exploit CVE-2020-0688. But motivated, well-resourced attackers who are looking to breach a specific organization will, no doubt, find a way to get their hands on the required credentials. Still, the fact that there is such a huge number of outdated and unpatched MS Exchange mail servers out there doesn’t bode well. “Email is one of, if not the most, sensitive and important systems upon which organizations of all shapes and sizes rely. The are, by virtue of their function, inherently exposed to the Internet, meaning they are within the range of every targeted or opportunistic intruder, worldwide. In this particular case, unpatched servers are also vulnerable to any actor who can download and update Metasploit, which is virtually 100% of them,” noted Richard Bejtlich, Principal Security Strategist at Corelight. “It is the height of negligence to run such an important system in an unpatched state, when there are much better alternatives – namely, outsourcing your email to a competent provider, like Google, Microsoft, or several others. The bottom line is that unless your organization is willing to commit the resources, attention, and expertise to maintaining a properly configured and patched email system, you should outsource it. Otherwise you are being negligent with not only your organization’s information, but the information of anyone with whom you exchange emails.” Check out Rapid7’s blog post for instructions on how to find out whether your MS Echange servers need patching and how to check whether they’ve already been compromised through CVE-2020-0688. adobe, Automox, Don't miss, Featured news, IT Security, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, News, patch tuesday, Qualys, Security Update, Trend Micro 10th March 2020 11th March 2020 March 2020 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft fixes 115 vulnerabilities, Adobe none It’s March 2020 Patch Tuesday and Microsoft has dropped fixes for 115 CVE-numbered flaws: 26 are critical, 88 important, and one of moderate severity. The good news is that none of them under active attack. For the time being, Adobe seems to be skipping this Patch Tuesday and there’s no indication whether the customary security updates are just delayed or there won’t be any at all in the coming days. Microsoft patches Last month, Microsoft plugged 99 security holes in a variety of its products. Unexpectedly, this month the number is even higher. The 26 critical flaws all allow remote code execution, but some are more easily exploited than others. For example, CVE-2020-0852 affects Microsoft Word and exploitation can be achieved without the target having to open a specially crafted file that would trigger it. “Instead, simply viewing a specially crafted file in the Preview Pane could allow code execution at the level of the logged-on user,” noted Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative’s Dustin Childs, and pointed out that having a bug that doesn’t require tricking someone into opening a file should be enticing to malware and ransomware authors. Also, once again, the company fixed yet another RCE (CVE-2020-0684) that can be triggered by a vulnerable target system process a specially crafted .LNK file. CVE-2020-0872 is a RCE affecting Microsoft Application Inspector (version v1.0.23 or earlier), the recently released source code analyzer that comes in handy for checking open source components for unwanted or risky features. “To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker needs to convince a user to run Application Inspector on source code that includes a malicious third-party component,” Microsoft explained. “Although Microsoft doesn’t list this as being publicly known at the time of release, it appears this was actually fixed in version 1.0.24, which released back in January,” Childs noted. “It’s not clear why it’s being included in this month’s patch release, but if you use Application Inspector, definitely go grab the new version.” CVE-2020-0905 is a RCE affecting the Dynamics Business Central client and could allow attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands on a target system. “While this vulnerability is labeled as ‘Exploitation Less Likely,’ considering the target is likely a critical server, this should be prioritized across all Windows servers and workstations,” urged Animesh Jain, Product Manager of Vulnerability Signatures at Qualys. Childs is of the same mind. “Exploitation of this Critical-rated bug won’t be straightforward, as an authenticated attacker would need to convince the target into connecting to a malicious Dynamics Business Central client or elevate permission to System to perform the code execution. Still, considering the target is likely a mission-critical server, you should test and deploy this patch quickly,” he added. It must also be pointed out that, in this batch of fixes, there is one for a spoofing vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server, but this flaw is less serious than CVE-2020-0688, a fix for which was released in February but is still being actively exploited in the wild. Admins are advised to plug that security hole ASAP (if they haven’t already). Mozilla updates Firefox Adobe might not have released security updates on this March 2020 Patch Tuesday, but Mozilla released Firefox 74, with TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 disabled by default, stricter rules for add-ons, a tool for preventing Facebook from tracking users around the web, and several developer features. No critical flaws have been fixed in this edition of the popular browser and Firefox ESR68.6 (also released today). Richard Melick, Sr. Technical Product Manager, Automox, pointed out that while none of the Firefox flaws patched this time are under active exploitation, the time to weaponization averages 7 days, so users/admins should upgrade as soon as possible. “Impacting the iPhone, CVE-2020-6812 stood out as a vulnerability that would allow a website with camera or microphone access to gather information on the user through the connected AirPods. While not the most critical, this information could be gathered and help adversaries track a user and further gather more personally identifiable information if left unpatched. Essentially, if you’re listening in, someone else may be as well,” he added. Don't miss, Exploit, Featured news, Hot stuff, IT Security, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, News, Trend Micro, Vulnerability 26th February 2020 26th February 2020 Attackers probing for vulnerable Microsoft Exchange Servers, is yours one of them? CVE-2020-0688, a remote code execution bug in Microsoft Exchange Server that has been squashed by Microsoft in early February, is ripe for exploitation and could become a vector for ransomware groups in coming months, warns cybersecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont. Organizations running on-premise Exchange – any supported version (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019) up until the recent patch – would do well to patch as soon as possible, as scanning for vulnerable internet-facing servers has already begun. CVE-2020-0688 exploitation CVE-2020-0688, initially classified by Microsoft as a memory corruption vulnerability turned out to be caused by Exchange Server failing to properly create unique cryptographic keys at the time of installation. More technical details and a demonstration of CVE-2020-0688 exploitation have been published on Tuesday by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative, which served as an intermediary between Microsoft and the anonymous researcher who discovered it. ZDI security researcher Simon Zuckerbraun reiterated their initial position that the flaw should be rated as Critical. “Microsoft rated this as Important in severity, likely because an attacker must first authenticate. It should be noted, however, that within an enterprise, most any user would be allowed to authenticate to the Exchange server,” he explained. “Similarly, any outside attacker who compromised the device or credentials of any enterprise user would be able to proceed to take over the Exchange server. Having accomplished this, an attacker would be positioned to divulge or falsify corporate email communications at will.” 🚨 Microsoft Exchange remote code execution using IIS, simple ascii web request to code execution as SYSTEM on all versions of Exchange (including unsupported) using internet interface🚨 Needs authentication, I’ll explain why not a big hurdle in thread. https://t.co/GKBGuEv28E — Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) February 25, 2020 Having SYSTEM access to an Exchange Server and running Mimikatz could also give attackers access to plain-text user passwords, Beaumont noted. Patch ASAP! As noted before, the probing for vulnerable servers has already begun (some of it possibly by security researchers): That was quick, since 2 hours ago seeing likely mass scanning for CVE-2020-0688 (Microsoft Exchange 2007+ RCE vulnerability). pic.twitter.com/Kp3zOi5AOA CVE-2020-0688 mass scanning activity has begun. Query our API for “tags=CVE-2020-0688” to locate hosts conducting scans. #threatintel — Bad Packets Report (@bad_packets) February 25, 2020 No mitigations or workarounds exist for this flaw, so Exchange Server administrators should deploy the patch as soon as their testing is complete. “Microsoft lists this with an Exploit Index of 1, which means they expect to see exploits within 30 days of the patch release. As demonstrated, that certainly seems likely,” Zuckerbraun concluded. Copyright ITSecurity.Org Ltd 2015-2018 All Rights Reserved. Company Registration Number:11208508. Registered office address: 27 Old Gloucester Street, Holborn, London, United Kingdom, WC1N 3AX. VAT Reg.299747227	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line959
__label__cc	0.693423	0.306577	How to Merge Multiple Spreadsheets in Excel By Chris Hoke Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows users to easily manipulate and analyze data using formulas and tables. A spreadsheet is a grid of cells which are arranged in numbered or lettered rows and columns that organize data. Data from multiple spreadsheets can be merged into a single spreadsheet by using the "Consolidate" function. This allows you to distribute copies of a spreadsheet to multiple users, and then later the data can be collected and combined into a master spreadsheet. Open the Microsoft Excel program by double-clicking the "Microsoft Excel" icon on the desktop or clicking the "Start" button, choosing "All Programs", then "Microsoft Office", then clicking on "Microsoft Excel". Open the spreadsheets that contain the data that you want to merge together by clicking the "File" menu at the top of the program window, then choosing "Open". Choose the first spreadsheet you want to open by clicking on it, then click the "Open" button. Repeat this process to open multiple spreadsheets. Each spreadsheet should be set up with column and row headers (values in the top row and left row) that create a table of data. The column and row headers can be different values in each spreadsheet but must be present in order for each workbook to merge the data properly. Data in a cell with the same column and row headers will be added together in this example. Open a new spreadsheet by clicking on "New" icon at the top of the program window. Click the "Data" menu at the top of the program window and choose the "Consolidate" option. The Consolidate dialog window will open. Click on the name of the first spreadsheet in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Use your mouse to select the upper left cell and drag down to the lower right cell, making sure that your selection includes the headers and all data that you want to merge. It is alright if the selection is larger than just your data, as empty cells will not be merged. Click the "Add" button in the Consolidate dialog box. Repeat step 5 for each spreadsheet that contains data that you want to merge. Select "Sum" from the Function drop-down menu. Click to put a check in the boxes for "Use Labels" in "Top Row" and "Left Column". Click the "OK" button to consolidate the data, which will then appear in the new spreadsheet you opened in step 3. Click the "File" menu and choose "Save" to save the document. OfficeOnline: Consolidate data in multiple worksheets Chris Hoke is a freelance writer, blogger and musician living in the San Francisco bay area. He began writing professionally in 2005 and his articles regularly appear on EmailServiceGuide.com and Slapstart.com.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line961
__label__cc	0.687704	0.312296	Home > Free Essays > Business > Product Marketing > Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group Report (Assessment) The business sector for a long time has recognized the significance of marketing strategies in the overall success of any organization (Andreasen & Kotler 2003, p. 3; Claycomb, Germain & Droge 2000, p. 219). We will write a custom Assessment on Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group specifically for you The sport sector has not been left behind either and is beginning to embrace strategic marketing as well. Marketing strategy is a process by which companies can maximize great opportunities to enhance sales and attain sustainable competitive advantage using the available scarce resources (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 29-30). The success of the Adidas Company is accredited to the ethics and laurels of its founder, Adolf Dassler. Dassler who is a veteran and founder of the Adidas group , started producing foot wares out of limited resources available in Germany after the first world war and had a very simple dream for his company: to supply athletes with the finest suited foot ware for their respective sports (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 29). The simple vision was followed up by three guiding principles: Producing the best foot ware for the requirement of different sports, protection of the athletes from injury, and durable products that can withstand all weather conditions. Original Adidas products were designed for soccer and track activities which were common in Europe during that time (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 30). The biggest rival of Adidas is Nike, which controls a third of the global market in sports ware, considerably higher than Adidas. In addition, there are other small rivals in US and Europe such as Asics, Puma and New Balance. In Asia we have Li Ning, which is China’s largest sports shoe company. All these companies are hoping to conquer Adidas market share, but with more advanced marketing strategy, Adidas has been able to counter all of its rivals (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 30). Global Sporting Apparel and Footwear Market The substitutes for Adidas products come from the rival companies that are spread across the globe. The price margin between these companies is small and consumers can switch to different products with ease (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 32). Athlete foot ware being the most premium product, these companies focus more on the quality and durability of sports shoes since consumers are also looking for good quality and value for their money. In addition, large rivals such as Puma and Nike, substitutes for Adidas products particularly in the apparel market. Three quarter of the world athletic apparel market and about 20% of the global shoe market belongs to localized companies (Pulendran, Speed & Widing 2003, p. 478). The common barrier for new entrants into the global sporting apparel and footwear market is the massive economies of scale required for production, distribution, research and development among other operations. Entering this market calls for enormous capital investment for developing and promotion of highly innovative products (McDonald 2002, p.3). In addition, most consumers are looking to buy high quality products from reputable companies that already have strong brand names. Creation of company with highly innovative products and strong brand name in the global market takes a very long period of time, thus makes it very hard for new entrants to survive in this industry (Dibb Farhangmehr & Simkin 2001. P. 410; Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 29). Consumers possess the bargaining power and can always switch to rival products when forced to. Therefore, the global sports apparel and footwear market is characterized by low price margins and highly innovative products of both small and big manufacturers. Consumers have numerous brand names to choose from, with large price variations. The market also lacks complements, thus consumers have higher bargaining power because they are not tied to specific products (Claycomb, Germain & Droge 2000, p. 221). The suppliers bargaining power is also high, since they sign contracts with famous sports personalities and clubs (Manchester united, AC Milan, New York Yankees, Christiano Ronaldo) to promote and advertise their products. However, famous sports personalities and clubs in most cases dictate the terms of the contract, consequently increasing the suppliers bargaining power. In addition, there is a strong competition in signing contracts with famous sports events, such as Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups among others, which also increases the suppliers bargaining power (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 31). Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group Adidas group uses numerous marketing strategies to place its products into the global market. Some of the strategies used by the Adidas group have already been mentioned in this paper. They include focusing on big events such as Olympic Games, EUFA Champions Leagues, and FIFA World Cups through acquisition of right of sponsorship. In addition, the group has entered into sponsorship deals with big clubs and famous sports icons worldwide (Andreasen & Kotler 2003, p. 4; Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 32). The group also emphasizes on friendly takeovers of other brands to increase its market strength and gain competitive advantage over rivals such as the takeover of Reebok Company in 2005. We will write a custom Assessment on Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group specifically for you! Reebok endorsement boosted Adidas group marketing strategy by adding names of American sports and entertainment celebrities such as Christina Ricci (Hollywood Actor), Yao Ming (NBA Star), JZ ( Hip-hop star) among others. This deal added American Sports Leagues into Adidas group exposing its products further into the American market (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 33). The company has entered into partnership with Samsung in manufacturing products plus phone scheme that applies wireless biometrics to exhibit information on Adidas-branded Samsung gadgets. Additionally, packaging of footwear with other products such as clothes, eyewear, balls among others creates balance for Adidas. Furthermore, Adidas sells products which have been signed by famous sports personality and clubs they are in contract with to create a further complement. Technology used in making Adidas clothes for instance Climacool, creates extra complement that attracts consumers globally to Adidas Climacool products (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 32; Claycomb, Germain & Droge 2000, p. 219). Advanced Marketing strategies of Adidas Group These are the new strategies Adidas Company have undertaken to build a steady brand image and promote brand value among its diverse brand names to expand its market share among different consumer demographics. Adidas Company has strong reputation for incorporating technology on its product line. The company is planning to build on this reputation by introducing new product lines that incorporates advanced technology to improve the performance of athletes. For instance, introducing athlete shoes with embedded microprocessor to monitor measures and provide data on the athlete’s body, terrain and body impact. The weight of the electronic gadget will be minimized so as to maintain athletes comfort. The company plans to make this gadget reusable in shoes using similar generation of electronics. The electronic gadget will also incorporate GPS system for tacking distance and location plus a USB link to the PC. The issue of cost will be very insignificant since Adidas has already developed Adidas 1, which incorporates a microprocessor. The innovative nature of Adidas products has helped the Adidas brand to maintain its technological prowess in the global market (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 33; Dibb Farhangmehr & Simkin 2001. P. 411). Adidas group has placed a lot of focus in rebranding the image of acquisitions such as Reebok Company. Since the acquisition, Adidas has benefited massively from Reebok and more gains can be realized from its efforts to rebrand Reebok to a highly fashionable line of products for multi-use and active lifestyle. The group is working hand in hand with the leading fashion designers to develop products that are highly fashionable for active and casual use. Rebranding has made Adidas gain immense inroad with the female consumers. Majority of the female consumers desire products that powerfully incorporate fashion, comfort and functionality. Female consumers have always remained an untapped market segment (Claycomb, Germain &Droge 2000, p. 22; Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 33). Not sure if you can write a paper on Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group by yourself? We can help you Despite of Nike being the number one sportswear company in the world, the re-branded Reebok Company dictates majority of the market share in Asian markets especially in India. “The prime strategy of Adidas is to associate itself with the cricket frenzy consumers in India” (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 34). While Nike spent most of its resources promoting its brand through international sports celebrities, Adidas concentrated on localizing its brand by utilizing local machinery and people Product Differentiation And Positioning Strategy Adidas is also putting a lot of emphasis on the emerging new markets in Asia and Latin America. Adidas has already beaten Nike in some of the Asian markets such as Japan and India and are divided over the Chinese market. The group has also seen the rise in its sales volume in Latin America. Adidas group has been achieving this by collaborating with the local apparel manufacturers, sports clubs and sports personalities. These collaborations have enabled them to easily acquire vital information of different market segments. For instance, in China most of the commercials and advertisements include the Chinese-American Basketball icon Yao Ming who has enabled the Adidas to gain inroad among the Chinese Youths. Adidas is also working with the local sports like soccer, Rugby, and basketball among others to develop local interests in sports. Initially, such gestures do not create a lot of buyers, but in the long-run it generates interests in sports and markets Adidas brands (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 34; McDonald 2002, p. 6). In the Asian market especially India and Pakistan, Adidas has developed low-cost products to fit the middle class consumers. In these markets Adidas group has a high reputation in producing high quality products at a low price (Pulendran, Speed & Widing 2003, p. 478). Adidas focuses a lot in designing high quality products for the favorite sports in each market segments. For example, in India the company has concentrated in making cricket gears allowing it to grow in popularity among the local athletes and consumers (Kriemadis & Terzoudis 2007, p. 36; Dibb Farhangmehr & Simkin 2001. P. 412). Sustainable competitive advantage Adidas group has incorporated technology and innovation in the sports apparel and footwear to enhance performance of the athletes. Rebranding of its acquisitions’ products such Reebok has not only increased Adidas reputation but also its marketing strength. Collaboration between Adidas and the fashion designers helped Adidas to gain major inroad among the female and the youthful consumers, thus enhancing its competitive advantage over its major rivals. Exploration of the emerging markets in Asia and Latin America has increased global Adidas market share and seen its revenue grow exponentially thus indicating that it has a sustainable competitive advantage. Adidas has gained considerably a large market share in the global apparel and footwear market; this has been achieved through adoption of advanced marketing strategies. These marketing strategies have enabled the Adidas group to gain greater reputation and competitive advantage over its rivals in the foot ware industry. Andreasen, A.R., & Kotler, P. (2003) Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Claycomb, C., Germain, R., & Droge, C. (2000) The effects of formal strategic marketing planning on the industrial firm’s configuration, structure, exchange patterns and performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 29, 219-234 Dibb, S., Farhangmehr, M. & Simkin, L. (2001) The marketing planning experience: UK and Portuguese comparison. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 19 (6), 409-417 Kriemadis, T., & Terzoudis, C. (2007) Strategic Marketing Planning in the Sport Sector. Sport Management International Journal, 3(1), 27-45. McDonald, M. H. B. (2002) Marketing Plans: How to Prepare them; How to Use Them. 5th ed., London: Prentice Hall Pulendran, S., Speed, R. & Widing, R. E. (2003) Marketing planning, market orientation and business performance. European Journal of Marketing, 37(3), 476-497 This assessment on Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. NIVEA and its marketing strategy Organizational Buyers Need a custom Assessment sample written from scratch by IvyPanda. (2019, January 9). Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/advanced-marketing-strategy-of-adidas-group/ "Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group." IvyPanda, 9 Jan. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/advanced-marketing-strategy-of-adidas-group/. 1. IvyPanda. "Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group." January 9, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/advanced-marketing-strategy-of-adidas-group/. IvyPanda. "Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group." January 9, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/advanced-marketing-strategy-of-adidas-group/. IvyPanda. 2019. "Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group." January 9, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/advanced-marketing-strategy-of-adidas-group/. IvyPanda. (2019) 'Advanced Marketing Strategy of Adidas Group'. 9 January. Adidas New Strategy Marketing Strategies of Acquisition: Adidas and Hp Companies Adidas’ Management vs Nike CSR in Ethnic industry for Adidas, Nike and Rebook Strategic Audit - Adidas Nike vs. Adidas Adidas in 2009: Adidas Restructuring Processes Adidas vs Nike: Marketing Communication Strategies Adidas and VF Corporations Business Strategies Pricing: The Sneaker Pricing Wars (Adidas-Nike) Marketing of New Services - Set up Information Literacy Talks for Mature Marketing: Blackberry Marketing Strategy of Kellogg’s Marketing: The Product and the Factors That Enhance Its Popularity. Median Income, the Associated Traits and the Relevance to the Product Marketing Strategies for Laundry Detergent “Finish Dishwater Tablets 25 Pack” Report Assessment Business Product Marketing Adidas New Strategy Marketing Strategies of Acquisition: Adidas and Hp Companies Adidas’ Management vs Nike CSR in Ethnic industry for Adidas, Nike and Rebook Strategic Audit - Adidas Nike vs. Adidas Adidas in 2009: Adidas Restructuring Processes	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line962
__label__wiki	0.85419	0.85419	Local News 11 January 2021 Kingborough Council hosted the annual Kingborough Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 9, to recognise and celebrate residents who have made an outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of the Kingborough community. Dignitaries and members of the public gathered at the Kingborough Community Hub where Kingborough Council presented two Citizen of the Year awards, a Young Citizen of the Year award, a Community Group of the Year award and two Certificates of Appreciation. Mayor of Kingborough, Cr Dean Winter acknowledged the exceptional people from the municipality being acknowledged on the day. “These awards recognise outstanding members of our community who devote themselves to supporting others and who make Kingborough such a great community to live in,” Mayor Winter stated. The Citizen of the Year award was presented to two outstanding Kingborough residents this year: Else Phillips and David Vickery. Ms Philips has been recognised for her commitment to the Kingborough community and her ongoing dedication to a range of community events and activities. For 18 years Ms Philips has volunteered for Loui’s Van and she is a highly valued volunteer with Kingborough Helping Hands (KHH). Also a very active member of Rotary, Ms Philips has been a key organiser and fundraiser for A Day on the Beach and the Rotary Mega Market. Ms Philips is also a key figure in coordinating the Kingston Beach Fun Run, which is the Kingston club’s major fundraiser and attracts several hundred people along to enjoy healthy activity in Kingborough’s premier beachside destination. Other local programs Ms Phillips support include the Rotary Driver Awareness Program; a road safety initiative for young people with the aim of making the students better drivers and the Youth Program of Enrichment, which aims to broaden the horizons and lift the aspirations of young people. A Citizen of the Year award was also present to David Vickery, for his leadership and contribution to the Kingborough community and advocacy for disability access and inclusion. Since emigrating from the UK in 1979 with his wife and two children, Mr Vickery has tried to make a positive difference to the community around him, whether it be through creating meaningful social connections, fighting for improved student conditions or advocating for disability access and inclusion. Mr Vickery began his contribution to community life in Kingborough by bringing his enthusiasm for theatre and creating opportunities for amateur dramatics in Kingston. Many local people jumped at the opportunity to join in the camaraderie and plain good fun of creating shows on a shoestring. An active member of the Parents and Friends Associations at Kingston Primary and Kingston High Schools, Mr Vickery showed his drive for improving conditions, including securing an above ground pool for the students at Kingston Primary in the 1980’s. Although the pool is no longer there, it was an important way to improve swimming safety for students when there was no local other facility in the immediate area. Mr Vickery fought for the rights of students and provided a positive example of how to peacefully stand up for your beliefs when he led a local protest against cuts to education funding. Mr Vickery went on to become an active member of the Kingston High School Association where he has been bestowed the rare honour of Life Membership in 2011. A long-time advocate and activist for disability access, Mr Vickery became a member of the Kingborough Access Advisory Committee about 10 years ago. Mr Vickery has consistently provided thoughtful and sound advice on many issues and has contributed invaluably to reports, educational brochures and research documents which aim to improve disability access and inclusion. Bella Oakley was recognised as Kingborough’s Young Citizen of the Year for her commitment, empathy and enthusiasm as a volunteer and for supporting people in need in Kingborough. “I am inspired by people such as Edna Pennicott, who I have known from a young age and I love helping people” Bella said Kingborough Council commended Bella, at 13, for having a social conscience that would impress many people double her age, accompanied by a rare commitment and dedication to supporting her local community and a genuine enjoyment of helping others. For the past six years, Bella has worked extensively with KHH, meaning she started working with the charity when she was seven. Bella has taken part in all the aspects of the charity work from cooking for fundraising, collecting and sorting donations to selling raffle tickets or helping at the Sharing Tree after school or on weekends, and importantly being one of the last people standing after a major event to help with cleaning and packing up. During 2020 Bella displayed versatility, flexibility and perseverance in her service to the community, supporting people who were elderly or immune compromised by walking dogs, baking, sending cards and delivering groceries. Bella is also an active member of her school community, being involved with the school charity group the Mini-Vinnies, who help those experiencing hardship and can be relied upon to welcome new families visiting the school and providing support to new students. The Taroona Community Association were presented with Community Group of the Year award for their outstanding contribution to the Taroona community and their dedication to creating new initiatives and supporting people in need. The group of residents is interested in all issues, small and large, in Taroona from the placement of signage to bushfire preparedness, and members are passionate about their neighbourhood. Many members of the Taroona community put their minds to how best support each other throughout the pandemic, reaching out though social media and other various ways to help each other and the association recognised the groundswell of concern and harnessed it to create a tangible, supportive and positive network throughout the community. The group set about contacting local people they knew over a number of days identified ‘street coordinators’ for every street in Taroona. Help was provided to all those in need, including shopping and social support for older members of the community. The success of the project means the initiative can be used for other emergency situations and the group is working closely with the Taroona Volunteer Fire Brigade to prepare for the summer bushfire season. Certificates of Appreciation were also presented at the awards ceremony to recognise other significant contributors to the community. Kingborough Community Missions and husband and wife Jill and Phil Long were both awarded the certificates. Phil’s award was posthumously presented to his wife Jill as the pair were recognised for their outstanding social and environmental contributions to the Kingborough community and for their community building activities in Margate. Together they arranged annual neighbourhood gatherings, providing warm welcomes for all new community members and the pair also created the Margate Hills Community Group. The group has become a representative voice for many Margate residents and Phil was responsible for developing positive relationships with Council members. Jill has been a great support to the community by organising a local bushwalking group and has opened her home to free yoga and exercise classes, which are as much about being fit as they are about getting people together. Importantly Jill and Phil have sought out community members in poor health and made sure they were given the help they needed. They have demonstrated a positive, can-do attitude and continued to think outside the box during the pandemic, to make sure people were staying connected and not feeling isolated during the unpredictable times. Patricia and Peter Harvey are the founders and Coordinators of Kingborough Community Missions (KCM). The group was set up approximately four years ago in response to the rising statistics around homelessness and disadvantage, after Patricia and Peter recognised a need in their community and decided they had to do something to help. Thousands of meals have been prepared and shared with disadvantaged families and people experiencing homelessness thanks to fresh food donations and financial support from generous businesses and individuals. Coordinating food donations, monetary donations, volunteers, developing partnerships and promoting the group is a six day a week job for Patricia and Peter. They are tireless in their efforts to deliver practical and compassionate support which makes a real difference in people’s lives. Kingborough Council expressed gratitude to all the volunteers at KCM for their dedication and hard work when presenting Patricia and Peter with the award. Pictured: The Kingborough Awards were presented on Saturday, January 9, during a ceremony held at the Kingborough Community Hub. Community Group of the Year representative Jill Hickey from the Taroona Community Association, Young Citizen of the Year Bella Oakley, Citizen of the Year Else Phillips, Certificate of Appreciation recipient Jill Long, Citizen of the Year David Vickery (seated) and Certificate of Appreciation recipients Peter and Patricia Harvey of Kingborough Community Missions gathered with Mayor of Kingborough, Cr Dean Winter after the presentations. (PS) Local News Huntingfield development applications submitted Local News Middleton tennis scores court upgrade Local News Celebrating community contributors Local News Peace begins with me	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line966
__label__cc	0.715864	0.284136	Ralph Macchio Recalls Meeting His Wife in Grandma’s Basement at Age 15 Swoon! Karate Kid icon Ralph Macchio joined Ryan Seacrest on-air on Tuesday, January 12, to chat Cobra Kai season 3 and recalled when he met now-wife Phyllis Fierro at age 15 in his grandma’s basement. “It was my other cousin’s Sweet 16 birthday party and so she came … with a different cousin as a guest and there we were 15, 16 years old,” Ralph recalled. “And these were Sweet 16s [featuring] 7-Up, cheese doodles and tootsie rolls,” he jokingly added. “Not like limos.” So did they date other people after their first meet-cute? “A handful,” Ralph jokingly added. “Did she have more than I? Probably, but not many … but yes.” The duo then tied the knot in April 1987 and later renewed their vows in 2012. Credit: OAWRS Maccio also, as fans are well aware, has since renewed his Karate Kid role in Netflix’s Cobra Kai, but he wasn’t always so keen on reviving the character. “The low expectations on the onset worked in our favor,” he dished. “… I think I was the last one to come to the party. … I was resistant.” Find out why by watching back the full interview in the video above. Catch Cobra Kai on Netflix now!	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line969
__label__wiki	0.603973	0.603973	Running Around During Loading Screens Is An Important Part Of Assassin's Creed Zack Zwiezen Gif: Ubisoft (Fair Use) Loading screens often suck. But they can occasionally become more than just periods of time where you are forced to sit around and wait. In Assassin’s Creed, a tradition has formed of letting players run around in an endless void and it has (mostly) stuck around. (This post was originally published on July 26. It’s now been updated with some information about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.) Not long ago I decided to finish up the few Assassin’s Creed games I had never completed or played. I started with Odyssey, a game I got halfway through before other things pulled me away. Booting it up I discovered the fun loading screens seen in previous games were gone. I was sad. I fully admit this isn’t the MOST important thing in the series. But there is something comforting and even nostalgic about running around a giant, weird, cyber-void as an assassin. It’s become something I just expect out of this series. When I start up an Assassin’s Creed game I have an internal checklist of “Things I Want To See And Experience.” Climbing tall towers. Jumping from tall towers. Meeting historical figures. Way too many collectibles. Some crappy mini-games, usually involving puzzles. Killing people while running by them in a slick way. Running around the loading screen, sometimes flicking my hidden blades in and out. Odyssey delivers on most of these, except the last bullet point. Not only are there no hidden blades, but there’s also no loading screen shenanigans. This got me thinking about loading screens and their history throughout the Assassin’s Creed games. Assassin’s Creed Unity is the only other “main” Assassin’s Creed game that ditched my beloved loading screen shenanigans. Yet another reason it ranks so low on our list! (Not really...) I’m not sure why Unity ditched the “Animus Memory Corridors” or as I call them, “Silly data rooms.” At first, I thought it might be a narrative issue. In Unity, you are playing a home console version of Helix created by Abstergo and aren’t using a traditional animus. But then Syndicate, which also featured the same main character using that same home console version, included the silly data rooms. So I have to guess that Unity ditched them either because they were a technical hurdle that the devs didn’t want to deal with on their first next-gen Assassin’s Creed game or they felt like it was time to shake things up. Or it was a bit of both. These memory corridor loading screens would return in Assasins’s Creed Origins too, and I loved them. (Just another reason it’s the best game in the franchise...) But then, as I mentioned earlier, they didn’t come back in the latest game, 2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. According to Gamerant, Ubisoft has confirmed that these loading screens will be back in Valhalla. However, there’s a wrinkle to remember. One of the big selling points of these new consoles is how they won’t have loading screens. Or at least, very few loading screens and they will be short. Will Valhalla on PS4 and Xbox One have these silly rooms, but not on PS5 and Xbox Series X? Only time will tell. Maybe Ubisoft should include an option on the new consoles to turn on artificial loading screens between cutscenes. Just so I can have my silly data rooms and the folks who don’t care can turn them off and never think about them again. Update (12/13/2020, 2:00 p.m. ET): Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been out for some time. I reviewed the game and enjoyed it. But I haven’t written about running around the loading screen in it. Let’s fix that! So yes, as Ubisoft confirmed earlier in the year, you can indeed run around the memory corridor in Valhalla while the game loads. And also, as I feared, the newer consoles load the game much faster than the older consoles. I played on PS4 and then switched to PS5 and noticed a decrease in how much running around I got to do while waiting. Loading times haven’t vanished entirely from Valhalla on PS5, but they are shorter. Gif: Ubisoft / Kotaku However, Valhalla brings something new to the table and franchise that makes up for this lack of running around time. Using two weapons, you can hold an attack button and just chop the air forever. Or at least until the game loads. Normally, this isn’t the case. In the real game, during combat, you can only chop for a few seconds before you run out of stamina and have to stop. But in the wonderful world of the memory corridor, stamina appears to be non-existent, letting Eivor chop away. Chop, chop all day. So I’m happy to report that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not only continues the franchise’s tradition of running around during loading screens, but adds something to it. A little something-something, if you will. And I will. I will never stop chopping. Everything We Learned About Assassin’s Creed Valhalla After Playing It Last Tuesday, I played a preview build of this fall’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for three hours by… Assassin's Creed Games' Modern Day Sequences, Ranked The announcement of a new Assassin’s Creed has inspired people to prove their taste and expertise… Kotaku Weekend Editor \| Zack Zwiezen is a writer living in Kansas. He has written for GameCritics, USgamer, Kill Screen & Entertainment Fuse. Ser. Bigboote-Wiggums If they do like many other games currently, they could just include a prompt to continue when the loading is done. I’m not sure if they can completely ditch load screens for some games, as much as they want to. Even considering how fast the new NVMe’s they’re going to be using in the new gen consoles are, I still don’t see many games being able to nix load-screens completely. Even if they could though, a relatively simple concession would be to include them anyways for games like AC and such, and just include a prompt to continue - which would allow the load times to still essentially be instantaneous. It would also allow them to keep the load-screen tips that some of us are so fond of; so, a two-birds-one-stone kinda thing.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line979
__label__wiki	0.798887	0.798887	Mimicry Genetics August 14, 2020 /0 Comments/in New Research Projects /by Academic Web Pages The diversity of Heliconius butterflies from Costa Rica. Neotropical butterflies in the genus Heliconius are unpalatable, aposematic, and they have undergone a recent adaptive radiation in wing color patterns as a consequence of natural selection for Müllerian mimicry. We are working to identify the molecular basis of the genes that control wing pattern diversity in Heliconius and characterize the evolutionary history of divergence and convergence across the clade. This work relies on combination of high-resolution genetic mapping, fine-scale genome-wide association mapping, comparative analyses of gene expression, and genome editing. Much of this work has been done in concert with an international network of collaborative researchers and has resulted in rich genomic resources for Heliconius butterflies and identification of the key genes regulating wing pattern variation across the clade. Our work also explores the evolution and genetics of mimicry in other diverse butterfly clades, including Limenitis, Hypolimnas, Elymnias, and Papilio. The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic ‘dual’ mimicry in the butterfly Elymnias hypermnestra Ruttenberg, D. M., N. W. VanKuren, S. Nallu, S-H Yen, D. Peggie, D. J. Lohman and M. R. Kronforst. 2021. The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic ‘dual’ mimicry in the butterfly Elymnias hypermnestra. Proceedings of Royal Society B 288: 20202192. UChicago Medicine CCNY News EurekAlert Phys.org newswise Butterfly mimicry polymorphisms highlight phylogenetic limits of gene reuse in the evolution of diverse adaptations. VanKuren, N. W., D. Massardo, S. Nallu and M. R. Kronforst. 2019. Butterfly mimicry polymorphisms highlight phylogenetic limits of gene reuse in the evolution of diverse adaptations. Molecular Biology and Evolution 36: 2842-2853 Aristaless controls butterfly wing color variation used in mimicry and mate choice Westerman, E., N. VanKuren, D. Massardo, A. Tenger-Trolander, W. Zhang, R. I. Hill, M. Perry, E. Bayala, K. Barr, N. Chamberlain, T. E. Douglas, N. Buerkle, S. E. Palmer and M. R. Kronforst. 2018. Aristaless controls butterfly wing color variation used in mimicry and mate choice. Current Biology 28: 3469-3474. ScienceDaily Futurity Phys.org Macro-evolutionary shifts of WntA function potentiate butterfly wing pattern diversity Mazo-Vargas, A., C. Concha, L. Livraghi, D. Massardo, R. W. R. Wallbank, L. Zhang, J. D. Papador, D. Martinez-Najera, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, C. J. Breuker, R. D. Reed, N. H. Patel, W. O. McMillan and A. Martin. 2017. Macro-evolutionary shifts of WntA function potentiate butterfly wing pattern diversity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 114: 10701−10706. Nature News & Views Washington Post NY Times Science Magazine The Atlantic The functional basis of wing patterning in Heliconius butterflies: the molecules behind mimicry Kronforst, M. R. and R. Papa. 2015. The functional basis of wing patterning in Heliconius butterflies: the molecules behind mimicry. Genetics 200: 1-19. 2015 Genetics Spotlight Genes to Genomes Ancient homology underlies adaptive mimetic diversity across butterflies Gallant, J. R, V. E. Imhoff, A. Martin, W. K. Savage, N. L. Chamberlain, B. L. Pote, C. Peterson, G. E. Smith, B. Evans, R. D. Reed, M. R. Kronforst and S. P Mullen. 2014. Ancient homology underlies adaptive mimetic diversity across butterflies. Nature Communications 5: 4817. Futurity Diversification of complex butterfly wing patterns by repeated regulatory evolution of a Wnt ligand Martin A., R. Papa, N. J. Nadeau, R. I. Hill, B. A. Counterman, G. Halder, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, A. D. Long, W. O. McMillan and R. D. Reed. 2012. Diversification of complex butterfly wing patterns by repeated regulatory evolution of a Wnt ligand. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 109: 12632-12637. optix drives the repeated convergent evolution of butterfly wing pattern mimicry Reed, R. D., R. Papa, A. Martin, H. M. Hines, B. A. Counterman, C. Pardo-Diaz, C. D. Jiggins, N. L. Chamberlain, M. R. Kronforst, R. Chen, G. Halder, H. F. Nijhout, and W. O. McMillan. 2011. optix drives the repeated convergent evolution of butterfly wing pattern mimicry. Science 333: 1137-1141. Science Perspective New York Times F1000 Opinions https://kronforstlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mimicry-genetics.png 300 300 Academic Web Pages /wp-content/themes/awp-enfold/blank.png Academic Web Pages2020-08-14 16:58:562020-09-08 18:16:25Mimicry Genetics Mimicry GeneticsAugust 14, 2020 - 4:58 pm SupergenesAugust 13, 2020 - 4:59 pm Mating BehaviorAugust 12, 2020 - 5:00 pm MigrationAugust 11, 2020 - 5:01 pm HerbivoryAugust 10, 2020 - 5:01 pm Poison-dart FrogsAugust 9, 2020 - 5:02 pm CRISPR/Cas9August 8, 2020 - 5:03 pm Evo-DevoJuly 24, 2020 - 5:04 pm GenomicsJuly 14, 2020 - 5:05 pm Marcus Kronforst, PhD Department of Ecology & Evolution mkronforst@uchicago.edu © Copyright Kronforst Lab. All rights reserved. Site by Academic Web Pages Supergenes Roberto’s paper “Divergence, gene flow, and the origin of leapfrog geographic...	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line982
__label__wiki	0.822968	0.822968	Better data, better decisions drives software company InQuisient forward - InQuisient IQ Integrated Portfolio Analyzer Plus IQ Platform Overview IQ Portfolio Insight IQ Strategic Planner IQ Architect IQ Asset Manager IQ Agile Developer Data Call Central IG Assessment Data Collection Scalable Enterprise and Cloud Deployable Comprehensive Offering Record Time to Production Outstanding Training and Services Team Flexible and Highly Tailorable IT/PPM Better data, better decisions drives software company InQuisient forward January 3, 2017 /in In The News /by InqAdmin You don’t have to talk to Scott Smith for long to realize a common thread connects much of the career of the CEO of InQuisient — a desire to help decision makers make better decisions. InQuisient is a small company in the government market, but it is taking on a big issue – helping CIOs, program managers and others collect and decipher the vast amounts of data they have and put it to good use. “Our mission is to enable our customers to make decisions with data that is accurate and realtime,” he told me. The company started with a tool focused on enterprise architecture, and from there it has expanded into portfolio management, asset management, strategic planning and a tool specific to managing FITARA requirements. Smith became InQuisient CEO after serving on the board for several years. The company has transformed itself from a consulting firm to a software company. While they do not disclose revenue figures, the company’s head count has grown 50 percent over the past two years. Most of its customers are in the classified portions of the defense and intelligence sector, he said. It also has formed alliances with Carahsoft, which holds its GSA Schedule, BDNA, which is integrating its Technopedia product into InQuisient’s (more on that later), and systems integrator OG Systems. There also have been other integrator partners at specific agencies, Smith said. “The space we play in is enterprise data management and the key thing we do is help large, federated organizations that have disparate systems pull data from all of those sources into one place,” he said. The result is a central data repository, from which reports can be pulled and better decisions can be made, Smith said. He described one case where a colonel was overseeing 13 different projects worth $1 billion. “When her two-star asked for an update, she’d have to scramble and go to her 13 project managers and get updates from their spreadsheets,” he said. That takes a lot of time, and there is little assurance about how current or accurate the data is. InQuisient Headquarters: Reston, Va. Software products: FITARA A-Plus Module Scott Smith, CEO Randy DeWoolfson, founder and chief innovation officer Randy Ridley, SVP, sales and operations Sandy Levine, chief marketing officer Mark Schmeets, VP, development Stephen Pipino, VP, solution services https://inquisientlive.wpengine.com “With our tool, all of that information becomes real time and at her fingertips,” Smith said. The InQuisient tool taps into Oracle products many of its customers are already using. “The data is already there, and we enable the customer to use that data in a more productive manner,” Smith said. The partnership with BDNA and its Technopedia product brings more depth to InQuisient’s tools. “This is a big deal for us because they have the repository of data and information on IT products, their life expectancy, whether they are still supported, etc.,” he said. “That data is fed into InQuisient and you can make decisions on what needs to be phased out, how much longer you should keep something or what is still supported.” For example, the InQuisient tool can identify how many laptops a customer has running Microsoft XP, and the Technopedia data can help you identify which ones need an upgrade or which ones need to be retired. “The BDNA data comes into our tool and helps the decision maker prioritize his spend,” Smith said. “It adds another dimension to the importance of the data and how to use it.” The crux of what InQuisient is doing isn’t very far removed from earlier parts of Smith’s career. When he was at Xerox, he made the transition from sales to working on process improvement projects. “A light went off inside me,” he said. He started studying and learning all he could. He was using flip charts – this was the late 1980s – to help customers get a better understanding of what they needed and how process improvements could be implemented. Then in 1992, he ran into an old friend at a reunion who was attacking the same problem but using software. By coincidence they were on the same flight back to Los Angeles from Boston. They sat together and kept sketching out their ideas on cocktail napkins. In 1992, they launched Holosofx Inc., and 10 years later, sold it to IBM as the start of their workflow engine, he said. From there he went to another company that also was involved in business process management. He helped them restructure. Then, he took an early retirement in 2006, except for joining the board and serving as chairman of the executive committee of InQuisient, which was then called Enterprise Elements. “I invested, and I was active, and there came a point when they needed some additional coaching and leadership,” he said. The company rebranded and doubled down on its move from being a consulting firm to being a software company. The company’s founder and technology guru, Randy DeWoolfson, is still with the company and is its chief innovation officer. Smith sees the company’s roots as a consulting firm as an advantage. “Products grow as a result of customer requirements and the best way to capture those requirements is by living and breathing with the customer and understanding their objectives and pain points,” he said. “We started with the customer and built from there.” During their consulting work – which was primarily with intelligence agencies – they saw a repeatable pattern of the challenges they were facing in managing their enterprise architecture. “We also wanted to figure out how to get to more customers and that was by taking what we were doing, fine tuning it and making it a product,” he said. With a few years under their belts, the products keep coming. From their base product IQ Architect, which focuses on EA, the company has recently added IQ Portfolio Insight, IQ Strategic Planner and a FITARA A-Plus module. The products are quickly deployed and accessed via a browser. The strategic planner is the newest and helps customers map what they are doing – and this can be IT related or asset management or project management – and connect those activities back to strategic goals. “You need greater insight into what you are spending and why and how it maps back to your mission,” Smith said. The risk InQuisient is trying to help its customers mitigate is making decisions with bad data. “Especially in today’s world where decisions are made in a split second. You have to be mission ready,” he said. It is also interesting to hear Smith describe the products, how they bring insights and how they are visual in nature because Smith is blind. He can’t see the product or its graphics capabilities. “You don’t have to have sight to really see and understand the pain points,” Smith said. Smith was a rising tennis player in his early 20s when he learned he was losing his vision. “I had no plans to get into technology. I was going to be a tennis pro but I had to figure something out,” he said. “A disability is a way to create another ability moving forward.” He credits his mid-western family roots. “My folks are amazing, hardworking individuals,” he said. “I was taught early in life that if you can’t get somewhere in one direction then you find another direction.” That’s what led him to take on sales positions at IBM and then Xerox. His successes – he led the team that sold the first desktop laser printer and copier for Xerox – often had people joking, “Can you really see?” “My ability is really not through my eyes but from what I sense and feel,” he said. “You can instinctively pull what you need based on conversations with others and through building relationships with people.” View the article: https://washingtontechnology.com/blogs/editors-notebook/2016/12/scott-smith-inquisient-profile.aspx https://inquisient.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screenshot-81.png 121 576 InqAdmin /wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Logo-InQuisient1-300x106.png InqAdmin2017-01-03 15:13:102017-01-06 19:46:40Better data, better decisions drives software company InQuisient forward InQuisient’s enterprise data management platform creates order from chaos, enabling the timely, multilateral flow of knowledge across all operational levels. The user-driven, browser-based platform upholds the highest standards of security and integrity. With the ability to deploy rapidly for just-in-time results, InQuisient is “Everyman’s data management tool.” 11654 Plaza America Drive Suite 639 Reston, VA 20190 All rights reserved © 2008-2019 InQuisient InQuisient Introduces New Platform Tool: IQ Strategic Planner InQuisient Introduces New Tools: IQ Asset Manager and IQ Agile Developer	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line984
__label__wiki	0.881903	0.881903	All Patent Litigation Entities Patents News Judges Law Firms Lawfirms Method and apparatus for peer-to-peer communication Filed: 01/07/2000 Issued: 04/17/2001 Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997 Status: Expired due to Term Create Patent Alert District Court Events PTAB Events ITC Events Federal Circuit Events RPX Reports Daily (M-F) *Certain alert events are not available for your current subscription level. Upgrade Associated Defendants Forward Citations First Claim Patent Images 1. A method of establishing communication between an originating unit and a receiving unit over a network channel that identifies communicating units by network address, comprising the steps of: sending a message from said originating unit to said receiving unit over a monitor channel; monitoring a monitor channel by said receiving unit; generating a trigger event in response to at least one of said sending and monitoring steps; determining information indicative of a first network address associated with at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit; and in response to said triggering event, establishing communication between said originating unit and said receiving unit over said network channel using said first network address. View all claims Assignment View Sign InorStart with a Free Trial {{noDetailsMessage}} Accused Products Peer-to-peer communication is established between two remote computing units over a network channel, even though a permanent network address is not known. An originating computer sends a message over a monitor channel, such as a circuit-switched telephone line, to a receiving computer creating a triggering event. In response to the triggering event, either the originating computer or the receiving computer determines a network address associated with either the originating computer or the receiving computer. Then, using the network address, peer-to-peer communication between the originating computer and receiving computer is established over the network channel. 147 Forward Citations 5 References Cited Method and communication unit for communicating between communication apparatuses Patent # Current Assignee Tencent Technology Company Limited ELECTRONIC APPARATUS WITH ROUTER DEVICE FOR MANAGING CONNECTIONS US 20110078317A1 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PACKETIZED CONTENT DELIVERY OVER A CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING AND OPTIMIZING DELIVERY OF CONTENT IN A NETWORK APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR RIGHTS-MANAGED CONTENT AND DATA DELIVERY Direct connections to a plurality of storage object replicas in a computer network Symantec Operating Corporation IP SESSION-BASED REGULATION AND BILLING CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC Communication sessions for a computer network Clouding Corporation Efficient search for storage objects in a network Method and apparatus for designing electronic circuits using optimization KIMOTION TECHNOLOGIES Input/output (I/O) scanner for a control system with peer determination Schneider Automation Incorporated METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING DISASTER RECOVERY USING NETWORK PEERING ARRANGEMENTS Hossein Eslambolchi, Marian Croak Methods, Systems, and Products for Tracking Objects BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION NOW DOING BUSINESS AS ATT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L.P. Efficiently linking storage object replicas in a computer network Apparatus and methods for utilizing statistical multiplexing to ensure quality of service in a network Overlay network with efficient routing and recovery Detecting and breaking cycles in a computer network NortonLifeLock Inc. Role-based message addressing for a computer network METHOD AND COMMUNICATION UNIT FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN COMMUNICATION APPARATUS Publishing a network address in a computer network Methods and apparatus for content delivery and replacement in a network Method and System for Real-Time Insertion of Services During a Call Session Over a Communication Network Cisco Technology Incorporated Re-mapping a location-independent address in a computer network Registration of peer-to-peer services Novell Incorporated Instantaneous mobile access to all pertinent life events Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation ATT Intellectual Property I LP System and method for storing and utilizing routing information in a computer network Multimedia conference system and method which enables communication between private network and Internet Plustek Incorporated Method for monitoring and tracking objects Process for establishing computer network communication using a telephone message incorporating a two-part computer network address Sagem SA Dynamic distributed data system and method Veritas Operating Corporation System for monitoring and tracking objects Hybrid system architecture for secure peer-to-peer-communications GigaMedia Access Corp. Peer-to-peer namespace directory and discovery File sharing system for serving content from a computer Lumenati Inc. Method and system for inter-enterprise agent communication and service invocation Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P. Accounting in peer-to-peer data communication networks Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson Method and system for scalable content storage and delivery ATT Inc. ATT Intellectual Property II LP Peer-to-peer network with recovery capability Time Warner Cable Inc. Managing routing information for a computer network Goal-oriented storage management for a distributed data storage network Methods and apparatus for content caching in a video network Methods and apparatus for providing virtual content over a network Digital domain content processing and distribution apparatus and methods Recommendation engine apparatus and methods Media bridge apparatus and methods Technique for securely communicating programming content Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC, Comcast Cable Holdings LLC Downloadable security and protection methods and apparatus Personal content server apparatus and methods Apparatus and methods for content delivery and message exchange across multiple content delivery networks Personal media channel apparatus and methods Secondary content insertion apparatus and methods Methods and apparatus for selecting digital interface technology for programming and data delivery Methods and apparatus for device capabilities discovery and utilization within a content distribution network Apparatus and methods for automated highlight reel creation in a content delivery network Methods and apparatus for enhanced advertising and promotional delivery in a network Apparatus and methods for content transfer protection Apparatus and methods for controlled bandwidth reclamation Methods and apparatus for audience data collection and analysis in a content delivery network Apparatus and methods for provisioning in a download-enabled system Methods and apparatus for premises content distribution Apparatus and methods for multi-stage multiplexing in a network Apparatus and methods for multimedia coordination Apparatus and method for wireless network services in moving vehicles Method and apparatus for network bandwidth conservation Methods and apparatus for determining an optimized wireless interface installation configuration Apparatus and methods for packetized content delivery over a bandwidth efficient network Methods and apparatus for business-based network resource allocation Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC, Comcast Cable Communications LLC Apparatus and methods for selective data network access Methods and apparatus for selecting digital access technology for programming and data delivery Apparatus and methods for data collection, analysis and service modification based on online activity Apparatus and methods ensuring data privacy in a content distribution network Apparatus and methods for monitoring and diagnosing a wireless network Technique for securely communicating and storing programming material in a trusted domain Methods and apparatus for enabling media functionality in a content delivery network Methods and apparatus for user-based targeted content delivery Methods and apparatus for client-based dynamic control of connections to co-existing radio access networks Charter Communications Operating LLC Apparatus and methods for centralized message exchange in a user premises device Apparatus and methods for carrier allocation in a communications network Apparatus and methods for packetized content delivery over a bandwidth-efficient network Apparatus and methods for dynamic open-access networks US RE47,760 E1 Methods and apparatus for local channel insertion in an all-digital content distribution network Methods and apparatus for dynamic control of connections to co-existing radio access networks Apparatus and methods for providing wireless service in a venue Cloud-based digital content recorder apparatus and methods Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC, Time Warner Cable Inc. Peer to peer network for a mobile radio transceiver US 5,642,350 A Seamless peer-to-peer communications in a layered communications architecture International Business Machines Corporation Fax routing system and method using standard fax machine and personal computer OpenPrint LLC Information Medical Retreival Inc. System and method for secure peer-to-peer communication between downloaded programs Oracle America Inc. Sun Microsystems Incorporated Method and apparatus for selectively enabling bi-directional communication only between a dedicated pair of transceivers Moog Incorporated 25 Claims View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) 2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of: initiating communication for sending said message over said monitor channel by said originating unit; and terminating communication after sending said message over said monitor channel by said originating unit. responding to said message by initiating communication over said monitor channel by said receiving unit; exchanging information indicative of a first network address between said originating unit and said receiving unit over said monitor channel; and terminating communication over said monitor channel by said receiving unit. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first network address associated with at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit is determined using the identity of at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit and an address locator service. 6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said originating unit determines said first network address for said receiving unit by using said identity of said originating unit and an address locator service, where said address locator service is found on said network channel and can be accessed by said receiving unit. 7. The method according to claim 5 wherein said receiving unit determines said first network address for said originating unit by using said identity of said originating unit and an address locator service, where said address locator service is found on said network channel and can be accessed by said receiving unit. 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said message is indicative of the identity of said originating unit and said receiving unit determines said first network address by using said identity of said originating unit and a stored rule set. 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first network address for said originating unit is transmitted to receiving unit by said originating unit using said message. 10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of: connecting said originating unit to said network channel in response to said triggering event. connecting said receiving unit to said network channel in response to said triggering event. 12. The method according to claim 1 wherein said monitor channel is based upon a circuit switched communication medium. 13. The method according to claim 1 wherein said monitor channel is based upon an unbounded communication medium. 14. The method according to claim 1 wherein said network channel is based upon a packet switched communication medium. 4. The method according to claim I further comprising the steps of: receiving information indicative of identity of said originating unit by said receiving unit over said monitor channel. 15. An apparatus for supporting communication over a network channel that identifies communicating units by network address said apparatus using a monitor channel, comprising: a monitor module coupled to said monitor channel; a first network communication handler coupled to said monitor module for establishing communication with said network channel; a call origination module for sending a message to said monitor module over said monitor channel; a second network communication handler coupled to said call origination module for establishing communication with said network channel; a memory accessible by at least one of said first and second network communication handlers for storing information indicative of a first network address associated with at least one of said first and second network communication handlers; and at least one of said first and second network communication handlers having a module responsive to at least one of said monitor module and said call origination module for accessing said memory, thereby determining said first network address, and establishing communication between said first and second network communication handlers over said network channel using said first network address. View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) 16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a connection between said call origination module and said monitor channel. 17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a connection between said monitor module and said monitor channel. 18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a connection between said first network communication handler and said network channel. 19. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a connection between said second network communication handler and said network channel. 20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said monitor channel is based on a circuit switched communication media. 21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said monitor channel is based on an unbounded communication media. 22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said network channel is based on a packet switched communication media. 23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said memory further comprises an address locator service. 24. A method of establishing communication between an originating unit and a receiving unit comprising the steps of: providing a network channel that identifies communicating units by dynamic network addressing; connecting said originating unit to said network channel, thereby establishing a first network address for said originating unit; sending a message from said originating unit to said receiving unit over a monitor channel, wherein said first network address is transmitted via said message to said receiving unit by said originating unit; receiving said message by said receiving unit; and establishing communication between said originating, unit and said receiving unit over said network channel using said first network address. 25. A method of establishing communication between an originating unit and a receiving unit over a network channel that identifies communicating units by network address, comprising the steps of: determining information indicative of the identity of at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit; generating a trigger event in response to at least one of said sending and monitoring steps, wherein said trigger event includes activating at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit to said network channel, thereby establishing a first network address for at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit and determining said first network address by the other of said originating unit or said receiving unit using the information indicative of the identity of at least one of said originating unit and said receiving unit; and 1 Specification This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/866,136 filed May 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,676. The present invention relates generally to computer communication, and more particularly to establishing peer-to-peer communication between computers using dynamic network addresses to access a network channel. The Internet provides a means for establishing a communication link between two remote computers. A peer-to-peer or one-to-one connection between remote computers allows these computer users to conduct a conversation, exchange files, or participate in real-time gaming. However, establishing peer-to-peer communication with someone through the Internet is at best inconvenient. In the past, a user needed to schedule in advance a time when both users would connect to the Internet. At the appointed time, the first user would connect to the Internet to publish their dynamic address using an Internet address location service. The second user would then connect and use the same address location service to lookup the network address of the first user. Alternatively, after connecting to the Internet the first user may manually lookup their temporary network address and communicate it to the second user. Assuming both users are simultaneously connected, the two remote users could then establish a peer-to-peer connection. Comparable to trying to meet someone at an airport, this process is complicated, frustrating and unpredictable. Difficulty in establishing peer-to-peer communication stems from using dynamic network addresses when connecting to the Internet. Many remote computer users gain access to the Internet through either of the following two means: (1) through a telephone dial-up connection provided by a local Internet service provider that dynamically assigns network addresses, or (2) through a local area network having a limited number of permanent Internet addresses and which dynamically assigns Internet network addresses to requesting local users. Predetermined methods for establishing peer-to-peer connections are thus inhibited by dynamic network addresses and temporary network connections. Current communication methods also do not exploit cost efficiencies associated with using the Internet to eliminate the cost of a long distance phone call. For instance, unattended, automated file exchanges between remote users can be done cheaply using the Internet. However, two problems must be overcome. First, it can be problematic when a remote user of a receiving computer is not connected to the Internet when the user of the originating computer desires to establish communication. Maintaining a continuous connection to the Internet by a remote computer can be very expensive as costs accrue based on connection time. Second, establishing an immediate connection requires that a remote user of the receiving computer be present at the time communication is established. Accordingly, a need exists for a simple automated method and apparatus for establishing peer-to-peer communication between remote computers over the Internet or other network channels. Establishing a connection should overcome any limitations caused by dynamic network addressing and temporary network connections. The receiving computer should monitor a second monitor channel. The originating computer can then initiate the connection process by sending a message along the monitoring channel, and thus minimize overall transaction costs associated with maintaining a continuous connection to either the monitor or network channel. It is further desirable that this method establish communication without any intervention by the remote user of the receiving computer. The present invention is a computer-implemented method of establishing peer-to-peer communication between two remote computing units over a network channel. An originating computer sends a message over a monitor channel to a receiving computer, and the receiving computer monitors the monitor channel. A triggering event is generated in response to at least one of the sending a message or the monitoring. The originating computer and/or the receiving computer, if necessary, will connect to the network channel. In response to the triggering event, either the originating computer or the receiving computer determines a network address associated with either the originating computer or the receiving computer. Using the network address, peer-to-peer communication between the originating computer and receiving computer is established over the network channel. Various hardware configurations for either computer, with respect to the network channel, can be accommodated by this method for establishing peer-to-peer communication. In addition, determining the network address and establishing communication may be initiated, with or without the use of an address location service, by either computer. The invention also provides an apparatus for supporting peer-to-peer communication over a network channel. The apparatus includes a call origination module for sending a message over a monitor channel. The call origination module is coupled to a first handler module for establishing communication. A monitor module, monitoring the monitor channel, is also coupled to a second handler module for establishing communication. A memory accessible by at least one of the handler modules is used for storing information indicative of the network address of at least one of the handler modules, and in response to the triggering message, another module, associated with either handler module, is used for accessing the memory, determining a network address and establishing the communication link. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagram showing suitable configurations for system components to support peer-to-peer communication across a network channel. FIG. 2 illustrates the components of the apparatus in the present invention. FIG. 3 is block diagram showing the principle functions of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a functional diagram showing the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication using the dynamic network address of the receiving unit in the present invention. FIG. 5 is a functional diagram showing the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication using the dynamic network address of the originating unit in the present invention. FIG. 6 is a functional diagram showing the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication using the permanent network address of the originating unit in the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flow chart which depicts the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication for an originating module in the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flow chart which depicts the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication for a receiving module in the present invention. The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or its uses. FIG. 1 shows suitable system components to support peer-to-peer communication across a network channel 10. In the present invention, the Internet is being used as a network channel 10. The Internet is a vast collection of inter-connected networks that primarily use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate and a packet switched media to transmit messages. The interconnected networks individually may consist of Ethernet network systems, Token Ring network systems or other network configurations. Remote computers utilize the network 10 to establish communication links. A remote computer may access the network channel 10 in a variety of ways. As best seen in FIG. 1, a remote computer 11 may have a direct physical connection 12 to the network channel 10; the physical connection 12 refers to a twisted wire pairs, coaxial cable or optical fibers as its physical media which interconnects a remote computer 11 to the network channel 10. In addition, a remote computer 17 may access the network channel 10 through a local area network (LAN) 16. A LAN 16 may support one or more remote computers 17 which may outnumber the one or more direct physical connections 12 between the LAN 16 and the network channel 10. Upon requests by local computers 17, the LAN 16 will dynamically assign addresses to local computers 17 for accessing the network channel 10. Alternatively, a remote computer 18 may access the network channel 10 through an Internet service provider 14. Although the Internet service provider 14 is shown as a single computer, it also may consist of a network configuration. The remote computer 18 may establish communication with the Internet service provider 14 by sending messages using modems 15 over the telephone system. The various configurations shown for remote computers may apply to either originating units or receiving units as discussed in the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of means can be used for accessing a variety of different network configurations. An apparatus 19 for supporting peer-to-peer communication over the network channel 10 in the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. The apparatus 19 includes an originating unit 22, a receiving unit 24, a network channel 10, and a monitor channel 20. More particularly, the originating unit 22 comprises a call origination module 32 which is coupled to a first handler module 33. The receiving unit 24 comprises a monitor module 35 which is coupled to a second handler module 36. The first handler module 33 and second handler module 36, each have access to a memory unit 34 and 37, respectively, and can establish communication with network channel 10. In addition, a third memory unit 40, such as an address locater service, is coupled to network channel 10 and is accessible by either of the first handler module 33 or the second handler module 36. Collectively, the memory units comprise a peer-to-peer rule set 30 used by the apparatus 19 to determine the network address of at least one of the said first handler module 33 and second handler module 36. Primary events for establishing peer-to-peer communication between two remote computing units over a network channel 10 are illustrated in FIG. 3. First, a message 42 is sent by the originating unit 22 to the receiving unit 24 over a monitor channel 20. By continuous monitoring of the monitor channel 20, a message 44 is received by the receiving unit 24. In response to either sending message 42 or the monitoring message 44, a triggering event 46 is generated. In response to the triggering event 46, either the originating unit 22 or receiving unit 24 will determine information 47 indicative of a network address associated with either the originating unit 22 or receiving unit 24. Subsequently, both of the originating unit 22 and receiving unit 24 will handle a message 48 to establish communication between the originating unit 22 and the receiving unit 24 over the network channel 10. More particularly, FIG. 4 shows a functional diagram of the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication using the dynamic network address of the receiving unit 24. First, the originating unit 22 sends a message 50 to the receiving unit 24 over the monitor channel 20. The monitor channel 20 can be a channel reachable at any time and will most likely consist of a bounded communication media such as a circuit switched communication pathway used in a telephone system. In addition, a unbounded communication media, such as high-frequency radio transmissions, microwave transmissions, cellular radio transmissions or satellite transmissions, may also be used as a monitor channel 20. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of transmission channels can be utilized as a monitor channel 20. In the case of bounded communication media, a physical connection between the originating unit 22 and the monitoring channel 20 may need to be established in order to send the message 50. By monitoring the monitor channel 20, the receiving unit 24 must differentiate between different incoming transmissions. Since the monitor channel 20 may serve multiple purposes, the receiving unit 24 will distinguish between a message transmitted from an originating unit 22 desirous of establishing communication and an ordinary telephone call or a facsimile transmission from the originating unit 22 or a different remote unit. Upon receiving a request to establish communication, the receiving unit 24 may react to the message in either of two ways. First, the receiving unit 24 may respond to 54 the transmitted message by exchanging information with the originating unit. A physical connection may need to be established in order to respond 54 over the monitor channel 20. In this example, an indicator of the originating unit'"'"'s 22 willingness to establish communication and the identity of the originating unit may be passed to the receiving unit 24. During the information exchange, the receiving unit 22 may also conduct a verification/security check to ensure that the originating unit 22 is an authorized participant. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, additional information related to this peer-to-peer communication transaction may also be exchanged. Upon completion of the information exchange, any physical connections between the originating unit 22 and the monitor channel 20, and the receiving unit 24 and the monitor channel 20 can be disconnected. Secondly, the receiving unit 24 may only receive 52 the transmitted message. Receiving 52 the message does not require a two-way exchange of information between the originating unit 22 and the receiving unit 24. For example, a paging device or caller identification services used in the telephone system allows the recipient of the message to identify the sender (by telephone number) without responding to message; these two identification means or some similar means could also be used by the receiving unit 24 to identify the originating unit 22. Unlike the above described information exchange, the originating unit 22 assumes that the message has been received and that there is a willingness to establish a connection. Likewise, the receiving unit 24 infers from the message the originating unit'"'"'s 22 willingness to establish a connection. Similar to the originating unit 22, a physical connection by the receiving unit 24 to the monitor channel 20 may be needed when a bounded communication media is used for the monitor channel 20. Next, the transmitted message triggers the receiving unit 24 to publish 56 its network address using an address locater service 40 found on the network channel 10. An IP address may be used to publish the network address of the receiving computer when the Internet is used as the network channel 10. The receiving unit 24 may need to establish a physical connection to the network channel 10 before executing this event and may need to use the same physical means as used by the monitor channel 20, such as a telephone line, to establish a connection. Correspondingly, upon sending the message or upon completing an information exchange, the originating unit 22 is also triggered to access the address location service 40 on the network channel 10. Once the receiving unit 24 has published 56 its IP address, then the originating unit 22 can retrieve 58 this IP address based on the identity of the receiving unit 24. The identity of the receiving unit 24 may be signified by its telephone number or some other information which is known by the originating unit 22 prior to transmitting the initial message or it may have been obtained during the exchange of messages on the monitor channel 20. Finally, in response to these triggering events, the originating unit 22 establishes communication 60 between the originating unit 22 and the receiving unit 24 over the network channel 10 by using the retrieved network address of the receiving unit 24. Once the two units have established a communication link across the network channel 10, the two remote users can conduct a conversation, exchange files, participate in real-time gaming or any other peer-to-peer activity. At the completion of their communication session, the originating unit 22 and receiving unit 24 can be disconnected to minimize transaction costs associated with accessing the network channel 10. Similarly, FIG. 5 shows a functional diagram of the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication, but uses the dynamic network address of the originating unit 22 to establish communication. First, the originating unit 22 sends a message 70 to the receiving unit 24 over the monitor channel 20. The receiving unit 24 will be monitoring the monitor channel 20, and thus react to the transmitted message. The receiving unit 24 may only receive 72 the transmitted message or it may respond to 74 the message by exchanging information with the originating unit 22 over the monitor channel 20. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these initial steps are the same as seen above, and thus various changes, modifications and variations as previously described are also applicable. By transmitting the message, the originating unit 22 is triggered to access the network channel 10 and publish 78 its network address using an address location service 40. Correspondingly, the receiving unit 24 is also triggered to access the address location service 40. After the originating unit 22 has published its network address, the receiving unit 24 can retrieve 76 this network address based on the identity of the originating unit 22. The identity of the originating unit 22 may be signified by its telephone number or some other information ascertained from the transmitted message. Another variation in the steps for establishing peer-to-peer communication using the network address of the originating unit 22 is illustrated in FIG. 6. A communication link may be established without the use of an address location service. For instance, the originating unit 22 connects to the network channel 10, and thus establishes its dynamic network address before transmitting a message to the receiving unit 24. The originating unit 22 can then send 82 the receiving unit 24 its network address. The receiving unit 24 will respond to 86 the message and establish 90 peer-to-peer communication over the network channel 10 using the transmitted network address of the originating unit 22. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, if the originating unit 22 has a permanent network address, then its network address can be transmitted without having to connect to the network channel 10. Alternatively, when the originating unit 22 has a permanent network address, only the identity of the originating unit 22 could be sent to 82 the receiving unit 24 for establishing peer-to-peer communication. Upon receiving 84 the identity of the originating unit 22, the receiving unit 24 is triggered to determine 88 the originating unit'"'"'s 22 permanent network address. For example, the receiving unit 24 may have internal access to memory which maps telephone numbers to network addresses, and therefore can determine the network address for originating unit 22 which has sent the triggering message. In response to the above trigger events, the receiving unit 24 has determined the network address for originating unit 22. The remaining step, as shown in both FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, involve the receiving unit 24 establishing communication 80 and 90, respectively, between the originating unit 22 and the receiving unit 24 over the network channel 10 by using the network address for the originating unit 22. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various means exist for determining and exchanging the network address for either the originating unit 22 or receiving unit 24 in the present invention. FIG. 7 is flowchart depicting an embodiment of the procedures encapsulated in the originating unit in the present invention (see Appendix A for an example of pseudo code used in the originating unit). For the preferred embodiment, the user of the originating module indicates a remote recipient computer for establishing a communication link. In this embodiment, the originating and receiving units have dial-up connections to the network channel and the originating unit is not connected to network channel when process is initiated. Start block 100 signifies the users request to initiate a communication session, and begins the process with block 102. Decision block 102 begins the inquiry into what connection means will be used by the originating module to connect to the receiving module. If decision block 102 determines that originating module has an IP address for the receiving module, then processing continues at block 116. However, if decision block 102 determines that it does not have an IP address, then decision block 104 will determine whether the originating unit has a telephone number that can be used to reach the receiving unit. If the originating unit does not have a telephone number, then processing continues at block 112. On the other hand, if the originating unit does have a telephone number, then in block 106, originating unit will dial the telephone number and wait for an answer from receiving unit. Block 106 continues the process in block 108. Decision block 108 determines if the receiving unit has answered the telephone and is willing to establish a connection with the originating unit. If so, proceed to block 110; but otherwise, if the receiving unit fails to answers the telephone or is unwilling to connect, then processing continues at block 122. Decision block 110 determines whether receiving unit has supplied its ILS address to originating unit. If the receiving unit has supplied its ILS address, then processing continues in block 116. However, without receiving the ILS address, block 112 determines if originating unit already has a ILS address for the receiving unit. If decision block 112 determines that it does have a ILS address, then processing proceeds to block 116. Without a ILS address, the originating unit has failed to identify a means for connecting the receiving unit, thus ending processing in block 114. In block 116, originating unit disconnects its modem connection, if necessary, and connects to network channel. Block 116 continues the connection process in block 118. If originating unit has an IP address, then processing continue in block 124. On the other hand, without an IP address, then originating unit will perform a look up of the IP address for the receiving unit on a ILS server in block 120. Failure to obtain an IP address signifies a failure to connect, and thus ending the procedure in block 114. However, a successful look up results in an IP address that can be used to establish a connection in block 124. Block 124 establishes a connection to the receiving unit using the IP address, and the process is completed in block 126. A flow chart showing an embodiment of the procedures encapsulated in the receiving module can be seen in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, the receiving unit utilizes the same modem to connect to the monitor channel and the network channel. Start block 200 begins processing in block 202. In block 202, the receiving unit conditions its modem for answering incoming calls. Decision block 204 then awaits for incoming calls. If there is an incoming call, then decision block 206 determines if the call is a request to establish a connection. For a request to establish a connection, processing continues in block 210; otherwise in block 208 the call can be passed off to another application program, if applicable, and subsequently returned to block 202. Upon receiving a request to connect, receiving unit transmits its ILS address to originating unit and disconnects modem call in block 210. Receiving unit continues processing in block 212 by establishing a physical Internet connection and in block 214 by temporarily posting its IP address on a ILS server. Proceeding to block 216, the receiving unit then performs a “listening” function for receiving incoming requests to establish a connection. Decision block 218 determines whether the incoming request is received within a specified time limit. In block 220, the receiving unit verifies the identity of the timely request and completes establishes peer-to-peer connection. Upon completion of the communication session, processing continues at block 220. Block 220 disconnects receiving unit from network channel. Processing is then returned to block 202 to recondition modem in anticipation of subsequent incoming calls. The foregoing discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Currently on Internet Have permanent Internet address for destination Connect directly via permanent IP addr. Have ILS address for destination (but no permanent IP) Destination currently logged onto ILS server Look up dynamic IP and connect Destination not currently logged onto ILS server Have phone number Not using modem for Internet connection Initiate Internet Rendezvous Using modem for Internet connection User agrees to break connection Disconnect then initiate Internet Rendezvous User doesn'"'"'t agree to break connection Can'"'"'t connect: destination not on ILS (or queue for later connection) Don'"'"'t have phone number Have phone number for destination (but no ILS or permanent IP) Can'"'"'t connect now Not currently on Internet Have permanent IP for destination Connect directly to IP (RAS will dial if needed) Have phone number for destination User chose connect with rendezvous Dial via modem and host answers Have ILS or host supplies ILS or IP address Hang-up and connect through ILS (RAS will dial) Doesn'"'"'t supply ILS or IP address Stay on-line via modem Dial via modem but host is busy or doesn'"'"'t answer Keep retrying with user option to try on Internet User chose connect without rendezvous Have ILS address Connect to ILS server (RAS will dial) Don'"'"'t have ILS or IP Error: can'"'"'t connect without rendezvous Have ILS address for destination (but no phone number and no IP addr.) Connect to ILS service (RAS will dial) and try to connect Litigation Campaign Assessment Thank you for your request. You will receive a custom alert email when the Litigation Campaign Assessment is available. Litigation Data TainoApp, Inc. Hilgrave Incorporated Masters, John C., Gray, Matthew H., Hile, John K., Everett, Jr., Robert D., Beamsley, Jeffery F. Primary Examiner(s) Meky, Moustafa M. Time in patent office Field of Search 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/228 US Class Current CPC Class Codes H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote con... H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. I... H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection b... H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL m... H04L 29/12103 using an address exchange p... H04L 61/1535 using an address exchange p... H04L 69/329 in the application layer, i... H04M 11/007 with remote control systems... Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication ... 2 Family Members Method And Apparatus For Peer To Peer Communication Issued 07/25/2000 Current Assignee TainoApp, Inc. Original Assignee Hilgraeve, Inc. (Boxer Parent Company Inc) Original Assignee Hilgrave Incorporated Copyright © 2008-2021 RPX Corporation. All Rights Reserved. RPX Corporate Category: Report a Problem Data Feedback Assistance Needed Feature Suggestion Other Feedback Please use this form to provide feedback or ask any questions about RPX Insight.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line985
__label__wiki	0.775958	0.775958	CALL or TEXT 770-483-2420 Roaches, Ants & Spiders Green Pest Services Termite Baiting System UGA Names Inspect-All Services to 2018 Bulldog 100 List For Immediate Release from the University of Georgia Athens, GA - Inspect-All Services, headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, was recognized as the No. 29 fastest-growing business owned or operated by a University of Georgia graduate during the 2018 Bulldog 100 Celebration Jan. 27 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. Inspect-All Services, co-owned by brothers and UGA graduates, Brian Lunsford and Brandon Lunsford, serves the Atlanta, GA and Jacksonville, FL metropolitan areas and specializes in pest control and home inspections. This is the company’s eighth year in-a-row being named to the Bulldog 100. "It’s always a great honor to be recognized by our alma mater,” said Brian and Brandon Lunsford, co-owners of Inspect-All Services, in a joint statement. “The truly rewarding part about earning a spot on this list with our fellow UGA business leaders is sharing it with our team. To make this prestigious list every year since 2011 is a true testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to Inspect-All Services.” The Bulldog 100, coordinated by the UGA Alumni Association, recognizes the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA graduates. Approximately 500 nominations were submitted for the 2018 Bulldog 100. The class includes companies of all sizes, providing services and products in a variety of industries, including restaurants, real estate, IT consulting, retail and veterinary medicine. Companies as far as California and Minnesota made the list. The average compounded annual growth rate for this year’s Bulldog 100 businesses was 47 percent. This year’s keynote speaker was Amy Smilovic (ABJ ’89), founder and creative director of women’s clothing and accessories company, Tibi. The renowned lifestyle brand has been featured everywhere from New York Times fashion photographer, the late Bill Cunningham’s “On the Street” column, to Vogue France. “The UGA Alumni Association is excited to honor our graduates who are founding and leading these prosperous enterprises,” said Bonney Shuman, president of the UGA Alumni Association. To view the 2018 Bulldog 100 list, photos from the event or nominate a business for the 2019 Bulldog 100, see www.alumni.uga.edu/b100. Inspect-All Services Earns 2017 Angie's List Super Service Award Steps to Prepare Your House for Pest Control No topics. Inspect-All Services Named to Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies™ for Fourth Consecutive Year Top 5 Plants to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard How to Make Your Home Radon Resistant Review us on Angie's List Inspect-All Services 576 Sigman Road, N.E. Ste. 700 *Please email or submit a request form for an urgent response. © 2020 INSPECT-ALL SERVICES \| All Rights Reserved \| Terms & Privacy	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line986
__label__wiki	0.944986	0.944986	NFL RESULTS BoomBox: Animatrix community La Pelotita The young English promise Toulon bets on Vettel would be in talks with Racing Point for his... MotoGP 2020 Portuguese GP Results The numbers left by the consecration of Boca... The unusual blooper of Vakatawa in the fall... The new Davis Cup: in 11 days and... Bundesliga Standings TENNIS RESULTS BASKETBALL RESULTS RUGBY RESULTS SOCCER RESULTS VOLEYBALL RESULTS Formula 1 2020 Abu Dhabi GP Results Rafael Nadal, 800 weeks in a row in... Jorge Gerosi, former coach of Massú and Gaudio,... Bomb! Drew Brees would have played his last... Kyrgios is back: “Djokovic is useless” The Prime Minister of Victoria, before Djokovic’s letter:... Premier League Standings Mako Vunipola stays in Saracens by adrian 6 months ago 6 months ago The 29-year-old pillar, Mako Vunipola, will continue to be linked to Saracens, a club he has been in for nine years and will remain in the second division next season. Vunipola has shown himself to be an influential figure on and off the field for nearly a decade, playing an important role in the Sarries’ European and national success. His progression at Allianz Park has made him an international mainstay for England, as well as winning six tests with the British & Irish Lions on tours of Australia and New Zealand. The front row has made 168 appearances for the Sarries to date and enjoy the challenges ahead. “This club has been very good to me and is very good to me,” he said. “They took care of me, gave me the opportunity to be the player I have been and gave me the platform to continue improving. “I have no doubt that the club will come back and fight for the championships and that is part of the reason why this decision was quite easy.” “It was not very difficult for me, since I could see the group we had and the strength of the club. I have no doubt that we will attack this challenge as we have with the other challenges we have had before. “ Rugby Director Mark McCall said: “Mako is a world-class player who can combine an innate understanding of the game with a brutal physique and incredible skill set. “The Vunipola family is an integral part of the Saracens history; Mako is a highly respected member of the team who shows genuine care for her teammates. We are delighted that you have compromised your future here. ” Mako, Saracens, stays, Vunipola More From: RUGBY The unusual blooper of Vakatawa in the fall of Racing 92 against Toulon Ealing Trailfinders got a big win over Billy Vunipola’s return at Saracens 1 day ago 1 day ago Montpellier, interested in hiring Michael Cheika The numbers left by the consecration of Boca in the Maradona Cup The new Davis Cup: in 11 days and three cities	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line987
__label__wiki	0.595282	0.595282	Home DUI & DWI Delaware Viola Viola DUI & DWI Lawyers Alexander William Funk Dover, DE DUI & DWI Attorney with 13 years of experience (302) 674-3333 250 Beiser Blvd. Dover, DE 19904 Free ConsultationDUI & DWI, Criminal Defense, Domestic Violence and Juvenile Edgar Martin Knepper (302) 736-5500 34 The Green, Suite K Free ConsultationDUI & DWI, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury and Traffic Tickets Ronald D. Phillips Jr. Milford, DE DUI & DWI Lawyer with 27 years of experience (302) 422-9300 23B NW Front Street Milford, DE 19963 Free ConsultationDUI & DWI and Criminal Defense Ron first worked as an associate for the law firm of Hudson, Jones, Jaywork, Williams and Ligouri and practiced out of the firm’s Dover office. In 1998, Ron became a partner with the firm and was the resident managing partner of the Georgetown office from 1998 until 2003. In 2003, Ron left the firm to open his own office in Georgetown which ultimately led to the formation of the Law Offices of Murray, Phillips & Gay. Ron’s current practice centers almost exclusively on criminal defense and he has successfully defended cases ranging anywhere from murder to simple traffic tickets. As a lawyer,... Francis E Farren Newark, DE DUI & DWI Attorney with 24 years of experience (302) 525-0087 24 Prestbury Square Newark, DE 19713 DUI & DWI, Criminal Defense, Juvenile and Traffic Tickets Widener University Delaware School of Law Former prosecutor with over 25 years experience working in the criminal justice system; currently protecting the accused as a criminal defense lawyer. Francis provides aggressive representation to people from all walks of life throughout the state of Delaware, including college students and out-of-state clients facing charges. Jason R. Antoine Wilmington, DE DUI & DWI Attorney with 14 years of experience (302) 482-4802 1702 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington, DE 19805 Free ConsultationDUI & DWI, Criminal Defense, Domestic Violence and Personal Injury Jason Antoine started his practice in 2008 with the purpose of providing superior trial advocacy and solving difficult problems for clients in need. Trial advocacy has always been Jason's passion. Jason has studied the great trial lawyers in history and has successfully tried and won high stakes criminal cases both as a prosecutor and a criminal defense. Prior to opening his Delaware office, Jason served as an Assistant District attorney in Pennsylvania. The acting District Attorney saw Jason's talent and promoted him to a trial attorney position in a month. Right out of law school he was trying high stakes felony... Jeffrey Scott Friedman Seaford, DE DUI & DWI Attorney with 29 years of experience (302) 629-3350 300 High St Seaford, DE 19973 DUI & DWI, Personal Injury, Real Estate and Workers' Comp Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman is a partner at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman. Jeffrey joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001 to better serve Delaware clients in need of auto accident, personal injury or workers’ compensation services. David Holloway Wilmington, DE DUI & DWI Lawyer with 8 years of experience (302) 357-9323 1201 N. Orange St. DUI & DWI, Business, Criminal Defense and Estate Planning Robert McDonald Seaford, DE DUI & DWI Lawyer Attorney Robert McDonald is a partner at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman. Roberts primary areas of practice are personal injury, workers' compensation, auto accidents, and construction accidents. He joined forces with his partners to create Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 1999. Seaford, DE DUI & DWI Attorney Michael I. Silverman is the co-founder of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, which is located in Wilmington, Delaware. Michael maintains a general civil litigation practice with a focus on personal injury, workmen’s compensation and commercial litigation. DUI & DWI Attorneys in Nearby Cities DUI & DWI Attorneys in Nearby Counties The OneCLE Lawyer Directory contains lawyers who have claimed their profiles and are actively seeking clients. Find more Viola DUI & DWI Lawyers in the Justia Legal Services and Lawyers Directory which includes profiles of more than one million lawyers licensed to practice in the United States, in addition to profiles of legal aid, pro bono and legal service organizations.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line992
__label__cc	0.72809	0.27191	My Music Memory Lane Martin Rix “I daren’t lift it up in case the bottom comes off!” said my Dad, pointing towards a squashed, damp cardboard box in the far reaches of the garage. Eagerly I began probing through the piles of posters ripped from ancient copies of the NME, student club-night flyers and unidentifiable pieces of mouse-chewed paper. Eventually I found what I was looking for, a small collection of battered and torn ticket stubs. “Come on!” said my Dad “look through it again another time, the taxi is here” and off we went to Stanmore Tube Station and The Who at Wembley Arena (this is LDNLife, so there has to be a link to London somewhere, no matter how weak). “Never mind” I thought, knowing that I’d unearthed a gem. Rewind a couple of hours and I’m undertaking the same exercise in the far more hospitable environment of my childhood bedroom. Away from the cold, damp and mice I had been looking through some boxes of old ‘things’ and happened across gig tickets spanning back to 2003. Conscious that the following day I was attending the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in Bristol (London link 2…yes Bristol is not London but Radio 6 has studios in the capital and lots of listeners…I said these were weak links). Present at the festival would be the makers of a forthcoming BBC documentary series, the People’s History of Pop. Keen to include my own little piece of music history in the project I wanted to see how far back into my own musical timeline I could travel. However, the stubs I had found only dated back thirteen years. Where were the rest? I had to find out and went off to get the keys to my parents’ garage. The following day, upon arrival at the Festival in Bristol, I presented the PHOP creators with my ticket stub from Oasis’ Friday night show at Finsbury Park (London link 3) in 2002. When asked to describe what the gig meant to me I stumbled across some feeble superlatives to describe the event, but without the enthusiasm my eighteen-year-old self would have displayed in the moments after the show. It wasn’t until later that evening that I began to seriously reminisce. I had initially remembered it as being a highly charged rock performance with Oasis’ usual football fan-esq crowd. However, with more careful consideration it was actually far more than that. Touring new album Heathen Chemistry, released only days before, Oasis were on amazing form and the atmosphere in Finsbury Park was electric. Whilst the exact set-list escapes me, it was definitely hit-heavy but strewn with new tracks. The NME front page the following week claimed it was “better than Knebworth” – as one of my first ‘big’ concerts, this was one hell of a benchmark. At this point in my life music wasn’t necessarily about intricate guitar solos, the tightness of the accompanying horn section or carefully crafted lyrics. Like a rock debut albums this period was about unleashing teenage angst. At eighteen I cared about how the gig made me feel, forcing me into a desire to jump up and down in complete unison with thousands of like minded individuals and giving me cause to yell (not sing) the lyrics to each song – not retrospectively dissect their meanings. I didn’t want to just stand back and admire – I wanted to be involved. That was my modus operandi and my word it was exhilarating. During the break between bands at the BBC 6 Music Festival I continued to recall that weekend in the summer of 2002; how one of our mates didn’t get into the show, questioning how I managed to stay on my feet amongst the raucous crowd – despite being incredibly skinny, the overpriced Oasis t-shirt I bought (and the cheap fake hoodie that lasted one wash), the hope that when a cardboard pint cup hit me the contents would be cold and not warm, after the show sprinting back to our local to try and make it for last orders despite being soaked and looking more like we’d been in a fight than at a concert and, hardly being able to speak or move my neck the next day. Flicking through the box of ticket stubs I dreamt back to the numerous gigs that I attended during the following years. The dates sometimes running consecutively for days on end, as my friends and I travelled back and forth to Leeds and Manchester to watch the latest trendy bands play the likes of the Cockpit (sadly now gone). Wonderful memories came pouring back. It was an incredible time for guitar music and I was deeply entrenched. There were stubs from concerts where I had interviewed bands during my stint as the music editor of our Students’ Union newspaper (there was no way I could have funded all these gigs on my student loan and a part-time job) down to small unsigned shows where we went to support friends and see new acts, many of which have since vanished into oblivion. My university studies fitted around my lust for discovering new artists, learning more about old ones and, most importantly, attending gigs. Summers were always filled with festivals. The following summer to Oasis’ Finsbury Park shows I somehow managed to fit in Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight, Reading and V Festivals. All of this seems unfathomable now, incompatible with a thirty-something, married and full-time working lifestyle. Even the Radio 6 Music Festival this weekend finished late enough on a Sunday night to make me feel slightly queasy. V Festival However, it was on that Sunday night, during Foals headline slot that the mainly teenage crowd below was going wild. Steam rose up as the warmth of the audience met the cold February air, circle pits kept forming and crowd-surfers were aplenty. I was taken straight back to what it felt like all those years ago – the pushing, shoving, jumping, sweating, screaming and overall euphoria of being ‘down the front’: To sum it up – anarchic. As I stood on the balcony overlooking the Foals mosh pit bedlam, I was grinning as if I was down there with them (though now I’d only been able to last about half song). Earlier on that evening my wife had said to me, “are you honestly going to keep all those?” as she pointed towards the box full of stubs. Unable to answer I just looked at her, hoping my face would display my disapproval of the question. That plastic container is brimming with memories of my youth. Memories that, whilst are sometimes mislaid, would always be accessible as long as those ticket stubs were in my possession. Bands that are long forgotten, friends I no longer see and venues that are now shutdown. Given more time I will go back through the pile and dig out the respective CDs that are currently collecting dust under the bed and try and rekindle that connection I had with those bands nearly two-decades ago. Who knows, maybe my great grandchildren will one day discover the box and be interested to know that in 2006 I saw Arab Strap on their farewell tour at Manchester Academy, that the Manic Street Preachers were playing small venues such as the Leeds University Refectory as late as 2005 or in 2010 I was lucky enough to win tickets to The Libertines reunion show at the Kentish Town Forum (London link 4). Well, they might… So, what is the point of this self-indulgent biographical rambling? I urge you all (well, those who have not yet given up reading this article) to do the same. When you get home tonight have a poke around in those messy drawers and at the back of the wardrobe. Collect together all the ticket stubs and memorabilia you can. Dig up memories of the gigs and bands you may have forgotten…and even phone up that friend you haven’t spoken to for years, go for a drink and talk about those hedonistic days. Finally, I must make an apology to our editor Adam and to you, the LDNLife readers. With just four links to London (two tenuous and two rather old) this hardly counts as a meaningful contribution to your guide to the greatest city on Earth and after a ten-month hiatus this blog is the best I’ve managed to conjure up (a full-time job and studying for a master leaves little time for recreational writing). However, as I’ve hopefully articulated, this entry may still have a purpose. Other than facilitating you to look back at your youth (doubling up as a painful remainder of your mounting years) you should share your favourite memory with the BBC People’s History of Pop. Too often documentaries and stories are told from the point of view of the band or the media and not the fans – it’s us that make the industry what it is. Their project is a wonderful concept and I can’t wait and see the final product. Find out more by visiting their website, www.phop.co.uk – Get involved. Previous article Is #TheNextGalaxy more than a phone? Next article A petition to stop petitions about petitions that no one should petition about How well do you know the London’s restaurant scene – Competition Flat Iron Review – falls just a little bit…flat Get your Vegan on @ ‘V For’ Festival this August	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line995
__label__wiki	0.642727	0.642727	Katzenjammer – At The Lexington – Longer Review Adam (Editor) Katzenjammer are made up of Four Norwegian women who can play over 20 instruments between them, one of which is a giant triangle shaped cat faced guitar thing. I know I haven’t explained that awfully well but it’s probably no surprise that they met at music school. Lady Grey had a delicate sweetness that begs for it to belong in a tear jerking moment of a romantic comedy They also have an impressively loyal following and I realised this whilst chatting to a fan before the gig, she claimed to have seen them 67 times, though this might have been 6 or 7 as it was pretty noisy in the Lexington. However I did definitely hear the food is pretty good, so I’ll be going back to review the food. Taylor and Marie Before I go full on into the review I’m going to let my friend Dan show some love for the support act Taylor and Marie, who are not surprisingly are a male and female duo. “They played to a largely hushed and appreciative crowd, many of whom were wearing Katzenjammer Nation fan club t-shirts. In truth Taylor looked like he’d be happiest playing surrounded by hay bales whilst Marie had a more hippy-like airiness. Combining their voices with two acoustic guitars and Taylor’s occasional forays with his shoulder mounted harmonica, they played through their own tracks which varied from the slow and melodic such as stand out song The Ocean Will Tale Me to the more upbeat folk rock, indeed punk, Take me home. The Ocean Will Take Me, a newly penned song, stood out as the best track and as the best example of what makes Taylor and Marie great. Whilst neither is an exceptional vocalist (or at least not pushed beyond their comfort zone by their style) their harmonies are spot on, and best demonstrated in the slower tracks.” So back to the main event because of their musical flexibility it’s hard/unfair to pigeon-hole them into a category as I’m sure they could do pretty much anything if they wanted to. Saying that I did like how the Guardian summarised them in their review “They mix good-time pop and Americana, but throw in influences that include Celtic and Balkan styles. Most importantly, they have an enormous sense of fun.” With two albums under their belts and their new album ‘Rockland’ due to hit the shops on 2nd March their set list was very much an homage to the work they must have put into their latest album. For me it was hard to pick out a stand out track, as the quality of each song grabbed my attention for different reasons. For example Lady Grey had a delicate sweetness that begs for it to belong in a tear jerking moment of a romantic comedy. But if I had to choose my favourite song on the night it would have to be their rendition of Genesis Land of Confusion which they played during their encore. The band themselves were full of personality during and in between songs, this added an extra dimension to the gig which you don’t always see else where. A couple of the breaks between songs were nearly as long as a Beyoncé wardrobe change, though this was to change instruments, not clothes and annoyingly these breaks only served as another way for me to be transported into their world and fall in love with the band a little bit more. After the show I bumped into the same fan I met earlier and I told her I now understood why she liked them so much. At which point her friend appeared and shouted “That was the best 2 hours of my life”. Now I won’t go that far but if I could have bought a digital copy of the night and watched all again on the way home I would have in a heartbeat. Though I’ll happily settle for their gig in May at Scala, IF I can get a ticket when they go on sale on 6th February. As we left The Lexington after maybe 1 too many beers, I asked my friend Dan what he thought of the evening, his response “I’m going to have to get back to you on that” and an hour or so later he did: “My first time watching Katzenjammer left me with many questions Just how many instruments can these talented ladies all play? The final straw of making me feel completely inadequate was the kazòo at the end. How many tired stereotypes and clichéd comparisons could I make to other groups? (The Coors and Dixie Chicks were my best/worst) I’ll explain the Coors one later… What did they actually say in Norwegian during that song? Which band member do I like the best? And most importantly what do I like more? Cats or Jam? Or indeed, Yams? The first song of the encore ‘Gods great duststorm’ can best be described as “Not the kind of thing you see in a venue like this.” Though in truth, it’s not the kind of thing you see in any venue. Oh and the Coors reference explanation I promised? It’s because in both bands my favourite one was ‘hiding’ behind the drums most of the time….” Earlier in the evening me and Dan joked that we should just do the review using animated GIF’s, however it turned out that we only needed one GIF to sum it all up. Katzenjammer were out of this world. You can see our now ‘Famous’ Really Short review here The shortest, funniest and most accurate @Katzenjammers concert review ever. http://t.co/MzsVfNT96s — Haakon N. (@kind_of_blue_hn) January 30, 2015 Editor of this fine Blog and not surprisingly I love living in and blogging about London Website: https://ldnlife.com Posts created: 347 Previous article Katzenjammer – At The Lexington – Really Short Review Next article Trapped. In a room. With a ZOMBIE! Highasakite – Supporting Of Monsters and Men – UK Tour FEMINASTY – VAULT Festival – 17 / 18 February Klaxons Album ‘Love Frequency’ Announced + April Tour Dates	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line996
__label__wiki	0.875891	0.875891	Smithsonian Libraries' locations remain temporarily closed. To view the status of the Smithsonian’s other museums, research centers, and Zoo, visit si.edu/museums. Online Book Collections Online Books by Topic Library Catalog (SIRIS) Art & Artist Files Caldwell Lighting Trade Catalogs Index of Library & Archival Exhibitions on the Web OneSearch e-Journals and Databases Smithsonian Research Online (SRO) For SI staff Traveling Trunks History of the Libraries Home » The Augustus and Deanne Miller Acquisitions Fund The Augustus and Deanne Miller Acquisitions Fund Longstanding friends and supporters of the Smithsonian institution Augustus “Gus” Miller and his wife, Deanne Miller, established the Augustus and Deanne Miller Acquisitions Fund for the American Experience in 2011. The Smithsonian articulates the American Experience through its’ museums with the help of the Libraries’ collections. “The history of our country and its growth is very important to future generations and the world. Deanne and I feel it is imperative that we protect our collections for the future. What better place than the Smithsonian,” says Gus. From the Galaxy of Images: Borden Company E pluribus unum : the story of an eagle, 1904 “Front Cover” Gus currently serves as chair of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and is an alumnus of the Smithsonian National Board, on which he served from 2001-2006. A collector of fine art and rare books, Mr. Miller has been Chairman of the board of the Chrysler Museum, and a member of the boards of the Virginia Marine Science Museum, Towne Bank, and the Old Dominion University Real Estate Board. Smithsonian Libraries, Natural History Building, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20560 Privacy \| Terms \| Copyright \| si.edu	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1005
__label__wiki	0.587809	0.587809	Linda Creed Breast Cancer Organization Linda Creed by the Numbers Linda Creed in the Poconos Linda Creed Breast Cancer Organization Firsts Linda Creed Breast Cancer Organization Board of Directors Whom we serve Jenifer C. Chelsea A. Dr. Gene G. Evelyn S. Sammie & Dan L. Sallie H. Sheri S. Amy W. Shirlee K. Hospital Partners Corporate & Community Partners Sammie & Dan S. "I know I can beat this disease." "Short-term assistance to help...women going through treatment." “I am ever so grateful to Linda Creed.” "I'm happy to help someone." Dr. Eugene G. “What is a life worth?” "I jumped at the chance to help other women." HOW YOU CAN HELP US "Knowledge is empowering." Amy’s introduction to Linda Creed Breast Cancer Organization came, strangely enough, through her 14-year-old son. She was a breast cancer survivor and when it came time for her son to complete his high school community service requirement he decided to do a fundraiser for Linda Creed Breast Cancer. He was attracted to our mission because his donation would do the most good by staying in the community. Throughout the months of planning, Amy was right there alongside her son lending her efforts to make the fundraiser a success. Children grow and move on, but Mom is still at it, working the Frankford area screenings. Now a 21+ year breast cancer survivor, she was recently asked what continues to motivate her volunteer effort on Linda Creed’s behalf. “It helps save lives,” was her prompt response. “I know that because I will hear doctors comment to fellow health workers that there is a problem. As a breast cancer survivor, I feel I have a responsibility to let women know how to take care of themselves. Knowledge is empowering and what I do for women is encouraging and embracing.” It also helps to know that her efforts help the women who live and work in her community and is the larger reason for her continued service to Linda Creed. 614 S 8th St. #277 \| Philadelphia, PA 19147 \| 215-564-3700 \| contact@lindacreed.org This website uses cookies. Click "I agree" to accept cookies and visit our website directly.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1012
__label__wiki	0.770113	0.770113	Election Drama 2020 Diana Singh, Staff Writer The year 2020 has been quite a crazy year so far, and much of that craziness includes this year’s presidential election. The two main competitors were former president Donald J. Trump, who served as the president from 2016-2020, and Joe Biden, who served as vice president from 2008-2016. There was also Jo Jorgensen, who was a nominee in 1996 for vice president and in 2020 for president, and Howie Hawkins a nominee for the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump was a republican, Joe Biden was a democrat, Jo Jorgensen was a part of the Libertarian party, and Howie Hawkins was a part of the Green Party. For a short while there was also a famous celebrity named Kayne West that also attempted to run for president this election. The vice president candidates were Kamala Harris who was with Joe Biden, Mike Pence who was with Donald Trump, Jeremy ¨Spike¨ Cohen who was with Jo Jorgensen, and Angela Nicole Walker who was with Howie Hawkins. The whole election was quite the spectacle to watch with seeing how each candidate acted, some more poorly than others. The percentages of votes each candidate received varied quite a bit. Joe Biden had 306 electoral votes and about 51.1 % of the votes in the election and Donald Trump got 232 electoral votes and 47.2 % of the votes. Next up Jo Jorgensen got no electoral votes and 1.2 % of the overall votes and Howie Hawkins also got no electoral votes and 0.2 % of the votes. There was also Kayne West who got a mere 60,000 overall votes with no electoral votes. Unfortunately for West, he only managed to get himself on the ballot in three states: Colorado, Oklahoma and Vermont. In the end Joe Biden, alongside his running mate Kamala Harris, won having 74 more electoral votes and also won thanks to the states of Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona. Following the democrats initial win in the election, Donald Trump sued Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia in an effort to overturn President Elect, Joe Biden´s wins in those infamous states. As far as we know right now the current lawsuits Donald Trump filed are being dismissed, and he’s losing quite a bit of money in the process. Overall this election was quite an interesting one and seemed to fit the demeanor of the year 2020 quite well. Diana is a 14 year old freshman at Lindenhurst High School. This is her first year writing for The Charles Street Times. She enjoys a variety of activities... Thoughts on high risk sports being delayed? I Feel as If it will prevent the spread of COVID-19. Should not be delayed. Seniors deserve their season. Lindenhurst High School Feb 6 / Boys Basketball Feb 6 / Girls Basketball Connetquot Elon Musk Passes Jeff Bezos To Become the Richest Person on Earth Record Breaking Hurricane Season Tips and Tricks for a Restful Sleep Holiday Traditions Around the World The Pilgrimage into the Mind Part 2: The Pilgrimage into the Mind Polish Dual Program in Lindenhurst The Lindenhurst Youth Center Holidays and Covid-19	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1013
__label__wiki	0.947713	0.947713	Pop/Rock > Alternative Pop/Rock > Rockabilly Revival Spend a Night in the Box Media Condition: Used Spend a Night in the Box (2000) by The Reverend Horton Heat Dispensing with the alternative-rock leanings of some of his earlier albums like Liquor in the Front, Reverend Horton Heat returns with his sixth album Spend a Night in the Box, which features a clean, traditional rockabilly sound, courtesy of producer (and former Butthole Surfer) Paul Leary. The stripped-down sound of songs like "Big D Boogie Woogie" and "The Girl in Blue" is all the better to show off the amazing chops of the Reverend and the other two-thirds of the trio, bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Scott Churilla. The group's old punkabilly venom resurfaces on "Sue Jack Daniels," and while most of the songs recount the Reverend's usual litany of babes and booze, "It Hurts Your Daddy Bad" and "The Bedroom Again" show surprising lyrical depth. Though there's some filler, for the most part Spend a Night in the Box is another album of entertaining, revved-up rockabilly from a group that has made it look effortless for years. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi Read Less Dispensing with the alternative-rock leanings of some of his earlier albums like Liquor in the Front, Reverend Horton Heat returns with his sixth album Spend a Night in the Box, which features a clean, traditional rockabilly sound, courtesy of producer (and former Butthole Surfer) Paul Leary. The stripped-down sound of songs like "Big D Boogie Woogie" and "The Girl in Blue" is all the better to show off the amazing chops of the Reverend and the other two-thirds of the trio, bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Scott Churilla. ... Read More Big D Boogie Woogie Sleeper Coach Driver The Girl in Blue Hand It to Me Sue Jack Daniels I'll Make Love It Hurts Your Daddy Bad The Bedroom Again Whole Lotta Baby The Millionaire Unlucky in Love The Party in Your Head Show Fewer Tracks Collectible Copies Only Browse related Genres + Browse All Genres Pop/Rock > Rockabilly Revival > Psychobilly Pop/Rock > Rockabilly > Rockabilly Revival Pop/Rock > Alternative/Indie Rock > Psychobilly Pop/Rock > Alternative/Indie Rock > Alternative Pop/Rock Pop/Rock > Alternative/Indie Rock New Music from $15.31 Used Music from $1.45 Choose Release (1) CD, Fair 2000, Time Bomb Recordings Discs: 1 Label: Time Bomb Recordings Fair. All our items include the original disc(s) in the original case. If a disc you purchase from us does not play correctly, just let us know. Goodwill BookWorks Austin, TX, USA Fair. All items ship Monday-Friday-Fast Shipping in a secure bubble mailer. CD, Good Good. Connecting listeners with great music since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Customer service is our top priority! CD, Very Good Goodwill Industries of S.W.FL. Fort Myers, FL, USA Disk is in very good condition. Packaging may show slight signs of wear as may the cover art. HPB Inc.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1021
__label__wiki	0.883185	0.883185	Top-Selling Price: Low to High Price: High to Low New Price Release Date Release Date: Rev Title Includes: Melody Patterson Larry Storch Ken Berry Actor's Name Includes: Director's Name Includes: Any format DVD VHS Blu-ray HD-DVD UMD Laserdisc Beta Film Reel Video CD Genre or Keyword Western > Traditional Western Western > Revisionist Western Western > Comedy Western Western > Cavalry Film War > War Drama Under $5 (12) Studio Name Includes: directed by Morton Da Costa featuring Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne, Fred Clark, Roger Smith New from $13.91 More Movies Like This \| Add to Wishlist Recommended Copy Used DVD, 2002 F Troop: Season 02 (1966) Walking Tall: The Final Chapter (1977) directed by Jack Starrett featuring Bo Svenson, Maggie Blye, Forrest Tucker, Lurene Tuttle, Morgan Woodward directed by Andrew V. McLaglen featuring John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett New from $9.97 The Pony Express (1953) directed by Jerry Hopper featuring Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, Jan Sterling, Forrest Tucker, Michael Moore See All from $13.51 New DVD, 2012 The Yearling (1946) directed by Clarence Brown featuring Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman, Jr., Chill Wills, Forrest Tucker, June Lockhart The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas (1957) directed by Val Guest featuring Forrest Tucker, Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, Richard Wattis, Robert Brown New Blu-Ray, 2019 Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) directed by Allan Dwan featuring John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Arthur Franz, Wally Cassell Never Say Goodbye (1946) directed by James Kern featuring Errol Flynn, Eleanor Parker, Lucile Watson, S.Z. Sakall, Forrest Tucker The Crawling Eye (1958) directed by Quentin Lawrence featuring Forrest Tucker, Laurence Payne, Janet Munro, Jennifer Jayne, Warren Mitchell Three Violent People (1957) directed by Rudolph Maté featuring Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, Gilbert Roland, Tom Tryon, Forrest Tucker The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) directed by William Friedkin featuring Jason Robards, Jr., Britt Ekland, Norman Wisdom, Forrest Tucker, Harry Andrews The Westerner (1940) directed by William Wyler featuring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport, Fred Stone, Forrest Tucker Fort Massacre (1958) directed by Joseph Newman featuring Joel McCrea, Forrest Tucker, Susan Cabot, John Russell, Anthony Caruso Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) directed by Roy Rowland featuring Ray Milland, Helena Carter, Hugh Marlowe, Forrest Tucker, Barton MacLane Used VHS, 1999 The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1977) directed by Bruce Bilson, Earl Bellamy, Elroy Schwartz, Jack Arnold, Oscar Rudolph featuring Bob Denver, Ivor Francis, Jeannine Riley, Lori Saunders, Forrest Tucker Dusty's Trail [TV Series] (1973) Rage at Dawn (1955) directed by Tim Whelan, Sr. featuring Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers, Edgar Buchanan Keeper of the Flame (1942) directed by George Cukor featuring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Whorf, Margaret Wycherly, Forrest Tucker Barquero (1970) directed by Gordon M. Douglas featuring Lee Van Cleef, Forrest Tucker, Warren Oates, Kerwin Mathews, Mariette Hartley Two Guys from Texas (1948) directed by David Butler featuring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Dorothy Malone, Penny Edwards, Forrest Tucker Hoodlum Empire (1952) directed by Joseph Kane featuring Brian Donlevy, Claire Trevor, Forrest Tucker, Vera Ralston, Luther Adler Used Blu-Ray, 2013 The Big Cat (1949) directed by Phil Karlson featuring Lon McCallister, Peggy Ann Garner, Preston S. Foster, Forrest Tucker Gunsmoke in Tucson (1958) directed by Thomas Carr featuring Mark Stevens, Forrest Tucker, Gale Robbins, John Ward, Kevin Hagen Browse related Genres & Actors Warren Oates Warren Mitchell Wally Cassell	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1022
__label__cc	0.713049	0.286951	Lectito December 14, 2015 Book Lists, For Readers, Literature / General Fiction Top Fiction Reads 2015 It’s been an incredible year for fiction. For every book I’ve read, I’ve added another five to my ‘to read’ pile and barely made a dent. Narrowing my favourites down to a list of just 10 was tricky. It’s worth noting that, since launching Lectito in June, I’ve made a particular effort seek out work by female authors, who are often under-represented in mainstream reviews. The list below features a small selection of those writers who blew my hair back. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Riverhead Books) Named by President Obama as his favourite book of 2015, Fates and Furies is a love story both intimate and epic. From the outset, Groff’s narrative sparks with theatrical flair: a tale of mythological proportions taken from the stars and strung together with dramatic irony, untimely deaths, family secrets, fatal misunderstandings—all the good stuff. It’s the story of a marriage: two bright young things drawn together, one an agent of Fate the other of Fury. Lotto is the shining hero—charismatic, if a little dim—and destined for greatness. Mathilde is the grit to his glitter, and their love is millennia of romantic myth distilled. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (Allen & Unwin) Ten young women wake from a drugged sleep to find themselves held captive on a disused sheep station in the middle of the outback. They have their heads shaved, and are forced to dress in coarse, old fashioned tunics and bonnets that blinker their vision. They spend their days building a road across the station beneath the sweltering mid-summer sun and sleep locked in the shearers’ quarters—cramped, filthy cubbies not fit for dogs. They are marched around the station in a pack, clipped together by leashes, and are kept in line by hired guards. The station is surrounded by a high electric fence that draws its power from a hidden source; escape is impossible. But when then lights go out in the main house and food supplies begin to dwindle, it becomes clear that the girls’ captors are also prisoners and, little by little, the balance of power begins to shift. The Natural Way of Things is brutal, violent, gothic. Wood’s prose is vivid, flecked with gore, and she draws on the sublime terror of the Australian outback to make her reader sweat and squirm as she pulls them into her increasingly primal, animal world to consider what happens when the roles of hunter and hunted are reversed. The Strays by Emily Bitto (Affirm Press) Set in 1930s Melbourne and inspired by the lives of the famous Angry Penguin artists who lived and worked at Heide under the patronage of John and Sunday Reed, The Strays is an imaginative reworking of that dark and ancient premise: et in arcadia ego. Eight-year-old Lily feels she’s stumbled into a fairytale when she befriends Eva, daughter of modernist painter and founder of the controversial Melbourne Modern Art Group, Ethan Trentham, and his wealthy, bohemian wife, Helena. On their rambling property artists drift like gods through the gardens and retreat to their studios to work for days—weeks—on end in fits of divine madness while Lily and the Trentham sisters run free in an endless game of make-believe. There are no rules. No bed times. No problem when Lily’s father is injured at work and she needs a place to stay while her mother nurses him. But as the girls grow into adolescence the cloistered, adult world they inhabit comes more sharply into focus and the fairytale Lily so eagerly clings to reveals itself as little more than an illusion. My Real Children by Jo Walton (Tor) Patricia is, according to her medical chart, ‘very confused’. A long-sufferer of dementia, she’s passing her final days in a nursing home. But it isn’t only memory loss that has her muddled. The nursing home appears to morph around her. One day there’s an elevator, the next there’s not. Sometimes the toilet is to the right of her room, other times it’s on the left. And in her moments of clarity she remembers living two very different lives. In 1948, two years out of Oxford and working as an English teacher at a remote boarding school in Cornwall, Patricia receives a phone call from her fiance, Mark. He hasn’t got the marks he needed to continue on to postgraduate studies and pursue an academic career as he had hoped. Instead, he’s been forced to accept a low-paying teaching position and if Patricia still wants to marry him, it’s now or never. In one life, Pat says ‘never’. In another, Tricia says ‘now’. It’s a choice that will change not only the course of Patricia’s life and the lives of those she draws close to, but a decision that sets in motion a butterfly effect that changes everything from the legalisation of gay marriage to who kills JFK and which superpower wins the space race. My Real Children is a heartbreaking story of parallel lives that asks that most overwhelming of questions: ‘What if…?’ The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks (Hachette Australia) Even if you’re not religious, you’re likely familiar with the story of King David, the shepherd boy with a talent for music who slayed a giant, gathered an army and became King of Israel. Everyone knows David the myth, but little is known of David the man. Geraldine Brooks’ The Secret Chord takes readers back three thousand years to ask: who was David? Narrated by the prophet Natan (who is himself and intriguing character), The Secret Chord is the story of a man as told by his most trusted advisor and dearest friend. Natan draws from his experiences with David but also seeks other lost voices to enrich his tale, namely those of the women in David’s life. In having Natan seek out these untold stories, Brooks gifts their tellers complex lives that extend beyond the roles of ‘mother’, ‘wife’, ‘sister’ and ‘daughter’. The Seed Collectors by Scarlett Thomas (Canongate) The Gardener family tree is full of twisted branches and hidden hollows. Back in the late 1980s, Briar Rose, Grace and Plum Gardener went searching for a fabled orchid of incredible power and were never seen again. Now Great Aunt Oleander is dead and Fleur, Clem, Charlie and Bryony have each inherited a seed pod believed to be from the same orchid their mothers went looking for years before. If the Gardeners can figure out how to use them, the seedpods will give them the fulfillment happiness the so desperately seek—but at a terrible price. The Seed Collectors is a brilliant, mind-expanding novel of botany, desire and forbidden fruit. Gold Fame Citrus by Clare Vaye Watkins Wind and drought have made a wasteland of the American south-west. The Amargosa, an uncharted dune sea, moves glacier-like across the landscape, the rocks at its base crushing towns, filling canyons and levelling mountains. The West has reverted to the wild place it was before people came seeking gold, fame, citrus. Most people have been evacuated to the northern and eastern states, but a scattered few—the Mojavs—remain. Drifters. Dreamers. Criminals without a clean ID to secure their passage across the border. Lost souls who feel the tug of the Amargosa’s sublime energy. Luz and Ray are among the hold outs, an ex-model and a soldier gone AWOL living on ration cola and $200 cans of blueberries in a starlet’s mansion. They keep their desires small until towheaded baby Ig toddles into their life and with pleading eyes demands: ‘More, more, more … Mama, I’ve got so much want in me.’ Like the pioneers before them—the prospectors, runaways, Hollywood hopefuls, immigrants, criminals and con artists, the unlikely family leave burned out LA and venture into the sunbaked heart of the wild, wild west, risking death in search of a better life. Gold Fame Citrus is a sweeping, sublime story of faith, fortune and divine madness that ventures deep into the Gothic underbelly of the American Dream. The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna The Eye of the Sheep is the story of Jimmy Flick, a young boy with special needs growing up in a family on the verge of falling apart in Melbourne’s outer suburbs. His dad works at the nearby refinery scraping rust from the pipes and drinking himself to violence on Friday nights, while his mother suffers severe asthma, her airways clogged with dust. Jimmy’s only friend is his elder brother, Robby, but Robby is growing up fast and soon there isn’t room for him and his dad under the same roof. The world has always seemed strange to Jimmy, full of situations just beyond his grasp, but when the flame at the end of the refinery pipe in the empty field behind the Flicks’ house at Nineteen Emu gutters, even the routines and domestic machinery he relies on begin breaking down, one by one. Winner of the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award, The Eye of the Sheep is a story of broken systems: rusty pipes, clogged airways, failed communications, relationships turned rotten and government departments under strain. Obsessed with instruction manuals, Jimmy is certain he can put all the pieces back together if only he can figure out the connections between them. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Alfred A. Knopf) The night the world ends, Arthur Leander suffers a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. A paramedic-in-training rushes up from the audience to perform CPR while Kirsten, a child actor playing a ghostly apparition of young Cordelia, watches from behind a pillar. Within a month, everyone else present at the Elgin Theatre will be dead. Twenty years earlier, Leander’s first wife, Miranda, sits up late after a dinner party coming to terms with the end of her marriage and working on Doctor Eleven, a series of graphic novels about a physicist living on a damaged space station that once resembled a scaled down Earth. Twenty years later, Kirsten flees from a cult town into the forest with the Travelling Symphony—a knife at her belt and two tattered Doctor Eleven comics in her backpack—to begin the long journey to the rumoured Museum of Civilisation. A finalist for the both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Station Eleven is a story of unspeakable devastation, resilience and hope. The First Bad Man by Miranda July Cheryl Glickman is a woman in crisis and a long sufferer of globus hystericus—a hard lump in the throat thought to be psychosomatic. Approaching middle age and living alone, Cheryl is the longest standing employee of Open Palm, a company that teaches women’s self-defense. At the owners’ request she now works from home, her managerial style deemed ‘more effective from a distance’. However, Cheryl’s retreat from the world is largely self-imposed and through a carefully devised system, she efficiently minimises her presence in her own life. And then along comes Clee. Sloppy, sexy and self-assured, she is the rambunctious daughter of Cheryl’s employers and is everything Cheryl is not. When she finds herself in need of a place to crash, her parents send her Cheryl’s way. Contrary to what its title suggests, The First Bad Man is a story about women—how we connect and communicate with each other and the wider world and how we negotiate our roles as mothers, lovers, friends and adversaries. Read my full review for Lip Magazine. What have been your favourite reads of 2015 and why? Based on this list, can you suggest any other books should I add to my TBR pile? Posted in Book Lists, For Readers, Literature / General Fiction and tagged best books 2015, best female authors, book reviews, books, fiction, literary reviews, literature, reading. Bookmark the permalink. Some Novel Suggestions from Down Under & Across the Pond & Over the Border \| Seycovers on December 14, 2015 at 4:58 am […] https://lectito.me/2015/12/14/top-fiction-reads-2015/ […] Erica on December 14, 2015 at 5:45 am I find this post really usefull, it helps me made a round up on my next TBR list and make it more realistic and more tailored on my tastes. I am happy to say that I started considering book that I had undeestimated , like Fates and Furies. Thanks Lectito ! Lectito on December 14, 2015 at 5:49 am Thanks Erica! Hope you enjoy a few of these!! Ruth on December 14, 2015 at 5:56 am The Other Side of the World, definitely. I’ve heard excellent things about The Other Side of the World. And it’s set in Perth!! napoleonsplit on December 14, 2015 at 5:59 am Starting a 50 book challenge and will definitely put these on the list! Thank you! Ooh, have fun! What else is on your list, so far? napoleonsplit on December 14, 2015 at 5:44 pm I just finished Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie (phenomenal), and “my queue” is on my blog: napoleonsplit.wordpress.com. I’d love for you to check it out! Lectito on December 15, 2015 at 12:14 am You’ve got some great titles on your list. Code Name Verity is one of my fave YA titles. I also love the idea of leaving little notes for readers in library books. If you like Agatha Christie, have you tried any Patricia Highsmith? She’s my favourite crime/suspense author. She writes from the criminal’s point of view, rather than the detective’s. Ha! Just got Code Name Verity today 🙂 Cannot wait to start, two other friends have recommended it as well. Will definitely check out (literally) Patricia Highsmith, thanks for the recommendation and follow! laura on December 14, 2015 at 9:46 am We have so many favourite reads in common I’m going to read everything else on your list! It’s so great to find someone with shared taste. I just finished the natural order of things and I am in mourning… I miss it and the beautify writing! Eye of the sheep, station eleven also faves. Thankyou 😊 I’ve just had a bit of a sticky beak at a few of your reviews, too. I love the idea behind your blog. Are you planning to do the 52 reads challenge again in 2016? laura on December 14, 2015 at 10:20 am Probably! I have just fallen in love with reading again so why not? I may add something different to it as well… A couple of ideas in the pipeline! Excellent! Look forward to seeing what you come up with! ajoobacats on January 5, 2016 at 8:37 am Added many of these to my to be read pile. You have inspired my reading choices. Resh Susan @ The Book Satchel on January 15, 2016 at 5:23 am Hey. Found you here too. Great blog. And great post. Unfortunately many of the books you have mentioned ae still on my TBR. Leave a Reply to Lectito Cancel reply Review: Clancy of the Undertow by Christopher Currie	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1023
__label__cc	0.630236	0.369764	2016 travel diary 4: National Folk Museum, Kim Soonam’s shaman portraits and the journey to Chungnam by Philip Gowman posted 16 May 2016 19 Aug 2020 updated 19 Aug 2020 in Arts \| Religion and philosophy \| Tourism. 6 minute read Jongno, Seoul, Monday 16 May 2016, 9am A visit to the National Folk Museum The good thing about having a local companion sense-check your travel plans is that they can point out weaknesses that only a local is likely to know about. So when Chris saw that I was planning a day trip from Seoul to the Baekje capitals in Chungcheongnam-do on a Monday she was able to make two suggestions: Some of the attractions of the ancient Baekje sites are in museums, and most museums Korea are closed on a Monday. The main museum that does stay open on a Monday is in Seoul: the National Folk Museum in the Gyeongbokgung palace area, and that museum fortuitously has a couple of exhibits related to Baekje. We should therefore visit the Folk Museum first, before heading down to Baekje. If we weren’t going to be able to get to Chungnam until early afternoon, why not stay in the area overnight, and have the opportunity to see a few things that we wouldn’t have been able to pack in to a single day? Both excellent suggestions, further improved by an offer to drive me from Chungnam to Sancheong on the Tuesday morning so that I could resume my itinerary in the South as planned. In the grounds of the National Folk Museum At 9am she arrives at my hotel and we drive to the National Folk Museum. It is a museum that I have always known about, but never visited. There have always been other priorities. And to be honest the five-storey pagoda that dominates the site looks as if it has landed from another planet, or at least another country. It is in fact based on the five-storey pagoda at Beopjusa in Chungcheongbuk-do: the Palsangjeon (National Treasure #55), which was built in 553 CE; and the platform on which it has been constructed is based on the stairways at the entrance to Bulguksa near Gyeongju (dating from two hundred years later). Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of styles and lack of context that has put me off. The kimchi-making display in the National Folk Museum But the museum is an interesting way to spend an hour, exhibiting as it does displays relating to many different traditional customs: marriage, death, kimchi-making, soju-making and more. Mat-weaving exhibit in the National Folk Museum Seung-taek Lee: Godret Stone (1958). 51 x 144 cm, small stones, cords, wood Seeing the exhibit relating to mat-weaving, some of the works of artist Lee Seung-taek immediately made sense. Straw shoe making tools at the National Folk Museum Yun Du-seo: Another exhibit to catch my attention was a display case showing how straw sandals were made: a wooden frame with pegs is used to wrap the straw around. Beside the wooden frame was a picture of an old man making sandals who could not afford a wooden frame. Instead, he was using his big toes to wrap the straw around. It was an entertaining little picture, full of character and affection. And then I saw the name of the artist: it was another of Yun Du-seo’s works, and I would see the original down in Haenam County later in my trip. Replica of the Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje And we achieved our main objective of the visit: the full-size replica of the famous Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje (National Treasure #287) – just in case we didn’t get to see the real thing on our travels. Kim Soo-nam’s shaman portraits Often some of the most memorable moments in a journey are those that are completely unplanned: sometimes you are simply meant to deviate from your intentions: an unseen hand seems to be guiding you to something unexpected, fascinating or beautiful – or all three. Later in my trip, a couple of missed turnings on the road or misreadings of the map generated a detour or a viewpoint which was much better than the schedule originally planned, and that was the case this morning too. A special exhibition at the Folk Museum focused on the photographic work of Kim Soo-nam (金秀男, 1949-2006), whose family donated his collection of 170,000 photographs to the museum in 2015 – a generous gesture and also a very prudent step in passing the responsibility for conservation of this important body of work to a national institution. This was the first time that the museum had shown extracts from the collection, and the captions attached to the photographs were precise and detailed. Image credit www.kimsoonam.com As the exhibition description states: From 1970s to 2006 over a period of 30 years, Kim Soo Nam took a series of pictures of gutpan (scenes of Korean shamanic rituals) across the country and in many other Asian countries. He not only captured those exciting and precious moments during the ritual, but laughed and cried with the people he photographed. Sometimes Kim, putting down his camera for a moment, tried to understand feelings and thoughts of both people who invited shamans and shamanic practitioners; to know reasons people ask shamans to perform gut (Korean shamanic rituals) and roles the rituals played in people’s lives. This exhibit presents themes relating to life and death that Kim wanted to convey through his images. The photographs that particularly gripped me were those which documented guts conducted by Kim Geum-hwa (the central character documented in Park Chan-kyong’s mesmerising film Manshin) and by her spirit daughter Choi Hee-ah. Those which had an unsettlingly strong effect on me were the photographs taken at the time of Choi’s naerim gut in 1981, at Kim Geum-hwa officiated. Somehow the still, black and white images of Choi’s preparations and performance seemed to be reaching out to me with a mysterious power, and I am now on a mission to witness in person any gut conducted by her. Speaking to a photographer a few days later, she too said she had experienced a strange sensation on seeing one of Kim Soo-nam’s shaman portraits: in her case, she felt that she saw the photographer himself look back at her through the eyes of the shaman. I can’t ever recall having such a strong sensation on seeing a photograph – a tribute to the art of the photographer and the mysterious power wielded by his subject. Inside the Kim Soonam’s exhibition at the National Folk Museum I eventually dragged myself away from the exhibition, and forked out 50,000 Won on a collection of Kim’s shaman photographs, published in 2005. Visitors to Park Chan-kyong’s exhibition at Iniva in early 2015 will have seen it in Park’s thoughtful collection of bonus materials that he left on the table for people to browse. Sadly, the captions in the book were far less precise than those in the exhibition itself: the images of the 1981 naerim gut were all there, but neither the name of the initiate or her spirit mother were recorded. Similarly, in the smaller format necessary for fitting into the book, and with the image often spread across two pages with the middle portion lost in the fold of the pages, the images lost some of their power. Nevertheless, a fine memento of a very special exhibition. Journey to Gongju Some young visitors to the National Folk Museum We emerged, slightly disoriented after the emotionally draining exhibition, into the brilliant sunlight outside the museum. With a heavy book under my arm I requested a quick detour back to the hotel to deposit it with my large suitcase to await my return to Seoul: I didn’t want to be carrying surplus weight on my journey down south because I knew I’d be collecting additional bulk (brochures, books, and more) on my travels. On the way, we stopped the car on the Insadong crossroads and bought some sticky mugwort ricecakes as breakfast substitute to see us through until lunchtime. Getting out of Seoul was really rather slow for a Monday mid-morning: traffic was surprisingly heavy on the expressway until we got past the satellite town of Seongnam. We stopped at the Anseong rest area for lunch: Chris knew that it was a dependable source of tasty nutrition, and as we were on a tight schedule it seemed far preferable to have something quick on the road rather than dither at our destination wondering where to eat. Anseong Gukbap at Anseong rest stop Anseong rest area, on the oldest expressway – the GyeongBu – has become known for some of its dishes, among which is the Anseong Gugbak (can you imagine a British motorway service station becoming similarly renowned – except maybe Gloucester Services on the M5)? We top up with spicy hot food, and then I browse the ppongtchak stall for CDs to keep me entertained in the car. I buy a double album of Namdo Minyo – folk songs from South Jeolla, as that’s where ultimately I’m headed. We also buy a small bag of hodugwaja (profiterole-like pastry stuffed with walnut paste, served hot, straight from the cooker) and a couple of coffees to accompany us on the road as we head off down the expressway into Chungcheongnam-do, listening to some han-drenched southern laments. Filed in: Exhibition reviews and comment \| Photography \| Shamanism \| Travel diaries Artists: Kim Soo-nam \| Lee Seung-taek (이승택) Heritage Categories: National Treasure Places: Anseong-si \| Gyeonggi-do \| Jongno-gu \| Seoul 2016 travel diary 5: An introduction to the Baekje Historic Areas Event news: Jang Jae-hyun's The Priests screens at Picturehouse Central	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1027
__label__cc	0.621257	0.378743	Get To Know José Rodríguez Home/Food & Drink/Get To Know José Rodríguez Meet José Rodríguez, our General Manager at Nobu Los Cabos Restaurant. Born and raised in Mexico City, his vast experience in the food and beverage sector can be traced back to his earliest studies of the Hospitality industry in Switzerland. José was excited when he found out that he would be a father for the first time. Together with his wife, they decided to return to Mexico, because one of their main reasons would be the closeness with the family, a very important trait in our core values at Nobu Hospitality. Before being the General Manager of Nobu Los Cabos restaurant, his expertise developed worldwide in restaurants and hotel restaurants in countries such as Spain, China, and the Arab Emirates. It was this worldwide experience plus working with renowned chefs like Jean-Georges that allowed him to become a member of the Nobu Los Cabos family. And, as expected he celebrated with the family: “In fact, I have one of my favorite whiskeys, which I usually open on special occasions, for example when I found out that my wife was pregnant, and I opened another bottle when I knew I was going to be Nobu Los Cabos Restaurant General Manager.” “To welcome every guest because the experience we give is truly unique,” is the most exciting part, says Jose Rodriguez, “the guests are delighted with the style and the food.” Which brings us to the obvious question, what is the favorite dish of our General Manager at Nobu Los Cabos Restaurant? “Tiradito has been one of my favorite dishes,” says Jose Rodriquez. He loves the combination of the acidity and spices that compliment the fish texture. Dining at Nobu Restaurant Los Cabos is a private experience with an ocean view and spectacular sunsets. José and his team make sure that each guest feels welcome and will be happy to guide you through our Nobu Experience. By Omar Aguilar\|2020-05-14T23:13:51+00:00May 14th, 2020\|Food & Drink\|Comments Off on Get To Know José Rodríguez About the Author: Omar Aguilar Get To Know Chef Manuel Wine Week Recap Wine Week Purifying plants for home Sowing Your Tomato Seeds	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1028
__label__wiki	0.742517	0.742517	Checkpoint reports Military court reports Pictures taken during our shifts Locations of our shifts Checkpoints and Barriers Civilians under military law Bureaucratic Maze Black listed" prohibitions" Control Areas Oslo and Area C Northern Checkpoints Central West Bank Recording of former meetings English tours to The WB Tours or workshops for groups: young, students Virtual tour to the West Bank About the tours Published by Machsomwatch Back to reports search page 'Anabta, 'Azzun, Ar-Ras, Deir Sharaf, Jit, Jubara (Kafriat), Thu 19.3.09, Afternoon Jit Junction 'Anabta Jubara (Kafriat) Ar-Ras 'Azzun Deir Sharaf Passage Restrictions Observers: Michal Sh., Hagar L. (reporting) Latest Reports Burin - land confiscation Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla, Huwwara, Jit Junction 'Azzun, Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla Checkpoint (1393), Huwwara, Jit Junction, Madama Habla - the checkpoint was closed early. People who came on time were not let through Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla Checkpoint (1393), Huwwara, Jit Junction, Za'tara (Tapuah) 'Azzun, Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla, Huwwara, Jit Junction, Madama, Za'tara (Tapuah) Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla Checkpoint (1393), Huwwara, Jit Junction, Madama 'Azzun, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla, Jit Junction, Madama 'Azzun, Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Huwwara, Jit Junction, Madama, Za'tara (Tapuah) 'Azzun, Beit Furik, Habla Checkpoint (1393), Huwwara, Jit Junction, Kifl Harith, Za'tara (Tapuah) Translation: Galia S. This shift has been dedicated to touring and getting to know the new checkpoints and the way the passage is handled there. 12:30 – the main entrance to Azzun has been blocked during the night, as have two additional exits: Khirbet Asala and Izbat Tabib. The exit northward (Tulkarm) and the exit southward (Biddya and further) are the only ones that have remained open. The residents we meet say there was no stone throwing prior to the blockade. The residents themselves opened the road to Khirbet Asala and now all the traffic moves through the narrow lanes of Khirbet Asala to Izbat Tabib and from there to road 55. Unlike the last time the exit from Azzun was blocked and we saw how the Palestinian security forces intervened and detained people suspected of throwing stones, this time we hear of no such action. 12:45 – A "rolling" [unannounced mobile] roadblock is being set up at Jit junction. We don't stop because we rush to Anabta aiming to meet there a checkpoint tour of people from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but when we arrive they have already left. Anabta 13:00 – In both directions the traffic flows almost without interruption. We meet an officer, an engineer working for the army, from who we learn that a checkpoint for vehicles with 5 lanes is going to be built here, which will continue with the same work pattern and won't turn into a checkpoint for pedestrians. We return and go up toward Beit-Lid and from there to Jubara. The junction of road 574 and the entrance to the village of Far'un (near the garbage site) There is no checkpoint between Ar-Ras and the entrance to Tulkarm. Schoolchildren's Gate (753) at the fence and the entrance to Jubara 13:50 – Two elderly sisters, residents of Tulkarm, are detained because they wish to enter Jubara and from there go to Tulkarm without a permit to stay in Jubara. We recognize them seeing them similarly detained two weeks ago. We want to help them pass and go back home, but the soldiers (religious soldiers of the "Nahal") release them right away [The Nahal is the force of Pioneering Combatant Youth that combine military service and agricultural work in settlements (Kibbutzim) close to the border]. 14:00 – Down at gate 407 the soldiers refuse to let us pass saying they have "new orders". Phone calls to the head of the Tulkarm DCO [District Coordination Office of the IDF Civil Administration that handles passage permits] are of no avail and we turn back. Up at gate 753 the commander wants to help us and calls gate 407 only to hear that there are new orders. "I haven't been told", is his answer to us. We thank them and go back to road 57 via Beit Lid. The Barrels checkpoint (Deir Sharaf) that has opened this week. 15:00 – The checkpoint closes every midnight and is supposed to open the following day at 05:00. A staff sergeant who seems to be the commander explains that since the checkpoint is manned 24 hours a day, the soldiers will let the workers pass in the morning at any time they arrive. The following Sunday we realize that this is not what really happens. We hear that the soldiers opened the checkpoint only at 05:10. When they opened it, the hundreds of people that had been waiting there since 04:00 passed all together without checks. We also hear that Israeli Arabs can pass and enter Nablus at Saturdays. According to what we hear, checks are supposed to be carried out every other five minutes. This checkpoint, located right by the junction, where the road goes up to Shavei Shomron, the confiscation of lands that belong to Deir Sharaf residents, and the plan to build an upper road between Shavei Shomron and Qdumim and thereby create separated levels, are even more depressing than the old Beit Iba checkpoint. They leave no hope and mark the "solution" in the area. At this time of the day (15:00) there are no checks and in both directions the traffic flows. We leave a few minutes later after a policeman who comes out of a police car that stands there threatens us with arrest if we don't go away. We decide that next time we will park near the building-blocks factory. 15:15 – The rolling roadblock has been removed. The entrance to the village of Sarra which is close to the junction is still blocked. The only Palestinian car that passes on this road has probably come from Qusin. The roadblock at the exit from Sarra and the one near Juneid are supposed to be removed in the following days. When these two roadblocks are removed, the army will block the exit to Jit junction and the traffic from Sarra as well as the villages Juneid, Beit Wazzan and the nearby neighborhoods in Nablus (Rafidiya) will go our only through the new checkpoint at the exit from Deir Sharaf. Ras at Tira in the Alfei Menashe enclave 16:15 – We decide to go up to the village and see with our own eyes the lands stealing that takes place with the permission of the High Court of Justice (that has left the decision concerning the designed route of the new fence, the one that is said to diminish the area of Alfei Menashe, to the army). The fact is that the designed route passes at a distance of 50 meters from the houses of the Ras at Tira residents, inside the greenhouse of one of them (who succeeded in stopping the works getting an interim order) and through the water infrastructure of the village. Most of the village lands are left outside the fence, which prevents immediate access. On the other hand our estimated distance between the designed route of the fence and the houses of Alfei Menashe is close to 1 kilometer. We hear from the residents that the attorney Michael Sefarad has looked into the matter and said there is nothing they can do. To make the picture of the stealing complete, we learn that like in other villages along the fence, in Ras at Tira, too, they are going to locate the two gates in the fence at the farthest place from the village and the lands, ensuring in this way a gradual drying out at the lands. The way we feel is hard to describe, knowing that we are part of the same state that carries out such stealing in the name of security, but that, in fact has nothing to do with security. Conclusion: Somehow, despite the easements for traffic, we leave feeling that the situation is getting worse and worse and permanent "solutions" are more and more to be found in the area itself. A very depressing tour. Azoun (updated February 2019) A Palestinian town situated in Area B (under civil Palestinian control and Israeli security control), on road 5 between Nablus and Qalqiliya, east of Nabi Elias village. The inhabitants are allowed to construct and improve infrastructures. The Separation Fence has confiscated lands belonging to the town's people. In 2018 olive tree groves owned by one of its inhabitants were confiscated for the sake of paving a road to bypass Nabi Elias. Azoun population numbers 13,000, its economic state dire. Its infrastructures are poor, neglect and poverty rampant. In the meantime, the town council has completed paving an internal road for the inhabitants' welfare. Because of its proximity to the Jewish settler-colony of Karnei Shomron and its outposts, the town suffers the intense presence of the Israeli army, especially at nighttime: soldiers enter homes, arrest suspects, trash the house and sometimes ruin it, as they do in numerous places in the West Bank. At times a checkpoint closes the entrance to the town, so no one can come in or get out. South of Anabta village, before junction with 557 (close to Einav settlement). Deir Sharaf checkpoint is located west of Nablus and south of the settlement of Shavei Shomron, at the entrance to the village of Deir Sharaf on the road leading to Nablus. The checkpoint was activated in early March 2009 after the Beit Iba checkpoint was closed. Passing through the checkpoint is allowed for Palestinians, but not for Israelis. Unlike the checkpoints leading to Qalqilya and Tulkarm, crossing into Israeli Palestinians is only allowed on Saturdays. May-10-2011 Deir Sharaf checkpoint 27.04.11 Deir Sharaf/Haviot checkpoint 15.06.10 Feb-4-2010 View the full album on Tulkarm-Qalqiliya road (574), east of Hirbet Jubara. Intended for residents travelling to and from Tulkarm, so they should not cross apartheid road 557 (only permissible for settlers). The Jabra checkpoint was on Road 557, south of Tulkarm, on the side of the Figs Pass, which is located within the Palestinian Authority (a few kilometers east of the Green Line), and serves as an entry barrier from the territories to Israel. The checkpoint to the village of Jubara, which until 2013 was in the seam area , blocked and surrounded by a fence, was intended for the passage of the family members of the house next to the checkpoint, and also for the MachsomWatch volunteers (with special permission only), on their way to checkpoint 753. on the other side of the village. The soldiers supervising the "fig crossing" also supervised the crossing at this checkpoint, in our shifts we often waited a long time until the key was found and the gate opened. The checkpoint was abolished and became part of the separation fence that was moved west following the High Court. A road block on Route 60 which has become a permanent checkpoint. MachsomWatch MW in the news MW Pictures MW Reporting Military Court Published by MW Email . machsomwatch@gmail.com	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1035
__label__cc	0.741745	0.258255	prAna Tanner LS Shirt for men Images courtesy of prAna. The perfectly unlikely night-and-day all-weather base layer. It came in a white UPS envelope made in part from recycled plastic. Not a moment too soon. It was rolled and bundled with a short length of twine. There was no packaging, per se. Just a tag with a note on aspirations and a simple warranty spelled out in soy ink on 100% post-consumer waste, safety-pinned to the cloth. The gist: if you don’t love it, send it back. Something about it evoked for me an old coveted pajama top. Perhaps it was the softness of the cotton—two layers of it, woven in India. Or perhaps it was the boldness of the plaid. And why not? I’m more likely to sleep in a good button-down than I am to dress it up with a cravat and take it out to a formal dinner. It fit like it seemed it should, even over a T-shirt. The tails fell well below my belt, front and back. The sleeves came all the way to the base of my palms, even with my arms outstretched. I threw over it a down jacket and a shell, heaved on my pack, and headed out for a long weekend in what’s left of the wide-open west. A week later, I’m still in the same shirt. I’m in the trailer down in the Owens Valley, propped up on a pile of pillows and scribbling in my notebook. The boys are out running and playing on the dormant grass, in the half sun. I can hear the wind rattling in the bony winter cottonwoods. Out the window, I can see across a vast sagebrush moraine to the west flank of the Inyos salted with snow. The author captured in a rare moment of respite. Shirt by prAna. Over seven days, I’ve put this thing through rigorous and extensive testing. I’ve worn it to the grocery store. I’ve worn it in the backcountry. I’ve worn it against my skin, in the sunshine and the wind and under Orion at the frosty edge of midnight. I’ve worn it at 11,000 feet and at 4,000. I’ve slept in it. I’ve had the day’s first cup of coffee in it. And the second and third. I’ve had expensive cocktails in it. And I’ve worn it beneath three layers on the way to the outhouse at dawn. I’ve used it to clean my sunglasses, to wipe my brow, to dry my feet, and to lift a pot of bubbling stew from a wood stove. I’ve washed it in warm water and hung it up to dry. (If it gets into the drier I fear it’ll no longer fit so well.) I’ve worn it with a swimsuit and sandals to and from the hot springs. I’ve hiked in it and skied in it and even handed my expired driver’s license to a somewhat skeptical salesman and test-driven new cars in it. And there I was just this morning, pedaling down an empty road in it, not far behind my older son. There was a certain ferocity to his efforts. But there was also ease. There was power and control. I could see that for the first time in his almost six years, he not only felt and appreciated the sheer pleasure of cruising on a bicycle—the simple freedom of it—but that he’d also begun to glimpse the range of possibilities to come. And then he took a surprise short cut across the grass, leapt over a bridge, and beat me back to camp. So far so good, I think. I won’t be sending this one back. More prAna Gear Reviews Check out BETA Editor-in-chief David Page field-testing various gear including prAna. Read Associate Editor Michelle Schusterman’s prAna Monarch Convertible Pants for Women review. MatadorTV’s Joshywashington goes horseback riding and more in prAna Stretch Zion Pants for Men in Argentina. Want to win some prAna pants? How about $500 worth of prAna gear? Check out the prAna and BETA “Get Some” Sweepstakes for your chance to win! prAna (which is an ancient Sanskrit word for breath, life and vitality of the spirit) started 17 years ago making clothing for climbing, yoga, and other passions. From award-winning Matador Network, BETA Magazine is the essential new print magazine for the modern world-savvy explorer Both companies are inspired by athletes like climber Chris Sharma. Prize Eligibility – Only persons who are at least 18 years of age can enter. Sweepstakes Starts – January 21, 2011 @ 12:00 am (PST) Sweepstakes Ends – February 21, 2011 @ 06:00 pm (PST) The truth about artificial vanilla extract (and why you should always splurge for pure) The best countries in the world to live as an introvert In the Shadows of Lions Rainforest Guardians: Spirit Bears and the Gitga'at Nation Beyond Perceptions: A Jordan Journey Jet Boating in Niagara, Canada The Cook & The Chef: The Story of Ana Roš	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1039
__label__cc	0.671316	0.328684	OF FAITH AND FABLES By Bob Haynes The Connection Between God And Dog In a column written months ago, I spoke about a beautiful song written by Wendy Francisco called GoD and DoG. Not only did I fall in love with that song; I also became an instant fan. Wendy now has a book version of the beautiful sentiments she transmitted in her song. I quickly ordered it and it came today in the mail…. The book is “a very moving reminder that the unwavering devotion dogs have for their owners is a reflection of God’s essence.” While looking for the book GoD and Dog, I ran across another book, by another new writer, Marti Healy. The book’s title is “The God-Dog Connection.” The author says the book contains; “Things about God and Faith I’ve learned from the dogs and cats in my life.” This book also came in the mail and I immediately opened it and read it cover to cover. I am still savoring the message of the connection between God and Dog that we all somehow know but fail to conceptualize sometimes. I believe both these books would make great Christmas presents for children and grandchildren and perhaps also for old codgers like me. One of the chapters in Marti’s book that reached out to me in a special way was the chapter entitled “Be a Teacher.” In that chapter the author speaks of her dog Pookey and how she took over the training of a young puppy named Hollywood who visited them while his parents were on a trip. Listen to these marvelous words: “In one long weekend, she (Pookey) housebroke him (Hollywood), taught him how to drink water out of a hose, how to build a fort out of the woodpile, how to chase butterflies and eat bugs, how to dig a hole and bury a bone. She also instructed him about coming when you’re called, respecting cats and defending civilization as we know it against UPS trucks. When Hollywood’s mom and dad came to pick him up, they were amazed at this new-found maturity.” Marti continued by taking that example and turning it into a discussion of our relationship with God. Like Pookey, she said… she believes that God wants us to “witness” or minister about our faith to others…especially to our own children. She said, “I think we need to be living examples to them – give them positive, faith-based, moral, role models to imitate.” Why, did she make that statement? Here’s what she said next and it is now etched in my brain: “Christianity…religion…faith…these are always just one generation away from being lost forever. Our next generation needs us – no less than Hollywood needed Pookey – for gaining life skills and spiritual lessons, for learning about God and love and being the very best human beings we can be.” (Bug eating, of course, is optional.) I was surprised by my wife Marci when she returned from a day trip to visit her daughter and grandchildren. As she opened the door she sang out “Happy Anniversary to you!” even though it wasn’t our anniversary – yet. It was then that I saw what she had brought home with her… a very familiar dog, “Angel” who lived with her daughter. Because “Angel” was alone all day while the kids were in school and her daughter and husband worked, they decided to give her to us and when we were out of town, Angel could then return home to her other loving family. I do believe there is a connection between God and the animals that become ‘family’ for us. Shalom! Anyone Can Train Their Dog Anyone Can Train Their Dog By Art Hess July 2017 Considering Another Dog? May 2017 Little Things Means a Lot March 2017 Vocal Anita’s Animals Anita's Animals By Jackie Kellum June 2017 Anita’s Animals April 2017 Anita’s Animals February 2017 Anita’s Animals December Anyone Train Dog - April 2011 Anyone Can Train Their Dog By Art Hess Obesity is the leading nutritional disease across America and affects far too many of our pets. If your Anita’s Animals - April 2011 Anita’s Animals By Jackie Kellum We all look forward to Spring, which technically started March 20th. But local cats and dogs pushed up that Anita’s Animals - February 2011 Anita’s Animals By Jackie Kellum With the start of this new year, Anita’s Animals is still taking care of late arrivals from the 2010 Best Mexico Movers Lake Chapala Moving Strom Moving MUSIC / THEATRE / EVENTS D.J. Howard Rainbow Notary & Nuptials	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1044
__label__cc	0.655222	0.344778	Manbir Online ~ for Health & Fitness for Health & Fitness Medical Tidbits Healthy Facts About Manbir Online Cure for HIV ! Posted on June 3, 2011 by Manbir & Gurpreet A very promising development in the research towards finding a cure for HIV Positive patients is outcome of a treatment procedure on a patient. Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure. Brown, who is known as the “Berlin Patient” received stem cells from a donor immune to HIV. About 1 percent of Caucasians are said to be immune to the virus. Timothy Ray Brown, 45, tested positive for HIV in 1995.He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brown lived in Berlin, Germany in 2007, and had HIV and Leukemia. Scientists gave him a bone marrow stem cell transplant. He is not taking HIV medication since that time. The Leukemia did come back about a year later, so he got a transplant from the same initial donor in February of 2008. Both HIV and Leukemia have not returned, he says. Dr. Jay Levy, an HIV researcher at the University of California, San Francisco said white cells were manipulated so they were no longer infectable by HIV and became the entire immune system. He called the result a “functional cure.” This development can have a far reaching ramification where the treatment for HIV positive patient is concerned. It would certainly give a boost towards research to develop Stem cell treatment for HIV positive patients. Who knows we may be heading towards a phase when we have a cure for HIV disease. HIV ~ Human Immunodeficiency Virus This entry was posted in Medical Tidbits and tagged Cure for HIV ! by Manbir & Gurpreet. Bookmark the permalink. About Manbir & Gurpreet Gurpreet Kaur’s journey in this world .... Gurpreet Kaur was a Musician. She was a singer and a composer of music. Her interest was composing and singing Gurbani Shabads in Indian Classical style. She sang Shabads in All the Raags mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. She also taught Gurmat Sangeet at Gurmat Gian Missionary College, Jawadi, Ludhiana. Elder child to Pushpinder Kaur and Dr. Brig. Harminder Singh, was born in Amritsar on 13th Jan 1962. She attended various convent schools as a child because her father would get frequent Army postings as a dental surgeon. She graduated with Music Honors from Govt. College for Women, Chandigarh. Music was her hobby and she composed and sang Raag based Gurbani Shabads. Doing Kirtan was part of growing up nurtured by her parents. She learned music from her father Dr. Brigadier Harminder Singh who was a dental surgeon in Indian Army and a very good singer himself. Gurpreet’s Bhua (father’s sister), Ajit Kaur retied as a Head of Department of Music from Govt. College for Women Ludhiana, and was a renounced Punjabi singer of her time. Gurpreet Kaur also learned nuances of Indian Classical Music from Pandita Sharma. She was a mother of three children, and a grandmother. Her daughter Keerat Kaur is a Computer Engineer. Her two sons Gurkeerat Singh and Jaskeerat Singh are doctors in USA. Her daughter Keerat Kaur too was part of her group ~ Gurmat Gian Group. Gurpreet Kaur left this world at the age of 54yrs on 12th Sept 2016 in Baltimore USA. She had recorded around 25 cds of Gurbani Keertan. 'Raag Ratan' Album (6 CDs) is a Compilation of Shabads in All the 31 Sudh Raags of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. 'Gauri Sagar' Album (3 CDs) is a Compilation of All forms of Raag Gauri in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. 'Nanak Ki Malhaar' ~ ((3 CDs) is an album of Raag Malhar Shabads in various forms of Malhar. 'Gur Parsaad Basant Bana' ~ (3 CDs) is an album of Shabads in Raag Basant sung in various forms of Raag Basant. Har Ki Vadeyai Sarni Aayea Sewa Priya Kee Preet Piyaree Mohan Ghar Aavho Karo Jodariya Mo Kao Taar Le Raama Taar Le Tere Kavan Kavan Gun Keh Keh Gawan Mera Baid Guru Govinda Saajanrraa Mera Saajanrraa View all posts by Manbir & Gurpreet →	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1046
__label__wiki	0.676638	0.676638	Monday briefing: Latest GM Covid data and primary school fiasco Labour calls for a nationwide lockdown as back-to-school day descends into chaos Good morning — 2021 is feeling remarkably like 2020. We’re at another one of those moments when Covid-19 cases are spiralling, massive rows are breaking out about what to do with schools, Labour is calling for a new national lockdown and the government is making noises about stricter measures without announcing them. In today’s briefing we have: The latest Greater Manchester data. An update on local primary schools. Our recommendations for the week. And our first-ever Mill letters page. One quick request: If you work in the NHS and you would like to help our reporting in the weeks ahead, please just hit reply to this newsletter. All information is treated in confidence. Schools chaos Primary schools were supposed to go back this morning, and many have. But some haven’t, and parents at others weren’t sure up until last night what was happening at their school. It’s a huge mess. We called around a handful of schools in Greater Manchester this morning to see what they are doing. A primary in Chadderton confirmed that they were only open to staff today. One in Hale said they were open as usual to all children. And then there are some in the middle. A school in Oldham is only open to vulnerable children and children of key workers. The headteacher wrote to parents yesterday to say: I now have to inform you that school will only be open for Key Worker children and Vulnerable children from Monday 4th January 2021. This is due to the majority of our teachers following their Union advice around returning to work under Section 44 of the Health and Safety Act. The Unions have advised members that it is not safe to return to work if a school is in a Tier 4 area. The confusion becomes about because: The government says schools are safe and children should go back. Teaching unions disagree, saying their members are being put at risk. Councils in Greater Manchester are mostly sitting on the fence, with Manchester City Council’s lead on education saying “we are not giving blanket advice to schools to remain closed currently…” His statement is below. Manchester City Council #StaySafe @ManCityCouncil Statement from Cllr Garry Bridges around schools reopening following Christmas Break. Read the statement in full: orlo.uk/vz5c9 January 3rd 2021 19 Retweets24 Likes Call out: If you would like to tell us about your experience with schools this week, please hit reply to this newsletter. Data-check: Covid-19 Top line: Nationally, the latest Covid data looks very worrying. There are more patients in hospital with the virus than the April peak, and the line showing national case rates is so steep it is practically vertical. “This is a national emergency,” Labour’s shadow health secretary tweeted last night, adding: “We need a national lockdown.” Here’s the graph everyone is looking at: Remember when you look at this chart: We weren’t doing mass testing in Spring, so you can’t compare this line to the first wave, only to the second wave. Locally, case rates are rising again. Greater Manchester is averaging about 280 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week, with rates highest in Bury, Trafford and Wigan. That’s a 65% increase over the past fortnight. Context: GM is still well below the England average of 510, and still far from the case rate of 550 we saw here in late October. The justification for putting us in Tier 4 was the fear of the new strain spreading here as it has in London, Andy Burnham told journalists last week. The number to watch: Critical care. The number of Covid-19 patients in critical beds in GM just before Christmas had come down to half the peak we saw in mid-November - as you can see below. That was a huge relief. Now it’s rising again, and this time it is rising from a much higher base because wards haven’t had time to empty out after the October/November spike in admissions. That’s a big concern. We will update this number every week, and the full hospital numbers are here. Our weekend read yesterday was about the Seven Sisters blocks in Rochdale. It uncovers their unusual history as a council estate built to attract professional people to the town and their deterioration in recent years as the blocks have emptied out. Read it here. Dave Quinn @davidquinn A fantastic piece all about Rochdale’s Seven Sisters flats by @joshi (and I’m not just saying that cos my mum and dad are in it) Towers on the hill: The dwindling life of Rochdale's 'Seven Sisters' by @ManchesterMill Towers on the hill: The dwindling life of Rochdale’s ‘Seven Sisters’How an eccentric experiment in social housing ran out of roadmanchestermill.co.uk 4 Retweets17 Likes Here’s a passage from the piece: "You get that angry with it," says Debbie, who says people have been ripping the copper boilers out. What was it like ten years ago? "Alright," says the woman who still lives in the block. "It weren't that bad." Tahrir points at the pedestrian area around us and up at the block. "All this place used to be busy man," he says, speaking passionately. "Every flat used to be out. Christmas trees from the bottom all the way to the top. Decorations, it used to be a beautiful time. Not anymore." Things to do this week Music \| HOME x Manchester Camerata presents Renew, a specially-filmed concert that is “designed to calm, centre, refresh and renew” — a perfect way to start 2021. This is running all week, with two concerts a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. What to expect: It will feature music by Philip Glass, Roxanna Panufnik and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Get a taste of what’s in store by listening to Roxanna Panufnik’s Modlitwa and book your tickets here. Discuss \| Manchester Art Gallery remains closed, but they have plenty of online sessions to help keep your mind sharp. This week you can look forward to “MAG Unlocked: Out of the crate” and the Philosophy Café, which asks “How much should the state intervene in our health?” Shop \| If you like books and you like rummaging, then we recommend you don’t miss out on Elizabeth Gaskell's House second-hand book sale, which takes place on 10 Jan. It’s been named as “Manchester’s best second-hand book sale” by visitors. If the idea of bagging a paperback for £1 sounds exciting, then make sure you pre-book your slot. Exhibitions \| Castlefield Gallery invited 15 artists from the North West to re-make an existing piece of their work with one condition: they had to accept a bespoke “obstruction” given to them by another artist in the exhibition. We liked Christopher Rainham’s “Near the Bare Poplar’s Tip (2020)”. Mayflies, by Andrew O’Hagan. A funny, poignant novel about a group of Scottish lads who descend on Manchester and vow “to go at life differently.” The Times describes it as “A joyful, warm and heart-filling tribute to the million-petalled flower of male friendship.” “The bus gets into Manchester just after two.” He spread a few beer mats on the table. It was like General Patton planning the advance of the Third Army through France. “We go to Piccadilly Records. We hit the town centre for a few beers. We get some grub on our way to the International Club and we go and see the Shop Assistants. I don’t know where we sleep.” It’s half-price here. The “cladding crisis” isn’t just about cladding. The block I own a flat in was inspected shortly after Grenfell and it was discovered that it did not comply with Building Regulations Section B (fire) in force at the time. The overall cost is likely to be in the region of £4million and the remediation runs into tens of thousands of pounds per flat. We have written to the CEO of the developer Bellway, but have not heard back. Neither has our MP. The building was signed off by Manchester City Council. There are so many leaseholders affected in similar ways to the ones in your article. I feel so sorry for young people who live in buildings with cladding or similar defects to ours and aren’t able to sell. Moira Sykes, Manchester I really enjoyed your piece on the Rochdale tower — it really showed what is happening to the broader landscape of social housing, while questioning the council’s decisions. I want to only point out that there was an uncontested claim about “Polish, Romanian and African refugees” and demographic change slowly destroying life in the towers. I felt this was slightly unfair, and could have been corrected after the quote, as Polish and Romanian people cannot be refugees in the UK, as they had the right to enter and work. And of course, if there were some people of African origin living in the towers, it would have been helpful to detail their narrative. Aditya Ramesh, University of Manchester. Flats in Rochdale’s Seven Sisters. Photo by Jack Brooks for The Mill. One element your excellent article about Lydia Becker didn’t cover was her being one of the first cohort of women elected to public office in England by all those who had the vote (women as well as men) following W E Forster’s Elementary Education Act of 1870. This allowed for the creation of School Boards, and Lydia was the first woman elected to the Manchester School Board. When laying the foundation stone for the Burgess Street Board School, Harpurhey, she criticised the Board’s policy on differential curriculum and famously said: “It was a great mistake to suppose that domestic duties were limited to girls and women …. every boy in Manchester should be taught to darn his own socks and cook his own chops.” Steve Roman, Manchester Write in by replying to any newsletter with your thoughts, name and where you live. 36 readers have joined our community as Mill members just in the past week. They fund all of our journalism and get our stories five days a week. We hope you will consider joining by clicking the button below. You can cancel with two clicks at any time. This week, our members-only reporting will include: An eye-opening report into how Brexit is impacting local businesses. The latest numbers and analysis from Andy Burnham’s Covid press conference. An interview with an academic about her new fascinating research on migrant mothers in Manchester. Sign up now to get those stories in your inbox and support our work. The Mill @ManchesterMill Thanks to the BBC's @amolrajan for talking about us in his 2021 media piece. He predicts that this model "might - just might - be able to rescue the broken news model of local news in the UK." !! Happy near year Millers - thanks for all your help!🍾 bbc.co.uk/news/entertain… What changes will 2021 bring for the media world?The BBC’s media editor ponders how the digital transformation of our lives will accelerate in the year ahead.bbc.co.uk TopNewCommunityWhat is The Mill?About	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1047
__label__wiki	0.80609	0.80609	The Blues Survivors Golden State-Lone Star Revue Blues Harmonica Blowout™ The Deep Basement Shakers HARPBREAKER Mark Hummel SELECT CD's AVAILABLE ON OUR MERCHANDISE PAGE Wayback Machine - Electro-Fi (2019) Grammy Nominated Harp Ace Mark Hummel is moving forward by looking backwards on his brand new Electro-Fi release WAYBACK MACHINE, and he’s picked a sweet spot in Blues History to explore, the Glorious Bluebird Records sound of the 1930’s and 40’s. Joining Mark on the disc is first call Chicago Guitarist BILLY FLYNN, the Red Hot West Coast Combo THE DEEP BASEMENT SHAKERS, and Mississippi Bluesmaster JOE BEARD. The Dynamic 16 tracks on this CD were recorded by CHRIS KID ANDERSEN at the Legendary Greaseland Studios in San Jose, CA. No doubt WAYBACK MACHINE is destined to become one of the most talked about Traditional Blues releases of 2020. Harpbreaker - Electro-Fi(2018) Mark Hummel Releases New All Instrumental CD - Harpbreaker Grammy nominated blues harp legend Mark Hummel unleashes an all instrumental harmonica album, and it redefines the scope and beauty of what the instrument is capable of in the right hands. The disc features Mark's hand picked selection of newly recorded, live, previously released and unreleased material. Mark is joined by his stellar band of R.W. Grigsby (bass) and Wes Starr (drums) as well as blues guitar legends Anson Funderburgh, Little Charlie Baty, Chris "Kid" Andersen, and Rusty Zinn. Recorded at Kid Andersen's famed Greaseland Studios in California, as well as Joyride Studio in Chicago. Blues harmonica and guitar aficionados everywhere will be delighted with the high standard of excellence set on Harpbreaker. Golden State Lone Star Revue (2016) Nominated for Blues Music Award - Best Traditional Blues Album and Band of the Year Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue is a Blues Supergroup, featuring Grammy nominated Harp Ace Mark Hummel with Guitar Legends Little Charlie Baty (Little Charlie & the Nitecats)and Anson Funderburgh (Anson & the Rockets). Little Charlie sums up the collective mojo of the band best:'This is all about 5 guys who have been playing music all their lives,but each night play with the energy and excitement of their first gig'. Recorded after a year of coast to coast touring,at Kid Andersen's famed Greaseland Studio in San Jose,CA, the 14 superlative tracks on this disc make it bound to be one of the most listened to and talked about Blues Albums of 2016. Remembering Little Walter (2013) Nominated for Grammy Winner Blues Music Award - Album of the Year and Best Traditional Blues Album Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Little Walter Jacobs receives a fitting tribute on this sparkling live recording, bringing together five of the greatest harmonica players currently on the blues scene - Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Mark Hummel, James Harman, and Sugar Ray Norcia. The virtuosic Little Walter is without doubt one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time. Keith Richards calls him one of the best singers of the blues and a blues harp player par excellence. All five of these fine players share a deep love for and keen insight into the revolutionary force that Walter s music brought to bear on the Chicago blues scene of the fifties and sixties. The Hustle Is Really On (2014) Nominated for Blues Music Award - Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy nominated harmonica ace Mark Hummel is back with a brand new album, The Hustle Is Really On, and he's brought blues guitar legends Little Charlie Baty, Anson Funderburgh and Kid Andersen along for the ride! ©Mark Hummel - All Rights Reserved	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1050
__label__wiki	0.848123	0.848123	Damn Daniel Game Takes Over the App Store Damn Daniel game makes it to the top charts It’s been over a month since that ‘Damn, Daniel’ craze started, and the insanely popular meme still shows no signs of dying down. The ‘Damn, Daniel’ duo didn’t just get featured on The Ellen Show, it also earned Daniel a lifetime supply of white Vans —- an ongoing shoe trend which the duo appeared to have started. Not long after being awarded with that lifetime supply, the duo headed over to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital to donate the white Vans they received from the supply given by the shoe company itself. In March 7, the Damn Daniel game was launched by a developer named Josiah Jenkins. Today, it looks like the game is taking the world by storm. Currently on the top ten of Apple’s App Store, the Damn Daniel game has over 1,300 reviews. And though it appears that many of these reviews are bot-generated and are not really real, a substantial number of users also left legitimate reviews. Up close, the game unexpectedly exceeds expectations. Damn Daniel works similar to games like Dong Nguyen’s ‘Flappy Bird’, and the game does not fail to excite at all. Some reviews warn, however, that the game contains excessive ads that glitch and often interfere with the game. Playing the Damn Daniel game The game requires users to jump from one platform to another and then pick up diamonds along the way to earn points. Whenever Daniel falls off a platform, users get to hear the ever-famous “Damn, Daniel” line from the duo’s viral video. As players earn more points, new characters are unlocked in the game. The Damn Daniel game is not the first app to be inspired by the meme. A ‘Damn, Daniel’ soundboard, a ‘Damn, Daniel’ flappy bird-inspired game, and a ‘Damn Daniel’ clicker app are only among those inspired by the insanely popular meme.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1053
__label__cc	0.564912	0.435088	Multiclonics® Platform Investors & Media Home Governance Contacts Zeno (zenocutuzumab) eNRGy clinical trial for cancer patients with solid tumors harboring NRG1 gene fusion Zeno (zenocutuzumab, or MCLA-128) is an investigational therapeutic candidate being studied in the eNRGy trial, a Phase 1/2 clinical study in cancer patients who have solid tumors that have a specific genetic abnormality called an NRG1 fusion. Zeno is believed to work by blocking the protein produced by the NRG1 fusion that has cancer-driving activity. At this time, there is no approved therapy for the specific treatment of NRG1 fusion-positive (NRG1+) solid tumors. The eNRGy trial is enrolling patients with NRG1+ cancers at more than 30 medical centers around the world. The eNRGy trial is assessing the safety and anti-tumor activity of Zeno monotherapy in NRG1+ cancers, in patients across three cohort groups: NRG1+ pancreatic cancer; NRG1+ non-small cell lung cancer; and NRG1+ other solid tumors. Further details about the eNRGy clinical trial for Zeno, including current trial sites, can be found at Merus’ trial website www.nrg1.com or by calling 1-833-NRG-1234. Information is also available at the clinicaltrials.gov website: A Study of Zenocutuzumab (MCLA-128) in Patients With Solid Tumors Harboring an NRG1 Fusion Expanded Access Program Patients with NRG1+ solid tumors that are otherwise unable to participate in an applicable clinical trial may be eligible to participate in the Early Access program for zenocutuzumab (MCLA-128). Further details about the Zeno expanded access program can be found at Merus’ trial website www.nrg1.com or by calling 1-833-NRG-1234. Details on Merus’ Expanded Access Policy are available here. Early Access Program Providing HER2/HER3 Bispecific Antibody, MCLA-128, for a Patient With Advanced NRG1-Fusion Positive Solid Tumor Learn more about NRG1 fusions in solid tumors NRG1 fusions drive cancer in some patients NRG1 fusions are genetic abnormalities found in a small percentage of patients with solid tumors. In these patients, too much of a variant form of the growth factor NRG1 (sometimes called heregulin) may be produced, which is capable of causing cancer cells to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner. Blocking NRG1 fusions and its cancer-driving activity with a medicine may help fight a patient’s cancer. Small percentages of multiple types of solid tumors have NRG1 fusions A recent study identified the following tumor types that can harbor NRG1 fusions: non-small cell lung cancer, gallbladder cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumor, sarcoma, and colorectal cancer. A test of a patient’s cancer can be conducted to determine if his or her tumor has an NRG1 fusion. MCLA-158 Phase 1 clinical trial in cancer patients with solid tumors MCLA-158 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study, including a safety dose expansion phase, in patients with solid tumors. The trial is ongoing and MCLA-158 has demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no observed dose limiting toxicities to date. More information is available at the clinicaltrials.gov website: A Study of Bispecific Antibody MCLA-158 in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors MCLA-145 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study, including a safety dose expansion phase, in patients with solid tumors. MCLA-145 is the first drug candidate co-developed under the global collaboration and license agreement between Merus and Incyte Corporation for the development of antibodies from Merus’ Biclonics® platform. A Study of Bispecific Antibody MCLA-145 in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Malignancies Merus Early Access Policy Unless otherwise noted, we are providing this information as of November 5, 2020 and expressly disclaim any duty to update any of the provided information. Merus’ product candidates pipeline will change over time as molecules move through the drug development process, including potentially progressing to market or failing in clinical trials, due to the nature of the development process. This description contains forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Merus’ most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Merus’ other periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-k filed with the SEC, and actual results may vary materially. Merus provides this information as of the date above and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained on these tables as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All Company therapeutic candidates described or mentioned herein are investigational and have not yet been approved for marketing by any regulatory authority. NL: +31 85 016 2500 Merus N.V., Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands 139 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA enquiries@merus.nl © 2021 Merus - All rights reserved. Privacy Statement, Online Tracking Opt-Out Guide, Terms of Use & Community Guidelines. Please read our Privacy Statement and updated Terms of Use. As described further therein, we use third-party cookies to improve the operation of our site. If you require further information and/or wish to disable cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org. Cookie settingsACCEPT	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1056
__label__wiki	0.617274	0.617274	National Healthcare Agreement: PB a–Better health: close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation, 2020 PB a–Close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation, 2020 Difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancies at birth. A generation is defined as 25 years. Life expectancy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations is calculated for a rolling 3-year period and reported every 5 years. Presented as number of years. Calculated by direct estimation of life expectancy at birth for all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians using the average number of deaths in the 3-year period and the estimated resident population at a mid-point of that period. The gap estimate does not have a numerator or denominator. The average number of years a person could expect to live from the day they are born, if they experienced mortality rates at each age, that are currently experienced by the relevant population. Number of years of life expectancy at birth ABS Life Tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Data source type: Census based and administrative by-product data 2015–17—State and territory (see note below), by: Indigenous status and sex Indigenous status, sex and Remoteness Area (Major cities, Inner and Outer Regional combined and Remote and Very Remote combined). Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander estimates of life expectancy are not produced for Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory due to the small number of Indigenous deaths reported in these jurisdictions. Some disaggregation may result in numbers too small for publication. Used for disaggregation by state/territory Data Element / Data Set Person—sex, code X Most recent data available for 2020 National Healthcare Agreement performance reporting: 2015–2017 (Indigenous and non-Indigenous population). Baseline: 2005–2007. Indigenous estimates of life expectancy are not produced for Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory due to the small number of Indigenous deaths reported in these jurisdictions. The Life Tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (cat. no. 3302.0.55.003) publication is produced every 5 years. Non-Indigenous estimates in this publication are to be used as a comparator to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy estimates. The reference year for 2020 national reporting of life expectancy estimates for the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations is 2015–17 (published on 29 November 2018). This source is to be used until the next issue (for the reference year 2020–2022) is released in 2023. Time (e.g. days, hours) NN.N Data Source ABS Life Tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians National Healthcare Agreement Performance Benchmark: Close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation. http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/health Supersedes National Healthcare Agreement: PB a–Better health: close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation, 2019 Health, Superseded 13/03/2020 Has been superseded by National Healthcare Agreement: PB a–Better health: close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation, 2021 Health, Standard 03/07/2020 See also National Healthcare Agreement: PI 06–Life expectancy, 2020 Health, Standard 13/03/2020	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1058
__label__wiki	0.590777	0.590777	Mix doesn't support your web browser. For a better experience, we recommend using another browser. Join Mix Nature and literature This site provides information about literature and love through the nature by way of poetry. Yoga information provided as psychology and physically. by @hirasir 7 Posts0 Subscribers weeklypoetry.com Call downNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion. Click to Mix the things you like Puzzle of weaver bird in duckweedNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion. Modern loveNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion. Failure's successNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion. BEAUTY OF WORDSNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion. MIGHT OF MOON'S LIGHTNature and literature are described by this site Through the poetry that describes every scope of subject as love, nature, sorrow, life, religion.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1063
__label__cc	0.575272	0.424728	How are the Reds going to use Aroldis Chapman next year? By Craig CalcaterraOct 28, 2010, 3:00 PM EDT Dusty Baker has one answer: “I see him personally probably being somewhere in the back end of the bullpen. Because it’s hard to find a guy that can get righties and lefties out equally and that gas he has and you haven’t even seen his breaking ball and his changeup yet so his potential is unbelievable. So probably somewhere in the back end of the bullpen.” But the man who got that quote — John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer — says that Reds’ GM Walt Jocketty was clear in saying that Chapman would be a starter the last time they spoke. I can’t help but think that if Dusty would go back and read the printed version of what he said — specifically, that Chapman is more than heat, has several pitches and can gets guys on both sides of the plate out — he’d realize that he has a potentially amazing starter on his hand, not just an effective reliever. Sure, maybe he’s still a work in progress as a starter, but Chapman has a long term deal with Cincinnati for a reason, and it ain’t to stop developing as a pitcher 11 months after he signed. Or maybe Dusty doesn’t need to examine this matter any further. Maybe Walt Jocketty is just going to tell him what’s what.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1064
__label__wiki	0.737657	0.737657	Join The Mob People of Interest – Edwina Frances Martin, Esq.: “Staten Island’s Public Administrator, A Positive Presence” UK Superstar Sam Stevens Releases Highly Anticipated New Music Video For Hit Single “Don’t Cry” The Second Coming of Caroline Williams: “Completely Exposed” In The Holiday Themed Slasher “Hanukkah” Latisha Moye: The Rihanna Of Hair Design THE SPIRIT OF JIMI HENDRIX RETURNS A Virtual Pay-Per-View Event on September 19th Mobster Dashboard Ishana’s new Single/Video “Steady Eyes” Nicole Killian Ishana’s new single, from the second installment of her trilogy of albums, Old Skin, is curiously titled, “Steady Eyes.” It’s one of those titles that can allude to multiple connotations, but that you form a communion with, almost immediately. A looped vocal line,l essentially kicks off the track, and it’s Ishana’s voice and stylings that carry the song. There is a jazz style guitar, and a piano that supports the melody, fluidly. The instrumentation and vocal arrangements weave so elegantly that it’s goosebump inducing. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/IshanaMusic/ One might be tempted to place Ishana’s style as something resembling World Music. She is a Canadian native, currently based in Montreal, born in Mississauga, Ishana shows true hit potential with “Steady Eyes.” Whether it’s the innocence she exudes, or the puritanical overtones, Ishana still manages to be enigmatic, in an understated way. You may draw comparisons to artists, such as Alanis Morissette, or Sarah Mclachlan, but Ishana has a subtlety and quietude that sets her apart. I’m eager to explore more of Ishana’s work, but I have yet to tire of “Steady Eyes” at all. It seems like I’m always finding something new in the song, as it’s meticulously layered. You get the impression that Ishana, a self taught producer/mixer, has a very hands on approach, ensuring that the final product is in line with her vision. This tactic is always conducive to ensuring quality, and staying true to the artist’s original intentions. “Steady Eyes” has an innately comforting aura. From the moment it begins, it has the ability to to compromise, or even quell any lingering anxieties. That’s not to suggest that it isn’t accommodating for a variety of occasions. There is simply a healing effect to “Steady Eyes” that in listening to it, during moments of introspection or spiritual fatigue, is tempting. I might even go so far as to call the song, addictive. You get the impression that so much of who Ishana is, and her relationship with the world, and with herself, is what animates her work. Her music is personable and inviting, yet private all at once. “Steady Eyes” could be considered literary or even cinematic in scope, as Ishana assumes the role of heroine, with an almost childlike curiosity. Her presumptive journey of self discovery, is one that you can draw your own parallels to. If “Steady Eyes” is any indication of what to expect from Old Skin 2, or for that matter, part 3, then there is much to anticipate. With a song like “Steady Eyes” it gives the impression that Ishana has barely scratched the surface of what she’s capable of. It’s intriguing to imagine her becoming more emboldened and experimental. Ishana is the kind of mystifying artist that just sort of appears, one day, with no prior indication to the void that existed for her to fill. Here’s to hoping that it’s a steady course for her, going forward, and that she can keep her eyes firmly focused on the lights. Astoria (LP) by Leo Harmonay Roland T. Rust and Ming Hui-Huang’s The Feeling Economy: An Uncertainly Holistic View of the Future Nicole loves to go cross country skiing, swimming, reading and critiquing books, listening and critiquing music, some culinary arts, pottery, spending time with my daughter, cheesy horror films. How To Offer A High-Touch Experience In A High-Tech World Indie Music Critic Garyk Lee Style TV “Oh Christmas Wine Rack” Now Available Worldwide – Subscribe and Watch Today! Jimmy Star The PondHawks Talk New Single “Invisible Stranger” Eileen Shapiro The Simonetta Lein Show – Television’s New Global Powerhouse The ReWlettes To Release Highly Anticipated New Cover Video For “To Sir, with Love” On 1/23/21 To Benefit Feed The Children Join Morgan Fairchild On FanRoom Live Sunday February 21st, 2021 5 PM EST billboard Blogging Mob eileen shapiro featured Indie Music jimmy star Jimmy Star Show With Ron Russell jimmy stars world lgbtq Los Angeles mobyorkcity Mob York City music new music New York PR rolling stone shows Spectra Music Group world star pr What is the Mob? The Mob is a network of blogs covering, supporting and promoting arts, comedy and culture and the artists behind the craft. Learn more at What’s been going on! Website Developed by JJ's Press . All Rights Reserved. © 2018-2019 Copyright - Apart of The Mob's Press	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1065
__label__wiki	0.667592	0.667592	The 2019 Popcorn Frights Short Films Line-Up August 6, 2019 ~ sting606 It’s that time again. The 5th Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival is happening once again in their relatively new home in Ft. Lauderdale’s dope church-turned-single screen movie theater Savor Cinema and once again the good folks running it – Igor, Marc, and company – have asked me to review the short film line-up of this year’s run. Which is very considerate of them knowing that I think of the short film as the ultimate artform because I can finish it before bedtime. Except that this year has an intimidating amount of 40 short films to be screened throughout the festival in several different programs and bedtime becomes a moot point, even after we ignore the fact that I have to sleep under the sheets after watching a good horror movie. Nothing I’m particularly hostile to this year and a couple that I’m really impressed by. Whelp, a lot of movies ahead, let’s get cracking at them. OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX (Caleb J. Phillips, USA) Screens with Haunt on Thursday 8 August at 9:15 pm An excellent exercise in patience, using its 15 minutes well to build its tension and its cuts to make a point of what might be happening right outside of the frame and the eyeview of our lead characters as they try to find out why they’ve been sent a certain sinister box. Pretty underlit to the point that somehow the very void that we find in the box looks brighter than the room around it and but the final moments are so perfectly creepy that I can’t bring myself to mind. A perfectly functional opening for the festival! WILD LOVE (Paul Autric/Quentin Camus/Léa Georges/Maryka Laudet/Zoé Sottiaux/Corentin Yvergniaux, France) Screens with Bloodline on Friday 9 August at 7:00 pm Certainly the familiar story and its status as a work for L’École des Nouvelle Images points to this being an animation exercise reel than anything else, but it is a marvelous exercise of distinguishing the textures in a forest trip whether it’s the hair on a man’s exposed legs or the fur on an army of beavers (the one moment that felt off to me is a flamethrower that looked like it was in a different space from any character in the shot). A lot of playing with depth in a foggy and suspicious area and soft lighting in a cave where the only source is a slit on the top, just in general enough of a technical showcase to allow me to see how it might have the budget it has but still make the most of it and promise a lot of its directors (SIX of them, so you KNOW a lot of work was put in this) with further resources. And, admittedly, even the story was amusing in its familiarity, what with the bug-eyed expressions of the little rodents… THE DESECRATED (John Gray, USA) Screens with The Dare on Friday 9 August at 9:00 pm I admittedly did not have much of a response to this, perhaps given that much of the waiting tension of its 7 minutes doesn’t have much payoff beyond a final note that’s too blink-and-you’ll-miss-it to function as the jump scare it seems to want to pay off for. It’s a bit concerning that the middle sequence with the… ghost (?) is more effective than the final scare. Still, I will give props to how color was used make a mortuary gloomy without underlighting it. LOOM (Kevin Rothlisburger, USA) Screens with Bliss on Friday 9 August at 11:15 pm Very close to being my favorite short in the festival in its nicely self-contained EC Comics delivery of overt monster horror, outrageous blood splatter, and particularly in its gorgeously autumnal outdoor color work (even if it doesn’t differentiate that much between the opening dusk and the closing dawn). It’s particularly a satisfying slasher-type gambit to have all of its victims of violent death to be such despicable bullying good ol’ boy cartoons that we won’t miss. There’s one hiccup for me and it is not a small one: some big points of the climax have some very messy post-production work. Specifically, a shot that reveals one of the characters’ true nature features some attempted pinlight work that doesn’t convincingly align with their eyes (this is most frustrating because the face already looks nicely Halloweenish in a way that I think the short owns) and certain shots of an extended chase sequence end up looking like there’s a blurry blue Rorschach blot on the screen in a combination with the lighting, the coloring, and the generous usage of fog in the forest. And it’s very bothersome stuff but the rest of the short is able to carry itself all through the night that by the end of the bloodbath, I end up pretty satisfied with it as diverting campfire story. GUESSING GAME (Zach Wincik, USA) Screens with Alive on Saturday 10 August at 1:00 pm I understand that the close-up is the easiest way to establish tension with the specificity of your actors’ expression filling up the frame (which Guessing Game does very well) but even for a short film, there is a limit to how long you can repeat one shot scale before it deflates and I’m not sure Guessing Game avoids it. Alongside that, there’s also how off-puttingly humorless the final beats of the short feel with a last shot being one that insists this short is trying to say something about society but can’t when all of the context of what happening is back-loaded. I might have forgiven a good amount of it if it had played meta with its end credits while removing the widen that sees us out. A Doll for Edgar A DOLL FOR EDGAR (Anthony Dones, USA) Screens as part of the Homegrown program on Saturday 10 August at 3:00 pm Reminiscent to me of the “Living Doll” episode from The Twilight Zone, it even has an antagonist that feels maybe more modern than Savalas and certainly more sinister with his late evil revealing monologue but definitely reminds me of the actor in his brawny baldness. We have here once again a nicely self-contained sort of EC Comics tale where we watch supernatural circumstances give a satisfying comeuppance to evil bullys (credit to Justin Sims for giving an odiously masculine attitude against Bryce Smith’s sensitivities), aided by some pretty great shadow work on the characters to give this broken home a domestic gloominess. ALWAYS LISTENING (Randy Gonzalez, USA) I get what it’s going for in trying to fully envelope the sort of paranoia one would expect in a society reliant on obsessively surveillant technology (not that I find that idea inherently interesting, but it delivers this theme in a pretty effective way). I just also happen to think the ending beat is a bridge too far for a short film that was already doing a pretty fine job as it was. It feels like the sort of moment inserted in because the makers thought the short couldn’t qualify as horror without violence and it suddenly tries to introduce a new logic to the story that feels totally divorced with what we just watched. But it does have a cool effect when it gets to that point (and also a very well-used sound effect for what happens off-screen). CALL FOR A GOOD TIME (Mike Marrero & Jon Rhoads, USA) Full Disclosure: I am friends with one of the directors for this film, Jon Rhoads. And from what I understand Marrero & Rhoads had made this more as an off-hand doodle while working on a much bigger project, so it explains the crude construction of this whole thing (even though I think the granite brown color of the short – however cut off it is by the brighter floor of the bathroom – does make the bathroom feel grosser than it actually looks). I could certainly expect better and more inspired from the makers of Buzzcut (one of the highlights of a previous Popcorn Frights and in fact the short that introduced be to Rhoads) than something not that much different from Lights Out, but for a throwaway bit meant to function as an amuse bouche to the rest of the festival, it works. FEVER (Brian Karl Rosenthal, USA) The perfect mixture between darkness and costume. It’s very hard not to spoil when and how it pays off after watching an extremely sweaty Lani Lum wait in shadowy silence and scope around the corners but even after that payoff happens, we get to spend a couple more minutes watching out for when the source of all this short’s scares return again (credit especially to Chuck Baxter’s slender presence). Being able to pull off that surprise twice in a row with enough space in between is pretty impressive if nothing else about this short will linger in my memory. THE FINAL GIRL RETURNS (Alexandria Perez, USA) Full Disclosure for this one as well: I am also good friends with the writer/director/producer, Alex. Which I suppose puts me in a good position to already understand exactly what she was aiming for with The Final Girl Returns, which portrays what happens AFTER a slasher movie ends. And I feel like the answer Alex has for that question is too big for a 15 minute short, but I think she does as best a job as I can see involving the frustrations and the psychological scars (impressively established with schism-like cuts into the faces the Driver remembers – his lack of name being one of several ways this aesthetically feels like a Nicholas Winding Refn short) beyond some moments that are a bit too on the nose like the lines about “changing the ending” and a radio newscaster literally asking “when will the cycle end?”. Still in any case, this has some brilliant horizon-set camerawork in the California desert with washed-out colors by Rob Bennett (on top of a really impressive combination of handheld and dolly zoom in a single shot) and the sinister Cliff Martinez-like soundscape to make it all feel an aberration of the slasher form. If I think the runtime is too restricted to make much comment so much as observation of the genre, its themes are still direct in its feminist reclaiming of the genre (not least of which being that we don’t actually see the violence commit towards the women). And needless to say, I’m really proud of Alex. THE LIMITS (Ulbrecht Tomas, USA) The biggest surprise of all of the shorts for me. A dystopian future road to hell where its lead follows an inky black path of night that’s only illuminated by the torches, but it’s specifically the artificial but eye-catching night sky effects that made it a treat to watch, foreseeing the sort of cosmic element it tries to introduce in moments like the hooded robe cult and the giant truck driving madman straight out of a John Carpenter science fiction. Not to mention the great effect that interrupts every major kill, where after a geyser of blood effects, we smash cut to a hard close up of what looks like blood clotting with a crackling sound beneath it. It makes death look and sound painful on top of letting it function as spectacle. As it moves forward, it becomes less exciting to look at, especially the day scenes where the gun muzzle effects look much more chintzy and betray its budget, but overall it disabused me of any previous hesitation I had watching a 22 minute short by making a pretty straightforward dark quest picture. SPIRIT #1 (Brett Potter, USA) Produced by Miami’s local film collective pride, Borscht Corporation, it should be expected that Spirit #1 is would be off-kilter and weird. That approach by Borscht is hit-or-miss with me and I’m disappointed to call it a miss here (the first half was losing me after a nice gambit of breaking the fourth wall with text and camera movement), but it does backload its best and wildest stuff including an impressive extreme tighten from the widest and narrowest possible hallway shot one could start from. But sometimes being weird just isn’t enough for me. VALERIO’S DAY OUT (Michael Arcos, USA) I honestly started off very off-put by the fractured video diary manner of this short (I don’t think I ever ended up warming to the usage of title cards, frankly) but as it continued forward, Arcos’ work started coalescing into something really sinister and unnervingly inhuman. The monotonous reading of the titular jaguar’s thoughts went from gratingly annoying to serial killer-like cold while ascribing venomous emotions towards actions that would seem natural to such an animal. The repeated usage of news footage went from halting to tell us information we already know to hammering the apparent youth and “cuteness” of our young remorseless killer. The pointed address in the thoughts of the jaguar turned from weird to uncomfortable. If any of these shorts might have turned out to use form most effectively to create a chilling tone and mood, I think I may have to hand it to this one The Limits LA NORIA (Carlos Baena, Spain) Screens with Itsy Bitsy on Saturday 10 August at 5:00 pm A wonderful and silent dark fairy tale where even if I wasn’t remotely scared of what it brought, I’m still in wonder at the lighting effects Baena and his animators put into it. They’ve really shown a nice versatility between backlighting the monsters the main child has to face and providing a sense of whimsy in the colors once he finds the treasure at the end. I can’t say I’m all that moved emotionally by the final minute like it expects the viewer to be but that lighting really does a lot of the heavy-lifting for the haunting beauty of it all. THE VIDEO STORE COMMERCIAL (Tim Rutherford/Cody Kennedy, Canada) Screens with Daniel Isn’t Real on Saturday 10 August at 7:15 pm I mean, it’s got its kitsch down. Looking like a hole in the wall video store from the 80s, having a lead character that is obnoxious exactly the way a movie fanatic would be, having that static CCTV look to its camera. There’s just not much to it beyond that kitschy nostalgia. At the very least, it has a nice gory face-melting moment and it has jokes. Not particularly jokes that made me laugh beyond a line of exposition delivered exactly in the sort of snobby way somebody who calls themselves a “movie expert” would, but jokes nevertheless and it gets out of the door fast enough to not really feel like a bother to watch. STARLETS (Marten Carlson, USA) Screens with Villains on Saturday 10 August at 9:30 pm The sort of meta humor with the company title card was really charming enough to get me into what Starlets was going for early on and I really enjoyed the black-and-white cinematography melding together into studio system silver that I never felt bored looking at the film. But that interest was fizzling by the end of things – especially any time that Jill Bailey’s Norma Desmond impression wasn’t on-screen – and when it reached its endpoint, everything that happened felt expected. CHOWBOYS: AN AMERICAN FOLKTALE (Astron-6, Canada) Screens with Porno on Saturday 10 August at 11:15 pm I imagine I would be much more into this if this wasn’t my first exposure to horror-comedy troupe Astron-6 proper (I had only previously seen The Void, which was directed by two of its members but not actually considered part of the group’s proper works). Almost all of Chowboys knowingly functions as a last hurrah for the group as it opens with a title card that literally announces “the end of the cowboy”, so I wonder if the rest of their work is as low-key as this one taking place in one location and with no change in blocking between its characters. In any case, it’s still highly amusing as a self-aware campfire story that finds a very slick way of establishing itself as an anthology short (two moments where I actually went “a-ha!”) and an amiable sense of humor for something about three doomed men in a chillingly blue snowstorm ready to die (and I especially love the sound mix of the howling winds in the end credits to hammer its punchline home). I don’t know that I’m rushing to see the rest of Astron-6’s material from this, but it’s definitely something on my radar now. The Video Store Commercial THE OBLITERATION OF THE CHICKENS (Izzy Lee, USA) Screens with The Unthinkable on Sunday 11 August at 1:00 pm Pretty damn spot-on impersonation of Werner Herzog tonally and vocally (by Bracken MacLeod) if not aesthetically, as Lee simply uses the narration as a pretense to work with stock footage and associative cutting. Definitely inspired by Herzog’s infamous declaration of his fears of the “stupidity” of chickens, it’s a throwaway short that has a lot of energy in its 3 minutes and doesn’t outstay its welcome before the joke becomes stale. I laughed a lot at the directness of “the abyss is stupid”. THE SUBJECT (Patrick Bouchard, Canada) Screens with Artik on Sunday 11 August at 3:00 pm I can hardly think of a Canadian animated short that didn’t entertain me at the very least and that’s saying nothing of the ones that show me techniques and content I’ve never imagined. This falls into the former – it’s essentially what a student of Jan Švankmajer would get with more naval-gazing as Bouchard portrays a man in stop-motion dissecting a creation in his image – but it’s still a very impressive piece of craft: stressing the cracks and age in a body that feels deliberately more earthy than fleshy before all of the golden and rusted machinery pops out of the cavities to provide a steadier rhythm to the slicing and smashing we’re watching. I don’t have much enthusiasm for artists making art about themselves and I could say I expected more (and not be lying), but this is still eye-popping stuff with a final shot that truly argues the difference between human skin and clay surface while using dissolves to flip those differences on their head. FROST BITE (Andrew Hunt, USA) Screens with Infección on Sunday 11 August at 5:15 pm An unexpectedly charming Zombie western set in the blinding white snows of winter with a crunchy sound design to call attention to the elements surrounding our characters, one of them a laconic young woman (Louisa Darr who is almost as much a source of a lot of that charm as Hunt’s relaxed Western directing vibes) and the other being a zombie in a yellow jacket and hoodie (Rod Kasai, who proves to be exceptionally expressive for the part of a mindless zombie) who is either following her instinctively or being led by her. In any case, the relation between our two subjects has an unexpectedly warm payoff (and a final beat that suggests this may be a proof-of-concept for a later feature to me) and the zombie makeup mixes so well with the frozen snow on the actors’ faces that I found this to be an unexpected highlight among all the other shorts of the festival. YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH (Marc Martínez Jordán, Spain) Screens with Satanic Panic on Sunday 11 August at 9:30 pm My favorite short film of the festival, period. Takes the sort of things that it makes me an easy mark for movies to explore well – grief and memory, though it’s not as subjective on the latter as I’d like. I expect that would be “fixed” by cutting down on the narration, but I put “fixed” in scare quotes because that assumes that’s what Jordán and his team wanted anyway and in any case the delivery by Enric Anquer is brilliantly sad and funny in its urgency at the same time so I’d rather not lose his voice. It’s particularly the way the short divvied up its responsibility between desperation and absurdity (thanks in addition Jordán’s editing delivering a late heist film interrupted by flashbacks) that makes it so effective and its final beats truly hit home even while using the most obvious of time travel clichés. And credit also to cinematographer Yuse Riera being able to give a consistent softness to the image and landscape where our hero remembers his wife’s casualty in a terrorist attack and returns, the kind of softness that comes from trying to pull an image from the back of your head and gives it a rosy look even while attached to a horrific death. Brilliant stuff. FEARS (German Sacho, Spain) Screens in front of Z on Sunday 11 August at 9:30 pm Not deficient. But it is overly familiar to a degree that I’m starting to have trouble distinguishing any Spanish horror short I see: they all involve the same beats of tension, the same type of little girl, the same shade of darkness, especially the same fear of decrepit old women (with a mean-spirited twist at the end of this one that was also pretty familiar). Anyway, the guy I saw it with joked about how Guillermo Del Toro would probably produce this guy’s feature debut like he always does with any Spanish-language filmmaker with a short like this and… yeah, he definitely would… Caterpillarplasty GO BACK (Matthew & Nathaniel Barber, USA) Screens with The Girl on the Third Floor on Monday 12 August at 7:30 pm It’s very simple but also very novel (with a nice cynical bloodsplatter note) and aesthetically well-suited to the Halloween time of year with a coloring scheme that feels drafted out of blues and oranges. I don’t feel like I left with very much substance in it beyond a waiting game for a character to receive his dues after foolishly ignoring the creepy warning signs before him, but sometimes you don’t need much more to be amused by a horror film. MERCURY SCREAMS (Dan Wilder, USA) At first glimpse, the presentation of the subject matter as archive footage seems like bet-hedging in order to cover for some of the more amateur production elements, but as it turns out it’s all pretense for the video effects that Wilder and his crew play with to stress the wrongness of what we’re watching (on top of a context of background information regarding the material’s “intended broadcast” and what happened to prevent it). A fun little invented video relic of demonic pregnancy that commits to making video relic status work. CATERPILLARPLASTY (David Barlow-Krelina, Canada) Screens with Depraved on Monday 12 August at 9:30 pm Aggressively ugly character designs made even more effective by how the reflective plastic sheen on their bodies projects their inhumanity and then the finale just takes the grotesquerie and tries to present it as the most mindblowingly beautiful thing ever in all of its trippy phallic and yonic imagery. Plus the saxophone soundtrack throws my brain around for a whirl. God, Canadian animation is always so reliable. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT (Jonas Trukanas, Lithuania) Screens with Queen of Spades: The Looking Glass on Tuesday 13 August at 7:30 pm A familiar story once again – one in which we have an example in this very short film slate of a young boy deals with his oppressor by creating a frightening protector – but one no less well-delivered than the others. Particularly given that the weakness of the monster in the film means that Trukanas works with some dynamic lighting ideas, if nothing eye-opening, to make those shafts of light cutting through the uniform dark blue hues (and red at one point in the short) stand out. MANNEQUINS (David Malcolm, UK) Screens with The Sonata on Tuesday 13 August at 9:30 pm Really fun and interesting already as an experiment (it reminded me of a school assignment I had in film school involving still imagery, except this one had a knack for camera movements making up for the literal rigidity of its actors), but then it had to try to be ABOUT SOMETHING. And the worst part is that I can’t really figure out what it was trying to be about, but the last few moments of the short and the repetition it utilizes are definitely pointed in a way that deflates all the Scooby-Doo fun of what preceded it. On top of which, it has pretty bad lighting. I don’t know if it’s deliberate or not, but it started to hurt eventually. HOW TO BE ALONE (Kate Trefry, USA) Screens with Paradise Hills on Wednesday 14 August at 7:30 pm It is among the best shot of all the shorts with obviously the most resources (what with two recognizable indie stars in Maika Monroe and Joe Keery, the latter extremely underused) but it’s also just really… overwritten in a young adult-ish way considering the anxiety it tries to portray. And more particularly it feels like it uses narration way too desperately as a crutch to tell us things that there are better and more effective ways to tell us. Monroe obviously delivers it well enough verbally, but I don’t need to be explained the snake or the baby or all of that and wish it had just trusted Maika to not have to say anything to let us know what’s wrong in Denmark. And then that final act that has zero surprises after a short that gave us zero doubt where it was going to go, quickly resolving the issue without much struggle. Also I fucking HATE that they’re as young as they are (the actors are my age) with a place as spacious and luxurious as THAT (complete with a nickelodeon!). DEEP TISSUE (Meredith Alloway, USA) Screens with Knives and Skin on 14 August at 9:30 pm Obviously amateur in its picture quality and its limited blocking possibilities (looks like it was shot in a motel with its two beds in the “house call” location and it cramps it up), but a wonderfully sexy sense of humor (thanks especially to the two performances in the film), a good amount of effective gushy goriness, and I think Meredith Alloway and Joshua Wilmott got a rapport pace going to establish the understandable nervousness of the situation while translating that into something much more sinister than it turns out. FIVE-COURSE MEAL (James Cadden, Canada) Screens with In Fabric on Thursday 15 August at 7:30 pm I definitely picked the best short to eat breakfast while watching. Based on a short story by Josh Saltzman, the punchline of Five-Course Meal is foreseeable after a certain plate slides down the unwelcoming gunmetal floor where Mark (Murray Farnell) and Jenny (Melissa Kwasek) are staying for a “month-long” experiment. But the sloppy slurpy sound design and the gradual filthying up of the sterile room so that it’s covered in gross greens and browns and yellows (as well as each catered dish coming by looking less appealing and more repulsive) do the best job possible of making the journey down an endurance test. And when we get to the point we expected, the prosthetics by Bold Raven FX turn the film into an outright grotesque cartoon, even using how ill-fitting the body of it fits on our actors to emphasis the exaggerated flabbiness of them all. No surprises, but very well put together. TERROR ROAD (Brian Shephard, USA) Screens with The Gravedigger on Thursday 15 August at 7:30 pm Feels kind of tandem as a piece with Go Back with the differences standing out. Here, we have no orange at all leaving the piece with a foggish blue. Here we actually see the monster, looking like a grizzled little creature from Lamberto Bava’s Demons. There’s less space between the beginning of the signs (how funny that both shorts have their titles delivered to us via signs) and the end of the road for our foolish travelers. If anybody else would have to opportunity to see both of these back-to-back, I’d say they function pretty much well as an exercise in seeing how the same story can be told wildly differently and both of them getting the job done well enough. TOE (Chad Thurman/Neal O’Brien, USA) Screens with Bit on Friday 16 August at 10:00 pm An amusingly creepy usage of puppetry (designed by Demi Kay Schlehoffer) to lovingly bring attention to the cracks and dirt on our protagonist boy’s face and the rustic world in which he lives in, adding to the folktale vibe it has going for it. It’s the shadowy depressed black-and-white of the short that really sells the nightmarish tone of this animated work. In any case, if any readers find their way in Ft. Lauderdale in the upcoming week, I’d hope y’all check out the Popcorn Frights Film Festival and have a great time! Don’t be afraid to scream. The Final Girl Returns	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1068
__label__wiki	0.535322	0.535322	After Earth - Movie Review Category: Reviews, Sci-fi One thousand years after earth became uninhabitable humans now live on Nova Prime and have forgotten about the old world. General Cypher Raige who is known for his fearlessness and is a legend among the soldiers has been sent on a mission with his young son Kitai who have never been out of his world before, the ship ends up in an asteroid field and is damaged so badly that they must land on the nearest planet Earth. The Only two survivors are Cypher and his son, though Cyphers legs are both broken, Kitai must journey across Earth to find the beacon in the other half of the ship to call home, but Earth is very dangerous now and is not fit for human life. Time is running out before the two can be saved, will Kitai make it Actors: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo, Zoe Kravitz, David Denman, Kristofer Hivju, Gabriel Caste Classification: M15+ Science fiction themes & Violence One-Eyed Jacks © Movie Reviews by Tim Michael - Movie Reviews \| About \| Contact Us \| Sitemap RSSTop	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1070
__label__wiki	0.653619	0.653619	Home / Destinations / Hoffman Estates Private Jet and Air Charter Flights Hoffman Estates Private Jet and Air Charter Flights Monarch Air Group provides private air charter in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Our clients benefit from top-notch service, unrelenting dedication to safety, wide selection of aircraft, and years of experience in chartering private jets. To obtain a free quote, please use our online quoting tool provided below, or call toll free 1-877-281-3051 Charter a private jet in Hoffman Estates, IL: About Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States Monarch Air Group offers a wide variety of private jet charter options to and from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. Hoffman Estates is a full-service community situated mainly in Cook County with a small part in Kane County. Being a suburb of Chicago, the village provides quick access to all major attractions within the Midwest and the Chicagoland area. Hoffman Estates have a population of more than 55,000 and is home to the headquarters of the Sears Holdings Corporation. Hoffman Estates offers fantastic educational amenities, great employment prospects, and a modern infrastructure. The Sears Centre Arena, Hilldale Golf Club, Congo River Mini Golf, Seascape Family Aquatic Center, Main Event Hoffman Estates, Hoffman Estates Park District are among the most famous tourist attractions in the village. The closest major airport to Hoffman Estates is Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which is located 16 miles from the village center and provides both international and domestic flights. Another nearest airport is Chicago Midway International Airport, which is located 37 miles from Hoffman Estates. Hoffman Estates, IL Airports within 70 miles 1. AUZ, Municipal Airport, Aurora, United States 2. CGX, Merrill C Meigs (closed), Chicago, United States 3. CHI, Chicago FSS, Chicago, United States 4. DPA, Dupage County, Chicago, United States 5. ENW, Kenosha Regional Airport, Kenosha, United States 6. GYY, Gary/Chicago International, Gary (IN), United States 7. IKK, Greater Kankakee, Kankakee, United States 8. JMH, Marriott Heliport, Schaumburg, United States 9. JOT, Municipal, Joliet, United States 10. JVL, Rock County, Janesville, United States 11. LOT, Lewis Lockport, Lockport, United States 12. MDW, Midway, Chicago, United States 13. MKE, General Mitchell International, Milwaukee, United States 14. NBU, NAS, Glenview, United States 15. PWK, Pal-Waukee, Chicago, United States 16. RAC, Horlick, Racine, United States 17. RFD, Greater Rockford Airport, Rockford, United States 18. UES, Waukesha, Waukesha, United States 19. UGN, Memorial, Waukegan, United States 20. XES, Municipal, Lake Geneva, United States Hotels in Hoffman Estates, IL 1. Radisson Hotel Schaumburg, 1998 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 2. Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago/Hoffman Estates, 2825 Greenspoint Parkway, Hoffman Estates 3. Hyatt Place Hoffman Estates, 2750 Greenspoint Parkway, Hoffman Estates 4. Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates, 2425 North Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates 5. La Quinta Inn Chicago Hoffman Estates, 2280 North Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates 6. Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Schaumburg, IL, 1401 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 7. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, 2001 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 10. Wingate by Wyndham Schaumburg / Convention Center, 50 Remington Road, Schaumburg 11. Hyatt Place Hoffman Estates, 2750 Greenspoint Parkway, Hoffman Estates 12. Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates, 2425 North Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates 13. La Quinta Inn Chicago Hoffman Estates, 2280 North Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates 14. Holiday Inn Express Chicago-Schaumburg, 1550 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 15. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Chicago Hoffman Estates, 2875 Greenspoint Parkway, Hoffman Estates 16. Quality Inn, 2075 Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates 17. Extended Stay America – Chicago – Schaumburg – I-90, 2000 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 18. Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Schaumburg, IL, 1401 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg 19. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, 2001 North Roselle Road, Schaumburg Destinations Tags: air charter Hoffman Estates, air charter Illinois, Hoffman Estates private jet, Illinois private jet	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1077
__label__wiki	0.737229	0.737229	What the heck should the Fed do now? by Jesse Solomon @JesseSolomonCNN October 16, 2014: 7:10 AM ET For most of the five-year bull market, the Federal Reserve has been the life of the party. Now, it's sitting on the sidelines. Stocks have tanked in recent weeks as investors fret about slowing global growth, geopolitics, and Ebola. The Fed's strategy during previous bouts of fear was simple: flood the market with stimulus and vow to hold down interest rates seemingly until the end of time. Unfortunately, those strategies are no longer viable. Most investors expect the cheap money to end next month and for interest rates to rise by next summer. Related: Ebola is spooking Wall Street "Policymakers are running out of ammo," said a morning note from Ed Yardeni at Yardeni Research. "There's not much that the Fed can do to boost global economic growth other than delay raising interest rates next year, which I've characterized as the 'none and done' option." Technically the Fed, lead by Chairwoman Janet Yellen, could reverse course and ramp up its bond buying program. San Francisco Fed President John Williams, a prominent member of the Fed's operating committee, raised that prospect this week in an interview with Reuters. But the Fed has been working diligently to unwind that program since the beginning of the year, and an about face on that policy could make investors even more nervous by giving off the impression that the Fed doesn't know what its doing, claimed Allen Sinai, Chief Economist for Decisions Economics. "The Fed policy picture is confused," he said. "It's scaring the markets." Sinai forecasts that the Fed will wrap up its stimulus next month as planned, and his forecast for rate hikes by the middle of 2015 hasn't changed. Related: Bond limbo: How low can rates go? He noted that inflation or employment would have to drop dramatically before the Fed actually veered from its current path. In other words, the Fed isn't going to step in just because the stock market is freaking out. It would instead have to see some hard economic data showing that the U.S. economy is ailing. Christopher Probyn, Chief Economist at State Street Global Advisors, echoed that sentiment. He points out that despite concerns about what's happening around the world, there hasn't really been any bad news to suggest that the American economy is deteriorating. He characterized the market's recent sell off as an overreaction. "I don't really understand what piece of information has caused people to be less fundamentally optimistic about 2015," he said. Markets go for a wild ride The central bank story across the pond is a similar one. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's stimulus measures have failed to adequately prop up Europe's economy, even though he famously said in 2012 that he would do "whatever it takes" to preserve the Eurozone. "It's like your fiance promising you two beautiful daughters. Frankly there's no way she can promise to deliver," quipped Probyn. "But for the record, my wife did give me two beautiful daughters." CNNMoney (New York) First published October 16, 2014: 7:10 AM ET You Can Still Buy This "Millionaire Maker" Stock Bitcoin Up 30,000X -- Here's Your Backdoor In Motley Fool Issues Rare Triple-Buy Alert This Stock Could Be Like Buying Amazon for $3.19	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1078
__label__cc	0.745918	0.254082	Hands-On – Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde (Baselworld 2017) Schwarz Etienne started with a vertical integration strategy a few years ago, going as far as producing hairsprings in-house, with their sister company E2O innovations (read our recent introduction article about the brand here). This involved deep products’ evolution and a strategy based on a modular approach to movement development; a family of mechanical movements was created and evolved into different versions. Today, we take a look at the interesting La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde, which was presented during Baselworld 2017. The Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde or PSR (for retrograde small second) is the latest iteration of a families of movements initiated with the presentation of the MSE (Manual Schwarz Etienne) caliber in 2013, a nice 13’’’ ¼ twin barrel movement with 4 days of power reserve. It was followed by the ASE (Automatic Schwarz Etienne), the ISE (Irreversible Schwarz Etienne) and the TSE (Tourbillon Schwarz Etienne). The TSE caliber is a one-minute tourbillon movement with its micro-rotor on the dial side. It now incorporates a retrograde small-second, integrated in a really original way, as its mechanism is built directly in connection with the Tourbillon. A snail cam (colimaçon for those eager to build their French watchmaking vocabulary) is mounted on the tourbillon arbor. A ratchet gear is resting on this cam while the system is tensioned with a spring made with E2O Innovations. The mechanism therefore allows for the small seconds hand to advance along an arc and then suddenly jump back to recommence at the starting point. Because the cam is shaped with a constantly increasing diameter, there is little disturbance in the way to Tourbillon is running, although the retrograde seconds is mounted directly on its arbor. In this respect, Schwarz Etienne reports that the amplitude loss is less than 10%, which allows the tourbillon to operate efficiently. The motion of the tourbillon and of the retrograde seconds is eye-catching and this ballet is completed by the oscillation of a cool bi-directional micro-rotor. The movement reveals its inner workings in complete transparency. The play of movement, volumes, contrasting materials and colors works very well and adds a lot of visual depth. The movement features a grey finish with sandblasting on the main plate, Geneva stripes and hand-chamfering. It runs at 3 Hz, for a power reserve of 72 hours (3 days). The Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde is available in two versions. Green aventurine or grey hematite specularite (fine stones) are used to manufacture the small seconds indicator and the off-centred hours and minutes dial. 44mm in diameter, the round case is crafted from steel or pink gold. Its back is engraved with gears and features an opening on the Tourbillon cage. The Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde is worn on a qualitative alligator strap with green or grey alligator lining, matching the color of the dial which is a nice touch. It is closed with a folding buckle. For more information, visit www.schwarz-etienne.com. Technical specifications – Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde Case: 44 mm – stainless steel or 18k pink gold – sapphire crystal – engraved case back with opening on the tourbillon – water resistant to 50m Movement: TSE122.00 – 30.40 x 7.05 mm – mechanical with automatic winding (micro-rotor) – min. 72h power reserve – 28,800 vibrations/h – 40 jewels – off-center indication of the hours and minutes, retrograde seconds, one-minute tourbillon Strap: alligator strap with alligator lining, folding buckle matching the case material Retail price: CHF 62,900 for the steel version, CHF 87,400 for the pink gold version. Schwarz Etienne Baselworld High-end Watches Independent Watchmaking Novelty Skeleton Watches Tourbillon https://monochrome-watches.com/schwarz-etienne-la-chaux-de-fonds-tourbillon-petite-seconde-retrograde-baselworld-2017-price/ Live From QP – New Versions of the Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-Fonds ... Hands-On – Schwarz-Etienne ‘La Chaux-de-Fonds’ Tourbillon... Hands-On – De Grisogono New Retro Tourbillon Skeleton Schwarz-Etienne Roma Power Reserve with In-house Movement and Balance Sprin... Born independent, Combating gravity – 5 Original Tourbillon Watches f... Beautiful, I love the way the snail cam and retrgograde second gear are openworked! Hands-on The New Canopus Gold Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional In-Depth All the Details About the New Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Master… Introducing The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1081
__label__cc	0.596073	0.403927	2ND PLACE - SERIES, Fine Art, 2020 Photo © Rita Santanatoglia TITLE: 1943, journey in a story. Series is my free interpretation of bombing of Rome in Second World War. On July 19 ,1943, the entire working class district of San Lorenzo was destroyed,3000 Italian civilians were killed in the raids over five residential/railway districts. In those pictures I propose a journey from the future in this past,I just wanted identifying with feelings and the atmosphere that those places profuse. Photos are taken in Rome, with Ilford 400 ISO and Nikon FM 35mm. AUTHOR: Rita Santanatoglia ITALY I was born in a region of central Italy, Marche, and I graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Rome. I exhibited in several collective exhibitions, in Rome ,in Lisbon ,in France and in my Region. I have got my first solo exhibition in Rome at 'Punto estatico Gallery' in June 2010 and the last one in September 2019 at 'MAYDAY' gallery in Porto Potenza Picena, Macerata ,in my region. I have been assistant professor for the photography teacher at the school of Fine Arts in Rome; one of my photos is kept in MUSINF,the information and photography museum in Senigallia ,Ancona. Five of my pictures are published in 'IL CORPO SOLITARIO, l'autoscatto nella fotografia contemporanea' , is a textbook ,in two books, about the self-portrait in contemporary photography and used by the school of Fine Arts in Italy. I work as portrait photographer in France , in Italy and in London (in the disco clubs) and, now,also as Art teacher in the primary school ,second grade. Support this photographer - share this work on Facebook. Rita Santanatoglia - 1943, journey in a story. © 2016 - 2021 MONOVISIONS AWARDS	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1082
__label__cc	0.503616	0.496384	Tag: keats #romanticism – Romanticism and Social Media John Keats was a brilliant poet and a darling of the Romantic age and whilst his legacy has been somewhat eclipsed by the formidable shadow of Lord Byron, many snippets from his works have slipped into common usage. For example “A thing of beauty is a joy forever’, that was his, it’s from a poem called Endymion. I’m not sure how many people are aware of its origin, I certainly wasn’t until I stumbled across the poem in a collection in my high school library. Today I follow The Keats Letters Project, The Keats Shelley Society and The Keats Foundation on Twitter and daily, depending on the congestion of my feed, I often get a random daily dose of Keats. Image: Kate Ter Haar CC BY 2.0 In this post, I’m going to focus on the works of the Romantics and the place they have posthumously found within social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The titular ‘#romanticism’ will immediately bring up results for an ocean of tweets of the work of the great romantic painters, including the works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (pictured) generally tweeted by accounts that identify as the artist’s name such as John Everitt Millais @artistmillais. Rebellious and subversive poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge & Percy Bysshe Shelley never lived to see their writing form become old hat. There was no possibility that they could comprehend moving from romanticism to modernism, modernism to postmodernism and so on. The likes of Shelley, Byron and Keats have drifted in and out of favour and in this age of social media we might expect that these tired authors might be firmly relegated to history. But then came social media and literature nerds like myself and countless others are consistently brushing off the metaphorical dusty pages, canvasses and plates to not only digitise but memorialise and adapt pieces of the Romantic movement. Below is one of my tweets using the #romaniticism hashtag to share an edited image from a literary annual featuring works of Romanticism for young ladies to promote my podcast that talks about a work of Romanticism by Mary Shelley, one of the great authors of the Romantic movement. And that my friend is convergence. New podcast episode 'The Keepsake' Mary Shelley, scarlet silk and mistaken identities Promo from @loadedlitpod grabbed from the @LadyPodSquad #literature #books #MaryShelley #thekeepsake #literary #annuals #romanticism pic.twitter.com/nieVOpXSDt — The FrankenPod (@TheFrankenpod) July 21, 2018 Vast quantities of books from the Romantic period have been digitised by libraries and archives, they have been transcribed by volunteers at Project Gutenberg and read by volunteers at Librivox. That information or the books they are derived from is then used by others to write blogs, record Youtube videos, make podcasts and create those very pretty and ambiguous inspirational quotes. Now it’s your turn… by Michael Coghlan by CC by 2.0 All or most of these creations are shared on social media. But none of this happens without the human desire to make mediums collide and take their experience of a text into a different realm. These sharable, likeable and Tweetable formats that we squeeze these often weighty, sometimes iconic texts and images may have the effect of diminishing the work, but it can also have the effect of adding to rather than subtracting from the narrative of the artefact; that is it can make a static piece of art into something that living, morphing and consistently reimagined. Ross & Sayers (2014) highlight the way that modernist texts can become alive through social media and other internet-mediated discourse and a similar argument could be applied to the preceding Romantic movement. If 'Poetry: the best words in the best order.' (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) then what on earth is Twitter?#romanticism #poetry #coleridge #quotes #homework #literature As Wright suggests in ‘Battle of the Books’ (2009) this new digitisation of literature means that ‘the book is becoming a fluid entity that can flow into a number of vessels’ and the same is true of poetry and art. The appeal of these particular works of the Romantic period is surely due in no small measure to their status in the public domain, leaving these iconic works that helped pave the way for western cultural heritage as we know it freely available for anyone to read, dissect and reimagine. Ebook by Daniel Sancho by CC by 2.0 Listen to a quick podcast on Romantic Gothic literature, impermanence and Percy Bysshe Shelley Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NYU Press, New York, USA. Keats, J 1818, Endymion, British Library, retrieved 26th July 2018, <https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/first-edition-of-keatss-endymion>. Romanticism, Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Retrieved 26th July 2018, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/romanticism> Ross, S & Sayers, J 2014, ‘Modernism meets digital humanities’, Literature Compass, vol. 11, no. 9, pp.625-633. Wright, A 2009, ‘The battle of the books’, The Wilson Quarterly (1976-), vol. 33, no. 4, pp.59-64. “Portrait of John Keats” by Joseph Severn, 1821, Retrieved from the National Portrait Gallery. “Laptop” by Bonzo, Open Clip Art under CC BY 1.0. “Joan of Arc” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1882, Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. “Now it’s your turn…” by Michael Coghlan under CC BY 2.0, Flickr. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty; that is all ye know on earth and all ye need know. – John Keats” by Kate Ter Haar is licensed under CC BY 2.0, “ebook” by Daniel Sancho is licensed under CC BY 2.0 The “Ozymandias Collossus”, Ramesseum, Luxor, Egypt by Charlie Phillips is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Evermore by Kai Engel is licensed under an Attribution License 3.0 License. Kelli’s Number by U.S. Army Blues is licensed under a Public Domain 1.0 License.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1084
__label__cc	0.5425	0.4575	Browsing Tag The Wonder Years Fast Five 3 Fast Five: February 17, 2020 Single or not, new music from Kvelertak, Silent Planet, Spanish Love Songs, Tame Impala, and The Wonder Years kept us company this Valentine's Day. ... On February 17, 2020 / By Tim Dodderidge Set Off More Fireworks, As Fireworks Is Back Following reunions by My Chemical Romance and Rage Against the Machine, a lesser-known but also respected band has hopped on the comeback train: Fireworks. ... On November 13, 2019 / By Eric Spitz The Wonder Years, Have Mercy, and More on Long Island: Photos The Wonder Years, Have Mercy, Oso Oso, and Shortly stopped by Long Island’s Paramount Theater last week in support of The Wonder Years’ fifth studio LP, Sister Cities. Shortly ... On November 29, 2018 / By Jessica Tyler 7 Stellar Albums From the First Half of 2018 That Went Under the Radar The first six months of 2018 have given us plenty of good tunes to jam. But as Dance Gavin Dance, Senses Fail, and The Wonder Years grabbed the spotlight ... On July 18, 2018 / By Tim Dodderidge The Wonder Years’ Sister Cities World Tour Takes New Jersey As The Wonder Years frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell said Sunday night in Asbury Park, Sister Cities is an album about empathy and connectivity. While this album was specifically ... On May 9, 2018 / By Jessica Tyler 12 Albums to Help You Get Ready for Winter Winter is a time filled with cups of hot chocolate, hand-knitted beanies, and gifts upon gifts. But music is also a big part of the season, and I’m ... On December 15, 2017 / By Tim Dodderidge Album Reviews 0 Knuckle Puck Sharpens Pop-Punk Style, Loses a Bit of Firepower on Shapeshifter Pop-punk has been in a rut the past few years. You might even argue that the genre has been in a hangover since the early 2000s, with bands ... On October 27, 2017 / By Tim Dodderidge The holiday decorations are stowed away, the cold weather is permeating, and the New Year’s resolutions are all but broken at this point. That means it’s time for us to look ... On February 2, 2017 / By Tim Dodderidge	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1092
__label__wiki	0.916187	0.916187	Charges: Coon Rapids Man Supplied Heroin That Caused Overdose DeathA 30-year-old Coon Rapids man is accused of supplying heroin that caused an overdose death in September, according to a charge filed in Hennepin County. Henn. Co. Attorney Charging More Heroin Dealers With MurderHennepin County's top prosecutor has charged a total of 12 people in the last five years with selling someone a deadly batch of heroin. St. Paul Man Charged With Murder In Fatal Heroin OverdoseA St. Paul man is facing third-degree murder charges in connection to the heroin overdose death of an Orono man last summer. Hennepin Co. Sheriff: Narcan Device DefectiveThe Hennepin County sheriff says his office has been given defective devices to distribute a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose — a problem as the number of such overdoses has been on the rise. Charges: Man Seeking Heroin Steals Idling Car Full Of ChildrenA man searching for drugs wound up stealing a car that happened to have 3 children inside. It happened Christmas Eve night in the Loring Park neighborhood. Robbinsdale Man Charged In Heroin Overdose DeathA 27-year-old Robbinsdale man is accused of selling a man heroin who later overdosed on it, according to a charge filed in Anoka County. Naloxone Training Lauded As Key To Preventing Heroin DeathsFor many people dealing with loved ones and their heroin addiction, the news of nine heroin overdoses over the weekend is mind-blowing. Authorities Investigating Wave Of Anoka County Heroin OverdosesAnoka County authorities are investigating what they call an "alarming" wave of heroin overdoses from this weekend. Sheriff's Office: 6 Heroin Overdoses In Anoka Co. In 12 HoursAuthorities in Anoka County say there were an “alarming” number of heroin overdoses in the area Saturday. 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Charges: Woman Found Driving With Heroin In Her UnderwearA Roseville woman is facing charges after she was found driving while high with heroin in her underwear. Jennifer Marie Joyner, 28, has been charged with one count of controlled substance in the fifth degree and one count of third degree driving while impaired. Minn. Mother Warned Police About Woman Charged For Heroin DeathBeverly Burrell is charged with third degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Nick Petrick. But one mother believes Burrell should have been behind bars months ago after the information she passed on to police. WCCO Weather Watcher 9:00 AMWCCO Mid-Morning 12:00 PMWCCO 4 News at Noon U.S. Capitol Stormed From CBSNews National Guard troops being vetted as they arrive to guard CapitolSecurity officials are concerned about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing the inauguration. 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Congress is investigating the security failures surrounding the assault on the U.S. Capitol, as more details come to light. CBS News' Debra Alfarone joins ""CBSN AM"" with the latest. CBS News Poll: Majority of Americans are bracing for more political violenceOur latest CBS News poll shows that a majority of Americans see democracy under threat and expect political violence to increase in the U.S. over the next few years. CBS news elections and surveys director Anthony Salvanto joined CBSN to discuss what the latest poll shows about politics and the pandemic. Jailed Russian opposition leader calls on supporters to "resist"Putin's No. 1 foe, detained in Moscow after poisoning, says he's "seen a lot of mockery of justice," but calls his sudden appearance before a judge "the highest degree of lawlessness." First look inside new museum that celebrates impact and influence of African Americans on musicAnthony Mason gets a look inside the new National Museum of African American Music in Nashville for the first time. The museum is a celebration of African Americans' contributions to and influence across the musical landscape, and with new historical context, rewriting their role in the American soundtrack. Mason talks to Grammy winners H.E.R. and Darius Rucker about their own influences and the impact they hope this museum will have.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1094
__label__cc	0.674869	0.325131	Servetus unashamed, or: Many fewer than 95 Theses on Armitagemania Richard Armitage as Richard Armitage, photographed at the Strike Back premiere, April 15, 2010. The straight-on, appraising gaze. One of my absolute favorite pictures of the man himself. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com Last week I admitted that I had some questionable fantasies about John Porter, and then I admitted that I had developed a certain kind of fantasy life around Richard Armitage himself. So did a sister blogger. I got a fair amount of off-blog mail about those posts, either expressing concern about my sanity, or admonishing me for my inappropriate action in writing about this stuff (or writing about it and not labeling it as fiction). That notwithstanding, I say to all of you, I feel so much better now. Because not admitting it did not make all that stuff not real. And since that is a classic coping strategy of my mother (pretending that real things aren’t real in hopes of making them not real), I should have realized by now both what I was doing and why it was creating problems. As John Porter (Richard Armitage) warns Hugh of all of the things he is likely to suffer when the truth about the Bratton extraction comes out, we see him remembering all the pain inflicted on him as a result of the distrust he received from his family and the regiment, in Strike Back 1.6. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com. All of which realizations prompt me to try to express a few things that have been percolating a few weeks and since the last time I addressed the issue of what constitutes “appropriate” behavior for fans in general and for me in specific. As in the past, this is probably at least partially a work in progress. Richard Armitage and a fan after he hugged her, in the publicity buildup to the Spooks 9.1 premiere. Interview on Radio 1, September 17, 2010. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com 1. If you have Armitagemania, pretending you don’t have fantasies won’t work as a means of getting rid of them. Writing about them will also not necessarily help you get rid of them, although it will force you to look at both yourself and your fantasies. Writing may also calm you, however, and you may find friends to sympathize. 2. If you have Armitagemania, admitting that you have fantasies — or even writing about them in detail — will not make you into a “crazy” fan who does “inappropriate” things. (Unless, of course, you are already one of those, in which case see [2] below.) I’ve experienced no impulses to mail Mr. Armitage my underwear or a photo of myself in a bikini with my cell phone number scrawled on it, and not even the faintest desire to move to Wellington and follow him around town, either before making these admissions or since. Why not? Because I am not the kind of person who does those things. Admitting to a fantasy — no matter how “crazy” or “inappropriate” it may be — is not a step on the path to criminal behavior. Without evidence, that’s a slippery slope argument. 3. Writing about your Armitagemania will not cause someone else who’s been “on the cusp” to turn into a “crazy” fan who does “inappropriate” things, either. Why not? Because people who do those things decide to take those steps all by themselves. They were “crazy” people with a tendency to do “inappropriate” things before Armitagemania, and they have a likelihood of being that way afterward as well. People like that are hiding in plain sight by masquerading as “normal” fans, not waiting, susceptible, to be fertilized into crazies by the fantasies of other “normal” fans. Writing about my fantasies does not facilitate the questionable behaviors of other people; they do that all on their own, without assistance from me. My fantasies are a vehicle, I suppose you could argue, but not a cause. Richard Armitage as Alex Track in The Golden Hour. Putting this here because it pains me to take it off the top of the blog when I publish this post. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com. 4. Conversely, I have come to believe, writing about “inappropriate” behavior and why it is bad will never stop people who behave “inappropriately” from doing so. My disapproval of the action of any other fan will never be a sufficient barrier to her decision to do something she has decided is acceptable. I know this because such statements would be unlikely to stop me. If I claim that it’s okay to trust myself as a rational actor who can make decisions according to a conscience derived from what I find to be a thoughtful moral calculus, I have to assume that others can also make such claims and that they are legitimate, at least on their own terms. Just as I am the only one who can change myself, I cannot protect Mr. Armitage from the “crazy” behavior of anyone else but myself. In that sense, the only way in which I can make prescriptions about appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior is by following my own conscience. Presumably, each of us has her own and doesn’t need to be burdened with the strictures of those of others. You’ve noticed that I never broach certain topics here that are discussed with some regularity elsewhere. That needs to be my decision for me — not for everyone else in the fandom. 5. I want to apologize for steps in the direction of prescription of others’ behavior that I have made in the past, because I really don’t know better than others how they should behave. I believe that on some level this discussion of appropriate fan behavior is a necessary step in the development of any fan’s consciousness, and a way of thinking through a problem that uses other fans as a measure, but I think we have to keep in mind that this is an identity development problem for the fan herself, not an essential statement about the essential appropriateness / inappropriateness of others’ behavior. That is, by looking at others’ “crazy” behavior, we develop our own personal sense(s) of the boundaries of “normal.” I think it’s not surprising that such statements sometimes occur early in the unfolding of a blog insofar as writing in a single authorial voice for the public about the role Mr. Armitage and his work play in one’s life can be read as “too much.” Once one has engaged in the act of speaking about one’s fascination, such statements become part of the process of deciding “how far I will go” or “how far is too far.” At the same time, however, I have grown to believe that to some extent such statements reflect our own guilt, not about our actual or likely behavior, but about our feelings. We see a behavior (for me it was lewd comments on youtube videos) and recognize the emotion or reaction that underlies it in ourselves. It’s not enough to say (for instance), “I will never make crude comments about Richard Armitage’s posterior on youtube”; instead, we use prescriptions we make to others to reassure ourselves that we are not “inappropriate” fans. Let’s recognize that in this case, saying “she shouldn’t do that” is, in many cases, really a statement that says, “I wouldn’t do that, but part of me wishes I could.” 6. Given that prescriptions we make to others are really about our own identities as fans, it’s time for us to abandon the frequent justification that we’re prescribing behaviors to others because we are trying to protect either them (a sentiment I regularly heard in my comments for awhile) or, more commonly, that we are trying to protect Mr. Armitage. Mr. Armitage does not need protection from his “normal” fans; indeed, he needs support from them and they are important to his career. He potentially needs protection from “crazy” fans (or, perhaps, from rude ones), but this is not something that we can give him from our position as writers. Our forays into Armitage protectiveness mode are really all about us. Honestly, I hardly think that people who are doing the sort of things he occasionally reports he doesn’t like are members of our community. So let’s ease up on each other in this regard. We risk making each other into shrews, I fear, and all over something that we have no control over, anyway. Let’s prescribe not to prescribe, or rather, that if we do prescribe, it’s that each of us uses her conscience. Next one in the series. Repeated for the same reason as specified above. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com. 7. Why is this important? For two reasons. The first is that I sometimes think that insofar as there’s tension with this fandom, it has to do with precisely the issue of what it’s okay to say one thinks about Mr. Armitage. (And in rare cases, how should one behave if one meets him — but very, very few of us have that opportunity, so it’s a relatively smaller issue.) This tendency relates not only to disagreements over concrete issues (would Armitage prefer his fans keep their distance, or is he essentially fan-friendly?), but even to what it’s acceptable to discuss (can we talk about his personal life ever?). The reason I think this mutual policing of each other is unfortunate relates to the second reason, which is that every second I spend prescribing behavior for someone else is a second that I’ve wasted in terms of self-expression. 8. Here I am potentially burying a central assumption of this argument in a disadvantageous position, but I’ll write more about this eventually, too — that is, while I think Armitagemania is about many things, in a different mix for different individuals — about appreciation of artistry, about the perception and critique of identity, about fantasy, about desire, about thinking about partners, and certainly also about sexual attraction — I am starting to think that its central feature is the facilitation of expression. Armitagemania helps people find a voice — whether an artistic one, a verbal one, a visual one, an analytical one, a personal one. How else to explain the many blogs that have sprung up in the last year? The numerous drawings and paintings of characters he’s played? The unbelievable industry of fanvidders? And all the stories of people who’ve been moved to try something new that they’d never have contemplated without the Armitage example? The number of voices moved to express is impressive. And I remain clear that the plurality of voices is a strength, not a weakness. The more, the better. 9. Every second I spend thinking about what I am not allowed to say for reasons that have nothing to do with my own conscience is a waste of energy and a betrayal of self. Armitagemania happened to free me from the waste and self-betrayal I’ve experienced as a professional for the last decade. No more rules for me except those self-imposed: to follow my conscience, to be forthright, to be honest, to say things the best way I can. Not to waste energy, and not ever to betray my voice, even though it’s only developing now. ~ by Servetus on May 3, 2011. Posted in Alex Track, Armitage as victim, Armitageworld dogmas, attempts at bravery, fans, fantasy, gratitude, gravitas, humiliation, if I could interview Mr. Armitage, John Porter, joy, loss, me, morality / ethics / norms, objectification, reality, redemption, Richard Armitage, sex, the Armitage morass, the real Armitage, why Armitage?, Why me? 213 Responses to “Servetus unashamed, or: Many fewer than 95 Theses on Armitagemania” Could have put this off-blog; but the h with it. Don’t give a second thought about fitzgj4 said this on May 3, 2011 at 2:29 am \| Reply Bravo, my dear Servetus. Well said. I see Richard as an extraordinary catalyst in my life, an amazing muse who has inspired me in so many ways and has helped me through some very dark days. I like him, I admire him, I respect him–and yeah, I think he’s absolutely gorgeous and very, very sexy. But even if I am “larger than life” as Frenzy says, I would NEVER send him undies or photos of me in compromising positions or start stalking him. Even if I was 20 years younger and never mind how many pounds lighter. Because I DO like and respect and admire him. And you don’t treat people you consider special in such a thoughtless manner, do you? Angieklong said this on May 3, 2011 at 2:36 am \| Reply The laptop bounced. May I finish, WordPress? Thank you. Watching election returns. Multi-tasking isn’t always a Good Thing. having the odd fantasy about the actor himself. Hardly unnatural or indication of insanity. Who doesn’t have such fantasies? Our fantasies might not take all take a similar form. Who cares? There’s so much respect for Mr. Armitage within this blog and among the commenters. There is also no doubting that an enormous part of the actor’s appeal is sexual. Please express yourselves, servetus and everyone else. Publish and be…. @Angie 😀 you interrupted me – giggle 😀 and hugs. Oops, fitzg, Sorry!! I wanted to add, “Servetus, you have nothing to be ashamed about.” Mr. A is who he is, and he is one enormously appealing man on a number of levels. I agree, the occasional fantasy is not something anyone should beat themselves up over (or berate anyone else over). We’re human; he’s, well–Richard Armitage!! 😀 I rest my case. I should perhaps clarify, if it’s not clear from the post, that one of the issues in my mind was the question of whether my expression of my fantasies endangers others. That’s most of what I am claiming to have resolved here for myself 🙂 servetus said this on May 3, 2011 at 2:52 am \| Reply That’s the point of course Servetus. You don’t claim them as anything but fantasies. You don’t write about doing anything inappropriate with Mr A and you give him the respect he very much deserves. Nothing dangerous there that I can see. Amandajane said this on May 3, 2011 at 7:56 am \| Reply I’m taking a bow. RAFrenzy said this on May 3, 2011 at 3:13 am \| Reply Well, you know, a fair amount of this was for you 🙂 servetus said this on May 3, 2011 at 11:23 pm \| Reply Endanger others? If we’re not adults on this blog, then we don’t have to be here. Don’t feel like an endangered species myself. 😀 That smacks of censorship and Big Brother for me when people start talking about “endangering others” — let’s take this book off the shelf, close down this blog . . . NO ONE is holding a gun to anyone’s head (well, as far as I know) makiing them read this or any blog. It’s your choice as an grown-up individual, isn’t it? You guys should be able to speak your mind in your own blog as your conscience guides you. Also, considering recent events, people endlessly quibbling over things that are really not of earth-shattering importance kind of irritates me. That and the fact I have “those” cramps for the first time in well over a year. sigh Grapefruit, anyone? 🙂 It couldn’t hurt at this point.;) Perhaps because it hasn’t happened in so long, it seems worse than ever? Coupled with the fact I am knackered. Angieklong said this on May 3, 2011 at 11:38 pm \| Reply No endangered species here either Servetus. I may not be the sharpest knife in the block, I may be be eccentric and I admit to having treatment for a mental illness ( ie depression ); what I’m not is unable to tell fantasy from real life. I’m also able to appreciate a highly talented, intelligent, hard working, modest, polite and charming actor who I happen to find incredibly attractive; and keep it at a distance and be respectful both to him and fellow fans. I’ve certainly never read anything (and since 2006 I shudder to think how many words that amounts to ) that would ‘endanger’ that. The problem, Fitz, is that everything you see on this blog is not everything to be seen. Servetus, I think you know I needed this post. Thanks. There are times I get so close to really letting go, well, I may do it any day, and Damn! I know it will be good even if it pisses everyone around me off. Frenz, if you do decide to let go, know you’ll only tick off the ones who probably need to go elsewhere anyway. The rest of us will cheer, “thank goodness she finally said it!” I always wonder: do these people have anybody to tell them when to stop, the sort of person who they admire and respect, who says their crap stinks and they’re out of control? Because I get the impression nobody else has. judiang said this on May 3, 2011 at 5:02 am \| Reply That was supposed to be “Because I get the impression they think nobody else has.” Can you tell I abhor thought police? Thanks, Judi. RAFrenzy said this on May 4, 2011 at 12:10 am \| Reply Me too, Judi. Please don’t tell me what I should watch, read, or listen to or how I should think. I am an adult and I can make those decisions for myself. Angieklong said this on May 4, 2011 at 12:26 am \| Reply I agree that there should be no thought police. I abhor it too, but usually the problem in communication doesn’t arise from an explicit statement of do’s and dont’s directed toward someone(s). It often comes when someone just gives an opinion, and not necessarily directed to anyone in particular, for example,if I were to say, “I don’t like slash. I think it has an ick factor, and I don’t want to read it, and I probably will never feature it on my blog.” If I were to say that, what would you think? Would you think I had overstepped my bounds and was trying to corral what you’re doing? Those are honest questions. I’m curious what you think, and no, I’m not trying to be antagonistic at all. Ah, but you aren’t saying, “And no one else should be reading or writing this kind of stuff.” You are not setting yourself up as the Hall Monitor for Armitage-Related Creative Stuff. That’s the difference for me, Frenz. You aren’t writing RA and his agent and complaining about slash or mounting a campaign to end all slash on fanfic sites. Plenty of people don’t like slash and I respect that. I don’t like all of it, anymore than I like some people’s writing of hetero relationships or some fanfic writing, period. All fanfic authors are not created equal, let’s be honest. But I am not going to tell them they can’t write what they choose to write. I just don’t read it. And I think you know me well enough by now to know you coudn’t corral me if you wanted to 😉 You are one of my peeps, girl. You’re right; I would never be try to corral you. 😀 But you and I know that someone reading what I just wrote is hacked I said that and has already construed it as a type of control since I guess it’s a restrictive (disciminating?) statement. But really, it’s just my opinion, which begs the question: do you never share your tastes, which by their very nature are restrictive? Is this where I slip in that I didn’t like the LOTR movies. Yes, I’m one of those who didn’t like the movies (ducks). The second movie was so boring to me that I fell asleep in the theater. BUT I’m willing to take a second look. LOL! 😎 I did say earlier I might cut loose at anytime. 😉 I’m really, really not trying to be antagonistic. LOL! I hope the Wrath of the Tolkien fans doesn’t rain down on you, dear Frenz. I read the books and loved them as a teen, but I haven’t seen all of any of the movies, so I can’t really weigh in on my feelings. (I do love other things PJ has directed, though.) Seriously, it’s a shame if we feel as if we can’t express our own views and tastes because we fear someone is going to beat us up for it if they don’t coincide with their views and tastes. How boring and Stepford Wife-ish if we all thought exactly the same way. Of course, I have no shame. I’ve made two videos with Ke$ha songs. And bought her CD! My guilty, guilty pleasure . . . I liked the books. OOh, maybe that makes it sound worse. LOL! The fact I run an anonymous blog should indicate how I feel about potentially getting beat up but certainly not by someone in cyberworld. Although a few of you do know the “real me.” I hate that term. This is the real me dammit! 😀 And we like the real you. The real you on blogs and the real “real” you offblog. Wait. I’m confused. Who’s on first? 😉 Angieklong said this on May 4, 2011 at 3:31 am Should I even go on about understanding guilty pleasures? 😉 I think we all have them, don’t you, whether or not we admit it. I would love to know what RA’s considers his guiltiest guilty pleasure . . . 😉 I agree that this is a real problem, but I think on some level we could conclude that the Internet is a way of circumventing it. I’ve noticed how this works in my class at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution lecture, when I ask my students how many pairs of underwear they have (usually dozens and dozens) and then ask them what they would do if they didn’t have automatic washing machines and dryers and cheap textiles. Some classes are willing to be creative (can I turn my underwear inside out?) but in some classes, someone expresses a restrictive opinion about how people who don’t change their underwear every day are gross, and then everyone feels they have to agree. At least part of this dynamic is due to the fact that they see each other all the time. no one wants to be known as that kid who doesn’t change her underwear enough. But on the Internet, we can be freer, right? We don’t have to be afraid of the consequences of having our fantasies known. I’ll never run into one of you in the hallway and know that you’re thinking, “ah, she’s the one who dreams of bondage.” Obviously, that freedom has its negative outcomes too (social constraints also restrict trolls from being too trolly in real life), but it has to have some positive outcomes, no? Yeah, we can be freer and yeah, there are pitfalls, but I still love it, and when the issue is raised about free thought I wonder how much people really mean that. It’s just like the statement of underwear being gross. Who is going to disagree and say we need more thought control? Well, not if you call it “thought control.” But if you call it “appropriate writing”? Plenty of people. servetus said this on May 4, 2011 at 8:48 pm \| Reply I should have phrased that as “thought police” since that was the issue raised. Well, even the thought police have their defenders. They certainly did in the East bloc in their day. servetus said this on May 5, 2011 at 1:53 am I’m a fan and heartily endorse everything you said. I’m going to go out on a limb and add an observation from my years in other fandoms: IMHO the most strident and loudest “fans” who attempt to police others are the ones fearful of or in denial of their own potential craziness. They don’t understand boundaries, see only in black and white and don’t get nuances in behavior. They are unable to distinguish between wholly disturbing behavior/thoughts or innocuous ones. Hence they straightjacket themselves into a unreasonably rigid mindset and attempt to foist this thinking on everybody else. Personally, this type of fear-based repressed thinking is exasperating because it attempts to shutdown thoughtful discussion and keeps things on the level of superficial squee where these fans are comfortable. This element of enforced mindlessness is one of the reasons I don’t participate in fan forum discussions. The fantasies you described were harmless, and truth be told, they weren’t particularly shocking. The only surprising part was you felt free to say them, based on your earlier posts. I saw it as a watershed moment of liberation for you. This type of fan will never understand your blog; it’s too esoteric for them. However, I applaud you for that post and this follow-up. I can’t imagine you saying any of this a year ago. Your tone and language is becoming more direct and true as you discover and find your voice. I’m thrilled for you. OML 🙂 OneMoreLurker said this on May 3, 2011 at 3:13 pm \| Reply Or perhaps, just perhaps, they’re not repressive Calvinists, but they’ve seen the damage obsessed fans can do to the fandom as a whole? Fanfics about RA and the woman who starred in North and South with him, written as though they were a real word couple, exist and are excruciatingly embarrassing to read, and would probably seem intrusive to RA if he searched them out for some reason. But I doubt he has, and presumably they haven’t hurt the fandom as a whole. But a few years back someone wrote a fanfic about Guy of Gisborne, post series 2, capturing Marian and abusing her sexually in revenge for her rejection at the altar. There was a certain logic about it–he did torture people for a living–but to say it was graphic and violent S/M would be to understate things. It caused a huge reaction in the fandom. Some posted that it was not their usual cup of tea but disturbingly sexy all the same. But apparently many concerned fans wrote him about it. Eventually RA waded in to say that he felt it was inappropriate to post such material about a character in a show that was watched by children. The writer removed it from the internet, which was surely the appropriate thing? And since that time he’s distanced himself from the fandom–sometimes his “spokesperson” announces things, but there have been no more messages to fans and he’s mentioned frustration with fans more than once since then. There haven’t been any more references to how he feels like he has an army of fans supporting him. (If you look at his messages, which I think are on richardarmitage.com, you can pretty easily see when this transition happened.) Sometimes posting fantasies is neutral; sometimes, and I hope most often, it just gives pleasure to admiring fans; sometimes it takes readers to places where they read things they wish they could forget. Sometimes it makes a person a little bit embarrassed for the writer, and sometimes it has a real-world negative effect on the fandom. aaa said this on May 3, 2011 at 3:23 pm \| Reply Truthfully, I think the lunatic fringe element is, sadly, always going to be there in any fandom. And because they are lunatics, they are going to draw more attention to themselves. Then there are those who are obsessively overprotective IMHO of Richard Armitage. He’s almost 40 years old; he’s intelligent, astute, thoughtful and more than capable of managing his life without us. I think he does appreciate his fans but his fans also have to remember he doesn’t owe any of us anything. I think fans demanding too much of him and trying to police not only what fans said and did but what Richard said and did put the nail in the coffin for those regular messages. He learned to be more wary, and who can blame him? Not sure I approve of any fans contacting him about fanfic good, bad, or indifferent as it may be. That seems to me to be a further invasion of his privacy, somehow, and is more troubling to me than the fanfic concept. Just my two cents worth. I wouldn’t ever choose to write about Richard and any other real person in a relationship nor would I read that sort of thing, but I can’t imagine writing Richard and complaining about it to him. He has far more important things to do than manage our silly quarrels, don’t you think? Angieklong said this on May 3, 2011 at 5:26 pm \| Reply I don’t want to hijack this thread but since you offered a long considered reply, I’ll offer a response. I knew RA had distanced himself from fandom, but thought it was due to the BAFTA brouhaha that he was gay. I had not heard about the S&M story. I don’t like RP fiction. I find them creepy and disturbing; there are ample fictional characterizations to use for stories without bringing a real personality into it. That does strike me as invasive. But I wouldn’t insist they not write the story. Instead I’d suggest it be placed on a password protected forum where like-minded people can read it and the celebrity can not find it. As for the concerned fans that went out of their way to tell RA, I highly question their motivation. They didn’t like a piece of sadistic fiction about fictional characters. Did they actually believe the story or the writer by extension was somehow personally harming RA? It’s probable RA knows little of fandom and nothing of fan fic. His reaction was no surprise, and of course the story had to be removed which they knew would happen. Removing it was appropriate because he objected, but telling him was not. This “concern” is a perfect example of what Servetus was pointing out in her post about censorship and policing. Was RA in actual danger of anything? Was that really necessary? This strikes me as an overwrought kneejerk reaction over an issue that should have been resolved within the fandom. To run straight to the man himself has the taint of spitefulness, if not maliciousness. RA was only distressed by that story because they told him. If they were supposedly viligant for stalker craziness, that wasn’t it. Meanwhile, RA’s sweet interactions with his fans got pruned. So who did the most damage in the zeal to police the actions of others? Who was obsessed, the writer of the story or the concerned fans? A personal story: in an old fandom, a writer posted a real person fiction on our closed mailing list that was revolting by any standard. The list mom told the writer RP fic wasn’t allowed on the regular or EF list but she was free to set up shop elsewhere, which the writer did. Nobody cast aspersions and it was resolved quickly and quietly. And nobody dreamed of telling The Man. For what? I’m aware in every fandom exists a few who are genuinely disturbed and there is a real fear that one may act out and make us look bad as whole. However I’m confident, at least with this blog ring, that we will be able to identify such people and act accordingly. Here’s an example of legitimate craziness that was appropriately reported: it was leaked in my Other Crush’s fandom that he was first, engaged, and then his fiancee was expecting a baby. This news outraged one fan so much she ranted at great length that the unborn should die, among other things. BTW, OC also had a stalker. This is the type of behavior we should watch for, not fictional character based stories or Servetus promoting an honest discussion about fantasies by discussing her fantasies. Personally I tired of this trend towards of unthinking hysteria, no matter what the issue. It’s so pervasive today. judiang said this on May 3, 2011 at 5:31 pm \| Reply Let’s see if my connectino will hold this time. Judiang, as you can see by my latest comments, you and I seem to be on the same page. As a community newspaper journalist, I have to say I am heartily sick of mountains being made out of molehills and people taking idle gossip and thinking it’s the gospel truth. Tired of “unthinking hysteria” myself. And I never have liked tattle-tales or bullies. Connection. Well, I am home under the weather today. sigh Sorry to hear that, hope you feel better soon. Thanks, Judi. A combo of FMS, allergies and my female hormones trying to bring back the “bad old days” have conspired against me. I have still managed to write a couple of stories and cutlines, IDed folks on a picture page pdf and send them and photos to the office while reclining on my bed. Hooray for the Internet. @Angieklong, learning about the all the unnecessary furor over the sadistic story made me angry. RA took precious time to write those missives and court the fans; it was very sweet. Then along comes “concerned” fans who couldn’t think past their zeal and “protectiveness.” They didn’t consider who he would feel or what the lasting consequence might be. This incident plus the gay rumor nastiness must have been a shock, like petting a dog and it suddenly turns and bites him. It’s a damn shame. Yeah, a nice guy like RA with that purity Frenz mentioned in her latest post–that sweetness of spirit–certainly wouldn’t have expected some “fans” to behave as they did. (And note I put “fans” in quotes, because I suspect they aren’t as considerate of and concerned for Richard Armitage himself as they are holding up some priggish plaster saint image of him they’ve created in their minds . . . I don’t think he wants or has ever wanted to be put on a pedestal.) He’s older now, and more savvy, “wisdom from the pain.” I’m sure plenty of actors are squicked out by fanfic on general principles – some of it is quite excruciating. But seriously, what was to be gained by writing to him about it? That, to my mind, crosses a lot more boundaries than any fic I can imagine. CP said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:38 pm \| Reply Exactly, CP. Re fanfic, we’re not saying it’s all great stuff–I still can’t believe someone wrote slash stories about the guys from Top Gear!– but why, WHY would anyone feel compelled to write Richard about some fanfic they didn’t approve of? What good did that really do anyone? A writer, who was receiving no pay for her work BTW, was hounded off the internet because some fans freaked out over her stuff? Thst’s not an accomplishment I would be particularly proud of. In the immortal words of the drill sergeant in Stripes–Lighten up, Francis! Slash about the guys from Top Gear?! The mind is a curious thing. Wait, that means there’s Guy/Vasey slash too! Ewwwwwww! 😉 As for telling RA, that’s why I sense an element of spite; they need to protect their view no matter what. yeah, there is definitely Guy / Vasey slash. Well, as you know, Servetus, I have written slash, but I have to do it my way, which is definitely kinder and gentler than some of what I have seen out there. For me the dark and sadistic route just doesn’t work. It’s not “me” as a writer. Not criticizing others who do write it, just stating my POV. Someone said it’s like a sweet, funny romance that happens to feature two guys LOL The thought of Guy/Vasey slash creeps me out. Although I always thought the Troll put his hands on Guy just a little too much for Guy’s comfort . . . in this “children’s” show. Guy manipulates Vasey in “Dangerous to Know” playing upon those kinky thoughts Sherry has about Guy. Much to Sherry’s detriment Muhahahahahaha! Angieklong said this on May 4, 2011 at 12:02 am Wait. Top Gear slash? Yeah, I know. The mind boggles. But a fellow RA (and Top Gear) fan whom I trust said Top Gear slash is out there, although she hasn’t been able to bear the thought of reading any of it, even though she does read slash (can’t blame her there . . .) The Hamster and Captain Slow and Jeremy doing the nasty? With each other? I just don’t want to go THERE . . . Some people have taken things way too seriously — including Richard Armitage at times. Yes, I really said that. No offense to him, but he should have never deigned to address that issue or others, and I’m not down on him because he felt it was a reflection on him. It was not at all. He is not responsible if someone who happens to like him misbehaves. I’m sorry that he felt it was, and I’m so glad he’s distanced himself from that crap. And it’s amazing to me when fans feel entitlement beyond paying to watch something and wanting to get their money’s worth for it. Almost two years ago now I remember a fan who frequented IMDb (as I did in those days) getting their knickers in a twist over one of his interviews where he seemed to be criticizing some fans. She wrote to his agent to complain. Color me shocked when he replied with one of his messages. I’m so jaded I thought it was a joke at first and laughed about it. Thankfully, he’s learning that an arms’ length relationship with the public is healthy. In his innocence he didn’t realize at first how ferocious the public can be. No, innocence is not a euphemism for stupid. I think it’s more the case of “to the pure all things are pure.” And now I need to listen to my own words. RAFrenzy said this on May 3, 2011 at 5:54 pm \| Reply I seriously doubt RA has been part of any fandom; he’s unaware of what goes on. Mostly likely he surmised from the letters that the story was a rare aberration and a Big Deal, and he was expected to address it. Had he known about fan fic, its varieties, and that such stories are common, he probably would have ignored the letters. So, yes, his innocence played a part too. Apparently from his Christmas greeting, he’s venturing a toe in the water again. Hope nobody bites it off. Again. Judi, you’re probably right about his addressing the fanfic situation, but he’s been part of his own fandom at times, which is not an accusation at all. I realize he was not a big name and had time and was kind and innocent enough to interact with fans. Funny enough, my next diary entry is about discovering his messages to fans. It’s interesting to read my reaction to that now. Of course I agree about his annual greetings. I hope they do not swell expectations to unrealistic proportions. LOL! I couldn’t help but laugh. It is so absurd that this is even an issue. But then this is the general public, and with it come some nuts. Just hope I’m not one of them. 😆 Frenz, it’s my unqualified but considerably hot-aired opinion that the ones who are self-ware and keep tabs on their sanity usually aren’t the ones we need to worry about. You’re fine. 😉 That’s “aware.” I need to take my sloppy proofreading over to my own blog. That is the thing I recall I’d been a fan about year when that broke. It was a really sad episode on so many levels. Fans taking sides and RA withdrawing from fandom. I write FF but I would never write about a real person that is just creepy. I cannot stand slash it just does work for me. Do I complain about them no, I just don’t read them I guess that the wonderful people who write the blogs do in a way lay themselves open to criticism if a poster does not agree with the point they are making. But as I said those people replying don’t have to read it. I wonder if his fandom is evolving as well. When he first came on the scene it was really period dramafans who liked him. That has changed over the years the fan base is wider and more diverse. So RA does not have a hope of pleasing us all and nor should he try. The other thing I notice about the internet is that 1 peoples comments get misunderstood. There is no body language or change of tone in a typed comment. 2 people can be unbelievably rude when they hide behing a user name. No 1 happens a lot in RA fandom especially on a certain board. NO 2 happens rarely but is normally found where there are no mods. khandy said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:31 pm \| Reply Khandy, I do think his fanbase is definitely evolving. North & South was the catalyst for the intial furor over him and it’s been–what? seven years since that originally aired? Since then, he’s done what has been called a children’s show (Robin Hood) and two contemporary action series, Spooks and Strike Back. Now he is playing a Nazi spy and warrior dwarf. Quite different from the romantic period hero many initially gushed and swooned over. Some fans will fall away (or already have) because they don’t like his choice of roles; others will continue to support him because we know no matter what character he chooses to play, he will bring something special to the table. And new fans have been gained along the way who are perhaps quite different than those original JT-oriented fans. That sense of entitlement some “fans” feel still amazes and confuses me, Frenz. To me, THAT is something to be concerned over, not somebody’s fanfic or vids or artwork that you in some way find objectionable . . . read, watch, listen to what you like and enjoy and leave the rest ALONE. If a particular forum or blog distresses you greatly, then don’t go there unless you are a glutton for punishment. But don’t assume you should have the power as some sort of Red Queen of Armitageworld, shouting “off with their heads” every time someone, including RA, says or does something with which you disagree. I had a former boss who once told me that if you are unhappy/angry about something that you have read, write your reply, but then wait 24 hours and read it through again before deciding whether or not you should send it. Giving yourself this time to think about your response, you invaribly find that it is unwise to press the SEND button. I was never “the sharpest knife in the drawer”. I have always been of ‘C’ grade intelligence and should have listened my boss’ wise councel. Because (RAFrenzy), I’m the “fan that got her knickers in a twist” about reading an interview where I felt that RA was criticizing his fans, and consequently, as you correctly stated above, I wrote to his agents. I was misguided and don’t know what I thought I was trying to achieve by sending the e-mail. It backfired on me, big time. This is one of those stupid/foolish moments in my life that I still regret on almost a daily basis. I was naive, to say the least, and was terribly hurt by some of the cruel replies, and, some say, deserved backlash I received. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I should have certainly have waited 24 hours and read it through again. I was incredibly shocked at the response from his protective fans, who told me in no uncertain terms what they thought of me, and it was not pleasant, I can assure you. To this day, I still feel physically sick, as I did on reading you mention the event in your post above. And when RA wrote a message a couple of days later, I wished the floor would have opened up and swallowed me. It made me ill at the time and shattered any confidence I ever had about making any comments about RA on any blog again. This is extremely scary and painful to write, but isn’t confession supposed to be good for the soul? I know admitting that I am the person responsible for my lunacy on this blog today is very risky and I’m dreading reading the comments that you will post in reply. Also, I understand if I’m banned from posting comments or am removed in the future. Before this happens, I’d like to say that I’ve enjoyed all threads and posts from all on this blog. I now don’t feel so alone in some of my thoughts about RA and I’m not as crazy as I once thought I was, although you may all disagree with this. He’s a man that inspires us all in so many ways, such an incredible human being, and VERY easy on the eyes. lizzie said this on May 4, 2011 at 9:29 pm \| Reply Wow. THIS WAS BEYOND BRAVE. Nobody pick on lizzie. Seriously. Questions and comments are allowed, NO CASTIGATION. Bless your heart, lizzie. NovemberBride said this on May 4, 2011 at 9:51 pm \| Reply Amen to that! Well done you, lizzie! That took guts and I take my hat of to you! Teuchter said this on May 4, 2011 at 11:21 pm \| Reply Should proof read BEFORE I post a comment!! That should read “hat off”!! It takes a big person to admit what you have, lizzie, and I have a lot of respect for that. And that was great advice from your former boss. I think if some of the people who comment online at my newspaper would do just that–give themselves 24 hours to think things over–they wouldn’t post or they would certainly re-word things. No castigating from me, I assure you. I echo what others have said in their admiration of your making the post, and yes, confession can be good for the soul. But please know that you owe me nor anyone else a thing. You were and are entitled to an opinion even if someone disagrees with you — as I did about this incident. I do want you to know that I’ve never condoned anyone being nasty to you, and I really hate that the situation was so painful for you or anyone else. I hope that your post and this discussion will allow all of us who may have a need to put it behind. I know I had put it behind, and I should not have made that comment about the entitlement as it was a direct hit on you. What’s so ironic about this is that when the interview backlash happened, I also felt I shouldn’t have written that long diatribe on IMDb about how I hate the word fan. Imagine how it felt to see it in a postscript from Richard Armitage. It felt pretty weird and had me wishing I had never said a thing. Now I find myself in that situation again with the same incident. LOL! Yes, I’m chuckling at how this bit me again. LOL! So tell you what, let’s just move on. You game for that? 😀 Pax, RAFrenzy said this on May 4, 2011 at 11:57 pm \| Reply -Lizzie, I want to agree with what everyone has said here, in particular that you have the right to an opinion even if people disagree with you, and you have a right to express and explore it on this blog. -Second, I need to think a bit more about my own ethical position in writing something that essentially was a criticism of your behavior when I am asking people not to criticize. This is a really hard tightrope to balance on, and I beg your forgiveness for saying something that hurt you. -Third, I really think you should not blame yourself, and certainly not on a daily basis (though I completely understand how guilt roots itself in one’s soul). What the comments on this blog argue, and I agree, is that the trend was always going to have to be for Mr. Armitage to take a more distanced stance toward his fans. “Good behavior,” whatever that is, wasn’t ever going to change that. He had to “grow up” and his fans had to realize that they weren’t going to control him with their behavior, no matter what kind of behavior it was. I don’t even think we can say that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time with your comment, that it was a bad coincidence, because I’m not sure it was you (that is, your letter could have been just one, or the last complaint in a series of complaints — we just do not have enough information to know) that caused anything. And anyone who blames you or makes you feel responsible for something that practically had to happen anyway has an awfully big axe to grind themselves, I am guessing. –fourth, even if if you are right, and it was “your fault,” there has to be forgiveness in the world, both from others and from yourself. No one can live with that kind of guilt. Anyone who feels they have to keep making you feel guilty is really expressing something fundamental about themselves, not about you. I urge you: say to yourself: “I learned from this, I would do it differently now, I can’t change what happened, I’m sorry.” Don’t shut yourself off from people, because then you can never experience their forgiveness, and you end up trapped in pain and guilt. This is also a dynamic I am all too familiar with from my own life. Fifth, a sum total of one person has been blocked from posting on this blog (and there’s been one other person I’ve thought about blocking). No one is ever blocked here for diversity of opinion. I shut down one thread when I felt that I had caused a flame myself by not adhering to my own rules, but as long as no ad hominem attacks take place, you are always free and welcome and encouraged to say whatever you think. Again, I really admire your bravery. You get the purple heart for today. 🙂 Granted the things that human beings can do to hurt each other . . . you’re in the clear, Lizzie. You didn’t really do anything wrong in expressing your opinion; you just did something other people disagreed with. Anybody here who hasn’t written an upset or angry note at some point in her life? One that you regretted? I thought not. Your misfortune was to write something which happened to upset a number of people who were very vocal and hostile, I gather. If you were “wrong” to write what you did, they were “wrong” to write things that made you feel miserable and guilty. Perhaps a general forgiveness on all sides is in order? It’s a shame that something I truly believe most of us have done backfired so harshly because a number of people learned of it, but the people who criticized you were part of the problem. It certainly sounds as if their contribution wasn’t always peaceable and benign. It’s a shame when such things happen in a fandom; we all are fans because it bring us joy, and then occasionally we stumble into something in the fandom that causes HUGE grief. You’re not alone in experiencing that. aaa said this on May 5, 2011 at 5:15 am \| Reply Many months late, but I am going to come in support of Lizzie here. I’m sorry it is so tardy. I was the OP on the thread Lizzie is talking about. The topic related to “Do Actors need fans” and was very much a topic all of you have discussed from time to time on the blogs. In fact it was a discussion with regard to fan behaviour and we were reflecting about whether RA’s fandom was becoming a bit unmanageable and whether he was a trifle embarrassed by it all. Does he (or any other actor), “need” fans or does he not “need” fans and their expressions of support/presents etc. The rationale behind all of this came from comments he had made, (or was reported to have made) in the print media during the promos for Spooks 7 (2008) with regard to the fandom/the AA and the presents some fans have given him including a pair of boxer shorts with a caricature drawn by an artist placed on the leg (I believe these were the “knickers” everyone so loves to refer to) – if you can be bothered to search, you can find a lot of the interviews on Richard Armitage Online where fans are being described as going into paroxysms of orgasmic delight over him; where he described some of his presents as “weird”… well maybe they were, I don’t know. All in all the impression that was given by the journalists was that RA was ambivolent about, to the point of embarrassed by, the fanbase. Those of us who were original posters on the thread were questioning whether actors like RA really need a fanbase of the intensity it was in those days (at the time of Guy of Gisborne RH S2); and/or whether actors find fanbases at times, annoying and embarrassing. There was some confusion about what measure of support and respect RA really wanted from the fanbase. At no time in my opinion was there ever any implication that RA “owed” his fans anything … I still don’t understand where that misconception came from, but the IMDb posters of that time became a target for every recrimination that could be hurled at us simply for expressing our confusion about the comments made. None of us to my knowledge had ever written to RA, sent him presents, or were even interested in meeting him – we simply watched his work and liked to discuss on IMDb. As Lizzie has mentioned, she, in the heat of the moment, sent an email for which she deeply regretted, and had to suffer absolute vitriole, ostracism and nastiness from the fandom. We all did, but she was given the harder time and I’m sorry for it. Like her, when RA chose to reply, I was ready to sink through the floor as I had felt responsible for starting the discussion which led to the response. To this day, I don’t know why RA decided to even respond and I was upset that he did. Lizzie, I think suffered at the hands of the fandom way more than I did, but I did not visit the forums for over a year, and I still avoid that particular message thread as we were labelled “crazies” and no doubt other derogatory descriptors simply for expressing a concern we had on a public forum. I personally have learnt my lesson, and as a person who is very sensitive to criticism, ridicule and downright meanness, I am very careful these days to avoid any sort of conflict within the fandom. Apologies to Lizzie for not commenting earlier and clarifying the circumstances surrounding that RA message before now. MHJ PS: I’m really glad RA continued to send a message at Christmas after that August 3rd message, as it showed we were not entirely to blame for him stopping communication. MHJ said this on August 21, 2011 at 12:34 am \| Reply Thanks for the thoughtful comment, MHJ, and the helpful context. I do think it’s easy for communities to pick on each other — I know there are RA communities that I like better than others myself, and it’s tempting to condescend or allow oneself to be mean. servetus said this on August 21, 2011 at 12:44 am \| Reply It was in 2007 that he mentioned that he got complaints about an “adult only Gisborne site” (though I never found out what that really was) but the messages continued for more than a year after that. I don’t know what caused them to stop but I don’t think it was connected to speculation about his private life either. I always was under the impression that it had to do with something happening behind the scenes that was pretty serious. Jane said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:40 pm \| Reply I came on the scene in early 2008, and this was still being talked about. I never knew what happened either, and frankly, I didn’t care. I was never going to frequent that site, so I blew it off, and therein lies the most important part of having fun with this — blowing off things that do not matter. IMO (yes, it’s just my opinion you know what they say about opinons; yes, it’s true. : D), too many people take themselves too seriously. I think we all do that at one time or another, and I really resist that urge ’cause when I don’t, I bore myself not to mention others it probably bores. I read in an print interview in which he said he was distancing himself from fandom or words to that effect. It was the first time I realized some sort of implosion had occurred (a phenomona I’ve unfortunately encountered in every fandom in which I’ve participated). It made me wonder why he would feel the need and expressly say so after being so interactive. Judi, I’m not surprised this is a common phenomenon. Is the general public involved? LOL! Yeah, amirite you know? LOL! Sigh. This is why we can’t have nice things. BTW, I also learned fans aren’t the only ones who can hurt a fandom. I also keep an eye on the source of adulation. Happily RA seems a stable agreeable bloke. I just want to mention that Calvinists have some of the most intellectually curious minds of the European seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It’s mostly to Calvinists that westerners owe their tradition of religious dissent. Very good point, having Calvanistic leanings myself, and being from a church based on that kind of theology. Teuchter said this on May 4, 2011 at 12:06 am \| Reply I just want to thank you for having less than 95 theses. : D I did say it was a work in progress 🙂 Well, this bucks me up, granted that my ancestry is so heavily Calvinist. It’s used as though it’s a swear word. How right you are aaa! Made you almost afraid to mention the name as folk would come down on you like a ton of bricks. I have found that some have quite erroneous ideas about him and his theology! Teuchter said this on May 5, 2011 at 5:11 am \| Reply I think the problem comes in with something called tulip. In an effort to simplify it, a stumbling block was created. Very well put!! That is exactly what happened and didn’t help at all! Teuchter said this on May 5, 2011 at 5:31 pm \| Reply yes, although the dynamic was a much older one. In much of his writing on free will, for instance, Calvin is already trying to resolve problems set up by Augustine and raised again by Counter-Reformation era controversialists. So even though Calvin was at best a shaky endorse of limited atonement (I can think of at least twenty articles or books on this topic and whether he did or didn’t), the TULIP people were only taking up themes that were already under discussion by the mid-16th century. DO NOT ask me how I know this stuff 🙂 Calvin should certainly be included in any rousing discussion of identity, and I’m sure there will be some oaths. 😉 Absolutely, since Calvin was so critical of people who pretended to be something they weren’t. OK, I think I’ve read this whole train of comments now regarding things that have happened in the fandom in the past. I can understand that not every fan is comfortable with everything that is written about Mr. Armitage, either as himself or in the guise of characters he has played. I’m certainly not. However, how is it not coercive to Mr. Armitage to write to him or his agents to complain about what other fans are doing? Of course, once anyone writes to say, “here’s this fic of questionable taste about a character associated with you,” he has to react. What is he going to say? Social mores being what they are, it’s inconceivable that he could say, “write what you want.” I have to agree that he was not personally hurt by the fiction (since the vast majority of readers, even those under the age of 18, can distinguish between a real person and a fictional role) — but he was pushed forcefully into a corner about complaints about it. If he had not responded, he’d have been understood to have been condoning it. But I think it’s important to note here that it wasn’t that he was surfing the web and ran across something he found offensive and asked the author to remove it. He was told by a segment of his fans that he should do so. I agree that it’s the fans here who are hurting the fandom by acting on their insecurities and then insisting that Mr. Armitage do so as well, putting him in a position where he had little choice as to how to respond. I don’t see how fans can possibly be under an obligation never to do anything that the object of their attentions finds questionable, embarrassing, or whatever. That would suggest that becoming part of his fandom requires that I adopt Mr. Armitage’s conscience for my own. First of all, he’s never asked that of any of his fans; he’s limited himself to rather generalized moral discussions along the lines of modesty and the Golden Rule. But secondly, that would be difficult. The lines of what constitutes an embarrassment are drastically different in England than they are in the United States. Probably cultural mores in the UK require that he’s somewhat embarrassed by having fans in general. Does that mean that because I know it’s embarrassing to him, I should avoid being his fan? That would seem counter-intuitive to his success as a performer, which requires to some extent that he has fans. servetus said this on May 4, 2011 at 12:06 am \| Reply His reaction to the alarmists who were outraged by the S/M story was interesting. If I remember the message, he sounded sort of half-hearted about even mentioning the issue and, I think, was careful to say that posting S/M material about Guy was a problem because Guy was in a kids’ show. And so they might see it, which wouldn’t have been a good thing at all. Fair enough. But it did seem as if he was backed into having to respond in some way. That seemed outrageous to me at the time. Bullies by proxy. Wasn’t there also at some point a message saying that he didn’t favor one message board above another, didn’t communicate personally with anyone who runs a message board or fan site, and so on? It made me think “Somebody’s been saying that she and RA are friends, at the least . . . yechhhh. How pathetic to have RA as an imaginary friend you brag to other people about!” I don’t actually know what happened behind the scenes that led to that message, though. Those messages left me thinking “This poor man is being made miserable by fans who want him to control his own fandom. He doesn’t want that, and in any case, it would be impossible. Poor man; some fans must drive him batty.” I read the half-hearted “please don’t post stuff inappropriate for kids” message and thought “This is a grown man, and unless he’s very unusual, he’s probably seen some porn in his life. He’s probably seen S/M porn in the past; it’s out there. I assume he knows that reading porn doesn’t automatically turn a person into a slavering sex maniac, and S/M porn doesn’t necessarily make readers race out and buy whips and chains. For all we know he read the piece as a piece of fiction and enjoyed it! Who knows?” On the first, I’d need to check my chronology on this before making any definitive claims, but there was an article that interviewed him and Keith Allen heavily, I believe from 2007, in which he was asked directly about fanfic and he referred with what seemed to me like amusement to “sadomasochistic stuff.” Well said. Bravo. 🙂 Darkangel66a said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:06 am \| Reply Spot on, Servetus, and beautifully argued! 🙂 Nietzsche said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:51 am \| Reply I wonder, Servetus, do you regret all this? I mean finding Mt A and becoming a fan with all that that has entailed for you? Do you wish. It had never happened? Or do the benefits (for you) outweigh the costs (I don’t mean monetary costs obviously). Mr A has a pretty special fandom (I think) and if you had latched onto another actor or celebrity then you might not have found the level of interest and responsiveness to your writing that you have going on here. Perhaps. And your interest (in that other actor/celebrity) might have fallen away quickly as a result. What am I trying to say here? Not sure. But I think the community aspect of this “hobby” is important and has many facets. kaprekar said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:57 am \| Reply He is very special. I have never had such a strong reaction to a performer (and never such fantasies, but only about his characters), although I had my crushes, naturally. He is different and his beauty is different – he has an inner beauty and a way to move and inspire that must be very unusual. Wow, what a question, and again I feel “seen through,” kaprekar 🙂 this isn’t the first really shockingly intuitive comment you’ve made. On the whole, I don’t regret things, period. There’s one post on this blog I really regret making, because I wasn’t mature enough to follow my own rules and see what was going on when I responded to comments. Maybe I should save this for a post much later, but on the whole, no. On individual days when I get a poison email I want to throw in the towel, but the good outweighs the bad by a large percentage. When Armitagemania happened, I was in desperate straits — something was going to have to happen. I was grateful that it happened. And I am very grateful for the many kind and supportive readers I have. I feel a little weird barging in here, since many of you are friends, but Servetus’ brave post about her fantasies has brought this lurker out of the shadows. 🙂 Lots of fans say they spend hours online watching RA because they admire his acting skill and would never fantasize about him (and that’s probably true in some cases–I don’t mean to offend anyone) Still,I have wondered if the fans making the raunchy posts on youtube are more honest than the rest of us. 🙂 I don’t generally crush on celebrities and never to this extent– my RA fascination sometimes seems more like an illness than a crush. 🙂 I’m now at the point of asking myself “Why him?”, “Why me?”, “Why now?”. For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts: 1. Why him? I could name a dozen talented, beautiful actors who I admire but have never fantasized about. My current theory is that RA represents a powerful masculine archetype, a masculinity that is capable of both extreme brutality and extreme gentleness. His characters seem to swing on a pendulum between those extremes. They spend more time at the extremes than in the middle, yet he somehow makes the character completely believable. He sort of referenced this when talking about the monstous mill-owner versus the “vulnerable boy” in Thornton, or when he said: “If I’m offered the role of the hero, I immediately look for the antihero within; I see everything in terms of an outer skin and an inner skin.” Women respond to RA much more than men, so maybe the tension or attraction of this archetype (or duelling archetypes) is especially powerful for women?? I think this could also explain why he inspires such creative growth and expression in his fans; he stirs the psyche and the psyche responds. 2. Why me? Where am I in my life right now that makes me respond to RA in this way? My current thinking is that I’m struggling to access my masculine self. I need to connect with the part of myself that is strong, effective, powerful, that focuses on action rather than feelings, that does what’s necessary, that isn’t afraid to be confrontational. I think perhaps RA portrays these qualities, and at the same time (especially in Guy and Lucas, haven’t seen Strike Back) he shows an ambivalence and even self-disgust at his “masculine” behavior and actions. I think that ambivalence resonates for me emotionally at this partcular time. I’ve also toyed with the idea RA often conveys a certain self-consciousness or shyness which I, being fundamentally shy myself, find attractive. I also liked Servetus’ post about the way he draws in his audience by both withholding and revealing at the same time. In a couple of interviews he’s described trying to both conceal and peel back layers in his characters. 3. Why now? Well, there’s the issue I mentioned above, about my stuggle to release my more masculine qualities. Also, while I have a good life, I’m dissatisfied with many things right now: my work, my relationships, my feelings of irrelevance as I age and become less attractive and productive in a society that puts a premium on both, my lack of expression, my lack of a creative community. I don’t think it’s an accident that I’m drawn to RA at this point in time. I also don’t think I’m actually in love with a total stranger who I’ve never seen and probably never will see. But, as Servetus said, ignoring the experience isn’t good, and in my case at least, nor is pretending it isn’t significant. My current plan is to study my fantasies and try and learn from them. I’m hoping that when the fantasies end, I’ll even be a wiser and happier person as a result of this experience. I’m vaguely off-topic here but that’s my 2 cents and thanks for all the thought-provoking comments and the great photos. I’m not very computer-savvy, so I’ll slink back into the shadows now. P.S. If I was computer-savvy, I’d make a screencap of Thornton at the first (male-only) dinner party. There a beautiful candlelit image that I haven’t seen in a screencap anywhere. Cheers. Daisy said this on May 5, 2011 at 11:40 pm \| Reply You make some excellent points here and please don’t stay in the shadows. This is a very good place to be, lots of food for thought, and civilized behavior, two things you don’t find just everywhere on the internet. 😉 Richard registering in your life at a time of crisis and/or reaching a crossroad in life, wanting something more from your life; so many of us seem to fall into those categories. Richard Armitage is an amazing fellow, and how he affects me certainly goes above and beyond being a handsome, talented and charismatic performer. He seems to strike a special chord in us and it is, yes, I have to say this, a life-changing experience. And one I do not regret. I love the way he inspires me and indirectly encourages me as a great role model in life–his dedication to his craft but lack of self-importance; yes, that shyness and sweet-naturedness that shines through, his support of charities, his gentlemanly behavior. By the way, have you checked out all the N&S screencaps at Richard Armitage Central Gallery and at IHEARTRichardArmitage? I could swear I have seen the screencaps you are speaking of . . . There are links here to access them. Thanks for your nice comment, Angieklong. I don’t do much of this and appreciate the response. And I found the screencap, thanks so much!! It was on IHEARTRichardarmitage, http://richardarmitagecentral.co.uk/v/Main+Gallery/North+and+South/Episode+1/vlcsnap-00308+copy.jpg.html? Daisy said this on May 6, 2011 at 4:26 pm \| Reply Hey, Daisy, thanks for the great, detailed comment and welcome. I apologize that it’s taken days for me to get back to you — it’s been a big five days or so. I really like this point about masculinity and ambivalence. I’d like to expand on it in future if you don’t mind. My Dear Friend the feminist film blogger thinks something very similar, and the body language involved is interesting. A year and a half ago most of us didn’t know each other. So we hope you’ll be friends with us, too 🙂 Thanks for the welcome, Servetus. Please do expand on anything I said — that’s why I put it out there. Sounds like you’re going through some big career changes in the last few days, so best of luck in whatever you do next. Oh, and the suffering, introspective gaze in the Porter picture is amazing. Great acting moment, haunting grey-green almond eyes. Wonderful cap! 🙂 Lucas’s memories cause different expressions. I am guessing being fan is different for each of us. I certainly don’t regret it. On the whole it has been positive experience for me. Any disputes I have been involved in have been easily resolved. Although I don’t fantasize abour RA himself, but quite obviously I do about his characters. Why is that I wonder, I think it is because he immerses himself in his roles so completely that I know his characters better than the man himself. I’m not a dreamer as in close my eyes and dream while asleep. Infact I have probably only has five or six dreans in my entire life. I have no idea why I just don’t. So I certainly don’t dream about the man or his characters. It is only in my writing that my thoughts are played out. I do find that I am protective of him and find myself defending his choice of roles. It got so bad that I actual in the main avoid those discussions. That is my choice and as I think Angie says we do have a choice about whether we join in with a discussion or not. khandy said this on May 3, 2011 at 11:53 am \| Reply I need to write more about the protectiveness issue. The last time I raised that I got a comment that sort of shut down my desire to continue, but it’s been on my mind. Amen! I think finding your voice is not only liberating for YOU, but it liberates all of us because it gives us the freedom to do so, and I don’t just mean in our fan lives but in RL. We are all grown women and it is for each and everyone of us to establish her boundaries. As for Mr. Armitage, I agree he does not need our “protection” as he is as a grown man and is more than capable of taking care of himself. He seems to be doing a great job thus far. @Rob said this on May 3, 2011 at 1:18 pm \| Reply I feel exactly the same way. Everytime I see a new blog emerge or a new fanfic author, I think, “someone else is finding a voice.” It’s really gratifying and inspiring. I think that’s the aspect of the fandom that we should emphasize and promote. I second what Kaprekar is saying. Having been a part of another fandom for many years, I can’t imagine anyone having the type of discussions that RA fans have, all the many unique blogs, and especially here Servetus, you challenge us to think about RA, being fans,and so many things. I agree this is all unique to RA fans and a reflection of the wonderful man that he is. Of course, I also believe people have a right to disagree, as long as they do it politely and in a civilized way. I admire your honesty Servetus. As for Richard Armitage, he’s an adult, a very level headed adult as far as I can tell, an intelligent person,and it was his choice to become an actor and a public figure. As a shy man he may not love the red carpet moments and other things, but I’m positive he knows it’s part of his job as an actor, and I’m positive that most of the time he’s grateful to have loyal fans who support his career after struggling so many years. I’m sure he can tell the difference between supportive fans and fans that cross the line, and there’s nothing from what I have seen or read of him that tells me he hasn’t handled all of it well. Not meaning to sound pompous, but here’s a quote from a favorite writer that sums up what I believe better than I can: Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy. Musa said this on May 3, 2011 at 1:28 pm \| Reply Ah, José Martí. He was a really important theorist of freedom. Thanks for the reminder! Wonderful! You really describe an ideal fan-world and I admire your courage and energy to fight for your believes. RA is a freeing energy and a wonderful motivator, not a ‘bean-counter’ (= German: Erbsenzähler; absolutely intentional reference to “Strike Back”). I feel the same effects of him for my life and wish you all the best with your efforts! (Besides, I want to read more of your wonderful posts about fandom. Your analyses are absolutely addictive and brilliantly written ;o) CDoart said this on May 3, 2011 at 1:50 pm \| Reply I suppose the next step in this analysis is to talk about why watching him promotes self-expression … thanks for the kind comment. I will look forward to such a post. I know he has unleashed something in me that I can’t imagine would have happened with any other performer. I desire to express myself all the more, even in ways some may not agree with or condone (and as a people pleaser, that is something of a breakthrough for me); a wellspring of creative impulses seem to flow out of me. And I have seen this happen to others again and again and again through fic writing, blogging, vidding, artwork . . . This is the only fandom I have ever been involved in, but surely, this is a somewhat unusual communal experience? I look forward to her take as well. The inspiration has puzzled me exceedingly. The effect on me has been marked. Sorry I can’t share what as so many have been willing to do, and I’ve enjoyed that thoroughly. I’ve scratched my head over this question more than once. Why Richard Armitage? Why the Armitage Effect? I can’t imagine making more than 40 videos on little more than a month NTM writing all that fanfic and commenting frequently online for ANY other performer. I remember consciously looking for things I could dislike about him because I questioned my sanity over going so gaga about a fellow at this stage of my life. Didn’t happen. Don’t really anticipate it happening, either. But it’s wonderful, it really is, this effect, and all those I have gotten to know through my various efforts. Being part of the fandom has, in fact, been a blessing. But what else could I expect from a good man sent by God? 😀 It puzzled me too, and I did think about it a lot, but I realized something along the way, and that’s what my diary is about. I wonder why I felt the need to write about this man’s character. I mean he is not the first actor that I have admired as my Mum pointed out yesterday I have watched a lot of Kevin Kline, Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks movies. For me at least It was timing he entered my life when things were grim. Writing was something I could do away from society while m wounds healed to stop me going mad from boredom. Servetus and all the other bloggers I think were I you I would try and hold on to the fact that these people who criticise you are very much in the minority khandy said this on May 4, 2011 at 7:40 am \| Reply I’ve said this before but it is worth saying again. RA seems to come into our lives–to register on our radars–just when we need him most. For me, it was struggling with the decline and deaths of parents and in-laws while dealing with my own health issues. The fandom and becoming a fanfic writer and now vidder allows me to escape some of the pressures and strains of my daily life without resorting to less healthy things like alcohol and pills. And I agree. I think the joyless, humorless ones who try to rain on the parade are definitely im the minority “in the minority” I was struck by something you mentioned early on in this post, about how you were taking flak for not “labeling [the Porter vignettes] as fiction.” Firstly, I applaud you for NOT calling these fiction. It takes a lot of nerve to make this kind of disclosure. The fact that you’re willing to look hard at things – sometimes difficult things – is the reason I follow this blog. And secondly: what? Do “inappropriate” thoughts somehow become acceptable when narrated in the third person? Is that why the video that launched a thousand comments was artistic, but talking about how it makes us feel is lewd? Where does that leave the performer, when the purpose of a performance is to be seen and reacted to? CP, Excellent! I should just quote your entire post. : D Thanks. I think your second point is essential. One might say that one desired effect of theatrical performance is (inter alia) to produce discomfort. Now, of course, Strike Back is not theatre of alienation — but one would guess that for an actor part of the desired goal would be to deliver something that makes his audience struggle a bit with their reactions. Actually, in all forms of art, the desire is to move the spectator, the reader, the audience in some way, is it not? Whether it is happiness or pleasure or fear or anger or guilt, the artist wants to spark a reaction. In the newspaper biz, we say if we aren’t making at least one reader angry every day, we aren’t doing our job. I’ll make no bones about it. I wrote the first paragraph of my story on the drunk driving demonstration with the goal of making my readers very uncomfortable. But as my co-worker said, it grabbed their attention and held it. If I can save one kid from drinking and driving, it will be worth making a thousand people squirm in their chairs. When people tell me my fiction makes them laugh, or cry, or feel all tingly for that matter, well, then I think I am doing something right. When your blog entries spark spirited discussions, Servetus, then surely YOU are doing something right. I’ve been thinking a lot about this “it’s ok if it’s the third person” thing. Historians wrestle a lot with the problem of what the difference is between autobiography and fiction. The distinction isn’t entirely obvious. My students have trouble with it, too. Why I like to read this blog? because the author is not “crazy” fan of RA. Writing about Mr. Armitage you always write with such esteem. Your analysis also helps me to understand the phenomenon of this artist. I think that your fantasies do not endanger others. They are beautiful and I thank you that you’ve shared with them Ania said this on May 3, 2011 at 3:04 pm \| Reply On a more general level, may I offer felicitations to servetus and other RA blog-owners (yes, Frenz) for the courage in speaking? As simply a commenter, I don’t feel exactly the responsibility of the blogger. As for commenters, the courtesy, tolerance and unity engendered by common appreciation for this actor, has been striking. We might not agree all details, but the discussions are, and have been broadening and enlightening. Appreciation to fellow commenters, too. Any who come with agendas less tolerant and express themselves sans courtesy and respect, (only a few) do find that this is not their environment. That can be a tough call for the bloggers, and I’ve been impressed with your reluctance to eject anyone except as a last resort. I truly hope that everyone will continue to speak their minds, with politesse and the good humour that has characterised these venues. I do lurk on one or two sites and forums, without comment, because I won’t shut my eyes to opinions which are far from my frames of reference. I also subscribe to diverse TV news networks and print media in the same spirit. Pointless to shut eyes. Good on you all. And major support for Richard Armitage. fitzgj4 said this on May 3, 2011 at 3:07 pm \| Reply I’ve always thought it was healthy to read and listen to opposing viewpoints. That’s how I was reared, and I can’t imagine changing. Or to be blunt: it never bothers me for someone to disagree if it’s done with courtesy,and sometimes when it’s not. I am just so grateful for your erudite and well considered comments on such a variety of topics. I am constantly being made to think by your writing and it has enhanced many RA scenes for me. I love your work and it enriches my life. I know of no other actor who has the same effect as Mr Armitage which seems to be an opinion widely shared here. I greatly admire your honesty and integrity and please don’t stop. What would I do without your musings? kathy said this on May 3, 2011 at 4:26 pm \| Reply Wow!! All these comments already! I should have guessed it would generate a lot of interest. Haven’t read all of your post yet or the comments but just wanted to say that I’m with you Servetus on the picture at the top of your blog today. Since everyone is so good at admitting things here, this is the picture I have enlarged a bit and look at last thing every night and first thing every morning! Would love LOVE to know what is going on behind those compelling eyes. I feel he is looking right into my soul!!! RA fans have a certain honor, grace and respect for the feelings of the man who seems to be a bit shy and humble – which most all of us share. “Every second I spend thinking about what I am not allowed to say . . . is a waste of energy and a betrayal of self.” You said it best. It’s your blog. Say exactly what you want to say and be true to your self. RavenRoseBeetle said this on May 3, 2011 at 5:25 pm \| Reply I can only agree to what has been expressed in the previous comments. Although I’ve hardly ever commented here, I’ve been following your blog for almost a year now and I am still looking forward to any new entry. Your analyses are extremely well written, your arguments are well balanced and your meticulous observations provide a lot of “food for thought”. I’ve sometimes felt that you are too demanding on yourself but I’ve NEVER found your posts disrespectful either towards Mr. Armitage or your readers. I very much hope that I will be able to enjoy your blog for quite some time. I am really thankful to you – and to your regular commentators – for making me feel more at ease with my Armitagemania. Suse said this on May 3, 2011 at 6:09 pm \| Reply I don’t think Servetus has it in her to be disrespectful, and this is a wonderful asset, but it is also what makes for the struggle in speaking without feeling like you’ve crossed into something forbidden. I pray for wisdom for her, and selfishly, for myself as well. Got it in one, Frenz. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I have to be myself. I have no other choice anymore. How to balance those things for myself is hard enough, without the intrusions of people who think they know better. Very much with you Suse in what you have written there. I love this blog and so happy to be a part of it now. I find it a learning experience so many times and have NEVER EVER found Servetus disrespectful to Mr Armitage or us, the readers. On the contrary I have found just the opposite and feel very comfortable being here and thankful that others are part of this Armitagemania too and to know I am NOT crazy – even at my age!! Servetus – know you are LOVED!!! Wow, didn’t expect all these comments! Let me get at it. I really want to thank you all individually, severally, and collectively for these thoughtful comments. They were really helpful, reassuring, and also made me think about the next stuff to talk about. I really look forward to continued honest conversations on this blog with your support. And we truly look forward with you, to be sure! This is such a rousing discussion. There are so many issues raised, I’m still collecting my thoughts. (I DID mention I’m a slow thinker.) There are points raised by servetus and Frenz that have been immensely intriguing from the blogger PoV. Even for the commenter: One issue is, just how free do we feel post or comment? Even on such congenial and collegial sites as these. Personally, I still have a fear of making a donkey of myself and measuring below the radar on IQ. So, I have to think responses through. Which is also very self-conscious. There is also the fear of revealing oneself in too raw glory. etc. If you’re a slow thinker, there’s no hope for me. LOL! You made me laugh re: your comments about “slow thinker” and and below the radar IQ. Don’t we all sometimes suffer mental lapses? LOL Tedgirl said this on May 4, 2011 at 5:41 am \| Reply I’ve been wondering lately if there’s any communications research into the conditions that facilitate speech on a blog. People have to feel comfortable. Maybe. Or they have to feel outraged? I’ve never wanted to encourage an atmosphere where people just deliver manifestos or statements and then march off into their corner to sulk. Speaking of donkeys, touch-typing, after all these years, escapes this donkey. Proofing from the screen does, too. Failed the IQ test on both counts. 😦 I hadn’t been to see any of the LOTR movies when they were in the theatres but I saw part three of the Trilogy in a store, bought it, found that my son had the other two, watched all three in as short a time as I could and really loved them even though I wasn’t sure I would! HAD to read TH as soon as I found out a certain TDHBEW was to star in it and thankfully one of my granddaughters had a copy so devoured it quickly! I’m sure it will be magical as I think Sir Peter is a genius! Sorry if this is a little off topic but LOTR was mentioned above. A little anxious after hearing about, and seeing video of, the NZ tornado – thankfully (and selfishly) NOT in Wellington. Not on anything like the scale of the ones in the U.S. but scary none the less. Somehow I’ve found myself in a household of LOTR zealots. We own several copies of the LOTR books and two complete sets of the movies, and now they’re all laughing at me ’cause Richard Armitage is going to be in ‘The Hobbit’. I mean the household laughing at me and not the movies although I wouldn’t rule that out. I know the feeling! I can hear mine groaning inwardly (and sometimes outwardly!) or see them rolling their eyes when I mention him yet AGAIN!! Just wait though! WE know “The Hobbit” will be fantastic, especially Thorin!! So who will be laughing then, we ask! Some of my grandkids want to see CA with me though, so that is a start!! I am seeing some of the girls (there are 11 girls and 4 boys among my grandkids) taking a bit more interest though, so I’m doing my part! Oh, I hear you. We will certainly have the last laugh. My Significant Other is taking great delight that I’m now going to relent and see ‘The Hobbit’ when I swore I wouldn’t. So much for oaths. But I’m taking great delight that he will pay to watch Richard Armitage. MUHAHAHAHA. Revenge is sweet, isn’t it? evil grin worthy of Vasey. Only I’m much cuter Yes, I am very much looking forward to taking Dearest Benny to see both CA and TH. And I love having the last laugh. 😀 Prof, Thank you for the beautiful photo of RA that blew into my face when I switched on last night. I believe it takes a lot of guts, courage, responsibility, time, dedication even financially to be a blog owner/moderator (is that the right term)? When I ventured into this blog, my thoughts were this is a place for intellectuals, not that I am one.. but try to keep up with the discussions. I’m not a critique of topics, just comments at times but I love reading all the long discussions… and I learn historical facts. Thru this blog, I’ve gone to other sites too reading their fanfics, some I like some I don’t. It all depends on individual taste..which topic we love to read. Reading is also entertaining, so as the vids and the photos. Most probably there is envy around this blog for all the positive discussions and analysis going on. Who are we to antagonize one another in the pretext of constructive criticism? We have to be tolerant and develop a thick skin to deflect the arrows coming our way and learn to explain if our comments are construed the other way or taken out of context. Nobody’s perfect! This is no ordinary fan blog (not to offend the others). The bloggers seem to be good, nice people. The atmosphere around is informative, fun, loving and dedicated to the craft of the actor we so admire. If we fantasize, so be it, we don’t harm anybody and we don’t go over the top. We maintain the decency expected of us as fans of a modern society. I believe the most appalling aspect of cyber blogging is envy and squabbling. It would be more shameful I think if RA picks up the intrigue going on to think that we have one common denominator. I hate to think also that the reason for him staying under the radar is to avoid too much attention on his part as an actor and a person that even his private life is being scrutinized. I think we can assume that he loves his fans and he knows to stay in this business, one should have a fan base. We cannot blame him if interaction with fans’ within arms length ’cause he can’t choose the kinds of fans to have. Hope we all learn from the discussions. Keep up the good work! Thanks nice point that he can’t choose his fans. I wonder what kind of fan he would choose? The situation is complicated by the problem of humor — if he says, my fans are mostly mature Radio 4 listeners, he may be making a joke about himself, but not everyone may realized that. I’ve fallen into this, not liking to be called motherly, for instance. It’s nice that in the summer when asked about his fans he admitted, I talk about them like they’re one person but really they are very diverse. Just a heads up that I will be slightly revising my ‘desire’ thesis. I have another one in the works… but are concerned it goes into terrain some folks will not want to think about. I may, once again, disrupt the fun of fandom. I’m a firm believer in reading and writing dangerously though, so keep at it, Servetus! Skully said this on May 4, 2011 at 8:04 am \| Reply Look forward to reading the revision. It’s my opinion that one reason there is such policing of other fans is the fear that Richard Armitage will cut off his communications completely. I think I’ve even read statements to that effect, e.g., if we don’t stop, there will be no messages. Or maybe that tone was there so much in some parts of RA universe, that I read that in. Whatever the case, the desperation was made starkly evident when I made my request for a verbal message. I love the messages, but I think the day I feel I can’t be honest about what I think of his performances or of anything to do with him actually, I will not want to participate in whatever this is — group, fandom, collection of fangirls, not sure what to call it. Forgive me, I’m rather new to this sphere, but it seems strange that people are so wrapped up in these missives from Mr. Armitage. I think it’s sweet that he has sustained this conduit to fans for as long as he has, but I don’t see this continuing except perhaps as an occasional gesture for old times’ sake. And I don’t believe it has a thing to do with what individual fans say or don’t say. As Martin Freeman so eloquently put it, Mr. Armitage “is in “The **ing Hobbit.” I think fans are accustomed to a sense of intimacy with him that he simply won’t be able to deliver once he hits the mainstream. Hmmm. I think you are misunderstanding what I’ve said, so at the risk of being repetitive, I’ll try to be more clear. Part of the fan base is indeed used to the intimacy the messages bred and hates to give it up. It was cool that he was that connected and developed a type of relationship through his messages. So I can understand the desire for him to continue. But I take exception to the lengths to which some have gone to make sure the fan base is well behaved in the misguided belief this will induce Richard Armitage to continue. This kind of policing, no matter the well intentioned words with which it’s couched, really makes having fun a lot of work, and I’ve got plenty of work elsewhere. When I made my request for a verbal fan message (when or if he does one again), it was amazing the emails I got. Some were concerned for my mental health should he not reply. LOL!! Sorry I had to pause a moment and roll around on the floor at that. Some were put off that I would deign to make a request and how it would probably be offensive to “him” should he hear of it. Oh brother. LOL! I’m sitting hear having difficulty typing this for laughing, and I’m sorry if some who sent me those notes are reading this and are offended, but a lot of you need to lighten up. This is supposed to be fun. I know I’m having fun, but I did have a stutter step at all the amdonishments I received for supposedly overstepping a boundary. One good purpose it’s served is that I’m not sure I will be so responsive to them in the future. It was a drain, and I don’t need a drain. Did I misunderstand? I meant my comment to refer to the aforementioned “other fans” who seem so anxious to preserve the relationship (I’m resisting the urge to put scare quotes around that word). From my vantage point, the present state of Mr. Armitage’s interaction with fans seems congenial and perfectly normal. Then again, I’m a latecomer and don’t know how it was before. Aahh. I see I misunderstood, and we are agreed. Definitely agreed! And for the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with lobbying for a fan message. It never hurts to ask. If you later put it about that he was a jerk for not providing one, that would be excessive. But you don’t seem particularly prone to excess. 🙂 Well, I like to think I pick my excesses wisely. 😀 Glad we’re agreed. Some people just don’t get humor. Sad, but true. I do want to clarify that I have no problem with asking for a verbal message or an interview or an autograph or having him sign your copy of one of his shows. Heck, I made the sound bite asking him to consider coming to the US and playing a southern gentleman which RAF posted at her site! There’s no harm in asking . . . I just have a problem with fans who get all stroppy if he doesn’t do what they expect of him or says something they don’t like. Again, that sense he “owes” us something. It’s a bit like the crowd in front of Buckingham Palace shouting “kiss her” to William and Kate, I think. The joy is in making the request, not in having it fulfilled. And the addressee can fulfill it or not. Yep. I think of the fan who cheekily asked RA if she could feel his bicep muscle at a red carpet event. Well, he could have flashed one of those grins, crinkled his brow and said no, but he flexed and let her do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I think it’s true that the first time you end up the object of some distress, it’s harder to take then later. A year ago, when something I said was misunderstood, I tried hard to clarify, until I realized that there are some interlocutors for whom you just can’t make it good. The growing significance of that realization has made some aspects of blogging easier. yes, I mean to say “here.” I think there can be a self-consciousness even about commenting on a friendly blog. Which leads me to question: is this the real, unadulterated me? Or what image do I wish to present? For my satisfaction? Just ruminating. Behooving slow-thought grazers anywhere… I love ruminating and haven’t embraced it enough. I’ve always been moving too fast. Today, I’m actually sitting here grading papers and then saw this pop up. Unlike Servetus, I only have two students (a senior and a fifth grader). I know how hard this is for me, and I respect her all the more for what she is able to do. Based on my experiences online, which has reached the 25 year mark this year, people who post long enough reveal what they’re about whether they intend it or not, so this idea that someone can craft a false image is somewhat of a myth. Oh, some can do it for awhile, and a very few can do it for a long time, but eventually, people get comfortable and their real personalities emerge. Emphatically agree. I’ve often found that I’ve developed a line for how much I can say about myself on the blog and then realize that I’ve implicitly crossed it later. Pseudonymity is increasingly a pro forma exercise for me. Of course, all this may change depending on what happens after June 1. And even if I said nothing about myself at all (though there are significant things I don’t say about myself here), basic facets of my personality emerge through my writing. Servetus is a piece of me that has significant overlap with the actual writer here. I always feel certain qualities in me end up in my fiction and even in the way I approach feature writing for our magazines. I don’t mean that the characters are me with a different name, please understand; just that certain elements–my humor, my tender side–tend to shine through. But I think that is part of finding your voice as a creative person. RAF, you are so right. We can run, but not hide. That doesn’t prevent me being self-conscious, and therefore – what? spinning? Yeesh. I shudder to think what I’ve revealed of my pompous self on this, and other blogs. As for ruminating: spent so many years rushing among family/education/career etc responsibilities and trying to catch spaces to “ruminate”. We’re all a bit familiar with that. And I’m so not high-energy, go-go, always needing action. Just action in travel. Cows, goats and yes, tortoises come to mind 😀 Rumination and chewing the cud is a bit easier now. (Oh, the fence blew down, and the carport requires remedial action? More manageable). When I think pompous, I surely don’t think of you. LOL! Me neither, Frenz. And I have known some pompous sses in my time, let me tell you. 😉 @CP, Complete agreement. I see no reason whatever for Richard Armitage to establish a web site/blog or to return to writing notes to fans. His earlier notes, from the RH days were charming. It is delightful of Sir Ian McClellan and Peter Jackson to communicate their thoughts via “new media”. Mr. Armitage is at a completely stage of his career, and somehow, it doesn’t seem appropriate. I’d like to offer more analytical reasons for this feeling; but it’s purely intuitive. Actually, I’d feel somewhat that he was pandering to fans, and it’s just the wrong time. Please maintain your privacy and discretion, sir, and allow your talent to speak for you. Naturally, I’d love to interview the gentleman, and enjoy thinking up questions, but in RL that’s best left to professionals who just might refrain from ask about circuses etc. in future. Or regrettably, not. Fun to play with, though. He has moved to a different stage of his career, and we have to accept that things change. I love the messages. They are charming, funny and disarming. But expecting him to keep it up now, to maintain these close ties to the fandom, when he is moving into the big time–it just seems to be asking a lot. I think he has already gone above and beyond in his treatment of his fans. But we are not automatically entitled to anything from him. He doesn’t belong to us. I would also love to interview him as I think he is such a fascinating, talented and interesting gentleman. And I definitely would NOT ask him about the bloody circus. 😉 Late in 2008 when I discovered that there had even been those charming messages from Richard Armitage, he had already said he was ceasing. Imagine my surprise when there was a Christmas message in 2008, and then it happened again in 2009 and again in 2010. Great fun to receive those, and of course the one wedged in there during the summer of 2009 about the interview issue. So I think it’s fair to say it’s not clear he’s ceased his messages. If he does, then it was great fun while it lasted. If he hasn’t, I don’t feel the least funny about having requested a verbal, and there’s about a snowball’s chance in hell he would even know of my request anyway. But I had fun doing it and would do it again. 😀 And I might be the only one to make so public a request. I could be wrong about that. If so, please feel free to correct me. In the meantime, I’m continuing on with what I’m doing because as I’ve said over and over again, I’m having a blast. I wish I had done something like my blog sooner. Great fun, which thankfully has not been marred enough by all the angst over what Richard thinks or is inclined to do. LOL! I had said, when mulubinba asked whether it was time for him to have an official fan site, that he should do as he pleases. I stand by that. But in a way, I think that the official site would solve some of these fan factionalism problems. He would then be officially neutral with regard to communication. @Frenz, we (fans, or I prefer “supporters”) exist in a different, parallel sphere from actors who capture our imaginations. I think the wish for a verbal message is a lovely one. Why should we not dream? Please just keep doing what you do. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not inappropriate, and crosses no lines. I hope I am clear about this. i don’t think you said anything that is construed as demanding of the actor. Good grief, we’re just enjoying discussions. Dreaming, and making no demands of the gentleman. . Thank you, Fitz, that is exactly what I’m doing. @fitzgj4, so true about fans existing in a different sphere. I worry though, that we will have our particular bubble burst when The Hobbit comes out, especially if he is attractive enough in that to generate squee. And also at the other extreme if his career does not take off spectacularly as is generally expected now. But I have a lot of confidence in him, which tends to pull me through my doubts. He’s fab. Squeeee!!!!! kaprekar said this on May 4, 2011 at 10:10 pm \| Reply I worry about this, too. Sometimes I think that people who’ve been “fans from the beginning” are bothered by us newcomers because we’re ruining their beautiful little secret, and then I think, what will happen in the winter of 2012? How will I feel? Already the number of people who come to this blog daily has exploded beyond my expectations. When I started I thought I’d be writing to at most two hundred people or so. Cough. I feel where Servetus was brief in her theses, that I’ve been making up the difference in my comments, yet I would much rather read all of yours. …I wasn’t going to mention the 136 Theses comments here (to which I contributed)… 😉 I’m not shy, so I could keep going, but I’m out the door in a few minutes, so you will be spared. 😀 Well, many theological statements have way more than 136 paragraphs 🙂 Ahhh. Then you’re saying I should cancel my ticket to fly over in Aug. w/birthday cake in hand? Crud. I almost choked. 😆 I had a mental image of you with a cake that had sideburns. I think you should wait till you get over there to back the cake. Hard to get a cake through the xray detectors. NB 😀 Don’t give up that ticket!! And bring the sideburned cake! So good that we can laugh at ourselves, and each other. Let us never take ourselves or fandom TOO seriously! Actually, I am thinking Richard needs a really large birthday cake–what with it being the big 4-0–and Deb can pop out of it. Now that would be a surprise! 😀 I have great difficulty relating to people who cannot see the humor in life and particularly in themselves. Richard seems to be a person who takes his craft very seriously; himself, not so much. That’s the kind of person I find sympatico. I hate the feeling of walking on eggshells I get with some people. Makes me “noivuss.” @Angie…honey, that would be ONE BIG cake if I popped out. ROTFLOL!! =0) @fitzgj…you know the sideburn thingy is kinda growing on me. Off to grab my sketch book… NovemberBride said this on May 4, 2011 at 10:43 pm \| Reply @NB I forwarded a picture of that amazing cake to one of my granddaughters and she replied that she could see why I liked the SFR spoon!! I loved that cute raised eyebrow BTW!! @kaprekar, Yes, I actually worried that Mr. A would be seduced by Hollywood, and have his nose “fixed”! For heaven sake. He turns 40 this year, and he’s learned a few things on the way. He seems to have a sensible team around him. No worries about his portrayal of Thorin. It’ll be fine. fitzgj4 said this on May 4, 2011 at 10:19 pm \| Reply I know he had a lot of years of struggling and wondering if he was ever going to make it in this business, but I think all this happening now rather than much earlier may be a blessing. He is older, well-grounded, wiser; I don’t think he’d be tempted now to have rhinosplasty as he might have been in his youth(I consider that nose one of the national treasures of England). I can’t really see him “going Hollywood.” Whatever else the movie is or is not, I feel Richard’s performance as Thorin will be terrific. And I suspect it is going to be one of those critic-proof movies that will do well at the box office even if it doesn’t get great reviews (of course, I am hoping it WILL. Especially good things said about RA). Well said! Once again you have taken the words out of my mouth – or at least a lot of them!! Yeah, that’s why they pay me the (not-so)-big bucks to write . . . ’cause that’s how I roll . . . 😉 If he were younger, then he might be coerced into going Hollywood, but he’s definitely of an age that allows him to be who he is more. At least I hope that’s the case. I hope that for everyone frankly. Be who you are, and no, the irony of saying that from an anonymous id is not lost on me. LOL! PS kaprekar, I loathe the word, but SQUEEEE 😀 One for all, and all that. this is just a general comment, to some extent in response to lizzie, but also as a bookmark for myself to reinforce: I think we may have to give up the idea that we can really understand anything meaningful about “the real” Richard Armitage based on (esp) print interviews. We are asking those media for information that they don’t deliver. I’ve had various discussions with people about the meaning of these statements he’s made about fans, and they seem highly ambiguous to me. I backed off of this after “Armitage epistemology” because it made people so angry but maybe it’s time to go back there. It’s been a year, my nerves are a bit calmer now and my skin a bit thicker. Print interviews are certainly not good source material with respect to picking up the tenor of someone’s comments — especially if there is dry humor. SO has a fantastic sense of humor and has been interviewed countless times, but it’s amazing how different the printed piece sounds from what he actually said. Of course he’s learned, as I’m search Richard Armitage has learned, that you have to think for yourself and the interviewer when you’re being asked questions for publication, and the dry humor rarely works. In fairness to journalist, they are usually under a deadline and have only so much space, so they can’t always develop a piece to convey humor effectively. RE: Armitage Espistemology, I’ve been waiting for you to go back there. Let’s get into a rousing identity discussion. I say that selfishly since that is my favorite topic no matter who is the subject. I actually quite often prefer his audio interviews because we get that lovely voice, of course, but there is also the addition of hearing how he says things. I remember that distinct growl when asked about Guy killing Marian during a radio interview–“No. He should have married her.” I really don’t think he was very happy with TPTB at Tiger Aspect re certain developments (oh, how little we knew, it was all going to get much, much worse at Kudos for Lucas . . .) And yeah raises hand journalists DO have deadlines. Sometimes very tight ones. And space in print editions is more precious than ever. I would LOVE to be able to write a feature such as you would find in Rolling Stone on someone like Richard. Lots of space, plenty of room to get descriptive and fully convey the personality, temperament, aura of the interviewee. And, of course, this would require me to spend a significant amount of time with said interviewee. 😉 A journalist can dream, can’t she?? Agree on print interviews, they are always filtered trough the eye of the journalist and more often than not they like to give the article a slant they think pleases the reader. If it is a tabloid they try to sex up his statements, if it is a high-brow newspaper they are dismissive of the fans etc.. IIRC The Stage and Reader’s Digest from last year were quite good though. A formate like the Vulpes Libris interview is different because as I understand he was sent the questions and answered them via email. Forgot to add, with his frequent and eloquent facebook updates Sir Peter Jackson has found a good way to work around having his words filtered by journalists! I think Sir PJ is a marvel with everything he gets done. I’d love it if Richard Armitage had a facebook page he updated, but I know myself how much work it is to keep that sort of thing up, even if it’s just a few paragraphs every month or so. Just go ahead and re-visit that issue, servetus. Let the chips fall. Respectful discussion can only be enlightening. Very thin-skinned myself, literally and figuratively; but age has withered and seasoned (if only it had offered the ability to tan rather than sunburn, literally, not figuratively). So, perceived affront or criticism have a shorter term effect of grieviously hurt feelings now. OK. I may do a prelude before I get into full blown interpretive mode again, though. Those posts take a lot of time, and I’ve got finals starting a week from today. Just wanted to say that this blog post and all the comments is a COMPLETE TOUR DE FORCE!!! Sorry for shouting but I had to say it. I know that what you write, servetus, and what others, me included, add in comments will be regarded by some fans with horror, embarrassment or simply “rolled eyes” but you know there are many people (me included) who love it (warts and all) and whatever your stance there is no denying this blog is a simply amazing work, the like of which I have never seen or heard of before. I’d like to say more but now I need to go and vote. Later, perhaps. kaprekar said this on May 5, 2011 at 6:45 pm \| Reply Wow, kaprekar. Have to tell you how much this meant to me when I read the other day. I think it’s the commentators who really make the blog. I learn so much from reading the comments! I know I’ve enjoyed it, but I feel compelled to apologize for all of my comments on this entry. I should have said “so many entries.” I’m not apologizing for all of them just the number of them. : D No need. […] Protection Mode,” see what Frenz said today, in a very intelligent post. I can only reiterate what I’ve written about this before: that I personally don’t think that on the whole, other fans are endangering him, or that if […] On the eve of my “new” life … « Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 21, 2011 at 5:58 am \| Reply […] I’ve come out against prescription with regard to other fans’ behavior, and I stick with that. If you are so motivated to express your convictions about Armitage that you’ll hack a poll to do so, I trust that you must have some significant reason for coming to that conclusion, and I won’t tell you not to do it or try to burden your conscience. The people who do it must understand themselves why, or what they think is fun about it, or why anyone should care enough about a poll like this one to hack it. […] Why I don’t like these things « Me + Richard Armitage said this on August 14, 2011 at 8:24 pm \| Reply […] If this is how you feel, that’s great! Nothing in what I say below seeks to make anyone feel guilty or move them to think or behave any differently than they are. I write here about things that move me to think about them, about problems that concern me — so what I say I am saying only about myself and my observations. It may or may not be of significance to you, but if it holds my attention, I’m going to write about it. I can’t control what you think about that, of course, but if you think that the simple (re-)opening or continuation of the discussion of sexual objectification in the case of Richard Armitage somehow constitutes an indictment, nothing I will ever say on this topic will make you happy. I will say honestly that I think that a clearer discussion of it would defuse some of the apparent anxiety and/or outrage around this issue much better than criticism of the attitudes of other fans. But above all, I say, as I’ve been trying to articulate for months: Let each woman question and follow her own conscience. […] On the Genesis of Perving: ad quod respondit Servetus — THREE « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 17, 2011 at 3:24 am \| Reply […] yeah, I’m breaking my rule about not disciplining other fans. Because this kind of behavior is cruel and destructive and it damages the very thing that many […] Stop cruelty. Don’t participate in it. Don’t let others think you tolerate it. « Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 1, 2011 at 4:27 pm \| Reply […] an initial misstep in that direction, I’ve tried hard not to police other fans, except when a clear case of bullying occurs. When I say why I am doing or not doing something, […] Losing Armitage? or, Thorin aches and pains, part 2 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 27, 2012 at 3:36 am \| Reply Could anybody tell me about that fanfic thing? I see a lot of you have mentioned it in your comments, but I don’t know the background. From what I surmised, a person wrote an RPF with Richard Armitage, and a fan told him about it, cauing him to ask it to be removed. Is that correct, or? Tribi said this on May 8, 2013 at 3:01 pm \| Reply Thanks for the comment, and welcome to the blog. The story as I received it was that in the wake of RH 1, a fan wrote a fanfic in which Guy captured and sexually abused Marian for her behavior at the altar. After fans pressured the author to remove the story unsuccessfully, they turned to Richard Armitage to achieve the same end. The story was removed (or hidden?) and Armitage issued a message urged fanfic authors to remember that RH was a story for children. This happened about two years before I was a fan of Armitage, so if you need more info than that you’ll need to find someone who’s a fan of longer duration than. As far as we know, Armitage has never commented publicly regarding RPF written about him. (There was very, very little until The Hobbit premiered.) Any statement a fan makes about his feelings on that particular issue are thus speculation. […] Every second I spend thinking about what I am not allowed to say for reasons that have nothing to do… […] me + Richard Armitage fandom: An answer to a reader query and a confession \| Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 11, 2013 at 9:47 am \| Reply Leave a Reply to judiang Cancel reply	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1097
__label__wiki	0.982487	0.982487	Sean Patrick: Last News Gay Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Was Ready to Fight Off Mob at Capitol stormed the U.S. Capitol January 6.When it appeared that the rioters would make their way into the House of Representatives chamber, Maloney turned to colleague Colin Allred, a former pro football player, and asked, “Are you ready to fight these MAGA assholes?” Maloney recounted to the New York Daily News this week.“Let’s go,” responded Allred, a Democrat from Texas, according to Maloney. Colin Allred Sean Patrick New York state Texas politics Violence Sean Patrick Maloney Rep. Maloney: Don’t blame Biden if McConnell ‘acts like a dinosaur’ Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), running to become the first openly gay chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, warned Tuesday not to blame President-elect Joe Biden if he falls short on fulfilling campaign promises to the LGBTQ community because of divided government. Joe Biden Sean Patrick Washington lgbtq President Sean Patrick Maloney Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney seeks to become first out gay DCCC chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) has set his sight on becoming the next chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which would make him the first openly gay leader of the political arm for House Democrats if elected. Sean Patrick President 2020 Sean Patrick Maloney	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1098
__label__cc	0.685172	0.314828	Stanford Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine A Message from the Chairman Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Neurosurgical Anesthesia Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Anesthesia Training Program in Biomedical Research Anesthesia Informatics and Media Lab Fellowship Advanced Training in Medical Education Fellowship Management of Perioperative Services Fellowship Advanced Clinical Experiences Anesthesia Acupuncture Pediatric Anesthesia Advanced Clinical Experience Advanced Clinical Anesthesia Head and Neck Anesthesia/Advanced Airway Management Life as a Fellow Chief Residents' Welcome 2020 - 2021 Residents Applying to Residency Combined Internal Medicine/Anesthesiology Residency Combined Pediatrics Anesthesiology Residency Anesthesia Diversity Council Residency Research: FARM Program Residency Videos Resident Internships Resident Recruitment Committee Simulation at Stanford Anesthesia Stanford Summer Program SASI 2018 Program Book STM Summer Program Payment Portal Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI) Meet your new virtual mentor Presenting my first research A world of change is in store Is a career in medicine right for you? Evidence framed my future When "no" is not an option Making the right first impression The Application Guide Writing your first cv or resume Structure suggestions for a 500 word essay Tips on how to write a 500 word personal statement How to write the "Change you want to see in healthcare" essay Clinical and Translational Science Packard Paws Bi-directional Partnership with University of Rwanda Continues Hugs (Help Us Give Smiles) Arts and Anesthesia Soirée COVID-19 Highlights #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives Aghaeepour, Nima, PhD The Aghaeepour lab uses machine learning to study the immune system in clinical settings. This includes integrative “multiomics” analysis across genomics, proteomics, and single-cell technologies, as well as quantitative clinical phenotyping, to produce a holistic understanding of immunity. Anderson, T. Anthony , MD, PhD My lab has two major research focuses: 1) the use of focused ultrasound for peripheral nerve neuromodulation and 2) pediatric perioperative outcomes 1) Focused ultrasound (FUS) can modulate central and peripheral nervous system structures. Most FUS research is concentrated on its utility for transcranial modulation of neural structures and ablation of tissues. However, there is evidence that it can also alter peripheral nerve conduction, including compound action potential depression in a manner similar to local anesthetics. Yet, no work has been published assessing its effects on acute or chronic pain, nor whether it is able to differentially modulate different classes of nerve fibers. We are interested in the potential of focused ultrasound to modulate peripheral nerves and improve both acute and chronic pain. We use a rodent peripheral nerve model for our investigations. 2) Additionally, we are working with a large national healthcare dataset assessing the risk of persistent opioid use after surgery in children. We are also investigating the use of regional anesthesia, opioid use, and opioid-sparing analgesic use in pediatric patients who undergo surgery at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Our goal is to understand how various perioperative pain management strategies affect outcomes in children who undergo surgery. Lab Website \| Stanford Profile Bertaccini, Edward, MD The major thrust of the research component of my academic practice is the clinically relevant study of molecular mechanisms of alcohol and anesthetic action. While an anesthesia resident at Stanford, I applied the methods of theoretical chemistry to the study of anesthetic mechanisms. This resulted in an initial abstract for a “Computers in Anesthesia” conference in 1992, which remains among the first publications describing the application of computational chemistry to the study of anesthetic mechanisms. This also opened the door for pursuing this line of research further as an ICU fellow. Since then, I have been able to set up my own hardware and software resources for our molecular modeling lab at the Palo Alto VA Hospital, and have developed a very productive collaboration with Dr. Jim Trudell, Professor of Chemistry in Anesthesia in the Stanford University Department of Anesthesia. Dr. Trudell and I count ourselves fortunate to be among the handful of individuals in the world who are actively and successfully applying the very specialized and cutting-edge techniques of structural biology, protein bioinformatics, molecular modeling, and computational chemistry to the study of anesthetic and alcohol mechanisms. The NIH, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Stanford University have sponsored us. Our most recent works have led to a detailed quantum mechanical description of anesthetic-protein interactions, as well as a better understanding of large-scale ion channel gating motions through the use of normal mode and molecular dynamics analyses. We now have a model of an anesthetic binding site within the gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor from which we have successfully made predictions of anesthetic activity in compounds not formerly known to be anesthetics, resulting in formal patent filings. While we conducted preliminary tests in vivo, we now wish to proceed to lead compound refinement, detailed mechanistic studies of these compounds within brain slice preparation, and in vitro patch clamp ion channel testing, as well as expand animal testing into mammals. We hope to not only better define the workings of these ion channels that are linked to anesthetic states, but also to design a safer anesthetic for the most vulnerable of our patients. Ultimately, our work should lend itself to a greater understanding of human consciousness and provide an updated perspective of the human condition. Clark, David, MD, PhD This is a picture of primate dorsal root ganglia neurons demonstrating expression of the opiate analgesic peptide leu-enkephalin after application of a recombinant herpes virus encoding the gene for human preproenkephalin to the skin. The Clark laboratory has various projects all focused on mechanisms supporting chronic pain. The first project area involves persistent pain after injuries to the extremities, including tissue damage caused by limb fracture and surgery. Models involving laboratory animals are commonly used, although human tissue samples and translational research studies are a part of the overall program. Most of this work involves evaluating the contributions of neural activation of the innate and adaptive systems of immunity. The neurogenic underpinnings of persistent pain in the setting of limb injury, the sources and targets of inflammatory mediators, and the targets of injury-related autoimmunity are all areas of interest for the group. Ultimately, our goal is to inform the design of therapies that can be taken to early-stage clinical trials. The second major project area involves the identification of mechanisms responsible for persistent pain after traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this context, the laboratory is interested in understanding how changes in descending systems of nociceptive modulation as well as changes in nociceptive signal transmission within the spinal cord might contribute to the very high incidence of chronic pain after even mild forms of TBI. Recent projects have focused on damage to the locus coeruleus after TBI and associated deficits in spinal noradrenergic function. Additional work involves spinal epigenetic changes leading to the enhanced expression of pain-related signaling molecules. Stanford Profile Gaudilliere, Brice, MD, PhD Over the last 5 years, the advent of high dimensional flow cytometry has revolutionized our ability to study and visualize the human immune system. Our group (a collaborative effort with Dr. Nima Aghaeepour and Dr. Martin Angst) combines high parameter mass cytometry (a.k.a Cytometry by Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry, CyTOF), with advanced bio-computational methods to study how the human immune system responds and adapts to acute physiological perturbations. The laboratory currently focuses on two clinical scenarios: surgical trauma and pregnancy. Deep immune profiling of patients undergoing and recovering from surgery Using high dimensional mass cytometry, we have recently shown that the signaling behavior of specific innate immune cells measured before surgery in patients’ blood was strongly associated with surgical recovery (Gaudilliere B et al. Science Translational Medicine, 2014; Fragiadakis G et al. Anesthesiology 2015). Prospective validation of reported immune correlates of surgical recovery are underway. Ongoing work in humans and animal models (in collaboration with Dr. Vivianne Tawfik and Dr. David Clark) focuses on the mechanisms by which pre-operative habilitation interventions may alter a patient’s immune state to improve recovery after surgery. Deep Immune profiling of normal and preterm pregnancy Our group is an integral component of a multi-disciplinary effort (led by Dr. David Stevenson, Pediatric Department) aimed at understanding the mechanisms of preterm birth, and identifying predictive factors of premature delivery. We have now developed a pipeline and the analytical framework to integrate the single-cell analysis of immune signaling networks by mass cytometry and proteomic profiling of secreted serum factors with the precise phenotyping of pregnancy-related clinical outcomes. In a pilot, cross-sectional study of non-pregnant women, we identified candidate immune signatures that differentiated women with a history of preterm or term pregnancies (Gaudilliere B et al. Cytometry A, 2015). Longitudinal studies in pregnant patients are ongoing to validate these findings. Lab Website \| Stanford Profile \| CyTOF at the bedside Gross, Eric, MD, PhD Our laboratory focuses on developing non-narcotic cardiac-safe pain therapeutics and other next generation therapeutics for anesthetic and analgesic care. Further, in order to provide overall better anesthetic care for our patients, we are also examining how common genetic polymorphisms in our patient population we care for may alter anesthetic and analgesic effects of the medications we administer and the post-operative course. In order to optimize analgesics and limit side-effects, we are also interested in investigating the mechanism of how the nociceptive and cardioprotective signaling pathways are linked. This involves studying the role of nociceptors in cardiac protection and continued interest examining the mechanism of how opioids and volatile anesthetics protect tissue from ischemia-reperfusion injury. MacIver, Bruce, MSc, PhD The long-term goal of our research is to provide physiological background information required for the rational design of safer and more effective anesthetics and analgesics. Hippocampal Research We investigate the cellular, synaptic and molecular mechanisms of action of central nervous system drugs; especially barbiturates, opiates, anesthetics and other CNS depressants. Electrophysiological recording techniques and selective pharmacological probes are used to investigate the sites and mechanisms of action for CNS depressants. Most of our studies focus on the CA 1 area in rat hippocampal brain slices. Neurons in this brain area are depressed by anesthetics through a combination of pre- and postsynaptic actions on glutamate and GABA mediated neurotransmission. Theta Research The effects of pharmacological agents on EEG waves generated by the neocortex are also being examined. EEG theta activity (4 to 12 Hz) is one of many rhythms, like alpha and delta (slow wave sleep) rhythms that are altered by anesthetics. Patch clamp and electrophysiological recording techniques are used to look at the effects of anesthetics on carbachol and bicuculline induced theta activity in neocortical brain slices. Anesthetic effects on brain slice micro-EEG activity are correlated to EEG effects seen in animals and humans during anesthesia. Effects on micro-EEG theta activity were shown to involve actions at GABA and glutamate synapses. Theta activity can be recorded from specific regions (green dots) of cortex in rat brain slices. Comparison of micro-EEG signals and intracellular recordings (whole cell) reveal that the low frequency theta waves (~ 8 Hz) were generated by synchronous synaptic potentials and discharge activity of cortical neurons. The discharge of each cortical neuron appears to contribute ~ 1.0 µV to the micro-EEG signal, so theta activity requires synchronous activity in ~ 100 neurons in each cortical location. Theta activity is known to be important for spacial mapping and may provide a 'binding' mechanism that contributes to the formation of memory in general. When selective populations of neurons are synchronously active they can interact in a Hebbian manner to change the strength of synaptic inputs that are timed at the theta frequency. Theta activity is also known to be particularly sensitive to anesthetic agents at concentrations which block memory formation. Preliminary studies in our laboratory indicate that brain slice theta activity is also depressed by anesthetics and that this depression occurs with a profile similar to in vivo responses. Peltz, Gary, MD, PhD The Peltz laboratory utilizes computational genetics and integrative ‘biomic’ analysis for translational biomedical discovery. Stary, Creed, MD, PhD My laboratory is interested in finding new strategies to promote neuronal survival and improve functional outcome following brain injury. The brain consists of several different cell types, the most abundant of which are astrocytes, specialized glial cells that play a vital role in regulating neuronal signaling and homeostasis. All cells depend on mitochondrial function for both normal physiologic functioning and in response to injury; currently we are utilizing microRNAs to simultaneously target multiple pathways that regulate mitochondrial function in both neurons and astrocytes in order to promote cell survival subsequent to noxious stimuli, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury. We employ several in vivo and in vitro techniques, including live cell fluorescent imaging, to assess the cellular response to injury. Tawfik, Vivianne, MD, PhD Our mission is to do the best clinically-informed basic science to advance our understanding of the neuroimmune contribution to chronic pain in a thoughtful manner with our patients always in mind. In order to further understand the mechanisms that contribute to the transition from acute to chronic pain, we use a variety of approaches that span behavioral to cellular. We are particularly excited about techniques that can be translated to humans including live animal imaging and whole cell mass cytometry. Yeomans, David, PhD We are leading the way with two potentially revolutionary approaches to the treatment of chronic pain, namely transplantation and gene therapy. In the first approach, cells taken from the adrenal gland are transplanted on top of the spinal cord through a spinal needle. These cells make and secrete numerous natural analgesic substances, acting like a pump to produce a constant inhibition of pain. Unlike a pump however, these cells are alive, meaning that they keep making and secreting the analgesic chemicals for months. The primary problems in gene therapy have been the targeting of the right cells, and the duration of the desired effect. We have used a highly modified herpes simplex virus (the kind that causes cold sores) to carry analgesic genes into the pain sensing cells. Because herpes viruses stay in these cells for the life of the host naturally, we should obtain very long lasting analgesic effects using these treatments. Thus, we are making use of the natural proclivity of herpes for entering and staying in the very cells we are interested in. In this way, we target pain treatment to painful areas, and only painful areas. These new approaches to therapy could revolutionize the treatment of chronic pain. Basic Science Faculty Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1099
__label__cc	0.711422	0.288578	A to Z Gaming Cosmic Game Connections A Side of Science Meeple, PhD Playing games in my free time…and when I should be doing other things A to Z Gaming, Reviews A to Z Gaming: The Great Dinosaur Rush Posted on April 19, 2019 April 17, 2019 AuthorBarb We dug up bones, constructed dinosaurs, and sabotaged our fellow paleontologists in The Great Dinosaur Rush, the next game in our A-Z game shelf play-through. Basic Info: The Great Dinosaur Rush Designers: Scott Almes Artists: Lina Cossette, David Forest Publisher: APE Games The Great Dinosaur Rush is a game based on the period in history known as the Bone Wars, a time of intense and ruthless fossil hunting where early paleontologists were known to sabotage dig sites and steal or destroy bones. In this game, players take on the role of an historical paleontologist digging bones, publishing papers, and building dinosaurs all the while gaining notoriety by stealing bones, blowing up fossil beds, or sabotaging dig sites. Players start the game with a set of bones – two red, three green, and two yellow representing two limbs (red), a spine, rib, and head (green), and a neck and tail (yellow). They also get a paleontologist with a special ability, a screen, two research cards (more on that below), and a scoring cube. The game board is set up with three bones in each active game space (there is a slightly smaller board for fewer than five players). In addition, a cube is placed at the top of each of the museum categories – size, height, length, ferocity, and uniqueness. The player score markers are placed on the “0” spot, and a marker for the round and phase placed at the top. The game is played in three rounds, with each round having two main phases – dig and build. During the dig phase, players perform a number of actions in order: pick up bones from their current dig site, move to another dig site, and publish to increase or decrease the popularity of one of the museum categories. Then they do an additional action – either normal actions like publishing again, researching (to get a bonus card), or donating bones to get rid of notoriety – or notorious actions like dynamiting a dig site, stealing a bone from an adjacent site, or sabotaging a dig site. These notorious actions require players to take a notoriety token, which will have a value of 1, 2 or 3 and come into play in the final scoring. After three dig cycles, players then go into a build phase. They use all of their collected bones to build a dinosaur behind their screen. The goal is to have the best dinosaur in one or more of the museum categories – for example the Size category is based on whoever’s dinosaur has the most ribs. In addition, players want to match patterns shown on their research cards – the patterns must be exact for any part of the dinosaur depicted on the card. Once everyone is finished building, players reveal their dinosaurs and score each of the museum categories. Depending on the final level of publication, players in first, second and third get a number of points for each of those categories. Then, players reveal any research cards that are met by their current dinosaur, score them and then discard. After the scoring round, the board is set back up for the next dig phase. Any empty dig spaces are replenished with two bones after the first round, and just one bone after the second round. Also, each of the museum categories are de-publicized by two or one space, depending on the round. After the end of the third round – and the associated scoring of the museum categories and bonus cards – players reveal and total up their notoriety. The player with the most notoriety subtracts that from their score; the rest of the players add their notoriety to their score. Then, whoever has the highest score, wins. I backed The Great Dinosaur Rush on Kickstarter a few years ago – drawn to the theme. Dinosaurs! I was not disappointed. This game always brings laughs to the table. Sure, there are times you can sabotage other players – stealing bones before they get a chance to pick them up, for example – but there’s danger in doing that in the form of the notoriety tokens, which makes you think twice before going all-in on that strategy. There is also strategy in deciding how to build your dinosaur – do you put most of your green bones into ribs (to win the Size category) or spread them out to try and win the Ferocity or Length categories? The dinosaur creations are always ridiculous. Sometimes one of our friends will reveal a dinosaur with a single spine bone and five or more ribs – you can’t help but giggle! As the game progresses, players get more and more bones, and the dinosaurs get sillier and sillier. There are also a number of great decisions to make – where to you move on the dig board to get the right bones for either the museum categories or research cards? do you go all in on research cards and ignore the museum categories, only winning them by happenstance? do you take another notorious action to get that one bone you need, but at the risk of taking the game-end penalty? do you publish to help yourself, or de-publish to make life harder for someone else? We always have a lot of fun with this game. There are a lot of steps to each round, but they are clearly laid out on the board. And, the player shields also act as player aids, with the different museum categories summarized on one flap, the required bones for a dinosaur build in the middle, and the summary of regular and notorious actions on the other flap. I will always say yes when someone suggests this on our game nights. How is it as a 2-player game? The Great Dinosaur Rush works well as a 2-player game. There isn’t quite as much competition for the different museum categories, so it could be better in that respect – and the dig board doesn’t get as crowded or hard to navigate even with the reduced size – but for me those are minor complaints. We definitely have fun when we pull this out with just the two of us. How about the art and component quality? The components are good – the bones are simply wooden sticks, but you wouldn’t want custom pieces, since each color of bone stands in for a number of different types of bone. The board is clear and easy to read. The research cards are okay quality, and the player shields are a little flimsy. However, the care that went into making sure the different phases of the game were clear on the board and the information on the player shields – museum categories, dinosaur construction, and action types – outweighs any slight deficiencies in quality, in my opinion. I quite like the art, and the fact that each of the paleontologists is based on a real person in history is just icing on the cake. Will this stay in my collection? Absolutely. I love pulling this out on game night. I always know there will be giggles at the table as we each reveal our ridiculous dinosaur creations. Tagged ape games, review, the great dinosaur rushcommentLeave a Comment on A to Z Gaming: The Great Dinosaur Rush A Side of Science: Astronomers don’t study constellations A to Z Gaming: The Grizzled I’ve been a lifelong gamer. Lately tabletop games, but over my life I’ve been an Atari 2600, Nintendo 8-bit, Playstation, and Wii gamer. There’s even been the infrequent role playing campaign. I’ll be posting a collection of reviews, game night re-caps, and anything gaming I feel like writing about. I may be joined occasionally by my gaming friends and family, too! Look for their posts to hear other perspectives on gaming. I'm rhombitruncated on Board Game Geek. Cosmic Game Connections on YouTube! 2-player 7 wonders active galaxy aeg agricola astronomy atlas games background black holes blazar board and brew board game cafe catan card game cat lady chrononauts clank colliding galaxies dungeon petz elder sign ex libris fantasy flight games five tribes fluxx friday galaxies game insert game night gloom hardback kodama looney labs milky way mysterium neutrinos neutron stars pax unplugged planetarium pulsar 2849 renegade game studios review rio grande games sagrada solitaire the captain is dead video © 2021 Meeple, PhD	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1103
__label__cc	0.565613	0.434387	A Boy and His Blob review Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii \| 3 Comments Genre: 2-D Puzzle/Adventure Video: 16:9/480p Audio: Stereo Players: Single player only Nintendo Wifi: None ESRB: Everyone In “Way Forward Technologies’ ” re-imagining of the NES original, you once again play as a young boy, who upon being awoke by an earth shaking crash; goes out to investigate. Upon investigating the source of the calamity, he finds the blob; puzzle-solving adventures ensue. Muramasa: The Demon Blade review Genre: 2-D Action/Adventure/RPG Nintendo Wiifi: None ESRB: Teen In Vanillaware’s new 2-D Epic time-piece set in feudal era Japan; “Muramasa: The Demon Blade”, is a side-scrolling action/adventure/RPG, which tells the stories of its two playable protagonists: Kisuke and Momohime. Both have their own individual story-lines, weapons and boss encounters; which provides players with two distinct experiences. Scribblenauts contest – First challenge Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Features \| 1 Comment Alright, now that we’ve gotten all the rules and technicalities out of the way, let’s get this rolling. In case you need a reminder though, click on this link. Nintendo Everything’s Scribblenauts Contest – Challenge #1 Level (The level in which you will unleash your creativity): 3-5 Contest Par (How many items you’re allowed to use for this challenge): 5 Mission: Return the lamb, but guns and explosions scare the flock! Other rules: None, just get the starite. Ending date: 10/25 Send your submissions/questions/comments to [email protected] for your chance to win! Wii Fit Plus review Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii \| 12 Comments Genre: Fitness/Activity Players: 1-2 (Depending on activity) Nintendo Wi-Fi: None With “Wii Fit Plus” Nintendo re-offers players a unique way to become active and introduce exercise with a gaming approach. For owners of the original Wii Fit, Plus offers 15 new activities (some are new takes on older ones), 5 new balance tests, 3 new exercises in the Strength and Yoga categories and a lot of new improvements and additions overall. 4 theoretical games that could take advantage of the Wii Vitality Sensor Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii \| 12 Comments Among all of the peripherals that have been released for the Wii, the “Vitality Sensor” is arguably the most obscure one we’ve seen yet. A device that measures your pulse? How could that be fun for serious video gamers? Aside from making sure you’re still alive, the possibilities seem pretty slim. Despite this sarcastic skepticism though, it’d be hard deny that there are options for the device. On one hand, it has significant potential for specific types of titles, but on the other hand, the most likely path Nintendo will take with the device will be one very similar to the Wii Balance Board: A couple of decent casual titles will be made, and then the company will leave it up to third parties to support a gadget that they created. If Nintendo wants the Wii Vitality Sensor to be anything more than a device to attract sleepless moms, they’re going to have to do something to attract core gamers. The Game: Eternal Darkness 2 Genre: Survival Horror Use of the Vitality Sensor: Staying calm The Premise: Now, I’ve never had the privilege of playing Eternal Darkness, but I’ve read more than enough about the game to know exactly why it’s as loved as it is. It uses fourth-wall shattering techniques to affect the player beyond the confines of the screen, and for that it was considered one of the most revolutionary games to hit the survival horror genre since the original Resident Evil. Combining what the game already had in place with the ability to read your pulse, and the game could, in theory, force you to keep calm or risk punishment. For instance, imagine that as your pulse increased, the screen would distort, causing you to lose focus and suffer the loss of the ability to see your enemies before they seek you out. This would add a whole new level to the game, and intensify the experience that was already so highly praised in the original. Dead Space: Extraction not exclusive? Why Wii owners shouldn’t mind With the recent announcement of Dead Space: Extraction possibly losing it’s exclusivity to Wii, many Nintendo gamers have been whipping out their flamethrowers and taking gaming message boards by storm, infuriated by the constant “betrayal” from Wii third party developers. It started with the rumor that Marvelous would be porting one of their Wii games to PS3/360, followed shortly thereafter by the announcement of No More Heroes’ fateful end on the Wii, and now one of Wii’s most anticipated mature games (Dead Space) has the possibility of leaving the system as well. Regrettably, Wii’s third party situation is far from perfect, and part of that has to do with the failure of so many fantastic non-Nintendo efforts flopping on the little white box, and thus arrives the paradox of outside developers creating games for Wii. Rambling thoughts – Moon Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Features \| 0 comments Moon has been out in North America since January, but our friends over in Europe received their first chance to play the title this month. This leaves me with the perfect chance to provide my view on the game. Head past the break to read my rambling thoughts! The Conduit review System: Nintendo Wii Genre: First Person Shooter/Action Players: 1 Local, 12 Online Developer: High Voltage Software The excitement surrounding the Wii and its launch was, to put it bluntly, huge. The idea that games could be controlled by the movements of the player was mesmerizing and on top of that the price of admission was cheap. But this bliss faded quickly when Wii owners came to realize that the revolutionary motion controller was not as perfect as many had hoped, the only flawless feature being the Wii’s IR sensor. This sensor, however. would spawn a new following as the possible innovator of the increasingly popular FPS genre, idealistically offering precision aiming and a more natural feeling for shooting than the clunky (albeit improving) dual analog control scheme. Sadly, games came and went and one poorly designed FPS after another went from development to shelf to bargain bin. It has been nearly three years since the Wii’s launch, and the number of FPSs worth playing on the system can be counted on half of one hand. This begs the question, why? Could it be that the Wii is simply so underpowered that it can’t handle the prowess of modern FPS games? Many would have held that as the truth, that is, until High Voltage Software stepped in to take the reigns of the genre and show every other third parties how it’s done. Ghostbusters: The Video Game review Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii \| 1 Comment Publisher: Atari Developer: Red Fly Studios Ghostbusters is considered to be, by many, one of the most recognized movie franchises to have surfaced over the last few decades. Not too many people can claim that they have never heard the film’s main theme song or, at the very least, the phrase, “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” It’s been over fifteen years since a video game based on the series was released and with the track record that Ghostbusters possesses, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for a new video game to be released. But it’s finally here – A new ghost-busting game is out and fortunately, the Wii version isn’t too shabby. It’s important to note right off the bat that this is not a gimped Ghostbusters title. Unlike many publishers who ignore the Wii when it comes to multiplatform titles, it is very clear that Red Fly Studios, in charge of the Wii version, put in a lot of effort in creating a bona fide experience. You’ll see familiar faces along with their original voice actors, you’ll hear the famous Ghostbusters song (although it is underused) and you’ll recognize unique weaponry. No, the Wii version does not feature realistic graphics (which is actually an intelligent design choice). However, the game still manages to hold its own when compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Top 5 reasons why you should buy The Conduit Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii \| 9 Comments With the release of The Conduit on the horizon, many Wii owners are greatly anticipating what they believe to be one of the summer’s hottest titles. And with a game that features a great weapons selection, solid online play and startlingly customizable control, who can blame them? Many gamers have pre-ordered the title (myself included) and even more have set aside the money to buy the game as soon as it launches. But what about those who haven’t? Here are the top reasons why they need to re-route their most recent paycheck to The Conduit.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1106
__label__wiki	0.879061	0.879061	US coronavirus news: Record Covid-19 hospitalizations could soon force health experts to ration care “When you run out of capacity, physicians and bioethicists in these hospitals will need to decide which patients are salvageable — potentially salvageable — and which patients aren’t,” CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner explained. The US reported 121,235 patients hospitalized with coronavirus Monday, the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic, according to the Covid Tracking Project. ICU coronavirus patients have increased from 16% in September to 40% last week, and health experts anticipate holiday travel could mean a “surge on top of a surge.” That spike in cases would put Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles in the position of needing to ration care, CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor said Monday. “If we continue to see an increase in the number of Covid patients, we may be forced to do something that, as health professionals, we all really just loathe having to even think about,” Batchlor told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin. At Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California, nurses that usually care for one or two patients are now caring for three or four, infectious disease specialist Dr. Kimberly Shriner told CNN on Sunday. “We have a limited number of ventilators, we have a limited number of ICU beds,” Shriner explained, adding that a team including a bioethicist, a community member, a physician, a nurse and an administrative leader will decide how to divide those resources if it comes down to it. “If you don’t have respirators, you don’t have nurses to care for patients, you don’t have ICU beds, we will have to have these terrible discussions with families, which is why people need to stay home, and when they go out, they need to wear a mask,” Reiner said. Battlefield triage techniques Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital will not turn patients away, Batchlor said, but staff may have to employ techniques that have been used in war. “We use what in the battlefield is called triage techniques, which is doing an assessment of each person’s needs and prognosis and using scarce resources with patients that are most likely to benefit from them,” she said. Already, resources are being used in unconventional ways to accommodate the surge. “Our staff has been incredibly adept and flexible in accommodating increasing numbers of patients, so as you heard, we have five tents outside of the hospital,” Batchlor said. “We have patients in our conference room, in our chapel.” Many gurneys are taken into the gift shop, she said. While Batchlor didn’t specify how many new patients have Covid-19, the increase in their numbers is putting stress on all care. L.A. County Health Services Director Christina Ghaly said some hospitals are seeing patients who are still on ambulances. “Those patients are being cared for and treated in the ambulance as if it’s part of the emergency room bay,” Ghaly said. US needs to ramp up vaccines, expert says So far, about 2.1 million vaccine doses have been administered in the US and more than 11.4 million doses have been distributed as of Monday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 4.7 million will be distributed by the end of the week, Assistant Secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services Admiral Brett Giroir said. That would bring the total to more than 15.5 million doses “in the hands of the states.” With doses making their way to state leaders, New Jersey is expecting to vaccinate about 31,000 long term care residents by the end of the week, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a Monday press conference. “With each passing day, our vaccination program is growing a little larger and a lot stronger,” Murphy told reporters. “With the New Year, we are looking forward to the opening of our six vaccination mega sites and the further expansion of our vaccine efforts, and the continued movement through each priority group.” Despite these developments, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said Monday that the US is falling behind countries like Israel and Canada in the pace of vaccination efforts. “We really do have to ramp this up,” he said. “Things are in a crisis.” Manufacturers like Pfizer have millions of doses that are waiting to be allocated, he said, attributing that problem in part to the federal government not following through with their administration after doses are delivered to states. “There’s a lot of work of getting the vaccine from the state into people’s arms, and we needed a clearer set of plans than we’ve had on that,” he told CNN’s Jim Acosta. California restrictions likely to be extended Already hard hit by the impacts of coronavirus, Los Angeles County reported nearly 100,000 new cases in just the past week, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “The sad reality is that all indicators show us that our situation may only get worse as we begin 2021,” said Ferrer. Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley have been under a regional stay at home order that was set to expire on Monday. But based on current trends and ICU capacity in those regions falling to 0%, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the order is likely to be extended. The state added 33,170 new cases of the coronavirus and 64 additional deaths on Monday. Newsom warned that the slightly lower number of deaths is due to a reporting lag over the weekend. California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly will use the final data from Monday to announce projections based on a four-week period on Tuesday, Newsom said. California has reported more than 2.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 24,000 deaths since the pandemic began. CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Virginia Langmaid, Paul Vercammen, Artemis Moshtaghian, Taylor Romine, John Bonifield, Naomi Thomas, Deidre McPhillips, Jenn Selva, Sarah Moon, Steve Almasy and Holly Yan contributed to this report. ← Officer: 'I told myself, stay on your feet. Stay alive' Google takes away wide-angle astrophotography from Pixel phones → China: Tourist sites packed as country comes out of coronavirus lockdown HBO Max: Sign-up to Stream Now! Revlon One-Step sale: Shop this deal on the top-rated hair dryer	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0024.json.gz/line1111

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